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This thesis provides a comparative analysis of the way contemporary processes of global change have affected the development of the publishing industry in nations which can be labelled small. It is centred on the cases of Scotland and Catalonia, nations with comparable political and demographic similarities in size and composition but also disparities in terms of their linguistic distribution and governmental organisation. The analysis interprets the sectors as a whole, looking specifically at the publication of texts in trade, academic and specialist markets. The research includes an overall qualitative analysis which synthesises a quantitative approach by adapting the interpretive perspective of social network analysis to undertake a survey of each sector in its entirety. This is supplemented with in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders that represent the poles of the sector in microcosm, as identified through the survey data. A model is developed as an analytical framework, which provides a theoretical contribution to the subject area and underpins the structure of the research. The study identifies the relationship between processes of change at the level of global enterprise and markets and the development and sustainability of materials published at the level of the local, and analyses how this inter-relation contributes to national identity development whilst considering the extent to which these processes affect the dynamics of this industrial activity in the cases of Catalonia and Scotland. Wider conclusions about other comparable small nations are drawn by interpreting the similarities and differences in these two nations. Particular factors for consideration include the linguistic status and socio-political situation of each location. The study also incorporates a diachronic perspective by underpinning the research with a contextual analysis of the historical development of the publishing industry in each nation from the seventeenth century to the present day. This research aids understanding of the position small-national cultures occupy in an increasingly globalised market and is designed to provide the basis for examination into the subject area from other comparable nations by focusing in on particular cultural variables as suggested in the conclusion.

Propaganda conceived for distribution via the medium of the pictorial poster creates artwork that can be productively examined from an aesthetic as well as political perspective. When this artwork is primarily restricted to conflict propaganda from the second decade of the twentieth century, the temporal and contextual considerations assist in focussing the poster’s role as a functional object, not only within a propaganda campaign but also within the wider visual ecology of an era. For the poster to operate as an effective means of propaganda distribution, the propagandist requires composition that incorporates constructs capable of attracting the viewer. In isolating a particular construct, its manifestation has the potential to be utilised as a tool in the unpacking of the imagery; consequently the concept of a propagandist promotion of an alternate reality as a challenge to a current real, and the prospective movement from one to the other, can be literally and figuratively conveyed via its employment as a pictorial trope. In this regard, the construct deemed to represent not only movement, but movement at its most beautiful thereby forming a focus for attraction, is the serpentine curve that in 1745 William Hogarth scribed and titled the line of beauty (Hogarth, 1997 p6). In concentrating on the poster within the wider genre of early twentieth century visual conflict propaganda, and creating new associations with aesthetic and metaphoric concepts pertaining to the line of beauty, this research becomes the articulation of how each contributory element within the artwork’s construction ‘respectively influences the identity and the economies of the other’, thereby providing ‘a model by which to focus and rethink’ these relationships (Ostrow, 2005 p226). The line of beauty serves as both cause and effect of the process by which the relationships are reconsidered, thus provoking an innovative discourse as to the potential impact of the whole upon the visual culture field.

Many tissue-restricted diseases are linked to mutations in lamins and nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins (NETs). How these mutations in ubiquitously expressed proteins cause such defined diseases is still unknown. It is hypothesized that tissue restricted NETs that are partners of the nuclear lamins/existing linked proteins mediate tissue-specific disease pathologies. Proteomic studies have identified many tissue restricted NETs with effects on the cytoskeleton, gene positioning and regulation. This study investigates potential roles of candidate NETs in mediating tissue restricted disease pathology and their interactions with known factors such as emerin and lamins, mutations in which have been linked to a variety of tissue-specific dystrophies. This study looks into candidate tissue-specific NETs distribution in human tissues and in vitro using a solid phase binding assay to study candidate NETs interactions. I confirmed the tissue-specificity of the candidate NETs in human and mouse tissue sections but did not find clear reproducible distribution of these NETs in patient tissue biopsy. One postulate is that NETs bind WT lamin for localisation and/or function and disruption of this interaction leads to disease. Using a solid phase binding assay approach to study NETs/lamin interactions, we demonstrate that Tmem120a, an adipocyte-specific NET binds WT lamin but has a reduced Bmax when tested for binding against a lipodstrophy causing lamin mutant (R482Q and G465D). This is consistent with the hypothesis that tissue-specific NET partners might mediate tissue-specific disease pathology in lamin-linked nuclearenvelopathies.

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This PhD explores the experience of female journalists working in the Saudi Arabian press. It looks at the difficulties they face as women journalists, their motives for working in this area and their writings. The research discusses how the culture gender segregation in Saudi Arabia impacts upon Saudi media representations of gender stereotypes and the role of print media (the press) in exposing women’s issues to the public and forming public opinion. I utilised a media studies’ approach adopting an Islamic feminist perspective. I generated data from indepth interviews with seven Saudi female journalists working in Saudi press, who discuss female-related topics as well as content analysis of related press articles. The analysis indicated that the Saudi culture of extreme gender segregation has impacted on the experience of female journalists, particularly on their ability to compete with male journalists. As my analysis argues, my participants report experiencing female segregation and discrimination mainly affecting their pay, job opportunities, promotion, availability and access to information. My findings further suggest that the media in Saudi Arabia is the most direct venue for women to express their views and discuss their issues. In accordance with previous studies in the field, my study reveals that Saudi Arabian women interpret feminism within the boundaries of their specific culture and Islamic standpoint. Lastly, I discuss how current political, social and economic reforms in the region, which influence women’s status in the public arena, are reflected in the Saudi press.

This study highlights the significance of equal participation of men and women as central to the future health of politics and the democratic process in Wales. Following affirmative action taken by two major Welsh political parties, the National Assembly for Wales has been notable for the high level of female representation among its membership since the legislature was created in 1999. The large number of women in the Assembly is a unique phenomenon both politically and geographically. However, the question that remains unanswered is this: in spite of equal political representation in the Assembly, are men and women now treated equally and fairly by the Welsh press? This research is the first comparative study of press representations of men and women in a political institution that has an almost equal number of male and female representatives. It specifically attempts to examine how 12 Welsh newspapers portrayed female Assembly Members [AMs] during a three-month Welsh national election period as well as during a later three-month routine press coverage period. It draws on content and discourse analyses of the press coverage of over 3000 articles from about 1000 newspaper editions during the two periods studied. It is also based on data generated by in-depth interviews with 28 AMs from the current Assembly. This study shows that when there has been a relative equal participation of women in a political institution over a period, the gender issue initially remains noticeable and “business as usual”. However, over time, more complex media representations of male and female politicians have been observed and gender bias has gradually become less salient and controversial than before, both in colleagues’ perceptions of women politicians and in media representations, because gender parity has become a norm.

The Revolutionary era was a period of radical political change in France which dissolved traditional boundaries of privilege. It was also a time of creative experimentation on the stage, the street, and in print. Performance and theatrical language were an integral part of the French Revolution. This interdisciplinary thesis makes a vital contribution to knowledge of the cultural production of the French Revolution by analysing the theatrical influences in its satirical prints. It argues that printmakers drew from different aspects of Revolutionary performance to create their prints, from street singers and fairground performers to unsanctioned Revolutionary events and topics favoured by the stage, including the representation of Revolutionary characters in hell. These depictions – observed for the first time under thematic banners – provide a new insight into the multiplicity of opinions, beliefs and attitudes during the French Revolution.

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