Rome had twelve masters between the years A.D. 180-238, eleven of whom were murdered or killed in battle. The age of the Antonines came to an end with the death of Commodus and four years of divisive civil war. The eventual victor, Septimius Severus, established a new dynasty, but it was short-lived, coming to an ignominious end in a camp on the Rhine. Thus began the era of the soldier emperors. This thesis will argue that the rapid turnover of emperors in these fifty-eight years precipitated a crisis among the Roman elite. Senators and equestrians competed with each other, and with less exalted members of society, such as freedmen, to become members of the emperor’s inner circle. Dio Cassius, a senator who began his Roman History during the reign of Septimius Severus, serves as an effective contemporary witness to the upheavals taking place at court and within society at large. Contrary to the views of scholars such as Crook and Syme, who place great emphasis on the continuity of policy provided by the emperor’s amici, this thesis will demonstrate that there was significant discontinuity at the imperial court. Imperial advisers were not a fixed group retained from reign to reign – instead, each new emperor chose to install his own supporters in key positions in order to put his own stamp on the administration of the empire. This has given rise to a tendency to label some rulers as ‘anti-senatorial’ and others as ‘pro-senatorial’. Even those emperors who executed large numbers of senators, such as Commodus and Septimius Severus, had amici from within the senate whom they trusted and relied upon. The favour bestowed on such senators who formed part of the emperors’ exclusive cabal was a source of continual tension among the Roman elite. The amici formed a heterogeneous group, whose only common link was that they had earned the favour of the emperor of the day.

Between 1910 and 1926, Hazrat Inayat Khan, a musician and Sufi master from the Chishtiyya order in India, introduced Sufism to the United States of America and Europe. He established a Western Sufi order, the International Sufi Movement, with groups in America, England, and across Europe. In the early 1930s this Western Sufism was introduced into Australia. The aim of this study is to explore and analyse the origins, nature and development of the Sufi Movement in Australia with particular attention to the relationship between the spiritual teacher and the disciple. The study, in its various aspects, and as a whole, makes a contribution to understanding religious change, religion and New Religious Movements in Australia, Sufism in the West and the murshid-mureed relationship. Using what has been termed a “dynamic of religions” framework and Baumann’s model of religious adaptation in cross-cultural circumstances, the study employs a combination of in-depth fieldwork, participant observation, interviews and historiography to identify and analyse both continuity and change in Sufi Movement groups in contemporary Australia. The study found that the early phases of transplantation from India to Europe and America, as well as the struggles within the group after the death of Inayat Khan, substantially shaped the Western Sufism that arrived in Australia. The most significant early adaptations included redefining the relationship between Sufism and exoteric Islam, gender equality, formation of a formal organisation, and the use of music to spread the Sufi Message. Addressing issues identified in the literature on the master-disciple relationship in Eastern traditions in the West, the study describes and analyses the murshid-mureed (master-disciple, spiritual teacher-student) relationship in Inayat Khan’s time, and in contemporary Australia. It shows that Sufism’s development in the West has been interconnected with understandings and practice of this central relationship. The study shows that the continued strength of the murshid-mureed relationship alongside emerging alternatives, the factors affecting change generally in the Sufi Movement, as well as the growing popularity of Sufism in Australia, demonstrate the need to consider not only East-West aspects of transplantation, but also the influences of modernity on spiritual traditions. As well as documenting the Australian history, the study describes the details of the variety of practices and rituals, forms of community and organisation, and forms of the murshid-mureed relationship, found in contemporary Australian groups. This provides insight into the intricacies of Sufi practice in Australia and provides a basis for comparison with other groups. Sufi practice within these groups in Australia includes highly innovative developments alongside preservation of the tradition as taught by Inayat Khan. It also reflects a tension between the spiritual and organisational hierarchy, and concerns for democracy and local autonomy.

No description available.

Between 1910 and 1926, Hazrat Inayat Khan, a musician and Sufi master from the Chishtiyya order in India, introduced Sufism to the United States of America and Europe. He established a Western Sufi order, the International Sufi Movement, with groups in America, England, and across Europe. In the early 1930s this Western Sufism was introduced into Australia. The aim of this study is to explore and analyse the origins, nature and development of the Sufi Movement in Australia with particular attention to the relationship between the spiritual teacher and the disciple. The study, in its various aspects, and as a whole, makes a contribution to understanding religious change, religion and New Religious Movements in Australia, Sufism in the West and the murshid-mureed relationship. Using what has been termed a “dynamic of religions” framework and Baumann’s model of religious adaptation in cross-cultural circumstances, the study employs a combination of in-depth fieldwork, participant observation, interviews and historiography to identify and analyse both continuity and change in Sufi Movement groups in contemporary Australia. The study found that the early phases of transplantation from India to Europe and America, as well as the struggles within the group after the death of Inayat Khan, substantially shaped the Western Sufism that arrived in Australia. The most significant early adaptations included redefining the relationship between Sufism and exoteric Islam, gender equality, formation of a formal organisation, and the use of music to spread the Sufi Message. Addressing issues identified in the literature on the master-disciple relationship in Eastern traditions in the West, the study describes and analyses the murshid-mureed (master-disciple, spiritual teacher-student) relationship in Inayat Khan’s time, and in contemporary Australia. It shows that Sufism’s development in the West has been interconnected with understandings and practice of this central relationship. The study shows that the continued strength of the murshid-mureed relationship alongside emerging alternatives, the factors affecting change generally in the Sufi Movement, as well as the growing popularity of Sufism in Australia, demonstrate the need to consider not only East-West aspects of transplantation, but also the influences of modernity on spiritual traditions. As well as documenting the Australian history, the study describes the details of the variety of practices and rituals, forms of community and organisation, and forms of the murshid-mureed relationship, found in contemporary Australian groups. This provides insight into the intricacies of Sufi practice in Australia and provides a basis for comparison with other groups. Sufi practice within these groups in Australia includes highly innovative developments alongside preservation of the tradition as taught by Inayat Khan. It also reflects a tension between the spiritual and organisational hierarchy, and concerns for democracy and local autonomy.

This thesis examines the adversarial roles of nuclear physicists Hans Bethe and Edward Teller as political advisors during the first three decades of the nuclear era and the part each played in the shaping of US nuclear weapons policy. It focuses on four episodes - post-war arms control, the development of the hydrogen bomb, the banning of nuclear weapons testing and the deployment and subsequent banning of a limited system of missile defence, and in each episode, it contrasts the scientists’ individual motives, political agendas, means of affecting policy and respective degrees of success. Thereafter, it assesses the pair as Cold War political advisors by considering the validity of their advice as regards the Soviet nuclear program. Whereas a number of scholarly works have been devoted to the political career of Teller, these have typically focused on his role in the hydrogen bomb controversy. In contrast, very little has been written about Bethe’s political role, despite its obvious significance. Interestingly, no work to date has focused specifically on the openly confrontational roles of these two scientific advisors, who remained at the forefront of the decision-making process over nuclear weapons policy for many years. This thesis meets this objective by providing an historical voice to Bethe, a largely overlooked historical figure, while offering fresh insight into Teller, a contentious Cold War character. In doing so, it utilizes a range of recently declassified sources to shed further light on previously documented episodes, such as the hydrogen bomb affair, while chronicling largely untold episodes, including the pair’s involvement in the debate over missile defence. At the same time, it challenges a commonly-held conception that Teller, by utilizing his connections to influential Washington conservatives, was able largely to dictate the course of nuclear policy throughout this period. Indeed, a central contention of this study is that Bethe, by effectively employing both his personal and professional reputation, was able to moderate the influence of his well-placed colleague. Finally, through the use of recently published sources on the Soviet nuclear progam, this study assesses the validity of the political advice of the two scientists, concluding that both men were hindered to a certain extent by the rigidity of their respective positions. Specifically, it argues that Bethe’s advice was characterized by an unduly benign view of Soviet intentions, and Teller’s by an exaggeration of Soviet capabilities.

No description available.

Rome had twelve masters between the years A.D. 180-238, eleven of whom were murdered or killed in battle. The age of the Antonines came to an end with the death of Commodus and four years of divisive civil war. The eventual victor, Septimius Severus, established a new dynasty, but it was short-lived, coming to an ignominious end in a camp on the Rhine. Thus began the era of the soldier emperors. This thesis will argue that the rapid turnover of emperors in these fifty-eight years precipitated a crisis among the Roman elite. Senators and equestrians competed with each other, and with less exalted members of society, such as freedmen, to become members of the emperor’s inner circle. Dio Cassius, a senator who began his Roman History during the reign of Septimius Severus, serves as an effective contemporary witness to the upheavals taking place at court and within society at large. Contrary to the views of scholars such as Crook and Syme, who place great emphasis on the continuity of policy provided by the emperor’s amici, this thesis will demonstrate that there was significant discontinuity at the imperial court. Imperial advisers were not a fixed group retained from reign to reign – instead, each new emperor chose to install his own supporters in key positions in order to put his own stamp on the administration of the empire. This has given rise to a tendency to label some rulers as ‘anti-senatorial’ and others as ‘pro-senatorial’. Even those emperors who executed large numbers of senators, such as Commodus and Septimius Severus, had amici from within the senate whom they trusted and relied upon. The favour bestowed on such senators who formed part of the emperors’ exclusive cabal was a source of continual tension among the Roman elite. The amici formed a heterogeneous group, whose only common link was that they had earned the favour of the emperor of the day.

Rome had twelve masters between the years A.D. 180-238, eleven of whom were murdered or killed in battle. The age of the Antonines came to an end with the death of Commodus and four years of divisive civil war. The eventual victor, Septimius Severus, established a new dynasty, but it was short-lived, coming to an ignominious end in a camp on the Rhine. Thus began the era of the soldier emperors. This thesis will argue that the rapid turnover of emperors in these fifty-eight years precipitated a crisis among the Roman elite. Senators and equestrians competed with each other, and with less exalted members of society, such as freedmen, to become members of the emperor’s inner circle. Dio Cassius, a senator who began his Roman History during the reign of Septimius Severus, serves as an effective contemporary witness to the upheavals taking place at court and within society at large. Contrary to the views of scholars such as Crook and Syme, who place great emphasis on the continuity of policy provided by the emperor’s amici, this thesis will demonstrate that there was significant discontinuity at the imperial court. Imperial advisers were not a fixed group retained from reign to reign – instead, each new emperor chose to install his own supporters in key positions in order to put his own stamp on the administration of the empire. This has given rise to a tendency to label some rulers as ‘anti-senatorial’ and others as ‘pro-senatorial’. Even those emperors who executed large numbers of senators, such as Commodus and Septimius Severus, had amici from within the senate whom they trusted and relied upon. The favour bestowed on such senators who formed part of the emperors’ exclusive cabal was a source of continual tension among the Roman elite. The amici formed a heterogeneous group, whose only common link was that they had earned the favour of the emperor of the day.

This thesis examines the adversarial roles of nuclear physicists Hans Bethe and Edward Teller as political advisors during the first three decades of the nuclear era and the part each played in the shaping of US nuclear weapons policy. It focuses on four episodes - post-war arms control, the development of the hydrogen bomb, the banning of nuclear weapons testing and the deployment and subsequent banning of a limited system of missile defence, and in each episode, it contrasts the scientists’ individual motives, political agendas, means of affecting policy and respective degrees of success. Thereafter, it assesses the pair as Cold War political advisors by considering the validity of their advice as regards the Soviet nuclear program. Whereas a number of scholarly works have been devoted to the political career of Teller, these have typically focused on his role in the hydrogen bomb controversy. In contrast, very little has been written about Bethe’s political role, despite its obvious significance. Interestingly, no work to date has focused specifically on the openly confrontational roles of these two scientific advisors, who remained at the forefront of the decision-making process over nuclear weapons policy for many years. This thesis meets this objective by providing an historical voice to Bethe, a largely overlooked historical figure, while offering fresh insight into Teller, a contentious Cold War character. In doing so, it utilizes a range of recently declassified sources to shed further light on previously documented episodes, such as the hydrogen bomb affair, while chronicling largely untold episodes, including the pair’s involvement in the debate over missile defence. At the same time, it challenges a commonly-held conception that Teller, by utilizing his connections to influential Washington conservatives, was able largely to dictate the course of nuclear policy throughout this period. Indeed, a central contention of this study is that Bethe, by effectively employing both his personal and professional reputation, was able to moderate the influence of his well-placed colleague. Finally, through the use of recently published sources on the Soviet nuclear progam, this study assesses the validity of the political advice of the two scientists, concluding that both men were hindered to a certain extent by the rigidity of their respective positions. Specifically, it argues that Bethe’s advice was characterized by an unduly benign view of Soviet intentions, and Teller’s by an exaggeration of Soviet capabilities.

Between 1910 and 1926, Hazrat Inayat Khan, a musician and Sufi master from the Chishtiyya order in India, introduced Sufism to the United States of America and Europe. He established a Western Sufi order, the International Sufi Movement, with groups in America, England, and across Europe. In the early 1930s this Western Sufism was introduced into Australia. The aim of this study is to explore and analyse the origins, nature and development of the Sufi Movement in Australia with particular attention to the relationship between the spiritual teacher and the disciple. The study, in its various aspects, and as a whole, makes a contribution to understanding religious change, religion and New Religious Movements in Australia, Sufism in the West and the murshid-mureed relationship. Using what has been termed a “dynamic of religions” framework and Baumann’s model of religious adaptation in cross-cultural circumstances, the study employs a combination of in-depth fieldwork, participant observation, interviews and historiography to identify and analyse both continuity and change in Sufi Movement groups in contemporary Australia. The study found that the early phases of transplantation from India to Europe and America, as well as the struggles within the group after the death of Inayat Khan, substantially shaped the Western Sufism that arrived in Australia. The most significant early adaptations included redefining the relationship between Sufism and exoteric Islam, gender equality, formation of a formal organisation, and the use of music to spread the Sufi Message. Addressing issues identified in the literature on the master-disciple relationship in Eastern traditions in the West, the study describes and analyses the murshid-mureed (master-disciple, spiritual teacher-student) relationship in Inayat Khan’s time, and in contemporary Australia. It shows that Sufism’s development in the West has been interconnected with understandings and practice of this central relationship. The study shows that the continued strength of the murshid-mureed relationship alongside emerging alternatives, the factors affecting change generally in the Sufi Movement, as well as the growing popularity of Sufism in Australia, demonstrate the need to consider not only East-West aspects of transplantation, but also the influences of modernity on spiritual traditions. As well as documenting the Australian history, the study describes the details of the variety of practices and rituals, forms of community and organisation, and forms of the murshid-mureed relationship, found in contemporary Australian groups. This provides insight into the intricacies of Sufi practice in Australia and provides a basis for comparison with other groups. Sufi practice within these groups in Australia includes highly innovative developments alongside preservation of the tradition as taught by Inayat Khan. It also reflects a tension between the spiritual and organisational hierarchy, and concerns for democracy and local autonomy.