This paper explores the intertwined history of certain goddesses of the Middle East and the Americas. This history informs the original invented contemporary deities that my project centers around. Using recycled materials and collected objects, my project displays two religious altars, one from my heritage and one from my experience living in Brazil. One altar is based on afro-Brazilian sea goddesses, and one is a contemporary imagined interpretation of a Judeo-Christian female figure. The two altars together compose an installation that seeks to unify a pagan practice and two distinct monotheistic traditions while still honoring their separate parts. These parts is built in the studio.

Research on Islamist movements in the Middle East and North Africa has tended to focus on leaders and ideologues to explain transformation over time. This thesis, however, is a political ethnography of the Tunisian al-Nahda movement that focuses on one city to present a fine-grained micro-study of the shifting trajectories of an Islamist organisation. The main original finding is that the relationship between politics and preaching in the practice of Islamism can be conflicting and irreconcilable, rather than cohesive and interdependent. By privileging the experiences of non-elite activists, this thesis also identifies informal networks, an individual reimagining of the Islamist project, and peripheral activism as explaining resilience under repression. It argues that al-Nahda has undergone strategic and intellectual adaptations, which have incurred costs, culminating in a decision in 2016 to separate the political party from social, religious, and cultural work. This thesis is based on fourteen months of fieldwork among current and former al-Nahda activists in the city of Sousse. It addresses the origins of the movement in Sousse to ask why the movement first emerged in the city and what mechanisms of mobilisation were deployed. It rethinks the politicisation of the movement in the 1980s to challenge previous assumptions that suggested the movement grew away from its preaching origins. The thesis addresses the effect of two decades of repression, excavating the prison experience and the period of social exclusion which followed and which disaggregated the movement into its constituent parts. It explains why the movement fragmented after 2011 even as activists rebuilt and redefined their project. In conclusion, the thesis accounts for the tension between politics and preaching within the movement, interrogates the party-movement separation of 2016, and asks what lessons similar Islamist experiences in the region might offer al-Nahda.

This thesis has used public and private archives, as well as newly discovered private papers, to provide new interpretations and new analytical insights regarding the early history of a British investment in Persia. This has given rise to broad questions regarding the interaction of economic and political power within the British empire and the interaction of foreign economic forces with domestic political forces in Persia. Within those overarching themes, the role of intermediation, the Anglo-Russian rivalry over Persia, British naval developments, differing legal cultures and Persian political developments have been examined in detail. Investigating the extent of official British intervention in the venture's affairs and the effects of the Persian Constitutional Revolution, in particular, have advanced the current understanding of the company's early history. In-depth archival research has thus allowed this thesis to demonstrate the shortcomings of the existing literature and provide the most complete account of the Persian oil venture's early developments to date.

This thesis explores a new political phenomenon in the Middle East - the reconciliation of nationalism and Islamism by Islamic political parties in the context of nation states. Although the concept of religious nationalism has been discussed substantially before, as for example in Juergensmeyer (1993: 40) where the author defines religious nationalism as “the attempt to link religion and the nation-state”, this work highlights that a new brand of religious nationalism has emerged in the Middle East as the result of the intertwining of nationalism and Islamism. The focus of this study is, therefore, on the development of religious nationalism in the continuously tumultuous region of the Middle East. The aim of this researchis to investigate whether Islamism in Kurdistan is limited by the politics of nationalism, which is an accentuated example for the whole Middle East region. Furthermore, it should be noted that many of the religious nationalists themselves have not yet fully acknowledged the existence of the trend of merging between Islamism and nationalism. For instance, although the position of the Muslim Brotherhood of Kuwait, during the liberation of their state from the Iraqi regime, is a clear example of religious nationalism, all other affiliations of this organisation around the world at that time viewed the military operation as a foreign occupation. Highlighting this historical juncture in the political life of the Middle East by studying the Islamism in the Kurdistan region helped to elaborate on this new type of politics exceptionally well. This is essentially due to the absence of a politically recognised nation state which renders Kurds to be particularly susceptible to various manifestations of nationalism. The key finding of this project was, therefore, the notion that Islamism in Kurdistan has become significantly framed by the politics of nationalism.

Cette thèse analyse l’évolution des modalités selon lesquelles la cause palestinienne est appréhendée par les partisans du Hezbollah entre 1982 et 2014. L’attention portée aux émotions permet de mieux interroger comment procède le travail constant de (ré)ajustement entre, d’une part les mots d’ordre préconisés par l’organisation, et d’autre part les sens subjectifs des engagements qui résultent de l’histoire personnelle et familiale des membres du Hezbollah. Alors même que la cause palestinienne constitue une thématique de mobilisation classique du Hezbollah libanais, l’observation des partisans de l’organisation à référent chiite, à l’occasion de la guerre de Gaza de l’été 2014, révèlent des émotions entremêlées et diverses. Pour analyser au mieux ces dernières, plusieurs grands registres émotionnels ont été reconstitués, sous une forme « idéaltypique », afin de mieux rendre compte des évolutions qui se manifestent à travers des manières différentes de se rapporter à la cause palestinienne. L’enquête auprès des militants, réalisée aujourd’hui, montre que l’organisation oscille entre ces deux registres émotionnels dont il convenait de retracer la genèse. Chacune des deux parties qui composent ce travail est consacrée à l’étude d’un des registres émotionnels qui constituent les types alternatifs de registres dont disposent aujourd’hui les militants du Hezbollah / This thesis analyzes the evolution of the ways in which the Palestinian cause is apprehended by Hezbollah supporters between 1982 and 2014

Since 2003 Iraq has struggled dealing with a new type of federal constitutionalism and engaged in three separate elections. It is expected that this federalism will encompass all the ethnic and religious groups and create more peace and stability between these groups. One of my major concentrations in this thesis will be to evaluate the successes and failures of this new federalism and its record in reducing the range of violence and conflict between Iraqi ethnic and religious groups. My question will be what has been the effect of federalism on ethnic conflict in Iraq? Has federalism in Iraq decreased ethnic violence or fueled more ethnic problems? I will evaluate the role of federalism in Iraq and the effect of federalism on ethnic conflict in Iraq. I will evaluate this new political system and then make some observations about tensions and disagreements between Kurds and Arabs since the implementation of Iraqi federal system. The idea of Federalism in Iraq as an approach to solving these ethnic conflicts and decreasing the bloodshed between all the different ethnic and religious groups has become a necessary and vital strategy for maintaining the fragile balance of power in the new nation . I will focus on federalism's effect on ethnic conflict in Iraq and how federalism can be used to improve the ethnic tensions in the country.

This study explores the different effects of gendered migration focusing on migration, return migration and reintegration challenges and opportunities facing female Ethiopian migrant returnees from Middle East countries. It looks into the different stages of migration to understand some of the cultural, economic and social transformations women domestic workers experience as immigrants and laborers in the Gulf region and upon their return to Ethiopia. In doing so, the study examines the different ways women try to renegotiate and reintegrate with their families and communities. In-depth interviews with eighteen women returnees reveal the uneven distribution of experiences and outcomes of gendered migration. However, there exists some consistency in the disruptive and disempowering effect of these experiences in the destination countries that usually extend after return. Post return experiences reveal that the renegotiations of women returnees on issues of reception, economic betterment, relationship rebuilding and exercising agency with families and communities are often stressful, isolating and disempowering.

This thesis proposes that cultural heritage preservation in the event of armed conflict is negotiated through four main frameworks: (1) a political framework of independent governments and UNESCO; (2) a legal framework of international conventions and agreements; (3) a civil framework including local communities and non-governmental organizations; and (4) an armed forces framework spanning military and militant groups. These four frameworks operate in conjunction with one another, at times in complementary or in contradictory ways. Given the intimate connection of immoveable cultural sites to the dynamics of cultural identity, it is assumed in this thesis that the intentional destruction of cultural heritage property is akin to the destruction of a group's cultural identity and to a greater extent a crucial component of ethnic cleansing in connection with social identity theory.

No description available.

Afrikaans text / Hierdie studie spreek die beperkte en eensydige beriggewing oor vroue en vroulike skoonheid in die Hebreeuse Bybel en ander antieke geskrifte aan, asook die ondergeskikte posisie wat vroue in die patriargale Ou Testamentiese samelewing beklee het. ‘n Argeologiese benadering word gevolg en beskikbare literêre bronne word gebruik. Daar word gelet op die redes waarom ‘n mooi voorkoms vir vroue so belangrik was. Hul posisie ten opsigte van staatkundige, wetlike, godsdienstige, ekonomiese en huishoudelike aangeleenthede en hul lewensverloop word bespreek. Die studie fokus hoofsaaklik op vroue van ou Israel en Egipte – vir ‘n goeie vergelyking. Inligting oor vroue van die ou Nabye Ooste en Mediterreense wêreld word waar van toepassing ook in aanmerking geneem. Vroue se skoonheidsmiddels, parfuums, juweliersware en kleredrag word bespreek – asook die invloed van vroue se skoonheidspraktyke op die ekonomie en handel van antieke tye. Die slot- hoofstuk maak sekere afleidings en dui enkele onderwerpe vir verdere navorsing aan. / This study addresses the limited and one-sided reporting about women and female beauty in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient literary sources, as well as the subservient position the women experience in the patriarchal Old Testament society. An archaeological approach is followed, although literary sources are also used. Attention is given to women’s position with reference to governmental, legal, religious and domestic issues, their course of life and the reasons why a beautiful and attractive appearance was important. The research focuses mainly on the women of ancient Israel and Egypt – for the purpose of comparison. Information on women of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world is also taken into account. Women’s cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry and clothing are discussed – as well as the influence of women’s beauty practices on the economy and trade of ancient times. The final chapter makes certain deductions and some aspects are recommended for further study. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M. A. (Biblical Archaeology)