Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2875

Neuroplastic narratives under scrutiny: A critical medical humanities investigation of brain adaptation, psychosocial stressors, and gendered subjectivities in contemporary speculative fiction

by Hamed Jamalpour, Zahra Jamalpour, Manzar Feiz

Cultural Forum , Vol.2, No.1, 2025;

This article examines the intersection of neuroscience and literature through a critical medical humanities lens, focusing on how contemporary speculative fiction depicts neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt, in relation to psychosocial stressors and gendered experiences. By exploring narratives that critique neuroscientific perspectives, highlight structural inequalities, and reimagine gendered experiences of neurological resilience and vulnerability, the study underscores speculative fiction’s ability to challenge dominant biomedical frameworks. It emphasizes the genre’s role in bringing sociocultural dimensions of brain adaptation to the forefront, fostering connections between scientific exploration and humanistic critique, and opening pathways for interdisciplinary dialogue.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2787

Integrating topic-based and cause-and-effect approaches in geography education: A psycholinguistic perspective on cultural learning

by Nataliia Tokareva, Maryna Tsehelska

Cultural Forum , Vol.2, No.1, 2025;

This article explores the integration of topic-based and cause-and-effect approaches in teaching culture through geography at Interclass, a bilingual school in Ukraine. By combining these methods, students develop a deeper understanding of how geography influences cultural development while enhancing their cognitive and linguistic skills. The psycholinguistic perspective highlights how structured knowledge delivery supports students in processing complex information, fostering critical thinking, and strengthening bilingual literacy. The study demonstrates that integrating thematic exploration with causal reasoning enriches students’ learning experiences, making geography more engaging and meaningful, leading to a deeper understanding of culture through metacognitive schemes.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2248

Digitized identities: A feminist examination of female authorship in China’s online literary sphere

by Yunyi Hu

Cultural Forum , Vol.1, No.1, 2024;

This study critically examines the identity construction of female writers within China’s burgeoning digital literary sphere through a Feminist Media Studies lens, with an emphasis on Postmodern Feminist Theory. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with 26 female online literature writers and thematic analysis of their narratives, the findings reveal that identity construction in this context is a diverse, dynamic, and interactive process. Key factors influencing this process include personal experiences, societal expectations, gender norms, audience feedback, and the affordances of digital platforms. The study highlights how female writers actively shape their identities, often challenging traditional gender norms and leveraging the interactive nature of digital platforms to negotiate their self-representation. Furthermore, it uncovers the pivotal role of reader-writer interactions and platform algorithms in shaping both their creative practices and their professional identities. These findings contribute to the understanding of gender dynamics within digital literature, offering insights into strategies for promoting gender equality and diversity in the online literary space.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2275

Ideal personality of Confucian thoughts and its contemporary relevance for education

by Yinuo Zhou, Tengteng Zhuang

Cultural Forum , Vol.1, No.1, 2024;

Amidst significant transformations in both domestic and international contexts, as well as profound changes in China’s economy and society, numerous challenges persist in the realm of social morality, with social values becoming increasingly pluralistic. This paper seeks to examine the historical evolution of the connotation of the Confucian ideal of personality, explore its contemporary relevance and practical applications, and provide theoretical support for the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s rich traditional culture. By doing so, it aims to contribute to the enrichment and refinement of the core socialist values with Chinese characteristics, offer a cultural foundation for these endeavors, and propose an ideal personality model aligned with contemporary requirements to strengthen the moral construction of citizens. Drawing from the theories of Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi on the ideal of personality, this paper delves into the historical evolution of the Confucian concept of ideal personality, with a particular focus on the theoretical interpretation of the principle of being “inner sagehood and outer kingship”. It systematically traces the historical development of Confucian personality theory, highlights the alignment between traditional Chinese cultural values and the core values of socialism, and investigates the integration of Confucian ideals of personality with the practical demands of contemporary civic morality.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 2306

From national park to cultural park an Algerian experience

by Mourad Betrouni

Cultural Forum , Vol.1, No.1, 2024;

The status of National park was adopted in Algeria in 1921, during French colonisation, within the framework of the forestry law in force. It was renewed as is, after 1962 by independent Algeria and placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, in its general forestry directorate. In 1983, it was redefined in the first national law on the environment, then, from 2011, in that of protected areas, within the framework of sustainable development. All Algerian national parks are created under the forestry regime and agricultural administration, with the exception of a single case where they are attached to the cultural sector: that of Tassili and Ahaggar, both located in the extreme south of the Sahara, including the Tuareg customary domain of Kel Ajjer and Kel Ahaggar. A particular case, linked to the process of administrative construction of the Saharan space. It is following the adoption of  paradigm of sustainable development and a new law on the protection of cultural heritage , that this particularism has disappeared, with the introduction of a new legal category of protection, called “parc culturel”, based on the principle of “indissociability” between culture and nature, an innovative notion which has not yet acquired the conceptual force necessary to achieve the required stabilization and social appropriation, hence the difficulty of its translation into operational tools.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1913

Chu culture-related romanticism and shamanism in Zhuangzi: A translation perspective

by Peihang Li, Chuanmao Tian

Cultural Forum , Vol.1, No.1, 2024;

Zhuangzi is a representative philosophical classic of Chu culture, which contains many Chu cultural elements. This article selects some Chu culture-specific items, such as Kun 鲲, Peng 鹏, Wu Zhu 巫祝, Shenwu Jixian 神巫季咸, and Wu Xianshao 巫咸袑 from Zhuangzi to explore the romanticism and shamanism in the canon from the perspective of Chu culture, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their rendering in the translations of the canon by sinologists such as James Legge, Herbert Giles, and Burton Watson. A new translation is proposed for them in this study to promote the cross-cultural dissemination of Chu culture.