Space, place and culture; geography of lifeworlds; Soundscape Studies

Este artículo presenta nuevos datos e interpretaciones respecto del modo en que los Inkas utilizaron la arquitectura para manipular las experiencias somáticas de las comunidades que habitaban el valle Calchaquí Norte (Salta, Argentina) a partir del control de su participación en espacios ritualizados. En esta línea, nos focalizaremos en las experiencias disímiles que estos espacios promovieron, ya sea a partir del estímulo de ciertas modalidades sensoriales sobre otras o mediante la secuenciación e intensidad con las que ellas intervinieron. Recientemente, y en respuesta al ocularcentrismo predominante en esta clase de investigaciones, se ha planteado la necesidad de integrar sentidos adicionales a la vista y avanzar hacia paisajes sonoros. Este trabajo expone la permeabilidad visual y las propiedades acústicas de la plaza de un pequeño asentamiento predominantemente Inka a partir de ensayos experimentales in situ y el modelado tridimensional de la arquitectura y de la dispersión de vectores de sonido. Propondremos que una cuidadosa planificación destinada a espacializar grupos y prácticas no se circunscribió a habilitar e inhibir selectivamente la accesibilidad visual a la plaza, sino que además utilizó la accesibilidad auditiva para crear diferentes experiencias entre sus visitantes. Palabras claves: conquista Inka, espacialidad, arquitectura, paisajes sonoros. This article presents new data and interpretations on how Inka representatives utilized the architecture of ritualized spaces to manipulate local communities' somatic experiences. In an attempt to overcome the prevailing ocularcentrism among this line of inquiry, it has been suggested that additional senses should be considered, and some scholars have begun to advance towards the study of ancient soundscapes. This article will focus on the plaza of an Inka settlement located in the North Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina) paying specific attention to how it privileged certain sensorial modalities and managed their sequential stimulus and intensity. It article presents an analysis that combines on-field visual and acoustical permeability data generation, with three-dimensional models of architecture, terrain, and sound propagation. Results indicate that a careful layout design not only spatialized groups and practices, but also created different experiences by promoting disparate visual and acoustic stimulations upon approaching and entering the plaza.

The thesis traces Internet textual representations of the Maidan, a wide-scale protest movement that took place in 2013-2014 in Ukraine, and their function in identifying the opposing sides during the protests. These texts helped to formulate new narratives, articulate attitudes, and build relationships, create a sense of community within the protestors’ side, which had its impact on institutional changes of commemorative practices.
Facebook served as an important platform for the initial appeal, for coordination between the participants, for reflections, and for identification of the opposing sides during the protests. It was a key space for sharing emotions, personal stories, humor and expressive forms of protest, making allusions to known literary works, historical events and world public figures.
Exploring the types of narratives and their contribution in identifying the opposing sides, the work is focused on digital stories that illuminate elements not covered by the professional media coverage and official reports. It traces the diverse forms, topics and expressive devices in the narratives, and identifies the categories of lore (eyewitness narratives, (re)telling of stories, jokes, poetry, songs, etc.). It provides juxtaposition of the patterns found in the text with the main events of each specific day.
The thesis provides several chapters that focus on: (1) a review of the historical context of the events; (2) an analysis of the data with reference to all categories and topics, and the main findings; (3) the role of humor and expressive devices in releasing the tension of the conflict and in helping to formulate the attitudes within the protestors’ side; (4) evidence of the functions of personal stories as they build relationships, create a sense of community, and validate the participants’ experiences and the significance of the events from the protestors’ perspectives; (5) interpretation within this protest lore, and its impact on institutional changes of commemorative practices as in the example of the Nebesna Sotnia (Heavenly Hundred) narrative formation and its correlation to the repertoire of motifs and terms of the selected historical periods: the Cossack, the Ukrainian National Republic and World War II.
The study underlines the relevance of time and several patterns related to historical events, as Facebook posts immediately responded to the events occurring on the square and streets occupied by protestors, simultaneously with professional media outlets, and sometimes prior to them. These findings have important implications that go beyond the Ukrainian context in that they contribute to the further exploration of social networks functioning in relation to factual events.