Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism
Under what conditions do countries and cultures considered radically different find a basis for allegiance and kinship? What part does memory play in this process? This article responds to these questions in two ways: 1) Through Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I propose that when an other appear...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Aesthetics & Culture |
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| Online Access: | http://www.aestheticsandculture.net/index.php/jac/article/view/29620/44575 |
| _version_ | 1819064013549469696 |
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| author | Susannah Ryan |
| author_facet | Susannah Ryan |
| author_sort | Susannah Ryan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Under what conditions do countries and cultures considered radically different find a basis for allegiance and kinship? What part does memory play in this process? This article responds to these questions in two ways: 1) Through Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I propose that when an other appears in empathetic discourses that both honor difference and cite shared human experiences, seemingly irreconcilable people can develop a sense of mutual responsibility and 2) Conglomerate memory, memories that fuse together others through common pains, contributes to such an appearance. To illustrate this point, I turn to Congolese voices as they are articulated in online American discourses; although currently, authors of online texts typically rely on traditional narrative forms that position Central Africa as incommensurate to Western civilizations, the Internet's worldwide accessibility and intertextual capacities render it a place primed for developing international collectives by connecting memories while maintaining difference. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:23:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-235a48d5385e48e29267521abff399ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2000-4214 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T15:23:49Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Aesthetics & Culture |
| spelling | doaj.art-235a48d5385e48e29267521abff399ea2022-12-21T18:58:58ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Aesthetics & Culture2000-42142016-01-018011510.3402/jac.v8.2962029620Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanismSusannah Ryan0Department of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USAUnder what conditions do countries and cultures considered radically different find a basis for allegiance and kinship? What part does memory play in this process? This article responds to these questions in two ways: 1) Through Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I propose that when an other appears in empathetic discourses that both honor difference and cite shared human experiences, seemingly irreconcilable people can develop a sense of mutual responsibility and 2) Conglomerate memory, memories that fuse together others through common pains, contributes to such an appearance. To illustrate this point, I turn to Congolese voices as they are articulated in online American discourses; although currently, authors of online texts typically rely on traditional narrative forms that position Central Africa as incommensurate to Western civilizations, the Internet's worldwide accessibility and intertextual capacities render it a place primed for developing international collectives by connecting memories while maintaining difference.http://www.aestheticsandculture.net/index.php/jac/article/view/29620/44575memoryintercultural communicationLevinasonline mediacosmopolitanism |
| spellingShingle | Susannah Ryan Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism Journal of Aesthetics & Culture memory intercultural communication Levinas online media cosmopolitanism |
| title | Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| title_full | Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| title_fullStr | Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| title_short | Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| title_sort | conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism |
| topic | memory intercultural communication Levinas online media cosmopolitanism |
| url | http://www.aestheticsandculture.net/index.php/jac/article/view/29620/44575 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susannahryan conglomeratememoryandcosmopolitanism |