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Reading the Social in American Literary Naturalism: Theodore Dreiser and Sergei Dinamov
Get PDFThis essay examines notions of “society,” and the “social,” terms that have carried powerful charges in debates over literary naturalism, yet whose meaning is more complex than is often granted in literary critical discourse. After a brief introductory discussion of Theodore Dreiser’s short story “Will You Please Walk Into My Parlor?” it particularizes the “social” in Dreiser’s work through the lens of the nation, primarily by close attention to the writings of Sergei Sergeevitch Dinamov (1901-1939). A Russian literary critic interested in Dreiser’s depiction of the U.S.A. as one possible modernity, Dinamov became both a critical friend to Dreiser and a prime mediator of his work to the U.S.S.R. in the 1920s and 1930s. The essay draws upon the two men’s private correspondence, and translations of Dinamov’s critical prefaces to Dreiser’s works, to delineate his reading of Dreiser in its national and historical terms. On the one hand, it calls attention to Dinamov’s acuity and integrity as a reader and critic, and to the lively debates over literature, society, and politics taking place in the letters he exchanged with Dreiser. On the other hand, it demonstrates symmetries and parallels in Dreiser’s critical reception in the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., which both add to our understanding of historical debates over literature and politics, and help explain the continuingly troublesome nature of literary naturalism
Translating Between the Lines:The Rape of Constance Mauduit and Histories of Violation
No full textThis article illuminates the life of Constance Mauduit, a twelfth-century Anglo-Norman heiress, patron and rape victim, while problematizing the modern historiography around her. Drawing on feminist theory and gender history, the article recasts her life (and assault) by centring her experiences, elucidating wider social concerns with violent disruptions – actual and metaphorical – to social and spatial hierarchies. Constance’s experiences are finally drawn as important beyond this singular life as her rape speaks of sexual violence in warfare in the period, a topic that needs much more study, particularly as medieval records of sexual violence can be difficult to discern
Negativity bias in the spread of voter fraud conspiracy theory tweets during the 2020 US election
Get PDFDuring the 2020 US presidential election, conspiracy theories about large-scale voter fraud were widely circulated on social media platforms. Given their scale, persistence, and impact, it is critically important to understand the mechanisms that caused these theories to spread. The aim of this preregistered study was to investigate whether retweet frequencies among proponents of voter fraud conspiracy theories on Twitter during the 2020 US election are consistent with frequency bias and/or content bias. To do this, we conducted generative inference using an agent-based model of cultural transmission on Twitter and the Voter-Fraud2020 dataset. The results show that the observed retweet distribution is consistent with a strong content bias causing users to preferentially retweet tweets with negative emotional valence. Frequency information appears to be largely irrelevant to future retweet count. Follower count strongly predicts retweet count in a simpler linear model but does not appear to drive the overall retweet distribution after temporal dynamics are accounted for. Future studies could apply our methodology in a comparative framework to assess whether content bias for emotional valence in conspiracy theory messages differs from other forms ofinformation on social media
The effects of manipulating the visual environment on thermal perception: A structured narrative review
No full textWhen exposed to ambient temperatures that cause thermal discomfort, a human's behavioral responses are more effective than autonomic ones at compensating for thermal imbalance. These behavioral thermal responses are typically directed by an individual's perception of the thermal environment. Perception of the environment is a holistic amalgamation of human senses, and in some circumstances, humans prioritize visual information. Existing research has considered this in the specific case of thermal perception, and this review investigates the state of the literature examining this effect. We identify the frameworks, research rationales, and potential mechanisms that underpin the evidence base in this area. Our review identified 31 experiments, comprising 1392 participants that met the inclusion criteria. Methodological heterogeneity was observed in the assessment of thermal perception, and a variety of methods were employed to manipulate the visual environment. However, the majority of the included experiments (80%) reported a difference in thermal perception after the visual environment was manipulated. There was limited research exploring any effects on physiological variables (e.g. skin and core temperature). This review has wide-ranging implications for the broad discipline of (thermo)physiology, psychology, psychophysiology, neuroscience, ergonomics, and behavior.</p
Curious about threats: Morbid curiosity and interest in conspiracy theories
Get PDFConspiracy theories allege secret plots between two or more powerful actors to achieve an outcome, sometimes explaining important events or proposing alternative understandings of reality in opposition to mainstream accounts, and commonly highlight the threat presented by the plot and its conspirators. Research in psychology proposes that belief in conspiracy theories is motivated by a desire to understand threats and is predicted by increased anxiety. Morbid curiosity describes the tendency to seek out information about threatening or dangerous situations, is associated with an interest in threat-related entertainment and increased anxiety. Across three studies we investigated the relationship between morbid curiosity and conspiracy theories in US-bases samples. We found that higher trait morbid curiosity was associated with higher general conspiracist beliefs (Study 1) and the perceived threat of conspiratorial explanations of events (Study 2). Using a behavioural choice paradigm, we found that participants who chose to investigate morbidly curious stimuli were more likely to choose to learn about conspiratorial explanations for events (Study 3). Greater curiosity about the minds of dangerous people was consistently the strongest predictor of conspiratorial ideation and interest. These results suggest that morbid curiosity is an important but hitherto unstudied predictor of conspiratorial interest and belief
The Societal Value of the Modern Zoo: A Commentary on How Zoos Can Positively Impact on Human Populations Locally and Globally
No full textModern zoos and aquariums have evolved greatly since the end of the Second World War, to become centres of conservation excellence and scientific institutions for the study of animal behaviour, ecology, husbandry management. Whilst the impact of zoos and aquariums to biodiversity conservation, population management and advancement of species care is well documented, their positive impacts on society (including the communities that they are located within) is less well known. The four established aims of the modern zoo—Conservation, Education, Recreation (Engagement) and Research—provide a strong foundation for wider review and critique of the societal value of zoos and aquariums. This article synthesises what such value may be, and how it could be measured, from a systematic review of the literature pertaining to each of these four established aims. It also recommends areas of future scientific inquiry to further study the wider impact of zoos on their local communities and on human populations and behaviour more generally. Including Wellbeing as a fifth aim of the modern zoo would also cement their wider societal value. Further scrutiny of the societal value of the modern zoo enhances the value of the zoo’s living collection and the green spaces that it manages to provide accessibility to biodiversity and nature-centric education essential to long-term, planetary friendly human behaviour change
Mackenna, John [Juan] (1771–1814)
No full textThis is a short biography of John [Juan] Mackenna (1771–1814) published in the "Individuals" section of the online platform of the AHRC-University of Winchester research network project 'The Hispanic-Anglosphere: transnational networks, global communities (late 18th-early 20th centuries)
Organizational Nostalgia: The Construct, the Scale and its Implications for Organizational Functioning
Get PDFOrganizational nostalgia – a sentimental longing for past events in, and aspects of, one's organizational life – is a commonly experienced but poorly understood emotion. Qualitative research has explored how it helps employees cope with threat. Here, we examine its motivational properties. Building on the job demands–resources model, we hypothesized that organizational nostalgia – assessed with a newly developed and validated scale – predicts (in-role and extra-role) job performance, creativity and support for organizational change. Study 1 showcased the development of the Organizational Nostalgia Scale. We proceeded to hypothesize that work engagement, via need satisfaction, mediates the above-mentioned positive relations, and tested these hypotheses in three additional studies. In Study 2, a multi-source design with leader–follower dyads, leader organizational nostalgia was associated with increased leader organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), as rated by followers. In Study 3, a lagged correlational design with employees, organizational nostalgia positively predicted OCB via work engagement. Finally, in Study 4, a lagged correlational design, organizational nostalgia predicted increased in-role performance, creativity and support for organizational change. These associations were serially mediated by need satisfaction and work engagement. We conclude that organizational nostalgia has motivational implications. Our research affords a theoretical framework for the emotion and the means (i.e. a scale) to study it.</p