Journal articles on the topic 'Melanesia Civilization Western influences'

The notion that “Westernization” is a process that is unconditionally positive in its impact has dominated both Western and Soviet accounts of Russian intellectual and cultural history during the period before the Emancipation of 1861. As a consequence, Westernization has been described as synonymous with progress, rational economic behavior, greater tolerance, civilization, and the advancement of individual freedom. Although this rather uncritically pro-Western approach to the study of Western influences has produced important research and analytical insights, the assumption that a homogeneous Western culture everywhere generates liberal and democratic influences is in fact highly problematic. As I have suggested elsewhere, it is very difficult to make the empirical case that any one Western political or economic model can be applied to Germany, France, and Italy as well as England. And in the Russian context, a belief in the unmixed benefits of Westernization obscures some of the most important ironies and contradictions that characterize Russian economic debates and strategies in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

There were fundamental differences in political philosophy and culture between Islamic and western-Christian or European civilization in the period up to c.1500, notably concerning the nature of the political community, of religious law and of the mode of political discourse. Europe proved open to Greco–Roman influences and thus developed, as Islam did not, a notion of the legitimate secular state.

Extreme cinema is an international trend which encompasses a wide range of cinematic genres: thrillers, dramatic narratives, so-called “art films,” and horror films. In the context of Asian extreme films, we find an especially highly-dynamic crisscrossing of influences. There is an assumption in the Western imagination that the Asian diaspora is unidirectional insofar as Asian populations gravitate toward the beacons of Western civilization. Trends in post-millennial extreme cinema however disrupt this particular diasporic narrative. This article argues that post-millennial extreme films are not simply a bidirectional flow, but rather a complex circulation of themes, aesthetic motifs, and filmmakers.

Purpose This paper aims to explain the modern unintended human-personal self-destruction and the importance of diverse society-specific holistic cultures (“native cultures”) and social value systems as the remedy. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a viewpoint, as both the explanation and the proposed remedy are based on the present author’s historical, theoretical and normative considerations. Findings First, the author’s interpretation of pre-modern to modern Western societies reveals that some important pre-modern Western values are given to the modern era as part of the market value system. Second, some Mercantilist ideas have strong influences on Classical economic theory and methodology. Third, the modern Western value system – the market value system – corresponds to the Core Synergism of Modern Civilization or the complex driving force of Modern Civilization. Social implications This paper is designed to facilitate reflection on the excessive emphasis on economic/market values. Originality/value The present author’s normative framework for social value system (“integral harmony”) is used for explaining a likely remedy of the unintended human-personal self-destruction. Also, for solving the human-personal predicament, this article integrates native culture, balance and harmony into economic thinking to promote sustainable development for a viable human future. Concluding remarks provide a summary for clarification of the remedy.

This article aims at discussing the historical-social development of the witch’s image according to cultural, social and religious perspectives since the earlier stages of our Western civilization until the contemporary era. This historic overview will be discussed according to mythological influences referring to the construction of the female image as transgressor which originated the acclaimed Middle Age “witch hunt”. In order to do so, we will use works by Civita, (1997), Blécourt (2017), Clark (2006), Maxwell-Stuart (2017), Page (2017), Sharpe (2017) and Wallis (2017) apart from contemporary film versions from The Wizard of Oz (1939) through The Witch (2015), which depict the witch’s image transformation, so we can analyze, through its iconography, how such image was and is determined by the demands of several historical eras.

ABSTRACTNew Guinea was settled by ancestors of present day Papuan-speaking communities 40,000 years ago. Between 3 and 5 millennia BP, waves of Austronesians (AN) followed and settled mostly on the offshore islands and along some coastal areas of the New Guinea mainland. According to a well-received view, AN Diaspora originated from Taiwan and dispersed from there to inhabit much of island Southeast Asia, Malagasy and islands of the South Pacific. Austronesian colonisation was augmented by their superior cultural traits including horticulture and marine technology. In their conquest they assimilated weaker, nomadic pre-AN aboriginal communities as was the case with the Negritos of northern Philippines; settled beside or with earlier sedentary communities as was the case in Western Melanesia; or settled on uninhabited islands in Eastern Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia (Pawley & Ross, 1995). Beside demographic movements, other forces were at work. Trade-induced contact between Asia and New Guinea was in place before European contact. A trade link promoted by the Sultan of Tidor was extended to involve some communities of West New Guinea (now Irian Jaya) and the West Sepik Province some 5,000 years ago. As a result, trade items such as plumes of the kumul (bird of paradise), spices, sandalwood, aromatic barks and sea slugs from “islands of the coast of Western New Guinea “found their way into the Middle East markets about 4,000 years ago (Swadling, 1996). Other internal or external forces such as intermarriages and so on were at work also (see Bellwood, 1978). This fairly brief prehistory of what went on in the northern region of New Guinea raises questions about possible cross-cultural or cross-linguistic influences. Indeed, it does pose a challenge to those who endeavour to piece together a pre-linguistic history of lexical “ruins” found to suggest cognate relationships among languages of the northern region of New Guinea. This essay attempts to adumbrate a linguistic etymology of “loan cognates” that Abu', a Papuan language of the Torricelli Phylum of the central Sepik region, shares with AN languages. It commences with a list of lexical items and statements about their etymologies. This approach inescapably leads to a delineation of the kinds of attitudes the Abu' have towards foreign linguistic elements. The paper concludes with a typological statement about grammatical typology as an additional explanation to both the Papuan-Austronesian contact, and the trade-link theory as bases for the diffusion of areal or regional linguistic features among languages of the East Sepik and Sandaun (West Sepik) provinces.

Even though mental health is usually discussed from the western worldview, it has been existent in Kenya even before civilization. The main objective of this paper therefore is to assess the impact of cultural beliefs on mental health among some selected communities in Western Kenya. This paper was guided by the social psychology theory which posits that social influences, perception and interaction are vital in understanding social behavior. The paper adopted the descriptive survey design to present data thus studying the situation as it is in an attempt to explain it. The sampling techniques were Purposive which was used to select the specialists. The study instruments were interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion and documents review. The validity o the instruments were established through content validity by experts from MMUST. This paper established that cultural beliefs have both a negative and positive impact on mental health in the sense that anxiety and trauma from broken taboos and norms led to mental illness whereas the performance of rituals brought about peace and psychological contentment hence mental health. This article recommends that cultural beliefs which lead to mental health should be preserved for the same purpose.

Public participation is widely regarded as a vital component for making environmental decisions more democratic, legitimate, and effective. Yet, research on this subject has largely focused on rights and principles instead of context and process, especially in non-Western settings. To address this gap, this article explores how local voices on environmental issues were muted in a Chinese rural context. It describes controversies surrounding a cultural and ecological tourism development in Heyang, a transforming village in the east coastal region of China. Based on semistructured group interviews, the article reveals that although many issues found in the Heyang case resonated with similar cases in Western settings, such as the lack of access to information and the problematic solicitation of public input, fundamentally, the local voices were muted by the village council’s blind adoption of an urban-centric ecological modernization agenda and its neglect of local villagers’ emotional attachment to their land properties. The above findings not only draw our attention to how participatory communication can be compromised by contextual factors but also invite us to reconsider how China’s existing urban–rural division fundamentally influences its ecological civilization.

The present state of our spirituality is a consequence of the influences of particular circumstances of life. Undoubtedly, the general changes in the social, political and economic orientations of society significantly influence the nature of the processes taking place in the spiritual sphere. The transition to the rails of market reforms, the affirmation of the principle of pragmatism as a kind of measure of the effectiveness of human life, the priority of economic values ​​over others, including spiritual values, leads to a deepening crisis of spirituality, crisis of man. And in this connection M. Berdyaev's words appearing to warn him against uncritical perception of the values ​​of Western civilization, which, incidentally, is quite characteristic of modern Ukrainian society, appear to be quite correct: the loss of the spiritual center. " And further: “The autonomy of economic life led to its dominance over the entire life of human communities. Mammonism has become the defining force of the age. ”

Balkan complexes of “worse Europe” in works of Ermis LafazanovskiOver the centuries, the European continent was divided into different spaces according to different axes: both geopolitical and economic history of East and West and the historical and geocultural division into North and South. Differentiation was present in Europe in vari­ous ways, either by the use of geographical terms, which became the indicators of difference, or how the politicians wanted to see it – split into Western Europe, Eastern Europe or Central and Eastern Europe. They represent the heterogeneity and diverse influences of civilization, that are reflected in its culture.The division into different cultural spaces is mirrored in the literature. Here, from a broad selection of south Slavic literature, for the basis of analysis two works of contemporary Macedo­nian writer Ermis Lafazanovski were selected: novel Hrapeshko and short story Exotic cantata. They reveal the existence of cultural differences and traditions, represented in the antinomies friend–foe, top–down which show spatial differences in Europe burdened by her stereotypes.

Abstract In its history, Islam has had a phase where it has progressed in various ways, one of which is in the political realm. This is marked by the number of areas that were successfully conquered by Islam so that its teachings also developed very rapidly. However, in history, Islam has also experienced a period of decline where there have been many divisions among internal Muslims as well as due to external influences, and some of the causes are the advancement of Western civilization so that it affects the existence of the world of Islamic politics as well. The data obtained from this paper comes from various references in the form of books, journals, and other writings. Then the data is reviewed to produce a conclusion. In this paper, we will discuss how Jamaluddin al-Afghani's efforts in arousing the spirit of unity of the Muslim community in order to escape from western influences and shadows, as well as his efforts to improve the internal conditions of Muslims, both social, political and religious. Jamaluddinal-Afghani the first reformer in Islam who brought salafiyah under the banner of Pan Islamism, with the principle that Muslims wherever he is is the Unity of Brothrhood or a unity of brotherhood that must be fostered continuously. Jamaluddin said that the only most revolutionary way to liberate the fate of Muslims from colonialism, imperialism and materialism was politics imbued with religion. Jamaluddin, as an Islamic reformer, tried hard to improve Islam from within by completely attacking superstition, khurafat and bid'ah. Key Word: Jamaluddin al-Afghani, Pan-Islamism, Political Islam

Human geography is torn between two tendencies : the ecological tendency examines man in interrelation with the natural environment, the chorological tendency places the accent on the changes which man bas produced in the landscape. Man, in this sense, is a genuine geographic factor. There are two extreme positions : one tends to point out the role of determinismof the natural environment, the other seeks « the key to geographical explanation » in the culture of man. By means of examples taken in part from his own research, the author, while according an essential place to culture in geographical interpretation, draws attention to the fact that culture itself is explained in large part by its genetic environment. For example, one could not imagine the peasant cultures of l'Asie verteand the ideal of nomad and urban life of l'Asie fauve —marked by the imprint of Islam —being interchanged, the one for the other. The expansion of peoples of western civilization, first of all, and then the ubiquity of industrial civilization, appear to contradict an ecological conception of the relation between man and environment. But the industrial revolution it self was favored by a combination of conditions that man was able to exploit and that explains the rise of western and central Europe, just as the lack of the conditions explains the technological immobility of the Mediterranean. Research into ecological correlations is not the essence of human geography. Human geography ought to remain « the description and interpretation »of the human elements of the landscape, of regions, and of continents. Its fundamental method remains observation. Spiritual factor s, biological factors, superior forms of economic life, and social structures are not of interest to human geography except in so far as they are evident in the physiognomy of areas. The interpretation, with delicate gradations as in all the social sciences, ought to be based simultaneously on the « influences of the environment »and on the resources of the culture of a given people. It thereby reflects both determinism and the freedom of choice in all human behaviour.

The phenomenon of Sufism in the tariqa movements played a significant role in Islamic reform and the growth of nationalism in North Africa from the 19th to 20th centuries. This phenomenon which started as a neo-Sufism for Islamic reform, gradually turned into a nationalist movement. Therefore, Sufism is assumed to be a part of Islam that occupies the basic component of national identity and is a symbol of the struggle for independence of Muslim countries in North Africa. This study aims to discuss "the role and influence of Sufism for the revival of Islam, resistance to Western colonialism, the role of Islamic reform, and the process of nationalism and independence of Muslim countries in North Africa." These problems are analyzed based on historical, social, and political approaches related to issues of modern civilization in the Islamic world. This research concludes that, firstly the Sufism movement in the modern period in North Africa is developed in tariqa schools located in Idrisiyah, Sanusiyah, Khatmiyah, Tijaniyah, Qadiriyah, and Sammaniyah. Furthermore, the Sufism movement always shows the intertwined elements of teachings and rituals as well as the influences of social and political developments. Secondly, the teachings of the tariqa are able to increase religious awareness by fulfilling spirituality and improving people's morality, thereby developing, modifying, and actualizing leadership associated with Sufis. Thirdly, Sufism shows a very significant social force regarding the growth of nationalism in North Africa, which is used as the basis for their participation in the socio-political field, with various forms of protest or resistance. In collaboration with religious and community leaders, the leadership of the Sufis has also succeeded in bringing about the independence of national countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Sudan since the mid-20th century. During that time, many Sufists occupied important positions in government.

The article considers the Russian civilization as a socio-cultural community that includes different civilizational formations, the fact that determines its heterogeneous nature. An indicator of the heterogeneity of a society is its social structure, with civilisational rifts present - such an opposition of individual structural elements that has a civilizational character. In modern Russia, three civilizational rifts can be recorded. The first of them is based on the existence in the country of different levels of technical and technological development and, accordingly, of the nature and content of laborur of the population. The second rift is due to the material differentiation of the society: from the standard of living (on the threshold and beyond the poverty threshold) to the possession of multibillion fortunes, that leads to a deep difference in the quality of life of the population, that is an attributive feature of various civilizations. The third rift is related to the historically uneven development of the regions. Along with the regions that have entered or are already at the informational stage of development (they are in minority), most of the regions are at the industrial stage, and in some regions, a pre-industrial agrarian society with stable traditional values ​​still prevails. Accordingly, informational, industrial and traditional subcivilizations coexist in the vastness of Russia. Property relations are considered among the significant factors of civilizational development. Property relations are first of all economic and juridical (legal) relations. Property as a social relation carries the historically stipulated content of the moral norms, justice, individual and social benefit. Property is embodied not only in legal forms, but also in customs, cultural patterns, habits, types of thinking and behavioral models. In Russia, the property right of an individual has always been oriented towards "internal justice", correlated in the public and individual consciousness with the prevailing ideas of the proper. Whereas in Western civilization there has been entrenched the priority of public relations based on the protected by law private interest of an individual. The reorientation of property relations in Russia to the Western model, including in the memory of our contemporaries, has not been a success due to the traditionally strong etacratic influences, the dominance of the “power-property” relationship.

The Nigerian liquor trade provoked fierce debate: was it advancing development or fashioning an economy based on the unproductive consumption of alcohol? The liquor trade was caught between two prevailing colonial perspectives on African economic development: the Darwinian-based principle that Western civilisation had a duty to protect Africans from all bad external influences, and the civilise-through-trade concept seeking to modernise Africans by exploiting colonies to their fullest potential. Humanitarian concerns and economic interests were entangled. Positive views of the liquor trade claimed its necessity in developing the Nigerian economy. Some admitted that the trade formed a necessary evil, but did not fail to emphasise its role as a transitional currency, promoter of cash-crops-forexport, and a desirable commodity among those with money to spend. Merchants saw commerce as a great civilising agent, with the liquor trade as its most important constituent. On the other hand, liquor trade critics used the temperance equation to further their cause: drinking alcohol was bad, abstinence was good. Arguing that the imposition of ‘a Rum and Gin Civilization’ would be ‘a hydra that devours the natives’, halting useful commerce and hindering economic development, they agitated for Prohibition and a complete restructuring of the colonial economy along alcoholfree lines.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Alice Walker describes her undergraduate years at Spelman College as marked by a fascination that, in her estimation, put her at a remove from the students around her. Walker reflects, “I paid as much attention to Russian literature as many of the other girls paid to makeup, clothing and boys” (Gussow 10). But if this kept her away from her college-mates, Walker’s predilection for Tolstoy and Dostoevsky placed her squarely within the paradigm that Dale Peterson proposes in his study of affinities between Russian and African American literatures. Eschewing the conventional boundaries between Russian and American literary studies that have characterized the exceptionalist enterprises of each, Peterson brings together literature from both canons. He is interested less in explicit influences across the “wall” of cultural and national separation than in “structures of mentality” that have produced comparable articulations of ethnic self-consciousness in the guise of a literature ofthe “soul.” Peterson’s argument is that the exclusion of both Russians and African Americans from the Western European narrative of world progress and civilization, as based on German Idealist philosophy, ignited in each a determination to shape a counterclaim. This counterclaim took shape through an assertion of an essentialist selfhood expounded in a rhetoric of “soul.” Out ofthe exclusion from world-historical “Spirit” came the articulation of “soul.” Walker’s taste for the Russian literary greats, Peterson would argue, resonates with a history of relatedness.

Classical civilization represents the foundation upon which rests all of modern-day Western society. The English language, in particular, is larded with allusions to the Greeks and Romans of yesteryear, from “Achilles’s heel” to “deus ex machina” to “Trojan Horse,” which make reference to the many influences that these cultures have had on our art, literature, theater, and, unfortunately, war and military (mis)adventures. For all these reasons, it behooves the modern reader to have at least a passing familiarity with what transpired all those thousands of years ago. The editors would appear to agree with this assessment, as they state in the “Preface” that this three-volume work “is intended to fill a gap in current reference works. It meets the need for a standard reference work on Greek and Roman military history and related institutions that is accessible to nonspecialists” (xxiii). Just what criteria the editors used in framing this statement is unknown; however, a literature search reveals many well-regarded titles covering this subject matter. From the topic-specific, such as John Warry’s Warfare in the Classical World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons, Warriors, and Warfare in the Ancient Civilizations of Greece and Rome (University of Oklahoma Press 1995) to the more general, such as the venerable Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford University Press 2012), now in its fourth edition, there is certainly no shortage of print reference materials concerning warfare during the time of the Greek and Roman empires.

This study aims to further explain Badiuzzaman Said Nursi's thought on prophethood. This library study employs a historical approach in extracting data and content analysis. The study shows that Said Nursi's thought concerning prophecy stems from his criticisms of the materialistic-mechanistic paradigm of Western civilization. This view basically rejects the transcendental perspective and spiritual values in understanding nature. The notion of materialism from the West attacks the key concepts of Islamic teachings. Realizing this, Nursi was called upon to give a very serious intellectual response. It was at this point that Nursi offered his ideas on prophethood. In Risālah an-Nūr, Said Nursi strives to revive prophetic values by applying theological approaches to be easily understood by society. Nursi’s thought is built on an effort to revive prophetic values so that it could shed light on Turkish people who had suffered serious illnesses due to the influences of the Western paradigm of mechanical materialism.y. This prophetic knowledge would eventually end in faith, which leads to eternal happiness for believers and eternal misery for unbelievers.Artikel ini bertujuan untuk lebih menjelaskan pemikiran Badiuzzaman Said Nursi tentang kenabian. Studi literatur ini menggunakan pendekatan historis dalam mengekstraksi data dan melakukan analisis konten. Studi ini menunjukkan bahwa pemikiran Said Nursi tentang nubuat berasal dari paradigma materialisme-mekanistik yang lahir dari peradaban Barat. Pandangan ini pada dasarnya menolak perspektif transendental dan nilai-nilai spiritual dalam memahami alam. Gagasan materialisme dari Barat menyerang konsep-konsep kunci ajaran Islam. Menyadari hal ini, Nursi dipanggil untuk memberikan respons intelektual yang sangat serius. Pada titik inilah Nursi menawarkan gagasannya tentang kenabian. Dalam Risālah an-Nūr, Said Nursi berusaha untuk menghidupkan kembali nilai-nilai kenabian dengan menerapkan pendekatan teologis agar mudah dipahami oleh publik. Pemikiran Bediuzzaman dibangun dalam upaya untuk menghidupkan kembali nilai-nilai kenabian sehingga dapat memberikan cahaya kepada orang-orang Turki yang sudah menderita penyakit serius karena pengaruh Barat dengan paradigma materialisme mekanis yang tidak memiliki dimensi spiritualitas. Pengetahuan kenabian ini pada akhirnya akan berakhir dalam iman, yang oleh Bediuzzaman disebut kebahagiaan esensial (manusia memiliki iman) bagi manusia, dan yang menolak (kufur) keberadaan peran Tuhan dan Nabi, yang merupakan kesengsaraan sejati.

The paper introduces the geographic, ethnic and political and legal territory of today's Sandžak. The aim is, primarily, to point out the problem of the status of Sandžak in the context of the democratic transition of the newly established states in the Southeast Europe. The authors indicate that the civilization framework of Sandžak has been systematically exposed for deliberate destruction during the years, which has been manifested by political and sociological changes, distortion of demographic balance and, in particular, by the disappearance of a significant number of cultural characteristics of the Bosniak national substance, all with an aim of suppressing their existence in this region, which is explained by Belgrade and Podgorica strategic influences and plans to diminish its current subjectivity and legal and political status.As a historical continuity in terms of subjectivity, from time to time, Sandžak has changed its status, depending on the context it belonged, and often in unequal circumstances, it existed in different forms as an important center, in the context of history, in all major unrests in Europe and the region. Nowadays, it exists as a region, and its recent division into Northern and Southern part came about following the independence of Montenegro, thus causing an artificial division of this ethnic area.By applying scientific-research, analytical-synthetic and comparative methods, which, as methodological procedures, enable detection, discovery and examination of scientific truth, the paper also pinpoints the consequences of international implications that are still existing. This confirms that the causes should be sought not only in the symbolic democracy of the countries in which Sandžak is currently located, but also in the lack of interest of Brussels towards this region, and in the incompetence of international entities which, by imposing European standards and modern projects, in fact contribute to the destruction of Bosniak identity in this region. Application of the observation method, the generalization method, and the Delphi method based on the logic and the utilization of acknowledged and affirmed opinions of reputable experts in this field have also contributed to this standpoint.From the aspect of scientific predictions, the authors express their view that the process of European integrations in the countries of the Western Balkans will increasingly affect the solution of the issue of Sandžak and the general aspiration of its people for independence.

European historiography changed considerably during the nineteenth century. Formation of historical source study as a separate science, on the one hand, and awareness of the connection between the historical narrative of the past with political interests, on the other hand, gave impetus to the writing of historical works on national history, the so-called grand narratives. They relied on historical sources, but chose what served the actual political interests, and ignored or interpreted otherwise what they did not fit. The territorial organization of living space has become a priority task of national development in the nineteenth century, and the recognition of land, borders, and people as own should have been historically grounded. The difficulty for Ukrainians was that the traces of Ukrainian-Russ statehood were lost in ancient times, while the neighbors, primarily Russians and Poles, tried to draw both the territory and the past of Ukraine into their own concepts of the creation of modern nation. The creation of the Ukrainian grand narrative was influenced by external factors: the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the collapse of its once unified political, cultural and intellectual space, and the policy of the Russian authorities, aimed to separate «Little Rus’» from western civilization. Russian censorship successfully removed memory of Polish-Ukrainian ties from historical works and replaced it with the image of the invading Poles. The traumatic, post-war experience, idealization of images of Cossack soldiers was the favorable ground for this. As a result, in Ukrainian historical grand narrative the «Polish-Lithuanian» period was interpreted as an external occupation, a break in the «correct» history of Ukraine. The whole complex of everyday life, cultural and political influences of Ukrainians in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth remained beyond history. Its main content was recognized by the Polish-Ukrainian conflicts. The views on the legacy of the Commonwealth in the Ukrainian society of the nineteenth century can also be analyzed from the perspective of the intellectual biographies of their creators and take into account the experience of relations with the Poles, the private image and repression of the Russian government. An unbiased rethinking by professional historians of the past of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the point of view of the interactions of various cultural spaces in the nineteenth century was not a matter of time. Keywords Ukrainian-Polish relations in the nineteenth century, Ukrainian-Russian relations in the nineteenth century, Ukrainian historiography of the nineteenth century, intellectual biography, cultural and intellectual heritage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The article is devoted to reviewing the book by the well-known Turkish historian İlber Ortaylı "Ottomans on Three Continents". The authors consistently analyze the main postulates of the work in the history of Ottoman possessions in the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region, focusing on the role of the Ottoman Empire in the interaction of Black Sea civilizations in the late Middle Ages and early modern times.The authors prove that the history of the Ottoman Empire is essential for understanding the history of Ukraine. Ottoman influences significantly impacted the history of the Ukrainian people and other indigenous peoples of Ukraine – Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks, Crimean Greeks.The authors agree with the thesis of the Turkish researcher about the significant and sometimes decisive influence of the Ottomans on the situation in the Black Sea region in the XV–XVIII centuries. Furthermore, the authors express their views on certain statements of the book. In particular, İlber Ortaylı proves that the Ottoman Empire was a "state of the Middle Eastern Islamic type". Its presence in the Black Sea resulted in the interaction of Islamic Mediterranean civilization with Eastern European Orthodoxy and Ukraine were at the centre of this interaction. However, the authors cannot agree with the historian's statement about the primary basis of the empire – the system of the state, especially military, slavery (devshirme). It allowed to creation of a vast empire, The Sublime or Ottoman Porte. However, slavery could not create social mechanisms of progress. The civilizational basis of the Ottoman Empire was its steppe, Turkic-steppe, essence.In the Ottoman Empire, Western modernization borrowings were superficial, served utilitarian-pragmatic purposes, and did not change the foundations of civilization. Such selectable reforms were the reason why the Omans lost their possessions in the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region to the Russian Empire in the eighteenth century. Significantly, both empires claim the imperial, not civilizational, heritage of the Roman Empire. The intelligence emphasizes that these claims are not sufficiently substantiated.Key words: İlber Ortaylı, Ottoman Empire, heritage, history of Ukraine, Northern Black Sea Coast, Crimea. Стаття присвячена огляду-рецензії книги відомого турецького історика Ільбера Ортайли «Османи на трьох континентах». Автори послідовно проаналізували основні постулати праці в координатах історії османських володінь в Криму і Північному Причорномор’ї, приділивши головну увагу ролі Османської імперії у взаємодії цивілізацій Чорномор’я у періоди пізнього середньовіччя і раннього модерного часу.Доведено, що історія Османської імперії має важливе значення для розуміння історії України. Османські впливи відіграли значну роль в історії українського народу та інших корінних народів України – кримських татар, караїмів і кримчаків, кримських греків.Автори погоджуються з тезою турецького дослідника про значний, а часом визначальний, вплив Османів на ситуацію у Чорномор’ї у ХV–ХVІІІ ст. та висловлюють свої міркування щодо окремих положень праці. Зокрема, І. Ортайли кваліфіковано доводить, що Османська імперія була «державою близькосхідно-ісламського типу» і її присутність у Чорномор’ї мала наслідком взаємодію ісламської середземноморської цивілізації зі східноєвропейською православною, причому Україна знаходилась у центрі цієї взаємодії. Однак, не можна погодитись з твердженням історика щодо головної основи імперії – системи державного, передусім військового, рабства (девшірме). Вона дозволило створити величезну імперію, Сяючу Порту, але рабство не може створити суспільних механізмів поступу. Цивілізаційною основою Османської імперії стала її степова, тюрксько-степова, сутність. В Османській імперії західні модернізаційні запозичення були поверховими, служили утилітарно-прагматичним цілям і не змінювали цивілізаційних основ. Власне це і стало основною причиною того, що у ХVІІІ ст. Омани втратили свої володіння в Криму і Північному Причорномор’ї, які дістались Російській імперії. Показово, що обидві імперії висувають претензії на імперську, а не цивілізаційну, спадщину Римської імперії. У розвідці наголошується, що ці претензії не є достатньо обґрунтованими. Ключові слова: І. Ортайли, Османська імперія, спадщина, історія України, Північне Причорномор’я, Крим.

Renaissance, the most prosperous era of art creation in the European country, encourages thousands of masters in different fields such as paintings, architecture, sculptures, philosophy, and politics to establish their own theories in their respective fields, which greatly promotes the development of western civilization. As the complete “Renaissance man”, Leon Alberti wrote his monograph On Painting to illustrate the principle of “true beauty” in different conditions. Most researchers and scholars choose to analyze Alberti by his views on the application of architecture, less on painting. However, in this paper, the author is going to analyze the painting principle, select and arrange some important points in his monograph On Painting into answers to several questions or topics in the chapter one below, dividing them into several levels and points, and analyze his influence and impact towards the later centuries, which is a gap and also innovative in the research field in Alberti’s art theory. The significance and purpose of this paper are that, only after knowing Alberti’s own art theory and its influences on the later art field, we could understand this important part of aesthetic developments and history, which is vital in defining “academy style” in arts. As a scholar who researches the classic history and art values himself, Alberti analyzes art history and theory in the past and proposed theories and art directing guidelines related to the classical art values of complete balance and beauty, which also responds to the Renaissance humanism movement. What’s more, his important art genre concept “historia” is about history (historical painting), and his theory and book itself influenced and brings a lot of differences to the art field in later centuries, which is the history changed in art styles and school the author research on. Moreover, illustrating the detailed analysis of Botticelli’s The Calumny of Apelles and Raphael’s School of Athens, this paper should be included in the category of art history and Renaissance history analysis. This paper is divided into two parts, including the literature review of the book On painting and the ideas proposed about art theory, artists’ social status, and stated principles of art. Also, Alberti’s ideas and concepts such as the most important one “historia” brings deep influence to the later art field, including the changing cultural focal point, increasing the status of artists, especially painters, restating the classical function of arts, and directing people to focus on great work instead of the genre scene. In these two parts, the author illustrates both Raphael’s School of Athens and Botticelli’s The Calumny of Apelles as examples in some parts of the analysis, in order to present a clear and detailed picture of the concrete theory. In the third part of chapter two, the author concludes from the reason and inner logic of the revolution and innovation in the art field Alberti brought and promoted, on the revival of the classical art values but also focuses on the humanism ideals, and use the conclusion to analyze the modern-day art situation we are in, and whether there is a turning point in the future art field nowadays.

Western civilization has indeed a great influence over the Muslim world. It is a fact that all Muslims should lead their lives according to an Islamic way but unfortunately Muslims consider adopting Western civilization as a key to success, however, this Western influence over the Muslim societies has been brought upon with the help of Western media which is also bound to target Muslims on the other hand and usually portrays a negative image of Muslims. With the help of different social media applications, programs, etc. obscenity and vulgarity have been shown by the Westerners which are clearly forbidden in Islam. So, in today’s world Muslim families are on the verge of social and cultural destruction and they need to know that how they can protect them and their future generations? To answer this vital question, Mawlᾱnᾱ Abū al-Hassan ‘Alī Nadwī’s philosophy, efforts and writings can act as sources of guidance and instruction for the Muslim world as to how Muslims can protect themselves from the wrongful Western influence and the menace the Western media is portraying against Muslims. He had a great concern regarding the Western influence over the Muslim world. In this article, Mawlᾱnᾱ Nadwī’s efforts regarding countering Western influence on the Muslim world are highlighted in detail.

This essay takes a holistic look at the philosophy of education in China from the antiquity to the present time, with an emphasis on the notion of self-cultivation in different schools of thought. The purpose of the study is to draw out the positive aspects of Chinese philosophy for newer generations to carry forward the cultural heritage for a healthy development of their mind, body, and spirit in the 21st century and beyond. The study is meaningful since the Chinese civilization can be traced back at least 5,000 years, and perhaps even further. Its endurance, intellectual and cultural contributions to the world civilization, and China's current rise as a world leading political and economic superpower, makes it especially worth examination. The paper is structured around four key themes: the quest for harmony, the pursuit of happiness, the search for health, and the action for healing. The article concludes with a suggestion of an integrated educational philosophy for contemporary Chinese educational practice. The study may have global implications as Confucius Institutes and Classrooms have been established worldwide since 2004 to teach Chinese language and culture. The localization and smooth integration of Chinese philosophy with Western ideologies in these countries is the key to bringing world peace and harmony.

AbstractMartin Luther is one of the most important figures of the 16th century, a period of religious reformation in European history. He is the initiator of what later called “Protestantism”. Luther’s theological theories and tradition of thought belong to the foundations of contemporary Western civilization and also been effective in the formation of the world of thought in the West. In this regard, Luther is the first to take religious, political and socio-cultural dynamics into account for understanding Western civilization. It can be stated that the Ottomans -thus Islam and Muslims- had some political effect with respect to the emergence of Protestantism. However we lack information and documents to prove the existence of a religious effect. Along with this, it is obvious that the possibility of such an effect cannot be totally disregarded; it needs to profound en depth studies from comparative perspectives, especially by Muslim researchers.Although, from time to time, Luther expressed a positive view of Islam, the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad and Turks, his opinions in general are negative. It must not be overlooked that these theories and views are expressed within the negative political context of that time (the 16th century). Along with this, it is known that this negative attitude influences the negative depictions and descriptions regarding Islam, Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad and Muslims in the contemporary Western world. So it can be said that the negative image of Islam in the West has in fact a background that shows continuity from the Middle Ages until now. To understand our time, it is necessary to study this image in the Middle Ages thoroughly. It is obvious that both Westerners and Muslims have much to do to rectify this image.In this study, we attempt to analyze the historical background of Lutherian Protestantism and reconsider the view and attitudes of Martin Luther against the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Ottoman Turks, from the perspectives of the Islamic scholars.

The Concept of Affection and Effect exist in all aspects of human life. Indeed, any environment surrounding the poet is one of those effects that have a prominent role in the formation of his literary work. Similarly, the Nigerian poet environment does not differ from other environments in West African region in terms of religion and culture. The poet Alkali Umar Ibrahim is one of the Nigerian poets who have been affected greatly and influenced by Western culture, you hardly read his poems until you see some of the features of Western civilization, Indeed, therefore, he is one of the pioneers of the poetic renewal in West African poetry, since he defeated others in dealing with modern poetic inventions apart from technological, political and economic aspects that he had treated. As such, he is influenced by the religion of Islam which is the major religion in the northern part of the country. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to state some of the features of this phenomenon which has worked in the poet, in the sense that it is one of the powerful influences on his approach to poetry and genius. The article began with introduction and brief biography of the poet, and then talked about the issue of affection and effect that had shaped his poetic experience, and then marked the conclusion, margins and references

In this paper, we examine new trends in Yorùbá personal names that are first names among Yorùbá Christians. The data used include data drawn from previous studies on Yorùbá personal names, the lists of names of the candidates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board of Nigeria the lists of staff of three Nigerian universities, some attendance registers of pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools as well as participant observation. We show that the European or established Churches and the newly founded autochthonous Nigerian Churches have different influences on Yorùbá naming system and tradition-based Yorùbá personal or first names. We also indicate that, at present, there is a complete cultural shift from the use of tradition-based Yorùbá personal names as first names to the use of biblical or Christian names and that this new dimension is as a result of the influence of western culture or civilization and the newly founded churches in Nigeria. We further show that the activities that are shrouded in fanaticism, flavours, modernisation and especially names that endear the Nigerian believers to one another are meant to prove that the newly founded autochthonous Nigerian churches understand the Bible teachings better than the European churches and that name modification or name change is inevitable when there is acculturation.

The works of Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo) played a critical role in introducing his adopted Japan to a worldwide audience. In Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life, he writes, “The papers composing this volume treat of the inner rather than of the outer life of Japan, — for which reason they have been grouped under the title Kokoro (heart). This word signifies also mind, in the emotional sense; spirit; courage; resolve; sentiment; affection; and inner meaning, — just as we say in English, ‘the heart of things.’” After centuries of isolation Meiji-era Japan was forced to adjust its customs and beliefs to Western influences, and Hearn reflects on the value of these traditions of the “heart” as seen in Japanese popular justice, arts, economy, patriotism, and religion. Chapters include: At a Railway Station • The Genius of Japanese Civilization • A Street Singer • From a Traveling Diary • The Nun of the Temple of Amida • After the War • Haru • A Glimpse of Tendencies • By Force of Karma • A Conservative • In the Twilight of the Gods • The Idea of Preëxistence • In Cholera-Time • Some Thoughts About Ancestor-Worship • Kimiko • Three Popular Ballads: The Ballad of Shūntoku-maru • The Ballad of Oguri-Hangwan • The Ballad of O-Shichi, the Daughter of the Yaoya.

From the expansion of monotheism, as sacred laws, symbolisms, beliefs and practices began to be produced, thus emerging the sacred books. The biblical text influenced - and still - influences the direction of Western civilization. This work aims to raise and discuss aspects related to Geodiversity, here understood as the allusion of the abiotic characteristics of nature, present in the Holly Bible, as well as its use in cults, practices and beliefs measured by symbolic elements. To carry out this survey, the texts of the King James Version Bible (KJV) were used. After the survey of the elements of Geodiversity, they were divided by typologies to facilitate interpretation, tables were made that include the name of the elements, and their geological / geographical description, their use in the Bible, when applicable. When analyzing the abiotic elements, it was perceived, initially that the elements of Geodiversity, are used as nouns, referring properly to the element, but in several situations, they are used symbolically. Science and religion are generally perceived through dichotomization, but the set of religious manifestations that are open to external analysis is still of scientific interest. In this article, we verify the importance of Geodiversity in the study of the Bible and, consequently, the analysis of the elements of Geodiversity present in the sacred books and their symbology, leads to the reflection that this approach can help in a better understanding and interpretation of biblical facts considering another perspective, giving more consistency and authenticity, whether it deals with the abiotic scenario present in the divine revelations, it is, therefore, a Geoteology.

The socialist development model of the Soviet Union has attracted much scholarly attention over the years, but the modernization experiences of singular post-Soviet countries (e.g. Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan) are rarely discussed. This may be because these countries have only recently gained their independence in the early 1990s and that perhaps most observers are still unsure about their trajectories. This study aims to contribute to the literature by examining the case of Azerbaijan in light of various influential theories of modernity (i.e. the classical modernization theory, neo-modernization theory and multiple modernities paradigm). Azerbaijan’s modernization process has been characterized by fluctuations, reversals and various external influences over the years. The country first emerged as an independent political entity in 1918 and attempted to follow a systematic cultural Westernization and secularization program. Yet it was occupied by the Bolshevik Red Army in 1920 and annexed into the newly formed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) – being forced to conform to the top-down socialist development model directed by Moscow for many decades. Since gaining its independence once again after the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan has operated as a secularist country, faltering to democratize and trying to integrate to the global economic system as an energy-producing (i.e. oil and natural gas) rentier economy. While Azerbaijan has sought to become part of the so-called “Western civilization” via building close ties with Turkey, US, Israel, NATO and the EU, the ruling elites in Baku have resisted any calls for democratic reform – not unlike the rentier economies of the Middle East such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. This article will argue that the complex development track of Azerbaijan provides an appropriate case to challenge the hypotheses of the classical modernization and neo-modernization theories, while supporting those of the multiple modernities paradigm.

In this paper we have syntactical and analytical investigated one part of the published Precucuteni materials discovered in Transylvania. Our aim was to establish if they represent local material or imports. We have made a database for data and information named Precucuteni, where we have introduced all the published data. We have established codes especially for decoration, not for the shapes of pots, while most of the material is very much fragmentary. We developed our code system starting with the one made by Z. Maxim in 1999, but we have enlarge it. We have also analyzed materials from Moldova, ascribed to early Precucuteni phase (Traian – Dealul Viei, Izvoare) as well as the new discoveries from Baia (Precucuteni IB).Today in Transylvania there are about 38–40 sites with Precucuteni materials (some not very sure). Our analyze underlined once again that SE of Transylvania was involved in the formation area of this culture. Based on our analyze (motives used for decoration; not shapes of pottery) we have divided Precucuteni discoveries in Precucuteni IA, IB, IC. In the first stage Precucuteni IA (table 1C, red mark) there are several south influences, Boian Bolintineanu and Giuleşti (green, fig. 1A), that have an important role for the born of Precucuteni culture. Even in stage Precucuteni IB there are still southern influences, Bolintineanu, Vădastra and Giuleşti (table 2.1, light green mark). For some cases there some doubts related with small sounds.We also analyzed some materials ascribed to linear pottery culture, associated with Precucuteni materials (Olteni B; and in other sites in Transylvania). Some specialists believed that this civilization has a role in the born of Precucuteni culture too; but based on our analyze we consider that linear pottery culture materials represent only imports, suggesting contacts between different communities and they do not play a role in the genesis of Precucuteni culture. Precucuteni discoveries from western Transylvania can be ascribed to Precucuteni I (Mintia,Lumea Nouă; other discoveries namely those of Turdaş from Z. Torma collection do not have any archaeological context); only one fragment discovered at Lumea Nouă can be ascribed to Precucuteni II. The cup fragment discovered at Ţaga, between the remains of the banquet found in pit Gr. 28 (Zau culture, phase III), is characteristic for late Precucuteni I phase (Precucuteni IC).Based on our analyses we consider that in Transylvania, as well as in Moldova, during Precucuteni II there are new southern impulses. It is possible that these impulses mark a new Boian migration in Transylvania, at a post Giuleşti level, as is suggest by discoveries from Caşolţ, Feldioara, Leţ, Turia a.s.o.There are few objects related with plastic art that can be ascribed to Precucuteni culture (idols from Olteni – Cariera de Nisip). A small altar discovered at Iclod has analogies at Traian – Dealul Viei.As a conclusion, based on the analyzed materials, we consider that in Transylvania it is a local evolution of Precucuteni I phase, with several southern elements. Precucuteni imports in Turdaş II–III and Foeni milieu in Transylvania suggest a possible parallelism between Precucuteni IB and Precucuteni II of Moldova (those named by D. Monah in relation with Poduri house L36 with the 2 cult complexes). In Transylvania there are not typical discoveries related with Precucuteni II, except 2 sherds that indicate imports.Based on the new radiocarbon data and reinterpretation of some older ones, we believe that the beginning of Precucuteni I in Transylvania is related with 4700 BC, at the same chronological level with Turdaş II and the end of Vinča C3.

Introduction“From every kind of man obedience I expect; I’m the Emperor of Japan.” (“Miyasama,” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s musical The Mikado, 1885)This commentary is facilitated by—surprisingly resilient—oriental stereotypes of an imagined Japan (think of Oscar Wilde’s assertion, in 1889, that Japan was a European invention). During the Victorian era, in Britain, there was a craze for all things oriental, particularly ceramics and “there was a craze for all things Japanese and no middle class drawing room was without its Japanese fan or teapot.“ (V&A Victorian). These pastoral depictions of the ‘oriental life’ included the figures of men and women in oriental garb, with fans, stilt shoes, kimono-like robes, and appropriate headdresses, engaging in garden-based activities, especially tea ceremony variations (Landow). In fact, tea itself, and the idea of a ceremony of serving it, had taken up a central role, even an obsession in middle- and upper-class Victorian life. Similarly, landscapes with wild seas, rugged rocks and stunted pines, wizened monks, pagodas and temples, and particular fauna and flora (cranes and other birds flying through clouds of peonies, cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums) were very popular motifs (see Martin and Koda). Rather than authenticity, these designs heightened the Western-based romantic stereotypes associated with a stylised form of Japanese life, conducted sedately under rule of the Japanese Imperial Court. In reality, prior to the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Emperor was largely removed from everyday concerns, residing as an isolated, holy figure in Kyoto, the traditional capital of Japan. Japan was instead ruled from Edo (modern day Tokyo) led by the Shogun and his generals, according to a strict Confucian influenced code (see Keene). In Japan, as elsewhere, the presence of feudal-style governance includes policies that determine much of everyday life, including restrictions on clothing (Rall 169). The Samurai code was no different, and included a series of protocols that restricted rank, movement, behaviour, and clothing. As Vincent has noted in the case of the ‘lace tax’ in Great Britain, these restrictions were designed to punish those who seek to penetrate the upper classes through their costume (28-30). In Japan, pre-Meiji sumptuary laws, for example, restricted the use of gold, and prohibited the use of a certain shade of red by merchant classes (V&A Kimono).Therefore, in the governance of pre-globalised societies, the importance of clothing and textile is evident; as Jones and Stallybrass comment: We need to understand the antimatedness of clothes, their ability to “pick up” subjects, to mould and shape them both physically and socially—to constitute subjects through their power as material memories […] Clothing is a worn world: a world of social relations put upon the wearer’s body. (2-3, emphasis added)The significant re-imagining of Japanese cultural and national identities are explored here through the cataclysmic impact of Western ideologies on Japanese cultural traditions. There are many ways to examine how indigenous cultures respond to European, British, or American (hereafter Western) influences, particularly in times of conflict (Wilk). Western ideology arrived in Japan after a long period of isolation (during which time Japan’s only contact was with Dutch traders) through the threat of military hostility and war. It is after this outside threat was realised that Japan’s adoption of military and industrial practices begins. The re-imagining of their national identity took many forms, and the inclusion of a Western-style military costuming as a schoolboy uniform became a highly visible indicator of Japan’s mission to protect its sovereign integrity. A brief history of Japan’s rise from a collection of isolated feudal states to a unified military power, in not only the Asian Pacific region but globally, demonstrates the speed at which they adopted the Western mode of warfare. Gunboats on Japan’s ShorelinesJapan was forcefully opened to the West in the 1850s by America under threat of First Name Perry’s ‘gunboat diplomacy’ (Hillsborough 7-8). Following this, Japan underwent a rapid period of modernisation, and an upsurge in nationalism and military expansion that was driven by a desire to catch up to the European powers present in the Pacific. Noted by Ian Ferguson in Civilization: The West and the Rest, Unsure, the Japanese decided […] to copy everything […] Japanese institutions were refashioned on Western models. The army drilled like Germans; the navy sailed like Britons. An American-style system of state elementary and middle schools was also introduced. (221, emphasis added)This was nothing short of a wide-scale reorganisation of Japan’s entire social structure and governance. Under the Emperor Meiji, who wrested power from the Shogunate and reclaimed it for the Imperial head, Japan steamed into an industrial revolution, achieving in a matter of years what had taken Europe over a century.Japan quickly became a major player-elect on the world stage. However, as an island nation, Japan lacked the essentials of both coal and iron with which to fashion not only industrial machinery but also military equipment, the machinery of war. In 1875 Japan forced Korea to open itself to foreign (read: Japanese) trade. In the same treaty, Korea was recognised as a sovereign nation, separate from Qing China (Tucker 1461). The necessity for raw materials then led to the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), a conflict between Japan and China that marked the emergence of Japan as a major world power. The Korean Peninsula had long been China’s most important client state, but its strategic location adjacent to the Japanese archipelago, and its natural resources of coal and iron, attracted Japan’s interest. Later, the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), allowed a victorious Japan to force Russia to abandon its expansionist policy in the Far East, becoming the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power. The Russo-Japanese War developed out of the rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in Korea and Manchuria, again in the struggle for natural resources (Tucker 1534-46).Japan’s victories, together with the county’s drive for resources, meant that Japan could now determine its role within the Asia-Pacific sphere of influence. As Japan’s military, and their adoption of Westernised combat, proved effective in maintaining national integrity, other social institutions also looked to the West (Ferguson 221). In an ironic twist—while Victorian and Continental fashion was busy adopting the exotic, oriental look (Martin and Koda)—the kimono, along with other essentials of Japanese fashions, were rapidly altered (both literally and figuratively) to suit new, warlike ideology. It should be noted that kimono literally means ‘things that you wear’ and which, prior to exposure to Western fashions, signified all worn clothing (Dalby 65-119). “Wearing Things” in Westernised JapanAs Japan modernised during the late 1800s the kimono was positioned as symbolising barbaric, pre-modern, ‘oriental’ Japan. Indeed, on 17 January 1887 the Meiji Empress issued a memorandum on the subject of women’s clothing in Japan: “She [the Empress] believed that western clothes were in fact closer to the dress of women in ancient Japan than the kimonos currently worn and urged that they be adopted as the standard clothes of the reign” (Keene 404). The resemblance between Western skirts and blouses and the simple skirt and separate top that had been worn in ancient times by a people descended from the sun goddess, Amaterasu wo mikami, was used to give authority and cultural authenticity to Japan’s modernisation projects. The Imperial Court, with its newly ennobled European style aristocrats, exchanged kimono silks for Victorian finery, and samurai armour for military pomp and splendour (Figure 1).Figure 1: The Meiji Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince resplendent in European fashions on an outing to Asukayama Park. Illustration: Toyohara Chikanobu, circa 1890.It is argued here that the function of a uniform is to prepare the body for service. Maids and butlers, nurses and courtesans, doctors, policemen, and soldiers are all distinguished by their garb. Prudence Black states: “as a technology, uniforms shape and code the body so they become a unit that belongs to a collective whole” (93). The requirement to discipline bodies through clothing, particularly through uniforms, is well documented (see Craik, Peoples, and Foucault). The need to distinguish enemies from allies on the battlefield requires adherence to a set of defined protocols, as referenced in military fashion compendiums (see Molloy). While the postcolonial adoption of Western-based clothing reflects a new form of subservience (Rall, Kuechler and Miller), in Japan, the indigenous garments were clearly designed in the interests of ideological allegiance. To understand the Japanese sartorial traditions, the kimono itself must be read as providing a strong disciplinary element. The traditional garment is designed to represent an upright and unbending column—where two meters of under bindings are used to discipline the body into shape are then topped with a further four meters of a stiffened silk obi wrapped around the waist and lower chest. To dress formally in such a garment requires helpers (see Dalby). The kimono both constructs and confines the women who wear it, and presses them into their roles as dutiful, upper-class daughters (see Craik). From the 1890s through to the 1930s, when Japan again enters a period of militarism, the myth of the kimono again changes as it is integrated into the build-up towards World War II.Decades later, when Japan re-established itself as a global economic power in the 1970s and 1980s, the kimono was re-authenticated as Japan’s ‘traditional’ garment. This time it was not the myth of a people descended from solar deities that was on display, but that of samurai strength and propriety for men, alongside an exaggerated femininity for women, invoking a powerful vision of Japanese sartorial tradition. This reworking of the kimono was only possible as the garment was already contained within the framework of Confucian family duty. However, in the lead up to World War II, Japanese military advancement demanded of its people soldiers that could win European-style wars. The quickest solution was to copy the military acumen and strategies of global warfare, and the costumes of the soldiery and seamen of Europe, including Great Britain (Ferguson). It was also acknowledged that soldiers were ‘made not born’ so the Japanese educational system was re-vamped to emulate those of its military rivals (McVeigh). It was in the uptake of schoolboy uniforms that this re-imagining of Japanese imperial strength took place.The Japanese Schoolboy UniformCentral to their rapid modernisation, Japan adopted a constitutional system of education that borrowed from American and French models (Tipton 68-69). The government viewed education as a “primary means of developing a sense of nation,” and at its core, was the imperial authorities’ obsession with defining “Japan and Japaneseness” (Tipton 68-69). Numerous reforms eventually saw, after an abolition of fees, nearly 100% attendance by both boys and girls, despite a lingering mind-set that educating women was “a waste of time” (Tipton 68-69). A boys’ uniform based on the French and Prussian military uniforms of the 1860s and 1870s respectively (Kinsella 217), was adopted in 1879 (McVeigh 47). This jacket, initially with Prussian cape and cap, consists of a square body, standing mandarin style collar and a buttoned front. It was through these education reforms, as visually symbolised by the adoption of military style school uniforms, that citizen making, education, and military training became interrelated aspects of Meiji modernisation (Kinsella 217). Known as the gakuran (gaku: to study; ran: meaning both orchid, and a pun on Horanda, meaning Holland, the only Western country with trading relations in pre-Meiji Japan), these jackets were a symbol of education, indicating European knowledge, power and influence and came to reflect all things European in Meiji Japan. By adopting these jackets two objectives were realised:through the magical power of imitation, Japan would, by adopting the clothing of the West, naturally rise in military power; and boys were uniformed to become not only educated as quasi-Europeans, but as fighting soldiers and sons (suns) of the nation.The gakuran jacket was first popularised by state-run schools, however, in the century and a half that the garment has been in use it has come to symbolise young Japanese masculinity as showcased in campus films, anime, manga, computer games, and as fashion is the preeminent garment for boybands and Japanese hipsters.While the gakuran is central to the rise of global militarism in Japan (McVeigh 51-53), the jacket would go on to form the basis of the Sun Yat Sen and Mao Suits as symbols of revolutionary China (see McVeigh). Supposedly, Sun Yat Sen saw the schoolboy jacket in Japan as a utilitarian garment and adopted it with a turn down collar (Cumming et al.). For Sun Yat Sen, the gakuran was the perfect mix of civilian (school boy) and military (the garment’s Prussian heritage) allowing him to walk a middle path between the demands of both. Furthermore, the garment allowed Sun to navigate between Western style suits and old-fashioned Qing dynasty styles (Gerth 116); one was associated with the imperialism of the National Products Movement, while the other represented the corruption of the old dynasty. In this way, the gakuran was further politicised from a national (Japanese) symbol to a global one. While military uniforms have always been political garments, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as the world was rocked by revolutions and war, civilian clothing also became a means of expressing political ideals (McVeigh 48-49). Note that Mahatma Ghandi’s clothing choices also evolved from wholly Western styles to traditional and emphasised domestic products (Gerth 116).Mao adopted this style circa 1927, further defining the style when he came to power by adding elements from the trousers, tunics, and black cotton shoes worn by peasants. The suit was further codified during the 1960s, reaching its height in the Cultural Revolution. While the gakuran has always been a scholarly black (see Figure 2), subtle differences in the colour palette differentiated the Chinese population—peasants and workers donned indigo blue Mao jackets, while the People’s Liberation Army Soldiers donned khaki green. This limited colour scheme somewhat paradoxically ensured that subtle hierarchical differences were maintained even whilst advocating egalitarian ideals (Davis 522). Both the Sun Yat Sen suit and the Mao jacket represented the rejection of bourgeois (Western) norms that objectified the female form in favour of a uniform society. Neo-Maoism and Mao fever of the early 1990s saw the Mao suit emerge again as a desirable piece of iconic/ironic youth fashion. Figure 2: An example of Gakuran uniform next to the girl’s equivalent on display at Ichikawa Gakuen School (Japan). Photo: Emerald King, 2015.There is a clear and vital link between the influence of the Prussian style Japanese schoolboy uniform on the later creation of the Mao jacket—that of the uniform as an integral piece of worn propaganda (Atkins).For Japan, the rapid deployment of new military and industrial technologies, as well as a sartorial need to present her leaders as modern (read: Western) demanded the adoption of European-style uniforms. The Imperial family had always been removed from Samurai battlefields, so the adoption of Western military costume allowed Japan’s rulers to present a uniform face to other global powers. When Japan found itself in conflict in the Asia Pacific Region, without an organised military, the first requirement was to completely reorganise their system of warfare from a feudal base and to train up national servicemen. Within an American-style compulsory education system, the European-based curriculum included training in mathematics, engineering and military history, as young Britons had for generations begun their education in Greek and Latin, with the study of Ancient Greek and Roman wars (Bantock). It is only in the classroom that ideological change on a mass scale can take place (Reference Please), a lesson not missed by later leaders such as Mao Zedong.ConclusionIn the 1880s, the Japanese leaders established their position in global politics by adopting clothing and practices from the West (Europeans, Britons, and Americans) in order to quickly re-shape their country’s educational system and military establishment. The prevailing military costume from foreign cultures not only disciplined their adopted European bodies, they enforced a new regime through dress (Rall 157-174). For boys, the gakuran symbolised the unity of education and militarism as central to Japanese masculinity. Wearing a uniform, as many authors suggest, furthers compliance (Craik, Nagasawa Kaiser and Hutton, and McVeigh). As conscription became a part of Japanese reality in World War II, the schoolboys just swapped their military-inspired school uniforms for genuine military garments.Re-imagining a Japanese schoolboy uniform from a European military costume might suit ideological purposes (Atkins), but there is more. The gakuran, as a uniform based on a close, but not fitted jacket, was the product of a process of advanced industrialisation in the garment-making industry also taking place in the 1800s:Between 1810 and 1830, technical calibrations invented by tailors working at the very highest level of the craft [in Britain] eventually made it possible for hundreds of suits to be cut up and made in advance [...] and the ready-to-wear idea was put into practice for men’s clothes […] originally for uniforms for the War of 1812. (Hollander 31) In this way, industrialisation became a means to mass production, which furthered militarisation, “the uniform is thus the clothing of the modern disciplinary society” (Black 102). There is a perfect resonance between Japan’s appetite for a modern military and their rise to an industrialised society, and their conquests in Asia Pacific supplied the necessary material resources that made such a rapid deployment possible. The Japanese schoolboy uniform was an integral part of the process of both industrialisation and militarisation, which instilled in the wearer a social role required by modern Japanese society in its rise for global power. Garments are never just clothing, but offer a “world of social relations put upon the wearer’s body” (Jones and Stallybrass 3-4).Today, both the Japanese kimono and the Japanese schoolboy uniform continue to interact with, and interrogate, global fashions as contemporary designers continue to call on the tropes of ‘military chic’ (Tonchi) and Japanese-inspired clothing (Kawamura). References Atkins, Jaqueline. Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States. Princeton: Yale UP, 2005.Bantock, Geoffrey Herman. Culture, Industrialisation and Education. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1968.Black, Prudence. “The Discipline of Appearance: Military Style and Australian Flight Hostess Uniforms 1930–1964.” Fashion & War in Popular Culture. Ed. Denise N. Rall. Bristol: Intellect/U Chicago P, 2014. 91-106.Craik, Jenifer. Uniforms Exposed: From Conformity to Transgression. 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