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Read more about the article Article: The film “Noah” (2014) as an Environmental Cinematic Midrash
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Feminism gender and sex / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / Popular culture and mass media

Article: The film “Noah” (2014) as an Environmental Cinematic Midrash

The film Noah (2014) is a cinematic Midrash. What does this mean? That it creatively interprates the biblical story of Noah anew, fills in existing gaps in the story, and striving at delivering an ideological message. This article surveys the sources of inspiration integrated in the film - from the sages' midrash to Zen Buddhism stories, and explains the film creators' interpretative choises and their message.

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December 1, 2022
Read more about the article Article: “Not Your Grandmother’s Bible”—A Comparative Study of the Biblical Deluge Myth in Film
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Critical theory / Disputation or conflict / Feminism gender and sex / History / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / Popular culture and mass media / Science/medicine and technology / Typology and comparative study

Article: “Not Your Grandmother’s Bible”—A Comparative Study of the Biblical Deluge Myth in Film

Do you know the story of Noah and the deluge? Well, every generation had its interpretations and versions of the story. And when the deluge is retold - they actually talk of a humanity worthy of annihilation. Why? Every commentator has its own explanation, where lies criticism of the society they live in or encounter. The deluge as presented in current cinema isn't the flood as depicted in old traditions, since the story continues to evolve and get renewed. In this comparative study, we've surveyed Hollywood films that present the deluge iver the last century - in each of them the humanity is presented as facing annihilation, while offering an a current critic. Recently, for instance, the deluge myth is linked to the ecological discourse.

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November 30, 2022
Read more about the article Article: The Dynamics of a Cultural Struggle in Academia – The Case of New Age Music Research
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Critical theory / Disputation or conflict / Education and higher education / Methodology and models / Popular culture and mass media / Postmodernism / Science/medicine and technology

Article: The Dynamics of a Cultural Struggle in Academia – The Case of New Age Music Research

The academia is a cultural player, and when it deals with a culturally controversial issue - the academic discourse actually plays a role in the cultural game and struggle between forces. This article - dealing with New Age Music - is a product of a scholarly cooperation between Omri and Marianna Ruah-Midbar, as a crossroad of their sceintific interests. It was published in Berkeley University's journal - Cultural Analysis.

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November 30, 2022
Read more about the article Article: Worldviews in the Film “Noah” – Hedonism, Fundamentalism, and Ecofeminism
Art (music\film\literature etc.) / Disputation or conflict / Feminism gender and sex / Judaism and Kabbalah / Myth / Popular culture and mass media

Article: Worldviews in the Film “Noah” – Hedonism, Fundamentalism, and Ecofeminism

"We broke the world — we did this. Man did this. Everything that was beautiful, everything that was good, we shattered. Now, it begins again." (Noah's words, from the film) In this article we interprate the film Noah (2014), and identify various cultural/ spiritual/ religious worldviews that clash in the contemporary western society: a hedonistic-materialistic approach, religious and enviromental fundamentalism, and eco-feminism. We show how the film maker, Daren Aronofsli, express through the protagonist, Noah, the problematicalness in the various cultural stances, when the plot leads its hero thorugh a transformational process.

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November 30, 2022
Read more about the article Lecture: One Can’t Expect Objective Academic Research on Contemporary Spiritualities
Critical theory / Disputation or conflict / Education and higher education / Postmodernism / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Lecture: One Can’t Expect Objective Academic Research on Contemporary Spiritualities

In the postmodern condition, it's already cleae that there is no objective academic research. This is all the more truer when the research object is culturally disputed. Thus, one shouldn't expect New Age scholars to have no interests or agendas. This lecture surveys the public debates regarding the New Age in which its scholars are involved, and inquires the leaning and predispositions of the cintemporary research discourse of the field. It's full title was: "What Should One Expect When One Can’t Expect Objective Academic Research on Contemporary Spiritualities?"

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November 28, 2022
Read more about the article Lecture: Sanctifying Randomness – The Theological Imagination of Alternative Spirituality with Connection to Internet Technologies
Magic and paganism / Science/medicine and technology

Lecture: Sanctifying Randomness – The Theological Imagination of Alternative Spirituality with Connection to Internet Technologies

This lecture deals with the ideational-ideological aspect of the transformatio processes in contemporary spirituality and religion following the rise of Cyber culture, via a study case: divination rituals (such as a Tarot cards' spread). In the shift of those rituals from the physical traditional space to cynerspace, I argue that a new rationale emerges - namely sanctified randomness.

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November 24, 2022
Read more about the article Lecture: What is Hypnosis? A Critical Inquiry in Light of the Scientific Disputes
Critical theory / Disputation or conflict / Israel / Mind and psychology / Science/medicine and technology / State politics and law

Lecture: What is Hypnosis? A Critical Inquiry in Light of the Scientific Disputes

"There's no finding the border between acting and hypnotizing" - thus is said in an Israeli verdict in the case of White accused in using hypnosis while violating the law. If the Israeli law forbids using hypnosis (except of limited cases), and one doesn't know why actually hypnosis is - how can the law be enforced?! The lecture deals with the juristic and enforcemental problematicalness in Israel, in light of studying the sceintific discourse that has a "hard time" agreeing on the definition of "hypnosis".

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November 21, 2022