Écriture féminine moving towards Others writing: A close reading of Mara Lee’s literary figuration strategies and the Other in Kärleken och hatet (2018) This essay examines how Mara Lee re-negotiates écriture féminine through an artistic writing practice from a contemporary horizon of queer-theory and post-colonial perspectives on the immanent power structures of language. Arguing for the relevance of écriture féminine as an entry to understand the figurations of the Other, through the similar literary strategies that navigates past the repressive and subordinating structures of language. Using Mara Lee’s thesis När Andra skriver (2014) to approach and display the literary figuration strategies of the Other at work in her poetic text Kärleken och hatet. Departing from écriture féminine Lee re-use and add to the defining features that operate through a critique of the binary system of language and the notion of uniform meaning. Lee presents time as a new perspective to negotiate the old concepts and puts temporalization into practice as a strategy to elude the double bind of difference. The common tendency of Lee’s literary strategies works through a subversive opening of the language, dislocating, shifting, and forcing it into motion. Lee displays how motion precludes stagnation, binary conceptions, and stereotype images. By using metaphors and imagery with multiplying, moving, and floating qualities as a way to return to and invoke the body Lee brings forward the subordinated experience. The body works as a common denominator for both the Other and the female experience of historically being reduced and referred to primarily as object and body rather than subject. Intertextuality, autofiction, and rebellious crossing of genres, mixing different styles of text, and refusing to conform to the expected linear narrative is another defining aspect of écriture féminine that echoes in Lee’s work. Kärleken och hatet departs from the poetic format and uses an extensive number of intertextual references that activate the infinite textual potential and destabilize uniform meaning as it continues towards other literary contexts. Through subjectivity and the fragmented, non-uniform subject Lee aligns with the strategies of écriture féminine while giving voice to the lived bodily experience of the Other. The spiral works as a returning yet opening motion through the metaphorical imagery and the narrative as repetition with a slight shift that re-negotiates the production of meaning. With this spiraling motion, Lee addresses revolutionary time and enforces a return to the repressed experience of the body while insisting on difference as a continuous process.

Applied theatre projects that aim to address social justice issues almost exclusively involve those who are experiencing injustice; while members of the state, who actively maintain the status quo, are frequently overlooked, despite the fact that they are essentially gatekeepers of social justice. In projects that do involve current and/or future members of the state, the root cause of social injustice and the systems, institutions, and ideology which support capitalism are only briefly mentioned, if at all. For this arts-based, anti-oppressive research, I facilitated three applied theatre projects that involved future and/or current gatekeepers. For each project, I considered the conditions that provided participants the opportunity to identify and question dominant ideology through the dramatic process. Having analyzed each case, I found that when applied theatre is structured using a revolutionary approach, it can cultivate felt understanding and deepen critical consciousness. In order to truly address issues of social justice with the goal to ending them, I argue for dedicated spaces where future and current gatekeepers can participate in applied theatre to critically examine the ideas that support capitalism, and the tendency and temptation to draw lines in the sand between “us” and “them”. / Graduate

George Washington's role in the American Revolution has not been lost in the mists of time, but most modern Americans have lost touch with his actual character and style because of the immense cultural changes that have transpired since the eighteenth century. However, by examining the duties of Washington throughout the Revolutionary War from four different perspectives a more holistic interpretation of Washington during America's fight for independence may be gained. This study examines the relationships Washington had with Congress as well as with his fellow officers and troops. Particular attention is paid to the manner in which Washington led the army, in addition to how he was perceived by his contemporaries at large. The goal of this thesis is to achieve a holistic interpretation of Washington's tenure as Commander-in-Chief, which will enable a better understanding of why Washington was and continues to be perceived as a symbol for American independence.

Historians have long claimed that the newspaper printers of the American Revolution were instrumental in bringing about Independence. By focusing solely on the written words left behind by these men, however, researchers have erroneously believed the printers belonged exclusively to either the patriot or Tory camps. The masthead symbols chosen by the printers to represent their newspapers offer a more objective measure of their partisan affiliations than a textual analysis of the content. The printers marked major changes in their political ideologies by inserting and deleting political symbols in their newspaper mastheads. This study examines the use and meanings of these engravings, arguing that the symbols best represent the personal views of the printers. The study of masthead designs will help historians better understand Colonial printers and their progress toward their ultimate political affiliation.

For Anglicans and Presbyterians, the Revolutionary War had proven the "faithless" character of the American nation. The American Methodist focus on individualism, exciting and loud worship, lack of educated clergy, enthusiasm, and perceived adherence to the Republican ideas dominant in the culture of the United States were viewed as antithetical to the more British focus on social responsibility, sober teaching, and adherence to the British king and constitution. With the 1812 declaration of war, the churches with stronger transatlantic connections were presented with powerful proof that their suspicions were based in reality and that the need to expel the faithless national foe of America from British soil coincided with the clerical need to expel the faithless doctrines of the Methodists as well. Whether critiquing the United States or the frontier religion that was deemed too similar in its teachings and practice, the Anglicans, Presbyterians and- to a lesser extent-Wesleyan Methodists were constructing a ignore British version of British North American culture in order to combat what they perceived to be the growing threat of faithless, American values. These arguments found their impetus in the mixed composition of colonial inhabitants, the dubious loyalties of the American-born farmers in Upper Canada, and the events of the War of 1812. In order to unite such disparate peoples, the clergy defined and celebrated England's Christian character to demonstrate to that fragmented and diverse collection of inhabitants the benefits of being loyal subjects of God's empire rather than foolish citizens of a faithless nation. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis examines the impact of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution on Egyptian cinema in curating what I call a revolutionary aesthetic. The project also provides an overview of the history of Egyptian cinema and its relationship with politics under different regimes. The artistic space enabled and enhanced by the 2011 Revolution is rooted in the rich cinematic tradition of Egypt and has influenced not only independent cinema but also mainstream and commercial cinema, particularly in terms of visual aesthetics and technical aspects. The films examined are: Dreamaway (El Helm el-Baeid, Marouan Omara and Johanna Domke, 2018), Décor (Ahmed Abdallah, 2014), The Blue Elephant (El Fil el-Azraq, Marwan Hamed, 2014), Sheikh Jackson (Amr Salama, 2017), Withered Green (Akhdar Yabes, Mohammad Hammad, 2016), and Feathers (Reesh, Omar ElZohairy, 2021). This thesis adopts a close textual analysis of the films, to reveal a new avenue for artistic expression, innovation, and transformation in Egyptian cinema. These films employ revolutionary aesthetics in their complex narratives that address political issues and challenge prevailing ideologies. Their cinematography is innovative and transformative, uncovering tensions that are prevalent in the minds of Egyptians but usually concealed by religious and moral standards. The cinematic realism in the mise-en-scène of the films also helps convey issues of corruption, poverty, and radicalization in contemporary Egypt. This thesis argues that Egyptian cinema is transitioning into a new era marked by an artistic approach to exploring societal struggles and complexities.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Pasdaran, is a unique military institution created to secure the ideals of Iran's revolution as well its territory. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, however, the IRGC's role in Iran's political economy has increased significantly beyond that mandate. Unfortunately, the leadership in the United States has demonstrated neither the aptitude nor the desire to understand Iran. Given the IRGC's command of Iran's nuclear development program and encroachment into its foreign policy, it is more important than ever to understand Iran's leadership structure. This study attempts to explain an important part of that structure by considering the influence of the leadership dynamics of Iran along with its economic and religious/social conditions on the IRGC's position within the state, using an historical analysis consisting of secondary sources. Accordingly, the IRGC's rise to power can be traced back to the dual sovereignty written into the constitution of the Islamic Republic. Though the divine sovereignty, embodied by the velayat-e faqih (Supreme Leader), is supposed to take precedence over popular sovereignty, embodied by the directly elected President, when the two conflict, Khomeini's successor, Khamenei, a junior cleric, was unable to manage then President Hashemi Rafsanjani. So he empowered the IRGC to compensate, but that choice set into motion a sequence of events that has enabled it to become powerful enough to be a threat to the velayat-e faqih himself.

In 1979, Iran underwent the Islamic Revolution, which radically changed society. The Iranian Revolution Guard (IRGC) was born from the revolution and has witnessed its role in society changed over time. Many have said the IRGC has reached the apex of its power and is one of if not the dominating force in Iranian society. The most recent extension of the IRGC's control is in the economic realm. The purpose of this research is to explain the reasoning and mechanism behind this recent gain in power. The literature review demonstrates flaws by previous studies of Iran. Most used a singular focus on explaining the IRGC's influence on Iran's economy by only focusing on political or economic aspects. This study will show how explaining the political economy of Iran best explains the role of the IRGC in Iran. The research uses event-data analysis to synthesize previous research performed on Iran. The researcher used various sources to explain the recent rise in the IRGC's power. Focus was placed on explaining three aspects of Iran's political economy, elected institutions, accountable businesses, and unaccountable businesses. Elected institutions included the majlis (the Iranian parliament) and the presidency. Accountable businesses included businesses which reported information to the Iranian central government while unaccountable businesses reported no information to the Iranian central government. Although presence in all three increased, elected institutions and accountable businesses witnessed a greater amount of presence than unaccountable institutions.

No description available.

No description available.