Masaryk University Journals / Časopisy Masarykovy univerzity
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The ideological dilemmas of Russian chroniclers
No full textThis article examines the medieval ideology of Rus', which began to take shape in the late 10th century during the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Its origins are closely tied to the process of Christianization. Ideological themes were disseminated through multiple channels to reach the widest possible audience. For the literate, ideas were conveyed through texts, while visual media – such as icons, coins, seals, paintings, and monumental architecture – served to communicate with the largely illiterate population. The authors challenge the commonly held view that ideology in medieval Rus' was merely a tool for political manipulation. They argue that the letopisi were not always commissioned by ruling princes, suggesting a more complex and nuanced relationship between ideology and political power. Given that chroniclers were primarily members of the clergy, they possessed a deep understanding of the importance of accuracy and truthfulness in their records. The study of ideology in the Middle Ages presents challenges due to the varying interpretations of the term ideology. The authors propose that in this historical context, ideology functioned as a moral guidebook, shaping values, uniting society, and providing behavioural models for specific circumstances. This contrasts with the modern perception of ideology as primarily a means of propaganda or manipulation
Alexander of Tver and efforts to establish an eparchy in Pskov
No full textAfter rebellion against the Tatars which took place in Tver in 1327, the local knyaz' Alexander had to flee from his principality. His place of refuge was Pskov, located in the north-west of Rus'. But even there, Alexander was not safe because Tatar's khan and muscovite prince wanted to catch and punish him. The people of Pskov declared Alexander their ruler and did not intend to hand him over to his enemies. In this situation, metropolitan Thognost spoke against Pskov and Alexander and threatened them with excommunication. The decision of the hierarch aroused the church separatism of Pskov, and Alexander, together with his ally Gediminas, began an activity to establish a new bishopric in Pskov. This article, based on the source information, presents the circumstances in which emerged plan to create a new eparchy. Discussing this problem the author focused on the figure of prince Alexander and pointed to his role in the whole matter
Архитектурные истоки высокого русского иконостаса
No full textThis article traces the architectural evolution of the high Russian iconostasis from its Byzantine origins to its canonical form in the 15th century. Challenging earlier views that treat its development as static, the study identifies six key stages, emphasizing the rapid transformation of altar screens in Novgorod, Pskov, and Moscow. The author argues that the high iconostasis emerged from the convergence of three traditions: the enlargement of icons (a Russian innovation), the multiplication of icon tiers (from Constantinople), and the closure of altar screens with solid walls (influenced by Latin West via the Balkans)
Päť autorov, päť rôznych textov : nová publikácia o (medzi)priestoroch súčasnej literatúry
No full textOn the interaction of some mirative markers in Italian
No full textThis paper explores the syntactic and semantic properties of some mirative strategies in Italian, and their possibility to co-occur without producing any redundancy in the utterance. By proposing a specific setting and an event that triggers the speaker's unprepared mind, we analyse the nature of some (syntactic) markers used to convey mirativity, from Ethical and Conversational Datives, to GO and TAKE periphrases, to the expletive negation within a rhetorical question, first individually and then in some combinations. We build a featural geometry to explain why markers of different origins can yield a mirative interpretation. We assign a +ZONAL feature to the markers in question, which represents a semantic space tied to the speaker's expectations. Lastly, we investigate the issue of why mirative obliques might be featurally more complex than other markers. We conclude that the acceptable stackability of two or more mirative markers depends on the fact that mirativity is a pragmatic inference arising as a byproduct of the manipulation of the speaker's expectations
New wilderness and compost : storied matter in contemporary Czech literature
No full textThe study explores the reflection of material ecocriticism and the concept of the new wilderness in contemporary Czech literature, specifically in Flora (2024) by Jonáš Zbořil and Vypravěč (2022) by Anna Bolavá. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of fourth-wave ecocriticism (storied matter, the agency of matter), intra-action (Karen Barad) and sympoiesis (Donna Haraway), the study analyses how both works thematise the complex intersections of the human and the nonhuman, the natural and the cultural, the animate and the inanimate. Particular attention is paid to the agency of nonhuman entities, the motifs of new life forms emerging from the intersection of the natural and man-made environments (Flora), and the metaphorical and material significance of compost as a site that preserves and transforms the past, memories, and guilt (The Narrator)
From stylistics to poetics : What (else) does stylistics offer to literary science?
No full textStylistics is inevitably an overlapping and borderline discipline, using not only its own terminology and methods but also concepts from other disciplines. The links of stylistics to poetics or rhetoric are ambiguously evaluated among theorists. Whether linguistically or literary-scientifically orien-ted, with its interest in the compositional principles and expressive means of a work (singular style) as well as in the expressive constants of its productor (individual style), stylistics stands at the foundation of the philological approach to literary texts. Attention to the language and style of literary works varies among different schools of literary studies and individual scholars. This paper reviews the competencies as well as the (current) possibilities and limits of stylistics within the field of literary science, recapitulating the central concepts of stylistics, and their role in the description, analysis and interpretation of specific texts
Class, Power, and Knowledge: Toward a Broader Framework of Epistemic Justice
Full text linkIn examining epistemic injustice as outlined by Fricker, I highlight its conceptual shortcomings and propose a synthesis that includes class-based inequalities. Philosophical ideas and sociological theories share similar notions of power, as found in Foucault’s analysis, Fricker’s concept of epistemic justice, and Marxist critical theories. Yet discourse on epistemic injustice too often neglects the experiences of subordinated social classes, necessitating a framework that acknowledges how they are excluded.
While most research focuses on colonialism, ethnicity, and gender, class remains underexplored. Fricker argues that certain groups face discrimination through the availability of limited conceptual resources, stigmatization, and marginalization. This hinders their understanding of political conditions. If class epistemic injustice is widely condemned, do we also grant credibility to manual workers and those living in precarious circumstances?
Deliberative democracy presupposes rational communication and consensus on discussion rules, but these can exclude subjugated classes lacking the education that transmits dominant communicative skills. Consequently, they remain marginalized. A political-sociological approach would address structural inequalities and highlight the ways dominant classes sustain privilege. By acknowledging and integrating the contributions of all social class, we can build more equitable frameworks that advance our understanding of epistemic injustice across the board
