The enduring popularity of superhero narratives in the post-9/11 cultural
landscape testifies, to some extent, to the continued cultural ubiquity of Joseph
Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’, but the notion ...of heroism itself is challenged
somewhat by another seemingly ubiquitous product of the terrorist attacks: the
proliferation, and absorption into Monomythical narratives, of the tropes of mass
surveillance and technologically-aided snooping. It is my argument that the ability
to perform such acts of surveillance essentially precludes and negates the Hero’s
Journey itself – not for moral reasons, but because these acts represent the use of a
power beyond that of a mortal hero, and the essential repositioning of the characters
in question as godlike beings. As a result of this repositioning, the Monomyth – a
pattern which, after all, describes the progress of mortal humans through dangerous
terrain that they do not always understand – no longer applies, and thus neither do
the terms
hero
or
heroic.
Thus, the Batman of Christopher Nolan’s
The Dark Knight
and
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
’s Nick Fury negate their own heroism
and, by committing acts of hubris, invite the miasma and nemesis they are seen to
suffer by the respective films’ conclusions. In this way, the paranoia and, indeed,
surveillance possibilities of the post-9/11 age can be seen to inform and, to an
extent, redefine, both the Monomyth and the very concept of the Monomythical
hero.
While the tropes and structures of the Hero's Journey—the pattern identified by Joseph Campbell as corresponding to the progression of the adventures undertaken by the protagonists of heroic ...narratives—have become increasingly familiar to readers and consumers of literature, films, and other popular cultural texts, it is worth noting that individual texts seldom present the pattern in its entirety. In chapter three of The Hero with a Thousand Faces , Campbell writes “When the hero‐quest has been accomplished … the adventurer must still return with his life‐transmuting trophy” (193); it is in this way that they become “Master of Two Worlds,” achieving the balance and growth that they set out to find when they first crossed the threshold into the belly of the whale, and thus are afforded “Freedom to Live,” the final stage of the pattern. If the monomyth is about the movement of the individual toward becoming what they are ultimately meant to be, as opposed to what they were before their journey, then it must follow that the achievement of a single goal (however big) cannot signal the end of the process. In Fun Home— Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir, or “family tragicomic” as the author herself subtitles the text—the protagonist (a younger version of Bechdel) has already both moved out of the house where she grew up and come out as a lesbian when the events that propel her toward investigating her father's past occur. By leaving home, she has heeded the call to adventure and crossed the threshold into the belly of the whale. Her understanding and acceptance of her sexuality corresponds to apotheosis, in as much as it signals the death of her old self and her resultant rebirth into her adult persona. Ultimately, her announcement of this sexuality can be interpreted as representing the granting of the Ultimate Boon. As The Hero with a Thousand Faces explains, though, in order to benefit from this boon, Bechdel must first take it home with her, both physically and temporally.
This paper explores the mass media perception of the European Union (EU) in Kazakhstan through the content analysis of major mass media outlets. This paper examines news reports and periodical ...articles from four major national Kazakh newspapers: "Yegemen Kazakhstan", "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda", "Zhas Alash" and "Vremya" at three measurement points. The first measurement point covers early 1990s when Kazakhstan became an independent state and started to build its foreign relations. The second measurement point covers years before and after introduction of the EU Strategy for Central Asia, namely years between 2006 and 2008. The third measurement point covers last three years (2011-2013) associated with implementation with the EU Strategy and assessing its results. The research suggests that the mass media generally positively perceives the EU, as most publications emphasize the positive role played by the EU in the region and Kazakhstan. Additionally, the initiation of the EU strategy for Central Asia led to wider coverage and therefore wider public recognition of the EU in Kazakhstan. However, discourse analysis of publications authored by the EU and Kazakhstanian elites indicates substantial variation in depiction of the European Union and its engagement in Central Asia and Kazakhstan in particular.
The discussion of Iranian relations with other Caucasus states ranges from claims about Tehran's ambition for exporting its revolution to suggestions as to whether it plays a positive role in ...stabilizing the region. How may one identify Iran's main policy goals? What are Tehran's major means in implementing these goals? How should one explain the bilateral ties between Iran and each Caucasus state? This paper will seek to examine the foreign policy philosophy adopted by Iran's contemporary leaders in light of the options that exist with regard to the country's resource needs and ideological goals and the resulting policy directions that are chosen, especially as far as the Caucasus states are concerned.
Assessing EU perception in Kazakhstan's mass media Ospanova, Bakyt; Sadri, Houman A.; Yelmurzayeva, Raushan
Journal of Eurasian studies,
January 2017, 20170000, 2017-01-00, 2017-01-01, 2017-01, Letnik:
8, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This paper explores the mass media perception of the European Union (EU) in Kazakhstan by utilizing the content analysis of the major mass media outlets. The authors examine news reports and ...periodical articles from four major national Kazakh newspapers using three measurement points. The first measurement point covers the early 1990s when Kazakhstan declared independence and began to establish its foreign relations. The second measurement point covers the periods before and after introduction of the EU Strategy for Central Asia (2006–2008). The third measurement point covers the years (2011–2013) associated with implementation with the EU Strategy and assessing its results.
Our main findings suggest that Kazakhstan's mass media positively perceives the role of the EU in the region. Moreover, they tend to portray the EU mainly as an economic powerhouse. Our findings support some suggestions by similar studies of the EU's external perception.
In the article, the authors analyze the state of relations between the EU and Kazakhstan in recent times, taking into account the adjustments in global economic relations, transport, and logistics ...routes in Eurasia, resulting from the war in Ukraine. The difficulties in their partnership stem primarily from the lack of an alternative to the Northern route. The authors examine these challenges and the prospects of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) to provide that alternative. Special attention is paid to the EU’s “Global Gateway” program, initiated at the end of 2022, representing a new milestone in the relations between the EU and the Central-Asian countries, especially Kazakhstan. This program is in direct competition with China’s “Belt and Road” project, such that a comparison will reveal its opportunities. As will be discussed, one of the most important areas for such cooperation is Kazakhstan’s energy sector, including the development of green hydrogen, by which the EU aims to diversify its suppliers. The article concludes that while the consequences of the war in Ukraine have challenged the economic partnership between Kazakhstan and the EU, they have opened up new areas for its strengthening. The European Union, for its part, is deepening its involvement in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, focusing on regionalization, the ecologization of economic systems and relations, and quality management.
The purpose of this article is to describe an internationalization project that was developed at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida to provide faculty across the disciplines ...with assignments they can use to foster the development of their students' global competency. After describing the project and the series of assignments they developed, the authors focus on one of the assignments, a cultural interview, and describe how it was adapted in two disciplines: hospitality management and political science. Overall, the students found the experience to be a positive one. They gained confidence as a result of conducting the interview and developed a broader perspective on their chosen profession. Finally, many students reflected on the fact that before completing the interview they thought their level of cultural competence was much greater than it actually was. The interview assignment is a valuable tool for faculty who wish to help their students develop their global competency whether the primary motivation is to help students become more competitive in the job market or to foster students' development as engaged global citizens. As shown by the findings of this study, the assignment has the potential to do both simultaneously.
The Eurasian Economic Union has sparked a debate in the literature regarding who it benefits and what its consequences would be. This paper reviews the argument put forth by Michael Emerson that ...Europe and Asia should grow together to form a Greater Eurasia. I use this initial argument as a springboard to examine the American literature regarding the formation of the Eeu. I do this by examining four key components: benefits of the formation and expansion of the Eeu, difficulties and concerns regarding the formation and expansion of the Eeu, the local perspective, and the implications for the European Union and the United States. The paper concludes by stating that examining the Eeu and its relations are in the United States' interest and should be paid attention to in regards to foreign policy. With this conclusion we note that currently the American literature is limited and needs to be further researched. L'Union économique eurasiatique (Uee) a lancé un débat dans la littérature de recherche en ce qui pourrait concerner ses bénéficiaires et ses possibles conséquences. Cet article examine l'argumentaire par Michael Emerson qui affirme que l'Europe et l'Asie devraient se développer conjointement afin de former une Grande Eurasie. Nous prenons cette argumentation comme point de départ à l'examen de la littérature américaine sur la formation de à Uee. Pour cela, nous examinerons quatre éléments fondamentaux: les avantages de la création et de l'expansion de PUee, les difficultés et inquiétudes en ce qui a trait à la formation et l'expansion de l'Uee, ses implications à l'échelon régional et ses effets sur l'Union Européenne et les États-Unis. Cet article se termine en affirmant qu'il est dans l'intérêt des États-Unis d'étudier l'Uee et ses relations et que plus d'attention devrait y être consacrée en ce qui concerne ses politiques étrangères. En conclusion, nous soulignons que la littérature américaine sur le sujet est peu abondante pour l'instant et qu'il est nécessaire d'effectuer d'avantage de recherche dans ce domaine.
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze Kazakh foreign relations in the context of global and regional powers. This work mainly focuses on the Kazakh public policy aimed at maintaining working ...ties with various powerful states involved in the regional affairs of Central Asia. More specifically, this paper also addresses the main sources of threat to the Kazakh state from both regional and global sources. This work discusses Astana's efforts to decrease its traditional dependence on Moscow, as it establishes closer working ties with Washington and Beijing, as well as the capitals of major regional powers, including Tehran, Ankara, and Islamabad. The authors used comparative, system-functional, structural, and functional methods. Research results substantiated the fact that protection of the Kazakh national interests and further development of the country demands strengthening its diplomatic ties with the EU, the US, China and Russia.
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze Kazakh foreign relations in the context of global and regional powers. This work mainly focuses on the Kazakh public policy aimed at maintaining working ...ties with various powerful states involved in the regional affairs of Central Asia. More specifically, this paper also addresses the main sources of threat to the Kazakh state from both regional and global sources. This work discusses Astana’ s efforts to decrease its traditional dependence on Moscow, as it establishes closer working ties with Washington and Beijing, as well as the capitals of major regional powers, including Tehran, Ankara, and Islamabad.The authors used comparative, system-functional, structural, and functional methods. Research results substantiated the fact that protection of the Kazakh national interests and further development of the country demands strengthening its diplomatic ties with the EU, the US, China and Russia.
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