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The Fragrance Muse: Musk As A Symbolic Tapestry In Classical Persian Poetry, Akbar Shirini, Shen Xudong, Zhao Dan

Comparative Civilizations Review

This paper explores the symbolic representation of musk in classical Persian poetry, uncovering its role as a multifaceted emblem of Iranian cultural identity and human experience. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of primary texts from the Ganjoor archive and secondary sources, the study traces musk’s historical significance across China, Iran, and Islamic world. In China, musk is prized for its rarity, medicinal properties, and metaphysical roles; in Iran, it intertwines with mythology, Zoroastrian cosmology, and trade; in Islamic contexts, it holds commercial and therapeutic value, cherished by figures like Mohammad. Within Persian poetry, musk transcends its material origins, symbolizing blackness …

Towards The Systematic Cross-Civilizational Comparison: How Civilizations Work Case 2: The Indic Civilization, Monika Monika

Comparative Civilizations Review

Building on Liah Greenfeld’s (2024) framework of Systematic Cross-Civilizational Comparison, as outlined in her Spring 2024 CCR essay, this paper examines the cultural realities of the Indic civilization. Civilizations differ at both the individual level, including cognitive aspects (the structure and content of thought), moral dimensions (values and principles guiding behavior), and emotional patterns (typical emotional responses); and the societal level, i.e., distinct institutions, institutional systems, and historical trajectories (Greenfeld 2024).

In each civilization, these modal dimensions stem from and are shaped by the first civilizational principles — the foundational ideas framing the reality unique to that civilization. In Indic …

Local Identity In The Lives Of The Fathers Of Mérida: When Ethnicity And Religion Aren’T The Point, Erica Buchberger

History Faculty Publications

While scholarship on early medieval Europe often centers ethnicity or religion over other forms of identity, they were not always the most relevant form of identification for contemporaries. In the Lives of the Fathers of Mérida (late sixth-early seventh century), ethnic and religious identity were actually deployed to construct a local identity around the space and people of the city. This article explores how the text did so by closely analyzing terms used and their context, and by applying social scientific theories of boundary construction to illuminate the strategies of identification behind it. It argues that such an approach …

Sociological Dichotomies Of Mława, Poland, Over Time: Misplaced Concreteness, Individual Triumph, Social Tragedy, Joseph Drew

Comparative Civilizations Review

For many years, I have been an active member of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations and Editor-in-Chief of its journal, the Comparative Civilizations Review. Since the 1960s, I have also been a university administrator and a professor, globe-trotting to learn about societies near and far, their rises and falls. Yet even though I lived and worked in Prague, as president of a university, not far from the Polish border, I had never set foot in that country, notwithstanding that my paternal grandfather came from there.

Curing The Peasant's Disease : Frank Oldt’S Work And Research On Hookworm Disease In South China, 1905-1926, Jiaying Fu

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

While current scholarship on “hygienic modernity” in China focuses on the construction of urban health systems and institutional infrastructures, this study proposes an alternative analytical lens by foregrounding the domain of agricultural health. It aims to investigate how early twentieth-century medical researchers uncovered public health models grounded in China’s agrarian conditions. Taking the case of Frank Oldt (1879–1976), a medical missionary living in Guangdong between 1905 and 1926, this research examines how he identified, interpreted, and sought to mitigate the problem of hookworm disease—a parasitic condition intricately linked to China’s farming practices and rural environmental conditions.

Specifically, this thesis aims …

Dari Editor Vol. 15 No. 2 (Agustus) 2025, Rahayu Surtiati Hidayat

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Dengan gembira kami menerbitkan sepuluh artikel dan dua timbangan buku dalam edisi ini; terbitan rekor untuk jurnal ini. Kami berharap dapat menerbitkan banyak artikel dalam setiap edisi. Isi tulisan yang kami terbitkan juga meningkat mutunya baik dari segi penelitian maupun penyajian. Tiga artikel menarik perhatian dengan menunjukkan berbagai karya yang menjadi lambang kejayaan suatu negara dan keguyuban suatu komunitas (Titik Pudjiastuti, Muhamad Alnoza, Nur Aini Setiawati). Tiga artikel lain membahas kehadiran pendatang yang mengubah sistem dalam negara (Dien Rovita Rovita, Mela Maulina Putri, Rudi Ekasiswanto). Tidak kalah menarik empat artikel bertemakan karya sastra (Asri Pratiwi Wulandari, Raka Darmawan, Haikal Haikal) …

Serat Yusuf: Sastra Islam Populer Di Jawa Timur, Titik Pudjiastuti, Mamlahatun Buduroh, Mu’Jizah Mu’Jizah, Rias Suharjo, Turita Indah Setyani, Dwi Rahmawanto

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Serat Yusup is one of the popular Islamic literary works in Java, especially in East Java. This literary work is a handwritten ancient manuscript written in the form of tembang macapat, in Javanese language, and using Pegon or Javanese script. Serat Yusup which create by the students (santri) is inspired by Surah Yusuf, the 12th Surah of the Quran. As a literary work, its story differs significantly from its inspirational text, and there are so many of it. In relation to this, the question arises: what are the reasons behind the creation of Serat Yusup and why is it …

Keidiomatisan Kompositum Berleksikon Hati Dalam Bahasa Indonesia, Dien Rovita, Sonya Puspasari Suganda, Untung Yuwono

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

A compound (kompositum) is a construction formed through word formation by combining two or more elements to create a new meaning. In Indonesian, compounds can be formed by combining several elements, one of which may be a nominal lexeme referring to a body part. Compound words can be distinguished from other word combinations—particularly syntactic phrases—based on grammatical and semantic criteria. Semantically, compounds can be analyzed according to the degree of idiomaticity in their meanings. Based on this premise, the present study aims to explain the idiomaticity of compounds in Indonesian that are formed by combining multiple elements, one of which …

Myth Of Happiness From The Consumerism Perspective In Simone De Beauvoir’S Les Belles Images, Joesana Tjahjani, Sekar Dewantari

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

France's post-World War II, thirty years of glory, resulted in the growth of purchasing power among the French, which triggered growth in consumerism, notably among the bourgeois— France's upper-middle-class society. People believed in a myth that objects are not solely useful for fulfilling needs but also served as a sign of social status, dignity, andcomfort. They equally believed that if the objects are consumed and the associated social standards fulfilled, they maybecome a way to obtain greater happiness. This article aims to examine the myth that happiness can be attained byconsumption and social standard fulfillment in a French consumer society …

Piyagĕm Cikĕruh (1631 M): Simbol Relasi Kuasa Kerajaan Mataram Islam Di Priangan, Muhamad Alnoza

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

After the collapse of the Sunda Kingdom in the 16th century, most of its territory was controlled by the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. The occupation of Islamic Mataram in the ethnic Sundanese area in fact left behind several metal inscriptions known as piyagĕm. This study specifically examines the oldest piyagĕm found in the Priangan area, namely Piyagĕm Cikĕruh from Garut Regency. Based on the assumption that every inscription that is king is a symbol of power, this study focuses on science which is a symbol of power relations in Piyagĕm Cikĕruh. This study was conducted with the aim of finding the …

Transformasi Syair Dodaidi: Dari Tradisi Lisan Ke Komersialisasi Digital Dalam Sejarah Masyarakat Aceh, Haikal Haikal, Anifa Nurhayati

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Syair Dodaidi, as a form of Acehnese oral tradition, has played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the Acehnese people for centuries. It originally developed as a lullaby sung by mothers to their children, with lyrics containing prayers and praise to Allah SWT. This study aims to examine the transformation of Syair Dodaidi in the context of contemporary Acehnese society. The research methodology uses a historical approach with the stages of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results show that although Syair Dodaidi is still practiced as part of cultural heritage, there have been a …

A Complex Border: Intractability And The Physical Roots Of Discursive Legitimations In Cyprus, Hilmi Ulas

Peace Studies Faculty Articles and Research

The Cypriot conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the modern era, and the collapse of complexity among the actors in the conflict—mainly the Republic of Cyprus, North Cyprus, and Turkey—appears to be the main cause of the continued “no war, no peace” state. Subsequent socio-psychological self-organization among these actors then produces conflict-perpetuating feedback loops and dynamics. These dynamics include identity narratives, narratives of “the other,” and narratives of the nature of the conflict, which, at the grassroots level, can legitimize ongoing engagement in the conflict, whereas peace is painted as an undesirable and undeserved/unjust compromise. Given this, …

Flowing Progress: Transforming The Danube Through Infrastructure, Stefan Dorondel, Luminita Gatejel

Central European Studies

Flowing Progress: Transforming the Danube Through Infrastructure focuses on how different political regimes and forms of governance have imagined and technologically transformed the most international river in the world. Multidisciplinary and drawing on methodologies of history, anthropology of infrastructure, and science, technology, and society, this collection explores the tensions between the river and its natural pulses, the humans that populate its floodplains, state agencies, and infrastructure. The book engages the concept of disturbance to point out the circular and spiraling dynamics between hydrological processes and technopolitical and economic practices. Disturbance denotes a specific type of long-term dynamic between human attempts …

A Place For Ancient Philosophy In Axial Age Historiography, John R. Shook

Comparative Philosophy

Long-standing debates over historiographical approaches to the Axial Age have distracted the history of philosophy from its own disciplined inquiry into the breadth and depth of ancient thought beyond the Greeks. The philosopher Karl Jaspers offered a vista for seeing commonalities among ancient innovations and discerning continuities along history to modern times. That dual agenda divided Axial historiography with the question of whether axiality reflects creativities of ancient systems or have modern reflections created images of axiality. A singular chronology for humanity encourages a mode of philosophical history open to providential designs, epochal turns, spiritual evolutions, psychological leaps, or cognitive …

Partition, Passport And The Documentary Life Of Belonging, Haimanti Roy

History Faculty Publications

As India and Pakistan emerged as two new nation-states after 1947, questions around nationality and citizenship animated official and public discourses. While there were constitutional and legal pronouncements to clarify these matters, this article suggests that particular documents governing mobility became central to how such issues were framed and understood. In particular, this article focuses on the Indian passport and similar documents of mobility control, such as the domicile certificate, permits, and so on, to examine how they worked singly and in conjunction to frame the documentary life of belonging. The article also focuses on particular mobile groups, Muslim minorities …

Challenging The Gaze: A Feminist Interpretation Of The S.M.S. Mail Art Collection, Karissa A. Krievins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In the late 1960s, many people called for radical, immediate change to America’s political, societal, and cultural structures. The artistic practices of the time reflected the social and political realities of the moment and played a crucial role in advocating for change. The title of the 1968 S.M.S. (Shit Must Stop) subscription art portfolios was a bold and urgent call for action, challenging artists and audiences alike to confront the pressing injustices of the era and inspire a collective awakening to the necessity of transformative change across the United States. Despite a fifty-six-year gap, today we are …

Social Capital And Mobility Of Starling Madura Coffee Traders In Jakarta, Yeni Priana, Manneke Budiman

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study aims to generate knowledge about the social capital underlying the resilience of Starling Madura coffee traders in Jakarta. The idea that underlies this analysis is Bourdieu's social capital theory, in which social capital formed through networks is able to provide independence in overcoming social and economic problems. In addition to social capital, mobility strategies are utilized as opportunities by Starling Madura coffee traders in an effort to survive sustainably in the context of the informal economic order in Jakarta. This study provides data and analysis that strengthen the idea that Starling Madura coffee traders adopt distinctive social capital …

Indian Cosmology And Archaeoastronomy Of The Khmer Stone Temples In Sakon Nakhon-Thailand, Duangden Boonpok

International Review of Humanities Studies

This article is multidisciplinary study of cosmology, archaeology and astronomy of the Khmer stone temples in Sakon Nakhon. The study investigates of the temple’s architectural structure and environmental geography which related to the astronomical knowledge. The result of study found that the plan and structure of temples is influenced by the concept of Indian cosmology which has Mount Meru as the central axis. Buildings is signified as mountain or heaven with high and multi-layered base. The main building is symbolically important as the origin of power for the whole temple. The objects and positions are the transforming of cosmology concept …

Representation Of Women’S Role In Sumbanese Ikat Weaving (Tenun Ikat), Tasya Widya Krisnadi

International Review of Humanities Studies

The craft of weaving is not merely an economic or artistic activity, but also plays a central role in the identity and social life of the Sumba community, particularly in the Kodi District of Southwest Sumba Regency. Women in Sumba play a crucial role in the practice of tenun ikat. They are not only the custodians of the skills and technical knowledge of weaving, but also the bearers of cultural values embedded in the process. This research aims to reveal the role of Sumbanese women as preservers of tradition amidst the currents of modernization. This study employs qualitative methods with …

The Representation Of Indonesian National Identity In Syuhada Mosque, Kotabaru, Yogyakarta, Muthia Zahri Mardhiyah, Ali Akbar

International Review of Humanities Studies

This article examines the concept of national identity as embodied by the Syuhada Mosque, located in Kotabaru, Yogyakarta. Completed in 1952, the mosque was established as a monument to the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. This research addresses whether Syuhada Mosque genuinely represents national identity. The study aims to describe the architectural form of Syuhada Mosque and elucidate the representations of national identity embedded within its structure. The research methodology aligns with the framework proposed by Sharer and Ashmore, encompassing formulation, implementation, data collection, data processing, analysis, interpretation, and publication. Based on its historical background, the foundational ideas and …

Some Corrections To The Record On Lemkin’S Early Years: The Evidence From Poland, Zachary Mazur

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This piece addresses some misunderstandings regarding Raphael Lemkin's early years in Poland, his influences and the development of his ideas. While discussing some of the extent published information, I point out what other archival documents from Poland and the League of Nations have to say about Lemkin's past. One of the main points is that Lemkin was an unreliable narrator on his own life, and this has caused confusion.

The Influence Of The Dutch East Indies Government’S Ethnic Politics On Discrimination Against The Chinese Ethnic Group In Batavia (1946–1950), Zaky Rizqy Zaidaan Fadrin, Fajar Muhammad Muhammad Nugraha

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study explains how discrimination was experienced by ethnic Chinese in Batavia in the early post-independence period in 1946–1950, with an emphasis on the influence of ethnic politics practiced by the Dutch East Indies colonial government. The purpose of this study is to analyze the pattern of discrimination against ethnic Chinese influenced by the legacy of colonial racial segregation. The method used is qualitative historical descriptive. The main sources of this study come from letters of complaint from the Chinese community in 1946–1949 in the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) and newspaper articles from 1950 from De …

The Comparison Of Classical Tafsir And Contemporary Interpretation Regarding The Verses Of Astrophysics And Cosmology In The Qur’An, Azra Ansharullah, Basuni Imamuddin

International Review of Humanities Studies

As time progressed, various kinds of discoveries in the field of science emerged one by one, especially in the field of Astronomy and its "little brother" Astrophysics. This opens up opportunities for everyone to research things that have been researched from a new perspective, such as researching the Koran from a science and technology perspective. There are 310 instances in the Qur'an where the word "heaven" is mentioned, and within them, there are various statements regarding the nature, phenomena, and other things related to the sky. With the progress of technology, there is undoubtedly a gap in the interpretation and …

The British Colonial Land Policy And The Development Of Plantation Agriculture In Colonial Southwestern Nigeria, Adesola S. Adesote

International Review of Humanities Studies

The main thrust of this paper is to critically analyse the impact of the colonial land policy of the British on plantation agriculture in colonial Southwestern Nigeria. Although land legislation had been introduced as far back as the late 19^th century, such as the Public Lands Ordinance of 1876 later renamed the Public Lands Acquisition Ordinance of 1917, it was vigorously pursued with the imposition of colonial rule in the period between 1900 and 1960. It argued that the introduction of land policy by the British in order to achieve her economic objective in Nigeria led to the commercialisation …

Symbols And Power Discourses In Three Shadow Puppet Performances Of The Murwakala Play, Ayuk Latifah, Darmoko Darmoko

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study analyzes the symbols and discourses of power in three Purwa shadow puppet performances of the Murwakala play, styles of Surakarta, Yogyakarta, and Banyumas. The Murwakala play, centered on themes of purification and the transformation of power, contains a rich narrative for analyzing power dynamics through the interactions between characters such as Batara Kala (a form of destructive power), Batara Wisnu (a form of constructive power), and Batara Guru (a form of cosmic order). Using a qualitative approach, this research integrates Geertz's theory of cultural symbolism and Foucault's discourse of power to analyze how power is represented and negotiated …

Soft Power: Brics Cultural Diplomacy And The Rebalancing Of Global Narratives, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Kotchaphop Kornphetcharat, Juan Pablo Sims

International Review of Humanities Studies

BRICS has broadened its agenda beyond finance to cultivate soft power through coordinated cultural diplomacy. Examining official statements, press releases, and scholarly commentary on the bloc’s flagship film, sports, and ministerial initiatives, this article shows that cooperation is advancing from one-off spectacles toward structured, recurring institutions. Findings indicate two simultaneous dynamics: outwardly, BRICS venues amplify Global-South perspectives that diversify international cultural flows; inwardly, member states use the same platforms to signal national prestige, revealing persistent status competition. The result is an early but uneven cultural architecture—one that counters Euro-Atlantic narrative dominance yet has not crystallized into a fully coherent BRICS …

Representing Vietnam’S Political Leadership In International Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Coverage From 2018 To 2024, Jackson Andre William Kumaat

International Review of Humanities Studies

International media play a powerful role in shaping global perceptions of political legitimacy, particularly in states where authoritarian governance coexists with economic success. Vietnam—often described as a one-party socialist state with rapid economic growth—has attracted increased attention in international news coverage, yet little research has examined how its leadership is discursively constructed through media narratives. This study addresses that gap by analyzing how Vietnam’s political leadership was represented in international media from 2018 to 2024. Using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, the research investigates how ideology, power, and meaning are embedded in news …

The 15-Minute City And Social Behavior Changes In The Tod Area: Blok M-Sisingamangaraja Tod Case Study, Dede Julfikar, Lin Yola

International Review of Humanities Studies

The changing process of the city can be due to economic development that results in urbanization then enlarges the city. This situation affects the growth and evolution of other activities in urban areas such as the emergence of new residential areas, industrial zones, and trade and service (commercial) areas. The government of DKI Jakarta is targetting to develop many public transportation infrastructure due to its target of 2040 70% of Jakarta residents live near by transit points. So that the distance of residential residents to urban facilities can be reached within 15 minutes of walking, cycling or using public transportation. …

The Establishment Of Jakarta International Schoolin Indonesia As A Reflection Of Globalisation Through Education, Brandon Cahyadhuha Rusdy, Linda Sunarti

International Review of Humanities Studies

"This article examines the establishment of Jakarta International School (JIS) within the context of the globalisation of Indonesia. Established in 1951 under the name International School of Djakarta by Antoinette Stepanek, an educator from the United States, it was the first school to provide an English-language education for the children of expatriates in Jakarta, Indonesia. The school underwent several name changes throughout its history. In 1965, the school was renamed to Joint Embassy School to reflect the support from a coalition of embassies, consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Yugoslavia. In 1978, the school was renamed again …

The Middle Class, The Youth, The Highways: Production Of Space And Urban Memory In Blok M, Jakarta, Bimana Novantara, Yudi Bachrioktora, Lilawati Kurnia

International Review of Humanities Studies

This paper examines the historical and contemporary dynamics of the Blok M area in Jakarta as a public space undergoing a process of spatial, cultural, and symbolic transformation. Using Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space and then relating it to the discourse of urban memory according to Abidin Kusno, this study traces how Blok M developed from the modernist urban planning of Kebayoran Baru after independence to be the epicenter of youth festivity, then declined until it rose again through a place that utilized the memory of this area in the past. This study highlights how the politics …