Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Body Liberation'

Given the increased public enthusiasm for the genres of Horror and Science Fiction, as well as the renewed and ever-evolving interest in indie horror films (propelling them into the mainstream), there is a noticeable increase of public eagerness to consume films that toy with the ideas of anxiety and the body. While many of these films seem to fit the rubric of heteronormative and mainstream Hollywood productions that occupy a neat world of perfectly defined gender identities, we can still excavate bodies that fall outside of such neat definitions. On the one hand, we are presented with a defined female or male character, thrust into a chaotic situation through which they must endure tremendous anxiety and pain and strive to survive. On the other, these bodies seem to survive and thrive despite not fitting in with the simple heteronormative worlds in which they dwell.

The purpose of this thesis is not to provide a stand-in or voice for the queer body, nor is its purpose to create an index of films that fall under the sub-genre of ‘Body Horror,’ but to explore how films in this genre that seem to privilege performances of able-bodiedness and heteronormativity actually treat queerness and queer topics in very different ways. This thesis wishes to explore these bodies as they cruise through their respective dystopian technofetishistic worlds; as their bodies are infected, their figures transformed, and their psyches liberated as they attain physical, sexual or psychological release.

To facilitate both observation and maintain its central focus, this paper will be divided into three main parts. The first chapter will define key terms and phrases that are the central focus of this paper. The second chapter will explore the concept of ‘Infestation,’ which will focus on the queer and disabled bodies as they are occupied, annexed, and attacked by external forces or internal strife. This chapter will consider the concept of ‘Transformation’ and further examine the manner through which the “monstrous queer” emerges through the definition of normalcy and the anomalous. Lastly, the final chapter will revolve around the concept of ‘Liberation,’ and review these observations in terms of how these performances reconcile and imagine their own respective ideas of queer futures. This final chapter will expand the narrative of queer futurity while also dwelling on notions of the inevitable “queer dystopia” in ‘Body Horror’ films. The voices and scholarship in the fields of Queer and Disability Studies, Psychoanalysis, and Film Studies will guide this reading as it seeks out these bodies and unearths the deeply affective, psychological, and physical states of transformation they undergo.

This thesis examines dance as a means of social and political revolt in the AIDS epidemic. The course of the AIDS epidemic within the United States was inexorably shaped by the way dancers and choreographers used their art form to rebel against concepts of masculinity, sexuality and disease transmission. Through confronting their audiences with the reality of their loss and humanizing themselves and their loved ones that passed away, dancers were able to change the image of the epidemic and push for necessary political and social reform. This paper also analyzes the ways that norms of masculinity and the stigma of effeminacy in modern society developed, through tracing the development and disappearance of the male dancers on stages across the world. This examination explores the connection between dance and queerness, as well as effeminacy and sexuality, and calls into question the ways in which our bodies and movements are colonized. These were concepts that were all explored during the AIDS epidemic as well as dance and social revolutions through out the earlier part of the 20th century.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO
Esta tese propõe uma reflexão, à luz das Escrituras Sagradas e da fé cristã, sobre a inovadora proposta para a Teologia da Libertação de Rubem Alves. Inicialmente, discute-se a Teologia Latino-Americana da Libertação (TdL), tentando investigar seus influxos das Ciências do Social (CdS), as quais forneceram o ferramental necessário para abordar o concreto-pensado sobre o qual a TdL teologizou. Pretende-se mostrar como Rubem Alves abriu mão de uma gramática marxista (realidade penúltima) e assumiu uma linguagem mais abrangente, humanista, interdisciplinar e holística sobre a liberdade e essência humana mediante uma interpretação inovadora de não apenas textos bíblicos e evangélicos, mas também de muitos poetas, teólogos, filósofos e uma gama ampla de outros pensadores sociais. A partir do diálogo interdisciplinar e suas próprias inquietudes e vivências dolorosas, Rubem Alves centralizou o corpo como a prioridade axiológica de seu que-fazer teológico da Libertação. Finalmente, propõe-se uma Teologia lúdica da Libertação mais integral, poética e transcendente a partir do método pastoral tripartido ver-julgar-agir que, além de levar em conta a multidimensionalidade e complexidade da essência humana que o corpo expressa, assume uma linguagem mais dionisíaca e polifônica na busca pela libertação humana não só da servidão econômica, mas de todas as formas de repressão.
This dissertation posits a scriptural and Christian faith-based reflection on Brazilian theologian Rubem Alves innovative Liberation Theology proposal. Initially, we examine Latin American Liberation Theology (abbreviated TdL herein) and attempt to trace how it was influenced by the Social Sciences (abbreviated CdS herein) which supplied Liberation Theology with the necessary tools for theologizing the thought concrete. We aim to show how Rubem Alves cast off a Marxist grammar (penultimate reality) in lieu of a broader, more humanistic, interdisciplinary and holistic discourse regarding human freedom and personhood by innovatively interpreting not only Biblical and Gospel texts but also those of poets, theologians, philosophers and a wide range of other social thinkers. From his interdisciplinary dialogs, his personal soul-searching and painful life experiences, Alves centered the body as the axiological priority of his Liberation Theology undertaking. Finally, we propose a more holistic, poetic, playful and transcendental Liberation Theology based on the threefold see-judge-act pastoral process that, beside focusing on the multidimensional and complex human personhood the body expresses, incorporates a more Dionysian and polyphonic discourse in its search for not only human economic freedom, but freedom from all forms of repression.
En esta tesis, se propone una reflexión a la luz de las Sagradas Escrituras y de la fe cristiana sobre la innovadora propuesta de la Teología de la Liberación del teólogo brasileño Rubem Alves. Se analiza primero la Teología de la Liberación en América Latina (aquí abreviada como TdL), tratando de investigar la influencia que sufrió de las Ciencias Sociales (aquí abreviadas como CdS), las cuales le prestaron las herramientas necesarias para teologizar sobre lo concreto-pensado. Se pretende mostrar cómo Rubem Alves abandonó una gramática marxista (penúltima realidad) y asumió un lenguaje humanista, interdisciplinario e integral más amplio sobre la libertad humana mediante una interpretación innovadora, no sólo de los textos bíblicos y evangélicos, sino de muchos poetas, teólogos, filósofos y una amplia gama de otros pensadores. Desde el diálogo interdisciplinario y sus propias inquietudes y experiencias dolorosas, Alves centró al cuerpo como la prioridad axiológica de su Teología de la Liberación. Por último, se propone una Teología de la Liberación más integral, poética, trascendente y lúdica a partir del método pastoral tripartito ver-juzgar-actuar que, además de tomar en cuenta la multidimensionalidad y complejidad de la esencia humana que el cuerpo expresa, se vale de un lenguaje más dionisíaco y polifónica en la búsqueda de la liberación humana no sólo de la servidumbre económica, sino de todas las formas de represión.

This work is about representation and existing. I’m fat and transmasculine. I’m looking for a reflection in my surroundings, culture, in media and art. I can’t find it, so I have to create it myself. Through materialising bodies in clay that describe what fat transmasculine people can look like I aim to give myself and people who are similar to me something we’re lacking. I claim my existence.

Through two books and a series of video documentations of live performances Mette Ingvartsen makes choreography into a territory of physical, artistic and social experimentation. The Artificial Nature Series focusses on how relations between human and non-human agency can be explored and reconfigured through choreography. By investigating and creating a ‘nonhuman theater’ questions regarding material agency, ecology, natural disasters, the Anthropocene and non-subjective performativity are posed. The resulting reflections are closely related to the poetic principles utilized to create the performances, while also drawing connections to territories outside theater. By contrast, 69 positions inscribes itself into a history of human performance with afocus on nudity, sexuality and how the body historically has been a site for political struggles. By creating a guided tour through sexual performances – from the naked protest actions of the 1960’s, through an archive ofpersonal performances into a reflection on contemporary sexual practice – this solo work rethinks audience participation and proposes a notion of soft and social choreography. The contrasting performative strategiesarticulate a twofold notion of expanded choreography: on the one hand movement is extended beyond the human body by including the agency of nonhuman performers, and on the other hand, movement is expanded into animaginary and virtual space thanks to ‘language choreography’.

LINKS

https://vimeo.com/164552586

https://vimeo.com/164558381

碩士
國立臺灣師範大學
圖文傳播學系
104
Lars von Trier’s controversial film “Nymphomaniac” openly discusses women’s sexuality, which used to be considered as a privacy issue. “Nymphomaniac” is the story about a girl, Joe, she considered herself who has sexual addict. It is particularly noteworthy that Taiwan is the only country in Asia released the uncensored version movie. Therefore, there have been heated debates on the film “Nymphomaniac” in the past years. In fact, due to the influence of the traditional Confucian culture, the discussion of the sex issue in Chinese society is more conservative than Western society. Recently, there are more and more feminists in Taiwan claimed the women sexual liberation that triggered a heated debate. In the meantime, woman who put sexual liberation into practice in Taiwan keeps being judged and accused as a slut and bitch. Through the textual analysis, the research found that this film represent the women’s image which is different from the movie we saw past few years. The women in this film become a sexual subject and they are not controlled by men anymore. Furthermore, the patriarchy is being satirized in this film. In addition, through the Focus Group Interview, the research found the interviewees took the dominant and negotiated strategy to interpret the film text, except, due to the “Family”concept of confusianism has been deeply rooted in Taiwanese women, most of the interviewees judged Joe for leaving her baby home. Also, this research found that Taiwanese women might have illusions about Western society which they consider to be more liberal than Asia. Finally, the research found that Taiwanese women keep struggling with sexual liberation and conservative value in modern society. Therefore, it is another way to make sexual liberation into practice for these women by watching the film “Nymphomaniac”.

Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu
In sy haas om in die globale ekonomie geïntegreer te word, na baie jare van polities-ekonomiese isolasie – en dus volle lidmaatskap van die internasionale gemeenskap te verkry – het die na-apartheid staat die ekonomiese raamwerk van die vryemarkstelsel aanvaar, gebaseer op die beginsels van neo-liberale kapitalisme as sy normatiewe basis om die “nalatenskap van apartheid” aan te spreek. Die aanvaarding van die ekonomiese model van neo-liberale kapitalisme is egter problematies in soverre dit betekenisvol misluk het om na-apartheid Suid-Afrika se mees fundamentele moreel-polities-ekonomiese uitdaging, naamlik armoede, aan te spreek en te oorkom. Hierdie tesis bied ʼn alternatiewe ekonomiese model aan, naamlik uitgebreide korporatisme. Terwyl die neo-liberale ekonomiese model individuele belange beklemtoon (gebaseer op die filosofiese beginsel van outonomie in die ekonomiese sfeer), beklemtoon die korporatistiese model, daarenteen, kollektiewe belange (gebaseer op die filosofiese beginsel van kollektiewe eienaarskap en verantwoordelikheid). Die voorspraak vir uitgebreide korporatisme poog om die volgende aansprake te bewys: 1. Die vryemarkstelsel moet behoue bly, maar een of ander vorm van strategiese ingryping is nodig sodat bepaalde sosio-politieke en ekonomiese doelwitte bereik kan word. 2. Die huidige vorm van korporatisme in Suid-Afrika is “drieledigisme” (ʼn swak vorm van korporatisme). ʼn Uitgebreide korporatistiese politieke ekonomie kan teweeg gebring word deur die instelling van korporasies, die instelling van ʼn ekonomiese wetgewende gesagsliggaam, arbeidshowe en gesentraliseerde salarisonderhandelinge. 3. Uitgebreide korporatisme kan Suid-Afrika se sosio-ekonomiese probleme aanspreek. Transformasie kan bevorder word deur ʼn paradigmaverskuiwing weg van die liberale kapitalisme, ʼn magsverskuiwing weg van die wit kapitalistiese enklave en ʼn verspreidingsverskuiwing ten gunste van die swart verarmde laerklasse. 4. Alle ekonomiese sektore en private industrieë en bedrywe moet onder die beheer van korporasies gebring word. Die staat en arbeid moet vennote by private industrieë en bedrywe word. Op dieselfde wyse moet kapitaal ʼn vennoot by staatsondernemings word. In konklusie, die aanvaarding van uitgebreide korporatisme in Suid-Afrika sal verseker dat die staat, kapitaal en arbeid saamwerk en dat ekonomiese geregtigheid en harmonie sal seëvier.
In its haste to be integrated into the global economy, following many years of political-economic isolation – and thus assume full membership in the international community – the post-apartheid state adopted the economic framework of the free market system, based on the principles of neoliberal capitalism as its normative foundation for addressing the “legacy of apartheid”. The adoption of the economic model of neoliberal capitalism has, however, proved to be problematic insofar as it has failed significantly to address and thus overcome post-apartheid South Africa‟s most fundamental moral-political-economic challenge, namely poverty. This thesis offers an alternative economic model, namely extended corporatism. While the neoliberal economic model emphasises individual interest (based on the philosophical principle of autonomy in the economic sphere), the corporatist model, in contrast, emphasises collective interest (based on the philosophical principle of collective ownership and responsibility). The advocacy of extended corporativism is based on the following key claims: 1. The free market system must be retained, but some form of strategic intervention is necessary so that certain socio-political and economic results can be achieved. 2. The current form of corporatism in South Africa is in fact tripartism (a weak form of corporatism). An extended corporatist political economy can by brought about by the implementation of corporations, the establishment of an economic legislative body, labour courts and centralised wage bargaining. 3. Extended corporatism can address South Africa‟s socio-economic problems. Transformation can be promoted by a paradigm shift away from liberal capitalism, a power shift away from the white capitalist enclave and a distribution shift in favour of the black impoverished lower classes. 4. All economic sectors as well as private industries and businesses must be brought under the control of corporations. The state and labour must become partners in private industries and businesses. In the same way capital must become a partner in state enterprises. In conclusion, the adoption of extended corporatism in South Africa will ensure that state, capital and labour work together and that economic justice and harmony will prevail.
Ekuxhamezeleni kombuso owasungulwa emva kokuphela kobandlululo kuleli, ngenjongo yokuthi udidiyelwe emnothweni womhlaba, kulandela iminyaka eminingi ukhishwe inyumbazana kwezepolitiki nakwezomnotho – futhi ukuze uthathe indawo yawo njengelungu eligcwele lomphakathi wamazwe ngamazwe – waqoka ukwamukela nokusebenzisa uhlaka lwezomnotho lohlelo-kuhwebelana olukhululekile, olwakhelwe phezu kwemigomo yenqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe, njengesisekelo-nkambiso sayo sokubhekana “nokhondolo lobandlululo”. Kodwa-ke, ukwamukelwa nokusetshenziswa kwemodeli yezomnotho yenqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe, sekubonise ukuba yinkinga impela njengoba sekuhluleke kwancama ukunqoba inselele enkulukazi eNingizimu Afrika selokhu kwaphela ubandlululo, yokuqinisekisa ukubhekelelwa komuntu wonke, ephathelene nezepolitiki kanye nezomnotho, okuyinselele yobubha. Lo mbhalo wetisisi uhlinzeka ngemodeli yezomnotho ehlukile engasetshenziswa, futhi leyo modeli wubukopeletsheni obeluliwe (extended corporatism). Njengoba inqubo-mnotho ekhululekile yogombelakwesakhe igcizelela izidingo nezimfuno zomuntu ngamunye, (ezisekelwe phezu komgomo wefilosofi yokuzimela kwezomnotho), imodeli yobukopeletsheni ngakolunye uhlangothi yona igcizelela izidingo nezimfuno zabantu ngokuhlanganyela (ezisekelwe phezu komgomo wefilosofi yobunikazi obuhlanganyelwe kanye nesibopho esihlanganyelwe). Ukwesekwa kanye nokukhuthazwa kobukopeletsheni obeluliwe kusekelwe phezu kwalezi zitatimende ezisemqoka: 1. Uhlelo-kuhwebelana olukhululekile kumele lugcinwe, kodwa-ke kuyadingeka ukungenelela okuthile okukhethekile ukuze kuzuzwe imiphumela ethile yezenhlalo-politiki kanye nezomnotho. 2. Uhlobo lobukopeletsheni olukhona njengamanje kuleli, eqinisweni, luwubukopeletsheni obungunxantathu (obubandakanya isivumelwano phakathi kwabaqashi, izinyunyana zabasebenzi kanye nohulumeni), i-tripartism (okuwuhlobo lobukopeletsheni oluntekenteke kakhulu). Umnotho wezepolitiki oncike kubukopeletsheni obeluliwe ungalethwa ngokuqaliswa kokopeletsheni, nangokusungulwa kwenhlangano eshaya imithetho ephathelene nezomnotho, nezinkantolo zabasebenzi kanye nokuxoxisana ngamaholo okwenziwa esigcawini esisodwa esibandakanya zonke izinhlaka ezithintekayo. 3. Ubukopeletsheni obeluliwe bungazixazulula izinkinga zenhlalo-mnotho ezibhekene neNingizimu Afrika. Uguquko lungagqugquzeleka ngokuthi kuphunywe kwinqubo ekhululekile yomnotho wogombelakwesakhe, futhi kuphunywe ngaphansi kwenqubo yomnotho wogombelakwesakhe abamhlophe, kuguqukelwe emnothweni obhekelela abantu abamnyama abasemazingeni aphansi ababhuqabhuqwa wububha nenhlupheko. 4. Yonke imikhakha yomnotho kanjalo nezimboni namabhizinisi azimele kumele kufakwe ngaphansi kolawulo lokopeletsheni. Umbuso kanye nabasebenzi kumele babambisane nezimboni namabhizinisi. Ngendlela efanayo, ogombelakwesakhe nabo kumele babambisane namabhizinisi ombuso. Uma sengiphetha, ukwamukelwa nokusetshenziswa kobukopeletsheni obeluliwe eNingizimu Afrika kuyoqinisekisa ukuthi umbuso, ogombelakwesakhe kanye nabasebenzi basebenza ngokubambisana futhi kanjalo lokho kuyoletha ubulungiswa bezomnotho kanye nokuzwana.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)

This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 2001) and self-study to investigate ways to further understand and facilitate the integration of holistic philosophies of education with media literacy pedagogies. As founder and director of the Youth Media Literacy Project and a self-titled Imagitator (one who agitates imagination), I have spent over 10 years teaching media literacy in various high schools, universities, and community centres across North America. This study will focus on my own personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1982) as a culture jammer, educator and cancer survivor to illustrate my original vision of a ‘holistic media literacy pedagogy’. This research reflects on the emergence and impact of holistic media literacy in my personal and professional life and also draws from relevant interdisciplinary literature to challenge and synthesize current insights and theories of media literacy, holistic education and culture jamming.