Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The thesis deals with the concepts of Millenarianism and the witnessing of Faith through costume, textiles and related arts. The responses of five religious sects, Amish, Shaker, Puritan, Quakers and Mennonites, are examined. This text falls into two discrete sections. Chapter One details the historic background of the sects. Subsequent chapters outline the Millennial impulse of the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries and resulting emigration to the New World. These chapters detail Utopian social models and a discussion of textiles and clothing as indicators of history and human experience. Chapter Three is an overview of religious iconography in this area of American art, touching on themes and the role in society of both the art and the artist. It discusses allegory and symbolism in the visual arts. The second half of the thesis focuses on the costume and textiles of each group. Particular consideration is given to the use of iconography, symbolism and allegory in their visual creations. Internal doctrinal differences are examined such as interpretations of the Biblical injuction to be 'plain', and the central role that the concept of being 'not conformed to the World' plays in the social/aesthetic/religious development of the sects. Apparent theological contradictions are highlighted and addressed. Pressures on each sect to adapt to the cultural norm that have resulted in change and disintegration are detailed.

About a decade ago an attempt to build a viable wild silk industry, prompted by the discovery of the naturally available wild silk cocoons in the North West Province of South Africa, was made and a degumming plant was established in the Ganyesa village. The challenges faced in that establishment soon brought the developments to a standstill and cited among the problems was the lack of designer input in the production stages, which resulted in poor quality products. Focusing on the design problem the intention of this research is to explore a more effective design and production method for the wild silk fabrics. Through assessing the previously produced fabrics in order to identify their limitations, and by experimenting with innovative fabric production processes, a suitable aesthetic quality can be added to the final products. Starting with the investigation of current trends and choosing a design theme as a guide for the production process, fabric samples intended for use in upholstery of home furniture are developed. With the objective of successfully achieving a balance between aesthetic appeal and suitability for the intended end use, the fabrics are subjected to performance assessments based on internationally recognised standards. From the findings of this research it is therefore envisaged that, from the design aspect, proper redevelopment of the South African wild silk industry could encourage further involvement from textile designers. This would bring more improvement to the fabrics produced and encourage their use in different applications.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Köln, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-259).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1993. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-102). Also available on the World Wide Web.

M.Sc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / In 1854 friction over labour practices, land appropriation and inland trade routes led to the simultaneous murder of three groups of Dutch settlers, or Trekkers by the Kekana Ndebele. The Trekkers mounted a retaliatory attack on the Kekana, who retreated into Historic Cave, Limpopo Province. Although the cave had been well stocked prior to the attack, the Kekana were decimated and this event later became known as the Siege of Makapan. Excavations from 2001 uncovered a unique cache of European fabric preserved by the unusually dry conditions in the cave. Within the fluid social and political landscape of the internal frontier of nineteenth century northern Transvaal, European clothing and fabric was a valuable resource that served different functions. Contemporary records from traders, travellers and missionaries indicate that, as a high status item, clothing and fabric was often restricted to elites, was subject to social mores and could be used to signal changing religious or political affiliations. Certain groups, or individuals, also invested fabric with unusual properties. No entire garments were recovered from Historic Cave but some of the fragmentary fabric remains that were revealed indicate their possible use as ritual objects endowed with supernatural qualities. The unique find from Historic Cave allows an opportunity of comparing archaeological remains with historical documents to understand more about fabric use at this time.

This thesis contextualizes the three series of work that I have produced for my MFA. My chief concerns are with the dynamic between the individual and the collective, and how this is symbolically represented in lists of names. I also suggest that an underlying sense of communitas, or equality, is evoked through lists of names. I explore this idea further in an examination of various memorials where the naming of those commemorated is a major element of the work. I then describe the work that I have made, and connect it to other artworks that also use lists of names in order to explore the idea of what it is to be both an individual and a member of a group. I suggest that artworks and memorials are potent as carriers of symbolic meaning because they allow space and time for contemplation. In addition to the use of names, I also look at artworks that use items that have belonged to people as substitutes for those people, and as metaphors for humanity. My work utilises human hair and socks, but other artists use different types of contiguous possessions as stand-ins for individuals. The examples are chosen to investigate the variety of tropes available for memorial designers and artists, and in order to see the way diverse materials can be used to investigate similar concerns.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Anthropology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 369-389). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ42782.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Basel, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 312-313).