Helen-Mary Cawood | University of the Free State (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Helen-Mary Cawood
Social Dynamics: , 2023
ABSTRACT This paper draws from the paradigm of Critical Theory (CT) and Decolonial Theory to enga... more ABSTRACT
This paper draws from the paradigm of Critical Theory (CT) and
Decolonial Theory to engage in an introductory discussion on the
need for a new methodological paradigm, namely a Critical
Decolonial Theory. This is put forward in order to both argue for
the imperative of introducing multiple narratives to the philosophical
practice of contemporary social critique in South Africa, as well
as to provide a cautionary note relating to how the decolonisation
narrative itself could become a determinative ideology if it engages
in what Lewis Gordon terms “epistemic closure.” While operating
from within the framework and ideals of traditional CT and Amy
Allen’s subsequent contribution to decolonising CT, we draw specifically
from black practitioners of this critical philosophical tradition,
namely Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Frantz Fanon, Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie, Paulin Hountondji, and Achille Mbembe, in order to localise
and ground our discussion of the need to problematise (i.e.,
consider both vindicatory and subversive aspects of) the decolonisation
project.
Critical Arts, 2023
ABSTRACT This paper attempts to conceptualise urban wildlife photography as so-called intersemiot... more ABSTRACT
This paper attempts to conceptualise urban wildlife photography as
so-called intersemiotic translation by reconceptualising the
photographer as a translator who acts as “a mediator in an
experiential process that allows the recipient (viewer, listener,
reader or participant) to re-create the sense […] of the source
artefact for him or herself” (Cultural Literacy in Europe, in
[Bennett, K. 2019. “Editor’s Introduction. The New Iconicity:
Challenges for Translation Theory and Practice.” Translation
Matters 1 (2): 1–8], 3).
By reframing the focus from an anthropocentric ethic to a
biocentric ethic on the loss of place and belonging experienced
by non-human animals in urban ecologies, in particular, this
paper intends to explore the role of urban wildlife photography
as translation of solastalgia in re-evaluating our current human
values towards the natural world. Originally defined as “distress
that is produced by environmental change impacting on people
while they are directly connected to their home environment”
[Albrecht, G., Sartore, G.-M., Connor, L., Higginbotham, N.,
Freeman, S., Kelly, B., Stain, H., Tonna, A. and Pollard, G. (2007)
“Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change”,
Australasian Psychiatry, 15(1_suppl), pp. S95–S98], solastalgia, it is
argued in this paper, should be extended to include the
experience of the non-human as well. Photography, it is argued
here, is one way in which this experience can be critically
depicted and translated to a human audience. By means of an
interdisciplinary discussion between Translation Studies and
Critical Theory (through Walter Benjamin and Bernard Stiegler),
we attempt to provide an ecosemiotic exploration of the
conceptual grounding of urban wildlife photography as
intersemiotic translation.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology
This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on th... more This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on the tradition of critical theory (especially the work of Horkheimer and Adorno, and Fromm) and the work of Bernard Stiegler to critically assess their impact. It is argued that the rise of online forms of consumption based around streaming have had a deleterious impact on the critical faculties of the individual, and argues that the practice of walking-as proposed by Frederic Gros-could potentially provide a remedy to the problems caused by the increase of uncritical cultural consumption. In this respect, it provides an original account of the relevance of both the tradition of critical theory and the work of Stiegler to the pandemic, together with providing a discussion around the act of walking as an active measure that one can implement in one's life to counteract and (hopefully) overcome the detrimental effects that the commodification of leisure time has fostered during the pandemic.
Acta Academica, 2022
Reconceptualising ecofascism in the Global South: an ecosemiotic approach to problematising margi... more Reconceptualising ecofascism in the Global South: an ecosemiotic approach to problematising marginalised nostalgic narratives This paper provides an argument for the need to reconceptualise ecocritical concepts that have naively been regarded as central, and thus global, scholarly concepts. Focusing in particular on ecofascism, the paper argues that if forms of ecocriticism are to be explored in a Global South context, certain concepts associated with ecofascism and anti-progress in the Global North, such as nostalgia, need to be revisited. Such an attempt is made in this paper by introducing the concept of solastalgia to explain the intense disease experienced by a loss of place (caused by, for instance, environmental destruction), and the consequent necessity for different kinds of responses and actions. By situating this study within the paradigm of critical ecosemiotics, focus is placed on the significance of locality (rather than globality) in understanding the relationship between nature and culture, and thereby re-addressing Western ecofascist critique.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 2022
This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on th... more This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on the tradition of critical theory (especially the work of Horkheimer and Adorno, and Fromm) and the work of Bernard Stiegler to critically assess their impact. It is argued that the rise of online forms of consumption based around streaming have had a deleterious impact on the critical faculties of the individual, and argues that the practice of walking-as proposed by Frederic Gros-could potentially provide a remedy to the problems caused by the increase of uncritical cultural consumption. In this respect, it provides an original account of the relevance of both the tradition of critical theory and the work of Stiegler to the pandemic, together with providing a discussion around the act of walking as an active measure that one can implement in one's life to counteract and (hopefully) overcome the detrimental effects that the commodification of leisure time has fostered during the pandemic.
South African Journal of Philosophy, 2019
South African Journal of Philosophy 38(2):166-179, 2019
It can be (and has been) claimed that one of the central thematic concerns in Erich Fromm’s immen... more It can be (and has been) claimed that one of the central thematic concerns in Erich Fromm’s immense body of critical work is the exposition of a new “radical” humanist ethic, based upon the normative foundations of human solidarity/relatedness and love. The role of community in this ethic is vital, as Fromm argues for the existence of an intrinsically human need for belonging and communion. According to Fromm, the breakdown of traditional societies in modernity and the adoption of strong anti-traditionalist paradigms in both liberalism and Marxism has paradoxically led to the desire in the contemporary individual to “escape” this freedom, too often resulting in an uncritical adoption of what Eric Hobsbawm calls “invented traditions” in order to rediscover a shared sense of humankind. This article therefore contends that 1) Fromm advocates a form of “critical communitarianism”; and 2) that critical communitarianism can provide a strong foundation for an ethical confrontation with neoliberal modernity, and thereby a reconsidered form of community through human solidarity.
South African Journal of Philosophy, 2015
Books by Helen-Mary Cawood
The concept of ‘modern football’ has been broadly defined as the sanitation of football chanting ... more The concept of ‘modern football’ has been broadly defined as the sanitation of football chanting to adhere to politically correct standards, the eradication of the socio-historical identity of clubs, a perceived disregard for fans and their traditions; to the economic drive of clubs through sponsorship, merchandise, television deals and elevated ticket prices. Slogans such as ‘Supporters Not Customers’, ‘For the Love, not the Money’, and ‘No to modern soccer’ have become synonymous with
fan protests, especially with regard to the globalisation and subsequent
commercialisation of a space which was traditionally seen as ‘home’. Drawing on Boym’s theory of nostalgia and an interpretation of Heidegger’s being-at-home, it is argued that there is an ironic backlash by fans to the globalisation of football clubs caught between traditional-historical identity and a desire for success, resulting in a space of unreflective nostalgia. ‘Nostalgia’ is both a longing for a different time and a rebellion against modern narratives of historicity and progress. Unreflective nostalgia, however, carries the potential risk of an attempt to recapture the loss of tradition, which could possibly result in the re-emergence of modern ideologies centred around ethnic, religious, national or other cultural identities though a yearning for constructed identity-based bonding. It is suggested that restorative nostalgia is the attempted rediscovery of ‘truth’ in origin and tradition which results in the re-emergence of forms of nationalism, racism, and even homophobia amongst certain fan bases of modern football clubs. Understanding this sentiment, through the deconstruction of fan narratives, makes salient the yearning for a home, and how new traditions build upon the sense of collective loss of cohesive identity amongst supporters and their clubs. Deeper reflection upon nostalgia could encourage a critical exploration of tradition by both fans and clubs in addressing the deep disconnect between these parties within ‘modern football’
Social Dynamics: , 2023
ABSTRACT This paper draws from the paradigm of Critical Theory (CT) and Decolonial Theory to enga... more ABSTRACT
This paper draws from the paradigm of Critical Theory (CT) and
Decolonial Theory to engage in an introductory discussion on the
need for a new methodological paradigm, namely a Critical
Decolonial Theory. This is put forward in order to both argue for
the imperative of introducing multiple narratives to the philosophical
practice of contemporary social critique in South Africa, as well
as to provide a cautionary note relating to how the decolonisation
narrative itself could become a determinative ideology if it engages
in what Lewis Gordon terms “epistemic closure.” While operating
from within the framework and ideals of traditional CT and Amy
Allen’s subsequent contribution to decolonising CT, we draw specifically
from black practitioners of this critical philosophical tradition,
namely Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Frantz Fanon, Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie, Paulin Hountondji, and Achille Mbembe, in order to localise
and ground our discussion of the need to problematise (i.e.,
consider both vindicatory and subversive aspects of) the decolonisation
project.
Critical Arts, 2023
ABSTRACT This paper attempts to conceptualise urban wildlife photography as so-called intersemiot... more ABSTRACT
This paper attempts to conceptualise urban wildlife photography as
so-called intersemiotic translation by reconceptualising the
photographer as a translator who acts as “a mediator in an
experiential process that allows the recipient (viewer, listener,
reader or participant) to re-create the sense […] of the source
artefact for him or herself” (Cultural Literacy in Europe, in
[Bennett, K. 2019. “Editor’s Introduction. The New Iconicity:
Challenges for Translation Theory and Practice.” Translation
Matters 1 (2): 1–8], 3).
By reframing the focus from an anthropocentric ethic to a
biocentric ethic on the loss of place and belonging experienced
by non-human animals in urban ecologies, in particular, this
paper intends to explore the role of urban wildlife photography
as translation of solastalgia in re-evaluating our current human
values towards the natural world. Originally defined as “distress
that is produced by environmental change impacting on people
while they are directly connected to their home environment”
[Albrecht, G., Sartore, G.-M., Connor, L., Higginbotham, N.,
Freeman, S., Kelly, B., Stain, H., Tonna, A. and Pollard, G. (2007)
“Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change”,
Australasian Psychiatry, 15(1_suppl), pp. S95–S98], solastalgia, it is
argued in this paper, should be extended to include the
experience of the non-human as well. Photography, it is argued
here, is one way in which this experience can be critically
depicted and translated to a human audience. By means of an
interdisciplinary discussion between Translation Studies and
Critical Theory (through Walter Benjamin and Bernard Stiegler),
we attempt to provide an ecosemiotic exploration of the
conceptual grounding of urban wildlife photography as
intersemiotic translation.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology
This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on th... more This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on the tradition of critical theory (especially the work of Horkheimer and Adorno, and Fromm) and the work of Bernard Stiegler to critically assess their impact. It is argued that the rise of online forms of consumption based around streaming have had a deleterious impact on the critical faculties of the individual, and argues that the practice of walking-as proposed by Frederic Gros-could potentially provide a remedy to the problems caused by the increase of uncritical cultural consumption. In this respect, it provides an original account of the relevance of both the tradition of critical theory and the work of Stiegler to the pandemic, together with providing a discussion around the act of walking as an active measure that one can implement in one's life to counteract and (hopefully) overcome the detrimental effects that the commodification of leisure time has fostered during the pandemic.
Acta Academica, 2022
Reconceptualising ecofascism in the Global South: an ecosemiotic approach to problematising margi... more Reconceptualising ecofascism in the Global South: an ecosemiotic approach to problematising marginalised nostalgic narratives This paper provides an argument for the need to reconceptualise ecocritical concepts that have naively been regarded as central, and thus global, scholarly concepts. Focusing in particular on ecofascism, the paper argues that if forms of ecocriticism are to be explored in a Global South context, certain concepts associated with ecofascism and anti-progress in the Global North, such as nostalgia, need to be revisited. Such an attempt is made in this paper by introducing the concept of solastalgia to explain the intense disease experienced by a loss of place (caused by, for instance, environmental destruction), and the consequent necessity for different kinds of responses and actions. By situating this study within the paradigm of critical ecosemiotics, focus is placed on the significance of locality (rather than globality) in understanding the relationship between nature and culture, and thereby re-addressing Western ecofascist critique.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 2022
This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on th... more This article provides an account of the cultural changes induced by the pandemic, and draws on the tradition of critical theory (especially the work of Horkheimer and Adorno, and Fromm) and the work of Bernard Stiegler to critically assess their impact. It is argued that the rise of online forms of consumption based around streaming have had a deleterious impact on the critical faculties of the individual, and argues that the practice of walking-as proposed by Frederic Gros-could potentially provide a remedy to the problems caused by the increase of uncritical cultural consumption. In this respect, it provides an original account of the relevance of both the tradition of critical theory and the work of Stiegler to the pandemic, together with providing a discussion around the act of walking as an active measure that one can implement in one's life to counteract and (hopefully) overcome the detrimental effects that the commodification of leisure time has fostered during the pandemic.
South African Journal of Philosophy, 2019
South African Journal of Philosophy 38(2):166-179, 2019
It can be (and has been) claimed that one of the central thematic concerns in Erich Fromm’s immen... more It can be (and has been) claimed that one of the central thematic concerns in Erich Fromm’s immense body of critical work is the exposition of a new “radical” humanist ethic, based upon the normative foundations of human solidarity/relatedness and love. The role of community in this ethic is vital, as Fromm argues for the existence of an intrinsically human need for belonging and communion. According to Fromm, the breakdown of traditional societies in modernity and the adoption of strong anti-traditionalist paradigms in both liberalism and Marxism has paradoxically led to the desire in the contemporary individual to “escape” this freedom, too often resulting in an uncritical adoption of what Eric Hobsbawm calls “invented traditions” in order to rediscover a shared sense of humankind. This article therefore contends that 1) Fromm advocates a form of “critical communitarianism”; and 2) that critical communitarianism can provide a strong foundation for an ethical confrontation with neoliberal modernity, and thereby a reconsidered form of community through human solidarity.
South African Journal of Philosophy, 2015
The concept of ‘modern football’ has been broadly defined as the sanitation of football chanting ... more The concept of ‘modern football’ has been broadly defined as the sanitation of football chanting to adhere to politically correct standards, the eradication of the socio-historical identity of clubs, a perceived disregard for fans and their traditions; to the economic drive of clubs through sponsorship, merchandise, television deals and elevated ticket prices. Slogans such as ‘Supporters Not Customers’, ‘For the Love, not the Money’, and ‘No to modern soccer’ have become synonymous with
fan protests, especially with regard to the globalisation and subsequent
commercialisation of a space which was traditionally seen as ‘home’. Drawing on Boym’s theory of nostalgia and an interpretation of Heidegger’s being-at-home, it is argued that there is an ironic backlash by fans to the globalisation of football clubs caught between traditional-historical identity and a desire for success, resulting in a space of unreflective nostalgia. ‘Nostalgia’ is both a longing for a different time and a rebellion against modern narratives of historicity and progress. Unreflective nostalgia, however, carries the potential risk of an attempt to recapture the loss of tradition, which could possibly result in the re-emergence of modern ideologies centred around ethnic, religious, national or other cultural identities though a yearning for constructed identity-based bonding. It is suggested that restorative nostalgia is the attempted rediscovery of ‘truth’ in origin and tradition which results in the re-emergence of forms of nationalism, racism, and even homophobia amongst certain fan bases of modern football clubs. Understanding this sentiment, through the deconstruction of fan narratives, makes salient the yearning for a home, and how new traditions build upon the sense of collective loss of cohesive identity amongst supporters and their clubs. Deeper reflection upon nostalgia could encourage a critical exploration of tradition by both fans and clubs in addressing the deep disconnect between these parties within ‘modern football’