WAR Group A Keyword Bucket

AMS Group1( Jenna, Ty, Helen, Catherine)

Response to Helsinki/

Tampere Group C:

Cosmopolitan

1) Having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing.

2) Having wide international sophistication.

3) Composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world.

Source: Merriam-Webster On line. 18 September, 2008.

We find your challenge to the wold ‘cosmopolitan’ interesting because it was in a way similar to and different from our challenge at the same time. The discussion on refugees is an interesting one. Why are refugees not regarded as cosmopolitan? If you look at the three definitions of cosmopolitan above,

you will see that the 2nd definition is the one which it seems not so inclusive of refugees. ‘Cosmopolitan’, in modern usage connotes the adjectives Exotic, Sophisticated, Stylish, just as the Warwick group 3 suggested and just as your image of the Cosmopolitan Magazine cover also suggests. Therefore a refugee who might have a worldwide scope isn't considered cosmopolitan because he/she does not choose to move to other countries but is forced to be on the move because of circumstances. In other words because of not having sop

histicated and exotic experiences.

Key Word – BEAUTY
Response

The Travelling Concept of Beauty

The concept of “beauty” [spelled in the Philippines as “byuti”] hav

e been appropriated by the bakla [loose translation: effeminate gay man] in the Philippines to refer to self—the self that is in his inner core, that corresponds to the true, the good, and the feminine. (Ethnographers such as Fenella Cannell, Mark Johnson, and Martin Manalansan have also noted this inventive usage in their respective studies.) So when one bakla tells another, “my byuti is very tired today,” he actually means that “I’m very tired today.”

This wonderful twining of “self” and “beauty” (in the traditional sense of the word) has visible implications of gender performances in the Philip

pines, particularly that of the bakla. The bakla makes a clear distinction between “natural beauty” (natural na ganda) and “authentic beauty” (tunay na ganda). Natural beauty relates to physical attractiveness that is biological determined or, as most Filipinos would say, God-given.

“Natural Beauty”

Angel Aquino, Actor

Authentic beauty, on the other hand, refers to the inner self, to byuti. For the baklas, it is not enough to say one has beautiful core. It is imperative for them to show and perform it to other people, particularly in pageants, which is arguably the most popular form of live entertainment in the country. The purpose of the performance

is to validate their identity.

“Authentic Beauty”

In realizing their byuti on stage, the bakla uses theatrical devices such as costumes, make-up, and lighting. He imitates the looks, the speech, and the walk of the models and stars in Manila and in Milan. For the bakla, his conception of authentic beauty does not contradict with the theatricality (read: artificiality) of his performance. His staged beauty is deemed authentic because it reflects his inner self, his byuti. And that could never be faked.

Keywords: beauty, self, authenticity, theatricality

Response to Helsinki Group A

Transcultural

(“…it seems that in almost every aspect of society or culture there is something "trans". So, if there is transculturality in everything, where is the place for cultural-specific? Is transcultural education really possible? And transcultural mental health?! If transcultural is a notion of UNIVERSALITY of culture, then why we just don't say UNIVERSAL? If transcultural refers to something common to all cultures then what's there to "exchange"? Isn't it just an oxymoron?”)

response:

Patrice Pavis, in the introduction to The Intercultural Performance Reader, discusses transcultural in an attempt to define the word intercultural. He explains transcultural theater to be something that goes beyond culture to find gestures and traditions that speak to the universality of the human condition beneath race, class and culture. The observation that your group made regarding the universality of culture is quite keen; however, we would like to postulate that perhaps the transcultural is found in small moments or brief experiences rather than in broader categories such as education or mental health.

We recognize the difficulty behind discovering anything that is universal, but there is a beauty in stumbling across some common ground in a world of differences. Something transcultural doesn’t have to be universal, but if it can link two cultures for a moment and provides a forum for conversation, than it exists beyond the realm of the paradoxical.

This link is a street performance of a “transcultural waltz”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl3lbdRk_qE

A quote from the artist:

“Art is not just beauty. It is conveying a profound personal message. Any artist should work as mirror of society and reflect the important issues of life. Moreover, as an artist, I feel the obligation to have a positive impact on our reality. It is not important what you achieve with your talent. It is important how you share it.“

- Rafael Sotomayor

What makes this performance transcultural? We’re not entirely sure, but if it evokes something in you or reminds you of even a moment in your life, it has gone beyond the culture of the artist and taken a hold of you. Somehow, this performance evokes a different response in each of us. Rafael Sotomayer is using his art as a form of communication to transcend locality, culture, and perhaps even time. Is this not what art is supposed to do? Somehow bring us together through images, gestures, performances… education?

Warwick Group 3 - Keywords (Stu and Michelle)

COSMOPOLITAN: adj. 1): having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing 2) having wide international sophistication : worldly 3) composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world

cosmopolitan adj 1 belonging to or representative of all parts of the world. 2 free of national prejudices; international in experience and outlook. 3 sophisticated. 4 composed of people from all different parts of the world. noun someone of this type; a citizen of the world.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from cosmo- + Greek polites citizen.

- Chambers Online

cosmopolitan

adjective USUALLY APPROVING
containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world

COSMOPOLITAN magazine – what image is this trying to portray? Exotic? Sophisticated? Stylish? Why particularly a women’s point of view?

Cosmopolitan Cocktail – Martini Glass, Pink, Sex and the City

Challenge: There is a huge logical leap between a definition such as “from all parts of the world” and one such as “sophisticated”. This leads to a confusing tension in definition between the multicultural and the hierarchical, as these two radically different meanings are often conflated into one vague general term. Similarly, there are problems with colloquial usages (eg. the magazine and cocktail above), which further distance people from any original meaning.

Demographic

Noun. A particular sector of a populace.

- OED.

demography noun, technical the scientific study of population statistics, including births, deaths, etc. demographer noun someone who studies demography or the statistics of populations. demographic adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from Greek demos people + -graphy.

- Chambers Online

demographic

Main Entry:

demographic

Function:

noun

Date:

circa 1966

1 plural : the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets

2: a market or segment of the population identified by demographics

As an indicator used to define a sector of society, a demographic constitutes a particular grouping of (usually) people, segregated on grounds of age, wealth, ethnicity, profession, or many other characteristics. It is often used as a marketing tool, so companies can effectively market their products to particular target groups, but is also an issue in politics and the art world, as (for example) a theatre group decides to put on plays aimed at a particular type of theatergoer.

Challenge: There are several problems with this definition though, as the criteria used for differentiating demographics can be concrete (eg. those on salaries of £50,000 or more), or far more value-based (eg. people with liberal tendencies). This leads to indeterminacy, but also to a stereotyped view of society as a whole, as certain discrete personal tendencies can become the prime social stratification for commercial groups.

Corral de comedias (noun):

House, courtyard or theatre where plays were first performed on a permanent space in Spain, in the late 16^th century. Travelling companies of theatre began to settle and perform their plays permanently in these spaces.

Challenge: It’s a type of staging space very similar to the Elizabethan stage, so it is not exclusive to the Spanish tradition. So, to what extent it is a local concept or else a way of conceiving the theatrical space that transcended local borders.