WHEN THE OLD MEETS THE NEW: HEROIZATION, VILIFICATION, NEW MEDIA, AND MODERN DAY POLITICS

Abstract

Ironically, defining a hero, is a heroic endeavour in its own right, considering the diversity of hero types (mythological, epic, folk, national, local, up to family heroes), but also the diversity of cultural contexts, which underlie the production of various hero systems.1 Such phenomenological diversity has been tackled by different research areas as diverse as literary studies2, history folk studies, anthropology (Levi-Strauss),3 sociology (Mauss, Hubert)4 all contributing to the fuller understanding of the phenomenon, while also making the simple definition of it an impossible task. Notwithstanding this phenomenological and epistemological complexity, we contend that certain consistencies can be mapped out. What we have in mind are some universal traits of heroism, most notably the cultural and political functions of heroes across diverse contexts. Among these, the key function we would like to focus on, is the hero’s role as a protector of the community which worships him with the belief that he will perpetuate their biological, cultural and political existence through space and time. To do so he needs to confront dangers and enemies incarnated in the image of his Arche opponent, the villain. This dialectically presupposing dichotomy, we contend, is still an existent mode of human perception and interaction with the world. What differs in modern times are the types of social actors that embody the positions of heroes and villains, as well as the means by which they are represented.