This analysis of children’s literature attempts to understand the relationship between social reproduction and ideology. This thesis argues that children’s literature written by Lynne Cheney is a cultural artifact that constitutes an ideological history. In addition, it argues that her books can be used by ideological institutions to strengthen socially accepted practices through the theory of social reproduction. Since there is a lack of theory regarding cultural artifacts in literary studies, an adoption from the field of pedagogy called the theory of hidden curriculum is used to explain social reproduction. The process of social reproduction reinforces socioeconomic structures put in place in order to reinforce social norms.

This project analyzes two sets of alien invasion films to understand lay opinions on hegemonic authority. It defines hegemonic authority along two major lines: neo-Gramscian hegemony and hegemonic stability theory. The project uses alien invasion films to study challenges to hegemonic authority because of the unique and confrontational narrative alien invasion films typically possess. Through a comparative process, the project concludes that alien invasion films reveal paradoxical relationships of power, where the hegemon encourages aggressive pre-emptive policies against its challengers but at the same time depends upon these challengers to maintain its power. It argues that despite arguments of growing globalism and cosmopolitanism in the world, the liberal hegemon remains clearly divided among notions of Us versus Them.

ABSTRACT Joseph Echols Lowery, a key founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, led the organization for twenty years. This study explores how Lowery, who took over during an era when many considered the civil rights movement dead, reenergized the SCLC, became a leading black spokesman who challenged Congress, presidents and the Justice Department around issues of voting rights and social justice, while consistently questioning U.S. hegemonic international and domestic policies around jobs and poverty. This research further investigates how Lowery fought for the continuation of affirmative action in the midst of an oftentimes hostile environment and waged campaigns against multi-national companies that discriminated against blacks and minorities. This qualitative empowerment study examines how and why Lowery and the SCLC became the leading non-Muslim influence on the 1995 Million Man March and his role in affirming women leaders and their initiatives.

Dystopic fiction is defined by its depiction of oppressive societies with power structures that seek to exercise control on its citizens. Orwell’s classic 1984 depicts a society that is a reaction to World War II and totalitarian regimes. This society depicts elements of cultural hegemony that are altered during the move to postmodernism. Atwood’s Oryx and Crake evolved to reflect the political climate that grew out of the Cold War’s end, while retaining the cautionary messages regarding the state’s ability to control. Oryx and Crake can be seen as completely reversing the concern from centralized power to decentralized power (represented by multinational corporations beholden to no single government.) This phenomenon is indicative of the postmodern period and the onset of late capitalism as defined by cultural critic Fredrick Jameson. Using the theory of Jameson and other postmodern theorists, an exploration of the dystopic novels or Orwell and Atwood reveals how cultural hegemony has been implemented and altered from the modern to the postmodern.

In this study the researcher explored what participation was like for Kenyan women involved in an international curriculum development project, considering important aspects of international curriculum development projects that have been neglected in the research literature. The main research purpose was to understand the womens experiences in a Canadian-sponsored post-secondary education curriculum development project titled "Supporting Environmental Education in Kenya". In addition the research investigated the conflicts, tensions, and contradictions the women experienced between their previous ways of learning and their workshop experiences. Finally, the researcher addresses what could be done to mitigate contradictions generated by the project implementation.<p> The study documented power relationships, issues of control and issues of role functionality; the researcher also identified the ways in which, in a patriarchal country women, especially married women, are closely monitored by their husbands or other significant males. In fact the women needed permission from their husbands to participate, to educate, to visit, and to consort with others such as the researcher. The study shares the womens stories about the experiences that they had during and after the workshop situations, and how they interpreted these experiences.<p> Additionally, the study identified differences in the teaching methods and learning styles experienced by the women. All the participants had experienced the Kenyan education system; the Kenyan curriculum was based on the English, post-colonial system that treated the learner as an empty vessel into which knowledge was poured; within classroom sessions this system did not encourage learner engagement that might be evidenced through questioning the teacher or discussing the topic at hand. Indeed, it was observed that all of the women participating in the project required encouragement to voice their thoughts.<p> By honouring the experiences of the women and including their voices, the researcher generated information for proposal writers and project leaders to make appropriate decisions for programming that includes cultural and indigenous ways of knowing, learning and dissemination of knowledge.

Abstract Reform, liberalization, and economic takeoff have propelled China toward becoming a major world power. Media industrialization and market orientation, combined with the growing pace of conglomeratization and globalization, are now an important national strategy for Beijing. One of its objectives is to gain a dominant voice in the international community while holding its own against leading European and American transnational media that are already eyeing China¡¦s media industry. Another objective is to suppress Taiwan¡¦s voice in the world arena and gradually marginalize Taiwan¡¦s film and television industries in the ethnic Chinese community. Even while the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are actively engaged in cultural and media exchanges, Taiwan has experienced a slowdown as China picks up pace in audiovisual media development. Taiwanese businesses and performing artists have been forced to take a strategic approach in seeking a future in China¡¦s market. This has resulted in an outflow of capital, human resources, and technology that has hurt Taiwan¡¦s film and television industries. China, on its part, has strategically ¡§attracted funding while keeping out programs¡¨ through media exchange policies and legal restrictions. It has blocked the broadcast of Taiwanese TV productions on local channels as well as the reception of Taiwan¡¦s TV channels. Additionally, it has used its huge market potential as bait to lure Taiwanese performing artists and media professionals to seek commercial and performing opportunities on the other side of the Strait. Through this two-pronged approach, China is trying to establish cultural hegemony over Taiwan with its media exports while pushing for unification. In other words, China¡¦s rapidly expanding audiovisual industry and the platform for cross-strait media exchange have contributed to the dwindling of Taiwan¡¦s film and television industries. China¡¦s carrot-and-stick strategy has compelled Taiwanese artists to cooperate and openly express views on specific political and national identity issues, thereby influencing viewers and listeners in Taiwan. This thesis explores how China¡¦s swiftly growing media industry has marginalized Taiwan¡¦s audiovisual media and influenced the national identity concept of Taiwanese performing artists. For this purpose, historical records and documents are analyzed and in-depth interviews conducted. The thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the concept of cultural hegemony espoused by Antonio Gramsci, the theory of culture industry advocated by Anthony Giddens and Nicholas Garnham, the role of discourse proposed by Michel Foucault, and the concept of national identity expounded by Benedict Anderson and Jhang Mao-guei. Research findings indicate a large gap between publicly expressed views and genuine standpoints of Taiwanese performing artists. Their positions on national identity clearly reflect a complex effect resulting from indelible impressions of Taiwan¡¦s history, education under the 50-year rule by the Kuomintang, Taiwan¡¦s democratic achievements, and realization that China adopts a very different social system. The study has not found a perceptible change in the national identity concept of Taiwanese artists seeking a future on the western shore of the Strait. Nonetheless, should cross-strait media exchange expand and Taiwan¡¦s film and television industries continue to weaken, Taiwanese artists will ultimately seek a sustainable future in China. Sooner or later, they will identify with China and embrace Beijing¡¦s ideological stand on cross-strait unification. Keywords: cultural hegemony culture industry conglomeratization media exchange, audiovisual exchange exposition national identity

The study that follows is a deep semiotic analysis meant to shed a light on which ideologies the serial represents and communicates to its audience. In my analysis I have used the terms homonormativity and homosubversity to divide the different discursive codes and thus see if it was the former or the latter that the production of Empire preferred. These terms have been used in relation to hegemony, ideology and discourse to fully grip the connection between production and reception.   The study consists of an analysis of the overall narrative of the serial in its entity with focus on the gay character Jamal, in relation to John Fiske’s concept of reality, representation and ideology, and then a deeper semiotic analysis of three strategically chosen scenes. This division was done simply so that I could perceive the show both in terms of representation and semiotic signs, but also the interrelations between production and audience which gives the show its meaning and ideological power.   My analyses showed that Empire is an epithet of hegemony as a moving equilibrium. While the representation of the character Jamal as a gay man may resist homonormative rules in some ways, it reinforces it in others. The serial mostly incorporates homosexuality in the vicinity of heteronormative ideology, but prefers a discourse of homosexual superiority where masculine hegemony even in gay men, is the only way to achieve fair inclusion. The preference of masculinity is done on the expense of femininity.

The Cultural Capital of Europe project aims to highlight and promote culture of a specific region in Europe during a calendar year. Umeå was chosen to become the Capital of Culture in 2014 and highlight the northern corner of Europe. A new “Open source” approach with the objective to increase participation and co-creation of different actors in the cultural capital year was introduced. This study examines media descriptions of the Samis and alternative cultural groups’ participation in the Cultural Capital year. Both quantitative and qualitative methodological tools were used to analyse descriptions of these groups’ in digital articles from local newspapers. The findings indicate of widespread discontent with how these groups were represented in the Cultural Capital year. The Samis were described as being excluded from planning but included in the implementation of the programme. The alternative cultural groups were instead described as being included in the planning but excluded from participation in the programme year. The relations between these groups and the organisers were analysed in terms of hegemony. The results indicate the relations being in balance at the beginning of the year but started to weaken at an early stage.

The objective of this research was to examine advertising in gay media publications, namely, The Advocate, in order to assess how advertising corresponds with gay identity formation. This study differed from previous inquiries in that the application of hegemony theory formed the basis of the project and was used as a tool to explicate the preponderance of certain images in gay media advertising and what they signify for gay men. Likewise, a phenomenological method of analysis was applied to the advertisements in order to render them more accessible as aesthetic and literary mediums. Classifying the advertisements according to their notional basis resulted in the partitioning of the ads into groups or "parables" of advertising, a method of classification which mimics historical categories recognized in American history and culture. The sum of the project emphasizes the hegemonic structures that characterize gay male images within a broader GLBT sociocultural framework.

Analyzing George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) in relation to the early works of Marshal McLuhan, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse reveals an ideological parallel that can be explicated using Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony. While McLuhan, Marcuse, and Fromm observe, in order to critique, social manifestations of power in a consumerist system, Romero presents a model of hegemony in his films that he exposes to extreme stress thereby allowing viewers to observe such manifestations of power for themselves. These analyses are significant because although Marcuse, McLuhan, Fromm, and Romero present congruous ideologies, scholars of Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead have failed to recognize cultural hegemony as the source of the psychosocial criticism within each film.