Throughout the thesis I take symbolic communication and visual metaphors as starting points for developing a contemporary picture of diverse Craft practices in a small corner of Scotland.  This thesis is both an ethnography of Craft and a craft object, explicitly made to be a theory-laden object of material culture. This thesis aims to question a variety of epistemological regimes found not only in anthropology but also in the North-East of Scotland.  The main argument of this thesis is that in order to understand something about Craft and the experiences of its makers it is important to have an understanding of the ways in which they create that world as meaningful: that is, an understanding of the thirdness (or symbolism) that is an active, generative force in that world.  In the following chapters I argue two interwoven points: one, that a stash (collection) is a collection of stash (craft materials) and is also a site of thirdness in which symbolic thought and action are vital.  And two: that, as such, stash and the craft world in which it is embedded are well served by an approach to visual anthropology and that takes seriously a study of semiotics in which poetics become more than a subject of analysis; poetics are also allowed to develop into a method(ology) of engaging both informants and audience in a meaningful dialogue of knowledge production. By using images to contextualize ethnographic evidence and by making these previous points not only with words, but also through imagery, I aim to convince the reader of the integrity of my ethnographic analyses as well as that theories of visual anthropology are as useful for analysing anthropological subjects as for communicating ourselves.

Organisationer har som utmaning att hitta styrmedel som resulterar i att deras medlemmars beteende är i enlighet med deras mål och strategier. I vanliga fall undersöker man traditionella styrmedel som cybernetisk styrning och finansiell fokus. Denna studie utforskar hur organisationskulturen påverkar styrningen och mer specifikt hur organisationer använder sig av symbolism i form av riter som styrmedel för att uppnå sina strategier och mål. Trice och Beyers sex typer av riter och Dandridges et al.:s modell för symboler används som teoretisk referensram för studien. Sex personer från olika delar inom en och samma organisation intervjuades för att ge en inblick i vilka riter som fanns samt vad de används till. Resultaten visade att 1) symboler som används vid riter och ritualer ansågs vara en av de avgörande faktorerna till varför anställda tänker och agerar på ett sätt som är i linje med organisationens mål och strategier, 2) att en och samma rit kunde ha olika kategoriseringar, samt 3) att det vid vissa tillfällen kan vara önskvärt för ledare att undvika olika typer av riter, framför allt när man vill främja kreativitet och fritt tänkande.

M. Tech. / My research examines how artworks referring to cattle convey symbolic meaning about cultural identity in South Africa, thus contributing to the research niche area of the University of Johannesburg (Visually Embodying Identity in a Post Colonial Environment). I track shifts in traditional ethnic and cultural boundaries which shaped South Africa, by comparing selected examples of historic and contemporary art and artefacts which embody cultural values. This provides a reading of the dynamic process of changing identities in South Africa with emphasis on the process of creolisation being particularly identifiable in the work of chosen artists Peter Mthombeni and Joachim Schönfeldt. In my practical research I attempt to reflect different South African identities, from colonialist, essentialised identities to the newer identities of a post-apartheid, democratic, 21st century multicultural society. My practical research which focuses on dynamic shifts in identity results in an installation of a ‘herd’ of ceramic cattle heads in an outdoor public area, namely the entrance to the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg, January 2013 / Certain postures and gestures of the human body recur in fine-line San rock art. Students of southern African rock art are introduced to a number of classic postures and features of human figures during the trance dance. The movement and posture of the human body is significant during the ritual trance dance, yet the reasons for painting certain postures over and over again have not been discussed often. This dissertation examines the symbolic meaning behind painting certain recurring postures in the Maclear and Barkly East Districts of the north Eastern Cape Province. This thesis examines sets of similar pointing and gesturing postures of the human body in rock art, and also examines the symbolic role of recurring postures in both the ritual trance dance and rock art. I argue that the painters used these similar sets of images (and others) in rock art to actively maintain and negotiate the flow of supernatural potency from the spirit world into the body of the shaman to utilise in this world and that the images were not static depictions of fragments of the trance dance, and did not only represent the process, but were viewed as actively participating in this process.

A pesquisa investiga os desenvolvimentos iniciais da filosofia de Husserl, tendo por foco a análise da evolução de sua teoria do simbolismo e a explicitação dos diversos sentidos que assume a problemática intuicionista que lhe é essencial. O período abordado compreende os anos 1890-1901, e os textos aos quais se dedica exposição e comentário são Filosofia da Aritmética (1891), Sobre a Lógica dos Signos - Semiótica (1890/91), Estudos Psicológicos para a Lógica Elementar (1894) e Investigações Lógicas (1900/91). Pretende-se apresentar o que conduz Husserl ao abandono de seu intento original - aquele de oferecer uma fundamentação filosófica do cálculo simbólico - em favor de uma filosofia que se centra na analítica da consciência intencional. / This research investigates the initial developments of Husserl's philosophy, focusing on the analysis of the evolution of his theory of symbolism and the explanation of the different senses that the intuitionist problem essential to it assumes. The period covered comprises the years 1890-1901, and the texts to which exposure and commentary have been devoted are Philosophy of Arithmetic (1891), On the Logic of Signs - Semiotics (1890/91), Psychological Studies for Elementary Logic (1894) and Logical Investigations (1900/91). It is intended to present what leads Husserl to the abandonment of his original program - that of offering a philosophical foundation for symbolic calculation - in favor of a philosophy that focuses on the analytic of intentional consciousness.

The stories proposed within this thesis examine the daily lives of working class men, women, and children and the subtle dynamics of the relationships between them. The stories engage a variety of narrative perspectives, sometimes employing serious overtones and sometimes shifting toward humor. Stylistically, the stories construct a single unified voice that sifts through common themes including alcoholism, self-pity, the loss of culture, grief, distrust, absolution, and hero worship. / by Dustin Clark. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This thesis explores the ways that certain artists-including Joseph Conrad, Alan Moore, Richard Attenborough, and Francis Ford Coppola-break from their inherited traditions in order to speak from an alternative perspective to western discourse. Conventional narrative formulas prescribe that meaning will be revealed in a definitive end, but all of the texts discussed reveal other avenues through which it is discerned. In Heart of Darkness, the tension between two divergent narratives enables Conrad to speak beyond his social context and imperialist limitations to demonstrate that identity is socially constructed. In Watchmen, Moore breaks from comic convention to illustrate ways meaning may be ascertained despite the lack of plot ends. The third chapter explores the ways that Attenborough and Coppola subvert technical and plot conventions to resist static constitutions of identity endemic to Hollywood film. The several texts discussed subvert the Self/Other duality by suggesting alternatives to the western narrative model. / by Adam Berzak. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Sharp Edges and Other Lessons is a collection of stories that share a loose thematic link suggested by the title. The various "lessons" encountered by the characters here represent the ways people respond to the many currents and fluctuations roiling beneath the surface of everyday life. / by Michael Gray. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Orientador: Alvaro Santos Simões Junior / Banca: Norma Domingos / Banca: Tania Regina de Luca / Banca: Guacira Marcondes Machado Leite / Banca: Viviane Araujo Alves da Costa Pereira / Resumo: Na França do século XIX, o periodismo alcançou o seu auge. A época é reconhecida por alguns estudiosos, a exemplo de Dominique Kalifa e Marie-Ève Thérenty, como aquela da "civilização do jornal", pois se notabilizou pelo surgimento de folhas populares, vendidas a preços módicos, e pelo considerável aumento do público leitor, assim como pela vulgarização do folhetim, espaço cedido à contribuição literária. Em sua maioria, seus colaboradores eram também homens de Letras que buscavam meios de subsistência ao se dividirem entre as colunas desses jornais e seus romances, poemas e peças de teatro. Subordinados não apenas a esse suporte, mas, também, aos editores da época, jovens escritores da década de 1880, embalados pelo sentimento de decadência do Positivismo e das ciências, ousaram romper com tal relação de dependência, criando revistas que rivalizavam com a produção da grande presse. Nasceram, assim, as petites revues. Nas petites revues, os jeunes, oriundos de agrupamentos decadentistas e simbolistas, podiam se dedicar àquilo que julgavam ser a "arte pura". Nesses periódicos, difundiam seus versos, excertos de romances, contos e, ainda, assinavam a crítica literária. Em 1890, veio à luz a série moderne do Mercure de France. Essa revista, dirigida por Alfred Vallette, foi divulgadora dessa crítica, publicando, entre 1890 e 1898, diversos escritos que lançavam um olhar atento sobre a produção literária de seu tempo. Além disso, mostrou-se parte integrante de um processo de dese... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In 19th century in France, journalism achieved its height. Many scholars, such as Dominique Kalifa and Marie-Ève Thérenty, recognize the period as that of the "newspaper civilization", when popular press appeared and it was sold in low prices, and the increase of the readership occurred, as well as the vulgarization of the feuilleton, a space accorded to the literary contribution. Most of its collaborators were also Men of Letters who tried to acquire their means of subsistence by dividing their time between the news columns and their novels, poems and plays. Subordinated not only to that support, but also to the editors from the period, young writers from the 1880's, encouraged by the feeling of decadence of Positivism and sciences, attempted to challenge the relation of dependence, creating magazines that rivalled with the production of grande presse. In this manner, the petites revues were born. In the petites revues, the jeunes, derived from the decadent and symbolist groups, could dedicate themselves to what they considered the "pure art". In it, they published their verses, short stories and literary criticism. In 1890, appeared the série moderne of the Mercure de France. The magazine, which was directed by Alfred Vallette, was a disseminator of this criticism, publishing, between 1890 and 1898, many writings that were interested to the literary production from the period. Besides, it showed up as component of a development process of the genre in France, of which pract... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Résumé: Au XIXe siècle en France, le périodisme a atteint son apogée. L'époque est reconnue par quelques chercheurs, comme Dominique Kalifa et Marie-Ève Thérenty, comme celle de la « civilisation du journal », car elle est devenue notable grâce au surgissement des feuilles populaires, vendues à bas prix et à la considérable croissance du public lecteur, ainsi que par la vulgarisation du feuilleton, espace cédé à la contribution littéraire. Dans sa majorité, leurs collaborateurs était aussi des hommes de lettres qui cherchaient des moyens de subsistance en se partageant entre les colonnes de ces journaux et leurs romans, poèmes et pièces de théâtre. Subordonnés pas seulement à ce support, mais aussi aux libraires de l'époque, les jeunes écrivains de la décennie 1880, bercés par le sentiment de décadence du Positivisme et des sciences, ont osé rompre avec tel rapport de dépendance, en créant des revues qui ont rivalisé avec la production de la grande presse. Alors, les petites revues sont nées. Dans les petites revues, les jeunes, originaires des groupements décadentistes et symbolistes, ont pu se dédier à ce qu'ils jugeaient être « l'art pur ». Dans ces périodiques, ils diffusaient leurs vers, des extraits de romans, des contes et ils signaient les textes de critique littéraire. En 1890, la série moderne du Mercure de France a vu le jour. Cette revue, dirigée par Alfred Vallette, a été propagandiste de cette critique-là, en publiant entre 1890 et 1898 plusieurs écrits qui portaient un... (Résumé complet accès életronique ci-dessous) / Doutor

This work is comprised of altered, found familiar objects. They are stacked and are covered with Egyptian paste, then fired in a burn-out kiln. Through transformation by fire the objects become post-apocalyptic relics. Raised in an Irish Catholic alcoholic home by a raging perfectionist mother, the kitchen was a battlefield - the home, a place of great drama. After dish throwing and frying pan swinging, dinner was precisely laid out on a clean white tablecloth - order covering disorder. The failed domestic environment of my childhood informs this body of work and is inflected by recovering psychological states. Empowered through feminist critique and filtered through my study of Jungian psychology, these objects enact a precarious balance between the known and the estranged. Through the process of transmutation, a cathartic space is generated, giving space for viewers to potentially confront their memories of home. / by Judith Gehrmann. / Pagination goes from iv to 17. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.