Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mauritian Art'

Towards "A New Recording of Mauritanian Rock Art" is an attempt to utilise new methods and techniques for recording rock art in north-west Africa. This research aims to show the recorded work not as isolated figures but as groups of inter-related figures. According to the published and unpublished inventories of the Mauritanian rock art sites, the two studied sites, which have only engravings, have not been recorded before. They are situated in the Adrar plateau in the north-central part of the Mauritanian Sahara. In addition to the methods and techniques of recording rock art (e.g. tracing, rubbing and photography), the methodology used in this work includes a number of new aspects that seem to be ignored or omitted in most previous work on the subject. This new recording aims to provide new clues that enable the researcher to carry out two basic interpretative analyses and gain a better understanding of the recorded engravings as an example of the rock art of Mauritania.

This study examines the role of gender and its relationship to communication. It is motivated by two research questions: first, how do adult international students in an intensive English program (IEP) at a public university in Southern California perceive the impact of gender on communicative patterns? Second, in discussing gender, do these students depict gender as a binary, a spectrum, or something else? Previous scholarship has theorized that gender is a performative process wherein individuals, by adopting traits such as gait, vocal range, style of dress, and so on, call upon a cultural code that marks them along a continuum from masculine to feminine. Individuals construct their genders dialectically through their gender performances and other people's reactions to them. Furthermore, gender, as a crucial component of identity, plays a major role in learning. This research addresses two major gaps in the literature by examining how international students perceive gender and how they identify their own gender. Data are derived using qualitative methods, including an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The findings from the research illustrate that the binary gender categories of male and female are salient to the international students investigated, and that many identify their own gender as within a binary. Moreover, the students overwhelmingly depicted women as more talkative than men, and some findings suggested that women's speech is regarded as less valuable than men's. In addition, some students appeared sympathetic toward members of nonbinary genders, while others denied their existence. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

This Thesis concerns the unilateral conduct rules of the Competition Act 2007 of Mauritius. The Thesis compares the 2007 Act against two other models of competition – South Africa and the European Union. The analysis demonstrates that the Mauritian unilateral conduct rules represent a sophisticated qualified effects-based approach to assessing abuse of dominance, however there are a number of issues regarding its implementation. In assessing these issues, this Thesis contributes to knowledge in this area in the following ways. First, it identifies the key role of competition culture in achieving long-term social welfare and the concomitant goals of the Mauritian unilateral conduct rules. Second, it demonstrates how a flexible approach to those rules, taking into account both ‘object’ and ‘effect’, will not only improve the legitimacy and transparency of legislation but also ensure that the Competition Act 2007 contributes to both the ongoing economic development of Mauritius and positive social change.

Mestrado em Desenvolvimento e Cooperação Internacional
This dissertation attempts to review the critical theoretical issues concerning Small States and Small Insular Developing States, while aiming to answer some crucial related questions and to distinguish between these two notions. Additionally we attempt to spotlight some issues related to the development of Cape Verde having in consideration a possible comparison with two of the most successful African SIDS, namely Mauritius and Seychelles. A brief analysis of the social and economical situation of the three countries is made, seeking to underline their key development elements and assessing their economical and social structure. This dissertation mainly aims at assessing what Cape Verde can apprehend from the Mauritian and Seychellois experience, in an attempt to draw some useful conclusions to its development.
Esta dissertação procura rever as questões teóricas essenciais que dizem respeito aos Pequenos Estados e aos Pequenos Estados Insulares em Desenvolvimento e, simultaneamente, responder a algumas questões relacionadas com este âmbito. Adicionalmente, pretendem-se destacar algumas questões relacionadas com o desenvolvimento de Cabo Verde, tendo em consideração uma possível comparação com dois dos SIDS Africanos mais bem sucedidos, nomeadamente as Maurícias e as Seicheles. Com este intuito, é efectuada uma breve apreciação da situação económica e social destes países, numa tentativa de sublinhar os seus elementos fundamentais e de analisar a sua estrutura económica e social. Esta dissertação tem como seu objectivo fundamental a apreciação do que Cabo Verde poderá apreender da experiência de desenvolvimento das Maurícias e das Seicheles, numa tentativa de elaborar conclusões frutuosas para Cabo Verde.

El objeto de estudio de esta tesis es el análisis de las dinámicas que caracterizan el contexto sociocultural que rodea las prácticas artísticas contemporáneas en Nouakchott, capital de Mauritania. En particular, el eje de interés son las consecuencias y los “productos” de las relaciones que, desde el principio, se han creado entre los artistas locales y ciertas presencias que podemos llamar “post o neocoloniales”, esto es, las embajadas, las agencias de cooperación, las ONGs, los artistas, los “mecenas” y los clientes expatriados, etc. De hecho, en una sociedad local más familiarizadas con otras formas artísticas como la música, la poesía y la artesanía tradicional, y en la que el mundo de las artes plásticas se encuentra en una situación de precariedad y marginación, las mencionadas presencias “post o neocoloniales” constituyen los principales interlocutores de los artistas plásticos contemporáneos, pintores y escultores. Se trata de relaciones de dependencia, económica y profesional, casi total, puesto que el presente y el futuro de las carreras de los artistas locales dependen de los vínculos que llegan a establecer con los extranjeros. Los tres primeros capítulos están dedicados a una introducción teórica que a sido construida en diálogo constante con el trabajo de campo y que ha guiado el análisis de las informaciones etnográficas. En particular, el primer capítulo ha sido consagrado a una reflexión relativa a las características y a las problemáticas de un ámbito muy particular de la antropología social, esto es, el de la antropología del “arte”. El segundo capítulo analiza la relación entre religión islámica y artes plásticas a partir de los orígenes y hasta llegar a las producciones artísticas contemporáneas en los países mayoritariamente islámicos como Mauritania. En el capítulo tres, se presenta un análisis de la formación de lo que hoy se conoce como “arte africano contemporáneos”, de las dinámicas de su introducción en el mundo del arte internacional y de las consecuencias de esta introducción. En el capítulo cuatro, hay una descripción de las principales características del contexto geográfico, urbano y sociocultural de la investigación. Mauritania y su capital, Nouakchott, presentan unas características históricas y urbanas muy particulares que han tenido, y siguen teniendo, una cierta influencia en el origen y en el desarrollo del contexto artístico contemporáneo. Con los capítulos cinco, seis y siete, entramos en el “mundo” de las artes plásticas contemporáneas de Mauritania, empezando con la reconstrucción de la historia de la formación y del desarrollo de este contexto artístico. El primero de los tres capítulos está dedicado a los comienzos de esta historia y a la presentación de la primera generación de artistas, poniendo en evidencia el papel jugado por los extranjeros en este proceso. En el capítulo seis, se llega finalmente a conocer a los artistas, hombres y mujeres, con los que he trabajado, a partir de una reflexión acerca de la figura y del estatus social del artista contemporáneo en la sociedad mauritana actual. A lo largo del capítulo, insisto en el papel jugado por ciertas presencias extranjeras en un verdadero proceso de “co-construcción” de figuras artísticas”. El capítulo siete está reservado a la situación de los artistas africanos con nacionalidad extranjera, que residen y trabajan en Mauritania desde hace mucho tiempo. La realidad vivida por estos artistas pone en evidencia la competencia que existe entre los artistas en un contexto muy pequeño y con unas limitadas posibilidades de éxito profesional. En el capítulo ocho, hago un análisis de las obras de arte, en particular la pintura, que representa todavía la técnica artística más utilizada. El principal objetivo de este análisis es de poner en evidencia las razones que están en la base de la repetición constante de ciertas temáticas y la ausencia sistemática de otras. Finalmente, en el último capítulo, hago una descripción de la “situación marginal” local de los artistas y de su dependencia total con respecto a ciertas presencias extranjeras, instituciones y actores privados, para la realización de todos sus proyectos. A través de la descripción de diferentes actividades artísticas, intento poner en evidencia cómo los extranjeros representan una especie de “aduaneros” que deciden acerca de la entrada de los artistas locales en el “mundo” del arte internacional. Y es a través de estas relaciones que se genera un proceso de “co-moldeación” de identidades y producciones artísticas “auténticamente africanas”, fabricadas expresamente para entrar en el mercado del arte.
The subject matter of this thesis is the dynamics that characterize the socio-cultural context of the contemporary artistic practices in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. In particular, the main field of interest is the consequences and the “products” of the relations between local artists and certain presences which we can call “post or neocolonial”: embassies, cooperation agencies, ONG, expatriated artists, patrons and clients. In fact, these presences are the main interlocutors of the local plastic artists. They are relations of economic and professional dependence, since the artists’ present and future depend on the links that they arrive to establish with the foreigners, as well institutions as private actors, for the realization of their projects. These relationships generate a process of “co-shaping” of artistic identities and productions, specifically made to enter in the international art market, that always looking for “African authenticity”. The first three chapters are dedicated to a theoretical introduction. Particularly, the first one is consecrated to the characteristics and the difficulties of a very marginal field of the anthropology, that is the anthropology of “art”. The second chapter analyses some questions about the relationship between Muslim religion and plastic arts. In chapter three, we deal with the process of formation and development of what it is actually known as “contemporary African art” and its introduction in the international art world. Chapter four is about some geographic, historical and socio-cultural characteristics of the research’s context: Mauritania and Nouakchott. With chapters five and six, we enter into the Mauritanian contemporary plastic arts’ world, starting with a reconstruction of the history of this particular African artistic context. Chapter seven is reserved to the special situation of the African artists with another nationality who live and work in Mauritania for a long time. In chapter eight, I make an analysis of the art works, most of all paintings, and, finally, the last chapter is dedicated to the description of the “marginal situation” of the local plastic artists and their dependence on some foreign presences for the realization of their projects. Through the presentation of different artistic practices, I try to show how the foreigners represent a kind of “customs” who decide the entry of contemporary African artists into the international art market or their exclusion.
Le sujet d’étude de cette thèse est l’analyse des dynamiques qui caractérisent le contexte socioculturel qui entoure les pratiques artistiques contemporaines à Nouakchott, capitale de Mauritanie. En particulier, je me suis intéressée aux conséquences et aux « produits » des relations qui, depuis le début, se sont crées entre artistes locaux et certaines présences que nous pouvons appeler « post o néocoloniales », c'est-à-dire, les ambassades, les agences de coopération, les ONG, les artistes, les « mécènes » et les clients expatriés, etc. De fait, dans une société locale plutôt familiarisée avec d’autres formes artistiques comme la musique, la poésie et l’artisanat traditionnel, et dans laquelle le monde des arts plastiques se retrouve dans une situation de précarité et marginalisation, lesdites présences « post o néocoloniales » sont les principaux interlocuteurs des artistes plasticiens contemporains, peintres et sculpteurs. Il s’agit de relations de dépendance, économique et professionnelle, presque totales, vu que le présent et le futur des carrières des artistes locaux dépendent des liens qu’ils arrivent à établir avec les étrangers. Les premiers trois chapitres sont dédiés à une introduction théorique qui a été construite en dialogue constant avec le travail de terrain et qui a guidé l’analyse des données ethnographiques. En particulier, le premier chapitre a été consacré à une réflexion relative aux caractéristiques et problématiques d’un domaine très particulier de l’anthropologie sociale, celui de l’anthropologie de l’« art ». Le deuxième chapitre analyse la relation entre religion islamique et arts plastiques à partir des origines et jusqu'à arriver aux productions artistiques contemporaines dans les pays à majorité islamique comme la Mauritanie. Le troisième chapitre est consacré à l'analyse de la formation de ce qu’aujourd’hui on connaît comme « art africain contemporain », des dynamiques qui ont caractérisé son introduction dans le monde de l'art international et des conséquences de cette introduction. Dans le quatrième chapitre, on trouve une description des principales caractéristiques du contexte géographique, urbain et socioculturel de la recherche. La Mauritanie et sa capitale, Nouakchott, présentent des caractéristiques historiques et urbaines très particulières qui ont eu, et qui continuent à avoir, une certaine influence sur l’origine et le développement du contexte artistique contemporain. Avec les chapitres cinq, six et sept on rentre dans le « monde » des arts plastiques contemporains de Mauritanie, en commençant avec la reconstruction de l’histoire de la formation et du développement de ce contexte artistique. Le premier des trois chapitres est dédié aux débuts de cette histoire et à la présentation de la première génération d’artistes, en mettant en évidence le rôle joué par les étrangers dans ce processus. Dans le chapitre six, on arrive finalement à connaître les artistes, hommes et femmes, avec lesquels j’ai travaillé, en partant d’une réflexion autour de la figure et du statut social de l’artiste contemporain dans la société mauritanienne actuelle. Au long de ce chapitre, j’insiste sur le rôle joué par certaines présences étrangères dans un vrai processus de « co-construction » de figures artistiques. Le chapitre sept est réservé à la situation des artistes africains de nationalité étrangère, qui résident et travaillent en Mauritanie depuis longtemps. La réalité vécue par ces artistes met en évidence la concurrence qui existe entre les artistes dans un contexte très petit et avec des possibilités de réussite professionnelle très limitées. Dans le chapitre huit, je fais une analyse des oeuvres d’art, en particulier la peinture qui représente encore la technique artistique la plus exprimée. Le principal objectif de cette analyse est de mettre en évidence les raisons qui sont à la base de la répétition constante de certaines thématiques et l’absence systématique d’autres. Finalement, dans le dernier chapitre, je décris la « situation marginale » locale des artistes et leur dépendance totale de certaines présences étrangères, institutions et acteurs privés pour la réalisation de tous leurs projets. À travers la description de différentes activités artistiques, je montre comment les étrangers représentent une espèce de « douaniers » qui décident de l’entrée ou pas des artistes locaux dans le « monde » de l’art international. Et c’est à travers ces relations qu’il se génère un processus de « co-moulage » d’identités et productions artistiques « authentiquement africaines », fabriquées pour rentrer dans le marché de l’art.

This thesis examines first generation and migrant Mauritanians' negotiations of their identities and heritage in Paris, France. It is based on 3 months of ethnographic research, funded by the Center for the Study of Women in Society, the Center on Diversity and Community, and the Slape Fellowship. The theory on "third way" transnational identity argues that migrants' and first generations' identifications with their heritage can protect them from discrimination. I explore situational identity, gender, life stages, and the third way in suburban Paris. I find that, due to discrimination, the first generation may choose to identify with their culture, ethnicity, or nationality of origin. Contrary to French politicians who claim that culture prevents assimilation, I found that ethnocultural identity and community may serve as a professional resource for first generation women. On the other hand, first generation men and women may also reject their ethnocultural identification and traditions.

The mission of Catholic Education in Mauritius is to ‘humanise’ education and pedagogies to be consistent with Catholic values. The vision of a ‘humanised’ education explicitly teaches collaboration and cooperation. In January 2005, the Catholic Education Bureau (BEC) opted for a ‘mixed ability’ philosophy whose articulation fosters inclusiveness in all Catholic secondary schools. To achieve this, schools need to re-invent and restructure themselves into learning organisations to make obvious the ‘mixed ability’ philosophy at the middle level of schooling from Form I to Form III.The first purpose of this study is to explore an integral model for an effective education for Catholic secondary schools in Mauritius that acknowledges diversity in the classroom particularly in Form I. The second purpose is to investigate the beliefs and understandings of educators in Catholic secondary education in Mauritius of this model.For the first purpose, a review of the literature was undertaken to understand the concepts of middle schooling, differentiation, learning theories and implications for practice, the enabling structures for Catholic secondary schools to develop into learning communities and the leadership role of key actors. For the second purpose, the perceptions of educators were investigated using a predominantly qualitative, interpretative methodology around an instrumental multi-site case study.The study found a number of challenges faced by Catholic educators in Mauritius regarding the implementation of the integral model. These challenges present a new direction for these schools to focus on the human person, leading to the development and implementation of the ‘mixed ability’ program. The study concluded with a cogent set of recommendations and directions which need to be put in place in order to improve student learning outcomes at the middle level of schooling and achieve the vision of a human-centered education within the espoused Catholic mission.

Small Island Developing States are known to be extra sensitive to environmental changes due to their geographical location and characteristics, and many are known as luxurious tourist destinations. This study explores how Mauritius and the Seychelles are affected by and deal with climate change and the negative impacts of tourism. The study connects to globalisation and sustainable tourism frameworks while analysing vulnerability and resilience in both countries, as well as how the countries work towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The method used is a mixed qualitative method with interviews and a text analysis of websites and official documents. The result indicates that both Mauritius and the Seychelles are highly vulnerable to climate change, especially in their coastal zones, which is further increased by tourism practices and development of tourism facilities. The study also highlights that both countries lack resilience to environmental changes. Both Mauritius and the Seychelles strive to work towards the 2030 Agenda, through policymaking on state level and through non-governmental organisations aligning their projects to the Sustainable Development Goals. The result also shows that there is a need to create a more sustainable tourism sector in each country to protect both the environment and the countries’ economies. This study aims to be a contribution to the research field of Small Island Developing States and to increase the understanding of Mauritius and the Seychelles’ particular characteristics and vulnerabilities.

This thesis looked deeper into the subject of engaging men and boys in the issue of violence against women in Mauritius. The aim of the study was to investigate what methods were used to engage men and boys in the subject, as well as the challenges faced when working to engage men and boys in the subject of violence against women, and lastly if there is any new innovative strategies that could develop the area of engaging men and boys towards decreasing violence against women. The theory used in this study was hegemonic masculinity by Connell. We used abductive thematic network analysis (ATNA) as our method and analysis. In addition we also used Atlas.ti-7, a computerized data analysis tool, to categorize the data and to further create the themes and networks between them. Our results showed that one of the methods that were frequently used by the organizations was to empower men to make a change in their own life, and further becoming the change in society themselves. Another method used by some of the organizations was to create an alternative role of what masculinity is in order to change the stereotypical macho dominant man which includes being aggressive as one of the characteristics, for instance. Some of the difficulties faced by the organizations was the challenge of actually recruiting men and boys to the workshops, but also recruiting male facilitators as employees. Some of the innovative ideas put forward by the interviewees, was to engage boys at school more than what is done now, also to work with corporations and companies and their employees in the issues of violence against women.

This dissertation comprises a musical history and ethnography of musical culture on the island of Mauritius in the southern Indian Ocean. It details two interrelated performance traditions, examining the history and practice of European art music on the island in parallel with that of an endemic song-and-dance tradition called séga. Mauritius, once a notorious nest of pirates and privateers, was a famous overseas haven of French culture during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Wealth from trade, war, and piracy fueled a rich cultural scene that featured the latest music from Western Europe. Visitors to "The Little Paris of the Indian Ocean" also encountered séga, a percussion-driven music based on improvised songs and dances that developed amongst the island's African and Malagasy slaves. Today, séga is an integral part of the Mauritian tourism industry and is prominently featured in government cultural and educational programs. The general format of the dissertation is a musical history of Mauritius from its first human settlement in 1638 to the present day. It draws extensively on unpublished archival documents and on travelogues, letters, and diaries from visitors to provide specific details about the extent and nature of musical practice in Mauritius. It is also informed by historical newspapers, contemporaneous literature, and by recent discoveries in Mauritian archaeology. The narrative of the past half-century of Mauritian musical and cultural history takes the form of a musical ethnography and draws upon numerous interviews and on field research conducted in Mauritius from 2011-2012. The dissertation also includes a detailed study of music in contemporary Mauritian society, with special reference to the use of séga in nation-building policies, identity politics, the tourism industry, and in public education.

At this early age of the internet, the e-business environment is almost like a lawless territory. Fast movers are making fortunes whereas rebels can act with impunity and move on before the legal process can catch up. The fast expansion of cyber crimes in the world has been the motivation to perform this research on its impact on the business community in Mauritius after the devastating effects in developing countries. Organisations that are not keeping pace with these realities are becoming vulnerable to cyber criminals or hackers. An analysis of the situation in the world from the literature review has provided a better understanding of the most common crimes that are causing trouble to the businesses and obstacles to the advancement of e-commerce. Compared to earlier technological changes, the internet has shown a rapid proliferation. Organisations have to be ready to face this challenge or they may face the dangers of being attacked or even prosecuted for not having secured their system properly. While securing the internet remains a major challenge for every country, businesses have to cope with limited protection until an international law become in force to control this wild territory. The reports available on the Crime trend show that there has been a steady increase in Computer related crimes in the world. The research is conducted on a sample of IT literate participants. Interviews and focus group discussion have also contributed in the accuracy of the findings. The results and findings demonstrate that there is room for improvement but there is a lack of awareness on the Cyber crime act. Hopefully, this research will help to shed light on the major concerns of the business community. VI
Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.