<p>Recent work in affect theory has addressed the category of what Sianne Ngai terms “ugly” feelings (Ngai 2007, Edelman 2004, Halberstam 2011) and the costs associated with the premium placed on so-called positive modes of thinking and feeling (Berlant 2011, Ahmed 2010, Love 2007), yet cynicism persists in many accounts as the feature of an undesirable political subjectivity. Likewise in popular and political discourse, cynicism is denounced as the mark of an ineffectual subject who chooses to opt out, rather than reach for supposedly obvious markers of (capitalist) achievement. This dissertation refuses these characterizations, instead considering cynicism as an affect bound up in neoliberal sociopolitical shifts. I argue that cynicism describes a feeling of living under structural conditions that curtail—in ways that are often effaced—the kinds of self-determining subjectivities that have been taken for granted as a feature of Western, liberal democracies and remain foundational to imagined modes of dissent. Exploring this situation in the context of three cultural frames—politics and governance, modes of labour in capitalist economies, and a structure of feeling premised on the pursuit of happiness—I examine cynical subjectivities in fiction, film, and American political discourse so as to 1) develop an inquiry into affect as situated between subject and structure; 2) acknowledge the commonality of a feeling of impasse and dominant cultural narratives that mask this frustration of agency; and 3) consider inertia and passivity as sensible orientations in a cultural moment in which the costs of momentum are becoming increasingly visible.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of this paper is to show that you can use a movie for young adults, while teaching religion and questions about life. Studies show that students want to talk more about life issues and watching movies is a good way to meet this request. This is what this study will examine and it will be related to the course goals in studying religion in high school.  A hermeneutic analysis will be used for this study and helps looking for questions about life in the Swedish movie “Jag saknar dig” (eng. I miss you). The questions for the study is: How prominent is life questions in the movie I miss you? How prominent are cognitive movie theory? (It will be explained what this means forward). The last question is about how this is related to the course plan in religious education. The theory about how movies influence people says that we decide who we want to be or understand what we dream about, while we are watching movies. Cognitive movie theory says that we are experiencing different kinds of emotions as spectators. There are three kinds of emotions that show; direct-emotions, artifact-emotions and meta-emotions. Mediazation means that we are affected of media and re-chantment says that from movies we are getting material for creating our own life questions. Ola Sigurdsson(2005) previous research means that it is important to categorize religious movies and it will help this study to understand which movies who will be suitable for studying questions about life in religious education. The hermeneutic method can be experienced as subjective in order to make their own interpretations based on the material, but in this study, I have the support of theories and because of that it makes it reliable. The conclusion of this study shows that this movie for young adults can be used as a school supplies and that almost any scene in the movie affects your emotions and shows questions about life.

Finding something sacred in secular society is a relatively new field of religious studies. This thesis aims to find the secular sacred amongst Star Wars fans on the blogging platform Tumblr, in relation to Kim Knott and her theory of the secular sacred. I collected and studied 100 blog posts about Star Wars, specifically about one of its main characters, Rey. The research questions used were “How do fans of Star Wars and Rey express themselves on Tumblr?”, and “Could it be seen as sacred according to Kim Knott´s theory of secular sacred?” I analyzed the material with a hermeneutic approach, and using Kim Knott’s theory, I categorized the posts in to three categories: sacred, appreciative and sacrilegious. Even though the appreciative category was by far the largest, the results showed that a fifth of all the blog posts could be perceived as having content that could be seen as sacred to its poster. I came to the conclusion that my study supports the theory of sacredness not being exclusive to religious society, but can be found in the secular as well.

This project chronicles an in-depth character study on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in film. The term was coined in 2007 by a film critic about a very specific kind of female character—one who exists “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” The MPDG has often been written off as nothing more than a stereotype or sexist characterization of a woman, but I argue that the MPDG can be much more than a flat character, as evidenced by the increasingly complex characterization of the MPDG in independent film. Based on case studies of several films, I discuss how the MPDG has grown from a supporting archetype into a well-rounded and multi-dimensional character. Based on a history of female depiction in film, a discussion of the critical interpretations of the MPDG, and these case studies, I argue that the MPDG has the potential to exist as a complex and realistic character rather than just an archetype.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the performative construction and appropriations of heteronormative masculinities by heterosexual and homosexual men respectively. My interest in masculinity as a culturally constructed fantasy is extended to imply a desire for the masculine. The idea of masculine desire is further developed by indicating a possible (homo)sexual desire for the heteronormative representation of masculinity. In highlighting the artificial and material qualities of the assumed stable phallus, the impassable structure of hegemonic masculinities, such as manifested in the cowboy and bodybuilder, is turned into the penetrable penis as object of the male gaze. I will concentrate on the fetishization of heterosexual masculine signifiers in physique photography in order to demonstrate this shift in the male gaze. Masculinity as a (de)attachable component allows the de-subjectification and thus, depowering of heteronormative masculinity by the possible appropriation thereof by gay men. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing ondersoek die performatiewe konstruksie en apropriasie van heteronormatiewe manlikhede deur onderskydelik heteroseksuele en homoseksuele mans. My belangstelling in manlikheid as ‘n kultureel gestruktureerde fantasie word uitgebrei om ‘n begeerte vir manlikheid te impliseer. Die idee van manlike begeerte word verder ontwikkel deur ‘n moontlike (homo)seksuele begeerte vir die heteronormatiewe uitbeelding van manlikheid aan te dui. Deur die artifisiële en materiële kwaliteite van die veronderstelde stabiele fallus te beklemtoon, word die ondeurdringbare hegemonie van manlike strukture, soos dit voorkom in die cowboy en liggamsbouer, verander in die penetreerbare penis as objek van die manlike (male) ‘gaze’. Ek konsentreer op die fetisering van heteroseksuele manlike tekens in ‘physique’ fotografie ten einde hierdie skuiwing in die manlike ‘gaze’ te demonstreer. Manlikheid as ‘n (ont)hegbare komponent veronderstel die de-subjektivisering, en dus ontmagtiging van heteronormatiewe manlikheid deur die moontlike appropriasie daarvan deur gay mans.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

People have organized around gender equality in modern America for the last century. However, with the advent of new technology, people largely organize in around social movements in online spaces. This thesis explores the ways in which new media expands a popular understanding of the Feminist movement.

In 1984, Stryper released its first album The Yellow and Black Attack and introduced audiences to a different kind of heavy metal. Instead of lyrics about sex, alcohol, and Satan, Stryper sang about Jesus, salvation, and God. While there were a number of fans ready for this change more were not. Members of the Church as well as members of the metal subculture were in agreement that Christianity and heavy metal were incompatible. Despite these objections, however, more bands emerged, and Christian metal became a significant genre within the Christian music industry. These bands presented Christian-oriented lyrics within the full spectrum of metal subgenres. This dissertation examines the ways in which Christian metal bands create an intersection between Christianity and the heavy metal subculture, infusing Christianity within the textual, visual, and musical structures of heavy metal. The author employs Deena Weinstein’s “metal code” to frame the analysis. The metal code includes the textual elements (band names, album and song titles, and song lyrics); the visual elements (band logos; album covers; and the various elements of the concert experience including the bands’ appearances, the staging, the interactions with the fans, and music videos); and the musical elements (timbre, modality, formal structure, and production of the songs and albums) that set metal apart from other musical genres. The dissertation also examines the concept of bands as “metal missionaries” that immerse themselves within the heavy metal subculture for the purpose of bringing the Christian message of hope and salvation. The author concludes that even though Christian metal bands modify aspects of elements that are otherwise incompatible with their Christian beliefs and message, they still maintain a sense of stylistic integrity that gives them credibility within the heavy metal subculture and allows them to fulfill their mission.

Albert E. Brumley (1905-1977) was the most influential American gospel song composer of the twentieth century, penning such “classics” within the genre as “Jesus, Hold My Hand,” “I’ll Meet You in the Morning,” “If We Never Meet Again,” “Turn Your Radio On,” and “Rank Strangers to Me.” His “I’ll Fly Away” has become the most recorded gospel song in American history with over one thousand recordings to date, and several of his works transcend cultural boundaries of style, genre, race, denomination, and doctrine. However, the racialized historiography of American gospel music has left Brumley—from America’s lesser-known white gospel traditions of convention singing and southern gospel music—largely untouched by scholarly scrutiny. Comprising nearly four hundred works, most of which appeared in annual shapenote gospel songbooks published during the 1930s and 1940s, Brumley’s music is central to many Americans’ religious identity. This thesis represents the first thorough, academic assessment of his music, career, and his work’s cultural impact. Deeper examinations of the composer’s personal life and his work as a songwriter, as well as a fresh look at his publishing business’s growth and development, contribute a more complete biography. A broad analysis of his output—including a complete thematic catalogue of his published works—provides a framework for interpreting Brumley’s general compositional style and offers a context for understanding his music’s enduring legacy within popular music history, especially southern gospel, black gospel, and country music. Research into the cultural history of one particular Brumley work—“I’ll Fly Away”—and its various incarnations in music, television, film, and other outlets acts as a lens through which to view his impact on American music and society. This thesis ultimately argues that Brumley’s compositions have influenced the development of religious and popular music in America much more significantly than indicated by current scholarship, and that his music has become an important medium for American cultural expression that stretches well beyond the confines of the convention-singing and southern gospel traditions. As a result, it recognizes him as an emblematic figure of American music deserving inclusion within the ranks of its greatest contributors.