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<p> This dissertation examines explicit and implicit conceptualizations of time and history in four contemporary Canadian novels: Allan Donaldson's Maclean, Joy Kogawa's Obasan, Margaret Laurence's The Diviners, and Lee Maracle's Daughters are Forever. Performing close textual analysis from a posture of 'deliberate empathy,' the author identifies several key textual devices and concepts that signal the texts' alternate ideas about time and history. These include temporal simultaneity, historical multiplicity, and the presence of the past. Drawing on critical work from fields including literary theory, globalization and cultural studies, indigenous studies and anthropology, the author investigates the political significance of the texts' different historical and temporal models. She argues that the way individuals and cultures understand time and history bears significant influence on the ways in which they understand their ethical relationships with and responsibility toward the world around them. The dissertation closes with a call for further engagement with questions of temporality and for continued efforts to link pedagogical activity to struggles for human rights. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis aims to explore the history of blind diviners in Korea, using a review approach toexamine the existing literature in Korean on the topic. Beginning with a discussion of theorieson the origins and practices of blind diviners during the pre-modern period, and then movinginto the drastic changes that occurred during the Japanese colonial period, the thesis ends withan exploration of how the situation has developed for blind diviners in the modern period. Thethesis utilizes four main sources: Chu (2008, 2020), Pak and Chŏng (2019), and Son (2019).With this exploration of the topic, this thesis aims to amend the lack of available literature inEnglish by exploring the phenomenon of blind diviners, especially the disability aspects oftheir existence, utilizing some of the literature available in Korean. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska blinda siares historia i Korea genom en litteraturreview av den befintliga litteraturen på koreanska inom ämnet. Uppsatsen inleder med deblinda siarnas ursprung och arbete under den förmoderna perioden, och övergår sedan till dedrastiska förändringar som inträffade under den Japanska kolonialtiden. Uppsatsen avslutasmed en utforskning av hur situationen har utvecklats för blinda siare under den modernaperioden. Uppsatsen använder fyra huvudkällor: Chu (2008, 2020), Pak och Chŏng (2019)och Son (2019). Med denna utforskning av ämnet syftar denna uppsats till att fylla ut en delav avsaknaden av litteratur på engelska, särskilt de mindre utforskadefunktionsnedsättningsaspekterna av blinda siares existens, genom att använda en del av denlitteratur som finns tillgänglig på koreanska.

Nation-building novels are novels which attempt to weave the experiences, values and richness of a variety of cultures, language groups and social contexts into a national heritage that creates a sense ofnational identity and identification for all people within a particular nation-state. This dissertation explores how Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, Keri Hulme's The Bone People and Margaret Laurence's The Diviners all use the particularly illuminating metaphor of family to explore nation-building in India, New Zealand and Canada respectively. In questioning traditional definitions of family through the image of the adopted child (or changeling in the case of Midnight's Children), the novels also explore new ways of understanding "belonging" and the "other". Since the meaning of these terms is rooted in the past, these novels also question the "truth" of the past by exposing the fallibility of memory. In chapter one a working definition of "nation" and "nation-building" is given and the vision, purpose and characteristic features of nation-building novels are discussed. Chapter two focuses on Rushdie's novel in which the metaphor of pickling is used to explore history not as a collection of hard facts but as a conglomeration of subjective, sensuous, manufactured and carefully created and preserved flavours. In chapter three Hulme's novel is discussed, particularly in relation to what is "other" and the importance of names. The narrator's idea of "commensalism" is explored as an ideal of syncrecity which does not deny individual identity. Chapter four looks at the development from consolation to contradiction to construction in the development of a hybrid national identity in Laurence's novel. Chapter five looks at the narrative techniques used in order to convey the prophetic nature of the novels' message and discusses the importance of the intertexts of each novel. Chapter six focuses on belonging as it looks at the return of each narrator to her/his symbolic or literal home. The chapter also discusses how the novels attack linearity by separating "time" and "space" (instances of social interaction) from "place" (specific geographical locations) in order to "disembed" their message to emphasise its universal applicability. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This research work is set out to investigate healing practised in Africa today. There are many ways of healing in African; others are classified as foreign because they came out of Africa especially from European influence while others are considered local or traditional. The research shall dig out the influence of what is known as foreign methods or approaches of healing in Africa today and what African healing can learn from other methods of healing practised today. There shall be contemporary stories and facts about the situation of healing today and relevant statistics where necessary. The research also comes out with appropriate suggestions on how to combat contemporary illnesses of today. This includes what should be improved and how. This work covers the whole of Africa. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This research work is set out to investigate healing practised in Africa today. There are many ways of healing in African; others are classified as foreign because they came out of Africa especially from European influence while others are considered local or traditional. The research shall dig out the influence of what is known as foreign methods or approaches of healing in Africa today and what African healing can learn from other methods of healing practised today. There shall be contemporary stories and facts about the situation of healing today and relevant statistics where necessary. The research also comes out with appropriate suggestions on how to combat contemporary illnesses of today. This includes what should be improved and how. This work covers the whole of Africa. / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Systematic Theology)

MAAS / Centre for African Studies / The study sought to explore the use of traditional healing modalities in the provision of mental illness in the Vhembe district of Limpopo province. Traditional medicine has been used for thousands of years by indigenous people in South Africa and Africa as a whole, and demonstrated efficacy in treating a wide range of health issue. Many of the medicines in contemporary biomedical treatment are derived from plants and herbs used by indigenous people throughout the world. The objectives of the study were to describe the profile of the clients that visit the traditional healers, to explain traditional healers’ diagnostic strategies of mental illness, to explain the traditional healing treatment modalities in the treatment of various forms of mental illness and to discuss traditional healers’ prevention methods of mental illness. The study was guided by indigenous theory of health and illness as a theoretical framework, and for supporting the literature, a theory of African perspective theory was used. A qualitative research approach was used in order to have an in-depth understanding of the modalities of traditional healing in the provision of mental health care. Case study approach was used. Participants were selected purposively around Vhembe district in Limpopo province and snowball sampling technique was applied in order to identify and recruit relevant participants. The researcher conducted semi -structured interviews to gather the relevant data. Data analysis was based on the interpretative philosophy that aimed at examining meaning and symbolic content of qualitative data. Thematic analysis method was employed. The findings of the study confirmed that traditional healing is still widely used in the communities in the provision of mental illness and that there are a variety of diagnostic, treatment and prevention methods in the provision of mental illness. The findings also show that as much as there are challenges facing traditional healing in treatment of mental illness, there is a need to introduce their modalities in the healthcare system of South Africa, Africa and the whole world. Programs that aim to educate the communities about traditional healing modalities should also be established by the Department of Health and the relevant stakeholders such as traditional healers’ organizations. / NRF

This study is the product, chiefly, of fieldwork, undertaken in Sierra Leone, which sought to interview and experience contemporary Limba religio-cultural practices. Using a systematic approach, the goal was to provide a broader understanding of Limba religion, as well as to discover the effect of Limba religiosity, and the tenacity with which the Limba hold to their culture and religion, on the National Pentecostal Limba Church (NPLC) over the past three decades. The study begins with an introduction, which outlines its objectives and structure, the research methods, and its general outline. This is followed by a basic introduction to the socio-history of the Limba people, their origin, environment, language, politics, economy and other socio-cultural characteristics, in order to provide an understanding of the background on which their religion is formed. The heart of the study is a detailed examination of Limba religious beliefs and their intersection with Christianity. It includes a definition of Limba religion and its components. This seeks to identify the current state of Limba religion amidst the changes it has experienced and continues to experience as a result of internal and external influences, and to provide a template for this study, an analysis of the Limba belief in a supreme creator God whom they call Kanu Masala, his epithets, attributes and activities, Limba worship and worship methods, the Limba understanding of the spirit world, humankind, sin and salvation, and the roles of sacred specialists. The study concludes with an examination of the causes of the tenacious loyalty with which some Limba Christians hold to their traditional religious beliefs and practices, their reluctance to part with them, and the effects of their dual religiosity on the NPLC, as well as the church's response, and the resulting reciprocal effects over the past three decades in Sierra Leone. This study fills a gap in the extant literature about the ethno-theological landscape of Sierra Leone, and provides a detailed study on the intersection of African Traditional Religion and Christianity. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This study is the product, chiefly, of fieldwork, undertaken in Sierra Leone, which sought to interview and experience contemporary Limba religio-cultural practices. Using a systematic approach, the goal was to provide a broader understanding of Limba religion, as well as to discover the effect of Limba religiosity, and the tenacity with which the Limba hold to their culture and religion, on the National Pentecostal Limba Church (NPLC) over the past three decades. The study begins with an introduction, which outlines its objectives and structure, the research methods, and its general outline. This is followed by a basic introduction to the socio-history of the Limba people, their origin, environment, language, politics, economy and other socio-cultural characteristics, in order to provide an understanding of the background on which their religion is formed. The heart of the study is a detailed examination of Limba religious beliefs and their intersection with Christianity. It includes a definition of Limba religion and its components. This seeks to identify the current state of Limba religion amidst the changes it has experienced and continues to experience as a result of internal and external influences, and to provide a template for this study, an analysis of the Limba belief in a supreme creator God whom they call Kanu Masala, his epithets, attributes and activities, Limba worship and worship methods, the Limba understanding of the spirit world, humankind, sin and salvation, and the roles of sacred specialists. The study concludes with an examination of the causes of the tenacious loyalty with which some Limba Christians hold to their traditional religious beliefs and practices, their reluctance to part with them, and the effects of their dual religiosity on the NPLC, as well as the church's response, and the resulting reciprocal effects over the past three decades in Sierra Leone. This study fills a gap in the extant literature about the ethno-theological landscape of Sierra Leone, and provides a detailed study on the intersection of African Traditional Religion and Christianity. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)

This study which is the product of library research and fieldwork seeks, on account of the persistent marginalisation of African Traditional Religion (ATR) in Sierra Leone by Islam and Christianity, to investigate the place of ATR in inter-religious encounters in the country since the advent of Islam and Christianity. As in most of sub-Saharan Africa, ATR is the indigenous religion of Sierra Leone. When the early forebears and later progenitors of Islam and Christianity arrived, they met Sierra Leone indigenes with a remarkable knowledge of God and a structured religious system. Successive Muslim clerics, traders, and missionaries were respectful of and sensitive to the culture and religion of the indigenes who accommodated them and offered them hospitality. This approach resulted in a syncretistic brand of Islam. In contrast, most Christian missionaries adopted an exclusive and insensitive approach to African culture and religiosity. Christianity, especially Protestantism, demanded a complete abandonment of African culture and religion, and a total dedication to Christianity. This attitude has continued by some indigenous clerics and religious leaders to the extent that Sierra Leone Indigenous Religion (SLIR) and it practitioners continue to be marginalised in Sierra Leone's inter-religious dialogue and cooperation. Although the indigenes of Sierra Leone were and continue to be hospitable to Islam and Christianity, and in spite of the fact that SLIR shares affinity with Islam and Christianity in many theological and practical issues, and even though there are many Muslims and Christians who still hold on to traditional spirituality and culture, Muslim and Christian leaders of these immigrant religions are reluctant to include Traditionalists in interfaith issues in the country. The formation and constitution of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL) which has local and international recognition did not include ATR. These considerations, then beg the questions: * Why have Muslim and Christian leaders long marginalised ATR, its practices and practitioners from interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Sierra Leone? * What is lacking in ATR that continues to prevent practitioners of Christianity and Islam from officially involving Traditionalists in the socio-religious development of the country? Muslim and Christians have given several factors that are responsible for this exclusion: * The prejudices that they inherited from their forebears * ATR lacks the hallmarks of a true religion * ATR is primitive and economically weak * The fear that the accommodation of ATR will result in syncretism and nominalism * Muslims see no need to dialogue with ATR practitioners, most of whom they considered to be already Muslims Considering the commonalities ATR shares with Islam and Christianity, and the number of Muslims and Christians who still hold on to traditional spirituality, these factors are not justifiable. Although Islam and Christianity are finding it hard to recognise and include ATR in interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Sierra Leone, ATR continues to play a vital role in Sierra Leone's national politics, in the search and maintenance of employment, and in the judicial sector. ATR played a crucial part during and after the civil war. The national government in its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report acknowledged the importance and contribution of traditional culture and spirituality during and after the war. Outside of Sierra Leone, the progress in the place and level of the recognition of ATR continues. At varying degrees, the Sociétié Africaine de Culture (SAC) in France, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), the Vatican, and the World Council of Churches, have taken positive steps to recognise and find a place for ATR in their structures. Much about the necessity for dialogue and cooperation with ATR can be learnt in the works and efforts of these secular and religious bodies. If nothing else, there are two main reasons why Islam and Christianity in Sierra Leone must be in dialogue with ATR: * Dialogue of life or in community. People living side-by-side meet and interact personally and communally on a regular basis. They share common resources and communal benefits. These factors compel people to be in dialogue * Dual religiosity. As many Muslims and Christians in Sierra Leone are still holding on to ATR practices, it is crucial for Muslims and Christians to dialogue with ATR practitioners. If Muslims and Christians are serious about meeting and starting a process of dialogue with Traditionalists, certain practical issues have to be considered: * Islam and Christianity have to validate and accept ATR as a true religion and a viable partner in the socio-religious landscape of Sierra Leone * Muslims and Christians must educate themselves about ATR, and the scriptures and teachings of their respective religious traditions in order to relate well with Traditionalists These are starting points that can produce successful results. Although at present Muslims and Christians in Sierra Leone are finding it difficult to initiate dialogue and cooperation with Traditionalists, all hope is not lost. It is now the task of the established IRCSL to ensure the inclusion of ATR. Islam and Christianity must remember that when they came as strangers, ATR, played host to them and has played and continues to play a vital role in providing hospitality, and allowing them to blossom on African soil. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D.Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)