Magisterdisputats. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

M.A. dissertation, University of Hong Kong, 1976. / Typewritten.

The inland states of Lan Na were part of an extended cultural area that included western Laos, the eastern Shan states and southwest China. The culture of these inland states was distinctive from coastal Southeast Asia, but was as rich and as complex. The major outside influence was Sinhalese Theravada Buddhism originating from Sri Lanka, which assimilated, or in some cases was grafted onto, ancient indigenous spirit religion beliefs. The textiles and dress of Lan Na developed from the integration of local cultures and societies in the hills and valleys, and from inland trade. A relatively egalitarian ideology permitted the flowering of indigenous skills and innovations, especially among women. This thesis examines, through the medium of 19th century court dress and textiles, how Lan Na society was affected by the threat of British and French colonial expansionism, handled with great skill and diplomacy by the King of Siam. Changes in Lan Na court dress can be viewed as a metaphor for the political maneuvers of the Siamese to remain independent of colonial rule, a unique achievement in Southeast Asia. The Lan Na princes were issued with Euro-Siamese uniforms that displayed their total allegiance to Siam. Meanwhile the princesses continued to wear indigenous dress both at home, and at the Siamese courts, symbolizing political alliances between Siam and Lan Na. The thesis concludes that as women, by custom, did not change the essential elements of their dress, particularly their woven skirts, it was they who transmitted complex cultural messages that continue to represent a cherished indigenous society

The purpose of this study is to analyze the foreign policy of a weak state, the Philippines, from 1972 to 1981. The focus of this study is on the Philippines’ authoritarian regime and its foreign policy change toward the United States, the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and the Socialist Bloc. I examined two major factors, internal and external. These are authoritarianism, as exemplified by martial law in the Philippines, and greater power policy in the region, in this case, U.S. policy in Asia. The first explanatory factor, authoritarianism, was chosen as a concept to be examined regarding its relation to foreign policy change. The second explanatory factor, U.S. policy in the region in the late sixties and seventies, was examined on the basis of the existence of an action reaction framework in international relations. In the Philippines’ foreign policy change, it was seen that the external variable, great power policy, was one of the sources for change. The internal variable, authoritarianism, served as an intervening variable between the sources and foreign policy change itself.

published_or_final_version / Management Studies / Master / Master of Philosophy

This dissertation creates two new theoretical tools to analyze connections between politics and environmental change. The first section develops the concept of Northern ‘shadow ecologies’ to understand the environmental impact of a Northern state on Southern resource management. A Northern shadow ecology is the aggregate environmental impact of government aid and loans; corporate investment and technology transfers; and trade, including purchasing practices, consumption, export and consumer prices, and import tariffs. After outlining Japan’s shadow ecology, the next part constructs an analytical lens to uncover salient Southern political causes of timber mismanagement. This spotlights modern patron-client links between Southern officials and private operators that debilitate state capacity to implement resource policies. Using these analytical tools, and building on extensive primary sources and more than 100 in-depth interviews, the remainder of the thesis examines the two most important factors driving commercial timber mismanagement in Indonesia, Borneo Malaysia, and the Philippines: pervasive patron-client ties between Southeast Asian officials and timber operators; and the residual and immediate environmental impact of Japan. In a continual struggle to retain power in societies with fragmented social control, Southeast Asian state leaders build potent patron-client networks that syphon state funds, distort policies, and undermine supervision of state implementors. In this setting, the state is often unable to enforce timber management rules as implementors -- in exchange for gifts, money, or security -- ignore or assist destructive and illegal loggers, smugglers, and tax evaders. Japan’s shadow ecology has expedited timber mismanagement, and left deep environmental scars that impede current efforts to improve timber management. Post-1990 Japanese government and corporate policy changes to integrate environmental concerns have marginally improved forestry ODA, and contributed to token corporate conservation projects. As well, there is now less Japanese investment, technology, and credit linked to logging. But massive timber purchases from unsustainable sources, wasteful consumption, timber prices that ignore environmental and social costs, import barriers that deplete Southern revenues, and the residual impact of past Japanese practices continue to accelerate destructive logging in Southeast Asia. Sustainable tropical timber management will require fundamental changes to Japan’s shadow ecology. It is also imperative to confront Southern political forces driving deforestation. While reforms will certainly face formidable -- perhaps insurmountable -- political and economic barriers, unless the world community tackles these issues, the remaining primary forests of Southeast Asia will soon perish.

This documentary outlines the experiences on the frontier between the Creek and Cherokee Nations and the European settlers between 1763 and the Indian Removal by 1838. A final section is devoted to the Creek and Cherokee descendents today and issues that they address and lives that they live.

Recent estimates of global maternal mortality indicate that for the first time since the Safe Motherhood Initiative of 1987, deaths due to pregnancy-related causes are on the decline. Defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, maternal mortality is one of the strongest health statistics showing the disparity between poor and rich countries. Although a global decline is documented, challenges to reducing maternal mortality, and meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for maternal health remain, particularly in many Sub-Saharan African and Southeast Asian countries. This study presents an assessment of Cambodia’s progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal deaths by ¾ by 2015. The report examines issues related to the improvement of maternal health, outlining the magnitude, determinants, and prevention methods of maternal mortality globally and in Cambodia. Cambodia’s health policies and contextual factors impacting the maternal mortality ratio such as dramatic increases of skilled health personnel for delivery, delivery in health facility, and use of antenatal care are identified as key contributors to MMR reduction. Continued progress in reducing maternal mortality in Cambodia requires improvements to midwifery skill, competencies around normal and emergency birthing care, and salaries of midwives as well as an incentive for new graduates to work in the public sector. An increase in the cooperation between government health centers and hospitals are crucial to ensure obstetric referrals, supervision of health center staff, and an improvement in maternal death data collection. Finally a national priority to increase the use of family planning and safe abortion will significantly contribute to the continued reduction of MMR.

The subject of our research is reinvention of Taoist ritual among Yao minorities. Imperial protocolary deeds are examined as one form of proceedings open to transformation. Liturgy or ritual installations are discussed with reference to choreography and scenography. Fieldnotes from Thailand, 1995, are provided as a side illustration.

Triassic igneous rocks in southeast Queensland show a number of subduction related geochemical characteristics. Extensive calc-alkalic granitoids chains characterise the region and define the ancient arc setting. Despite good evidence that an arc was present, Triassic volcanic rocks are relatively sparse in southeast Queensland. The Mt Marcella Volcanics, of the northern Esk Trough are a previously poorly understood piece of the Middle Triassic convergent margin of southeast Queensland. A three stage model is proposed for the eruptive development of the Middle Triassic (245- 230Ma) volcanic succession that involves; 1) The Middle Triassic basalt, comprising coalesced lava flows covering as much as 500km2 with an estimated eruptive volume in the order of 50km3. 2) The Penwhaupell Volcanic Centre, a concentration of inter-bedded lavas and pyroclastic rocks dominated by dacite that forms a volcanic pile exceeding 2km stratigraphic thickness and representing an eruptive volume of approximately 48km3. 3) The Ettiewyn Caldera, representing the catastrophic culmination of the Mt Marcella Volcanics event, with a sequence of caldera out-flow and in-fill andesite ignimbrites and post-caldera lavas with a total eruptive volume in the order of 130km3. The “Penwhaupell Volcanic Centre” and the “Ettiewyn Caldera” are two new sub-divisions and the proposed names, for the lower and upper sequences of the previously undifferentiated Mt Marcella Volcanics. The Mt Marcella Volcanics magma compositions show cogenetic characteristics that define three evolutionary pathways; 1) a mildly alkali series, from basaltic-andesite to trachy-dacite related through fractionation dominated by plagioclase and clinopyroxene 2) an amphibole series, basaltic-andesite to hornblende dacite through fractionation dominated by plagioclase and hornblende under hydrous conditions, and 3) a pyroxene series, from basaltic-andesite to pyroxene andesite through fractionation dominated by plagioclase and pyroxene. Quantitative petrogenetic models generally support the proposed fractional crystallisation pathway, however weaknesses are acknowledged, with good results for the major elements and REE off-set by generally poor results for the LILE. Despite the inconclusive trace element results for the modelled fractionation, strong geochemical similarities and cogenetic relationships have been established. A typical arc-like geochemical signature including a pronounced Nb depletion characterises the Mt Marcella Volcanics. However, the geochemical character within the Middle Triassic volcanic succession reveals an unusual transition from an OIB character of the Middle Triassic basalts, to the Andean arc character of later Mt Marcella Volcanics. The implications of this could have profound impact on our understanding of how southeast Queensland’s Triassic tectonic setting operated by providing support for hotspot activity rather than subduction-driven activity.