This thesis explores notions of the past as a means of both containing and constructing our perceptions of life, culture and time. The core of this exploration is Íslenski bærinn, an endeavor committed to bringing together contemporary art and cultural heritage, an attempt to reawaken history as a living contribution to the present day. Through entering Íslenski bærinn, an old Icelandic turfhouse restoration project by Hannes Lárusson, the boundaries of art and life, memory and collective growth, delicate tradition and craft become blurred as the constricting nature of technology, industry and unforgiving consumerism take hold of our current perceptions of the past.

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This research was undertaken as part of the Common Ground Research Forum (CGRF) in Kenora, Ontario. The CGRF was established to better understand collaboration in the context of cross-cultural relationships. The purpose of this research was to design a prototype of a fun, interactive interpretive experience that has the potential to build cross-cultural relationships among youth. The study employed a qualitative approach by utilising a combination of semi-structured individual and group interviews with Kenora residents and analysis of existing online platforms. Utilizing the data collected during the two fieldwork phases a prototype for the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre (LWDC) was designed. Feedback from participants suggested that the prototype would be a good tool for improving cross-cultural relationships among Kenora youth in the long term. The prototype was submitted to the LWDC for implementation in collaboration with local high-schools.

This thesis explores notions of the past as a means of both containing and constructing our perceptions of life, culture and time. The core of this exploration is Íslenski bærinn, an endeavor committed to bringing together contemporary art and cultural heritage, an attempt to reawaken history as a living contribution to the present day. Through entering Íslenski bærinn, an old Icelandic turfhouse restoration project by Hannes Lárusson, the boundaries of art and life, memory and collective growth, delicate tradition and craft become blurred as the constricting nature of technology, industry and unforgiving consumerism take hold of our current perceptions of the past.

Globalization brings greater movement of people, goods, capital and ideas. One of the advantages of globalization is sharing of not only products and services, but also knowledge and culture between people and countries. International research projects, such as the case study in this paper, -ISSC, are a good example of communication and cooperation between researchers from different culture backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to find out how cultural differences influenced the management of the international ISSC research project, which consists of five different partners. The partners include FPX (a Swedish organization), KI (a Swedish medical institute), Fudan and Huazhong Universities (Chinese Universities), and Heidelberg University (German University). Qualitative methods, such as questionnaires, phone conversation and face-to-face interviews have been used in this research study. PDI and IDV have had a relatively higher impact on such projects, on both team work and decision making, than other cultural dimensions such as UAI, LTO and MAS. Based on the study, suggestions are provided for future cooperation within ISSC-type projects.

This study examines the improvement effort and issues of Malaysian organizations. A total of nine organizations, involved in different types of business activities, became the sample cases of this study. There were two phases of fieldwork conducted in this study: A three month period (May - July 1993) trip to Malaysia was undertaken in order to allow the researcher to gain a close 'first hand' knowledge with regard to quality issues in Malaysian organizations. A series of interviews were conducted with quality and senior managers of the organizations involved in the study. 2. The second fieldwork trip also covered a three month period (December 1994 - February 1995). This trip focused on the administration of the questionnaire survey to members in organizations. Five organizations (UTEL, UTEN, OPET, OSEDC and SLUTH), with a total of 210 respondents, participated in this survey. Some interviews with senior officials of these organizations were also carried out during this period. The analysis of data obtained in this study was conducted in two stages: (i) an overall qualitative analysis of the quality and improvement issues in organizations, and (ii) an analysis of the survey data obtained in the above five organizations. The main findings of this study are as follows: In the Malaysian context, the nation's social and economic objectives seemed to exert significant influence over the emphasized aspects of improvement to organizations. Specifically, it was found that the organizations in this study were particularly concerned with the 'improvement' process which would reduce the imbalance of racial participation in economic activities. 2. A stress on values, especially those related to ethics and human relationship, was found to be instrumental in shaping the 'quality' culture of organizations. They include the values of honesty, responsibility, friendship, politeness, courage, love and helpfulness. 3. Quality and improvement issues in organizations are intricately complex. They evolve and are influenced by internal and external contextual factors.

This dissertation argues for the potential of an American politics built on identities, cultures, and faith. Works by two Caribbean authors, Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) and Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), provide central connections throughout these considerations while demonstrating how disparate people consider themselves American without losing their differences. Chapter one examines faith as enunciated in Carpentiers explanation of American Marvelous Realism and as practiced in Hurstons novels. According to these works, credence in America comes not from governmental attempts at continental unity, which too often leads to domination, but instead arises out of cultural endeavors that transcend political boundaries. Music in the second chapter exemplifies American cultural practice by boldly going where politicians fear to tread, resonating throughout the continent with sounds that typify specific regions while remaining strongly connected to one another. A backbeat, for example, that reveals musical connections between swing and vallenato does not negate the individuality of, respectively, Kansas City or Baranquilla. The third chapter considers Gayatri Chakravorty Spivaks employment of Area Studies competencies in studies of Comparative Literature. In this case, specific applications of biology and music history apply to cultural studies of the Americas. Recent studies in genetics that trace similarities in all humans also reveal America as a site of greatest biological differentiation. Following ideas put forth by Spivak, Homi Bhabha, and Nstor Garca Canclini, this deconstructive approach to cultural studies concludes in the fourth chapter with an American politics that does not merely reverse established patterns of domination but instead emulates American cultural practices with the potential to make hegemonic readings irrelevant. / English

Graduation date: 1975

Bibliography: p. 545-559. / 2 v. (xvii, 859 p.) : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 2000

This thesis is an inter-disciplinary and inter- cultural exploration of home as understood as the place in which we usually live. Empirical research in an Australian suburb and an Indian town provide the fabric from which cultural studies engages with phenomenology to produce a design used to cut and style this exploration. Motivated by an interest in what threads contribute to the weave of contemporary household dwelling, this thesis revisits the two questions used by Heidegger to frame his essay ‘Building Dwelling Thinking’: “What is it to dwell?” and “How does building belong to dwelling?” It is an inquiry committed to its respondents as bearers and representatives of ‘structures of feeling’ circulating within the socio-cultural milieu or habitus in which they live and engage with the idea of ‘home.’ This inquiry offers an exploration of the chief constituent mediums of home which I call its ‘archi-texture’. As such, it looks at location, physical and material attributes, domestic technology and household membership as framed by the presence or absence of a family. This thesis is almost certainly the only example of an empirically grounded examination of Heidegger’s ontological exposition of dwelling. Hence I position it as a meditation on the mediations of dwelling rather than a judgmental critique, although in no sense do I believe it to be either a dispassionate position nor an impartial digest of the research material.