Critical Hermeneutics

The Identity of Metaphors in Art

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Editors’ Introduction

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Since the beginning of philosophical thought to the present day, scholars have engaged in discourse on metaphor from multiple theoretical standpoints, encompassing rhetoric, linguistics, cognitive science, aesthetics, and hermeneutic phenomenology. This has led to its establishment as a quintessential feature of language — a vibrant interpreter that has traversed the course of history while retaining its ‘youth’...

Editoriale

2026-09-19T11:09:17+02:00

Sin dalle origini del pensiero filosofico e fino ai giorni nostri gli studiosi hanno argomentato la metafora da varie prospettive teoriche, tra cui la retorica, la linguistica, le scienze cognitive, l’estetica, la fenomenologia ermeneutica. Questo ha reso la metafora una figura esemplare del linguaggio, un’interprete viva che ha saputo varcare il corso della storia mantenendo intatta la sua “gioventù”...

Editorial

2026-09-19T11:09:15+02:00

Des de los inicios del pensamiento filosófico hasta la actualidad, investigadores han abordado la metáfora desde distintas perspectivas teóricas, entre ellas la retórica, la lingüística, la ciencia cognitiva, la estética y la fenomenología hermenéutica. Esto ha consolidado la metáfora como una característica del lenguaje por excelencia: una intérprete vibrante que ha formado parte del curso de la historia manteniendo, al mismo tiempo, su ‘juventud’...

“Thinking is a listening that discerns”

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This article proposes a parallel between Paul Ricœur’s living metaphor and the metaphorical angelology of Wallace Stevens’s poetry, based on the possibility of qualifying both as bearers of an onto-theological value, identified as constitutive in the characterization of being underlying the metaphor. This ontological-metaphorical disposition is brought to light by Ricœur through the dialectic between speculative-philosophical discourse and poetic discourse—between philosophy and the poetic art understood in the Aristotelian sense—argued especially in two studies of The Rule of Metaphor. Such a dialectic demonstrates, in fact, the necessary horizon within which the onto-theological metaphor may reveal itself, allowing one to glimpse the inevitable openness toward a truth-bearing knowledge that always involves the other and that, in certain respects, even overturns the Heideggerian critique of onto-theology.

Metaphor, Imagery, and Proverbs

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Proverb imagery, as discussed by Norrick (2007), is rendered in explicit visual form in Pieter Bruegel’s Netherlandish Proverbs (1559), where numerous proverbs are depicted through intricate visual compositions. The present study investigates the function of metaphor within these visual representations. From a cognitivist perspective (Lakoff & Johnson 1980), the analysis emphasizes the visual metaphorical devices (Contini 2012) that characterize the pictorial dimension of these images (Forceville 2009). The investigation highlights the distinctive perceptual immediacy of Bruegel’s proverbial representations which translate conventional linguistic expressions into visually evocative forms, sometimes imbuing them with specific symbolic meanings (Durand 1972).

Metaphors in Art

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The theoretical reconnaissance begins with a reflection on the cognitive and imaginative potential of metaphorical language. The ability of metaphors to evoke images in the minds of interpreters enriches the interpretive process, particularly in the visual realm. It is especially in the context of art that metaphorical language reveals its full brilliance, challenging the interpreter to recognise meaning. The aim is to provide a framework that helps observers recognise the metaphorical language expressed in art. We will therefore examine the structure of metaphors in figurative art, highlight their identifying features, and suggest a classification system.

Metaphors in Motion

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The essay explores the identity of artistic metaphor through the lens of dance, understood not merely as a symbolic object but as an embodied practice of meaning-making. Challenging traditional linguistic-semantic models, it proposes that dance constitutes a form of operative metaphoricity, where significance arises directly from the body’s movement in space and time. The analysis develops along two intertwined axes: firstly, dance as a metaphor for a fluid, processual existence, engaging with theories of nomadism and becoming (Braidotti; Deleuze & Guattari), as well as Nancy and Badiou’s reflections on dance as immanent transcendence and a metaphor for thought; secondly, as a non-verbal language and embodied mode of communication, informed by Rudolf Laban’s movement theories. In dialogue with Nietzsche, Rilke, and Valéry, the essay argues that dance provides theoretical resources for rethinking metaphor cognitively and communicatively, thereby reinforcing its imaginative and transformative role in aesthetic experience.

Transmedia Storytelling and Artistic Metaphor as Innovative Approaches to Promoting the Region and Communicating Cultural and Artistic Heritage in Sardinia

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This research project analyzes the potential of transmedia storytelling and metaphorical language as tools for development within specific abandoned territories of Sardinia’s inland areas. The process culminates in a vertical narrative set along selected Points of Interest flanking the SS 131 highway, which expands into a broader digital ecosystem. The findings aim to validate a model capable of re-signifying artistic heritage, stimulating a sense of belonging, and promoting sustainable tourism that transforms emptiness into a tangible cultural resource. At the heart of the project lies territorial enhancement through the creative metaphor, viewed as the primary tool for rediscovering local and cultural identity. Moving beyond the mere concept of recovery, this study leverages artistic expressions as the true engines for heritage valorization.

Amy Allen and the Reparatory Critique, Critical Theory and Psychoanalysis

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Amy Allen is widely regarded as one of the most prominent feminist philosophers in contemporary critical theory. This article-interview presents her extensive body of work spanning over two decades, with emphasis on her efforts to integrate psychoanalytic methodology into critical theory. The introductory essay traces Allen’s trajectory from her early feminist analyses of power through her engagement with poststructuralism, her decolonial critique of progress, and her recent turn to Melanie Klein’s psychoanalysis. In the interview that follows, Allen revisits key themes from her previous works while elucidating the implications of her recent research, shedding light on the relationship between psychoanalysis and critical theory in understanding power dynamics, autonomy, and gender in contemporary society.

African Cultural Significance of Totems, Myths, Sacred Rivers and Mountains towards Environmental Ethics

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In this theoretical paper, I discuss the intricate relationship between African cultural elements – specifically totems, myths, sacred rivers, and mountains and environmental ethics in Zimbabwe. The increasing disconnect between indigenous knowledge systems and modern environmental conservation approaches has prompted this exploration, particularly as Zimbabwe faces accelerating environmental degradation despite having rich cultural heritage that traditionally encouraged sustainable practices. Major challenges include the marginalization of indigenous environmental knowledge in formal conservation policies and the erosion of traditional practices among younger generations due to modernization and urbanization. Drawing on cultural ecology theory and African eco-philosophy, this paper examines how Shona, Ndebele, Tonga, and Venda cultural systems encode environmental ethics through totemic relationships, sacred narratives, and reverence for natural landmarks. Using a qualitative methodological approach based on document analysis of ethnographic studies, oral traditions, and contemporary environmental reports, this research identifies indigenous mechanisms of environmental protection embedded within cultural practices. A major finding reveals that communities with strong adherence to traditional totemic taboos and sacred site preservation demonstrate measurably lower rates of environmental degradation. In light of these findings, this study argues that integrating indigenous knowledge systems with modern conservation strategies offers a culturally appropriate and potentially more effective approach to addressing contemporary environmental challenges in Zimbabwe, requiring immediate attention and implementation in environmental policy frameworks.

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