Suchergebnisse

---

A theoretical approach to works of art as autopoietic systems within the larger autopoietic system of society is outlined. The continuity of their self-reproduction is ensured through style. The historicization of style, which made it impossible to measure all works of art against a common standard, emerged at the time when art became autopoietic in itself. Style both ensures the production of elements of art & delimits the field in which this takes place. In the present age, style appears to be on the edge of dissolving into fashion, bringing the situation of art in modern society into question. W. H. Stoddard

The current study examined the ways in which 14 art therapists and adult clients from the Ultra-Orthodox sector in Israel perceive mental health and mental health treatment. Semi-structured interviews were subjected to an interpretative phenomenological analysis to capture the meaning ascribed to the treatment and its challenges. Four themes emerged: the perception of mental health as related to the centrality of functioning, purposefulness, and emotional balance; the specific challenges of therapy, in terms of suspicion regarding treatment and difficulties in establishing intimacy and self-disclosure; the interplay between the worlds of therapy and religion; and the intersection of art and religion. The discussion centers on an interpretation of the findings in light of the ontological typology of individualism versus collectivism.

Eritrea's long liberation war and today the Kivu war provide two illustrations of what may be an explanation of the extreme violence observed in many contemporary conflicts, including (but not limited to) Africa: on the one hand, the disconnection between local rationalities and the goals expressed by "national" leaders; on the other hand, a weak or destabilising state experience among those involved in armed movements who have often switched into war for perfectly 'rational' motivations and then, as the conflict proceeds, struggle to build a political goal that is easily deciphable. However, the societies or groups that are at the heart of the deadly conflicts rarely choose the anomaly and try, with various and often extremely fragile successes, to rebuild a social bond that war has dissolved. ; [The atomization of ends and the radicalism of means. On certain African conflicts] The long war of liberation in Eritrea and today's war in Kivu provide two illustrations of a possible explanation for the extreme violence that occurs in numerous contemporary conflicts, most notably (but not only) in Africa. This involves, on the one hand, the disparity between local rationalities and the stated aims of "national" leaders and, on the other, a weak or destabilizing experience of the state among those involved in armed movements. Thus combatants often engage in war for perfectly "rational" reasons; however, as the conflict drags on, they find it difficult to construct clear political objectives. Societies or groups living in the midst of the most murderous conflicts rarely remain inert; they attempt, with varying and extremely fragile success rates, to reconstitute social bonds that war has destroyed. ; Eritrea's long liberation war and today the Kivu war provide two illustrations of what may be an explanation of the extreme violence observed in many contemporary conflicts, including (but not limited to) Africa: on the one hand, the disconnection between local rationalities and the goals expressed by "national" leaders; ...

This open access book is the first publication to provide a comparative framework for the study of martial culture and historical martial arts in Europe and Asia, in particular in Italy and China. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of martial studies, contributors to this volume include historians, archeologists, art historians, scholars of fencing literature, metallurgists, as well as contemporary master swordsmiths and masters-of-arms in historical martial arts. Assembling researchers from these diverse fields, this book offers a multi-perspectival and dynamic view of martial culture across time and space. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary significance of this book cannot be overemphasized. Whereas a number of contributors are internationally recognized and, indeed, leading authorities in their respective fields; for example, Jeffrey Shaw has been a world-leading new media artist and scholar since the 1970s, while Ma Mingda is a well-known historian and the contemporary founder of Chinese martial studies; and while there are significant overlaps in their research interests, this book brings their research within a single volume for the first time. Equally significant, the book is structured in such a way to reflect the various core aspects of martial studies, particularly in relation to the study of historic sword culture, including history, culture, philosophy, literature and knowledge transmission, material culture, as well as the technical aspects of historical fencing. As one of the first titles on martial studies, this book becomes a reference not only for scholars taking an interest in this subject, but also for historians; scholars with interest in Chinese and/or Italian history (particularly of the Medieval or early modern periods), the history of international relations in Asia / Far East; anthropologists; scholars of martial (arts) studies and researchers in sword-making and/or historic metallurgy.

BackgroundWhile the number of HIV‐positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource‐limited settings has increased dramatically, some patients eligible for treatment do not initiate ART even when it is available to them. Understanding why patients opt out of care, or are unable to opt in, is important to achieving the goal of universal access.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional survey among 400 patients on ART (those who were able to access care) and 400 patients accessing home‐based care (HBC), but who had not initiated ART (either they were not able to, or chose not to, access care) in two rural and two urban sites in Zambia to identify barriers to and facilitators of ART uptake.ResultsHBC patients were 50% more likely to report that it would be very difficult to get to the ART clinic than those on ART (RR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.21‐1.82). Stigma was common in all areas, with 54% of HBC patients, but only 15% of ART patients, being afraid to go to the clinic (RR: 3.61; 95% CI: 3.12‐4.18). Cost barriers differed by location: urban HBC patients were three times more likely to report needing to pay to travel to the clinic than those on ART (RR: 2.84; 95% CI: 2.02‐3.98) and 10 times more likely to believe they would need to pay a fee at the clinic (RR: 9.50; 95% CI: 2.24‐40.3). In rural areas, HBC subjects were more likely to report needing to pay non‐transport costs to attend the clinic than those on ART (RR: 4.52; 95% CI: 1.91‐10.7). HBC patients were twice as likely as ART patients to report not having enough food to take ART being a concern (27% vs. 13%, RR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.71‐2.41), regardless of location and gender.ConclusionsPatients in home‐based care for HIV/AIDS who never initiated ART perceived greater financial and logistical barriers to seeking HIV care and had more negative perceptions about the benefits of the treatment. Future efforts to expand access to antiretroviral care should consider ways to reduce these barriers in order to encourage more of those medically eligible for antiretrovirals to initiate care.

2012 Fall. ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Text in German ; title and abstract in English and German. ; Graffiti, Post-Graffiti, Urban Art and Street Art are sometimes used as synonyms. Authors in the field of Street Art agree that this art form derives directly from the subway graffiti in New York, and often designate it as an art movement. This work defends the thesis that the more the art on the Berlin Wall increased the tolerance towards and integration of the art in the public spaces, the more it contributed to the popularization of the contemporary Street Art in Berlin. The goal of this paper is trifold: 1. to clarify the relationship between the Street Art in Berlin today and the art on the Berlin Wall; 2. to understand the institutionalization of this art form; and 3. to bring light to the democratization of art through Street Art in Berlin. With this purpose, I will analyze the efforts that differentiate Berlin from other cities and position Street Art not as vandalism, but rather as a part of the art in public spaces. The essence of this art form derives from site-specific art, whereby the place plays an inherent part in the artwork. These qualities can be recognized in the Street Art in Berlin from the 70's until today, and its popularization is deeply connected with the German cultural politics of the 70's and the historical significance of the Wall Art. In addition, Street Art challenges the paradigms between high and low art, as well as the contemporary role of the museum. The consequences of the institutionalization of this art form are its democratization and commodification. Finally, Street Art can be considered responsible for a Musealization from Below, whereby the place (the walls of the metropolis) becomes part of the work and its cultural, historical and identity values are emphasized. This is particularly true in the case of the Berlin Wall. Street Art is site-specific, because the works give the place a new meaning and vice-versa. Instead of simulating Street Art in an institutional space, the projects in Berlin attempt to transform the street into an art gallery, inserting the art into the life of the people and finally contributing to the democratization of art.