[...] animated characters='lgc'>}='lgc'>='lgc'>--> belief in ="trms">imaginary characters and ="trms">monsters, management of emotions

='strcls'>*age two='strcls'>*
(end of) two ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ="trms">children begin pretending (until age of five)

='strcls'>*over four='strcls'>*
idio="trms">syncratic ="trms">system of thinking about ="trms">causality (extraordinary plays larger role than adults)


="large lg2" stl="font-size:112%"> create and identify emotions in visual images

fantasizing ='lgc'>=/= fantastical thinking

(for ="trms">children) wishing='lgc'> = mental ='lgc'>+ magical ='lgc'>+ it exists in relatio to ="trms">skill ='lgc'>[='lgc'>-='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='gtrw'>go to ="nms">Cinderella, waiting='lgc'>]


Elias's study of ="trms">children images (visual ="trms">material featuring ="trms">children) in Persianate cultures (turkey, pakistan, ="nms">iran) ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> (role of) ='strcls'>***="trms">childhood/="trms">children='lgc'> = location of enacted emotion='strcls'>***
="trms">childhood ='lgc'>+ ="trms">religion ='lgc'>+ visual culture ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- implementation of ideology in ="trms">society

turkey, pakistan, ="nms">iran='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•strongly ideological (like other states)
="lsts lst1">•multiethnic
="lsts lst1">•shaped by encounter with colonial empire
="lsts lst1">•strategic (='lgc'>=/= cultural) engagement with (west) global powers
="lsts lst1">•belief in the existence of charismatic ="trms">religious ="trms">authority
="lsts lst1">•belief in barkat برکت

="nms">Iran special ="trms">relation to ='strcls'>*="trms">religious visual art='strcls'>*


(Elias's) ="trms">aesthetic='lgc'>: ="trms">social ="trms">imagination, creating reaction without words (= showing)
='lgc'>=/= telling
='lgc'>=/= nonutilitarian form of contemplation of art
='lgc'>=/= cognitive


Western mid 18th century philosophy ='lgc'>==> “="trms">aesthetics”
lower cognitive faculties
experience of sensate body
how the ="trms">world strikes the body
emotional and ="trms">affective ="trms">response

="trms">modern ="trms">aesthetics ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> contemplation of beauty (superior to idleness and boredom ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- some ="trms">sort of fai="trms"nttrm="failure,blur,plur,lurk,tallur,slur">lure of moral vigilance)
“art='lgc'> = description of beauty”
='lgc'>==> ="ppl">Kant='lgc'>: ="trms">aesthetics='lgc'> = ="trms">sublime beauty (='lgc'>=/= quotidien)
='lgc'>}='lgc'>='lgc'>--> (="trms">fable of) ='thdf'>the idea that ='strcls'>**beauty engenders virtue='strcls'>** ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> the beauty must be formal


(="trms">social ="trms">system ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> people) ="trms">interacting with visual objects
making ="trms">consumer choices ='lgc'>[='lgc'>--(is not always)='lgc'>='lgc'>-->='lgc'>] ="trms">interacting with visual objects in ways that further ideological formations


='strcls'>*="trms">religious reaction to sensory inputs are ="trms">aesthetic='strcls'>* ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- they anticipate knowl="trms"nttrm="knowledge,Knowledge">edge to be revealed in the future ='lgc'>=/= rest contemplatively in the ="trms">present
='strcls'>*="trms">religious gaze='lgc'> = apocalyptic glance='strcls'>*
='lgc'>=/= ="ppl">Kantian ="trms">aesthetics (non="trms">instrumental form of enjoyment)

="ppl">Plato ='lgc'>+ Aristoteles ='lgc'>==> pre="trms">modern islamic thinkers ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> “beauty='lgc'> = virtue” (harmony of physical and moral)


(problem with) philosophical ="trms">aesthetics of dis="trms">interested contemplations ='lgc'>--Elias='lgc'>='lgc'>-->
="lsts lst1">•ignores majority of human experience
="lsts lst1">•(favors) apophatic (transcendent ='lgc'>+ inef="trms">fable غیر قابل توصیف) ='lgc'>=/= cataphatic (immanent ='lgc'>+ experiential)

unstable ='and'>& somatic ways we ="trms">respond to (and seek out) everyday images

evocative ='and'>& powerful (='lgc'><='lgc'>--="frds">Sina='lgc'>-- nonartisitic images)

(art or not art) ='strcls'>***="trms">aesthetic ="trms">response='strcls'>***


='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]="trms">children's media='lgc'>: ="trms">aesthetic ="trms">social ="trms">imagination

(moral components of='lgc'>:)
cruelty, hurt, disgust, disdain
kindness, happiness, admiration, ="trms">love

physical, ="trms">material, somatic ="trms">relation to the ethereal, ="trms">="trms"nttrm="metaph,metamorph,metabol,metal">metaphysical, intellectual

(='qstn'>?how can we) confidently treat “images='lgc'> = sources of ="trms">socioculturel information”

(from) Islamic culture ='lgc'>--to='lgc'>='lgc'>--> cultures as="trms">sociated with isalm


strong op="trms">position to re="trms">presentational ="trms">religious art ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- ="trms">modern Islamic ="trms">societies ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> unproblematic accepting of re="trms">presentational ="trms">religious ="trms">materials intended for ="trms">children

="large lg1" stl="font-size:119%"> didactic islamic visual media='lgc'>:
="lsts lst1">•(Kuwait) the 99 ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> heroes for each name of the God
="lsts lst1">•(Pakistan, India, Afghanistan) burqa avenger ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> burqa clad superhero against a corrupt view of traditional ="trms">religion, using ="trms">veil as costume
="lsts lst1">•(Pakistan) Ferozsons publisher
="lsts lst1">•Uysal press
="lsts lst1">•Timas press (Cem Kiziltug)
="lsts lst1">•

age-graded sequences of ="trms">children's ="trms">religious ="trms">books ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> progressively decreasing use of images


="trms">questions (> Elias='lgc'>:)
="lsts lst1">•are there culturally ="trms">specific ways of seeing ='lgc'>--answer='lgc'>='lgc'>--> yes
="lsts lst1">•does ="trms">religion requires its own ="trms">categories for understanding visuality and sensory ="trms">systems='qstn'>? ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>*="trms">religion is a problematic ="trms">category='strcls'>* ='lgc'><== inherently unstable ='lgc'>{="trms">religion referring ="trms">simultaneously to ="trms">systematic ideological ="trms">systems, atomized and multivalent beliefs, range of individual and cultural practices='lgc'>}='lgc'>='lgc'>--> constant flux ='lgc'>+ relative to each other ='lgc'>=/= ="trms">religion='lgc'>: discrete ="trms">phenomena


="lsts lst1">•scholars who argue for a transcendental quality to ="trms">religion
="lsts lst1">•Durkheim ='lgc'>+ Weber ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ="trms">religious='lgc'> = behavioral
="lsts lst1">•Otto ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> location of ="trms">religion='lgc'>: a fascinating incomprehensible force outside of the human person
="lsts lst1">•Eliade ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> essential unity of the ="trms">religious (='lgc'>='lgc'>~= commensurate human behavior)
="lsts lst1">•Elias ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> manifestation of belief and ideology in visual ="trms">written emotive forms ='lgc'>--functiona="trms"nttrm="listen,alist,ilist,llist,olist,ylist,ulist">list='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]="trms">religion='lgc'> = visual art

visual ="trms">material ='lgc'>--serve='lgc'>='lgc'>-->
="lsts lst1">•="trms">aesthetic
="lsts lst1">•generator of meaning
="lsts lst1">•generator of affirmation شعاری
="lsts lst1">•icon
="lsts lst1">•talisman
="lsts lst1">•objects imbued with ="trms">religious function
="lsts lst1">•token of aspiration
="lsts lst1">•="trms">instrument of aspiration (or other emotions)
="lsts lst1">•explicit reminder (of good behavior)
="lsts lst1">•="trms">gesture towards a better future ='lgc'>: wish images
="lsts lst1">•

seeing='lgc'> = ="trms">embodied act (='lgc'>-='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='gtrw'>go to Gossip Girl)
="lsts lst1">•(individuals make complicated ="trms">interpretive choices concerning) what to look at ='and'>& what they have seen
="lsts lst1">•='strcls'>*we feel through, about, from the visual='strcls'>* ='lgc'>='lgc'>~= visuality is ="trms">embodied ='lgc'>='lgc'>~= visuality is multisensory ='lgc'>+ emotional


="lsts lst1">•="ppl">Merleau-Ponty ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> prereflective bodily consciousness='lgc'>: ‘body='lgc'> = ="trms">instrument of comprehension’ (all ="trms">material and other objects are woven into the body's fabric) ='lgc'>--example='lgc'>='lgc'>--> blind man's stick
="lsts lst1">•='lgc'>[Groz ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ="nms">phantom limb='lgc'>]

(Asad > Elias) power of things is their ability to act within a ="trms">network enabling conditions (physical ='lgc'>+ mental ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> feeling, re="trms">membering, hoping) ='lgc'>='lgc'>-->='lgc'>{capacity of objects ='lgc'>==> ="trms">society and politics become vitally ="trms">material='lgc'>}

(='thdf'>the idea of power='lgc'>:) objects have ="trms">agency in the complex web of ="trms">interactions that joins them to other ='lgc'>[='lgc'>='lgc'>--> object having itinerary='lgc'>] ='lgc'>=/= objects have abilities or sentience that they use autonomously ='lgc'>[='lgc'>='lgc'>--> object having life='lgc'>]

='lgc'>}='lgc'>--Elias='lgc'>='lgc'>--> critique of ='thdf'>the idea of scopic regime


Elias furnishing the minimum information necessary to create an informed context (to frame of discussion) ='lgc'>=/= give comprehensive ="trms">history (about ="nms">iran, pakistan, or turkey)


objects ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>*="trms">affecting ="trms">presence='strcls'>* (objects elicit ="trms">affects)
='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]object='lgc'>: location of emotion, happiness po="trms">inter (='lgc'>-='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='gtrw'>go to index finger)
visual object='lgc'>: signifier of individual and collective emotion and aspiration


index
we do not have access to re="trms">liable ="trms">system of deductible reasoning that assures us of an accurate ="trms">interpretation of one value to the index ='lgc'>='lgc'>--> lack of precise ="trms">causative ="trms">relationship between ='strcls'>*observed ="trms">phenomena='strcls'>* and their ='strcls'>*="trms">affective consequences='strcls'>* (manifested on individuals and human ="trms">societies)
='lgc'>}='lgc'><='lgc'>-- this plagues visial ="trms">material cultural studies


="large lg3" stl="font-size:112%"> (Gell's notion of) abduction='lgc'>: a form of reasoning to abduce a possible (='lgc'>=/= actual) ="trms">agent or effect
abductive reasoning (='lgc'>=/= deduction, ="trms">communication, ="trms">translation)
='lgc'>='lgc'>--> ='strcls'>***to analyze and experiment in the lack of ="trms">data or ="trms">causal ="trms">relationships='strcls'>*** (which happens most of the time)
(i have been using the term speculation as synonym for abduction)
abduction='lgc'> = informed abduction ='lgc'>: you need as much contextually relevant information as possible


(learning from Elias)
="lsts lst1">•="trms">specificity of emotions and ="trms">affects ='lgc'><='lgc'>-- much more ="trms">interesting
="lsts lst1">•="trms">specificity of objects or people

='lgc'>[='strcls'>*='lgc'>]emotion='lgc'>: object of (unintentional) human manufacture ='lgc'>==> location of human meaning ='and'>& motivation

="large lg4" stl="font-size:112%"> ="display:block;white-space:nowrap;margin-bottom:-1em;overflow:hidden;">...................................

="trms">childhood Elias chap2

philosophical notions of selfhood in late antiquity (= islam ='lgc'>+ europe) ='lgc'>==> study of emotions ='and'>& feelings

="ppl">Platonic ='lgc'>+ Aristotelian ='lgc'>: “emotion='lgc'> = ambivalent urges need to be disciplined and harnessed through some process of education” ='lgc'>==> islamic ideas of body ='and'>& mind

="large lg5" stl="font-size:126%"> favorite emotion (='lgc'>~ ="trms">religious expression ='lgc'>+ motivator) in islam ='lgc'>[='lgc'>+ sufism='lgc'>]='lgc'>: ="trms">love ='and'>& virtue ='lgc'>[='lgc'>--='not'>✕='lgc'>='lgc'>--> my ="trms">interest in hate ='and'>& ="trms">monster='lgc'>]

it was only one and half a century ago that William James argued that human mental states were incapable inseparable from our bodily forms (='lgc'>=/= “mind ='lgc'>=/= body”)


="trms">modern theories of emotio[...]