Art and Society

Gendered Perceptions of Interethnic Romantic Leads: A Case Study of Sepet and Mukhsin

Aida Maisarah Razak — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores how interethnic romance is gendered in Malaysian cinema through a comparative analysis of Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet and Mukhsin. In a society where Malay-Muslim femininity is both culturally idealized and institutionally regulated, the representation of a Malay female protagonist engaging in romantic or affective bonds with a non-Malay counterpart carries complex cultural weight. Through close textual analysis, audience perception data, and aesthetic examination, the study illustrates how Yasmin Ahmad navigates national taboos around race, religion, and gender not through overt challenge, but through what this paper terms “soft transgression”—emotional nuance, narrative restraint, and cinematic empathy.

Using a gender-aware lens, the paper highlights how female emotional agency, male vulnerability, and childhood intimacy are deployed to unsettle normative scripts of racial purity and heteropatriarchal authority. Viewer identification patterns across ethnic and gender lines reveal that affective resonance often transcends cultural boundaries, while also exposing generational discomfort with femininity in expressive roles. By situating these films within broader Southeast Asian cinematic and sociopolitical contexts, the paper argues for a framework of reading interethnic romance that is intersectional, emotionally attuned, and sensitive to the symbolic politics of gendered visibility.

Environmental Trauma and Aesthetic Ecocriticism in Indonesian Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi)

Dimas Wirawan Mahendra — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the emergence of a post-traumatic ecocritical aesthetic in Indonesian climate fiction (cli-fi), examining how literary works respond to environmental degradation, colonial legacies, and spiritual ruptures through narrative, form, and cosmology. Unlike the techno-dystopian paradigms dominant in global climate fiction, Indonesian cli-fi is rooted in the lived materialities of archipelagic ecologies—floods, forest loss, soil poisoning—and the cultural frameworks that interpret them. The study argues that authors deploy fragmented structure, multispecies witnessing, ritual temporality, and relational world-building to render climate trauma as an ongoing condition rather than a singular event.

Drawing on ecofeminist, postcolonial, and indigenous epistemologies, the paper shows how landscapes are gendered, spirits act as environmental agents, and grief is distributed across human and nonhuman bodies. These texts do not seek utopia or full recovery; instead, they offer ethical practices of attention, mourning, and care within damaged worlds. Ultimately, Indonesian climate fiction advances a decolonial aesthetic that challenges anthropocentric and technocratic responses to climate change, and instead foregrounds survival, memory, and cosmological continuity in the face of irreversible ecological loss.

Psychodynamics in the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Theory and Practice

Changqing Fan — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The protection and inheritance of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is not only an important task for cultural transmission, but also closely related to the psychological state of the bearers. This study explores the psychological challenges faced by bearers in the protection process of ICH and their impact on cultural transmission from the perspective of psychodynamics. Through literature review, case analysis, and field research, this study deeply analyzes the psychological factors of bearers, such as psychological motivation, emotional investment, social support, and cultural confidence, and constructs a psychodynamic model. The study finds that the psychological state of bearers directly affects the sustainability and enthusiasm of their transmission behaviors. Based on this, this paper proposes psychological support strategies for bearers, including establishing a psychological support system, enhancing cultural confidence, and providing policy and social support, aiming to provide new theoretical basis and practical guidance for the protection of ICH. The results show that the application of psychodynamics can effectively enhance the psychological resilience of bearers and promote the sustainable transmission of ICH.

Sound Waves and Thought Currents: A Study of the Pop Music Reflection of Chinese Youth’s Values Since the Reform and Opening-up

Xinzhuo Zheng — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Since the reform and opening up, the evolving relationship between Chinese pop music and youth values has distinctly mirrored societal shifts. Pop music, as a central conduit of youth subculture, plays a pivotal role in shaping and reflecting youth values through its aesthetic and value-laden expressions. Utilizing Marxist value theory, in tandem with sociological and cultural research lenses, the trajectory from 1978 to 2023 can be segmented into four phases: Enlightenment and Awakening (1978-1986): This period underscores the shift from collectivism to a heightened sense of individual consciousness. Fission and Resistance (1987-1991): These years are marked by cultural critique and a rise in identity anxiety. Diversity and Return (1992-2011): This phase captures the dichotomy between globalization and local identity. Integration and Leadership (2012-2023): Here, we see the seamless merging of core values with multiculturalism. The thematic evolution and stylistic innovations in pop music consistently parallel the modern transformation of youth values. This musical metamorphosis resonates with collective emotional shifts during societal transitions and bolsters the emergence of cultural confidence. Looking forward, nurturing youth values will necessitate a multi-tiered educational framework, underpinned by mainstream value guidance, cultural carrier innovation, and collaborative institutional practices.

Between Boundaries: Deconstructing Youth in Shinji Somai’s 1980s Cinema

Peihuan Wang — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines a series of youth films directed by Shinji Somai in the 1980s. Drawing on Tanaka’s (2013) concept of “bodies on the boundary” (境界上の身体), the article argues that Somai’s cinematic language consistently crosses three types of boundaries. These crossings occur on both formal and narrative levels. Through them, Somai constructs a deconstructive aesthetic that challenges the myth of “youth” in 1980s Japanese cinema. Firstly, Somai re-encodes the idol image of the shōjo through the star persona of Hiroko Yakushimaru. He both inherits the Kadokawa-style star marketing model and dismantles the consumable unity of the idol. This is achieved through characters’ actions that cross visual boundaries in films such as Dreamy Fifteen (1980) and Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981). Secondly, he constructs spatial-temporal boundaries that are static yet forcibly mobile. This is realised through his use of long takes, such as the collective exposure and isolation created by the theatre scene in Typhoon Club (1985). Here, youth is no longer presented as an eternal theme of growth. Thirdly, his films often place adolescent characters on the verge of death and disappearance. Characters frequently exit the frame, blurring the boundaries between growth and ending, life and death. This article argues that the interweaving of these three boundaries forms an effective deconstruction of the mainstream “eternal youth” myth of the 1980s. Youth is no longer romanticised as a suspended moment. Instead, it is portrayed as a generative process full of instability, fragmentation, and liminality.

Impulse or Self-Expression? How Social Media Challenges Influence the Decision-Making Process of Young Users

Zekai Li — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Social media challenges have become a defining aspect of digital culture, particularly among young users who engage in them for entertainment, social validation, and self-expression. While many challenges are harmless, others encourage risky behaviors, raising concerns about impulsive decision-making, peer pressure, and platform responsibility. This study examines the psychological, social, and cognitive mechanisms that drive young users to participate in viral challenges, distinguishing between impulse-driven actions and intentional self-expression.

The research explores how instant gratification, social identity formation, and emotional arousal influence engagement, alongside external factors such as online communities, influencer culture, and algorithm-driven exposure. Cognitive processes, including impulsive vs. reflective thinking, risk perception biases, and content framing, play a significant role in decision-making, often leading users to overlook potential physical and psychological consequences. Case studies of past viral challenges highlight the fine line between engaging trends and dangerous behaviors, emphasizing the need for regulatory oversight, platform accountability, and digital literacy education.

As social media continues to evolve, ensuring user safety without restricting creativity requires a multi-stakeholder approach, involving tech companies, policymakers, educators, and content creators. This paper provides future recommendations for fostering a safer digital environment, advocating for enhanced content moderation, AI-driven risk detection, ethical influencer practices, and improved media literacy programs. By understanding the motivations and consequences of social media challenge participation, we can develop more effective strategies to balance digital engagement with user protection.