The theme of this study is a historical reconnaissance of soul music, taking into account the global context, with all the social and historical conditions that accompanied the development of the style. The main aim that the author set himself is to find sources of Polish musicians’ inspirations that can be found in American music from the 60s of the twentieth century. The main section of this paper is an attempt to define soul music and the characteristic of the style in a variety of shots – strictly musical, social, political, historical, racial and the general-culture one. The final chapter undertakes the task of showing the results of analysis of native music in terms of its membership to the style. In this section, a very broad meaning of the term ’soul’ has been assumed, which in this context is merely a reflection of the original phenomenon. The author hopes that this study will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge that soul music – both worldwide and in Poland – is an original and valuable style.
The article deals with the influence of words of African origin on the formation of American English [AE] word stock. It provides new interpretation of Africanisms and shows the significance of this part of vocabulary in determining the characteristics of the American culture. The investigation is based on the existing sources (mainly lexicographic works) and is aimed at their new structural and functional analysis. As a result of the research, it became clear that most of the words of African origin were introduced to English spoken in America in the 17th century and some in the 18th and 19th centuries. The number of words and expressions from African languages that were introduced was closely related to African Americans’ way of living, their spiritual believes, rituals and attitudes and various objects used by them such as weapons. The word stock of the English language was enriched due to the assimilation of loanwords from languages of Africans living in America. A significant contribution to AE is the great amount of words naming animals, fruit, foodstuff, names of states, rivers and lakes, cities and towns.
Claudio SalmeriFaculty of PhilologyUniversity of Silesia in Katowice Sicily, Not Italy Abstract: Since the American continent became a part of the European imagination, it has always been seen to represent freedom. Especially after 1776, when the American democratic “experiment” giving rise to the United States proved durable, America became a source of social and political inspiration to generations of Europeans and non-Europeans alike. Unsurprisingly, also in the Italian context, the catalog of ways in which American values have been “translated into Italian” and adapted to Italy’s cultural space seems to be ever-growing. Yet, even though the cultural transfer dates back to Christopher Columbus, it is especially since the outbreak of World War II that Italy has been markedly influenced by intellectual and material values generated in the US. At some point, the fascination with the US soared to such a level that, incredibly as it may sound, one of the most iconic provinces of Italy would begin to imagine itself as the forty-ninth state of the US long before Alaska and Hawaii gained their present-day status: in Sicily, the American fascination seems never to abate.
In the late 1800s masculinity as understood in the United States’ urban northeast underwent a major transformation as the preceding emphasis upon decorum and civility gave way to a new ideal based on masculine health and fitness. This thesis seeks to demonstrate the significant role that Eugen Sandow, a Prussian born strongman who rose to international fame at the turn of the century, played in this masculine transformation. Sandow rose to stardom alongside theatre impresario Florenz Ziegfeld and used that stardom to revolutionize American manhood. Sandow was a performer, an athlete, and marketing genius. These three distinct identities coalesced to allow Sandow the opportunity to inspire a nation.
The main objective of the research is to use “Journey’s End”, the 1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode as an example of the 1990s American text that addresses the issue of Native Americans, their problems, history and needs. The quoted episode tries to address those questions in a respectful way; however, it tends to exchange one stereotype of Native American for another, doing very little justice to North American Indians. Additionally, “Journey’s End” will be compared to other contemporary texts that focused on similar themes, with a discussion on influence of these texts on modern American society and its approach to its own history and to Native Americans in general.
The article presents the results of research conducted in the years 2003 - 2005 among the students of English Philology in Warsaw, Poznań, Lublin, Białystok, Zamość, Chełm and Biala Podlaska. The quantitative part of the research consisted of a questionnaire “Preferences in the perception of culture among Polish students of English,” which was completed by 440 respondents, while the qualitative part included 25 semi - structured personal interviews. The main aim of the study was to determine the students’ linguistic and cultural preferences for British and American culture in the context of Polish and European culture. Moreover, the article attempts to answer the question to what extent the perception of Anglo-American culture is caused by the student’s personal preferences and to what extent it is a consequence of being taught Anglo - American culture at the English departments. A relatively high rate of the answers indicating stereotypical attitudes to Anglo - American culture seems to suggest that it is the personal preferences and extra - curricular activities rather than classes devoted to British and American culture that have larger influence on the reception of Anglo - American culture among the students of English Philology.
This article presents a selection of Czesław Miłosz comments on American culture, economy and politics during his diplomatic service in the United States in the years 1946-1950. They were formulated in his postwar correspondence as well as in a series of articles “Life in USA”, which he published under a pseudonym of Jan M. Nowak in Odrodzenie from 1946 to 1947
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Recenzja książki traktującej o jednej z największych oficyn komiksowych na świecie, a zarazem jednym z tych wydawnictw, które były nie tyle wyznacznikiem pewnych zmian w kulturze amerykańskiej, ile wręcz ją kształtowały. Publikacja oparta na ponad stu oryginalnych wywiadach analizuje mechanizmy działania przemysłu komiksowego i przedstawia jeden z najbardziej niezwykłych i uwielbianych popkulturowych symboli w historii Ameryki.
EN
Review of a book on one of the largest comic book publishing houses in the world. Marvel Comics was one of those publishers whose books not only reflected changes in American culture, but virtually shaped it. The publication is based on more than a hundred original interviews. It analyzes mechanisms of the comic book industry and describes one of the most unique and beloved pop culture symbols in American history.
This work analyses the process of appellativisation of the “Karen” eponym functioning in American slang. The formation of inflected words may have various grounds and reasons, but in the case of the chosen example, we are dealing with a phrase that illustrates more than one sociological phenomenon. By examining the definition of the word “Karen”, it is possible to identify three spheres of American life that are subject to many tensions and emotional reactions. The first of them is the economic and social sphere, associated with high social stratification. Another is the problem of racial tolerance that is still present, especially the demonization of African Americans. The last element to be discussed is the pandemic and its impact on American society.
PL
Niniejsza praca poddaje analizie proces apelatywizacji eponimu Karen funkcjonującego w slangu amerykańskim. Powstawanie wyrazów odimiennych może mieć różne podłoża i różne przyczyny, jednak w przypadku wybranego przykładu mamy do czynienia ze zwrotem ilustrującym więcej niż jedno zjawisko socjologiczne. Badając definicję słowa Karen, można wskazać na trzy sfery życia Amerykanów, które podlegają wielu napięciom i emocjonalnym reakcjom. Pierwszą z nich sfera ekonomiczno-społeczna, związana z dużym rozwarstwieniem społecznym. Kolejną jest wciąż obecny problem z tolerancją rasową, a zwłaszcza demonizowaniem Afroamerykanów. Ostatnim omawianym elementem jest pandemia i jej wpływ na społeczeństwo amerykańskie.
The following article presents the history of Japanese jazz from the first musical contacts to contemporary successes and problems of the jazz music market. For the development and evolution of jazz in Japan, an important role was played by the presence of American military forces in the Philippines (even before the post-war occupation of Japan), which as an American dependent territory had the opportunity to remain in cultural contacts with the United States, where jazz was born at the beginning of the 20th century and became one of the most popular forms of music. Beside the contact with Filipino musicians, who were the first from whom the Japanese learned jazz, the establishment and development of jazz cafes (jazzu-kissa) were also important for the development of jazz in the Land of the Cherry Blossom, which played a huge role in the strengthening the interest in jazz and the shaping of musical tastes. The article also shows the influence of jazz on the formation of a modern, American-based lifestyle of middle-class representatives in Japan. In addition, the article discusses the complex issue of the authenticity of Japanese jazz in relation to American jazz and the influence of world-famous Japanese musicians, such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, on overcoming a given stereotype. The aim of the article is to show the universality and at the same time the locality of contemporary Japanese jazz as well as to show what the specificity of jazz in Japan is.
Lawn has been used for landscaping, gardening, and beautification of homes and cities for a long time. The evolution of the lawn reflects important cultural and biophysical interactions between humans and nature. The American lawn, which was from Europe and has been a part of the American dream for home ownership and culture, has become an area going against nature for its extensively using chemicals and generated pollutions. Tracing how the lawn is becoming an important part of culture, this article focuses on more recent pollution and other environmental problems resulted from the lawn culture. It is argued, that awareness, education and changing culture of taste and preference can serve additional measures together with law and technological advancement toward sustainable lawn in the United States and the world.
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Trawnik już o dawna był używany w kształtowaniu krajobrazu, ogrodnictwie i upiększaniu domów. Ewolucja trawników odzwierciedla istotne kulturowe i biofizyczne interakcje pomiędzy ludźmi i przyrodą. Trawnik trafił do Ameryki z Europy i stał się częścią amerykańskiego snu o własności i kulturze domu. Później stał się on jednak obszarem przeciwstawiającym się naturze z uwagi na intensywnie stosowanie substancji chemicznych i generowanie zanieczyszczeń. Wykazując, w jaki sposób trawnik staje się ważną częścią kultury, ten artykuł skupia się na bardziej aktualnych kwestiach zanieczyszczeń i innych problemów środowiskowych. Wykształcenie świadomości, zmieniającą się kultura smaku i preferencje, łącznie z prawem i technologią, mogą stanowić dodatkowe środki prowadzące w kierunku zrównoważonego kształtowania trawników w Stanach Zjednoczonych i na świecie.
Ziel des Artikels ist es, einige Aspekte der Diskussion über die Dauerhaftigkeit und Bedeutung puritanischer Werte im zeitgenössischen Leben der Amerikaner. Die Frage nach dem Einfluss des theologisch-sozialen Denkens des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts auf das Wertesystem zu Beginn der kolonialen und dann staatlichen Realität der Vereinigten Staaten ist einer der bedeutendsten Fäden ihrer Geschichtsschreibung und sozialen Reflexion. Positionen zu diesem Thema entwickelten und erlangten Anerkennung auf verschiedene Weise, in der Regel zentriert um den Glauben an die Existenz dieses Einflusses, unterschiedlich in ihren Ansichten über die Bedeutung seiner einzelnen Elemente und ihre Vitalität. Der Autor vertritt den Standpunkt, dass puritanische Ideale einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf die amerikanische Gesellschaft hatten und zu einer der stärksten Säulen der amerikanischen historischen und kulturellen Identität wurden. Ausgehend von der Charakteristik des Puritanismus, die sich auf wichtige Aspekte der Theologie (Bündnistheologie oder Bundestheologie) bezieht, konzentriert sich die Analyse auf solche Merkmale wie individuelle Freiheit und Eigenständigkeit, Antiautoritarismus, Mitverantwortung mit Elementen der Demokratie und die Wertschätzung von Bildung.
EN
The paper aims to present some aspects of the discussion OF the durability and significance of Puritan values in contemporary life of Americans. The issue of the influence of the 17th-century theological and social thought on the system of values, the colonial at the beginning and then the state reality of the United States, has been one of the most vital themes in their historiography and social reflection. Positions on the matter developed and gained recognition in various ways, but they usually centered around the belief in the existence of the influence, differing in their estimation of the importance of its individual elements and their vitality over the time. The author takes the view that Puritan ideals have significantly influenced American society, becoming one of the strongest pillars of the American historical and cultural identity. Starting with a characterisation of some important aspects of the theology of Puritanism (covenant or federal theology), the analysis focuses on its features such as individual freedom and self-reliance, anti-authoritarianism, co-responsibility with elements of democracy, and respect for education.
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Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie niektórych aspektów dyskusji na temat trwałości i znaczenia wartości purytańskich we współczesnym życiu Amerykanów. Kwestia oddziaływania XVII-wiecznej myśli teologiczno-społecznej na system wartości na początku kolonialnej, a potem państwowej rzeczywistości Stanów Zjednoczonych jest jednym z istotniejszych wątków ich historiografii i refleksji społecznej. Stanowiska w tej sprawie rozwijały się i zdobywały uznanie w różny sposób, zwykle skupiając się wokół wiary w istnienie tego oddziaływania, różniąc się poglądem na znaczenie poszczególnych jego elementów i ich żywotność. Autor stoi na stanowisku, że ideały purytańskie wywarły znaczący wpływ na społeczeństwo amerykańskie, stając się jednym z najsilniejszych filarów amerykańskiej tożsamości historycznej i kulturowej. Począwszy od charakterystyki purytanizmu, odwołującej się do ważnych aspektów teologii (teologia przymierza lub federalna), analiza koncentruje się na takich cechach, jak indywidualna wolność i samodzielność, antyautorytaryzm, współodpowiedzialność z elementami demokracji i dowartościowanie edukacji.
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