The article points out that the current expansion of the semiotic focus from signs and texts to whole cultures needs the development of a coherent method. It therefore proposes to establish it through an application of the topological theory of fractals to the analysis of different kinds of symmetries in the semiosphere. Having defined fractals as resemblance between two topological structures, the article first dwells on what "resemblance" means in the comparison of both visual and conceptual patterns; it then proposes a typology of fractal similarities, based on the topological operations of rotation, translation, and reflection. Examples of each typology are given from the fields of cultural and political analysis. The article concludes by hypothesizing that cultural semiotics might evolve into a "pattern science", challenging the customary disciplinary barriers between the study of regularities in nature and in culture.
Chan Chi Ho. ; Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. ; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-184). ; Abstracts in English and Chinese. ; Notes to the Readers --- p.ii ; Abstract --- p.iii ; Chinese Abstract --- p.iv ; Introduction --- p.1 ; Chapter Chapter One --- Imperial Cults as a Context of the Lukan Writings: Historical Preliminaries --- p.11 ; Chapter 1.1 --- Imperial Cults or Emperor Cults as a Religion in the Roman Empire --- p.13 ; Chapter 1.2 --- "The Lukan Perspective: Between the Author, the Literary Text, the Reader, and Their Historical Context" --- p.23 ; Chapter 1.2.1 --- Authorship and Intended Readership of the Lukan Writings --- p.24 ; Chapter 1.2.2 --- Time of Composition --- p.30 ; Chapter 1.2.3 --- Further Notes on Luke-Acts' Historical Situation --- p.37 ; Chapter 1.3 --- The Lukan Perspective on the Roman Empire Rethought --- p.42 ; Chapter Chapter Two --- A Contra-cultural Reformed Judaism Surpassing the Imperial Cult? Assessing Allen Brent's Interpretation of the Lukan Writings --- p.49 ; Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.49 ; Chapter 2.2 --- "An Overview of Brent's Interpretation of Luke's ""Political Theology""" --- p.53 ; Chapter 2.2.1 --- Contra-cultural Strategy and Social Reintegration into the Host Culture --- p.53 ; Chapter 2.2.2 --- The Augustan Saeculum Aureum and Luke's Delayed Parousia --- p.54 ; Chapter 2.2.3 --- Latent Conflicts Remain --- p.57 ; Chapter 2.2.4 --- "A ""Political Theology"" Doomed to Fail: Domitian and the Fiscus Iudaicus" --- p.57 ; Chapter 2.3 --- "An Evaluation of Brent's Interpretation of Luke's ""Political Theology""" --- p.58 ; Chapter 2.3.1 --- Lukan vs. Imperial Eschatologies --- p.58 ; Chapter 2.3.2 --- """Jewish"" or Pagan Backcloth?" --- p.58 ; Chapter 2.3.3 --- Roman State Religion or Greek Imperial Cults? --- p.59 ; Chapter 2.4 --- Conclusion --- p.61 ; Chapter Chapter Three --- King Agrippa I Smitten by an Angel of the Lord: Acts 12:20-23 and the Lukan Attitude towards Emperor Worship --- p.63 ; Chapter 3.1 --- ...
本文以北朝戰爭書寫為題。記錄北朝戰爭的大多是正史等歷史文獻,這些並非全然客觀中立的書寫,而是包含官方意識形態、史家個人情懷等因素;甚至一些看似「客觀」的記錄,如兵力數字、氣候、地理,其實也有可能經過了史家有意的再創造。本文嘗試對歷史文本做進一步發掘,分析文本的內外關聯,如影響戰爭書寫的政治文化力量、史學內部傳統等,從而從側面增進對於古代戰爭的認識。 ; 本文匯集一些個案研究,分別討論北朝幾次戰爭記錄中的兵力數字、北周開國君主形象、北朝勝利和失敗的武將的書寫方式、胡族戰略戰術分析,以及記錄李淵建唐的《大唐創業起居注》等。 ; 本文嘗試指出,北朝戰爭書寫最為突出的特點,可歸結為「去胡化」,或者「由胡入漢」:北朝諸政權大多是胡族政權,但在東魏北齊以及唐初的史家筆下,這些北朝胡族政權的君主、將士,胡族色彩並不濃重,反而大多蒙上一層漢族文化的面紗;胡人的戰略戰術、戰爭過程的記錄都接近漢人的傳統方式。 ; This dissertation discusses the writing of warfare in the Northern Dynasties, Medieval China. Most of the records on the warfare are from official histories written in Northern Qi (550-577) and Tang Dynasty (618-907). These records, however, are under the influence of political and cultural powers, such as political struggles and orthodoxy. Even some of so called objective description, such as records of the place, time, figure and climate may be kind of recreation of the writers. This dissertation tries to analyze context of these records, including their political and cultural background, along with the development of historiography and other writing traditions. ; This dissertation is made up of several case studies, discussing respectively figures in battle, adventure of Yuwen Tai (the leader of the military group in Western Wei), the image of generals in the Northern Dynasties, the description of strategy and tactics of nomad people, and the historical record of Li Yuan, founder of Tang Dynasty. The principal conclusion is that in the official histories historians descript nomad people in traditional Chinese way. Sinicization of the nomad people is the most important characteristics of the writing of warfare in Northern Dynasties: the nomad leaders and generals are close to Chinese emperors and generals, the nomadic way of war is replaced by the Chinese way. ; Detailed summary in vernacular field only. ; Detailed summary in vernacular field only. ; Detailed summary in vernacular field only. ; 雷仕偉. ; Parallel title from added title page. ; Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. ; Includes ...
Agriculture, Rural village and Peasants (ARP) represent the production structure, social structure and cultural structure (3S) of rural China for thousands of years in its trinity. To find the long roots of Chinese civilization and to feel the creativity, splendour, diversity and regionality of Chinese traditional culture, it must be in the countryside relating to the ARP. However, China's rural areas have been constantly challenged by political, economic, technological changes and other cultures interruption. Especially after decades of modernization and urbanization, the three structural relationships of rural traditional harmony are gradually being resolved. The originality of the rural tradition and the cultural accumulation it bears are facing extinction. For a nation whose culture has been passed down for thousands of years, this will be an irreparable and huge loss. Fortunately, in 2005 the central government put forward the slogan of "Beautiful Villages", emphasizing the need to build beautiful and livable villages for farmers. The government's authorities have issued a series of support policies for this purpose. The national standard for "Beautiful Villages" was introduced in 2015. It supports the village protection and development plans for the newly established list of traditional Chinese villages and supports the pilots of rescue protection in various places. It requires traditional villages to rely on historical and cultural resources reasonably to carry out various development models such as cultural creativity, popular science education and leisure tourism. From the macro-level of management, it is proposed that government-led, government-invested, unified planning, development, management, management and management rights should be unified. At the same time as the promotion of cultural relics protection and basic implementation, attention is paid to protecting the interests of the people and social benefits. Over the past years, all sectors of society, including some enterprises and institutions, have responded positively, forming various forms of practice in rural villages protection and development. For example "characteristic vernacular villages", "characteristic folk villages", "modern new villages", "historical ancient villages", etc. They mainly make some useful attempts to solve various problems faced by the countryside through the combination of rural tourism, leisure agriculture and ecological agriculture. However, most of these practices are based on direct input from external funds and management. Many of them fail to reach out to the current issues of the ARP, and unable to face the problems of a poor 3S relationship. Therefore, how to combine the protection of the "post-cultural heritage" of the countryside with the exploration of the new form of the ARP and reconstruction of the 3S relationship under the new historical conditions and opportunities has become the theoretical and practical issues of rural protection and development. To realize the goal of "Beautiful Villages", it is very necessary to take action at both levels of strategic thinking and practical approach. It is necessary to make forward-looking explorations and practices in accordance with the actual conditions of rural areas in different regions.
在香港的英屬殖民時期,"混血兒(Eurasian)被限定為一個特別的種族分類。其身份在殖民主義和種族主義的多重迫力下被限定和汙名化,其社會境遇一路荊棘,深受社會道德機制的譴責與排斥。然而,在當代香港的後殖民語境中,混血兒的境遇發生了戲劇性的變化。"混血兒作為"種族分類(racial category)已然消失,現在則普遍以一種美化的象徵性身份(emblematic identity)概念而存在。人們對混血兒的認識亦脫離了種族與階級背景,而更多地建立在一種文化想像上。它甚至成為了"國際化的代名詞和"優生的標準之一,被媒體審美刻板化及商品化。本文觀察了香港混血兒在殖民時期與後殖民時期中的境遇變遷,通過研究"混血兒概念的建立、消失、和回潮,剖析"種族(race)是如何在不同語境中被建構的,並試圖解構種族理論、種族主義的政治、社會與文化淵源。 ; Within Hong Kong, the term "Eurasian once designated a stigmatized racial category, a group of "natural aberrations that were positioned in an embarrassing social niche within colonial society. As a consequence of this, Eurasians experienced severe racism and intense social pressures. In keeping pace with the end of colonialism and the rise of the new global capitalist order, the racial category of "Eurasian has been abandoned. However, somewhat surprisingly, the status of Eurasians in this day and age has been dramatically reversed. It now only exists as a descriptive term for a desirable physical type, which is assumed, to some extent, to be emblematic of "natural beauty. Being "Eurasian has now become a locally imagined "superior result of reproduction. By examining the creation, decline, and recent rebirth of the concept of "Eurasian, I hope to raise several important questions about race. Applying historical research to the construction of race requires analysis of how shifting political and social power dynamics have shaped the realization and so-called "authenticity of the "Eurasian category. At a broader level, this study seeks to add to the debate about how the idea of "race is constrained by political, social and cultural factors, and how people culturally imagine "the science of race in different social contexts. ; Detailed summary in vernacular field only. ; Deng, Yuanye. ; Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. ; Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-227). ; Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide ...
