POST-MODERN CULTURE AS A SOCIAL LOGIC OF NEOLIBERAL CAPITALISM

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The aim of this paper is to explore the relation between changes in the economic sphere and the
emergence of postmodern culture during the twentieth century. After examining Jameson’s and
Harvey’s (neo)Marxist attempts at explaining the emergence of postmodern culture, the paper will
focus on Foucault’s contribution to the analysis of neoliberalism. Using Foucault’s analysis of neoliberalism as a “governmental regime” that creates systems of power relations to govern subjects, the
paper further explores the postmodern culture as a cultural dimension of this regime. In conclusion,
postmodern culture can be viewed as a cultural dimension of neoliberalism because it contributes to
the creation of subjects that correspond to the needs of the regime. Therefore, postmodern culture
will be called “the social logic of neoliberalism”.

HEGEL’S TOTALITY AS A NECESSARY CHALLENGE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ACHIEVING INTERCULTURALISM

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The paper presents a polemical examination of the possibility of achieving interculturalism in the
context of Hegel’s totality, as the truth and the state of the modern world. In considering this problem, we start from the basic concepts of Hegel’s philosophy of Spirit, with the aim of providing
insight into the key problems of totality in the Hegel’s philosophical system. The dialectical relationship that operates within the Hegel’s system of Spirit is considered, and the question of the philosophy of history is opened as a specific way of thinking about historical movement that directs us to
re-examine the possibility of achieving interculturality in the modern global society. Overcoming
the current historical totality – global capitalism, requires a re-confrontation with Hegel’s philosophy and setting of a dialectic that exists at the core of the world in which we live. Also, the paper offers an attempt to consider alternative actions, steps towards the realization of the idea and practice
of interculturality and the development of a dialectical response to the perverted Hegelian totality
that marks the present.

INTRODUCTION

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TRIVO INĐIĆ (1938–2020)

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OLIVIA DE HAVILEND (1916–2020)

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TOWARDS CULTURAL REVIVAL

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THE ROLE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN THE DIGITAL MEDIA CULTURE AND STENGHTENING OF DIGITAL IMMUNITY

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The public health emergency and the proclaimed state of the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus have led to the biggest world crisis since World War II. With the introduction of quarantine measures in spring 2020, the digital transformation has accelerated in many societies and the importance of media and information literacy in these new circumstances has been clearly emphasized. The pandemic has changed the information and media habits of the citizens, work from home was introduced, online school classes became mandatory, and an uprise of e-commerce reflected the new reality. The digital space has become oversaturated with informative, educational, commercial contents and many cultural institutions and international organizations have made their cultural heritage accessible online. Interaction in the public digital space has became more and more intense, and critical thinking stood out as a necessity for strengthening the digital immunity of each individual as well as the society. The pandemia was followed by infodemia. The information channels used by citizens point to a certain re-examination of the new digital media culture, the very concept of media as well as the accompanying regulations and media policy. The findings of the paper draw attention to the media and information literacy policy framework in Serbia, and review a set of activities that the Ministry of Culture and Media has been conducting over the past two years on both national and international level. It describes the correlation between the framework and the practice and depicts the trends in the international policy in this field. The paper focuses on the strategic vision and provides information throughout the two year period on setting up of the holistic 360 approach and setting up media literacy network of stakeholders with the aim of strengthening advocacy and developing of the media literacy field.

DOES CULTURAL PARTICIPATION MAKE US HAPPIER?

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Research on the contribution of leisure activities in general and specifically cultural participation to personal wellbeing represents a relatively new and promising line of research. Results, however, are mixed – partly due to various definitions and measures of key variables, as well as their complexity and many confounding variables. This research was conducted on a sample representative for the general population of Serbia (N=1521). As potential predictors of wellbeing, we investigated a number of socio-demographic variables (gender, age, education level, employment status, financial status), subjective health status, and a list of leisure activities selected based on past research from leisure and cultural participation paradigms. A principal component analysis revealed six latent dimensions of leisure activities that were labeled as:1) cultural participation (in a strict sense), 2) movies & entertainment,3) folk & family, 4) outdoor activities, 5) sport, 6) e-books & e-news. A stepwise linear regression showed that subjective happiness was best predicted by a higher subjective health status, higher financial status, and higher education level, while from the domain of leisure activities, significant positive predictors were ‘folk & family’, ‘outdoor activities’, and ‘cultural participation’ components. Results are discussed in light of the complexity of examined phenomena, as well as practical implications for policy decision making.

TALKABLE THINGS

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One of today’s most influential definitions of the concept of the work of art comes from the American philosopher and art critic Arthur Danto. Danto says, in order to be a work of art, an artefact must (1) be about something and (2) embody its meaning. Many authors have criticized this definition, one of those being Noël Carroll, who gives examples of objects that are not works of art but meet the requirements of Danto’s definition. One possible answer to this criticism is offered in this essay. It offers an understanding of the objects from Carroll’s examples (and similar objects) as aesthetized, i.e. specifically shaped to partially cause an aesthetic reaction. Taking this into account, the entire area of human productivity is shown as a continuum within which some objects carry “more” or “less” aesthetic quality