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Visualizations of cross-cultural bibliographic classification: comparative studies of the Korean Decimal Classification and the Dewey Decimal Classification
Get PDFThe changes in KO systems induced by sociocultural influences may include those in both classificatory principles and cultural features. The proposed study will examine the Korean Decimal Classification (KDC)’s adaptation of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) by comparing the two systems. This case manifests the sociocultural influences on KOSs in a cross-cultural context. Therefore, the study aims at an in- depth investigation of sociocultural influences by situating a KOS in a cross-cultural environment and examining the dynamics between two classification systems designed to organize information resources in two distinct sociocultural contexts. As a preceding stage of the comparison, the analysis was conducted on the changes that result from the meeting of different sociocultural feature in a descriptive method. The analysis aims to identify variations between the two schemes in comparison of the knowledge structures of the two classifications, in terms of the quantity of class numbers that represent concepts and their relationships in each of the individual main classes. The most effective analytic strategy to show the patterns of the comparison was visualizations of similarities and differences between the two systems. Increasing or decreasing tendencies in the class through various editions were analyzed. Comparing the compositions of the main classes and distributions of concepts in the KDC and DDC discloses the differences in their knowledge structures empirically. This phase of quantitative analysis and visualizing techniques generates empirical evidence leading to interpretation
Structural (In)visibility: Possible Effects of Constructing a Controlled Vocabulary in a Niche Domain
Get PDFThe paper explores the challenges and implications that arose during the construction of a controlled vocabulary in an emerging, non-structured domain. It discusses the difficulty of defining a domain with evolving and intersectional boundaries, and how Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language may aid designers in properly representing a domain’s hierarchy when multiple language games are present. It also discusses adaptation of standard construction procedures to maintain domain representation. The analysis focuses on the potential effects that constructing such a controlled vocabulary could cause in the future evolution of that domain
MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY IN INDONESIA: RESOURCES, THREATS, AND CURRENT INTEGRATED RESEARCH
Get PDFWith a sea area covering two thirds of the country, 95,181 km of coastline, and its location at a crossroads of international seafaring and trading routes, Indonesia has developed over time a wealthy maritime and underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in the form of shipwrecks, aircraft wreckages, and other maritime sites. This paper will present the potential of maritime archaeology in Indonesia; current issues and legislations in researching, preserving and managing UCH sites; and present the various threats assessed through a number of studies conducted by the Ministry of MarineAffairs and Fisheries. It will also looks at approaches in implementing integrated and comprehensive maritime archeologyresearch involving a wide range of relevant expertise to meet the challenges of research in identifying and responding to the threats, both natural and human, faced today byUCH sites. Nowadays, maritime archaeological research in Indonesia is oriented toward marine heritage tourism. The denomination of sites as marine conservation areas protected by national legislation is an integral part of maritime archaeological research and a crucial strategy of the Ministry in the hope that these sites be used as a tool for poverty alleviation and the improvement of the local community's livelihood
MARITIME TREASURES OFF THE MALAY PENINSULA
No full textThe Malay Peninsula –or what is present day West/Peninsular Malaysia – shores are flanked on either side by the South China Sea on the east and the Straits of Malacca (Melaka) on the west, both essentially important sea-borne passages between the East and the West. By the first millennium BCE and the early part of the first millennium CE the Malay Peninsula possessed trading sites on the lower reaches of rivers and along the coasts. Complementing the peninsula’s strategic location was the seasonal monsoonal pattern that facilitated the comings and goings of merchant fleets enabling long-distant seaborne trade to develop. The peninsula acted as a ‘connector’ for the confluence of traders from East Asia to interact with counterparts from South and West Asia and within Southeast Asia. The Straits of Malacca was a pivotal passage of the Maritime Silk Route. A multitude of natural elements and man-made disasters (warfare in particular) resulted in shipwrecks in the Straits and the South China Sea. This paper shall revisit the beginnings of maritime archaeology in Malaysia, ascertain the players and the contemporary playing field, the benefits of this endeavour, look towards its developments, and envisage its future directions.
A STUDY OF TRADITIONAL MORTUARY PRACTICES OF THE JAINTIAS OF MEGHALAYA, INDIA
Get PDFThe uses of megaliths have been mentioned as many since the Neolithic period. Some of its uses are still in practice in some living communities today. The use of such stones in burial practices is one of its most identifiable continual traits. This paper discusses the traditional mortuary practices of the tribal Jaintias of Meghalaya, India. It compares the mortuary practices prevalent among the Jaintias living in two different geographical locations within the Jaintia Hills District, but at a distance of 36 kms from each other.Jaintias are one of the tribes of northeast India who practice the megalithic traditions in various ways like commemorative, burial, ceremonial etc. Stones like menhir, dolmen, cist, capstones etc. are found in different locations in Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, India. Among these stones, deposition of the deceased’s bones in cist burials is one of the main practices which continue till today. In this paper we will discuss the different practices connected to these cist burials, the reasons thereof, and the changes that have taken place. While comparing the practices prevalent in two locations (inhabited by the same people) we conclude that spatial distance within the same group also aids in an intra-group difference. Keywords: megalith, mortuary practices, Jaintias, Niamtre, Christianity
INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL ISSUE: PAPERS FROM THE SESSION ON MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE INDO-PACIFIC PREHISTORIC ASSOCIATION 2014 CONFERENCE
No full textCompared to other fields of study, maritime archaeology is relatively new to a world of archaeological studies that have up to now mostly focused on land resources. Often, waterways are perceived by archaeologists as barriers between communities, and the seas are seen as delimiting nation’s boundaries; their use by ancient communities is often oversimplified in archaeological theories. In other cases where the role of water bodies is mentioned, fundamental factors such as trade winds, currents, nautical technology and seafaring capacities are not examined thoroughly. For the maritime archaeologists, these are at the core of their approach. Shipwrecks are not the sole focus of the maritime archaeologists, whose aim is to apprehend maritime material culture from a maritime perspective
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF BOATS OF CENTRAL VIETNAM
Get PDFDespite a growing academic literature on maritime trade, shipping and navigation in the South China Sea, there is little information about how local societies negotiated their maritime environment, or how it influenced their daily life. This is most particularly the case for Vietnam, often considered through its history as an agrarian state. Nonetheless, with a coastline of over 3400 km located along a major shipping route between Malacca and China, Vietnam has a long lasting historical connection with its maritime environment and an exceptional boat diversity. Yet again, little is known about local boatbuilding traditions, boat use, seafaring skills and navigation, related maritime activities, about the organisation and role of the many harbours that dotted the coast of central Vietnam.As a step in the development of maritime archaeology in Vietnam, a combined approach in the research of archives and ethnography can contribute to build up knowledge about maritime aspects of life in Vietnam, and can also provide context and understanding for potential maritime archaeological finds. At the same time it can push the boundaries of maritime archaeologists to incite research that goes beyond nautical technology
EATING IDENTITY: AN EXPLORATION OF FIJIAN FOODWAYS IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PAST
Get PDFI argue that group identity may be used to address fundamental anthropological concepts that are critical for understanding Pacific Island peoples and their cultures from a long-term perspective. Specifically, I explore foodways as a locus of archaeological material culture through the theoretical lens of materiality. I examine archaeological and ethnographic data that illuminate foodways in the Fiji Islands. The archaeological information derives from four islands and a variety of coastal sites across the Fiji archipelago. I illustrate that in both the past and present food, zooarchaeological remains, and associated material culture may be used to understand social changes and identity as expressed in eating behaviors and patterns in archaeological fauna. By using materiality and a broad comparative frame of reference archaeologists may better understand what it means to be Fijian
