Papers by Chiara Ghidini
In the 1960s Tamamuro Taijō, observing how funerals had become the main activity of Japanese Budd... more In the 1960s Tamamuro Taijō, observing how funerals had become the main activity of Japanese Buddhism, critically coined the expression “Funeral Buddhism” to refer to Buddhist practices in modern Japan.Later developments led to an increasing process of commodification, in some cases even spectacularisation, of funeral rituals, applied also to real and robotic pets, as well as to people who are still alive.This commodification has been acknowledged and analysed in a humoristic and/or satirical key within contemporary Japanese fiction and cinema. In particular, the article aims to focus on a story written by Matsuura Rieko, entitled The Day of the Funeral (1978), and on the film The Funeral (1984), by internationally acclaimed director Itami Jūzō.
Coming soon by Chiara Ghidini
“Religious minority” as a concept is well known in the contemporary world, permanently under disc... more “Religious minority” as a concept is well known in the contemporary world, permanently under discussion in politics with regard to religious freedom and in scientific research concerning the establishing of a current concept of “religion” and religious identity. This panel aims at discussing some questions about the definition of “minoritarian” groups or small religious groups in relationship to the majority or main stream religions. Reflecting on the past and focusing on the Ancient Near East, the Mediterranean and the Christian world in Antiquity, it is our purpose to contribute to a critical understanding of the contemporary globalized religious dynamics as a coherent part of world history. In this panel, we aim to investigate the interplay between the global framework and the local dynamics in societies, as a historical matrix within which the religious minority as a concept has been conceived and the religious minoritarian groups self-represented. Such a poly-focused field of research aims at critically reflecting on the cultural (political, social, religious, linguistic) network within which the religious groups interacted with other groups, on the normative space within which the dynamics of inclusion and/or exclusion had been achieved, on the narrative social understanding of religious minority as concept, identity, group, and agency. Regarding religious groups as loci of cohabitation, rather than emphasizing their ideological and theological polarizations, we suggest taking into account the sources they produced as instruments of self-representation.
Book Series - Sapienza sciamanica by Chiara Ghidini
Sciamanesimo (o sciamanismo), ovvero uno dei modi di pensare e dire l'alterità: così si può riass... more Sciamanesimo (o sciamanismo), ovvero uno dei modi di pensare e dire l'alterità: così si può riassumere la tendenza di studio affacciatasi negli ultimi decenni volta a decostruire una delle categorie più ampie e complesse dell'antropologia e degli studi storico-religiosi. Il volume, immettendosi in questo filone di ricerca, si concentra soprattutto sulle modalità di rappresentazione del mondo e dell'alterità secondo tratti o caratteristiche riconosciuti di volta in volta come "sciamani", cercando di misurare anche l'utilizzo e la permanenza della categoria in campi disciplinari e accademici diversificati eppure non del tutto privi di profonde e spesso oscure connessioni.
Books by Chiara Ghidini
Food issues 食事. Interdisciplinary Studies on Food in Modern and Contemporary East Asia, 2021
Food issues 食事. Interdisciplinary Studies on Food in Modern and Contemporary East Asia concentrat... more Food issues 食事. Interdisciplinary Studies on Food in Modern and Contemporary East Asia concentrates on the relationship among food, culture, literature, and language in a comparative, transcultural, or literary perspective. The contributions investigate these aspects from different approaches: historical, sociological, anthropological, religious, linguistic, and want to deepen issues such as the symbolic value of food; food as an essential element for the construction of individual identity and a sign of belonging to a community; food as an intercultural medium; food as language and the language of food. The articles included in the volume are organized in a Japanese and a Chinese section and use different approaches within humanities disciplines to explore topics ranging from classical and contemporary East Asian literature to present-day issues, focusing on Food Culture and its declinations.
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Papers by Chiara Ghidini
Coming soon by Chiara Ghidini
Book Series - Sapienza sciamanica by Chiara Ghidini
Books by Chiara Ghidini