Signs and Symbols

This book is dedicated to the great John Deely (d. 2017), a dear friend and colleague whose research in the theory and history of semiotics is unsurpassable. His work is a lasting inspiration for generations of students to come, in philosophy, semiotics, and now edusemiotics. The handbook presents edusemiotics as a novel unified conceptual framework at the intersection of educational philosophy and theoretical semiotics
It collects cutting-edge theoretical and empirical research in this emergent field and
addresses the dimension of values and meaning in education and learning. Further,
the contributors explore the practical implications of edusemiotics in diverse global contexts

In five steps this text tries to convey a semiotic analysis of the phenomenon of  ‘live VR music concerts’.Through this paper it becomes clear that the meaning of live music and virtual live music is not always clear. Virtual does not want to be like the real. It does not intend to create the same music experience. It is a globalising trend that seeks to go beyond. In contrast, maybe the real becomes more like the virtual. Experimenting with virtual experiences results eventually in the dissolving of the boundaries between the real and the virtual. The meaning of live music is changing and is strongly interpreted in the context of culture. Pandemic culture insinuated the interpretation that VR is just arriving, but actually it was already here for a while. With the semiotic square we analysed the virtual and real through the ‘here and now’. It is the ‘here and now’ (authenticity?) that gets questioned in live virtual concerts. It is legit to present a live concert in other ways, because that is one of the aims of VR. The virtual concert does not necessarily want to substitute real-life concerts. Peircian interpretations led into new kinds of music experience and new music industries/business models. A virtual concert experience constructs experience of identities of experience of collectivity that are real. Even in a manipulated or determined world the emotions that music creates are real. ‘Liveness’ shows the (intersubjective) power of music.

Because young children lack reading skills, traditional text-based warnings can be rendered ineffective. Pictorials might be an alternative for text to conveying safety-related information. Surprisingly, very little research has been conducted to explore the comprehensibility of safety symbols by young children. In the current study, 15 young children, aged 3-6 years (M = 4.7 years, SD = 1.2) were asked to: (a) identify the hazards associated with five common household items, (b) interpret the meaning of five associated warning symbols, and then (c) play a matching game where household items were paired with appropriate warning symbols. Results indicated that successful hazard identification varied considerably between household items. All children were able to identify the fall or crush hazard associated with an open window but almost none of them identified the strangulation hazard associated with window-blind cords. When symbol comprehensibility was initially assessed, fewer than half exceeded 50% correct identification but training provided by the experimenter benefited the children in understanding their meaning. Performance on the matching game illustrated that children were able to successfully acquire the safety information after being provided with definitions of the symbols and were able to pair them with the appropriate household items.

During the past two decades, the body of empirical research on warning design and evaluation has grown. Consequently, there are now basic principles and guidelines addressing warning design (e.g., signal words, color, symbols, and text/content), placement (e.g., location within product instructions), and how to enhance the usability of designs by considering factors internal to the user (e.g., beliefs, perceptions of risk, stress). Similarly, evaluation methods have been developed that can be used to measure the effectiveness of warnings such as the degree to which warnings are communicated to recipients and the degree to which they encourage or influence behavioral compliance. An overview of the empirical literature on warning guidelines and evaluation approaches is provided. Researchers, practitioners, and manufacturers can use these guidelines in various contexts to reduce the likelihood that injury and product damage from exposure lo a hazard will occur.

In the last two decades, there has been heightened interest from industry, government and consumers regarding the effectiveness of warnings, and this interest has corresponded with an upsurge of research on the topic.  This book provides a comprehensive review and analysis of major issues in the theory, research, and applications of warnings and risk communication.  Its contributors include leading US and international experts.
Warnings and Risk Communication begins with a section containing an overview chapter introducing the area and telling some of its history.  This is followed by a chapter describing a communication-human information processing (C-HIP) model that serves as a theoretical framework and an organizational basis for the research literature presented in subsequent chapters.  The second section describes methods for investigating warning effectiveness issues.  Techniques on how to conduct research measuring the effects of warning at intermediate processing stages (such as attention and comprehension) and on behavioral intentions and compliance are detailed.  The third section consists of seven chapters based on the stages of the C-HIP model, with each chapter reviewing the associated warning research and theory.  The fourth section provides practical guidance for developing effective warnings.  Standards, regulations and guidelines are discussed, and procedures for developing and testing warnings are presented.  In the fifth section, the book concludes with two chapters addressing forensics issues.  Legal concerns in warning design and failure to warn are examined, and the role of the warnings expert witness in litigation is described.
Warnings and Risk Communication is an authoritative sourcebook on the theory, research and applications in the field.  It provides a resource for professionals and academics in diverse domains that range from human factors/ergonomics, engineering psychology, marketing, and design, to industry, government, and litigation.  Improving occupational and consumer safety is the book's foremost goal.

The apotropaic (warding off and protecting against evil) customs and rites are most probably the earliest in the human culture. Most of the rural customs are held, ever since primeval times, in the time of the year related to crucial periods: winter solstice and the awakening of vegetation in spring 2 . These periods of the year are full of beliefs linked "with the existence of demons that are far abroad on the earth or with the souls of dead, who hold sway over sowing and the harvest and have to be propitiated" 3 . Symbolic processions by groups of people singing songs or performing acts with theatrical elements (dromena) or mimic actions (ayermoi-quête-song) based on sympathetic magic are known almost in the whole of Europe but basically they have a frequency in Balkan region where they have been handed out from ancient Greece "along with Byzantine culture and Christianity" 4 .

The basic goal of safety programmes and hazard analysis is to prevent personal injury and property damage. Warnings, the topic of this chapter, are one of several methods that can be used to defend against hannful outcomes. Warnings may be delivered by signs, on labels, in product manuals, and in other ways described later. The two principal purposes of warnings are to communicate information about potential hazards effectively and to reduce unsafe behaviour that might otherwise occur without their presence. However, warnings are not the best injury-prevention strategy to use (by themselves), particularly if other more effective methods can be employed instead of, or in addition to, warnings.

Le cours vidéo sur YouTube :
https://youtu.be/FYkfwMITiGU

2. Erving Goffman : une sociologie des interactions centrée sur les signes
2.1. Jouer le jeu ou être hors-jeu (05:18)
2.2. Des individus vulnérables, exposés et alertes (21:55)
2.3. Une conception défensive, agonistique et stratégique de la vie sociale (31:36)
2.4. L'exposition de soi : voir et être vu
2.5. Comment la vie sociale est-elle viable? (35:11) 
2.6. Les formes de la vie sociale : cohérence et incongruité (52:30)
2.7. Perturbations au niveau du "fond" de la situation : des environnements alarmants (1:01:47)
2.8. Perturbations au niveau de la "figure" de la situation : des performances défectueuses (1:14:46)
2.9. Perturbations au niveau de la "forme" de la situation : des situations difformes, déformées, transformées (1:26:53)

Le cours "Signes, Sons, Images : Méthodes d'analyse en sociologie" (LSOC2083) est un cours conçu et réalisé par Mathieu Berger et initié en 2019-2020 dans le cadre du Master en sociologie de l'UCLouvain (Faculté ESPO / Ecole PSAD). Ce cours de 15h, qui a une visée d'apprentissage pratique de méthodes d'analyse, devait être mené sous la forme d'ateliers lors de deux journées continues (18 et 20 mars 2020). Etant donné la situation de crise autour du coronavirus et le basculement en mode virtuel des enseignements de l'UCLouvain, le cours prendra la forme de 5 vidéos de 90 à 120 minutes complétées par des exercices et un travail personnel à remettre par les étudiants pour le premier jour de la session d'examens de juin. Les étudiants de l'UCLouvain qui suivent ce cours trouveront l'ensemble des documents utiles sur la page Moodle de ce cours : https://moodleucl.uclouvain.be

A participatory art project - a growing series of Flash animations with many authors. Every animation shows a relation, a connection, an interaction between two (or more) countries.

Each animation starts with a flag and ends with a different one. The flags are transformed, their shapes and meanings are morphed into other symbols and figures. Each contributing artist creates an animation with flags of his/her own choice and expresses a relation between two (or more) countries in his/her own way.

Flag Metamorphoses is an exploration into the meaning of imagery on flags, aiming to create interrelated associations through questioning, reassessing, fluidizing and re-mixing diverse national iconographies. This project encourages you to think in images, to understand and express cultural and historical processes and relations without words. Symbols of identities turn into elements of dialogues.

http://www.flag-metamorphoses.net

https://vimeo.com/133330245

This chapter introduces several major warning-related concepts. Topics include the plll'poses of warnings and their place in the hazard control hierarchy. The who, what, when and where of warnings are described, followed by a discussion of the concepts of hazard control hierarchy and warning systems. A table of generalized design guidelines derived from the warning literature is presented. Lastly, testing using participants from the target population is recommended to verify warning effectiveness.

1. Meditation 2
1.1 On the Meditation Practice 3
1.2 Meditation in Eastern Christianity 4
1.3 Hesychasm 4
1.4 Meditation in Medieval Europe: The Sermon of Meister Eckhart 4
1.5 Dream as a State Close to Meditation 5
1.6 Meditation and Consciousness 5
1.7 Our Unconscious self 5
1.8 Symbols 5
1.10 An Auto Training Experiment 7
1.16 Experimental Experiences 9
1.17 The Unconscious 11
1.18 Mandala 11
2 Meditation and Knowledge 11
2.7 World View 14
2.8 The Bayesion Syllogism 15
2.9 Consciousness and Knowledge 15

Although traditional linguistic landscape material usually consist of fixed snapshots of text in a given space, this paper will explore a more mobile and temporary form of linguistic landscapes: signs at social protests. The community in question is thereby defined as the people who congregate in the place of protestation.  By analyzing the language and images displayed and promoted on social protest signs and in the sphere of demonstration, a better understanding of social movements and their supporters can be achieved. Obviously, no protest was born out of contentment; the act itself exemplifies a facet of society that needs improvement. As sociolinguist Ben Rampton (2015) reflects in an interview: “If you can figure out how things tick in everyday practice, then you’ve got a better chance of intervening and changing everyday social life for the better.”

The images of the Fish and of the Hamsa hand are two familiar sights that belong to the North-African culture. It is usually believed that they are a form of local amulets. The proposed analysis attempts to trace back these two symbols. The Hamsa hand also exists in the Levant. If the Phoenician cult of Tanit is an obvious link, it remains insufficient to account for its widespread legacy among other ethnic groups such as the Jews or the ancient Libyc population (the Berbers). It is clear that the sign reveals the existence of an underlying heritage shared among all the historic and religious groups. The past history of the Maghreb accounts for its diversity that somehow managed to blend into a melting-pot. On the other hand, the Fish symbol offers a specific connotation, more endemic to Tunisia. The Punic heritage of the country, as well as its geographical position, are at the core of the overall recognition. The fish always been a basic food in the country. A Tunisian-style Couscous with fish is after all a local trademark! Yet, there is more to say on this other widespread symbol. Holy Scriptures and common myths have played their part to turn the symbol into another example of a shared heritage. It may have begun at the times of the primordial waters of Nun according to the ancient Egyptian Ennead. In fact, both the Fish and the Hamsa hand present a common parallel that epitomizes a cultural blend. It is used not only as a protection for any kind of an ''evil-eye'' but also as a symbolic unity for the entire community. C.S. Les Symboles de la Main et du Poisson RÉSUMÉ Les signes de la Main Hamsa et du Poisson sont largement reconnus comme étant des éléments appartenant à la culture nord-africaine. Le plus souvent, on pense qu'il s'agit d'une forme d'amulette locale. L'analyse proposée ici tente de remonter aux origines de ces deux symboles. La main Hamsa se retrouve aussi au Levant. Or même si le culte phénicien de Tanit apparaît comme étant un lien vraisemblable, ceci n'est pas suffisant pour expliquer son utilisation généralisée parmi d'autres groupes ethniques tels que les Juifs ou les anciennes populations libyques (les Berbères). Il est clair que ce signe révèle également l'existence d'un legs sous-jacent appartenant à tous les groupes ancestraux et religieux. L'histoire du Maghreb témoigne d'une grande diversité qui a eu pour résultat de créer un véritable creuset culturel. Par ailleurs, le symbole du Poisson présente un aspect spécifique plus nettement tunisien. L'ascendance punique du pays, tout comme sa position géographique sont au coeur de cette reconnaissance généralisée. Le poisson demeure sans nul doute une base de l'alimentation tunisienne. Le couscous au poisson, n'est-il pas une marque identitaire ? Il reste pourtant beaucoup à dire sur la fréquence de ce symbole. Les Écritures et des mythes partagés s'ajoutent pour conférer au Poisson la marque d'un autre partage culturel. L'origine pourrait bien émaner du temps lointain des eaux primordiales de Nun, tel que cela est mentionné dans les récits de l'Ennéade d'Atoum, des anciens Égyptiens. De fait, le Poisson et la main Hamsa stigmatisent en parallèle une même convergence culturelle. Ce ne sont pas exclusivement des talismans destinés à éloigner le ''mauvais oeil'', ce sont aussi les témoins symboliques qui unissent les communautés existantes. C.S.

It is only in the western recontextualisation of African culture, where everything different from a Eurocentric model is considered art that body marking becomes a cornerstone. Onobrakpeya’s statement that “Body marking is a corner-stone in African art” was born out of a time and place  that called for a unification of the arts of Africa and panafrican political and social consciousness. Instead of truly building on traditions unique to all areas of Africa, modern African art movements created a framework  that would promote an art world in which contemporary African artists were in the respected and influential positions that they rightly deserved.

The narrative perspective of a movie provides not only the focus of the narrative information given to the audience, but also size the mediated spatial impressions. The view through the lens
of the camera puts the viewers right into the action. The textual method of the continuous Point-of-View Shot and the numerous Reaction-Shots that are used in CLOVERFIELD (USA 2008, Matt Reeves) turn into the restricted point of view of the audience. So the closenes of the viewer to the characters is imposed by the movie. To see what the character sees can make a remarkable difference in experiencing the movie: the POV Shot supports the role-taking as a partly process of empathy, the movement of the camera becomes a somatic aspect of the emotional and intentional expressive behaviour of the characters. So the diegetic trauma becomes the visual trauma of the viewer. The camera acts of violence against the viewer and underlines the representation of violence within the movie picture.
The affective responses of the audience are central in CLOVERFIELD the dimension of the affect must be understood as dimension of response on which processes of somatic empathy
take effect. The main focus of this essay is therefore in the somatic response of the viewer and what we call somatic decoding. The somatic decoding of the cinematic code as mode of understanding the film is parallel to the decoding of cinematic violence issues. The method of POV Shots represents not only a look at the violence, but also allows the audience a high degree of participation because of the violent view of the camera: The violence in (and on) the cinematic image  becomes the violence on the viewer.

Introduction As soon as we recognise that language is central to culture we are forced to recognise that cultural communication is very much tied up with the use of signs. In what follows, I will try to give some idea of what humans are capable of accomplishing through our use of signs and how our signs, always culturally conditioned, both enrich and complicate our ability to communicate as cultural beings.

ТОЛЬКО ОЗНАКОМИТЕЛЬНЫЙ ФРАГМЕНТ, электронная версия не распространяется.

Фредерик Порталь. Египетский символизм и его сравнение с еврейским / Пер. с англ., коммент. и вступ. статья И. А. Ильина; под ред. Б. К. Двинянинова. — СПб.: Издательство «Академия исследования культуры», 2021. — 196 с.: ил. — (Серия Librarium Aureum. Opus Minus). ISBN 978-5-6045100-9-4

Представленное в данном издании исследование, впервые опубликованное в 1840 году и стоящее у истоков египтологической науки, представляет филологический подход к сопоставлению символизма двух родственных культур - египетской и еврейской. Автор анализирует основные символы египетской культуры, пытаясь проследить параллели в иудейской традиции, используя метод сравнительной лингвистики, а также представляет свою собственную методологию для интерпретации библейского символизма. Этот труд будет полезен как языковедам, интересующимся египетским и ивритом, так и исследователям мистических традиций и библеистам. С целью сделать издание как можно более актуальным, перевод снабжён подробным филологическим и этнологическим комментарием, опирающимся на труды передовых исследователей в данных областях.

Оглавление (без подглав):

Вступительное слово переводчика

- Египтяне и евреи
- Источники для сравнения египетского и еврейского символизма
- Общие примечания по переводу

Фредерик Порталь. Египетский символизм и его сравнение с еврейским

Глава I. Принципы символогии
Глава II. Египетские символы
Глава III. Символизм цвета
Глава IV. Применение египетских символов к Библии

Литература

Umberto Eco (1975; 1985) has invariantly maintained that specular images have no semiosic status, basically because they stand in front rather than instead of an object. In his Kant and the Platypus (1997), Eco returns offering reasons to exclude specular images from signs, and definitely classifies mirrors as visual prosthetic devices. In this paper I argue that Eco is partly right and partly wrong. He is right inasmuch as he claims that seeing an object in a mirror must count as a case of seeing that object rather than as a case of seeing a sign of that object (or, a sign standing for a propositional content about that object). The only reason why we should agree with Eco on this point, however, is that otherwise we would be forced to admit that also when we see the object in normal visual perception, with no mirror involved, what we really see is a sign. But then Eco is wrong because he does not acknowledge that, although mirror phenomena do have no semiosic status per se, they may acquire it by taking advantage of independent sign-functions – thus coming to be part of what I call parasiticly semiosic phenomena. Specifically, since an object that is visually perceived in a mirror may appear to have some spatial or topological properties that the real object does not possess, it is sufficient for the mirror phenomenon to exploit an independent sign-function whose expressions admit spatial or topological properties among their distinctive traits in order for it to become fully (though parasiticly) semiosic.

This is my chapter titled "One, two, three... one: The edusemiotic self" (UNCORRECTED PROOF only)-- Ch 4 in JUNG, DELEUZE, AND THE PROBLEMATIC WHOLE (Edited by Roderick Main, Christian McMillan, and David Henderson).

Review: ‘Jung, Deleuze, and the Problematic Whole is essential reading for those interested in the flourishing area of Jung/Deleuze studies. From a Jungian perspective, Deleuze’s ideas allow an interpretation of Jung’s writing on the unus mundus that both critiques and revitalizes his work. For those who study Deleuze, this is added evidence of the potential for a psychology consonant with the ideas of schizoanalysis. Overall, this book marks an important contribution to the ongoing exploration of Jung’s influence on the philosopher of the rhizome.’
Barbara Jenkins, Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Wilfred Laurier University; author of Eros and Economy: Jung, Deleuze, Sexual Difference (Routledge, 2016)

I set out to explore colour symbolism in Toni Morrison’s 1970 novel The bluest eye. There is a strong appearance of the colours orange, yellow, white and blue throughout the work that have symbolic connotations and effects which portrays an image of beauty.

To determine how Morrison uses colour symbolism effectively, I analyse the colours associated with seasons. In considering “Autumn and Winter” I investigate the colour white by evaluating its effect in showing purity and an established beauty ideal. This is portrayed by symbols like the Shirley Temple doll or cup, given to one of the characters, showing the invasion of mass media in social perceptions of beauty.
I also analysed the use of marigolds unable to bloom, to show the suppression of a particular sector of society considered to be inferior, due to their skin colour which contradicts the already established beauty image of whiteness and purity.

This will also be studied through Pecola’s love for yellow dandelions, indicating her idolization for white blonde girls, portraying how symbolically blind she is by the external standards of beauty.
I will also be focusing on Morrison’s main symbol which is included in her novel’s title, The bluest eye. I will analyse Pecola’s search to possess clear blue eyes to show how society managed to place in high regards white traits, excluding the representation of other races. This affects vulnerable characters like Pecola to believe they must possess said traits to earn society’s respect.

In the course of this analysis, I conclude that symbolism is used to challenge the beauty ideals present of that time that managed to isolate a race, qualifying them as undesirable individuals. Through this technique, Morrison successfully explores the theme of discrimination, creating a masterpiece considered a leading exponent of “Black Literature”.

Throughout millennia people have created place from within space by using an array of different types of signs in a multitude of different environments. Signs that can give insights into the very different ways in which ancient people have interacted with their natural surroundings and how they included it into their social and ideological realms. Within this volume we focus on different implementations of the concept of signs and place and the broad field of meanings, associations, and definitions these interrelated terms cover. In so doing, the papers in this volume explore how different kinds of visual signs were positioned within the physical and morphological features of the landscape; how the landscape was chosen or modified to accommodate them; what value or information these signs provided for the place in which they were created; and how they have been socially, culturally, and spiritually appropriated over time.

The human ability to represent concepts through image-making seems pivotal for enabling the formation of complex cultures. This chapter is concerned with the important but permeable boundaries between and around the categories of ‘art’ and ‘writing’. The writing:art/sign:symbol distinction has been fundamental to the location of the survey points forming the boundaries between archaeology and its siblings, e.g. philology, classics and ancient history, and to some extent anthropology. Contemporary notions of art and writing are contrasted with those of past societies and how image-bearing objects differ from other kinds of material culture. The question of when a drawing of something becomes part of a writing system and the types of literacy required to understand linguistic signs are also considered. Sociological and anthropological approaches to art and contemporary theories of visual culture are evaluated for the ways in which these can contribute to archaeological discourse on sign and symbol as a branch of material culture studies.

The aim of this study is to make a stylistic analysis of Vladimir Nabokov’s short story Signs and Symbols (1948). The study uses a qualitative research method to analyze the lexical categories,
grammatical features, figures of speech, cohesive and contextual elements used in the story. Thus the study shall investigate Nabokov’s mastery of using the linguistic forms and devices to
achieve the thematic functions, cohesion, and overall context of the literary piece. From a lexical point of view, the analysis makes a thorough discussion of the major and minor
word classes used in the story. Nabokov’s word choice is dark, threatening, and somber that construct the overall motif of Signs and Symbols. The use of grammatical features in terms of syntactic types and structures (use of interrogative and exclamatory sentences) and the figurative languages (metaphor, personification and so on) serve the thematic and artistic effect of the story. Nabokov places his characters in a context wherein they are traumatized with a past and
struggle in an ominous present. The extensive use of cohesive features in the form of references and conjunctions bind the text together and provide an overall unity of the theme.

Данная монография посвящена исследованию роли антропоморфных артефактов в жизни людей и в истории человеческой культуры. Особое внимание уделено «идеологии антропоморфизма», которая позволяет использовать антропоморфные игрушки в целях «социального конструирования», то есть для формирования и развития «пространства личности» ребенка, осознания им своего «Я», противопоставленного «Другому», преодоления возрастного этапа «аутизма», формирования гендерной, социальной и этнокультурной принадлежностии желательных стандартов поведения. Автором проанализирован широкий круг источников: обрядовые, магические и религиозные практики, примеры из мемуарных, литературных и современных источников (пресса, массмедиа, реклама, кино). Основу исследования составляют материалы автора, относящиеся к русской традиции и включенные в широкий круг кросскультурных параллелей.
Книга предназначена для специалистов по социальной и культурной антропологии и будет полезна представителям смежных дисциплин — от кросскультурной психологии и философской антропологии до этнолингвистики, а также широкому кругу читателей.

The book investigates the role of anthropomorphic artifacts in people's lives and in the history of human culture. Particular attention is paid to the «ideology of anthropomorphism», which allows the use of anthropomorphic toys in «social engineering» that is, for the formation and development of the «personal space» of the child, for the awareness of his «Self» and contrasting it  with the «Other», to overcome age-stage «autism», the formation of gender, social and ethno-cultural standards of behavior. The author analyzed a wide range of sources: ritual, magic and religious practices, examples of memoir, literary and contemporary sources (press, media, advertising, cinema). The basis of the study's are materials relating to the Russian tradition, that are incorporated into a wide range of cross-cultural parallels.

Полный текст: http://static.iea.ras.ru/books/Morozov_Fenomen_Kukly.pdf

Although codes have been readily scrutinized in their literary and visual contexts standing on their own, it is worth examining the recent reappearance of the image as text. As was vital to language systems such as hieroglyphs, as well as in the import of images upon the written word in emblematic literature of the Renaissance, images have become the means by which emotions are conveyed in otherwise sparse text messages and social media posts. In comparing the modern usage of emoji – sometimes referred to as “smiley faces” in contemporary communication systems to Saussure’s conceptions of “langue” and “parole,” the quotidian system of signification of emoji will be considered as a new system of language in the advent of the technology age.

The article will demonstrate that the bee was a symbol related to goddess Artemis and how through the cult of the goddess it gradually became the official state and military symbol of Ephesos through a multidisciplinary approach that combines History, Archaeology and Entomology.

This essay examines the societal influence of the North American non-traditional Greek Letter Organizations, and more specifically the societal construction and control exercised by Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) and Latino Greek Letter Organizations (LGLOs) upon their communities. The essay begins by exploring the historical context for the development and expansion of BGLOs and LGLOs, followed by the presentation of each respective community’s academic challenges to societal success. The paper then examines the use of symbols and rituals for both groups in an effort to demonstrate the power that BGLOs and LGLOs have over the creation and maintenance of societies and communities. Without the often paradoxically destructive and constructive power of rituals and initiation processes, BGLOs and LGLOs would not be as successful in empowering students in professional achievement, which would negate their purpose by hindering the raising of the overall professional and social attainment of their respective cultural cohorts.

Roland Barthes’ Arbeiten zu Zeichen, Kommunikation und Mythos bilden einen der
Grundpfeiler für den strukturalistisch-semiologischen Ansatz der Cultural Studies, die die
soziale Welt als kulturellen, sozialen oder medialen Text verstehen und somit als ein System
von Zeichen begreifen. Das Ziel der Cultural Studies ist die Beschreibung der Sinn und
Bedeutung zuweisenden Aktivitäten des Rezipienten, die im Kommunikationsprozess den
medialen Text generieren. Die Kommunikation – also die Codierung und Decodierung
medialer Texte – orientiert sich dabei an den mythologischen und ideologischen Strukturen,
die innerhalb eines gesellschaftlichen Diskurses herrschen. So können Zeichen und Texten
auf konnotativer Ebene verschiedene Bedeutungspotenziale zukommen, die jenseits der
eigentlichen, denotativen Bedeutung liegen – man spricht hier von Polysemie bzw.
Lesevielfalt. In den kommunikativen Prozess bezieht Barthes auch Zeichensysteme der
modernen Massenkultur mit ein, wie z.B. Photographie, Film, Werbung usw. und weist sie so
als Träger mythologischer Aussagen aus. Die Ausformung seiner Semiologie als
Ideologiekritik weist auf Barthes’ tragende Rolle innerhalb der Cultural Studies hin. Durch
die Rezipienten abhängige Zuweisung von Bedeutungen rückt Bathes’ den Begriff der
Textunabhängigkeit in den Fokus seiner Untersuchungen, plädiert schließlich sogar für den
Tod des Autors um den Leser als Bedeutungsgenerator gebären zu können.