3 research outputs found
REPRESENTATIONS OF WEALTH IN ALGERIAN SOCIETY: FROM POPULAR LITERATURE AND MODERN ARTS
Get PDFAbstract : Our study explores the role of popular and modern arts as forms of intangible heritage in Algerian society, including proverbs, sayings, folk tales, modern novels, and cinematic films. These cultural products shape contemporary views of wealth and the wealthy, using a sociological approach that sees artistic and literary works as key practices with multiple interpretations. By examining representations of wealth in Algerian intangible heritage, we conclude that it reflects social relationships and community values. Literature and art help understand social conflicts, such as the rich-poor divide, with Algerian proverbs and folk tales highlighting the fleeting nature of money and the value of wisdom and hard work.
Keywords: Intangible heritage, popular arts, sociology, wealth and the wealthy, proverbs and folk tales
Society of crisis in the fictional text: a sociological reading of Algerian fiction
No full textThis article undertakes a sociological reading of three contemporary Algerian novels to assess the text as a social product indicative of social practice, where fiction casts the realities of Algerian life in a concise and highly revealing form–potentially more indicative of its intricacies and particulars than documentary forms. The novels under consideration are Dhākirat al-Māʾ (The memory of water) by Wāsīnī al-Aʿwaj; KhwayyāDaḥmān (My brother Dahman) by Mirzāq Biqṭāsh; and Al-waram (The Tumor) of Muḥammad Ṣārī. Examined are key issues in Algeria, including issues of daily life from unemployment to alienation as well as Islamic fundamentalism — to whom it appeals — and how it pertains to the apparatuses of state and Algerian nationalism and identity. As the characters in the novels constitute archetypes of Algerian society, exploration of the stories, states of mind, pressures, influences and religious, cultural, and socio-economic factors can be effectively elucidated through these. Through the narratives of the characters in the novel, one is party to what Georg Lukács and René Girard referred to as a ‘degraded search’ for authentic values in a ‘degraded world’ where the most distinguishing features of narrative content reside in the disharmony and conflict between the fictional character and the Algerian reality in which he lives. The sociological reading of these novels suggests that one of the most effective ways of comprehending Algerian reality — especially at the level of the microcosm and the internal panorama of the self in society—may actually be through the fiction of Algerian writers.</jats:p
LEVELS OF CLASS AWARENESS AND WEALTH REPRESENTATIONS AMONG A SAMPLE OF ALGERIAN UNIVERSITY YOUTH
Get PDFThe study of consciousness has represented a central issue in sociological research aimed at understanding societies, as consciousness forms the foundation of group affiliation, the adoption of its roles and functions, and even the shared representations of various societal issues. Researchers have consistently emphasized the significant role of value-based and social representations in shaping collective imaginaries and crafting perspectives on different issues among members of a single group. Based on this premise, the present study examines the levels of awareness of class affiliation in Algerian society and representations of wealth among a sample of university youth. It provides a detailed description of the degrees of awareness concerning class stratification and affiliation, along with an overview of some representations of wealth as a crucial societal issue affecting this demographic. The study also reveals certain contradictions related to the values shaping social representations of wealth among this group, opening avenues for further research in this field
