Reproducing Coercion - An exploration on the reproduction of ideology in cults and capitalism
(2024)
author(s): Yilmaz Vurucu
published in: Research Catalogue
Reproducing coercion consists of a book and a film: both pieces of work compliment each other and provide a detailed exploration of authoritarian group (commonly referred to as cults) coercive techniques. The films offer visual poetics that support the scientific work and portray the end results of the techniques explored - from the perspective(s) of cult members.
The film:
Journeying into the intangible and often legitimate yet immoral tools of control, manipulation and precaritization used by high-pressure groups, the scientific work offers insight into common characteristics that help identify and analyze coercive groups, regardless of their ideology or area of operation.
The written part:
The written work on the other hand, delves into an exploration of capitalism (in its various forms and historical structures within western context), and the common characteristics class - based societies exhibit with coercive groups. More notably, the focus is on the reproduction of ideology and the functions of Ideological State Apparatuses in replicating class exploitation and aiding in its internalization.
The topics in this work, explored with an experimental approach, incorporating the author’s personal experiences and recollections, while referencing films he’s produced on the subject matter.
The structure:
The first part seeks to identify the characteristics of high-demand groups; it also delves into an overview of Althusser’s theories on the reproduction of ideology.
The second part explores the parallels between various forms of capitalist ideology and high-demand groups, while focusing more on absolute thought, language and precaritization.
The third part journeys into labour, hierarchy, and compartmentalization of the workplace, exploring how systems are reproduced and how they endure through repetition.
By comparing cult coercion methods to the reproduction of capitalism, the thesis seeks to offer a unique perspective on how ideology is reproduced, irrespective of the doctrine.
[text]uring: writing through fashion for a new literacies dissertation
(2023)
author(s): Rachel Kaminski Sanders
published in: Journal for Artistic Research
The term 'literacy' encompasses reading and writing practices, each with distinct meanings and histories. Scholars define individuals as 'literate' or 'illiterate' based on these practices, a point not to be taken lightly. New literacies studies have expanded literacy from print to encompass all forms of meaning-making, leading to an expansion of associated terminology. In American higher education, despite the expanded meanings of terms like 'writing' and 'text,' the term 'research' remains dominated by written language, even within dedicated disciplines (Coiro et al. 2008; New London Group 1996; Wilber 2008).
Through a cultural studies perspective, I traced the historical evolution of American literacy to the present day. The study revealed darker consequences of literacy's past, providing insights for scholars to understand silenced voices and advocate for their inclusion in the future. Given the ever-expanding practices of literacy, the need for increased attention to writing instruction, and the problematic otherness of arts-based disciplines such as fashion, my goal is to broaden the range of accepted scholarly compositions in higher education. I believe this pursuit is key to the advancement of academic research publications.
To address this paradox, I actively embraced new literacy practices by creating a dissertation supported by Barone & Eisner’s (2012) concept of arts based research. Drawing on my experiences in the industry, I sought to challenge views of fashion as frivolous by writing my dissertation in the language of dress, offering a new perspective on the interwovenness of literacy and fashion. My dissertation argues that fashion is a form of writing by exploring nonverbal communication in scholarly work. This move reconciled the perceived frivolity with the substantive nature of fashion and ignited my commitment to the acceptance of research in diverse language forms.