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Russia's invasion of Ukraine began a few months ago and continues at full intensity. For Moscow, the objective of the war with its western neighbor was to bring about a change in the world order that would position Russia as a highly influential global power. Regardless of whether the war continues and develops into a long war of attrition or some arrangement for ending it is reached, it is clear that the rules of the game have changed, and therefore the war's significance and implications for the world order should be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Democracy is being pushed aggressively on a global scale as the best and final form of government without even an alternative offered to the opposing views by the champions of the system in the 21st century. The main arguments presented by the apologies of democracy are its feasibility of providing and guaranteeing freedom of speech, liberty of choosing a leadership, accountability and transparency. However, this view is being perceived with cynicism in other parts of the world, particularly the Islamic world where absolute sovereignty and laws are referred to from a divine source. Most contemporary Islamic scholars are not against democracy except where its principles such as man-made laws are regarded as supreme over the Shari’ah law. But, Rached Ghannouchi, a Tunisian activist and a political leader believed that there is a perfect way to synthesise the Western liberal democracy and Islamic governance through the sideline of political Islam and the full Islamisation of democracy in practice. Ghannouchi’s combination of ideology, philosophy and activism earned him a status of an Islamic democratic philosopher in the 21st century. This study critically examined the efforts made by Ghannouchi in Islamising democracy using a rhetorical analytical approach of linking and comparing the early Islamic philosophy on democracy and Ghannouchi’s ideas to arrive at a position of policy implication for democratic governance in the Muslim world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main thrust of this study was to explore the genesis of the African identity-crisis from the (pre) colonial times to the post-colonial age. The colonialists revolutionized the cultural backdrop of Africa and imposed European values upon African natives. This affected the social, economic, and political identities in Africa. Today, the imagination of identity-crisis in the African continent is appalling. Notwithstanding her potential to grow socio-economically and politically due to the dispensation of emancipation, Africa is still at the periphery of identity-crisis. This qualitative paper argued that the jeopardy of African culture bred identity crisis in the contemporary states of Africa that hinders the continent from progressing. The hegemony of Europeans threatened to bring African culture to a dead end. This is exemplified by Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, which mirrors the propagation of Western ideologies that Africans ultimately became infatuated with to a degree of perceiving their own culture as unsophisticated. This is developed through the wilful relinquishment of African cultural practices because of European intervention.

Abstract Background The presence of the human leukocyte antigen HLA-B*57:01 is associated with the development of a hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir (ABC). Limited data exist on HLA-B*57:01 prevalence in individuals with HIV-1 in Africa. This study aimed to estimate HLA-B*57:01 prevalence in individuals with HIV-1 in West and Central Africa. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in four countries in West and central Africa (Burkina-Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, and Togo) from January 2016 to February 2020 to determine the status of HLA-B*57:01 in adults with HIV-1. The presence of HLA-B*57:01 was determined by using Single Specific Primer-Polymerase Chain Reaction (SSP-PCR) in blood samples. Prevalence rates were stratified based on country. Results A total of 4016 (69.8% women) individuals with HIV were enrolled. Their median age was 45, and the interquartile range was 38–52. We included 500 (12.4%) patients in Burkina-Faso, 1453 (36.2%) in Côte d’Ivoire, 951 (23.7%) in Gabon, and 1112 (27.7%) in Togo. The overall HLA-B*57:01 prevalence was 0.1% [95% CI: 0.0–0.2%]. The prevalence of HLA-B*57:01 was similar according to the four countries. Only one case was reported in each country except Togo, with no cases. Conclusions HLA-B*57:01 prevalence is low in individuals with HIV in West and central Africa, and there is no difference among countries. This study does not confirm the utility of HLA-B*57:01 allele testing for abacavir use in this region.

As the twenty-first century begins, Benjamin's aura as the quality of an authentic-art-object might be outdated, but the notion of kitsch remains essential in a post-Warholian world. The following discussion is an attempt to assess Western contemporaneity. By using a few examples, so to dissect problems into their smallest components, I suggest that the current popularity of kitsch inclinations and behaviours in Western societies are not a means to resist cultural and aesthetic elitism, but an implication of widespread bad taste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of modernization frequently appears in today’s sociological analyses. This conceptualization, which is employed to describe the non-Western world in particular, is essentially provided within a theoretical framework and takes on meaning within it. The term “modernization,” however, is frequently abstracted from the latter and substituted with the concepts of modernity. Such uses make it difficult to understand the “modernization theory” developed in Western academic circles to explain the non-Western world and criticize it. The Ottoman Empire dealt with the problem of “encountering the West” within its unique circumstances and produced specific solutions for this problem. Moreover, the emergence of modernization theory can only be traced back to the 1950s. Therefore, speaking of an “Ottoman modernization” appears anachronistic when considered chronologically and in light of the Ottoman Empire’s unique historical experience. Using the methods of document analysis and literature review, this paper seeks to determine whether the Ottoman experience had a place within the paradigm of modernization or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health library and information professionals need continuing professional development to update their skills and knowledge. There is very limited evidence on the training needs of medical librarians in Nigeria. Objectives: To identify the training needs of medical librarians in Nigeria, principally the content topics required, preferred formats of training, and barriers to training. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to 94 registered members of the Medical Library Association of Nigeria. Results: The majority of the 64 medical librarian respondents wanted training in information systems and technology usage. The respondents also indicated that they prefer participating in seminar/workshops and being involved in face‐to‐face courses. Very few of the respondents have attended any specialist training aimed at their work in the medical field. The foremost challenge identified is the high cost of training. Discussion: This study confirmed that the librarianship degree acquired from library schools only serves as a foundation for medical librarians, and it does not provide the specific subject training required to work successfully as medical librarians. Conclusion: There is a gap in knowledge base of medical librarians in Nigeria that needs to be filled by specific on‐the‐job training and courses which are affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The region of the Balkans has for centuries inspired a number of travelers, writers, artists and researchers, which is why interest in this part of Europe and its relations towards the rest of it has increased over the years. The increasing number of academic articles and studies shows the importance of thorough and meticulous research of intercultural contacts, as well as of the way these cultural issues are discussed in literary works. The Balkans have been exploited in numerous novels and stories; many imaginary kingdoms have been "situated" in the region for the sake of a mysterious, thrilling setting, and a number of authors who had little or no personal contact with the region and its people used mainly set conventions, convictions and prejudices for their literary purposes. Cecil Roberts' Victoria Four-Thirty (1937) shows the characteristics of the "Orient Express" genre novel and it deals with the issue of the West vs. East "dividing" line. The aim of this paper is to analyze the novel within the framework of cultural studies since it features, though in a rather subtle way, the issue of East/West "border-line" and stereotypes, presented mostly from the British perspective of the 1930s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to analyze Vladimir Putin's securitization of the West in his speech at a military parade in Moscow's Red Square on the 9th of May 2022. Thereby, the article employs political discourse analysis and Copenhagen School's securitization theory to show how Putin uses speech acts to transform the West into an existential threat and justify the adoption of extraordinary measures, such as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, the research refers to Richard Sakwa's concepts of "cold peace" and "neo-revisionism" to make sense of the emergence of such discourse. By using humiliation narratives and evoking patriotic images, Putin exacerbates a sense of victimhood and historical right in the Russian audience that emphasizes the state's isolationism and historic role to fight against the "Nazified" West and Ukraine. Putin also promotes an image of Russia's superiority, supporting cultural and civilizational pluralism and diversity ending the pre-existing Western universalism. The paper concludes that with these practices, the Russian president manages to not only successfully securitize the West but also spur significantly the public's support for his war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article aims at traversing historical traces, concepts, and characteristics of magical realism and how it is pertinent in literary analysis. The pivot of the conceptual framework of this article in on Faris' perspective on magical realism. The approach of this study is grounded theory. The data are quotations taken from referential books and journals. The techniques of data collection are documentation and quoting. The technique of analysis is thematic interpretation. This article figures out that magical realism deconstructs the status of magical and the real into a somersaulting realm. Western historical narrative establishes the real through rationality and alienates the magical which is identical to the East, the Other, or the indigenous. This rational narrative is propagandized and turns to be power relation. Therefore, magical realism, through some literary works, deconstructs the rational perspective with logical-magical narrative as one of postcolonial studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Social Sciences (IJSS) / Uluslararasi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of International Journal of Social Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper discusses Evsey Domar’s role as a link between economics in the West and in Russia, including his influence on some Brazilian economists. The Russian heritage he brought with him from Harbin (Manchuria) to the US consisted of an interest in socialism and Russian history. He paid close attention to the 1947 Varga controversy in the USSR. Domar’s rediscovery of Feldman’s (1928) growth model in 1957 brought it to the attention of Western and Soviet economists alike. Soviet economic development was also discussed in his interpretation of Preobrazhensky’s (1926) approach to the interaction between agricultural and industrial sectors. Domar’s 1966 seminal article on producer cooperatives called attention to Tugan-Baranovsky’s 1915 book on the topic. Domar’s interest in history resulted in his 1970 hypothesis about the origins of Russian serfdom and of North and South American slavery. Soviet economists paid some attention to Domar’s growth models, especially those involving depreciation and the time structure of capital goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tragic and horrendous attack on the World Trade Center also served to construct an unmistakable shape to Islamophobia in the West. It worked as fuel for the already-lit fire of Islamophobia and aggravated the situation with numerous indiscriminate attacks on Muslims. The situation worsened with George Bush's unequivocal statement: "either you are with us or against us". This was the call for a cultural war between the West and Muslims framed by the Us versus Them schemata. This research has analyzed the speech of Imran Khan which he delivered at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, employing van Dijk's Ideological Square Model with a specific focus on NVivo 12 Plus to inspect the magnitude of the impact of linguistic memorandums from authoritative institutes. The researchers have investigated the lexicalization of Khan's speech to explore how he uses language to sketch the picture of the West as "them" parallel to "us". His rhetoric is critically examined through the micro and macro-strategies of the Ideological Square Model. The findings reveal that instead of challenging and interrogating the Us versus Them schema that permeates Islamophobia, Khan himself uses the very same schema to show ideological differences between the West and Muslims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, it is retrospectively addressed the processes of invention and transformation of the western development story over three centuries. The idea is to show the relationship that has existed between the historical conjunctures and the relaunching of civilizing narratives; for this, three moments of understanding are identified: progress, biological order, and modernization. These moments allow us to observe which way, why, and under what context the development was configured and profiled as one of the greatest promises of modernity. It is argued that development has been a discourse of transhistoric power that has made Euro-American practices, experiences and traditions a universal cultural model, through which a hegemonic and essentialist vision of the West has been strengthened, while building a deficit and outsourced alterity.

The paper summarizes the results of a long-term introduction study of a rare alpine plant Hedysarum theinum Krasnob., which is widely used in medicine. We found that the species demonstrates sufficiently high seed productivity with adequate agrotechnical care under introduction conditions. Nevertheless, there were cases of a single lack of fruiting, which cannot be considered a reaction to different ecological conditions since these phenomena can also be observed in natural habitats; most likely, this is a feature of the reproductive biology of the species. The phenological characteristics, seed productivity, and seed germination of the species are given, and the range of variation in signs of the vegetative and generative spheres is established. The introduction assessment indicates high plasticity and a high degree of the species adaptation.

In a dynamic world, developing in the direction of polycentricism, the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, forming together the so-called Global South, are increasingly prominent. Today, the Global South comprises nearly two-thirds of the UN member states, accounts for about 80% of the world’s population, about 50% of world GDP and about a half of total international trade. These dry figures alone point to the paramount methodological, scientific and practical importance of studying the economic and socio-political issues of the Global South, a comprehensive analysis of its role in the world economy and politics, in the globalization, and also in geoeconomic and geopolitical relations. Equally relevant is the analysis of the Global South’s participation in the international community’s efforts to combat global challenges, including climate change, the eradication of poverty, the fight against cross-border terrorism and drug trafficking, humanity’s victory over the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of the recovery economic growth undermined by the coronacrisis. According to the author’s of the article point of view, the former colonial and dependent countries forming the GlobalSouth, many of which have achieved state independence in the last 50-60 years, have accumulated considerable experience of joint actions to defend their economic and political interests, established mechanisms and organizations of cooperation in a variety of fields. Far from simplifying the extremely difficult present situation and not turning a blind eye to existing problems and difficulties, it is logical to assume that a rich historical experience and a large international weight can enable the countries of the Global South to participate actively in building a more sustainable, just and secure world order.

Historians have long puzzled over the fact that the earliest victories for women’s voting rights in the United States were won in the American West, far from the most prominent centers of women’s political activism. This essay argues that women won the vote in Wyoming Territory in 1869 due to a convergence of the post-Civil War politics of Reconstruction and the dynamics of white supremacist settler colonialism. White women’s rights emerged as a tool to expand the American empire in a place then mostly in the hands of Indigenous inhabitants.

In this paper, we will deal with stereotypes that one of the most versatile Serbian artists, Momo Kapor, explains and interprets about his people in the book A Guide to the Serbian Mentality. Since the appearance of the earliest travelogues about the Balkans and its inhabitants, the image that was transmitted further into the world has represented this area as wild and its people as insufficiently civilised. Writing for the review of the national airline in order to interest those who will soon land in Serbia, to better explore the space where they found themselves, Momo Kapor uses previously adopted stereotypes in an interesting way – some deepening and some denying, sometimes establishing new ones. In order to better understand the function of stereotypes in Kapor's painting of Belgrade, we will compare his descriptions of the capital of Serbia with the capital of Bosnia from the Sarajevo trilogy. The subject of our work will be treated with the rules of literary imagology, a science that originated within the framework of comparative literature, and its subject of research is the presentation of the Other in literature.

When discussing African literature, it becomes impossible to bypass the issue of language, and more importantly African native languages, which seem to be close to quasi-inexistent when it comes to writing in them. In fact, most African written literature has come to life using the languages of the European languages imposed by force and at times subtly by the colonizers. In his book groundbreaking Decolonising the Mind, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the Kenyan writer and critic, addresses the issue by attacking these European languages in practice in both African nation-states and literature, and what the said languages represent ideologically and hegemonically when in use in Africa. In order to have a truly African literature, i.e. one utterly independent from the former colonial influences, Ngugi proposes a literature in African in African indigenous languages. How does he go about putting this in practice? Does such a proposition fit well in our days and age? These are the questions, among others, this paper seeks to address.

Copyright of Authenticity Studies: International Journal of Archaeology & Art is the property of Padova University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore prostate cancer screening behaviors among Indo-Guyanese men. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in the surrounding neighborhood of Queens, New York during 2018 and 2019. In-depth, one-on-one interviews were conducted using 20 Indo-Guyanese men between the ages of 45 and 75. Results: The findings suggest that Indo-Guyanese men are being screened for prostate cancer at a very low rate. Only 30% (n = 6) of participants underwent prostate cancer screening. Four major themes were derived from the data, which could have contributed to the decreased level of screening. These included: (1) recommendations must come from their healthcare professional; (2) reluctance to engage in screening; (3) distrust of the medical system; and (4) screening only if symptoms are present or they know someone with prostate cancer. Conclusions: Behavioral patterns for prostate cancer screening among Indo-Guyanese men share some similarities with other Caribbean countries. Clinicians and Healthcare Professionals should be culturally competent for the patients they serve. Understanding the behavioral variations within this diverse culture could help provide the highest possible care, specifically tailored to each patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The French tokamak WEST supports the ITER design and operation. IRFM is designing a new Thomson scattering diagnostic to measure plasma density and temperature profiles. The diagnostic system consists of an endoscope inside a vacuum vessel, composed of actively cooled optical components. In order to validate and guarantee the diagnostic performances during normal operations, mechanical, thermal, hydraulic and vibratory behavior must be checked. Moreover, perpendicular displacement of the optical surface shall not be higher than 40 µm. Since this diagnostic operates in near infrared light, the temperature of all components must stay lower than 200 °C as not to bias the measurements. The differences in water temperature and pressure between the inlet and outlet of the diagnostic must be lower than 50 °C and 5.6 bar, respectively. The natural frequencies of the structure must be higher than 20 Hz and far enough from the frequency of external components. In this study, the worst radiative plasma scenario was chosen. The results of this study validate the accuracy of the measurements. Before manufacturing, electromagnetic disruption events must also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the nineteenth century, the writings of European travellers became a textual vehicle by which the West sought to understand the Orient. Based on first-hand but highly subjective data, they contain comparisons between the Orient and the Occident which distinguish the two regions from one another. Thus, they played an important role in shaping the Western perception of the Orient. This article focuses on the German Orientalistphilologist Eduard Sachau (1845–1930), who held a chair at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University in Berlin and also served as the director of the Seminar für Orientalische Sprachen (Institute of Oriental Languages). Sachau’s journey to the East began in 1879 and lasted about six months. His travel notes were published (in 1883), under the title Reise in Syrien und Mesopotamien (Travel in Syria and Mesopotamia). In the nineteenth century, not only the British and French but also the German travellers had an important role in shaping the Western perception of the Orient. Following Edward Said’s groundbreaking work Orientalism (1979) this study will argue that Sachau’s narratives produce certain stereotypes. It will be made the case through analyses of the forms of expression, perceptions and cultural patterns that Sachau chose in order to construct an orientalist discourse, when he described different ethnicities, religions and sects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text uses the theory of nationalism to analyse the basic ideas of the conservative revolution. This is done through the reconstruction of the basic theses of the political thought of Thomas Mann, Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, Ernst Jünger, Oswald Spengler, and Carl Schmitt. The analysis is focused on the way in which the relationship between language and nation, war and nation, liberalism and nation, and the nation’s relationship with the West were interpreted. It can be concluded that language was considered to reflect the spirit of the nation, that war was considered as the foundation of national identity, that liberalism was considered to be the main ideological enemy of German national identity, and that the West was rejected while Russia and Dostoevsky were praised. According to this analysis, it can be stated that the German nationalism and the rejection of liberalism were the basis of the ideology of the conservative revolution. Finally, it can be pointed out that though conservative revolutionaries advocated dictatorship, they didn’t advocate a return to the old regime of the monarchy, but an authoritarian conservative utopia. Precisely because of the utopian features of the conservative revolution, its ideas are still appealing to the radical right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of the Institute of Art History is the property of Radovi Instituta za Povijest Umjetnosti and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper is written to articulate in a summary form 14 evidently-known essential and personalistic principles from the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas needed, especially by Pope Francis, to understand a third period of neo-Thomism we are now in: Born-again, or Ragamuffin, Thomism. It maintains that, without application of these principles to the Church’s “new evangelization,” this movement will fail. With that failure the Church will be unable to halt the cultural suicide in which the West is presently engaged.

This article is devoted to the study of the functional features of the media space in Kazakhstan under the rapidly changing globalization trends and information confrontation of world powers. Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan is striving to create its own independent information space. The process of information space formation in the country has several traits, such as low competitiveness of national news agencies, slow development of the regulatory and legal framework in the field of information security, high politicization, including the language issue. These features occurred due to the heterogeneous language environment, the problems of the formation of national independent news agencies, the challenges of globalization, the most pressing of which is the growing influence of global media. In this article, authors touch upon the transition of Kazakhstan to the Latin alphabet, as well as the views of Western, Russian and Kazakhstan researchers on the current state of the media landscape of Kazakhstan. Authors justify the need to work out ways to minimize external information impact on the media landscape of Kazakhstan that is still undergoing media transformation processes.

The article deals with the phenomenon of synthesis of East and West cultures in the religious philosophy of B.D. Dandaron - one of the most famous representatives of Russian Buddhism in the XX century. The beginning of the spread of Buddhist teachings in Russian society is also connected with his extraordinary personality. Dandaron was engaged in active yoga, tantric practice, and also gave instructions to those who were interested in Buddhism. As a result, a small circle of people began to form around him who tried to study and practice Buddhism. Dandaron was also engaged in Buddhist activities, studied Tibetan history and historiography, and described the Tibetan collection of manuscripts. It is indicated that Dandaron not only made an attempt to consider Buddhism from the perspective of Western philosophy, but also created his own teaching, which was called neobuddism. As a result, he was able to conduct a creative synthesis of Buddhist philosophy with the Western philosophical tradition. In fact, he developed a philosophical system that claims to be universal and synthesized Buddhist and Western spiritual achievements. Trying to synthesize the Eastern and Western traditions of philosophical thought, Dandaron turned to the well-known comparative works of the Indian thinker S. Radhakrishnan and the Russian buddhologist F.I. Shcherbatsky. The author also notes the influence on the philosophy of neobuddism of the ideas of V.E. Sesemann, a neo-Kantian philosopher with whom Dandaron was personally acquainted. The idea of non-Buddhism had not only a philosophical and theoretical, but also a practical aspect, since the consideration of Buddhism from the perspective of Western philosophy helped to attract people of Western culture to this religion. In General, Dandarons desire to create a universal synthetic philosophical system was in line with the philosophical and spiritual search of Russian philosophy, and was partly related to the traditional problem of East-West, which has always been relevant for Russia.

In this paper, I will analyse Joan Didion’s poetics of praise and mourning in her first published novel, Run River, understanding the Western landscape she presents in it as an instance of Gaston Bachelard’s idea of the childhood home as a felicitous, eulogised space. I will argue that Didion’s depiction of the Sacramento Valley and the struggle of the families inhabiting it to accept the changing face of the landscape results in a jeremiad narrative of the West as paradise lost. Reflecting on the limitations both of Bachelard’s discussion of the childhood home and of the West as a mythographic space, I will conclude by assessing Didion’s topophilia and her ambiguous stance as a Western writer.

O objetivo do presente trabalho é realizar uma análise comparativa entre o abolicionismo moral desenvolvido por Hinckfuss, no seu artigo To Hell With Morality - posterior a teoria do erro - e a recusa do abolicionismo proposto por Caroline West, em seu artigo Should Feminists Be Moral Error Theorists? O interesse por fazer dialogar os dois textos supracitados se dá justamente pela dificuldade que o abolicionismo enfrenta ao pensar em questões de cunho prático-político, como questões feministas.

“Science” and “magic” are not simply two opposing thought processes which have a straightforward relationship, first, on a presumed axis of progress—from magic to science, and second, within the context of a presumed cultural divide—Western “science” vs. Eastern “tradition”. The aim of this paper is to examine in historical perspective the introduction of so-called “Western medicine” in Japan and examine the idea that through this introduction “traditional” Chinese knowledge was simply superseded by “modern” Western science. By looking into the intellectual currents within the field of medicine, specifically in eighteenth-century Japan, and comparing them to those in the West, the article tries to challenge the narrative of “modernity” as a sort of uniquely Western achievement defined by “disenchantment”, “rationalism” and “science”.

Self and relatedness are the two most essential dimensions of personality, as indicated in many personality theories, and have been supported by numerous empirical studies conducted in the western (individualistic) and eastern (collectivist) contexts. However, because of a confusion or failure to distinguish the structure and function of personality, popular theories (e.g., the Big Five model) do not make logic distinctions between these two basic personality dimensions. In terms of the cultural-relevant feature, both self and relatedness and their specific aspects may be variously highlighted in different cultural settings. On the basis of a re-examination of several crucial two-dimension (namely, self and relatedness) personality theories derived from the east and west, we reconstruct a new two polarities personality model to include not only self and relatedness but also the independent and interdependent functions in terms of some popular personality theories from western and eastern cultures. Theoretically and empirically, self and relatedness should be the basic structures of personality, whereas independence and interdependence should be the basic functions of personality. Self and relatedness have independent and interdependent functions; however, due to the cultural relevance of personality, the functions should be variously emphasized in different contexts. Several possible future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Yearbook of the Faculty of Political Sciences / Godisnjak Fakultet Politickih Nauka Beograd is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Keeping this historical reality in mind, it is evident that the story of Islam involves peoples of many different races, ethnicities and cultures, many literatures and languages, with many histories, and a myriad of interpretations some of which may in conflict with each other. The Islamic Cultural Studies course is an invitation to explore a small slice of the rich and dazzling diversity that characterizes the worlds of Islam by examining the dynamic interaction between religious beliefs and practices and their political, economic, social, literary, and artistic contexts across time and space. Besides exposure to new content material, the course is also intended to equip you with the tools to analyze and think critically about what it means to study not only Islam, but any other religious tradition in its cultural contexts. In this broader sense, this course is about how to study religion in an academic context. The underlying premise of the course - knowledge is culturally constructed - is as applicable to the study of the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu traditions as it is to the study of Islam. To properly understand the role of religions in human societies, the course contends, we must go beyond descriptive summaries of beliefs and practices and look at them as a living and dynamic traditions that are constantly changing according to context and circumstance of their adherents. Ultimately, this article will help provide us with greater literacy about the study of religion in general and better awareness of the complexities involved in such study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]