In societies described as “cold” by Claude Lévi-Strauss, the historical dimension is coded into myths, traditions and rituals. Lévi-Strauss says that ritual is an “instrument for the destruction of time”. The key to the author’s idea of the opposition of synchronicity and diachronicity is found in his work The Savage Mind, in which he talks about a never-ending struggle between these two which initiates totemic thinking. In current sociology, Levi-Strauss’ concept of reversible time is utilised by Anthony Giddens, who adapts it in his structuration theory. However the concept of synchronous (structuralist) reversible time is simultaneously the subject of a critique from the perspectives of cultural anthropology (Alfred Gell) and sociology (Barbara Adam). At the article’s conclusion, the argument is made that when Lévi-Strauss talks about cold societies, which tend to banish history from the consciousness, it doesn’t mean that he is trying to over rule the laws of logic or physics (as he is accused by Gell) but at tempting to see the world through the eyes of a specific type of society and to understand time from the perspective of a “native”. and Jiří Šubrt.
Contrary to what is often thought, the structuralist approach has never been adopted in French sociology very extensively. When speaking about structuralism in this discipline, the work of Pierre Bourdieu is generally referred to. The present paper is intentionally heading in another direction and is questioning Lévi-Straussian traces in Baudrillard’s theory of the consumer society. First, Baudrillard acknowledges being in debt to Lévi-Strauss for his conception of consumption as a language. In this perspective exchanged goods are understood as object-signs. We believe nevertheless that Baudrillard goes even further when he analyzes the phenomenon of absurd violence, bearing in mind - even he does not directly disclose it - Lévi-Strauss’ concept of “free signifier”. All the same we finally conclude that Baudrillard’s use of Lévi-Strauss is rather cursory. Despite this fact it is of interest: Thus we follow Baudrillard’s analysis and consider the problem of social criticism, which is one of the main topics of his writings here discussed. and Jan Maršálek.
The authors present their respective views on the development of the Czech post-war syntactic studies. Their approach is influenced by the fact that they were educated by the different syntactic schools: thus the paper is a combination of Prague’s and Brno´s views. V. Šmilauer´s Novočeská skladba (Syntax of Modern Czech, 1947) is understood as a source of the contemporary research of the Czech syntax. The paper describes the results reached by individual investigators as well as the results of the research teams. According to the authors´ opinion, Two-Level Valency Syntax (represented by F. Daneš and his close collaborators and reflected in the Czech Academic Grammar) and Functional Generative Grammar (developed by P. Sgall and his colleagues) form the main paradigms of the Czech syntax since 1960. Both theories incorporate the results of the classical Praguian functional approach as well as results of the generative paradigm. The authors conclude that the Prague‘s and Brno´s views on the development of Czech syntactic studies are not incompatible but rather complementary and that the methods of formal and corpus linguistics are attractive and useful for the young researchers.
Příspěvek pojednává o připravované edici Pražská škola v korespondenci, zahrnující dopisy adresované představitelům Pražského lingvistického kroužku B. Havránkovi, R. Jakobsonovi, J. Mukařovskému, V. Mathesiovi a B. Trnkovi z let 1923-1989. Dokumentární i objevný soubor představuje dopisy jednak od členů Ženevské a Kodaňské školy či plejády dalších evropských strukturalistů, jednak od českých vědců a osobností první i druhé strukturalistické generace působících v Praze., This paper deals with the forthcoming Prague School in Correspondence series, including letters addressed to representatives of the Prague Linguistic Circle, e.g. Bohuslav Havránek, Roman Jakobson, Jan Mukařovský, Vilém Mathesius and Bohumil Trnka from 1923 to 1989. This innovative documentary collection presents letters from members of the Geneva and Copenhagen schools and a pleiad of other European structuralists, as well as from Czech scholars and figures from the first and second structuralist generations working in Prague. (Translated by Melvyn Clarke.), and Překlad resumé: Melvyn Clarke
The article tries to trace the structuralist and post-structuralist interpretations of the opposition of Miðgarðr and Útgarðr and their consequences for the understanding of some Old Norse rituals. After a brief overview of the sources and recent linguistic opinions about the origin of the words Ásgarðr, Miðgarðr and Útgarðr, the authors demonstrate the main features of the structuralist view of this basic mythical opposition, as it is present in the works of Einar Haugen and Eleazar Meletinsky. The paper then describes the implementation of this mythical opposition in the space organization of human settlement that was suggested by Kirsten Hastrup, and tries to support it by adding new material concerning the relation of fence (garðr) and the concept of helgi in Old Norse sources. -- The second part of the article is devoted to the presentation of post-structuralist attacks on the structuralist interpretation that – far from forming a united and consequent school – nevertheless hit some weak points in the structuralist view of the problem. Works by Margaret Clunies Ross, Gro Steinsland, Agneta Ney, and Frederik Stjernfelt criticize the oversimplifications of the structuralist interpretation, its understanding of Miðgarðr as closed universe, the absolute separation between Miðgarðr and Útgarðr, and the lack of understanding of the dynamics of the Old Norse mythical worldview. Especially in respect to the last mentioned problem the authors plead for a new interpretation of the landtaking process (landnám), that can be understood well in the Stjernfelt's concept of "polarization" as a process of dividing the natural and undifferentiated landscape into districts with different measure of sanctity. -- In conclusion the authors try to reconcile the structuralist and post-structuralist interpretations of Miðgarðr and Útgarðr as synchronic and diachronic views of the same phenomenon that pervaded the myth as well as the daily life of Old Norsemen.
This review article focuses on two aspects of Lévi-Strauss’ ex change theory: temporal dimension and gender. First, we examine its diachronic dimension to argue that Lévi-Strauss’ exchange theory is far from being static. Its primary interest is evolutionary, regardless of how much Lévi-Strauss distances himself from evolutionism of the 19th century as a paradigm. His analyses of kinship that attempt to identify elementary structures are meant to shed light on the origins of human culture. Although Lévi-Strauss uses different methodology than other scholars interested in socio-cultural evolution, his treatment of the term homology, discussions of primatology and origins of culture suggest his deep interest in long-term process. Second, we examine the critiques of Lévi-Strauss’ analytical treatment of women as passive objects of exchange among men. Through the discussion of feminine agency, personhood, sexuality, and other forms of exchange of human beings, we argue that Lévi-Strauss’ exchange of women has to be understood in its historical context. He grants only limited agency to women but his approach is definitely not based on commodification of women. In contrast, the relational nature of persons as signs refutes such logic. We conclude that Lévi-Strauss is still a source of inspiration for anthropology regardless of the decades of post-structuralist criticism. and Daniel Sosna, Jitka Kotalová.
The paper analyses the thoughts of Edmund Leach, focusing on those aspects that are relevant to the study of religion. It explains his attempt to combine functionalism with structuralism, showing how Leach attempted to modify the Lévi-Straussian concept of structure by focusing not just on the binary oppositions but also on the liminal interstices between these oppositions. In this way, he was able to account for the specifically religious aspects of myths more successfully than Lévi-Strauss. Hand in hand with this interest went Leach's lifelong interest in the concept of power or "potency" in all the meanings of the term: political, social, sexual, and religious. At the end of the paper it is argued that Leach is interesting in the field of religious studies on account of his ability to combine "explanatory" and "interpretive" approaches, offering a theory of religion that, despite its secular character, manages to avoid reductionism.
The aim of the present paper is to offer a new analysis of the multifarious relations between mathematics and reality. We believe that the relation of mathematics to reality is, just like in the case of the natural sciences, mediated by instruments (such as algebraic symbolism, or ruler and compass). Therefore the kind of realism we aim to develop for mathematics can be called instrumental realism. It is a kind of realism, because it is based on the thesis, that mathematics describes certain patterns of reality. And it is instrumental realism, because it pays atten-tion to the role of instruments by means of which mathematics identifies these patterns. The article concludes by offering solutions to some famous semantic paradoxes based on the diagonal construction as corroboration for this claim., Cílem příspěvku je nabídnout novou analýzu rozmanitých vztahů mezi matematikou a realitou. Věříme, že vztah matematiky k realitě je, stejně jako v případě přírodních věd, zprostředkován nástroji (např. Algebraickou symbolikou, pravítkem a kompasem). Proto se druh realismu, který chceme rozvíjet pro matematiku, nazývá instrumentální realismus. Je to druh realismu, protože je založen na tezi, že matematika popisuje určité vzorce reality. A je to instrumentální realismus, protože věnuje pozornost roli nástrojů, pomocí kterých matematika tyto vzorce identifikuje. Článek uzavírá nabídku některých slavných sémantických paradoxů založených na diagonální konstrukci jako důkaz tohoto tvrzení., and Ladislav Kvasz
This paper deals with the ancient Mesopotamian Myth of Etana. The main problem of interpretation lies in linking the different parts of the myth together. Therefore, my aim is to investigate the possibilities of understanding the myth as a whole, in which every part of the story is essential. By viewing it structurally, I present its motives as being interconnected, at the same time taking into account the development of the narrative. In my view, Etana becomes king throughout the whole myth, not just once at its beginning. Since kingship is a mediatory role, Etana has to relate himself to the godly as well as to the natural spheres. His healing of an eagle represents a new, healthy relationship with nature. I argue that the eagle is symbolically attached to the begetting of children, on the basis of wordplay in Akkadian which reminds us of the so called aetites, eagle stones. The eagle, a symbol of pregnancy, becomes domesticated and helps Etana acquire offspring. Their ensuing flight to heaven represents Etana's acquisition of royal insignia and at the same time of godly blessing in general. His becoming king and begetting offspring appear, in fact, to be the same turning points within the story, viewed from different perspectives. On another level, the myth can be seen as aetiological. Since the scene of Etana's healing of the eagle is loaded with birth symbolism, the eagle can become the one who helps others beget and give birth to children.