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1
Sherlock-Taselaar, Ingrid. "The lost tribes of Israel : sources, motifs and discourse in the development of a literary myth." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 2009. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29305/.
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For centuries people from different nations have speculated about the ultimate fate and whereabouts of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. As a result it has become a myth with universal appeal that has been recruited for a variety of causes, and even a myth that has the power to persuade people to create a past which has little or no bearing on the objective reality. It has travelled effortless through time and transcended national, cultural, and religious boundaries. The myth originated in a terse report of seven repetitive biblical verses and soon grew into a vast literary corpus. Nevertheless, the structure of the myth is such that it can be moulded according to the needs and aspirations of the user. Through a three-pronged methodology it was established that the myth of the Lost Tribes is an essential feature of Jewish-Christian deliverance discourse from biblical times until the present day. Firstly a number of representative sources and groups ranging from biblical times until today were chosen. Each of these sources enhanced the myth in their own way. A number of them were exclusively Jewish in nature, others were wholly Christian, several were shared between the two, and a few were deemed to be neither Christian nor Jewish. The periodization of these sources has been in centuries rather than in decades. One chapter is devoted to each period and contains a number of sources or groups. Secondly, the development and the use of the motifs that support the discourse were charted to discover whether a change in discourse participants influenced not only the quantity of the motifs but also the motifs themselves. Thirdly, the growth of the myth was tracked and the role of any embellishments discussed.
2
Roberts, Willie K. "Dolo: Journey of the Lost Tapes." OpenSIUC, 2011. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/629.
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A group of war orphans entered my life in 2007 when I was in Liberia working as the sound recordist for a documentary crew. I spent five months with them at their home, a rural Liberian orphanage named Rainbow Town. The boys at the orphanage often told me stories. During free time, we sat under the canopy outside their dorm and talked. The stories, which ranged from horrific accounts of war to playful tales of spiders and goats, fascinated me. With each story the boys narrated, a new illustration formed in my imagination. By the time I left Liberia, I had a pocketbook full of magical characters and events (See Appendix A). The boys' stories, which blend nonfiction with fantasy and folklore, are the inspiration for my 3D animation short, Dolo: Journey of the Lost Tapes. In this paper, I tell the stories behind the creation of the animation, share personal production experiences, and discuss the theoretical and historical influences that shaped my work. I conclude by discussing Dolo's significance and the work that I plan to do on the piece in the future.
3
Jal, Gabriel Giet. "The history of the Jikany Nuer before 1920." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.342378.
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Tchoumbou, Ngantchop Michel Auguste. "" ... Nothing's lost. Or else, all is translation. And every bit of us is lost in it ..." : informal collaborative learning amongst university students in Cameroon : a case study." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2017. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/69035/.
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Cameroon university students are drawn to informal small group talks as a highly valued learning strategy, particularly in relation to assessment. This research investigates this practice in-depth as an ‘instance in action,' with academic, social and cultural implications in the life of the average university learner in Cameroon. Showing the methodological limitations of current discourses on student group talks in higher education teaching and learning, the study draws from bakhtinian ‘dialogism' to underpin analysis of students' talks and interactions. Data were collected through extended observation of several small groups in three different universities in Cameroon, across several disciplinary fields, levels of undergraduate learning, linguistic and social boundaries. Findings suggest that in the process of talking and interacting informally, that is, outside of the formal structure of the classroom, learners strategically position themselves in ways that allow their individual and collective voices to emerge. Sustained in the context of discourse, emerging voices create the dialogic space within which learners con-struct their understandings of disciplinary knowledge. For it is within the dialogic space that learners, through their voices, best relate to assessment demands, to expected learning outcomes and to the social and cultural contexts of learning in Cameroon. This work contributes to knowledge by underlining the importance of learning spaces in higher education, particularly in relation to learners' voices and expected active engagement with learning. As such, it highlights the potentials of informal collaborative learning to enhance the learning experience in Cameroon universities, particularly in relation to assessment and critical thinking. Hence, it provides grounds for claims that Cameroonian students, and generally learners in other similar contexts, are usually more independent thinkers. This offers reasonable basis for questioning existing presumptions around ‘academic inferiority' of ‘foreign' students in some institutions abroad; presumptions that have continued to widen existing gaps between western universities and competing institutions in developing contexts. In addition, it foregrounds subsequent inquiries on learners' identities in Cameroon universities. Methodological innovations in investigating unconventional learning practices, particularly with the use of information technology, are also highlighted.
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Shragg, Lior David. "Songs of a lost tribe| An investigation and analysis of the musical properties of the Igbo Jews of Nigeria." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1590945.
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This document examines the musical performance practices of the Igbo Jews of Abjua, Nigeria. Amongst the 50 million Igbo, an estimated 5,000 are currently practicing Judaism. Despite prior research conducted by Daniel Lis (2015), William Miles (2013), Shai Afsai (2013), Edith Bruder (2012), and Tudor Parfitt (2013), there is little to no discussion of the role of music in this community. This study of the musical practices of the Igbo Jews of Nigeria reveals that the Igbo combine traditional Nigerian practice with modern Jewish and Christian elements. This combination of practices has led to the development of new traditions in an effort to maintain a shared sense of individualized Jewish identity and unity in a time of persecution and violence towards the Igbo from terrorist organizations. This study demonstrates that the Igbo Jews view the creation of this new music as serving to rejuvenate their Jewish identity while preserving Igbo traditions. The analysis draws upon theories of Eric Hobsbawm, Philip Bohlman and Alejandro Madrid to explain Igbo practice. Data includes material gathered from fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2014 in Abuja and in the cities of Kubwa and Jikwoyi. My observations focused on the musical properties of the Shabbat prayers and zmirot (para-liturgical table songs). While the Igbo are often considered one of “the lost tribes of Israel,” my research indicates that “lost” is not so “lost” as previously believed.
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Trytsman, Marike. "Diversity and pasture potential of legumes indigenous to southern Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/40213.
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This study records all known legume (Leguminosae/Fabaceae) species indigenous to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland to establish distribution patterns and optimum climatic and soil conditions for growth. The main purpose was to propose a list of legume species for further evaluation of their pasture potential.
Collection data supplied by the National Herbarium (PRE) Computerised Information System were recorded to establish the distribution patterns of species based on the bioregions vegetation map. A total of 1 654 species are known to be indigenous, representing 24 tribes and 122 genera.
The grouping of legume species into five main clusters and 16 Leguminochoria is ecologically described, with the highest legume species richness found in the Northern Mistbelt Forest. Key and diagnostic species are provided for each Leguminochorion. Soil pH and mean annual minimum temperature were found to be the main drivers for distinguishing between legume assemblages. The optimum climatic and soil conditions for growth are described as well as the available descriptive attributes for species recorded. Information on the range of tolerance of most species to abiotic factors is presented. Mean annual rainfall and soil pH are highly correlated with the distribution pattern of most species, followed by mean
annual minimum temperature. Legume species adapted to a wide range of soil pH levels and low soil phosphorus levels are recorded.
Existing data on the cultivation and grazing or browsing status of indigenous legumes were used to select 584 species found mainly in the Central Bushveld, Mopane and Lowveld Bioregions to be further evaluated for their pasture potential. Known characteristics were used to categorise species. Species contained in the tribe Phaseoleae are of special interest since it contains most of the genera with present-day agricultural value, i.e. Eriosema, Rhynchosia and Vigna species are listed as having high potential as pasture species.
This study has shown that the descriptive and distribution data accumulated by botanists (notably taxonomists) could be of beneficial use in meeting agricultural objectives. Indigenous legumes are adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions and represent a valuable but largely unexploited natural resource for pasture development and soil conservation practices.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
Plant Science
unrestricted
7
Haile, Markus. "Ras & Religion: Christian Identity Vs. Black Hebrew Israelites." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Religionshistoria, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-173287.
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Our society has become more and more radicalized. For many people religion plays a vital role in this radicalization process, particularly for those who justify racial supremacy through religious tenets. The purpose of this study is to examine and compare two ideologies from which radicalized followers assume racial supremacy from a God given designation as the "true Israelites". The two ideologies interpret the Bible – and sometimes even the same passages – differently. In this study I will examine the Christian Identity movement and the Black Hebrew Israelites by using a comparative method from a prototypical approach. My focus is how two different ideologies misinterpret the biblical myth about the Lost Tribes of Israel and how this misinterpretation inspires racial supremacy and Anti-Semitism. This is a study about the connection between race and religion. Keywords: racism, race, Christian Identity, Black Hebrew Israelites, Anti-Semitism, Lost Tribes of Israel
8
Hennessey, Claudine. "From lost to found: the silent transfer of patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Khayelitsha, South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20494.
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Incorrect classification of silent transfer (STF) patients as lost to follow-up (LTF) negatively impacts accurate assessment of retention in care for antiretroviral (ART) programmes. Understanding reasons why patients STF and what proportion of LTF patients constitute this silent transfer phenomenon is necessary to ensure patient continuity of care. We attempted to identify STF patients using the routine government electronic monitoring systems. Furthermore, we sought to identify potential reasons for the STF phenomenon through patient surveys and healthcare provider interviews, in order to guide policy and improve programmatic outcomes. In this mixed methods approach, we selected patients identified as LTF between 2008-2012 in three health facilities from Khayelitsha, Western Cape. Identified patients were subsequently searched for using a combined provincial patient data set. Once consent was obtained, sampling of patients and healthcare providers, using convenience and snowballing methods respectively, were selected for participation. Ninety percent of patients believe it necessary to inform facility staff of the intent to transfer, 56% of patients interviewed cited fear of negative attitudes from staff regarding transfer request (65%), family situations (30%), and long waiting times (11%) as contributing factors to silently transferring care between facilities. Healthcare providers cited stigma, family obligations and/or support, and migration to the Eastern Cape as main reasons for patients transferring. Healthcare providers cited incomplete or lack of transfer documentation as the biggest barrier to timeous treatment of the transfer patient. Incorrect reporting of patients as lost to follow-up negatively affects the treatment programmes retention in care. Negative staff attitudes and poor operational services prevent patients informing staff of transfer intent. The treatment programme must adapt current transfer policies in order to facilitate the transfer process for all patients, including those experiencing emergencies and life events. Linked electronic patient monitoring systems will improve accurate retention in care reporting and improve fluidity of transferring of patients between health services.
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Sjöö, Emilie. "Lost (and Returned) in Africa : a Juxtaposition of Joseph Conrad’s Mr Kurtz and Caryl Phillips’ Nash Williams." Thesis, University of Gävle, Department of Humanities, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-7545.
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The aim of this essay is to investigate the attitudes and assumptions made about Africa in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Caryl Phillips’ Crossing the River from a postcolonialist perspective. In this context, the main two characters Mr Kurtz and Nash Williams are given specific critical attention. On the surface, these characters share similar destinies, but when examining them more closely it becomes apparent that they do not. The critical model used is taken from Edward Said’s notion of the binary division between the East and the West. Thematically, both novels address the issue of the ‘other’, the unknown qualities of other races and other cultures, the Western world’s construct of what separates us from them. The analysis shows that Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a scathing late nineteenth-century critical account of the imperialist forces behind Europe’s colonization of Africa, but does not succeed in depicting the Africans as a people worthy of respect. Phillip’s Crossing the River, on the other hand, clearly avoids stereotypes. Instead, it is an account of how humans, regardless of race or sex, have hurt each other through the slave trade. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of Mr Kurtz and Nash Williams shows that while Mr Kurtz loses himself in Africa, engrossed in the hunger for money and power, Nash Williams actually finds his identity when he is freed of the metaphorical shackles put on him by the white man.
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Lawrence, Jennilee. "Resilience factors in families who have lost their homes in a shack fire." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1518.
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Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.Informal settlements exist all over South Africa and are expanding and multiplying as people seek better jobs close to urban areas. The close proximity of the thousands of shacks has enabled the rapid spread of massive fires in informal settlements. The purpose of this study was to identify resilience characteristics in families who have lost their home in a shack fire. Family resilience refers to the family’s ability to achieve normal family functioning despite having experienced a traumatic event. The focus of this study was on 38 families from an informal settlement just outside Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. The study was conducted from a mixed methods approach and made use of a cross-sectional survey research design. Data was collected through the use of a biographical questionnaire, an open-ended question, and self-report questionnaires based on the Resilience Model of Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation. The results from the qualitative data indicate that the families indicated working together as a family as being vital to resilience. Material support from the municipality and extended family, shelter provided by members of the extended family and financial support from the extended family were also indicated as essential in overcoming a crisis. The results from the quantitative data indicate a significant positive correlation between family adaptation and: (i) the quality of communication within the family, (ii) the fortitude and durability of the family unit, (iii) the family’s sense of internal strengths, dependability, and ability to work together, and (iv) the family’s sense of being in control of family life rather than being shaped by outside events and circumstances.
11
Cornelius, Andre. "The impact of time lost through absenteeism on service delivery in the South African Police Services (SAPS), the area Kuilsriver cluster, Cape Town, Western Cape." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2358.
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Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.Absenteeism in the South African Police Service is without doubt one of the most difficult aspects to manage. It is therefore important for the organisation to have measures in place to reduce absenteeism. More focus is put on the cost of absenteeism without realising the enormous adverse effect it has on service delivery in the South African Police Service. By reducing the absenteeism rate by just one day per employee, organisations can boost productivity, improve morale and improve their profit margins significantly (Nel, 2013:1). This research project examined the impact on service delivery of time lost through absenteeism in the South African Police Service with specific reference to the Kuils River cluster Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Problems relating to absenteeism as well as the main contributors to absenteeism were identified by the researcher and recommendations were made. A quantitative research approach was followed with a survey amongst staff members. The data analysis from the questionnaire was compiled by the in-house statistician that was recommended by Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The research project makes recommendations that address the problems highlighted in this empirical study, as well as a recommendation for further studies.
12
Minster, Christopher W. "Literature and the other political history, origins, and the invention of the American in the early Spanish colonial period /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1149775390.
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Kolbeck, Barbara. "Legal analysis on the relationship between the AU/AEC and RECs : Africa lost in a "spaghetti bowl" of legal relations?" Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9613.
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Includes bibliographical references.In Africa, the regional trade agreements (RTAs) are commonly known as regional economic communities (RECs). Currently, fourteen regional economic communities operate on the African continent. However, in the quest for a more systematic approach to promoting "a strong and united Africa", only eight RECs were officially recognised and designated to serve as the essential building blocks towards the formation of the African Economic Community (AEC). Africa's continental community AEC is envisioned as the overall objective of the African regional integration process in the Abuja Treaty. The concept of the pursuit of sustainable development through RECs is not doubted in Africa. The Abuja Treaty proposed a gradual step-by-step approach where RECs play an important role during the first stages, but then have to lead "somehow" to one big coherent continental regional economic organisation – the overall goal of the African Economic Community. Neither the Abuja Treaty nor the Constitutive Act of the African Union (CAAU) includes concise provisions on how to establish the continental AEC. The relations between the different integration players, such as the AU, AEC and RECs, that exist now or should exist in the near future, are not defined legally. Until these "relational issues" are resolved, it seems difficult and even impossible to accelerate Africa's economic integration on the way towards the AEC. Thus, it is crucial for an accelerated integration process to discuss the scarce existing legal framework with its significant lacunas and develop solutions that allow filling in the legal blanks through the adoption of new treaties and amendments as well as protocols. The African continent with its multiple and overlapping RECs still looks like a "spaghetti bowl" instead of a "cannelloni". Thus, the question of rationalisation is still without definite answer.
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Minster, Christopher. "Literature and the other: political history, origins, and the invention of the American in the early Spanish colonial period." The Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1149775390.
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Steenkamp, Andries Jacobus. "Safety leadership initiatives in Eskom, generation : a case study on the reduction of lost time injuries due to the effect of safety leadership initiatives in Eskom, generation division." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6423.
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Trenholm, Jill. "Women Survivors, Lost Children and Traumatized Masculinities : The Phenomena of Rape and War in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Internationell mödra- och barnhälsovård (IMCH), 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-204430.
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This thesis aims to investigate the phenomenon of war rape in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to understand the dynamics, contextual realities and consequences of its perpetration. Practical and theoretical knowledge is generated which is relevant for health care interventions, humanitarian assistance and peace initiatives, that are cognizant of the actual needs of the affected populations. The study employed ethnographic methodology involving prolonged engagement with the field, participant observation, formal and informal interviews, keeping of field notes and the continuous practice of reflexivity. The four papers in this thesis represent formal interviews with participants from three distinct groups: local leaders (Paper I), ex-child soldier boys (Paper II) and women survivors of sexual violence (Paper III & IV). Qualitative Content Analysis was used for the interview study with local leaders (Paper I). Findings from this study reveal how mass rape and the methods of perpetration create a chaos effectively destroying communities. The leaders draw attention to the fact that an exclusive focus on raped women misses other structural factors that contribute to war and sexual violence, factors such as the global political economy, international apathy, the stance of the church, effects of militarization, inappropriate aid and interpretations of gender roles. Through the theoretical lenses of militarised masculinity and gender based violence, interviews with ex-child soldier boys, seen as both victims of war as well as proxy perpetrators of sexual violence, were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed the systematic and violent construction of children into soldiers, inculcating a rigid set of stereotypical hyper-masculine behaviors promoting dominance by violating the subordinate “other”. These findings argue for a more complex, contextualized view of the perpetrator resulting from the ways society has (re)constructed gender, ethnicity and class. Papers III and IV reflect the interviews and narratives provided by women survivors. Guided by thematic analysis and a matrix of theories: Structural violence, Intersectionality and “new wars”; Paper III bears witness to the women’s expressions of their profound losses and dispossession as they struggle to survive stigmatization in the impoverished margins of the warzone, along with children born of rape. The perpetrator is cited here as well as by the leaders as predominantly Interhamwe. Payne’s Sites of Resilience model used in Paper IV situates stigmatized women survivors suffering in a global context as they navigate survival, demonstrating resilience in the margins through support from their faith in God, scarce health services, indigenous healing and strategic alliances. Findings suggest that collaborations of existing strengthened networks, ie: the church, healthcare and indigenous healers, could extend the reach of sustainable and holistic support services, positively effecting already identified sites of resilience. Findings draw attention to the challenges faced by public health in addressing mass trauma. Women’s raped bodies represent tangible material damage, embedded in a matrix of globalization processes and structural violence involving gender, ethnicity and class. This requires serious reflection.
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Buckland, Stephanie Helen. "Lost in transition : the barriers to educational access for school-age Zimbabwe migrant children in South Africa and the influences of institutional and social networks on overcoming them." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2011. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/7522/.
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This thesis aims to deepen our understanding of the barriers that migrant children face in accessing quality education in their host country. It has identified gaps in the research on education of cross-border migrant children in a setting which promotes integration into the host community, and which does not use camps. The research is based in a small border town in northern South Africa and focuses on the recent influx of Zimbabwean migrants into South Africa as a result of political crisis and economic collapse in their homeland. This community was chosen because it is believed to be illustrative of the broader problems faced by cross-border migrant children. The thesis is structured around three central questions, focusing on (i) understanding who these migrant children are and their reasons for migration, (ii) the barriers they face in accessing quality basic education and (iii) the social and institutional networks that influence these children and the role the networks play in overcoming these barriers. The research examines the role of the state and the international community in the provision of support for this marginalised group. It further assesses the influence of social and institutional networks on migrants and the tactics they employ to overcome the barriers to educational success. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods, with the majority of data collected through an in-depth survey of 100 migrant children, between the ages of 6 and 17, and 35 parent/guardians. In addition, focus group discussions with teachers and interviews with 12 school principals were conducted. The views of members of the local Municipality involved with migrant children were also sought. The literature review revealed that, while there has been some research on barriers to education in camp settings, there is very limited research on educational access for migrant children integrating into host communities. This study has been able to contribute to this thin body of knowledge by demonstrating that as well as facing the traditional educational access barriers (lack of infrastructure, educational costs, enrolment requirements and social exclusion), integrating migrant children are faced with additional access barriers largely linked to their legal status (civil status, residence, status of guardians). The research identified the difficulties of obtaining the necessary legal status and some important shortcomings of the current migrant classification system. Getting the right documentation to obtain legal status often placed unreasonable burdens on the children and forced them into a catch 22 situation where they needed to return to their homeland to procure documents required for admission to school but doing so automatically invalidated the claims to refugee status. This particular study also highlighted the difficulty in classifying migrants who have fled from a country (Zimbabwe) that is not officially recognised as a conflict zone despite the characteristics of the Zimbabwean migrant situation being largely indistinguishable from classical conflict driven migration. The thesis concludes by recommending steps to change the definition and typology of migrants and points to the policy changes, with regard to support of migrant children that are required. The definitions should be changed to cater for the individual needs of the children so that legal and bureaucratic requirements do not present such an impediment to education. The thesis identified the large role of both the social and institutional networks of the migrant children in overcoming access barriers. This points to an area of valuable further research, which could provide a foundation for better policy development and implementation strategies that recognise the social and institutional dynamics that influence the decisions and choices made by migrant children and their parents.
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Conrad, David B. "Lost in the Shadows of the Radio Tower: A Return to the Roots of Community Radio Ownership in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1307383699.
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Långström, Elisabeth. "Systematics of Echiochilon and Ogastemma (Boraginaceae), and the Phylogeny of Boraginoideae." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Systematisk botanik, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-1863.
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Echiochilon, Ogastemma and Sericostoma are revised resulting in the recognition of 15 species of Echiochilon and one Ogastemma species. Several species are placed in synonymy and three new species are described, E. baricum, E. callianthum and E. cyananthum. The single species of Sericostoma is shown to be nested within Echiochilon. The plastid atpB gene was sequenced for Echiochilon and Ogastemma from the Old World and Antiphytum from the New World, plus for a selection of 33 other Boraginaceae taxa. They were analysed together with selected outgroup taxa to give a framework of the tribes of Boraginoideae. The analysis gave support for establishing the new tribe Echiochileae for Antiphytum, Echiochilon and Ogastemma, and for merging the traditionally accepted tribe Eritrichieae with Cynoglosseae. The ITS region was sequenced for all but one species of Echiochilon and for representatives of Antiphytum and Ogastemma. Phylogenetic analysis of Echiochilon revealed that the strongly zygomorphic-flowered species form a paraphyletic group. The morphological data gave results fairly congruent with the ITS phylogeny. Biogeographic interpretations of the ITS and atpB phylogenies indicated a trans-Atlantic dispersal of Antiphytum as the most plausible explanation to the Old/New World disjunction. Analyses using DIVA (Dispersal Vicariance Analysis) of the distributions of the Echiochilon species indicated an ancestor to Echiochilon with a wide distribution over northern Africa and Arabia to India.
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Le, Roux Magdel. "In search of the understanding of the Old Testament in Africa : the case of the Lemba." Thesis, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17188.
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This project seeks to determine, to what extent the culture of early Israel (1250-1000 BC) is
similar to African cultures, more specifically, to that of the Lemba. However, a comparison
between the cultures of early Israel and those of certain African tribes is not the primary
objective in this case. This project is neither an anthropological study nor does it intend to
mainly focus on the Lemba as such -though this may appear to be the case. This endeavour primarily
fits into the ambit of Old Testament Studies. The investigation into the Lemba is meant to be
subsidiary to the point of contingence between their culture and Old Testament customs and
traditions, and how this information affects the interpretation of the Old Testament and its
teaching in Africa. A number of comparisons between the early Israelite religion as reflected in
the Old Testament and the Lemba are drawn. Though the qualitative research (inductive approach) is
employed in the field work, the greatest part of the data on religious perspectives and practices
is mediated by the theory of a phenomenological approach as advocated by Ninian Smart on matters of
experience, mythology, ritual, and ethical/judicial dimensions. Therefore, the approach is also
deductive.
The Lemba is a very specific group with claims about Israelite/Judaic origins. Their early
departure from Israel (according to them ca 586 BC) can mean that there are remnants of a very
ancient type oflsraelite religion, now valuable when juxtaposed to that of early Israel. This study
takes Lemba traditions seriously, but finally does not verify or falsify Lemba claims - but the
outcomes in this thesis may take this debate a step further.
Their claims make them special and extremely interesting to study from the point of view of oral
cultures. Their oral culture is constitutive of their world-view and self-understanding or
identity. It incorporates the role of oral traditions, history and historiography and parallels
are drawn between orality in early Israelite and Lemba religions. The reciprocity between orality
and inscripturation of traditions, yielding valuable information on what may have happened in the
developent of traditions in Israel, are also attended to in this project.
Nevertheless, this project is primarily a search for the understanding and relevance of the Old
Testament in Afiica and is, therefore, a selective and not an exhaustive comparison between the
Lemba and early Israel. And so, taking cognisance of the hermeneutic of contextualisation in
Africa in particular, a teaching module syllabus for Old Testament Studies is developed, of which
the very strands of religion among the Lemba and early Israel are constitutive for teaching Old
Testament Studies in present-day African cultures (and perhaps elsewhere).Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)
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Le, Roux M. "In search of the understanding of the Old Testament in Africa : the case of the Lemba." Thesis, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17188.
Full textAbstract:
This project seeks to determine, to what extent the culture of early Israel (1250-1000 BC) is
similar to African cultures, more specifically, to that of the Lemba. However, a comparison
between the cultures of early Israel and those of certain African tribes is not the primary
objective in this case. This project is neither an anthropological study nor does it intend to
mainly focus on the Lemba as such -though this may appear to be the case. This endeavour primarily
fits into the ambit of Old Testament Studies. The investigation into the Lemba is meant to be
subsidiary to the point of contingence between their culture and Old Testament customs and
traditions, and how this information affects the interpretation of the Old Testament and its
teaching in Africa. A number of comparisons between the early Israelite religion as reflected in
the Old Testament and the Lemba are drawn. Though the qualitative research (inductive approach) is
employed in the field work, the greatest part of the data on religious perspectives and practices
is mediated by the theory of a phenomenological approach as advocated by Ninian Smart on matters of
experience, mythology, ritual, and ethical/judicial dimensions. Therefore, the approach is also
deductive.
The Lemba is a very specific group with claims about Israelite/Judaic origins. Their early
departure from Israel (according to them ca 586 BC) can mean that there are remnants of a very
ancient type oflsraelite religion, now valuable when juxtaposed to that of early Israel. This study
takes Lemba traditions seriously, but finally does not verify or falsify Lemba claims - but the
outcomes in this thesis may take this debate a step further.
Their claims make them special and extremely interesting to study from the point of view of oral
cultures. Their oral culture is constitutive of their world-view and self-understanding or
identity. It incorporates the role of oral traditions, history and historiography and parallels
are drawn between orality in early Israelite and Lemba religions. The reciprocity between orality
and inscripturation of traditions, yielding valuable information on what may have happened in the
developent of traditions in Israel, are also attended to in this project.
Nevertheless, this project is primarily a search for the understanding and relevance of the Old
Testament in Afiica and is, therefore, a selective and not an exhaustive comparison between the
Lemba and early Israel. And so, taking cognisance of the hermeneutic of contextualisation in
Africa in particular, a teaching module syllabus for Old Testament Studies is developed, of which
the very strands of religion among the Lemba and early Israel are constitutive for teaching Old
Testament Studies in present-day African cultures (and perhaps elsewhere).Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)
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Fernheimer, Janice Wendi. "The rhetoric of Black Jewish identity construction in America and Israel, 1964-1972." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2452.
Full text
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Van, der Bank Michelle. "Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships in the Podalyrieae and related tribes (Fabaceae)." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7518.
Full textAbstract:
Ph.D.Genetic variation estimates and phylogenetic studies (based on genetic differentiation) of the Podalyrieae and related tribes (family Fabaceae) are presented. The tribe is endemic to the Cape fynbos region of South Africa, except for Calpurnia. Although Podalyrieae have been the focus of many taxonomic studies no genetic variation studies have been done on this group of plants. Genetic variation in selected populations, species and genera was studied to evaluate the use of enzyme electrophoresis in systematic studies on these three levels. Eight case studies are presented. Allelic data proved to be extremely useful at the population and congeneric species level. However, at a higher level, it showed some potential when treated with caution. It is not possible to predict beforehand if meaningful results can be obtained at this higher (i.e. confamilial genus) level of divergence. A large number of plant genetic data sets from the literature was analysed to determine typical levels and ranges of genetic differentiation within families, genera and species. A graph of probability against taxonomic rank was constructed and compared with results published by Thorpe (1982, 1983). The results indicate that plant taxa have a reduced biochemical evolution (less diverse than animals at comparable taxonomic ranks) in contrast to Thorpe's (1982, 1983) reports (which were based on less data for plant taxa). Genetic identity values between 3041 pairs of taxa were used in the present study. The phylogenetic relationships among genera of the tribe Podalyrieae were estimated from sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA as well as morphological and chemical data. Morphological and. ITS sequence data produced cladograms with similar topologies, both supporting the exclusion of Hypocalyptus from Podalyrieae. A broadening of Podalyrieae, which includes Xiphothecinae, Podalyriinae and Cyclopia, is suggested. The multidisciplinary approach followed in this study provided a better understanding of taxonomic and evolutionary relationships in the Podalyrieae and some other Cape legumes.
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Adank, Janine Claire. "Tailoring Burghersdorp: a processing centre and archive for lost frabrics between Fordsburg and Newtown." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/22973.
Full textAbstract:
This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree:
Master of Architecture (Professional), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning
at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016This thesis examines a number of issues that exist in Johannesburg across a series of scales, the urban, the architectural and the programmatic intervention. The project, situated between Fordsburg and Newtown, examines the East-West city connections and aims to provide an identity for the lost inbetween fabric of Burghersdorp. The project is made up of four themes, Disconnection, Memory, Textiles and Recycling, within a scope that examines the present based on themes from the past: The city fabric is fragmented, mainly due to city spatial planning and city politics. There is the potential and need to physically stitch or darn city fabrics through urban planning. The project looks at an urban regeneration scheme that incorporates urban devices as the tools used to stitch the street back together. There is potential to darn the programmatic functions in the city, potentially weaving local communities together, and provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and skills.The thesis also examines the need for buildings as mnemonic aids. Historically, city fabric was erased for the building of the Oriental Plaza. The memories attached to these buildings and spaces were lost. There is a possibility for regenerating a space for memory in the city, re-weaving this forgotten city fabric into a new node and identity for Burghersdorp. The area is defined by the activities of the community that surround it. Textiles are a significant part of defining the area’s identity. A substantial amount of textiles are discarded. Waste is a valuable commodity, evidently seen from the existence of the informal waste collectors. There is an opportunity to connect these communities while closing the loop, a proposal for a circular economy for textiles in the city.
MT2017
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Rodéhn, Cecilia Margareta Olofsdotter. "Lost in transformation : a critical study of two South African museums." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/190.
Full textAbstract:
In this dissertation Transformation, as understood in South Africa, is investigated in the ‘Natal Museum’ and the ‘Msunduzi Museum Incorporating the Voortrekker Complex’ in terms of socio-political structures, the museum as a place, its collections and displays. I have emphasised the ethnographical perspective and analysed it by using key concepts such as new museology, time, space and place. My research focuses on the perception and mediation by museum staff-members of Transformation which is compared and positioned against South African and international museological theoretical discourses. I further explore the political backdrop to Transformation of South African museums and discuss related problems and aspects such as reconciliation, nation-building and the African Renaissance. Socio-political structures, acts, reports and policy documents are analysed over a long temporal sequence, but focus on the period 1980-2007. The long temporal sequence is a tool to capture the development connected to the museums in space and time and aims to compare and present previous developments in order to investigate how Transformation positioned itself as against the past. I hold that Transformation should be treated as an ongoing process connected to other transformation processes across time. I also propose that Transformation started earlier than previously suggested and that it is not a question of one Transformation but of many transformation processes. The urban landscape and the concept of place and name are explored. My research examines the urban landscape from the establishment of Pietermaritzburg to study how the museums were positioned in the landscape and how this has contributed to associated meanings. The museums are treated as demarcated places in the urban landscape which are named and infused with meaning and ownership. The museums are constituted and acted out within specific socio-political structures. The dissertation suggests that the objectives of Transformation reveal themselves through negotiation and alteration of place and name. My research explores the history of the museum collections – how objects were acquired, classified and used to materialise the museums´ institutionalisation of time and what this brought about for heritage production. I investigate what did and did not change when the museums transformed and I deconstruct the new and old objectives and socio-political ideas of collections. I analyse displays as socio-political spaces, the agent’s appropriation, and the discrepancies within dominant socio-political structures. When Transformation materialises in displays it becomes visible for the public to see. The negotiated displays show how the museum tries to visualise Transformation to the public. The discussion analyses the discussed concepts of Transformation, the structures, place, name, display and collection, and relates these to the concept of time, and to how agents create time and make it visual. I also discuss how museological writing and political speeches shape and negotiate Transformation through their articulation and how they sometimes constrain and form discrepancies to actual reality.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.
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Austin, Wayne Devlin. "Drought in South Africa : lessons lost and/or learnt from 1990 to 2005." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/5991.
Full textAbstract:
Drought and its associated impacts have been causing critical problems for
agriculture, vulnerable communities and overall development for many years in
South Africa. Impacts of drought such as the effects on a regions’ climatology,
increases in food insecurity and food prices and the integration of drought with
factors such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic have led government to introduce various
policies dealing, in particular, with drought risk. By means of examining
government documents, journal articles and media publications the methods
government has employed to reduce the impacts of drought are traced. The way
government has handled drought in the recent past, such as during 1991/92 and
2003/04, with regard to maize farming and vulnerable populations, is of great
importance for learning lessons in drought-risk reduction for the future. Lessons
Government has learnt include shifting drought management policy and those lost
from recent drought episodes include improving early warning systems and
incorporating HIV/AIDS in drought strategies. The research also presents
suggestions for alleviating the impacts of drought and for better managing the
events. The Government, with at least a twenty year history of drought situations
and drought governance, provides an interesting range of experience that can
present a useful set of cases that may yield valuable insights into the future.
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Singarum, Rameniammal. "Re-demarcation process in South Africa : a rural perspective : a case- sudy of the Ntuli tribal authority in KwaZulu Natal." Thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/10459.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of the study is to examine the perceptions of rural people towards the
demarcation issue in KwaZulu-Natal. The debate on land and land ownership
and control has existed since Africa's invasion by colonists. A rhetorical question
posed by Richard A. Lobban, Jr, author of "Africa Divide", "if European
colonialism has not altered the African continent, how would modern political
geography differ?" Questions of this nature have been through many a
geographer's mind.
The "Scramble for Africa", resulted in Africa being cut up into portions. Colonial
boundaries fissured natural territorial boundaries and split clannish groups of
similar languages. The twentieth century was rife with civil wars resulting from
clan divisions that arose among African nations.
South Africa, especially KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is no exception to conflicts.
Tensions between local government and tribal authorities have soared since the
question of regionalism in South Africa emerged from the 1994 democratic
elections. South Africa was demarcated during apartheid into four provinces and
as part of the democratic transformation further divided into nine provinces.
With the new re-demarcation national government felt a need to incorporate rural
areas into local government structures, for financial support.
The study attempts to link demarcation and socio-cultural factors of rural
communities towards the concept of demarcation. However, particular attention
is given to socio-economic elements of the community under study, what is
demarcation, objectives of demarcation, the role of tribal authority and local
government and more especially how these issues play a role in the lives of the
rural community. Furthermore, in order to ascertain the extent to which the
Demarcation Board had addressed the issue of demarcation in rural areas.Thesis (M.A.)--University of Durban-Westville, 2002
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Martins-Hausiku, Rosalia Ngueve. "Lost in interpretation? : creating meaning from LoveLife's "HIV: face it" billboards." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/2203.
Full textAbstract:
This research presents a reception analysis of LoveLife's 'HIV: face it' billboards by youth aged 12 - 17 years old, LoveLife's target audience for the campaign under scrutiny. The study sought to find out whether the intended audience derived the same meanings from the billboards as they were initially intended by LoveLife; whether the target youth regard themselves as audience of the communicated campaign; and to assess whether LoveLife billboard producers have succeeded in communicating the intended message to the readers of the billboards. To achieve this, the study adopted a qualitative method of data collection by conducting two focus group discussions. One focus group was selected from a rural school in KwaZulu Natal and another one from an urban school of the same province. Participants were all youth between the ages 12 - 17 years old. The circuit of culture was used as the theoretical framework. The circuit of culture is a composition of certain moments in the communication process namely: representation, identity, production, consumption and regulation [see diagram. 1]. For the purpose of this research only one moment of the circuit, namely representation was adopted. Representation is an essential part of the process through which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It involves the use of language, signs and images that stand for or represent things. Findings from the study show that respondents assigned different meanings to LoveLife billboards. LoveLife's messages are not being decoded by the target audience in the initially intended manner. A majority of the respondents negotiated meaning in an attempt to understand what LoveLife is trying to communicate because the billboards' objectives are not straightforward. The study also found that urban dwellers identified more closely as audiences for the LoveLife billboards than rural dwellers.Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.
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Munlo, Juliana. "The perceptions of Malawians living in Gauteng, South Africa, on the contributions of indigenous Malawian tribes' cultural practices in HIV infection in Malawi." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/10717.
Full textAbstract:
It is well known that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have affected millions of people throughout the world
and continues to affect people on a day to day basis. In Africa, sub-Saharan Africa is the
most affected. Malawi, one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa is no exception to
the growing trend and severity in HIV prevalence (Kalipeni& Ghosh, 2006).Like many
countries in Africa, cultural practices in Malawi have been criticised as contributing to the
spread of HIV and AIDS (Mwale, 2008). In recent years it has been recognised that in order
to understand the spread of HIV and AIDS it is imperative to address the economic, social,
cultural and political issues that lead to the contraction and spread of the virus. Hence there is
a growing realisation that more effective prevention strategies in response to HIV and AIDS
should focus on traditional, cultural, medical and political beliefs and practices as well as
perceptions of individual risk to HIV and AIDS (Lwanda, 2005).The proposed research seeks
to explore the perceptions of Malawians in the role and implications that cultural practices
play in promoting HIV infections in Malawi. A sample of 17 people representing both
genders from three tribes, namely the Yao, Tumbuka and Chewa participated in the study.
Participants were purposively selected on their knowledge of cultural practices and in their
being members of the tribe that was investigated. The research study was qualitative and a
case study research design was applied. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis.
The findings were therefore organised according to themes.
The findings were that a number of cultural practices of the Tumbukas, Chewas and Yaos
play a role in HIV and AIDS infections. Some of the cultural practices that were identified
included wife inheritance, polygamy, initiation ceremonies, the practice of fisi(hyena), the
practice of kulowafumbi(wiping of dust) and traditional marriages. The study found that
cultural practices accompanied by lack of education, poverty, gender inequalities, lack of
condom use and peer pressure among the youth promotes risky behavior that often leads to
HIV transmission and prevents behavioural change. It was identified that it would be
beneficial to educate elders of the community and influential people about HIV so that they
could teach community members about the link between HIV and AIDS and cultural practice,
and to find alternative ways to ensure that the cultural practice is safer, such as encouraging people to test before they practice wife inheritance. This study hopefully has the potential of
contributing to knowledge and awareness in the fields of social development and social work on the role that cultural practice plays in promoting risky behaviour,which leads to
contracting HIV infection among the Chewa, Tumbuka and Yao tribes. These findings could be useful in the creation of cultural-specific intervention programmes that are aimed at curbing HIV infection in Malawi and in many African countries where similar cultural
practices are practiced.
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Mathevula, Delvah. "Nkanelo wa Swin'wana swa Swithopho swa Swivongo na Nkacetelo wa Swona eka Vatsonga." Diss., 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11602/1483.
Full textAbstract:
MA (Xitsonga)Eka Senthara ya M. E. R. Mathivha ya Tindzumi ta Xiafrika, Vutshila na Mfuwo
Ndzavisiso lowu wu kanela hilaha swithopo swi nga na nkucetelo hakona eka mahanyelo ya Vatsonga. Nkoka wa dyondzo leyi i ku komba Vatsonga laha va humaka kona na mahanyelo lama hlohloteriwaka hi swithopo swa swivongo swa vona. Xikongomelonkulu xa ndzavisiso lowu i ku lavisisa swin’wana swa swithopo swa swivongo swa Vatsonga na nkucetelo wa swona evuton’wini bya vanhu lava. Ntirho lowu wu ta languta swithopo swa makumembirhin’we leswi nga kona eka swivongo swa Vatsonga. Mulavisisi u hlawurile swivongo handle ko landzelela maendlelo yo karhi, kambe u ta hlawula ngopfu swivongo leswi kumekaka hi xitalo kumbe leswi taleleke hi vavulavuri eka Vatsonga. Nkanelo wa mahungu wu langute eka swihlawulekisi swa swithopo swa swivongo na nkucetelo eka vinyi va swona. Vakhegula na vakhalabye vo ringana ntlhanu eka xivongo xin’wana na xin’wana lava nga na vutivi bya matimu ya swivongo va hlokohlisiwile ku kuma swithopo na matimu ya swona eka xivongo xin’wana na xin’wana.
NRF
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Mensah-Aborampah, Osei. "Women in transition : a socio-religious study of the changing role of rural Hlubi women." Diss., 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17435.
Full textAbstract:
The study examines the socio-religious role of women in traditional African societies using
the Hlubi of Qumbu, Transkei as a case study.
Qualitative methodology was used to look at Hlubi women holistically in their past and the
situations in which they find themselves today.
Primary sources of African traditional religion such as myths, proverbs and taboos were also
used in assessing the socio-religious role of Hlubi women.
The following observations were made about Hlubi women:
1. They do not constitute an homogenous group.
2. Sexual division of labour allocates to women the responsibility of sustaining the
household.
3. They have multiple workloads: namely, survival, household and income generating
tasks.
4. They experience ambivalence regarding their roles - responsibility without proper authority.
5. Hlubi women share with their male counterparts the role of traditional healers.
6. In spite of increased involvement of women in church activities they are still denied
leadership positions.Religious Studies and Arabic
M.A. (Religious Studies)
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Azriel, Yakov Shammai. "The Quest for the Lost Princess in Rabbi Nachman of Braslav's "Book of Stories from Ancient Times"." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1159.
Full textAbstract:
One of the most innovative and original Hasidic leaders and thinkers, Rabbi Nachman of Braslav (1772 – 1810), related thirteen long, complex fables during the final four years of his life. This doctoral thesis presents an analysis of the quest for the Lost Princess in Rabbi Nachman of Braslav's "Book of Stories in Ancient Times." The image of the Lost Princess and the quest to find and rescue her, which appear in four of these stories (including the first and the last ones), are central symbols in Rabbi Nachman's thought. The most important key to an analysis of this image and theme lies in understanding the symbols and concepts of the Jewish mystical tradition (the Kabbalah), as Rabbi Nachman himself suggested.Classsics, Near & Far East & Religious Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Judaica)
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Murray, Sally-Ann. "Mediating contemporary cultures : essays on some South African magazines, malls and sites of themed leisure." Thesis, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/6273.
Full textAbstract:
In this Thesis, from the disciplinary vantage point of English Studies, I explore some of the complex meanings that may be attributed to several forms and practices of South African consumer culture: magazines, malls and themed leisure. While these contemporary cultural 'texts' are often ephemeral, and people's attachments to them fractured, transient or at least ambivalent rather than unproblematic, my argument takes issue with the pessimism that informs much local and international criticism of consumer culture. My Thesis turns to concepts of affect, image, sign and discourse which have become features of current English Studies in order to generate readings of commercial culture more nuanced than the 'hard
analyses' favoured by dominant practitioners of 'radical' South African cultural studies. At the same time, though, my analyses have learnt through disparate forms of local cultural study the necessity of grounding textuality in the structures of political economy. By means of manageable yet conceptually-suggestive South African instances, I consider how commodities and commodified experiences - generated in the first instance by the vested interests of Capital and related ideologies - may nevertheless be experienced by people in a plethora of ways not directly tied to the commercially-expedient construct of the 'target audience'. This experiential process entails a rampant volatility typical of a mass-mediated
lexicon which challenges boundaries between high and low, formal and unofficial, propriety and the improper. While advertising and promotion, for instance, function as corporate attempts to contain proliferating signifiers and to secure a preferred, 'authorised' meaning for cultural goods or services, it is also the case that consumers themselves, perhaps creatively and certainly in clandestine ways that escape the supposed authorities of either market researcher or academic intelligence, author meanings that rework the limitations of what still tends to be construed within the university as a culture industry at once banal and insidious. The meanings of the contemporary cultures with which I deal, then, are highly mediated and many-layered, rather than constituting the mere surface announcement often imagined by scholars of both literary culture and of media- and cultural studies. The contexts of my Thesis are particular: it was completed in 1998, and has been produced from a university in KwaZulu-Natal by an academic formally trained in English Studies. In some respects, then, the interpretations I offer are narrow: geographically,
historically and disciplinarily focussed. Yet in working on South African examples of commoditised forms and practices that derive from metropolitan vectors and have convoluted international genealogies, I have also sought to theorise the shifting interrelations of regional and national, local and global, discipline-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge. Drawing widely on studies into consumer relations - and at apposite points identifying conceptual connections and differences between 'foreign' figures like Michel de Certeau and influential South African thinkers such as Njabulo S. Ndebele - I suggest that for all its shortcomings consumerism needs to be understood as active process rather than as passive effect. My argument implies that such a rethinking of the conventional binaries of production and consumption is appropriate in a South Africa which is gradually giving substance to a democratic social order. Even within a politics premised on the individual, forms of consumption such as magazine reading and shopping need not necessarily be scorned as the selfish, even hedonistic pursuits caricatured by ideological purists: the Thesis seeks to demonstrate that people are at once citizens and consumers, individuals searching after distinctive identity and style as well as desirous of achieving a variety of community inflected
bonds. Overall, the commercial culture examined in the Thesis is represented not as inevitably marred by cultural deficiency and degraded value - despite the dissatisfactions, irritations and deferred pleasures which for many of us form at least one facet of consumption - but as an everyday spectacle which is available for symbolic interpretation and aesthetic investment. This investment may be emotional as well as cognitive, sensuous as well as critical, mundane as well as exceptional, since individuals come to commodity culture with a range of longings, dreams, fears and sedimented allegiances. As my readings demonstrate, it is such diversity of response - provisional and elusive rather than predictable and guaranteed - which gives the lie to theories which are 'always-already' premised on the prior inscription and encoding of consumerism as manipulation.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.