Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 1993. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My Ph.D. dissertation proposed a four-step procedure for recovering the earliest possible text of the Old Testament: (1) detennining the lexical and grammatical characteristics of the various secondary (non-Hebrew) witnesses; (2) determining the literary and theological characteristics of the same witnesses; (3) retroverting the non-Hebrew witnesses wherever significant variants occur; (4) evaluating the Hebrew and retroverted variants and reconstructing a Hebrew Vorlage presumed to lie behind all of the extant witnesses. The dissertation itselfcompleted the fIrst two of these steps, which a..rnount to a determination of the significant variants (i.e., those that probably point to a Hebrew reading different from M'I) of the secondary wiblesses. It is the goal of this thesis to complete the analysis and produce a critical, eclectic Hebrew text of 1 Samuel 3. Before attempting to retrovert the different secondary witnesses, a number ofproblem areas need to be addressed, including developing a methodology for retroverting versional readings that is as scientific as possible, the Hebrew script used in the Vorlagen of the various versions, and the orthography of the Vorlagen and of the reconstructed archetype. The methodology used for retroverting secondary witnesses is informed by the works of Margolis, Tov, and others, and the translation techniques of the versions as. determined in mydissertation playa large role. The methodology must be modified somewhat when analyzing the partial secondary witnesses (the Lucianic and Hexaplaric recensions of LXX). Once the secondary witnesses have been retrov~their data is combined with that of MT, 4QSama, and a few other Hebrew witnesses and evaluated. The problems of multiple literary editions and conjectural emendations are examined, as are the merits ofexternal and internal evidence in making text-critical decisions. After each of the units ofvariation has been evaluated, the possibility that LXX represents an edition of Samuel different from MT is considered on the basis of the evidence from chapter 3. Finally, a critical edition of the chapter, replete with critical apparatuses containing both the original and retroverted readings of the secondary witnesses, presents the fruits of the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In my Ph.D. proefskrif het ek vier stappe voorgestel wat as prosedure gevolg kan word om die oudste moontlike teks van die au Testament te bepaal.: (1) die vasstelling van die leksikale en grammatikale kenmerke van die onderskeie sekond~re (nie-Hebreeuse) getuies; (2) die vasstelling van die liter~re en teologiese kenmerke van dieselfde getuies; (3) die hervertaling (retrovertion) van die nie-Hebreeuse getuies waar daar betekenisvolle variante voorkom; (4) die evaluering van die Hebreeus en die hervertaa1de variante en die rekonstruksie van 'n Hebreeuse Vorlage wat aanvaar word agter aIle beskikbare getuies te l~. Die proefskrif self het die eerste twee stappe voltooi, wat neergekom het op die vasstelling van die betekenisvolle variante (d.i. die wat waarskynlik heenwys na 'n lesing wat van MT verskil) van die sekondere getuies. Dit is die doel van hierdie tesis om die analise te voltooi en om 'n kritiese, eldektiese teks van die Hebreeuse teks van 1 Samuel 3 daar te stel. Voordat ek egter poog am die verskillende sekond~re getuies te hervertaal, moet 'n aantal probleem areas eers aangespreek word. Dit sluit in die ontwerp van 'n metode om variante lesings uit die vroee vertalings so wetenskaplik moontlik te hervertaal, die Hebreeuse skriftipe wat in die onderskeie Vorlagen gebruik is, en die ortografie van die Vorlagen en van die rekonstrueerde oertipe vas te stel. Die metode wat aangele word om sekond~re getuies te hervertaal steun gedeeltelik op die navorsing van Margolis, Tov en ander. Verder speel die vertaaltegniek van die vroee vertalings wat in my proefskrif bepaal is 'n groot ro!. Die voorgestelde metode moet ietwat aangepas word wanneer die gedeeltelik sekondere getuies (die Lukiaanse en Heksaplariese resensies van die LXX) geanaliseer word. Nadat die sekondere getuies hervertaal is, word hulle data gekombineer met die van MT, 4QSama, en enkele ander Hebreeuse getuies en geevalueer. Die probleme verbonde aan meervondige literere uitgawes en hipotetiese emendasies word ondersoek, SODS ook die meriete van eksterne en interne getuienis wanneer tekskritiese beslissings gevel word. Nadat elkeen van hierdie eenhede van variasie geevalueer is, word die moontlikheid ondersoek dat die LXX 'n uitgawe verteenwoordig van Samuel wat verskil van MT op grond van die getuienis van hoofstuk 3. Laastens word 'n kritiese uitgawe van hierdie hoofstuk, volledig met kritiese apparaat wat beide die oorspronklike en die hervertaalde lesings van die sekondere getuies bevat, as vrugte van hierdie studie aangebied.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1975. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: no abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Philo is a writer who lived in Alexandria in 30 BC – 50 AD. Traditionally scholars classified Philo as philosopher, exegete and apologist. With these classifications in mind, Philo’s works is read and interpreted. In this study a methodology of postmodernism (which is inherently a cultural historical understanding of reality) will be used, and it will become clear that this classification of the scholars is not satisfactory. The question that arises, is: How must Philo be read and understood in the context of a postmodern methodology? By means of a study of the logos-concept it is suggested that Philo must be understood as a threshold person, who stands on the cutting edges of the cultures in Alexandria; he therefore creates a new universe of symbols. In this new universe of symbols it is possible for the different cultures to communicate effectively, because they now have a joint vocabulary. Philo is not a postmodernist, but he makes use of techniques which occurs in post modern philosophy to create this new universe of symbols. Through the use of these techniques it becomes possible for the reader to take into account the different philosophical dimensions that are part of Philo’s thoughts. This helps the reader to understand the contradiction in Philo’s thought in connection with the logos-concept. It also helps the reader to place the logos-concept of Philo in its proper cultural historical background. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Filo is ’n skrywer wat in Aleksandrië gewoon het in die tydperk 30 vC – 50 nC. Tradisioneel het geleerdes Filo getipeer as filosoof, eksegeet en apologeet. Aan die hand van hierdie tiperings is Filo se werke dan gelees en geïnterpreteer. In hierdie studie word daar met ’n postmoderne metodologiese vertrekpunt gewerk (wat ten diepste gebaseer word op ’n kultuur historiese verstaan van die werklikheid) en word dit duidelik dat hierdie tiperings nie bevredigend is nie. Die vraag wat nou ontstaan, is: Hoe moet Filo dan gelees en verstaan word binne die raamwerk van ’n postmoderne metodologie? Aan die hand van ’n studie van die logos-begrip word daar voorgestel dat Filo gelees en verstaan moet word as ’n deurdrumpel-persoon, wat op die snypunt van al die verskillende kulture in Aleksandrië staan en daarom ’n nuwe simbole universum skep. Binne hierdie nuwe simbole universum kan verskillende kulture effektief met mekaar kommunikeer, aangesien hulle nou oor ’n gedeelde woordeskat beskik. Filo self was nie ’n postmodernis nie, maar hy maak wel van tegnieke gebruik wat ook voorkom in die postmoderne filosofie om hierdie nuwe simbole universum te skep. Deur middel van hierdie tegnieke is dit vir die leser moontlik om die verskillende filosofiese nuanses wat op Filo se denke ten opsigte van die logos ingewerk het, te verreken en om hierdie oënskynlike teenstrydighede in sy denke rakende die logos-begrip te verstaan teen die kultuur-historiese agtergrond waarbinne hy hom in Aleksandrië bevind.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis an exploration is made into whether or not hieroglyphs reflect ideas of the ancient Egyptians themselves. By examining "living creature" hieroglyphs one may contemplate why the ancient Egyptian chose a particular manner of depiction. The manner of depiction can then be examined insofar as what ideas they may reflect. In this way study into other groups of signs such as those of the environment may be used to further illuminate the lives and our understanding of the ancient Egyptian(s). This thesis begins with an examination of both the problem inherent in such a task and an overview of some of the "processes" involved. By understanding that a reconstructed reality, that of the hieroglyph, reflects both real and perceived characteristics represented in glyphic form, one may seek out the mental impressions considered relevant to the people themselves. Next the role literacy played and still plays is discussed. This discussion includes a brief historical overview of both the history of decipherment and the "language" of the ancient Egyptians. The importance of "writing", artistic in nature in Egypt in regards to hieroglyphs, is then discussed as it relates to its use as symbol. Hieroglyphs are then discussed in their role as art, communication, and language emphasizing the multitudinous role(s) which they served. The importance is thus reiterated that hieroglyphs served as a communication of ideas to both the literate and the "illiterate" in at least a menial manner. After providing a "background" context of both the world and time of hieroglyphs and their subsequent "understanding" and interpretation, there is an analysis of the hieroglyphs for living creatures including the following Gardiner groupings: (1) mammals, (2) birds, (3) amphibians and reptiles, (4) fish, (5) invertebrates and lesser animals. The signs are examined in regards to their function and variations followed by some observations and comments related to the "structure" and perspective of the sign itself. Summary observations and comments are then made about each group. The thesis is then brought full circle by examining the implications of what hieroglyphs can tell us about the ancient Egyptians, via the perceptive and communicative role which they played. By understanding hieroglyphs as "fingerprints" of/from the mind of the people and subsequently their culture, this framework may provide a new mechanism into understanding the Egyptian via their own visualization and perceptive nature. A case is then proposed that this new "mechanism", if it is indeed considered feasible, can be applied to not only the physical world consisting of nature such as the environment, but also to groups which depict manmade objects. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis is die moontlikheid ondersoek dat hierogliewe iets van die ideewereld van die antieke Egiptenare reflekteer. In die bestudering van "lewende wese" hierogliewe kom vrae op soos waarom die antieke Egiptenare juis 'n spesifieke vorm van voorsteIIing verkies het. Die vorm van voorsteIIing kan dan bestudeer word vir die idees wat dit moontlik mag reflekteer. Ander groepe/velde van tekens, soos die van die breër omgewing, kan gebruik word om verdere lig te werp op die lewe van die antieke Egiptenaar(e) en ons verstaan daarvan. Die tesis begin met 'n bestudering van die inherente probleme in die aanpak van so 'n taak en 'n oorsig oor sommige van die "prosesse" daarby betrokke. By die verstaan van die hieroglief as 'n gekonstrueerde realiteit, wat weklike sowel as afgeleide eienskappe reflekteer, ontdek die ondersoeker daarvan iets van die persoonlike/kulturele indrukke wat deur hierdie groep mense as relevant ervaar is. In die volgende afdeling kom die rol van geletterdheid aan die beurt. Hierdie bespreking sluit 'n bondige historiese oorsig oor die geskiedenis van ontsyfering asook die taal van die Egiptenare in. Die belang van die "skryfkuns" en veral die kunsaard daarvan in die Egiptiese hierogliewe word vervolgens bespreek. Dit is veraI waar soos dit in verhouding staan met die gebruik daarvan as simbool. Die veelsydige rol(le) en belang van hierogliewe in die kuns, kommunikasie en taal word dan ondersoek en bespreek. Die klem word daarop gelê dat hierogliewe as die kommunikasie van idees aan beide die geletterde en "ongeletterde" dien. Nadat 'n agtergrondkonteks van die wereld en tyd van die hierogliewe en die daaruitvloeiende "verstaan" en interpretasie daarvan gegee is, word 'n analise van die "lewende wese" hierogliewe gedoen. Dit sluit die volgende groeperinge van Gardiner in: (1) soogdiere, (2) voels, (3) amfibiee en reptiele, (4) visse, (5) invertebrata en kleiner diere. Hierdie hierogliewe word ondersoek in terme van hulle funksie en variasies, gevolg deur waarnemings en opmerkings aangaande die "struktuur" en die perspektief van die teken. Opsommende observasies en enkele opmerkings oor elke groep volg daarna. Die tesis word afgerond met 'n ondersoek na die implikasies van wat ons kan wys word uit die hierogliewe aangaande die antieke Egiptenare, via die perspektiwiese en kommunikatiewe rol wat dit vervuI. Deur hierogliewe te verstaan as die "vingerafdrukke" van die begrip van hierdie mense kan hierdie raamwerk 'n nuwe meganisme in die verstaan van die Egiptenaar via die visualisasie en waarneembare aard daarvan, vorm. 'n Voorstel word gemaak dat hierdie nuwe "meganisme", indien dit uitvoerbaar is, toegepas kan word, nie net op die hierogliewe van die fisiese wereld bestaande uit die natuur en die omgewing nie, maar ook op hierogliewe wat mensgemaakte voorwerpe voorstel.

Thesis (M.A.)--Stellenbosch University, 1955. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: no abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Final sentences are a neglected area of research in Biblical Hebrew. Apart from an investigation by Mitchell (1879) in the previous century, and a more recent article by Muraoka (1997), this is certainly an area of Biblical Hebrew grammar in need of research. Biblical Hebrew grammars propound a variety of ways final constructions can supposedly be expressed. The main thesis of this study is that the diversity of final constructions in Biblical Hebrew is not merely different syntactic realizations of the same semantic meaning, but that each syntactic construction carries definite semantic nuances. Traditional grammars, because they are sentence-based, present some shortcomings in the description of final sentences. I will briefly expose some of the linguistic presuppositions of traditional grammars, and their inherent limitations with respect to the study of final constructions. Recent developments in general linguistics, especially the variety of approaches subsumed under the broad classification textlinguistics, create new opportunities to address Biblical Hebrew grammar. I will explore this relatively recent developments to the study of language, in order to determine whether insights from studies conducted in terms of this paradigm can be used to describe final constructions more adequately. A number of theses are presented in Chapters 2 and 3, which are evaluated in Chapters 4 to 6. The findings are presented in a summary of at the end of each chapter. The final results of this investigation are summarized in Chapter 7. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Finaalsinne het tot dusver min aandag geniet in Bybelse Hebreeuse navorsing. Afgesien van 'n ondersoek deur Mitchell (1879) in die vorige eeu, en 'n onlangse artikel deur Muraoka (1997), is hierdie 'n navorsingsgebied wat vra om nadere ondersoek. Volgens Bybelse Hebreeuse grammatikas kan finaalsinne op verskeie wyses uitgedruk word. Die hooftese van hierdie studie is dat die verskeidenheid van finaalkonstruksies in Bybelse Hebreeus nie bloot verskillende sintaktiese opsies is om dieselfde semantiese betekenis te realiseer nie, maar dat elke onderskeie sintaktiese konstruksie 'n besondere semantiese nuanse weergee. Omdat hulle eng op die beskrywing van die sin gebaseer is, hou traditionele grammatikas tekortkominge in vir die beskrywing van finaalsinne. In hierdie studie wys ek kortliks op die linguistiese voorveronderstellings van die tradisionele benadering, en op die inherente tekortkominge van so 'n benadering ten opsigte van die ondersoek van finaalsinne. Onlangse ontwikkelinge in die algemene linguistiek, veral die verskeidenheid benaderings saamgevat onder die begrip tekslinguistiek, bied nuwe moontlikhede vir die beskrywing van Bybelse Hebreeus. Ek sal hierdie nuwe benadering tot taalstudie ondersoek om vas te stel of dit aangewend kan word om finaalsinne beter te beskryf. Verskeie tesisse word in Hoofstukke 2 en 3 geformuleer en dan in Hoofstukke 4 tot 6 geëvalueer. Die resultate word aan die einde van elke hoofstuk saamgevat. Die uiteindelike konklusies van hierdie studie word in Hoofstuk 7 saamgevat.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1989. / Master copies of 5 1/2 inch (Floppy) disks kept separately by library. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Iraqi State Department of Antiquities and the Polish expedition under the late Janusz Meuszynski and Richard Sobolewski, assisted later by Samuel Paley (Buffalo), set themselves the goal to locate, identify and to reconstruct the original arrangement of the reliefs from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II. The majority of the reliefs are scattered all over the world in museums and institutions from Leningrad to Los Angeles, mainly due to the style of archaeologists and opportunists from the previous century who removed these reliefs from the Nimrud Mound. Section A of the dissertation attempted to complement the achievements of the combined Iraqi-Polish-American effort through the study of the "Standard" Inscription which was carved across and in between the reliefs of Ashurnasirpal. Subsequently, this somewhat audacious and time-consuming project was launched to trace the present whereabouts of those reliefs outside Iraq in a bid to study each text seperately. This was achieved in the end in that the inscriptions were studied from the original sculptures or from photos provided by the institutions in whose care the reliefs are at present. Each exemplar was eventually copied, transliterated and reproduced in its original room setting of the North-Vest Palace. In order to reproduce each text as an entity in its own right and in an accessible way (in direct opposition to previous attempts whereby a myriad of text-critical data was simply reduced to footnotes), available computer software initially had to be experimented with before a suitable program could be decided upon. Eventually T 3 of TOI Software Research was selected on mainly user-friendly and font-adaptability grounds. The interested scholar is now in a position to see at a glance how the texts, which were originally engraved onto sculptured slabs in the close proximity of one room, vary from one another. The remainder of Ashurnasirpal's textual corpus was treated in Section B. These inscriptions were studied and collated on the original monuments in London and New York. The texts were finally collated, revised and transliterated in a standardized form from photographs, provided by the institutions in whose care they are at present. In order to facilitate the progress of research on the Ashurnasirpal inscriptions, it was decided to make all the textual material available in the electronic medium of two 2.1 megabyte floppy disks (cf. the envelope attached to the back cover). The data is stored in T 3 volumes (73VOLS). The latest T 3 version (2.3) has a conversion program for converting T 3 documents to YordPerfect 5.0, making the material of this research more accessible to non T 3 users. Thanks to the initiatives of the Tubinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients Project which provides the critical historian with a much needed historico-geographical footing, the unique summary of conquests or so-called standard titulary sections in the royal inscriptions of Ashurnasirpal were examined in search of a historically verifiable methodology. These passages were collected not only from the Calah inscriptions, but especially from other provenances like Ashur and Nineveh on the assumption that a definite correlation exists between geographic references and the chronological sequences of events in the Ashurnasirpal II royal inscriptions. These "summary" sections provide a useful summary in titular form of the king's conquests comprising essentially geographic material. They emanated stylistically from the preceding sections on the king's genealogy, titulary, filiation and theological legitimation. They were in a constant state of editorial flux impending on the successes of the king's expansionist policies. The modern historian can now utilize these summaries, or historico-political titles, not only as a fixed point of departure, historically speaking, but also as a normative tool to unravel biased military reports of the king's military activities in both the annalistic and display type of inscriptions. A new approach on the historical reconstruction of the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.) with its implications for the study of the Old Testament can now be anticipated. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Irakse Direktoraat van Rultuursake en 'n Poole ekspedisie onder aanvoering van wyle Janusz Meuszynski en Ryszard Sobolewski, later bygestaan deur Samuel Paley (Buffalo), het hulle dit ten doel gestel om al Assurnasirpal II se reliefs, wat sedert die vorige eeu deur skattejagters en argeoloe van die Nimrud Tel (naby Mosul in die noorde van Irak) verwyder is en na museums en instellings van Leningrad tot in Los Angeles versprei is, op te spoor. Met behulp van hoof saaklik die ikonografie-is die reliefs se oorspronklike plekke in die beroemde Noordwes-Paleis vasgestel en grafies gerekonstrueer. Afdeling A van hierdie dissertasie poog om hierdie projek aan te vul deur al die II "Standaard" Inskripsies wat bo-oor en tussen die reliefs aangebring was, te bestudeer. 11 Yervolgens is die moeisame proses aangepak om hierdie reliefs in museums oor die hele wereld op te spoor, die inskripsies direk of vanaf foto's te kollasioneer, te kopieer, te translitereer en in hul oorspronklike vertrekskonteks weer te gee. Die formaat waarin die transliterasies van die inskripsies uiteindelik weergegee moes word, is uiteindelik deur middel van TCI Software Research se T 3 bemeester. Die formaat waarin die tekste weergegee is in hierdie dissertasie, vergemaklik die bestudering van individuele tekste sowel as die vergelyking van die teksvariante in die groter paleiskonteks, deurdat die tekste gegroepeer is ooreenkomstig die oorspronklike posisies van die reliefs teen die mure van die onderskeie vertrekke van die paleis. In Afdeling B is die oorblywende tekskorpus van Assurnasirpal behandel. Die inskripsies is op die oorspronklike monumente, stelas en tablette in hoof saaklik Londen en New York bestudeer, gekollasioneer en die transliterasies is hersien en gestandaardiseer. Dit bring vervolgens mee dat die tekskorpus van Assurnasirpal II in die elektronies-toeganklike formaat van T S -volumes beskikbaar is vir Assirioloe, wat met behulp van die rekenaartegnologie navorsing op die Assurnasirpal tekste wil doen. Die nuwe 2.3 weergawe van 7 3 beskik oor die moontlikheid om 3 -volumes en -leers om te skakel in YordPerfect 5.0 dokumente, wat dus_inligtingsherwinning, data-onttrekking en ander dergelike funksies van die rekenaartegnologie op spykerskriftekste verder vergemaklik. Al die teksmateriaal is vir die doel op twee 2.1 megagreep slapskywe gestoor in 73-volumes en is beskikbaar in die koevert, wat aan die agterblad van die dissertasie vasgeheg is. Ten slotte is 'n nuwe metodologie, gebore uit die inisiatiewe van en blootstelling aan die Tubinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients Projek, op die proef gestel. Kortliks berus hierdie benadering op die aanname dat daar 'n histories-verifieerbare korrelasie tussen geografiese gegewens en kronologiese ordening in die Assiriese Koningsgeskrifte bestaan. Die betrokke gedeelte in die koningsgeskrifte, waarin 'n opsomming van die koning se verowerde gebiede (en dus geografiese data) stilisties voortvloei uit die voorafgaande genealogie, titulatuur en teologiese legitimasie, is vervolgens versamel en gegroepeer uit tekste wat Assur, Nineve en Nimrud insluit. Hierdie opsommende titulatuur is op 'n gereelde basis deur die amptelike Assiriese skrywers geredigeer ooreenkomstig die welslae van die koning se buitelandse beleid van ekspansionisme. Vervolgens kan die moderne historikus hierdie beknopte historiese gegewens in die opsommende titulatiqr, gesuiwer van tipiese Assiriese propaganda, as 'n vaste normatiewe basis aanwend om die breedvoerige annalistiese beskrywings van die koning se veldtogte krities te bestudeer. 'n Betroubare rekonstruksie van die regeringstyd van Assurnasirpal II (883-859 v.C.) en die implikasies wat dit vir die flu Testament inhou, kan vervolgens in die vooruitsig gestel word.

This thesis argues that the elite and urban women leaders of the Palestinian women's movement neglected to engage rural women and women living in refugee camps as their equals in a women's movement. Further, despite women's active presence in the public sphere, the sphere remained defined in masculine terms. As a result, Palestinian women, as "guests" in the domain of men, were easily pushed out after they had served their purpose in the nationalist crisis. What is remarkable is that even after Palestinian men reclaimed the public sphere, Palestinian women remained politically active in the private sphere. In order to understand how this was possible, we must look more closely at the terms "public sphere" and "private sphere".

This dissertation looks at the dialectical relationship between Persian literary works representing or alluding to the pre-Islamic legacy and the political conditions of Iran. Through discursive analyses, it shows that these works in new political conditions change the orientation and main thrust of their message, and use or allude to the same pre-Islamic legacy for promoting modernization, criticizing official policies or showing resistance to the ruling establishment. The main thrust of their arguments also subtly indicates the country's future intellectual and political orientation.A transition from the traditional to modern use of antiquity took place during the second half of the nineteenth century, mainly as a result of increased interaction with Europe. Until the fall of the Qajarids, the Persian intellectuals and writers such as Akhundzadah, Dihkhuda used pre-Islamic legacy to support their arguments for modernization. Later, the despotic Pahlavi rulers (1925-79) sought to modernize the country but stifled the democratic evolution of polity and employed the pre-Islamic Persian heritage to strengthen monarchy. Hence, the Persian fiction writers such as Hidayat, Shahani, Danishwar dissociated themselves from official nationalism and used pre-Islamic heritage in non-glorifying ways to criticize the official policies.After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the new rulers reversed the Pahlavi official policy of glorifying the pre-Islamic Iran, and projected Shi'i Islam as the central element of Iranian identity. In their efforts to create Islamic subjects, they deprived people many of their civil and political rights. In the new political environment, the fiction writers such as Danishwar, Sadiqi and Arian showed remarkable interest in using pre-Islamic mythological and historical references, themes and events in their writings. Such literary production functioned as a literary resistance to the policies of the Islamist rulers.To substantiate the findings about the use of pre-Islamic legacy in modern Persian literature, the dissertation also examined the representation of Iranian antiquity in Persian films. The dissertation showed that the political representation of pre-Islamic heritage in Persian literature finds a parallel, though less pronounced, in Persian films too.

This dissertation explores the emergence of a golden age of Arabic encyclopaedic literature in the scholarly centers of Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk Empire (1250-1517). At the heart of the project is a study of Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Nuwayrī’s (d. 1333) Nihāyat al-arab fī funūn al-adab (‘The Ultimate Ambition in the Branches of Erudition’), a 31-volume encyclopaedic work composed at the beginning of the 14th century and divided into five parts: (i) heaven and earth; (ii) the human being; (iii) animals; (iv) plants; and (v) the history of the world. My study examines the formal arrangement, thematic contents, and codicological features of this seminal work, arguing that the rise of encyclopaedism in this period was emblematic of a certain intellectual ethos, a systematic approach to the classification of knowledge which emerged in the discursive context of a rapidly centralizing imperial state. I argue that the Nihāya grew out of an amalgam of several genres (including the adab anthology, the cosmographical compendium, the chancery scribe manual, the dynastic chronicle, and the commonplace book), developing into a new form and serving a different purpose from its literary predecessors. Such texts, long considered tokens of intellectual and cultural decadence, demonstrate the strategies used by Mamluk religious scholars, chancery scribes, and littérateurs to navigate an ever-growing corpus of accumulated knowledge / Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations