Saturday

konstruksi sosial









Asas pegangan di dalam pendekatan konstruksi sosial:

Bersifat kritikal terhadap ilmu yang selalunya diterima sebagai mudah.

Apa yang berlaku bukan sahaja merupakan tumpuan kepada spesifik budaya dan sejarah sesuatu masyarakat, tetapi ia adalah hasil daripada perkembangan sejarah dan budaya tersebut.

Ilmu tidak berkembang secara semula jadi seperti proses evolusi. Ilmu terhasil dari proses konstruksi yang dibuat oleh manusia.

Setiap satu konstruksi turut membawa bersamanya bermacam-macam tindakan daripada anggota masyarakat.

Rujukan: Burr, V. 1995. An Introduction to Social Constructionism. London: Routledge.

**

Secara kasar mengenai pendekatan tindakan sosial:

Masyarakat dilihat selalu mengalami perubahan, struktur sosial pula tidak tegar, sebaliknya dilihat cair dan longgar sifatnya.

Norma masyarakat bersifat kabur, malah bertentangan antara satu dengan yang lain.

Kebiasaannya terdapat jurang antara order normatif dengan perlakuan sebenar yang memberi maksud bahawa peraturan dan norma tidak mungkin dapat menjelaskan perlakuan.

Manusia sentiasa bersaing bagi mendapatkan bahan-bahan yang serba tidak cukup.

Manusia juga sentiasa terpaksa membuat pilihan antara beberapa alternatif.

Individu dilihat sebagai gemar melakukan manipulasi untuk kepentingan sendiri dan tindakan berterusan seperti ini boleh mempengaruhi sifat-sifat normatif dan institusi masyarakat.

Penekanan juga diberikan terhadap amalan timbal balik atau kesalingan, pertukaran dan transaksi.

Fokus lebih diberikan kepada struktur informal daripada yang formal iaitu hakikat yang berada di belakang dan bukan yang di hadapan pentas.

Rujukan: Barrett, S. 1996. Anthropology: A Student's Guide to Theory and Method. Toronto: Toronto University Press.

Thursday

Silverfish Turns Eight


Silverfish Books will be eight this month, on the 26th of June to be exact. To some of you it might seem like we have been around for ever, but to us it feels like, "Has it really been that long?!"

We are not having any special anniversary do this year, but we could make Salleh ben Joned's readings from Adam's Dream on Saturday 7th of July at 5.30pm (yes, we have changed the date though Salleh's birthday is on the 4th) at Silverfish Books a double celebration. Hmmm. A few bottles of wine should do it, no?

MORE: http://www.silverfishbooks.com/2007/06/silverfish-books-will-be-eight-this.html

RELATED: http://blog.yam.com/ernestein/article/5788953

Friday

日子



那年我的年輕爸爸過世,家人傷心流淚,我哭不出來,親戚感嘆爸生了個不孝子。我還小,只有怒火。第一次感受生命結束后要面對的媚俗情景。這是對死人的不敬。我是在這樣的認知中成長。



那年我口中念念有詞,死者家屬聼不到聼不懂也聼不進去,只有在繞棺材時跟著念,這是對死人的不敬嗎?我無暇理會。任何葬禮也不過一場儀式。我開始思考如何給自己設計葬禮,既然媚俗就要媚俗到底。


那年我飛馳在公路上,生命總是在隙縫中與死神擦身而過,那種快感無法用媚俗加以形容。這是對生命的禮贊,活死人無法明瞭。佛家三步一拜,我三秒一叩,生死一瞬間。


那年我半邊臉不能動,半邊官能失效。家人擔心我,我更擔心家人,擔心家人北上把我拉回家。官能失效不好受,回家養病更難受。我常想,菩提就在此間不在彼岸。一個不小心瓜掉,我只想做個孤魂。


同年,一位朋友帶來一曡New Age CD,告訴我音樂有治療作用。很快地,朋友各有建議。我開始明瞭理想圈子的朋友,面對生死各個信仰迥異。我就這樣徘徊在與諸神共飲的歡愉和病情的難受間,難得享受。


那天,那年用一輛老摩哆載我入院的好友去國了。好友的經歷不簡單,這一去國,也許又是此間異鄉人生命的另一番蛻變。


那天,毅然飛車拜會相隔8年不見的知己。那年知己的眼眶容易紅,也容易發笑。那天,還是一樣。


那天,同年同月同日生的同鄉好友結婚了。婚宴上,我暗自盤算自己的日子。


**



Thanks for visiting me at my home town, sorry for not playing a good host to show you around for your very first time here.

It's always best to get around with friends, especially when the wave length still just about the same ...

As we grew older, reality started to put stress on us even more, how much we will be able to retain our "inner self" without very much adjusted to suit this cruel world around us?

I am glad E and C did it, I really admire those who will fight for their dreams, not to be influenced by surroundings, and still get head on with whatever they had in their mind of their life.

Too much consideration shall pull you back from whatever you are about to undertake, in addition to it, weak desires gets faded away pretty fast.

It's hard for me to decide on things, firstly, I am not brave enough to dream of what I want out of life.

To me, live simply perhaps is the best. No need to be too elaborate, but with no worries about financial issue. I am not good with my money management. I am good in maths, but I get lost in matters concerning money. I tried to provide my parents with money as good as I could, because I think that's the second best thing I could keep them happy and contented. The best comfort is something I sometimes forgot. My temper is not well-controlled.

I place contentment with thoughts very highly, to me, the mind is more important than anything else. I chose to live my life with no regrets ( but at times, I fail to make myself happy when I tried to make others happy ), to live with clear conscience, I had always been and shall always be. Thus, moral values always affect my decision in all aspect. Sometimes, provided me with better solution, but sometimes it surely does added some unwanted, or maybe some unnecessary pointers in the process.

Choice, is not easy to make.

Thanks to Harry Potter that, after reading the 6th book of it, I told myself I can actually squeeze some time into my daily routine and read. I read in the morning in my car, few minutes before I go into my office. I read in the washroom,... etc. It makes me feel better, at least I felt I had some control over time that I still get to read :)

Thursday

Processing the City


Experience the Malaysian City through the works of artists and urban designers:

The Annexe, Central Market & Valentine Willie Fine Art invite you to
The Exhibition Opening
on Friday 22 June, at 8pm
at The Gallery, Top Floor, The Annexe, Central Market





Curator: Adela Askandar
Participants: artists Abdul Multhalib Musa, Chuah Chong Yong, Nadiah Bamadhaj, Richard Lau, young architect collaboratives Building Bloc and Coda, architects and designers Farah Azizan, Adela Askandar, Wan Marlina Rahman and Zaini Zainul, landscape architect Ng Sek San, and photographer John Lambrichts.

Exhibition dates: Fri 22 June - Sun 8 July, 2007
Viewing: 11am - 7pm daily
Enquiries:
The Annexe: 03 2274 6542
VWFA: 03-22842348

Translating architectural ideas and urban issues into an intimate visual-spatial experience, this group of diverse artists and urban designers offer insights into the concept and experience of the Malaysian city through paintings, sculptures, installations, mobile viewing cages and suspended mannequins. These collaborators have been both participants and observers of our developing nation. This exhibition hopes to provide a platform to cultivate dialogue on today's urbanity. Come and experience the city from within the gallery.

Related Actitivies:
Saturday 30 June, 4.30pm
Urban Originals - A talk
Entry: FREE
Venue: Gallery I
Speakers: Kevin Mark Low, Nani Kahar, Hishammudin Rais, Anne James

Friday 29 June - Sunday 1 July, 8.30pm
Tayangi Kuala Lumpur
Curated by Amir Muhammad and Pang Khee Teik
Entry: RM5
Venue: Gallery I

Tuesday

The Swan in "Muallaf"


An award-winning actress who shaved her head for a film role has attracted criticism from influential muftis who say her act is unIslamic and sinful.

Sharifah Amani Syed Zainal Rashid, 21, drew widespread shock and interest after she went bald Tuesday, with photos of her splashed across the front pages of Malay-language newspapers a day later.

But muftis in the conservative Muslim country have called on authorities to issue guidelines to prevent Malay Muslim artistes, especially actresses, from extreme behaviour or dressing, the New Straits Times reported.

"Unlike Muslim men, going bald for women is forbidden in Islam. It is sinful for men to act or behave like a woman and vice versa," the mufti of central Selangor state, Mohamad Tamyis Abdul Majid was quoted as saying.

The mufti of northern Perak state, Harussani Idris, said Muslim artistes were becoming increasingly daring and warned them against being influenced by the actions of their foreign counterparts.

"As Muslims, we should not sacrifice our religion for the sake of wanting to be popular," Harussani was quoted as saying.

- AFP




**


Rethinking Malaysia: Between Teh Tarik, KLCC and Starbucks: Are we a developed nation?


Date: 20 June 2007 (Wednesday)

Venue:Bar Council Auditorium, 13, 15 & 17 Leboh Pasar Besar, Kuala Lumpur
Time:2000 -2200

Panel 1: Mr. Pang Tee Kiat (Art Program Director of the Central Market Annexe)

Panel 2: Mr. Brian Yap (Senior writer of Klue Magazine)

Panel 3: Miss Yasmin Ahmad (Prominent Movie Director)


Friday

In Support of Revathi's Freedom of Faith


Revathi, an ethnic Indian woman, has been held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities since January 2007 because she wants the State to acknowledge she is a Hindu and not a Muslim.

Revathi was born to Indian parents who had converted to Islam before her birth. She claims she was raised by her grandmother as a Hindu. She and Suresh were married according to Hindu rites in March 2004. Revathi was advised by the Malacca Islamic Religious Department to make an application at the Malacca Syariah High Court to confirm her status as a Hindu. She did as she was told.

However, the Syariah Court ordered her detained in a rehabilitation centre in Ulu Yam, Selangor

under Melaka's Syariah criminal laws for 100 days. This detention was extended in Revathi's absence for a further 80 days supposedly because she had not "repented". In the meanwhile, Revathi's Muslim mother obtained a Syariah Court order granting her custody of Revathi and Suresh's 15 month old baby. That order was enforced on Suresh's Hindu family with the assistance of the police.

The family is now torn apart - with the mother in detention, the child with the grandparents and the father in limbo without his family.


**

Candlelight Vigil:


Please attend the following peaceful candlelight vigil in support of Revathi, and many others like her, who are unable to fully exercise their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of faith. The vigil is an initiative of civil society organisations including MCCBCHST (the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism) and various women's rights groups (All Women's Action Society (AWAM), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC) and Women's Development Collective (WDC)).

Date: Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Dataran Merdeka (at the flagpole)

Please come to show your support in affirming the supremacy of the Federal Constitution and its protection of our fundamental liberties, including the freedom of belief.

Please bring candles, candle-holders and banners.

Monday

Hüzün


Hüzün, the Turkish word for melancholy, has an Arabic root; when it appears in the Koran, it means much the same thing as the contemporary Turkish word. The Prophet Mohammed referred to the year in which he lost both his wife Hatice and his uncle, Ebu Talib, as ‘Senettul Huzn’, or the year of melancholy; this confirms that the word is meant to convey a feeling of deep spiritual loss.

…To the Sufis, hüzün is the spiritual anguish we feel because we cannot be close enough to Allah, because we cannot do enough for Allah in this world. A true Sufi follower would pay no attention to worldly concerns like death, let alone goods or possessions: he suffers from grief, emptiness and inadequacy because he can never be close enough to Allah, because his apprehension of Allah is not deep enough. Moreover, it is the absence, not the presence, of hüzün that causes him distress. It is the failure to experience hüzün that leads him to feel it; he suffers because he has not suffered enough; and it is by following this logic to its conclusion that Islamic culture has come to hold hüzün in high esteem.

Orhan Pamuk (2005) Istanbul: Memories of a City. London: Faber and Faber Limited, pg. 81.

A new global currency?


Carbon emission trading involves the trading of permits to emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. International treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol set quotas on the amount greenhouse gases countries can produce.

A country or a group of countries caps its carbon emission at a certain level and then issues permits to firms and industries that grant the firm the right to emit a stated amount of carbon dioxide over a time period. Firms are the free to trade these credits in a free market. Businesses that are over their quotas must buy carbon credits for their excess emissions, while businesses that are below their quotas can sell their remaining credits.

Off The Edge, Jun 2007 issue 30.

Sunday

528,也是一部文學


小國中文大報的花蹤文學獎進入第九屆,528六年了,還未進入文學場域。周六大報舉行頒獎典禮之際,我坐在書店咖啡館的一角,沉浸在小説的思路裏邊。

“Utter silence. I knew at once that the experiment on which I was about to embark had something to do with that thing my profession had taken from me...“

頒獎禮現場一室冰冷,瀟瀟夜雨滿花蹤。文學精靈本著打破隔閡的用意,借用天使的弓箭,把一部528作品送上文學舞臺。

一報獨大者一時語塞。或曰:晨風驚乍起,不合時宜!

頓時,“完全沉寂。我即刻意識到,我近乎要開始(進行)的實驗(計劃),已被與我的專業(媒體)相關的東西所剝奪。“

上述英語文本置放在528作品出現時的語境,儼然是另一部作品的創作起點。日后華馬文學史或記載——這是花蹤劃時代的新養分。

當然,否認一報獨大者,就不能否認逃離文學政治者,在當前華人社會的脈絡與發展中,是528的背棄者。花蹤該不是逃離文學政治吧?

既然不是,與我的專業(媒體)相關的東西被剝奪后,承載文學作品的新聞媒介能否打破隔閡,建立反惡法和反壟斷的共識,恰恰是一部528作品帶來的衝擊。這是文學場域的撞擊,無關政治。

文本具有任意性,得以脫離小説原本的思路和框架,就此而言,文學打破隔閡的功能與意義也就不言而喻。

若然大報放棄用文學包裝壟斷,不用政治分化文學,媒體人和文學作家之間搭建的橋梁,就是對話和共識,而非隔閡。

相關:
1.蕭依釗〈文學,打破隔閡〉
http://www.sinchew-i.com/commentary/index.phtml?sec=833&sdate=&artid=200706020312

2.余福祺〈感谢星洲,这么多年来我就只认识陶杰。〉
http://erhc79.blogspot.com/2007/05/blog-post_29.html

Saturday

找不到我


夢想。我還在夢游。似乎沒有真正的去想過。只是我很累。我的生活活力要滅了。找不到我。(2007年3月11日:早上8時28分33秒)

早上開始做夢
晚上開始夢游
找不到我
無關夢游

夢踏云峰
傲雪凌霜
不沾塵垢
豈能有夢

夢很輕
你很重
也很空

“A man’s nightmares are never so real as when he’s starved of sleep! But this was not a nightmare; it was sharper, clearer, almost mathematical in its precision. I know I’m empty inside. This was what I was thinking. As I leaned against the mosque wall, I thought, The eye knows too!“