Exploring the Concept: Destiny

Destiny is the idea that the contingencies of life have purpose for the individual, it is the a key to an intricate lock, which once opened, aligns all the nooks and crannies, and opens the way to an ultimate path of transcending clarity.

Destiny is a moral lesson which people construct out of their own biographies; it is the way people give meaning and significance to the events of their lives which seem strewn across impossibly different realms. It allows people to transcend the immediate successes and failures of certain events, and to attempt to organize these happenings in relation to the entire body of experience. In short, destiny is the idea that life has an overarching purpose, not merely in terms of its material success or wishes fulfilled, but a purpose to convey to the onlooker and, most importantly the self, a story of a moral victory which gives every “chapter” of life significance in relation to its final conclusion.

There is a great peril concerning destiny, a question of ‘when’ the lesson can be extracted from the story. It is the question of whether or not one can make sense of the of the events up until now, or how one deals with life when it seems as if the conclusion has been reached and the remainder of days are a mere between and beyond of an epilogue. It might be troubling for the individual in both cases, but neither diminishes the faith that people hold for a ‘destiny’. Going into it further, we may not be able to dictate the events that happen to us, but we are always the authors of our own biographies in the sense that it is ultimately up to ourselves to adopt or create a moral lesson from our experience. This authorship is fundamental for the writing of a destiny and also fundamental for our own sense of being, it is an invigorating motive for living life, hence making it hard to give up even in the face of absurdity.

The relation between destiny and past events soon becomes tautological, things happen because they are ‘destined’ to, and the moral significance extracted from events soon comes back to construct the narrative in which they are remembered. The relation between destiny and the future becomes the more dynamic relation. On one hand, there is an uncertainty of reconstruction, for it is always possible that one must revise the moral story when facing inexplicable events, such as a natural catastrophe and sudden reversals of fortune. On the other hand, there is a chance for gratifying revelation of what is one’s true destiny; a final success in a string of repetitive failures, a lucky draw at the lottery, a newborn showing infinite dependency, such are the moments when failures are turned to mere hardships on the road to greater meaning.

What makes individuals interesting is their ways of constructing their destiny. Some cannot bear the idea of loose strings and stray alleyways; they must make meaning of everything at hand at all times. Some are forever looking forward future revelations, forgoing their own conduct and the probabilities of change, always remaining faithful in their own conviction that a vindication will come. While most of us accept the fact that some events have come to be through pure chance, that they could have held different content, even lesser meaning, while holding other events as defining moments in the our tale of morality.

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Contemplating on the concept further, i've realized how much my ideas on the subject pinge on a particular sense of 'authorship' that might not have existed in other historical eras. Their was no use of the word 'author' in medival Europe, for all works were attributed to the glory of god working through the hands of us, the sinners. It was Machiavelli that told us to reach for the other half of glory which rightly belonged to ourselves, against the other tides fortune. The mediator of the self between Destiny and the Events to be expalined may not have been a recognized actor. My ideas are probably a reflection of the multitude of oppurtunities and the vacancy of any dominant ways of life in modern life.

日本民俗學&其殖民地的學科發展

童老師:
比較視野是什麼? 什麼是好的比較研究?
我們80年代檢討的是西方的學術問題, 我們反省是否有意義?
80年代是流動的年代, 人類學研究的對象是什麼? Sight, Fieldwork, 這些概念要怎麼看待?
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日本現代人類學與殖民主義的發展
清水昭俊, 作中國研究: 一直以來都是在研究殖民地作人類學, 戰時人類學, 大洋洲移民

日本受中國影響, 開始記錄少數民族, 並以中央自居. 先記錄到的是蝦夷族(阿依努人), 攻打北海道. 明治時期才開始有民族誌類似的東西.
黑船開港, 開始去探索密克羅尼西亞, 以往對周照的大洋洲其實不敢興趣. 很多是用西方傳來的故事當民族誌. 1877Edward Morse發現大森貝塚, 1884東京人類學會. 坪井正五郎, 留英向Taylor學習, 東京帝大人類學系第一任系主任.

當代種族, 文化的人種學, 土俗學, 物質&文化考古學, 範圍太廣, 研究者非本科系, 研究成果抽象. 研究的議題:舊石器時代的人本人是什麼樣子? Morse說是混種, 食人族. 日人很幹, 坪井說應該是阿依努人的後裔. 鳥居龍藏認為是東北亞、中南半島,、密克羅尼西亞來的, 有考古資料被書, 考古得以發展. 1910-20考古學分出去, 留下體質和文化在人類學裡面.

鳥居龍藏認為人種學與體質有差, 認為前者需考慮到歷史, 文化面向. 抽出來之後反而比之前的廣義人類學更廣. 當時不是很重視到實地去做田野. 鳥使日人類學跨出日本和日本人起源的問題, 去整個東亞作研究. 他的田野地擴展與帝國擴張是同步的. 1905日俄戰爭去滿州, 1910去韓國, 1919西伯利亞, 都是跟著軍隊的腳步.

田野地的海外擴展
台、韓都是依照者日本人非專業的發展將人類學起家的. 1896鳥居來台, 出了Reports on Taiwanese Aboriginals, 1901年開始舊慣調查, 原住民分別, 1913-22年出了兩本The Report of the Investigation on the Savage's Custom. 都是由man on the spot來做調查的. 1928建立台北帝大土俗人種學講座, 移川子之藏, 宮本延人, 馬淵東一三個人開始的, 那時候在文政部史學科裡面的, 強調南方研究, 南洋史學是史學的重點, 馬淵東一是唯一培養出來的學生. 1935年出高砂族系統所屬. 1949年考古人類學成立, 第一本專刊就是出鄒族的研究, 因為高砂一書未提到該族. The Formosan Native Tribes, A genealogical and Classificatory Study, 1935. 寫完後金費不足, 馬淵東走向單一點, 密集的研究. 剛田千, 舊慣調查分漢人, 原住民, 由法學系的人做的, 著重民法的概念. 剛田千提出祭祀圈的概念. 他們調查的方式, 到警察局, 把長老叫過來, 有資源的人帶過來, 坐下來談, 短時間, 大範圍. 他們不懂當地語言, 靠官方力量,這樣的成績如何?

韓國的發展類似, 有學院成立, 但他們沒有原住民, 作宗教, 社會學研究. 日學者來作法類似, 但比較偏向作城市. 邱葉榮是主要的學者, 開闢儒教與民俗宗教兩個議題, 研究複雜社會. 韓國不太吃結構功能論這套, 太多變遷.

Micronesia, 日本人沒有再此建任何教育人類學的制度, 因為他們認為他們都是原住民. 是由自然科學家去做的調查, 但自己有興趣的人調查的比較好Togo Kichitaro, Matsuoka Sizuo松崗靜雄. 後兩者是海軍的人, 一次大戰結束後國際聯盟勢力重劃, 建了一個南洋廳在我們系. 松創日(荷)蘭交通會, 了解東印度範圍. 作M調查, 在各島上發問卷. 日本政府現代化的過程派出大量的學者留西. 日本的博覽會把中國人放得很低, 還有真人(土著)演出, 以一種新型殖民地出現. 北海道當時是external territory, 是他們第一個殖民經驗, 影響台灣很大. Hijikata Hisakatsu'不得志'的藝術家, 去Satawa的小島, 作了一些記錄. Satawa在亞浦島的附近, 航海技術出名, 花很多時間在帛琉, 組了一個南洋學會之類的, 只是知識分子非專科. 從男人會所的故事板得到靈感, 開始賣紀念品, 讓日本學生旅行時感覺很偉大. Sugiura Kenchi宗教民俗學的研究, 作土地所有權調查, 鼓勵土地私有制, 是第一個專科的. 比較觀點, 歷史觀點, 也有功能的. 最後的研究比較接近實用人類學的觀點, 作者認為有點類似於Malinowski, 但缺少批判性.

日本都市人類學
鳥居龍藏因為個性問題無法成為領導, 個研究零散. 1920民俗研究才成為主流. 柳田國男, 原本做日本的鬼怪, 第一個組織化民俗學, 從精英文化放出來, 作民間. 1925創民俗雜誌, 投稿學者非常多樣, 分日人與外人研究兩種. 1929經費不足, 停刊. 民俗學這個雜誌出現, 很類似, 比較多外國人來投. 1934民俗學停刊. 民俗學會成立, 基本上是民俗學同一批人, 比較接近俠義文化人類學, 想要反省當時民族主義的潮流. 不再關心體質, 種族, 認為人是同質的. 和柳田國男作切割, 想要走比較國際的路線. 也是由不同的學科的人組成, 很多都是從東方研究過來的. 坪井懷疑是否由單一民族來組成國家是最好的, 但新學會沒有很走這條路. 二次世界大戰, 南洋難以做研究, 中國的田野增加. 調查非常的政治化, 但也促使田野方法的嚴謹, 因為需要大量的人去實地考察. 岡正雄希望建立民族研究所來研究被統治的民族. 1942年新學會解散, 成立民族xx學會, 為帝國服務的傾向明顯. 日本戰敗導致很多田野地的喪失, 開始有很多道德問題需要反省, 石田英一郎想要提倡純理論傾向, 不關心社會實際運動, 接受西方的學術中立觀點. 開始深耕日本本身的文化研究, 步步向外走, 最後才再回到舊殖民地. 作者認為有些殖民主義的意味, 因為和日本有強列經濟關係的地方才會被好好研究.

童老師講評:
可以看出人類學與殖民主義, 國族主義, 政治之關係.
Metropolitan anthropology不要翻譯為都市人類學, 應該是母國人類學. 地方文史工作者 vs. 外來的專科訓練者, 學術權力上, 詮釋能力上的不同, 語言能力不同. 有些問題, 韓國是複雜社會但不是都市社會, 應該是鄉民社會. 鄉民一定是與區域性的大市場有關係, 他不以利潤為生產目標, 但必須要與都市互通有無. Micronesia沒有大學的意思是說研究者過來就走. 你們說殖民地人類學繼承了鳥居龍藏的方向是什麼意思?
經濟調查:礦物, 人力, 土地, 林場etc. 要找什麼樣的社會比較好動員. 日人處處設研究所. 這些人回日本被怎麼看待?他們是需要適應的. 1942年, 日本人統治新幾內亞, 派了100多位學者去做調查. 同年海南島也是一對學者在佔領後進入. 本系菲律賓, 印尼的東西事這樣來的. 1949年後我們成立, 有什麼傳承嗎? 其實南洋的研究並沒有傳得很好, 沒有跨學科, 1914年日人成立南洋廳現在很多東西都近了台灣的博物館. 殖民是很糟的東西, 但他也留下不少東西, 很可惜沒有發揮意義.
日本是被西方打開的, 處理的方式和中國人很接近. 明治維新時出現了民族主義和民俗學的傳統. 民俗學最早是德國和英國, 是在國家底下整理地方特色的嘗試, 日人也是如此. 日本人的傳統是什麼? 北海道是什麼意思. 西學該放在哪裡, 儒學呢. 日本人的特色是看自己, 問日本人是誰. 找了很多西方的學者發展系學, 找了Morris來.
日本人後來有一部書, 寫一群人漂流在海記錄傳奇式誌. 中國有類似的嗎? A: 鏡花緣, 這種在海外的移民. 中國人去外面移民的歷史有時連續數百年, 如去泰國等, 這些外來的文化匯豐富中國人的想像嗎? 鏡花緣拿外地來講比較理想的文化特色, 有點烏托邦的文學.
李繼和移川都式在哈佛20年代的學生. 移川是民俗學的傳統, 後來用來人種學, 比較接近鳥居, 因為日本作為殖民者民俗會牽涉到民族情感, 太敏感, 不過他們在日本本體是用民俗學.

大家覺得說有什麼樣的傳承或是怎麼樣斷裂.
台灣人類學系是一個很古老的系, 我們成立時的研究以原住民為主, 濁大計畫之後才開始做漢人, 以鄉民和社會變遷的角度再談, 農村進入工業的社會, 文化變遷. 黃應貴的農業機械化. 他後來研究的是東浦人怎麼從生計到經濟作物. 他把原住民看作是國家內的另外一群人. 邱延亮就在談國族人類學, 接續這一篇. 明年是建國百年, 國科會要做百年大展, 來做人文學門的展覽, 因人類學很多東西, 所以要自己再搞一個, 全國巡迴的. 台灣人類學的100年在哪裡? 有2個傳統, 殷商考古, 那時中研院來的三個所就有一個所是史語所, 還有史學, 民族傳統, 民國17年瑞義夫在華南做了很多研究, 他們很多都有國學訓練, 看禮記. 還有一個傳統是日本的傳統, 收藏上很強, 物質研究基本上是接這個的. 台大留用教授, 也有留宮本, 金關藏夫. 金是作體質的, 有很多掌紋阿, 血液阿, 有很多科學的種族主義有關.

A Revised Review of 'I'll Believe In Anything' by Wolf Parade

After a few days of distance, I believe I could have done more justice to this review now that my thoughts have come to be more clear and concrete. This album deals with human genesis on an emotional level. Its revolt stems from two main dissatisfactions that come from, I believe, a mass media and industrialized setting. The first dissatisfaction is a dissatisfaction of expression, the feeling that our common usage of idioms, metaphors and social types fail to capture what we ourselves feel is the true nature of our relationships. Mass media is seen as a culprit here, because its reach is so far, and so encompassing, that any new form of expression would have to be checked with a large body of preexisting symbols, or else face the consequence of being marginalized, or worse misunderstood, or even worse, seen as a petty play of rearranging clichés. Wolf Parade’s solution to this problem is using metaphors that are so personal and absurd, that they dislocate a given situation with the language we normally use to think about it. The signified is cut off and rescued from the signifier, and its meaning seems to seep past its former boundaries and reconnects itself with a deeper conscious. You would be lying if you claimed to understand all the metaphors in that album, because they are not made to be understood, instead they are made so that you can make your own connections, feel your own liberation from preconfigured ways of expression.

The second dissatisfaction is a dissatisfaction with modern society. People locked in high-rises, enduring tedious work hours, taking in the clanking city sounds all around them. Our ambivalence with the city creates an interesting dynamic, as some embrace it wholeheartedly, taking the good with the bad, the smog with and bright city lights, the sin and the glamour. Some deject it, and search for other places to live like the suburbs or the countryside, while limiting contact as much as possible. As artists, the ambivalence receives another layer in songs like “Modern World”, for it is precisely the contrast of constraint and free-play that their music gains flair. In most of these songs there are two distinct parts, one is highly structured part, featuring a set pace and a “comprehensible” melody; the other is a tearing down of the first part, featuring a changing pace, often an acceleration to the point of destruction, and weird yet pleasing tunes. Each half taken alone is not spectacular, but when combined they create a rushing sensation, an explosive impetus in their music. Their music is a metaphor for oppression and resistance, both which cannot be felt without being placed in juxtaposition with the other.

In the opening of this blog I’ve written that the album was about ‘human genesis ’, now that we examined the two dissatisfactions of the album I will turn back to the conclusion given. It is a very simple message up front, one that simply points out the rigidness of our culture and the inhumane conditions of our society, suggesting that the human soul could not have come from modernity, hence encouraging us to find our own roots in objects and places of personal significance. We can capture some of our true selves in abstract metaphors, secret memories of sacred places and such. The message becomes more complex when it reveals itself to unconfident in its own suggestions. What if modernity is so ingrained in us that our departure from it is only a reconfiguration of its template? What if this yearning can only come from a heightened awareness of our individuality, which can only come from modernity? What if there is simply no human soul, no identifiable, unique and integrated ‘thing’ that belongs to only ourselves? There is a deep anxiety that haunts all of Wolf Parade’s achievements.

I believe there is ample literature on the modern discontents, and hence I do not feel a need to link the two dissatisfactions in to an overarching scheme, or point out a single source. In the end, the music deals with the significance with the conditions we are set in. In my eyes, “Apologies to the Queen Mary” is not an escapism album, but a reminder and a celebration of an individual soul lurking behind imminent extinction.

P.S This could have replaced the previous article of the same review, but I was interested to show the progress from an emotional, spur-of-the-moment review, to the clear-headed version. I don’t believe that logic is ad-hoc to the conclusions of human emotion, on the contrary it works best when given such significance.