Although the history of South Arabia in the fifth and sixth centuries has not been studied to any great extent, the events of this period were of marked importance in the history of South Arabia in particular and of Central Arabia in general. Within this period we find the enlargement of the South Arabian kings' title, and the extension of their sovereignty over the highland of West and Central Arabia; the Abyssinian invasion of South Arabia and the semi-independent government of Abraha and his sons; and, finally, the abolition of South Arabian independence after the Persian invasion. South Arabia lost its position as the leading power in the Arabian peninsula said became a vassal province of the Persian empire. Moreover, the decline of Kinda and its migration to South Arabia created instability in Central Arabia, and indeed most of ayyām al-'arab [Days of the Arab] which we know, belongs to the period after the decline of Kinda, the vassal of South Arabia. The aim of the present work is to study this period of the history of South Arabia from the time of Abū Karib As'sad, who had the title "King of sb'/wdrydn/wḥḍrmwt/wymnt/w'rb/ṭwd/wthmt." 1. Chapter I deals with the relations of South and Central Arabia before the reign of Abū Karib As'sad; the extension of South Arabia towards the north; the eventual conquest of Kinda; the expedition of Sharafddin's Inscription towards the land of Tanūkh and Persia, at the time of Shammar Yuhar'ish; and finally the counter-attack of Shapur II, King of Persia and Imru'l-Kais. 2. Chapter II treats of the reign of Abū Karib As'sad; the enlarged title, ''rb, twd and thmt; Abū Karib in Central Arabia; the legends of Abū Karib's invasion of Irak and Central Asia, the siege of Madina, and finally his worshipping at the Ka'ba in Mecca. 3. Chapter III deals with the traditional kings after Abū Karib who have been mentioned in the inscriptions, with special reference to Hassan's expedition against Diadis, 'Abd Kulal in Arab tradition, and Ma'dikarib Ya'fur in Central Arabia. 4. Chapter IV covers the reign of the famous king Yūsuf 'As'ar, his origin, and the massacre of the Christians in South Arabia. 5. Chapter V is concerned with the Abyssinian invasion of South Arabia, the battlefield, the period of the puppet king Sumyafa Ashwa, and his end at the hand of the famous King Abraha. 6. Chapter VI deals with the most significant achievements of Abrah; the events of CIH 541; the events of Ry 506; the expedition of Ry 506 and its relation to the expedition of the elephant; the reign of Abraha's sons, Yaksūm and Masrūk; and finally the end of the Abyssinian domination of South Arabia.

Taking the lives and work of writers from the Upland South, this dissertation seeks to find out how agrarian thinkers understood the place and meaning of rural life in the twentieth century. Scholars have underscored the degree to which southern agrarians both drew upon and shaped conservative, even reactionary, intellectual currents in the region. In doing so, however, they have flattened the contours of southern agrarian ideas, leaving the mistaken impression that a single set of values defined it. This study argues that no single point of view, set of beliefs, or value system shaped agrarian thought in the South, but rather, such thinking was made up of a host of different perspectives that collectively point to the continued significance of rural life to American life. Agrarian thinking is worth studying because it reveals the significance of rural life to American identity in a way that helps us understand how ideas about rural life continued to shape the American imagination in the midst of a national decline in rural communities.

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From 1981 to 2010 flooding claimed an average of 92 lives each year in the United States. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service, in 2010 the number of flood-related fatalities (103) was second only to heat (138). Flash flooding is especially dangerous as sudden, torrential downpours from thunderstorms can cause gullies, streams, and creeks to rise quickly and become an immediate risk to life and property. Across the southern Appalachian Mountains this threat is aggravated by steep terrain and the rapid accumulation of rainfall in narrow valleys and gorges. Severe storm reports were gathered from the National Climatic Data Center from 1996 to 2010. An emphasis was placed on flash flood events collected after the modernization of the National Weather Service in the mid-1990s when verification of storm reports became mandatory. Using a Geographic Information System, an abbreviated climatology of flash flood events was constructed to better understand the frequency and distribution of such events over the extent of the southern Appalachians. Additionally, forecasters and hydrologists provided insight on where flash floods occur most frequently across their County Warning Areas. In total, there were 4,938 flash flood reports across the southern Appalachian Mountains from 1996 to 2010. Of those reports there were 71 fatalities and 64 injuries, many of which occurred during the evening and overnight hours. Nearly 33 percent of all fatalities were associated with a vehicle and another 38 percent occurred when residents were swept away while traversing swollen creeks and streams. The information presented herein will assist meteorologists and hydrologists as well as those who would like to gain additional knowledge about flash flood climatology across the southern Appalachians. / Review of relevant literature -- Data and methodology -- Results, part I : an abbreviated climatology -- Results, part II : National Weather Service WFO discussions. / Department of Geography

Looking primarily at the social and political trends in South Africa over the course of the last century and a half, this thesis explores how these trends have contributed to the establishment of the southern Africa cannabis complex. Through an examination of the influence which the colonial paradigm based on Social Darwinian thinking had on the understanding of the cannabis plant in southern Africa, it is argued that cannabis prohibition and apartheid laws rested on the same ideological foundation. This thesis goes on to argue that the dynamics of cannabis production and trade can be understood in terms of the interplay between the two themes of ‘prohibition’ and ‘resistance’. Prohibition is not only understood to refer to cannabis laws, but also to the proscription of inter-racial contact and segregation dictated by the apartheid regime. Resistance, then, refers to both resistance to apartheid and resistance to cannabis laws in this thesis. Including discussions on the hippie movement and development of the world trade, the anti-apartheid movement, the successful implementation of import substitution strategies in Europe and North America from the 1980’s, and South Africa’s incorporation into the global trade, this thesis illustrates how the apartheid system (and its collapse) influenced the region’s cannabis trade.

Thesis advisor: Cynthia Lynn Lyerly / My dissertation examines the process of cultural adaption and change. Nineteenth-century Lutherans in many ways were cultural outsiders and a religious minority. They were confessional in a land of evangelicals. A fundamental divide between Lutherans and their evangelical neighbors was that Lutherans did not believe that an emotionally charged conversion experience was necessary in order to obtain salvation. Whereas evangelicals believed individuals had to decide to accepted Jesus as their personal lord and savior in order to receive salvation and grace, Lutherans believed that God made the decisions to save individuals, and they received God's grace and salvation as a totally free and unmerited gift. Lutherans, therefore, had to decide how to respond to the revival movement that swept across the antebellum south. While Lutheran theological tradition focused on a mystical and yet intellectual relationship with God obtained by studying the Bible, the popularity of revivals forced Lutherans to negotiate their religious differences with their evangelical neighbors. Moreover, since Lutherans placed such value on an intellectual relationship with God, they emphasized the importance of education even when those around them were hostile to education. Unlike evangelicals, Lutherans did not have church courts, but they were still very interested in public morality. My dissertation examines how they negotiated their response to the moral dilemmas of their day such as drinking, dancing and dueling, which were important components of honor culture. Lutherans also found themselves separated from their evangelical neighbors due to the fact that they spoke German while the evangelicals spoke English. For many Lutherans the German language and Lutheranism were inseparable. This language barrier not only separated Lutherans from their neighbors but also acted as a wedge between the older Lutheran generations who spoke German and the younger generations that grew up speaking English. Lutherans had to decide whether to give up German, the language of Luther, or risk losing the youth. Upon arriving in North Carolina, they were confronted with the issue of slavery. While evangelicals at first rejected slavery and only slowly embraced it, Lutherans appeared to have no moral qualms with the institution. Finally, North Carolina Lutherans were members of a national Lutheran church at a time when national evangelical churches were being torn apart due to sectional tensions. It was only after the country was at war that a schism finally occurred in the national Lutheran church. My dissertation examines how North Carolina Lutherans and Lutherans across the country were able to hold their church together as long as they did and how this division finalized North Carolina Lutherans' southernization. This project begins with the Lutherans' arrival in North Carolina just prior to the Revolutionary War and concludes with the aftermath of the Civil War. The majority of German Lutherans lived in the piedmont region of North Carolina, and this study focuses geographically on this region. As a social history this project explores questions of how German Lutherans eventually transformed from outsiders to proud members of the Confederate nation. "Adapting to Dixie" examines the dynamics of rapid cultural change in which Lutherans struggled to retain a sense of their separateness while still conforming to the region's mores. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History.

Prior to the beginning of the Second World War discussions of air force training between Britain and Canada, were ongoing, but never agreed upon. The declarations of war on Germany from Britain and Canada forced these discussions to a resolution as the air force was a crucial component of military operations. On December 17, 1939 the agreement known as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) was signed. The agreement intended that Canada would train all of the Allied air force throughout the war. The repercussions of the agreement meant that communities across the country became home to training schools and air force personnel. This study employs geographic and relational aspects of community theory in the investigation of the role of sport in the relationship building process between military and civilian communities in Southern Alberta. Sport provided common ties and opportunities for social interaction in the relationship-building process between BCATP schools and Southern Alberta communities. Towns were losing many of the men and women who were playing sport as they joined the services and air force personnel were replacing them; thereby keeping sport at all levels from completely shutting down during the war. This study highlights the changes in the sporting landscape as military sport transitioned from a spectacle to becoming indispensable to local communities. Specific case studies of basketball and lacrosse in Macleod, hockey in Claresholm and Lethbridge, soccer in Medicine Hat and sporting charity events indicate the depth to which schools integrated into towns through sport. Situated within pertinent secondary sources from history, sociology and sport studies this study draws on six Southern Alberta newspapers, town council meeting minutes and archival data from the Nanton Bomber Museum, The Claresholm Museum, The Galt Museum and Archives and the Esplanade Heritage Centre. / ix, 184 leaves ; 29 cm

The need for a worldwide assessment of Baptist history is especially important for the many who have only a limited knowledge of this broad alliance of Christians known as Baptists. Understanding how and why Independent Baptist congregations emerged from within the larger picture makes the opening chapter important, even to other Baptists. The doctrinal elements of the Independent Baptists that overlap other Christian churches need to be explained in sufficient detail to note the differences that do exist. The numerous ecclesiastical beliefs, known as "distinctives," are matters of similarity and divergence that exist within the various Baptist groupings. To understand these seemingly minor differences is to come to appreciate the fine details that often divide. Baptist often are divided by these differences of fine detail in relation to their ecclesiastical "distinctives'; even more than some of the major doctrines that have divided other churches and denominations. This makes the task of tracing the specific history of Independent Baptists a most complex undertaking. The ability to understand Independent Baptists as fundamentalists is dependent on understanding their own definition of fundamentalism in the context of American and English conservativism. The highly charged issues related to the fundamentalism between 1880 and 1980 and the influence this period and its concerns has had on Independent Fundamental Baptists and Bible churches is rarely understood. Much of the modern South African political, ethical and religious issues seem far removed fium this church but these fundamentalists nonetheless have a perspective regarding the literal interpretation of the Bible that deserves to be heard and may well have a genuine contribution to make. The Independent Fundamental Baptist missionaries and local church leadership has a character of its own. The development of its leadership and ministry style is directly related to issues such as the literalness of their Biblical interpretation and application in pastoral areas such as preaching, teaching, discipleship and pastoral counselling. Of course there are many variations of leadership style and personality within such a loose combination of church leaders. Understanding the expansion of the Independent Fundamental Baptist and Bible churches depends on having a useful awareness of the churches and organisations that work behind the scenes, primarily in the United States, to promote this Christian movement with its strong emphasis on Biblical doctrine and distinctiveness. Learning about churches that are almost totally focused on the simplicity of the Gospel and on the pivotal role local churches should have in the Christian's inner spiritual life and public attitudes is a unique study. Understanding these loosely grouped churches and their missionary and church-planting fervour opens a perspective on Christianity general, though in my opinion, mistakenly viewed as irrelevant today. Their advance and growth raises questions for many who accept the idea that relevancy is dependent on pursuing religious emotionalism or responding to contemporary social change. The Independent Fundamental Baptist and Bible churches are moving forward while following a philosophy once fairly common among South African Christianity, but now believed to be outdated and unacceptable. The purpose of this thesis is: first, to clarify who and what the Independent Fundamental Baptist and Bible churches really are, and second, to establish their rightful place in the Southern African ''family" of Baptists. Further, by explaining their goals, problems and some of their changing perspectives their historic philosophy of missiology and ministry can be understood together with their outlook on today's society and social needs. All of this should lead to a better estimate of their future viability and their potential impact on South African religious life. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Church History)

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This thesis focuses on Lombard Southern Italy during the early middle ages and it analyses the history of political and social conflicts between the eighth and ninth century, taking into account the transformation of Lombard political power and social practices in this area. Starting from the eight-century judicial sources, this work explores political and social competition in the Beneventan region by taking into account its geographical position at the center of the Mediterranean see. Southern Italy was considered as a periphery, and sometimes as a frontier, by both the Carolingian and Byzantine empires, and endured almost a century of Muslims' attempts to conquer the peninsula. The first chapter focuses on the ducal period and investigates the formation and consolidation of the duke of Benevento's political authority before 774. During the seventh and eight centuries, the dukes developed a military and political autonomy in Southern Italy. This was due to the geographical position of the Duchy of Benevento in the Lombard Kingdom: it was far from Pavia, the king's capital city, and it was relatively isolated from other Lombard territories. Since a dynasty was established here as early as the seventh century, these dukes developed a strong and precocious political consciousness. As a result, they were particularly concerned with the formal representation of their authority, which is early attested in both coinage and diplomas. In this chapter, the analysis of the eight-century judicial records opens two important perspectives on the duke of Benevento's practices of power. Firstly, judicial assemblies were one of the most important occasions for the duke to demonstrate and exercise his authority in a public context. In contrast to all other Lombard dukes, who rendered judgement together with a group of officers, the duke of Benevento acted alone before the competing parties. By behaving exactly as the Lombard king would in Pavia, the duke was able to utilise the judicial domain as a sort of theatre in which to practice, legitimise and represent his own public authority in front of the local aristocracy. Secondly, the analysis of seven judicial case-studies suggests that the duke was not simply the sole political authority in Benevento but also the leading social agent in the whole Lombard southern Italy. Almost all the disputes transmitted by the twelfth-century cartularies implied a ducal action, donation or decision in the past, which became the main cause for later conflicts between the members of the lay élite and the monastic foundations of the region. Consequently, the analysis of judicial conflicts reveals more about the duke of Benevento's strategies and practices of power than about the lay and ecclesiastical élites' competition for power. Since there are no judicial records between 774 and the last decade of the ninth century, both conflicts and representations of authority in Lombard Southern Italy are analysed through other kinds of sources for this period. Chronicles, hagiographies, diplomas, and material sources are rich in clues about political and social competition in Benevento. By contrast, the late-ninth-century judicial records transmitted by cartularies and archives are quite different from the eighth-century documents: they have a bare and simple structure, which often hides the peculiarities of the single dispute by telling only the essentials of each conflict and a concise final judgement. In contrast to the sources of the ducal period, the ninth- and tenth-century judicial records often convey a flattened image of Lombard society. Their basic structure certainly prevents a focus on the representation of authority and the practices of power in southern Italy. On the contrary, these fields of inquiry are crucial to research both competition within the Beneventan aristocracy during the ninth century, and the relationship between Lombards and Carolingian after 774. After the fall of the Lombard Kingdom in 774, Charlemagne did not complete the military conquest of the Italian peninsula: the Duchy of Benevento was left under the control of Arechis (758-787), who proclaimed himself princeps gentis Langobardorum and continued to rule mostly independently. The confrontation and competition with the Frankish empire are key to understanding both the strengthening of Lombard identity in southern Italy and the formation of a princely political authority. The second account the historiography on the Regnum Italiae, the third section of this chapter focuses precisely on the ambitions of Louis II in Southern Italy and it analyses the implication that the projection of his rulership over this area had in shaping his imperial authority. Despite Louis II's efforts to control the Lombard principalities, his military and political experience soon revealed its limits. After the conquest of Bari in 871, Prince Adelchi imprisoned the emperor in his palace until he obtained a promise: Louis II swore not to return to Benevento anymore. Although the pope soon liberated the emperor from this oath, he never regained a political role in Southern Italy. Nevertheless, his prolonged presence in the region during the ninth century radically changed the political equilibrium of both the Lombard principalities and the Tyrrhenian duchies (i.e. Napoli, Gaeta, Amalfi). The fourth section focuses firstly on the competition between Louis II and Adelchi of Benevento, who obstinately defined his public authority in a direct competition with the Carolingian emperor. At the same time, the competition within the local aristocracy in Benevento radically changed into a small-scale struggle between the members of Adelchi's kingroup, the Radelchids. At the same time, some local officers expanded their power and acted more and more autonomously in their district, such as in Capua. When Louis II left Benevento in 871, both the Tyrrhenian duchies and the Lombard principalities in Southern Italy were profoundly affected by a sudden change in their mutual relations and even in their inner stability. The competition for power and authority in Salerno and Capua-Benevento also changed and two different political systems were gradually established in these principalities. Despite the radical transformation of internal competition and the Byzantine conquest of a large part of Puglia and Basilicata at the end of the ninth century, the Lombard principalities remained independent until the eleventh century, when Southern Italy was finally seized by Norman invaders.