Mantha: Alchemies of the Cultural Turn
by Mark K. Warford (SUNY Buffalo State University)
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"Mantha: Alchemies of the One and the Many” is a deeply personal exploration of how we might understand ourselves in the world in the 21st century. It is a quantum-entangled exploration of an astonishing universe of literature including, but hardly limited to, Jung and his followers, alchemy, learning theory, translation studies, creativity and innovation. Warford's ability to create new constellations of meaning across these diverse kinds of knowledge is, ultimately, the point. To navigate our increasingly imperiled world successfully, we must open the doors of our perception and deeply embrace complexity. It is a clarion call for a non-binary weltanschauung of reverberating nuance.
Tony Fross
Prophet Consulting
“Mantha: Alchemies of the Cultural Turn” by Mark K. Warford is a profoundly researched and finely focused study concerning the One's potential to relate creatively to the Many. Explorations of key mythological themes, such as Titanism and the Monstrous, and of the dichotomy of creativity and innovation are enriched by timely references to contemporary trends.
Prof. Dr. Heidi Faletti
SUNY Buffalo State University
Set against the rich and troubled tapestry of the West’s Greco-Roman inheritance, the Sanskrit root 'manth/-', which roughly translates to “a churn” ('mantha') or “to churn” ('manth'), serves as a cauldron into which age-old binaries are blended. A mantha of the Greek metaphysical notion of the One and the Many drives explorations of a variety of themes, including the Feminine and the Masculine, Self and Other, East and West, Heroes and Monsters, Olympians and Titans, Creativity and Innovation. Accordingly, the psychoanalytic canon is (re)introduced to a diversity of perspectives, from linguistics and Translation Studies to educational theory and horror fiction. Guided by the 'Opus Contra Culturam', Warford, infusing his background in linguistics, Translation Studies, Spanish, Sociocultural Theory, and Global Humanities, demonstrates the importance of stretching beyond what is known in one’s cultural milieu, that “one” taking many forms: the citizen, the student, the professional, the innovator, the scholar, and the infinite intersections of group identifications into which we are susceptible to being siloed. Specific topics include cultural complexes and trauma, Titanism, integrative approaches to human development and learning theory, the Monstrous, as well as creativity and innovation studies.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Reflecting on the cultural turn after Jung
Chapter 2 Raising the Titanic
Chapter 3 Demonstrative Monsters
Chapter 4 Heroes and Monstrous Hybridities
Chapter 5 Integration of Cogito and Cultura
Chapter 6 Elements of an Integration Model
Chapter 7 Alchemies of Creativity and Innovation
References
Appendix
Index
Mark K. Warford, PhD currently serves as an associate professor in the Modern and Classical Languages Department at Buffalo State University (SUNY). As a scholar, he has published and presented in the areas of applied linguistics, pedagogy, innovation studies, sociocultural theory, as well as translation and post-Jungian studies, having recently developed an approach to translation influenced by psychoanalytic studies ('la traducción profunda' or “depth translation”). A former president and current vice-president of the Analytical Psychology Society of Western New York, Warford enjoys ongoing collaborations with the Centro Jung de Buenos Aires. In his spare time, he is a stringed instrument accompanist at local Irish music seisiúns.
Jung, Archetypal psychology, Greek mythology, Cultural anxiety, Monstrous, Creativity, Innovation, Titanism, Wolfgang Giegerich
