published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

"The Makeover and Other Consumerist Narratives" is an interdisciplinary work in both approach and scope, and reads the construction of feminine desire and identity through what is popularly known as the makeover. Bringing together such diverse areas as film, literature, women's magazines, psychoanalysis, historical analysis and cultural theory, this research is particularly concerned with visual communications media (mostly film and advertising) and spectatorship. Of central import is the relationship of consumerism to feminine identity, desire, and the historical emergence of popular entertainments aimed directly at women. / The narrative of the makeover---so prevalent in women's magazines and advertising---works to effectively orient women's desires in a consumerist direction through product promotion and self-commodification. In addition, the makeover is explored in terms of how it might be seen to provide a model by which to understand the workings of late consumer capitalism as a whole. From an excavation of the official commodity-oriented origins of the makeover in the history of women's magazines, the project then moves through a reading of several print advertisements and the phenomenon of the consumer tie-in, and finally to what I call the "Transformation Film." Questions of narrative, desire and class are key here, especially insofar as these films make explicit the connection between self-transformation, commodity consumption, feminine desire and the promise of identity in consumer culture. / At issue is the peculiar problematic of feminine desire as negotiated by Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, as well as the historical implications of female identity as explainable by Marxian commodity theory. It is only by means of examining the objects which cater to feminine desire that we may be able to understand this "culture of the makeover" and women's identity therein.

This thesis is concerned with social and economic aspects of freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) culture development in converted paddy field gher systems in SW Bangladesh, based on economic features of prawn production and social impacts within and around prawn farming communities. Based on a sample of 400 farmers from the four different zones in Bagerhat district in SW Bangladesh, 345 (86.25%) cultured prawn with fish and rice in their gher. The culture period is typically nine months, wild fry are stocked when available in May-June and harvested from November to January. A variety of feeds are used but the preferred material is the freshwater snail, Pila globosa. Productivity is variable, averaging 432 kg ha-!. The freshwater prawn is a highly valued product for international markets and is therefore almost all exported. All farmers in all zones and different gher size categories made a profit, with seed and feed dominating variable costs. Considerable variation in production costs and profitability was observed. The culture of prawn in gher systems is technically possible in a variety of conditions though expanding small scale of farming mainly depends on reducing production costs. Future targets could be to integrate with other agricultural activities especially dike cropping and rice production in the monsoon. The livelihoods of a large number of people are associated with prawn farming. Four different fry, snail and prawn markets were surveyed, including a sample of 60 fry catchers, 40 fry traders, 75 snail collectors, 40 snail traders and 40 prawn traders. A sample of 200 women, associated with gher farms was also surveyed. In spite of socio-economic constraints, most of the households of farmers (81 %) have improved their status through prawn farming where prawn have brought out clearly positive changes of economic activities and generated new employment. All appeared to have gained from their activities, women have enhanced their position in families and societies. However, concerns arise about the long-term sustainability of prawn farming due to high production costs, low supply of wild fry and snail meat, poor natural resources, poor institutional support and inadequate extension services, all of which have affected sustainable livelihoods of farmers and associated groups. It may necessary to establish local ingredients feed industries, prawn hatcheries and to provide low-interest credit with institutional and policy support for sustainable gher farming.

In 2000, Tim Ingold argued: 'people do not import their ideas, plans or mental representations into the world, since that very world ... is the homeland of their thoughts. Only because they already dwell therein can they think the thoughts they do' (2000: 186). He thus stressed the importance of place in the construction and reproduction of culture. How does this play out, however, among refugees who by virtue of their displacement must 'import' cultural concepts into alien environments? For those outside a 'homeland' how do they make sense of the world? In this thesis I examine the relationship between Tibetan refugees, the landscapes of their exile and their wider material environment. Drawing on theory in material anthropology and thirteen months' ethnographic fieldwork conducted in two contrasting Tibetan refugee settlements in northwest India, I analyse how Tibetan refugees are affected by, and in turn exert agency over their material world. Through this discussion, I reflect on the multiple and mutable meanings of home for Tibetan refugees, many of whom were born and/or raised in India. Few scholarly discussions of home encompass both its affective and imaginary dimensions; this thesis achieves this by focusing on the material and aesthetic aspects of home. Through this lens, I explore how refugees both work hard to develop a sense of home in exile, yet simultaneously destabilise this by orienting themselves towards an imagined home in a future 'free Tibet'. The discussion unfolds thematically, through chapters focusing on several material categories: landscape, the built environment, dress and objects. I develop my analysis via existing theoretical literature in material anthropology and its sub-disciplines, transnational and migration studies, and area-specialist literature in Tibetology.

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Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-05-14T12:53:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rafaella Bordin Barreira.pdf: 1698436 bytes, checksum: 8d2fb52e365cb087b0a3f73344d2bdf4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-14T12:53:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rafaella Bordin Barreira.pdf: 1698436 bytes, checksum: 8d2fb52e365cb087b0a3f73344d2bdf4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Throughout his work, B. F. Skinner has indicated that cultural selection fails in allowing for the preservation and transmission of cultural practices without survival value, and in not selecting practices with survival value. Because of this, the author defends a cultural planning based on scientific knowledge and guided by the survival of cultures, his fundamental value. This study investigated the theoretical-conceptual relationships between education and the survival of cultures within the work of B. F. Skinner. Keywords wsere applied to titles, original publishing sources, republishing sources, summaries and indexes of the author's entire body of work, and exclusion criteria were employed to select the materials that addressed education as an object of cultural planning. The analysis of the selected material revealed a proposal of educational planning, not just as part of the cultural planning, but as an enabler of for it. Education is understood as the preparation of individuals for the future, as well as transmission of culture, and Skinner presents a technology of teaching composed by the revision of the school curriculum and teaching methods. Though it strengthens the culture, his technology does not replace other educational practices, which are maintained despite threatening the survival of cultures, due to the contingencies of reinforcement involved / Ao longo de sua obra, B. F. Skinner indicou que a seleção cultural falha ao possibilitar a manutenção e transmissão de práticas culturais sem valor de sobrevivência e ao não selecionar práticas com valor de sobrevivência. Em função disso, o autor defende um planejamento cultural pautado em conhecimento científico e norteado pela sobrevivência das culturas, seu valor fundamental. O presente trabalho visou investigar as relações teórico-conceituais contidas na obra de B. F. Skinner entre a educação e a sobrevivência das culturas. Foram empregadas palavras-chave em títulos, fontes de publicação original, fontes de republicação, sumários e índices remissivos de toda a obra do autor, e foram aplicados critérios de exclusão a fim de selecionar materiais que abordassem a educação enquanto objeto do planejamento cultural. A análise do material selecionado revelou uma proposta de planejamento educacional não apenas como parte do planejamento cultural, mas como viabilizador do planejamento cultural. A educação é compreendida como preparo dos indivíduos para o futuro e como transmissão da cultura e Skinner apresenta uma tecnologia do ensino composta pela revisão do currículo escolar e dos métodos de ensino. Apesar de fortalecer a cultura, sua tecnologia não substituiu outras práticas educacionais, que são mantidas a despeito de ameaçarem a sobrevivência das culturas, em função das contingências de reforçamento que envolvem

In recent years, the media have publicized the social problem of physical child abuse. This study examined three artifacts of physical abuse: the children's book Robin's Story, the popular song "Luka," and the television documentary Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse. Chapter One described each artifact and provided a literature review which detailed the writings about physical child abuse and artifacts discussing this topic. The chapter then posed research questions about how the artifacts viewed abused children and their abusers, the causes of abuse, and the solutions proposed for ending physical abuse.Chapter One finally discussed the narrative framework of rhetorical analysis used to examine the three artifacts. The narrative method used in this analysis employed three steps: 1) An examination of narrative structure, which discussed the plot of the story, the crucial points of the story and the events which supplemented those points, and the steps of breach, crisis, redress, and reintegration in the narrative; 2) An examination of narrative rationality, which talked about the completeness and true to life quality of the story and evaluated the reasons the rhetors gave for following the course of action endorsed by the story; and 3) An examination of narrative standards, including truth standard or how the narrative compares with what the audience believes is true; aesthetic standard or the grammar, setting, and characterization within the story, and ethical standard or the values expressed within the narrative. Chapter Two applied this framework to the children's book Robin's Story. Chapter Three viewed the popular song "Luka" through the narrative framework. Chapter Four discussed the documentary Scared Silent in terms of narrative analysis.Chapter Five then discussed the conclusions of the analysis for each artifact, artifacts discussing physical abuse, and for rhetoric. Some of the conclusions reached were that artifacts discussing physical child abuse should attempt to make their stories universal, that such artifacts need to distinguish between abuse and physical punishment, and that artifacts dealing with this problem must provide concrete courses of action to end physical abuse. This analysis concluded that, while narrative analysis provided the answers to the research questions, this framework needs to be made into a concrete method of rhetorical analysis to ensure that narratives are effectively evaluated. Narrative analysis was positive in this analysis, however, in that it supported the definitions of rhetoric as value, epistemology, motive, drama, meaning, and argument. This analysis found that, to end the problem of physical child abuse, rhetors must work with experts in this field and tailor artifacts from different perspectives to various audiences using different forms of media. / Department of Speech Communication

M.A. (Communication Studies) / This dissertation will concentrate on the manner in which the signification system of popular culture in advertising texts operate within the context of changing South African or post apartheid society. Social and political changes have taken place virtually overnight and it is therefore not surprising that the effects of these transformations have not yet filtered through to all layers of society. Furthermore, such quick changes cannot take place without causing at least some ripples of dissent and upheaval within certain sectors of society which may include cultural groups or even business. The author will consequently examine the effect which social changes have had on the perceptions of advertisers in the marketplace and the manner in which their brands are portrayed within advertising texts. More specifically, an investigation will be undertaken into the manner in which Popular Culture, whiph is inherently South African, has been incorporated within the contents of those texts. Popular Culture, it will be argued, has moved away from being a term used by classical Marxists to describe a so-called mass culture. In fact, within the context of a postmodern society, in other words, one which is essentially multi-faceted, the . concept Popular Culture-encapsulates that which is used within the day-to-day living experience to make a statement of dissent with the mainstream. Therefore the task set by this dissertation is manifold. the first instance we will place the South African market within a historic, cultural and economic context. In other words, we will attempt to trace the life-world of the South

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Communication

S’khothane: Representation in, and influence on, contemporary visual arts practices For several years now, S’khothane youth culture has been viewed as a social ill. This view started after it received massive broadcast and print media coverage during the course of 2012. Crews claiming adherence to S’khothane were interviewed by investigative journalism programmes on two of South Africa’s most watched television channels, eTV and SABC1. While some townships1 in Gauteng claim to have been the birthplace of S’khothane, this subculture appears to be based on various other subcultures that preceded it. Cultures such as Swenkas (Umswenko), Sapeurs (La Sape) and Pantsula influenced various aspects of the S’khothane culture, from dance and poses, to dress style and performances. References made to S’khothane in studies by Mkhwanazi (2011) and Jones (2013a) as well as mass media coverage on programmes such as 3rd Degree (2015) and Cutting Edge, have generally been negative. Jones (2013a:210) describes S’khothane as a disruptive manifestation of consumption, which involves publicly destroying expensive designer clothes, shoes and accessories to show that these symbols of wealth are meaningless and easily replaceable. This study explores the representation of S’khothane in selected contemporary visual artworks and assesses any influence it might have on these artworks. The study also investigates public perceptions about the S’khothane youth culture and evaluates these against realities documented during data collection to determine whether the perceptions were premised on misconceptions. A group of participants was randomly selected from S’khothane events that took place in Fountains Valley (Pretoria), Soshanguve, Tembisa and other S’khothane gatherings held in places such as recreational parks and taverns. The participants were interviewed to gain insight into their perspective of the S’khothane culture, to establish the culture’s origin, its practises and elements. S’khothane is widely integrated and visually appropriated in the visual language of selected contemporary South African art practices. To this end, this research extends into a focused analysis of selected artworks in order to demonstrate how S’khothane influences selected contemporary visual arts practice in Gauteng. Through this approach, it becomes clear that these modes of representation embody no explicit moral judgement as one might find in investigative journalism programmes. There is a subtlety in the way S’khothane is represented by selected artists. In the Jamalaun Nxedlana artworks discussed, there is an element of realism depicted in the absence of manipulation through the documentation. On the other hand, Kudzanai Chiurai’s form of representation involves manipulation because he produced his visual artworks in a studio where he used props and had the ability to control the composition of the artwork. Nontsikelelo Veleko made a representation of various S’khothane elements including colourful clothes and accessories such as sunglasses. The study also investigates how S’khothane lifestyles, dance, poses, clothing and performances are trends shaped influenced by other subcultural historic groups such as Swenkas (Umswenko), Sapeurs (La Sape) and Pantsula; giving them fad status, whether it be morally correct or not. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M.A. (Visual Arts)