http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/culture Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 22 May 2026 18:40:47 -0400 Fri, 22 May 2026 18:40:47 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1955/look-me-in-the-eyes-witkacys-portrait-gaze-as-a-critique-and-anticipation-of-culture-industry By Natalia Stanusch - This paper analyzes the construction of ‘portrait gaze’ as a visual device that orients, manipulates, and challenges the gaze of the viewer of Witkacy’s portraits. Witkacy (1885-1939), often compared to Marcel Duchamp, was one of the most controversial and complex figures of 20th-century Polish art. This paper focuses on one of the least explored and convoluted phases of Witkacy’s career, especially in international literature, namely the portraiture he made starting in 1925. In that year, Witkacy set up the S. I. Witkiewicz Portrait Firm, where he whimsically took on the... Fri, 06 May 2022 10:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1955/look-me-in-the-eyes-witkacys-portrait-gaze-as-a-critique-and-anticipation-of-culture-industry http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1952/pathological-withdrawal-syndrome-a-new-kind-of-depression By Katelynn V. Healy - Marion Godman makes the argument that Pathological Withdrawal Syndrome (PWS) makes the case for psychiatric disorders as a natural kind. Godman argues that we can classify kinds according to their shared ‘grounding’, but we need not know what the grounding is to know that the natural is a natural kind. However, I argue that Godman erroneously classifies PWS as its own natural kind when it is in fact a variant of depression, which is its own natural kind. Cooper highlights culture-bound syndromes, which can explain the discrepancy between the different diagnosis rates for psychiatric... Fri, 15 Apr 2022 02:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1952/pathological-withdrawal-syndrome-a-new-kind-of-depression http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide By Michael L. Neely - This thesis explores the inherent conflict between liberty and equality—the twin pillars on which the United States and its Constitution are predicated—and the materialization of this conflict in storm center texts, whose subjects cover the sentiments of the zeitgeist during American construction, destruction, and reconstruction. This paper asserts that American Construction and Reconstruction were fraught with the partition between these twin pillars—liberty and equality—and it brought this partition to the fore. American founders and historical and literary figures gave... Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:12 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1925/emotion-and-politics-how-strengths-of-mind-relate-to-political-attitudes-in-the-united-states By Vincent C. Patierno - Political polarization has been an increasingly salient point of discussion since the 2016 presidential campaign, the election of Donald Trump, and into today. Beyond emphasizing partisan and issue-based divides, scholars have identified emotion-based roots of polarization. With more cognitive and emotional aspects of social behavior being considered in empirical frameworks, contributions from psychology have become of paramount importance. The present study employs measures of variables that emphasize self-awareness and openness to opposing viewpoints, like intellectual humility. Research to... Wed, 01 Dec 2021 02:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1925/emotion-and-politics-how-strengths-of-mind-relate-to-political-attitudes-in-the-united-states http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1904/industrial-safety-factors-that-present-barriers-to-reporting-workplace-incidents-and-contribute-to-cultures-of-non-reporting By Rana M. Van Tuyl - This research study explores factors that present barriers to reporting workplace incidents and contribute to cultures of non-report. The research purpose was to explore human, workplace/organizational, and external factors identified by industrial sector personnel working in the oil and gas industry in Northern Alberta, Canada to build an understanding of why cultures of non-report develop as a subculture. The participant organization was a multinational that provides construction and technical services on industrial facilities. Data was collected through one-on-one, semi-structured interviews... Tue, 08 Jun 2021 08:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1904/industrial-safety-factors-that-present-barriers-to-reporting-workplace-incidents-and-contribute-to-cultures-of-non-reporting http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war By Mang Lu - Some scholars of American history suggest the institution of slavery was dying out on the eve of the Civil War, implying the Civil War was fought over more generic, philosophical states' rights principles rather than slavery itself. Economic evidence shows this conclusion is largely incorrect; the industrial slavocracy of the south was thriving—Southern aristocrats had every reason to fight the prospect of abolition, for the Southern economy and capital structure was almost exclusively on the ownership of Black men and women. After the war, repression continued through economic means, as... Tue, 25 May 2021 09:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature By Clare M. Nee - The Virgin Suicides written by Jeffrey Eugenides, as well as Sofia Coppola’s film adaptation, utilize the literary and cinematic tropes of suicide to explore female suicides as romantic notions and assertions of agency within the teenage world of five sisters. In a world in which suicide and mental illness are rapidly on the rise, one might ask: is it ethical to use suicide merely as a plot device to explore a narrative other than its own? The novel and film adaptation use suicide as a vehicle to exploit and sexualize the adolescent female body through a voyeuristic, collective male narrative... Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:43 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1876/cultural-misrepresentation-of-the-east-in-nicholas-roerichs-art By Arundhati Kalyan - Nicholas Roerich was inspired by the mystical concept of “Shambhala”—a utopian expanse of endless truth, knowledge and peace—and his paintings of Asia in the period 1923-1947 attempt to portray the pursuit of this utopian land in diverse Eastern traditions. While several scholars have praised his work for its unconventional style and unique message, I argue that his art fails to live up to the true nature of Eastern cultures and religions and instead distorts them. Through a detailed analysis of a selection of Roerich’s paintings from this period, I show that cultural... Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:12 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1876/cultural-misrepresentation-of-the-east-in-nicholas-roerichs-art http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory By Linda Gao - Being a worldwide popular icon, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara has been differently re-appropriated by a variety of movements across the globe; but his reception and symbolization in contemporary China has been less discussed by western scholars. This paper examines the image and reception of Che Guevara in Chinese cultural memory from the 1950s to the present, revealing his manifold significations endowed by different social groups in various historical contexts. He evolved from a propagandized model of the socialist revolution and anti-American hero endorsed... Tue, 09 Feb 2021 02:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1873/propaganda-idealism-and-subculture-the-evolution-of-che-guevaras-image-in-chinese-cultural-memory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1856/problems-and-solutions-in-factory-farming-the-role-of-institutions-capital-and-rhetoric By Cael Jones - This paper examines the intricacies of factory farming by analyzing its social, political, economic, and environmental impacts in an age of capitalist consumption. Factory farming has become a pervasive institution with which most Americans engage on a daily basis by consuming meat and other animal derivatives. This mode of food production has vastly exacerbated the effects of climate change while creating a plethora of health, ecological and social problems. My research utilizes sentiment analysis to reveal the nature of factory farm discourse. Understanding the use of rhetoric is important because... Mon, 04 Jan 2021 01:25 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1856/problems-and-solutions-in-factory-farming-the-role-of-institutions-capital-and-rhetoric http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1844/pain-and-power-bdsm-as-spiritual-expression By Alicia Charles D'Avalon - Western society is becoming increasingly secular as religion disappears from the public sphere. This developing identification has created a void as people move away from the traditional, established symbols and maps of meaning. People are still finding and inventing systems to fulfil their existential questioning, increasingly in areas that are traditionally seen as secular. Popular culture and contemporary subcultures are being utilized not just as art, entertainment and community but as religious expression. A prime example of this ‘secular religioning’ can be found in the practice... Sat, 28 Nov 2020 09:27 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1844/pain-and-power-bdsm-as-spiritual-expression http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1831/challenging-the-dichotomy-between-natural-and-cultural-in-museums-a-case-study-of-bird-symbolism-and-human-origins By David Lichty - Many natural history museums use the categories of “cultural” and “natural” as a means of separating exhibition content. This article challenges this practice and the inherent paradigm that supports it. By dismissing the integral connection between these categories, it is possible to overlook humanity's role in the manipulation of the environment and how the environment has affected the development of human culture and human evolution. This article argues that it is essential for museums to design exhibitions without separating culture and nature, thereby informing our... Thu, 05 Nov 2020 07:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1831/challenging-the-dichotomy-between-natural-and-cultural-in-museums-a-case-study-of-bird-symbolism-and-human-origins http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films By Meagen Tajalle - In this essay, I provide a content analysis of commercially and critically successful films that perpetuate popularized Islamophobia, which is often masked as irreconcilable religious and cultural difference although it has in fact been consistently manufactured and weaponized throughout history in order to further Western empirical interests. Recycled tropes and stereotypes in cinematic depictions can be traced back to historical orientalism and political Islamophobia, both of which were instrumental in garnering support for the War on Terror. Specifically, I examine the racial, religious, and... Sat, 10 Oct 2020 08:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1785/womens-erotic-consumption-articulating-the-sexual-self-under-late-capitalism By Ella Agoos - From a very young age, women are taught to suppress their sexuality. Sex, we are told, is deeply personal; a private act that must be sequestered within the four walls of a bedroom and never see the light of day. However, as we grow up we are steeped in a culture of sex that permeates Western society. Gyrating hips in music videos, subtle and not-so-subtle innuendos peppered throughout song lyrics, hardcore internet pornography available at the click of a mouse, sexy fembots complete with large titanium breasts as the faces of vodka advertising campaigns– sexual imagery of women and their... Tue, 14 Jul 2020 08:41 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1785/womens-erotic-consumption-articulating-the-sexual-self-under-late-capitalism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1749/class-gender-and-the-anxieties-of-meritocracy-in-jacobean-england By Joshua B. Black - The staged plays of the early Jacobean period are valuable textual products for the literary critic, the cultural researcher and the historian alike. These plays are significant containers of knowledge about the mutually reinforcing social and political tensions of the early years of King James I’s reign. There is a body of literature which presently deals with questions about the complex class and gender politics of John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi (1614): Frank Whigham concluded that the ‘play was written, at least in significant part, to dissect the actual workings of the... Tue, 08 Jan 2019 09:46 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1749/class-gender-and-the-anxieties-of-meritocracy-in-jacobean-england http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1735/on-the-necessity-of-developing-general-education-for-undergraduates-in-chinese-higher-institutions By Songchen Ma - The promotion of general education is a matter of ongoing debate owing to the pressing question of how to improve higher education in China. However, the available analytical material still remains somewhat experiential and emotion-oriented.In this paper the author—an undergraduate student of engineering who has received professional education at a prestigious top 10 university in China—reviews the origins of and literature pertaining to general education in the West. Subsequently in its literature review and cultural criticism study,this paper demonstrates the importance of developing... Mon, 23 Apr 2018 11:42 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1735/on-the-necessity-of-developing-general-education-for-undergraduates-in-chinese-higher-institutions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1729/japan-at-work-in-the-21st-century-an-analysis-of-developing-labor-practices-in-japan-and-institutional-barriers-to-reform By Gregory A. Fedorov - Devastated by an economic collapse at the end of the 20th century, Japan’s economy entered a decade long period of stagnation. Now, Japan has found stable leadership, but attempts at new economic growth have fallen through. A combination of public desire for economic security through lifetime employment, reliance on “economic bureaucracy” of large corporations and pressure from international powers have left Prime Minister Shinzo Abe few options for fulfilling his “Abenomics” dream. Japanese leaders have continuously attempted to restructure the economy in an effort... Thu, 08 Mar 2018 09:44 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1729/japan-at-work-in-the-21st-century-an-analysis-of-developing-labor-practices-in-japan-and-institutional-barriers-to-reform http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1716/globalization-of-chinese-online-literature-understanding-transnational-reading-of-chinese-xuanhuan-novels-among-english-readers By Yuxi Wang - Since its emergence in the 19th century, fantasy fiction has proliferated throughout the world, from the global craze of Lord of the Rings (1954) to Harry Potter (1997). As a sub-genre of fantasy based on Chinese traditional mythology and martial arts literature, Xuanhuan novels have achieved immense popularity among both critics and readers (Gai, 2006). The appearance of the first Xuanhuan novel written by Huang Yi, A Step into the Past (1994), which combined science fiction, time travel, historical military and martial art elements, started a process which has caused this genre to sweep through... Thu, 21 Dec 2017 10:10 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1716/globalization-of-chinese-online-literature-understanding-transnational-reading-of-chinese-xuanhuan-novels-among-english-readers http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1722/old-history-in-the-new-cuba-exploring-the-legacy-of-race-and-economic-inequality-on-the-island-today By Elizabeth L. Drake - After the fall of the USSR, the Cuban government implemented temporary economic liberalization policy reforms that remain today.3 Under Raúl Castro's leadership the economy continues to expand.4 However, as the economy broadens by moving towards a free-market model, there is an increase in both economic and social exclusivity stemming from the racist history of slavery on the island. Thus, Afro-Cubans lack the ability to participate in the free market aspect of the Cuban economy, placing them at an economic disadvantage. While current literature discusses Cuba in terms of either economic... Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1722/old-history-in-the-new-cuba-exploring-the-legacy-of-race-and-economic-inequality-on-the-island-today http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1701/the-feminine-threat-reconsidering-the-damsel-in-distress-in-early-disney-films By Hugo Ljungback - “Disney perpetuated a male myth through his fairy-tale films,” argues Jack Zipes (1995, p. 37). He writes that Walt Disney framed “women’s lives through a male discourse” in his films (p. 36), and that he reinforced “nineteenth-century patriarchal notions” and “benevolent attitudes toward women” (p. 37). This paper looks at Walt Disney Pictures films released in the 30-year period between 1937 and 1967, from the company’s first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to The Jungle Book, the last film Walt Disney himself... Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:52 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1701/the-feminine-threat-reconsidering-the-damsel-in-distress-in-early-disney-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce By James C. Miller - Chocolate is a foodstuff that many people in the modern world take for granted; the sweet treat can today be found plentifully and cheaply in practically any store all across the globe, especially in the Euro-American world. Despite its commonplace, most people do not know exactly where the addictive confection came from and how it became a near staple of industrialized, modern societies. Many in the ‘Western World’ would be surprised to learn the true origins of chocolate and how it first became a European craze. Chocolate was a confection made mostly from powder that originated from... Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:08 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1635/the-effects-of-race-and-religion-on-patriotism-among-americans By Maria Islam - This paper examines the reasons behind people's different views of defining what "patriotism" is. Three multivariate linear regressions were performed to determine the causes behind an individual's level of patriotism. Two of the regression models found that individuals who identify as black have lower levels of patriotism than whites. None of the models supported the author's hypothesis that Muslims would have lower levels of patriotism than someone non-Muslim. The study also found support from all the regression models for one of the confounding variables, age; the older you are the more patriotic... Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1635/the-effects-of-race-and-religion-on-patriotism-among-americans http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1630/a-tale-of-mattels-two-dolls-and-the-politics-of-dollplaying-a-critical-examination-of-barbie-and-american-girls-roles-in-educating-young-american-girls By Xiaoyi Xu - individuals who provide "a point of recognition widely shared with other members of one's society" and let people "imaginatively explore race, sexuality, and femininity" (Rogers, 1999, 2-3). Barbie is an icon intended to have more direct personal connection through possession with girls, allowing a sense of autonomy and ownership (Lord, 1994, 1). This unique attribute of Barbie could potentially amplify the doll's power unintentionally, by influencing little girls' early childhood development, molding certain aspects of their identity, attitudes, values, and ideology in both positive and negative... Sat, 01 Apr 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1630/a-tale-of-mattels-two-dolls-and-the-politics-of-dollplaying-a-critical-examination-of-barbie-and-american-girls-roles-in-educating-young-american-girls http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1549/harry-potter-is-gay-an-investigation-of-queer-fan-culture By Tianna K. Mignogna - Not long after J.K. Rowling published the first Harry Potter book on June 26, 1997, The Boy Who Lived exploded into an international phenomenon. Teachers read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to wide-eyed students and parents read it aloud to put their children to sleep, continuing to turn the pages into the night. So many people wanted to escape to Harry’s magical world where nearly anything was possible – and these people began to respond to this universe in very real, critical ways. For some fans, like those at MuggleNet.com, that meant creating websites and publishing... Thu, 02 Mar 2017 12:02 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1549/harry-potter-is-gay-an-investigation-of-queer-fan-culture http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1543/is-western-political-science-applicable-to-the-islamic-world-on-the-universality-of-particularism-in-the-middle-east By Samuel W. Singler - Given pervasive representations of its geostrategic and global economic significance, the Middle East constitutes an important area of political and academic study far beyond its geographical boundaries. A key debate underlying such research is whether the region represents a “unique case, quite different from the rest of the world and incomprehensible to outsiders,” or if it is rather open to analysis by an “intellectual system of general application” (Halliday, 1996: 2). By critically evaluating Fred Halliday’s view that the Middle East’s “uniqueness... Thu, 23 Feb 2017 11:12 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1543/is-western-political-science-applicable-to-the-islamic-world-on-the-universality-of-particularism-in-the-middle-east http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1541/identifying-a-developing-christian-culture-in-the-fourth-century By Andrea C. Hanna - To briefly set the scene, the fourth century was a complex period for Christianity. It moved from being a persecuted sect to being supported by a new Christian Emperor, to vying with Constantine’s successors over unorthodox beliefs, to being persecuted by Julian the Apostate, and finally being declared the official state religion by Theodosius. So, with context in mind, this essay will attempt to identify if, by the end of the fourth century, a Christian culture had become distinctive, in and of itself, as well as more distinctive than the pagan Roman culture into which it originally emerged... Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1541/identifying-a-developing-christian-culture-in-the-fourth-century http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1537/the-economic-argument-for-expanding-gmo-regulation-in-america By Daniel M. Weinzapfel - The necessity to grow crops faster and more efficiently has long been a goal for the agriculture industry. Now, through the development of GMOs, this goal is being achieved. However, many critics doubt the reputation of GMOs, instead arguing that we must be more wary of the relatively new science. Overall, the general trend among scholarly authors is that GMOs should be regulated more strictly, as the benefits of increased GMO regulation outweigh the state of the current system. Most scholarly discussions have moved past the perspective that GMOs should be regulated because of health concerns... Thu, 09 Feb 2017 11:38 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1537/the-economic-argument-for-expanding-gmo-regulation-in-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1509/commercialization-of-biochar-and-the-benefits-for-climate-change-and-agriculture By Nate D. Van Beilen - Biochar is biomass that has been converted into charcoal through the pyrolysis process. Biochar is applied into soils for carbon sequestration or for improving soil fertility. The carbon bonds in biochar are very stable and do not break down easily which makes biochar a long term carbon storage solution. The physical structure of biochar improves soil fertility by decreasing soil tensile strength and bulk density. Biochar also acts as a soil aggregate which provides habitat for microorganisms. Additionally, the porosity of biochar improves nutrient and water retention in soils thereby improving... Wed, 21 Dec 2016 11:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1509/commercialization-of-biochar-and-the-benefits-for-climate-change-and-agriculture http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1497/consumption-as-postmodern-ideology-in-china By Christopher E. Barnett - Jean Baudrillard makes the argument that in a postmodern globalized world, in which competing utopian metanarratives from both sides of the political spectrum have been exposed as failures, society is no longer constructed or ordered through common political ideology. The phenomenon has spread globally to nearly every modern city. Individuals no longer subscribe to the exposed metanarratives like liberalism or communism, and are instead consumed by consumerism. Hypersaturated by media that promotes consumerism, individuals are also incessantly distracted, tempted by advertisements, “news... Thu, 17 Nov 2016 03:43 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1497/consumption-as-postmodern-ideology-in-china http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1556/applying-the-centrifugal-organizational-model-for-pastoralists-and-other-competing-communities-on-the-ethiopian-landscape-and-the-shift-to-agriculture-after-1975 By EliSabeth Noe - For the past four decades, pastoralist activities have been pushed to marginal areas in several regions of Ethiopia. This change was initiated by the Agrarian Land Reform Proclamation of 1974. Pastoralist activities prior to the agrarian reforms were strongly connected to the Earth and developed symbiotically. A connection to the Earth through symbiotic relationships has been shown to foster sustainability. This paper applies the centrifugal organizational model, originally synthesized in the field of plant community ecology, to the changing environment and pastoralism in Ethiopia, demonstrates... Sun, 30 Oct 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1556/applying-the-centrifugal-organizational-model-for-pastoralists-and-other-competing-communities-on-the-ethiopian-landscape-and-the-shift-to-agriculture-after-1975