This is a visual arts project consisting of 20% exegesis and 80% practical work. My work explores the visual possibilities of using the digital accumulation of data to convey socio-political concepts in relation to the surveillance of the individual in modern western society. The nature of surveillance is investigated with reference to Michel Foucault's metaphorical use of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon in describing the organization of society in the modern nation state. My critical interest lies in the intrusive aspect of surveillance in regard to the privacy of the individual and the concomitant sense of alienation and disempowerment. The concept of 'abstract reality' has been developed to describe the nature of the surveillance of the individual in the modern nation state.

Cultural geography has become increasingly interested in the ways in which nature is socially constructed within society as other. In more closely examining the broad category of ‘nature’, the field of animal geography has come about in an attempt to rethink the place of animals in society. The Cartesian culture/nature binary is seen to be one reason for the mistreatment of animals in society. The thesis investigates to what extent the binary is challenged or reinforced through the act of visiting animals within an ecotourism context. To this end the thesis looks at the ways in which marine animals are produced for and consumed by the tourism industry in Australia. Set within a backdrop of the early collection and display of marine animals as a form of imperial expansion, the thesis travels across a spectrum of marine animal tourism experience, from a point of extreme mediation to one of minimum mediation. (For complete abstract open document)

The relationship between magyarization and Hungarian civil society during the reform era of Hungarian history (1790-1848) is the subject of this dissertation. This thesis examines the cultural and political activities of three liberal oppositional nobles: András Fáy (1786-1864), István Bezerédj (1796-1856) and Ödön Beöthy (1796-1854). These three men were chosen as the basis of this study because of their commitment to a two-pronged approach to politics: they advocated greater cultural magyarization in the multiethnic Hungarian Kingdom and campaigned to extend the protection of the Hungarian constitution to segments of the non-aristocratic portion of the Hungarian population. I argue that magyarization and civil society were closely connected: magyarization unfolded within the confines of civil society, and civil society was meant to guarantee that magyarization would leave room for cultural homogeneity. I locate the success and ambivalence of Fáy, Bezerédj and Beöthy’s efforts to shape Hungarian civil society not in the peculiar mixture of liberal and national elements that characterized their political campaigns, including their magyarization impulses, but in their social position as Magyar nobles transforming a multiethnic and socially-stratified Hungarian population. On a more subtle level, the fact that these three men based their reform efforts on grass-roots transformation and on the interconnectedness between the capital centres and the counties is also a central concern of this thesis. / History

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<p>This study attempted to examine the role that selected civil society groups played to promote citizen participation in governance processes.</p>

During the nineteenth century, an impressive number of occult organizations blossomed both in Europe and the United States. The most influential of these groups was arguably the Theosophical Society. One feature that set it apart from other groups was the assertion that its teachings came from highly advanced beings often referred to in Theosophical literature as the “Masters.” Various authors claim that two of them, Koot Hoomi and Morya, have their roots in the East. However, the descriptions provided include many aspects that might be more readily associated with the West. The aim of this study is to critically examine a selection of Theosophical writings composed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which concern the Masters in the light of the notion of Orientalism. Textual analysis is the method applied. The question I seek to answer is: In what ways do these descriptions exemplify Orientalism? The results indicate that examples can be found in discussions concerning their names and titles, how they are defined, the brotherhood to which they belong, characteristics they possess, their functions, their homes, and what they look like. This is also the case in regard to writings describing how one becomes a Master and those debating whether or not they exist. The matters addressed are relevant because they provide insight into how conceptualizations of other cultures are constructed and because the notion of ascended masters is still a common one in new age religion.

The meaning of this essay is to look at how the narrative strategies, description of character and society differ between the two novels "This Perfect Day" and "Neuromancer". By looking at the different narrative techniques used by the authors and the results we can see why some of these strategies work very well in one novel but would not suit the other because of the contrasts in style it would produce.

This thesis focuses on the creation and disposal of food waste in the United States. Food waste is a specific yet highly critical issue that implicates the large, incongruous systems of both food production and waste disposal. Waste is created throughout the food supply chain, with producers as well as consumers guilty of throwing away good food. Rather than repurpose food as compost or donate it to those in need, wasted food, although completely biodegradable and often edible, is mixed in with the rest of our garbage and disposed of in a landfill. By evaluating the systems of waste disposal and food production, I illustrate the ways in which both of these industries encourage the creation of food waste and conceal its harmful effects. I argue that it is necessary to prioritize source reduction of wasted food, rather than rely upon infrastructure that keeps waste “out of sight, out of mind.” Despite the factors that shelter it from our critical consideration, it has become necessary to prioritize food waste as a legitimate environmental, social, and economic concern.

This thesis will use three case studies to test the existing research on civil society and authoritarian regimes. By using concrete data from Putin’s previous decade in Russia, the post-Mubarak government’s control over transitional Egypt, and the Hun Sen regime in Cambodia, this thesis is an attempt to analyze under what conditions will authoritarian governments not only create, but enforce controls and restrictions against their NGO communities. This thesis expands O’donnell & Schmiiter’s existing theory: Government policy makers will increase restrictions when NGOs and civil society represent too strong of a threat, to include both real and perceived threats. Unfortunately, this thesis cannot conclude on the true power of NGOs, however one does not need to answer this question to examine why governments restrict them.

There have been a number of studies concerning the access and usage patterns of mobile phones since the first cellular phone appeared in 1979. With the appearance of the smart phone a recent field of research emerges within media and communication. This study focuses on what role a particular smart phone plays within the users’ communication practices. Combining individuality and mobility with communication, the iPhone changes the users’ way of communication completely. In addition to that, the use of the iPhone comprises self-representational characteristics. The study aims to research what role the user ascribes to the iPhone. A field observation of iPhone users combined with qualitative focus group interviews will present more insight in how the iPhone maintains the users’ interpersonal relationships and fulfils their communication motives. The field observation might bear some general aspects about usage patterns of the iPhone, especially in public spaces. Supplementing the field observation, the focus group interviews will give some information about personal usage patterns and about the iPhone’s status within individual perceptions. The use of smart phones like the iPhone influences the user’s ways of communication in positive as well as in negative ways. A constant access to various networks establishes a permanent availability, which entails major changes in the users’ way of communication and the users’ perception of time and space. In addition to that, the design and look of the gadget is a main appeal for iPhone users. Here the smart phone turns out to be an accessory with which people make statements to their surrounding. These statements can be of different nature. They can be based on image, fashion or design conscious in the user’s perception. This study intends to bring up new topics about the relationship between a technical device and its user