This thesis seeks to show that contemporary speculative fiction films both present and act as agents for an understanding of the human as increasingly economically rational. This conception of the human focuses on humanist values that project a vision of human exceptionalism into the future. Expanding on Michel Foucault’s definition of neoliberalism, this thesis follows its connection to biotechnology and the transhuman subject created through biotechnological intervention, arguing that the films Limitless (2011), Avatar (2009), and District 9 (2009) depict a vision of the human as something that can be calculated and therefore optimized, moving toward the transhuman goal of perfectibility. / Graduate

This study presents a critical analysis of ethics in child and youth care (CYC) and a posthumanist-inspired approach to sustainable ethics in line with CYC’s commitment to do ethics. The study constructs the problem of the all-too-humanist-ethical-CYC-body and engages in a rhizodiffractive ethical-political experiment to (re)think/(re)view/(re)write how we come to practice ethics in CYC. Inspired by a posthumanist ontoepistemology, I employ Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of nomadism and becoming as tools to interfere with the current ethical framework in North American CYC. In global, neoliberal times, CYC needs an ethics that focuses, not just on dominant discourses that guide ethical conduct and decision making, but on ethical-bodies-becoming through the unique entanglements of every ethical encounter. What this body of work exposed for the ethical-CYC-practitioner is that taking a stand – one that challenges dominant one-way ethical models for practice – is a necessary precondition for living in global neoliberal times. / Graduate

Bibliography: leaves 308-316. / v, 346 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This thesis seeks to understand the interrelation of knowledge, power and culture in the context of globalization. Crisis of Marxism has prompted intense reflection on the nature of modernity as a post-cultural phenomenon. This discourse highlights forms of domination and resistance neglected by Marxism and Liberalism. Intellectual developments in the West have acquired a halo of universality which makes it difficult for outsiders to recognise their limitations. The debate between modernists and postmodernists is a case in point. Post-colonial theorists appropriation of post-structuralism, thematic and methodological, raises questions about their own relationship to Western theory and whether their analyses neglect material aspects of globalization as well as problems specific to post-colonial societies. This thesis contends that it is unnecessary to absolutise the "culture vs. materialism" dichotomy. While it may be true that the cultural is "always already" political, critical theory must insist on foregrounding a more activist notion of political agency in a conjecture marked by global management of dissent, economic fundamentalism, media spectacles and cynical conflation of democracy with consumption. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Politics, 1998?

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis explores the impact of institutional changes in the Australian Higher Education Sector (AHES) on academics in entrepreneurial graduate schools of business. It addresses questions about the causes, nature and effects of change, and ultimately, the impact on the values and lives of 21 academics at two points in time, 2002-3 and 2008. In addition to reviewing literature, qualitative methods of document analysis and interviews provide the data for the research. The framework for the analysis of data is based on Laughlin’s (1991) ‘skeletal’ theory of organisation change which adapts concepts from Habermas’ (1984; 87) theory of societal change. The impacts of change are viewed from the perspective of organisation participants, the academics. For the majority of these academics, the findings of the research indicate that, in the face of loss of ownership and the imposition of modernisation practices, they maintained their belief in academic values but withdrew from active engagement with their school and institution. The thesis is presented in six chapters and six papers. With the exception of Chapter One, which introduces the thesis and its contributions, and Chapter Six, which summarises and concludes the work, the four chapters in between provide background detail on the literature; the theoretical approach; the research design and method; and the findings. The six papers complement the chapters by presenting the outcomes of the research at various stages. They are ordered in such a way as to offer general overviews of the Australian Higher Education Sector (Paper One) and business schools (Paper Two) before providing more specific focus on the impacts of modernisation practices (Paper Three); effects of change on academic identity (Paper Four); and the role of disciplinarity on academic values and identity (Paper Five). Research results from the first period of research, 2002-3, are reported in Papers Three, Four and Five. Paper Six is the final paper. It provides a comparison of results for both periods with an analysis of change and its impacts using Laughlin’s (1991) framework for organisation change. Chapter Six concludes the thesis with suggested implications for policy and further research. In relation to policy, it is suggested that current government intentions to shift higher education institutions from economic to social institutions will be dependent on the ability of institutions to unravel ten years of modernisation practices aimed at controlling rather than supporting academic endeavour. Arising from this is a challenge to business schools to develop value propositions that better reflect their role as part of a social institution and not an institutional ‘cash cow’. Further research is suggested in two areas: first, in understanding the lifeworld perspectives of academic executives and heads of school about their role in absorbing or facilitating change; and second, in understanding how business schools are able to develop and implement appropriate value propositions. Overall this thesis is a response to Henkel’s (2005, p. 166) call for further empirical research into academics’ lives “to test the strength of values and identity in different institutional settings”. It does this by addressing several gaps in the literature on higher education, specifically Australian higher education. The production of a qualitative and longitudinal study within a theoretical framework contributes to overcoming the paucity of research employing these methods or applying theoretical interpretations of data within higher education. Additionally, the thesis makes a contribution to the under-researched areas of academic values and value change generally, and Australian business schools, specifically by focusing on the values of Australian business school academics in times of change.

This study explored how the recovery of victims of sexual abuse is shaped by services available. Using the philosophical underpinnings of critical theory within the framework of Honneth's recognition theory this study provides an understanding of participants' experiences and views of recovery from sexual abuse. The study was conducted with ten adult survivors of sexual abuse using semi-structured individual interviews and two focus groups with eight service providers. The analysis identified that the recovery from sexual abuse is the development of a positive sense of identity reflected by participants' self-confidence, self-respect, and self-esteem. In this study this is described as the process of identity formation. Services shaped recovery from sexual abuse by providing experiences of recognition and disrespect. Recognition was given in the form of emotional support and care, cognitive respect, and social esteem that led to an improvement of participants' functioning. Disrespect was perceived by participants as they struggled with the invisibility of sexual abuse, with inequality, and with the lack of understanding, through which their overall functioning deteriorated. Recovery emerged as a dynamic process that, most of all, required from services that they provide experiences of recognition and from survivors that they accurately perceive that recognition was given to them. For recovery to occur, participants needed to balance experiences of recognition and disrespect, a process in which they needed to surrender the longing for the entirely good and benign caregiver and accept that both 'good' and 'bad' qualities reside in each caregiver, agency, therapist, or generally the 'other'. This balancing resulted in the development of self-confidence, self-respect, and self-esteem. Recovery was experienced by participants when they were able to resist disrespect and either engaged in fighting for their rights or removing themselves from situations in which their rights could be violated. Only by having a practical experience of being able to protect their physical and psychological integrity did participants become aware that they had recovered from the legacies of sexual abuse and could proceed with their lives without professional assistance.

Doctor of Philosophy / A perspective in critical social science is concerned with knowledge, power and critique. This thesis explores the question: What would physiotherapy practice look like if it were informed by critical social science? This question originated from four observations: (1) physiotherapists work with constantly changing health care demands, (2) traditional practice approaches underpinned by rational objectivity widen the gap between theory and practice, (3) professional judgments are based on more than objective, rational thinking, and (4) concluding from the first three observations clinical physiotherapists rely more and more on thinking for themselves. If physiotherapists were to adopt a critical social science perspective they would question their practice, identify taken-for-granted, unreflected assumptions and unnecessary system constraints and liberate themselves, their practice and patients, thereby enhancing both the quality of patient care and the practitioner’s professional work experience. Following the hermeneutic tradition I constructed texts from pertinent literature as well as transcripts from participants’ interviews, action plans and field notes. I developed an integrative design to interpret these texts drawing from philosophical and critical hermeneutics as well as action research. The question and answer dialogue methodology consisted of four cycles including deep, critical and transformative dimensions. These I labelled critical transformative dialogues. The first dialogue was with the critical social science literature and with the Gadamer-Habermas and Foucault- Habermas debates in particular. These debates addressed issues of rationality, knowledge and power. Further, I reviewed relevant education, nursing and health promotion literature that addressed these critical social science themes. This first dialogue crystallised my identification of key CSS dimensions relevant to physiotherapy practice. The second dialogue comprised physiotherapy literature that related to these identified critical social science dimensions, as well as transcripts from physiotherapists’ interviews. This dialogue critically interpreted current practice models in their historical, educational and practice contexts. It highlighted the finding that physiotherapy practice is currently dominated by instrumental thinking rather than critical thinking, and that there is a lack of engagement of physiotherapy practice with CSS. The third dialogue was with physiotherapists trialling CSS in practice. Physiotherapists of this trialling group designed action learning “contracts” where they set out to change their practice in the sense of adopting CSS principles and activities in their practice. I explored with these participants how CSS could work or fit in their practice and practice contexts and how this would be experienced. Through this action learning project of endeavouring to transform their practice towards a CSS model I explored participants’ capacity to learn about posing problems concerning their practice, recognise practice contradictions, experience practice challenges and recognise their motivations and interests. This exploration illuminated the viability of CSS in their practice. The fourth dialogue was with physiotherapists who operationalised CSS values or who could visualise a CSS framework for their practice whether they used this terminology or not. This dialogue brought critical understanding of the advantages and potential limitations of realising a CSS-centred physiotherapy practice. I conclude the thesis with twelve propositions arising from these four critical transformative dialogues. Based on the trialling, transforming and visioning of CSS as a model for physiotherapy practice, the relevance of these propositions for critical physiotherapy practice is asserted and implications for education and further research are discussed. The contribution that CSS can make to physiotherapy practice is to add critical transformative dialogues as a strategy to advance practice that is patient-centred and multidisciplinary in approach, inclusive of sociopolitical environments, mindful of professional power and open about professional values.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis explores the impact of institutional changes in the Australian Higher Education Sector (AHES) on academics in entrepreneurial graduate schools of business. It addresses questions about the causes, nature and effects of change, and ultimately, the impact on the values and lives of 21 academics at two points in time, 2002-3 and 2008. In addition to reviewing literature, qualitative methods of document analysis and interviews provide the data for the research. The framework for the analysis of data is based on Laughlin’s (1991) ‘skeletal’ theory of organisation change which adapts concepts from Habermas’ (1984; 87) theory of societal change. The impacts of change are viewed from the perspective of organisation participants, the academics. For the majority of these academics, the findings of the research indicate that, in the face of loss of ownership and the imposition of modernisation practices, they maintained their belief in academic values but withdrew from active engagement with their school and institution. The thesis is presented in six chapters and six papers. With the exception of Chapter One, which introduces the thesis and its contributions, and Chapter Six, which summarises and concludes the work, the four chapters in between provide background detail on the literature; the theoretical approach; the research design and method; and the findings. The six papers complement the chapters by presenting the outcomes of the research at various stages. They are ordered in such a way as to offer general overviews of the Australian Higher Education Sector (Paper One) and business schools (Paper Two) before providing more specific focus on the impacts of modernisation practices (Paper Three); effects of change on academic identity (Paper Four); and the role of disciplinarity on academic values and identity (Paper Five). Research results from the first period of research, 2002-3, are reported in Papers Three, Four and Five. Paper Six is the final paper. It provides a comparison of results for both periods with an analysis of change and its impacts using Laughlin’s (1991) framework for organisation change. Chapter Six concludes the thesis with suggested implications for policy and further research. In relation to policy, it is suggested that current government intentions to shift higher education institutions from economic to social institutions will be dependent on the ability of institutions to unravel ten years of modernisation practices aimed at controlling rather than supporting academic endeavour. Arising from this is a challenge to business schools to develop value propositions that better reflect their role as part of a social institution and not an institutional ‘cash cow’. Further research is suggested in two areas: first, in understanding the lifeworld perspectives of academic executives and heads of school about their role in absorbing or facilitating change; and second, in understanding how business schools are able to develop and implement appropriate value propositions. Overall this thesis is a response to Henkel’s (2005, p. 166) call for further empirical research into academics’ lives “to test the strength of values and identity in different institutional settings”. It does this by addressing several gaps in the literature on higher education, specifically Australian higher education. The production of a qualitative and longitudinal study within a theoretical framework contributes to overcoming the paucity of research employing these methods or applying theoretical interpretations of data within higher education. Additionally, the thesis makes a contribution to the under-researched areas of academic values and value change generally, and Australian business schools, specifically by focusing on the values of Australian business school academics in times of change.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 305-313). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Politics, 2003. / Bibliography: leaves 363-390.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-112). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.