This dissertation examines Vivekananda (1863-1902) as an itinerant monk rather than the nationalist ideologue he has become in recent scholarship. Historians have approached Vivekananda as either a pioneer of Hindu nationalism or as the voice of a universalist calling for service to humanity. Such labelling neglects the fact that he predominantly navigated between those polarised identities, and overlooks the incongruities between his actions and his ideas. By contextualising his travels within various scales of history, this dissertation puts Vivekananda's lived life in dialogue with his thought, as articulated in his correspondence and speeches. It shows that purposeful movement characterised Vivekananda's life. Instead of searching for enlightenment, he travelled throughout the subcontinent as a wandering monk to territorialise spirituality. He carved out his own support base in Madras to reclaim the region from the Theosophical Society, and dwelled in native courts to accrue the patronage of native princes to build the Ramakrishna Math and Mission with him at the helm. His web of princely patronage also carried him to the Parliament of the World's Religions (World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893), as a representative of 'Hinduism' rather than a Hindu representative of a religious community or organisation. His rise to fame at the Parliament also unfolded through spatial dynamic. His performance triggered highly gendered and disordered spectacle, which starkly contrasted with the British Royal Commission's obsession with discipline at the main Exposition. Furthermore, his speeches painted an anti-colonial geography of fraternity, and instilled new malleable subjectivity in his western female followers. After his death, his life and ideas continued to challenge the colonial state's distinction between 'spirituality' and anarchism. Thus, Vivekananda territorialised spirituality in both India and America not only by travelling, but also by inhabiting the interstices of empire. By examining Vivekananda through space, this dissertation creates a new template for contextualising Vivekananda in national, imperial, and international histories, leading to new insights on the man, his ideas, and his legacy.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-16T19:13:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 luizmarioferreiracosta.pdf: 905100 bytes, checksum: 17d1d1171ea0e5eb914120d6cc350cee (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-17T11:11:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 luizmarioferreiracosta.pdf: 905100 bytes, checksum: 17d1d1171ea0e5eb914120d6cc350cee (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-17T11:11:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 luizmarioferreiracosta.pdf: 905100 bytes, checksum: 17d1d1171ea0e5eb914120d6cc350cee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-17 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A proposta de pesquisa está na análise da relação transnacional estabelecida entre duas duplas de intelectuais luso-brasileiros, Alfredo Pimenta e Gustavo Barroso, Plínio Salgado e Rolão Preto, durante a primeira metade do século XX. Para isso, utilizaremos os recursos metodológicos da história transnacional, cujos enfoques centrais são os subsídios e as estruturas imaginárias que transbordavam as fronteiras dos seus respectivos países. Sendo assim, o primeiro propósito refere-se à escolha de momentos específicos em suas trajetórias político-ideológicas que melhor sintetizam o processo de construção do “intelectual-herói”, termo que, em última instância, revelava o sonho dos quatro intelectuais de construírem uma autoimagem imaculada, e que em muitas ocasiões se confundia com o modelo empregado nas histórias escritas sobre os heróis míticos, sagrados ou profanos. A investigação busca um exame do principal bem simbólico e/ou produto cultural elaborado por este tipo de intelectual, a palavra escrita, que foi consumada pela apropriação das essências narrativas do Caramuru e do Sebastianismo e (re)significada através dos mitos contemporâneos da Conspiração e da Salvação. Assim, busca-se, por um lado, realizar uma análise transnacional entre as categorias míticas lusitanas e brasileiras e, por outro, estabelecer um ponto de interseção entre os mitos políticos, que estiveram presentes nos projetos intelectuais autoritários de construção do Estado aquém e além mar. / The research proposal is the transnational relationship analysis established between two pairs of Luso-Brazilian intellectuals, Alfredo Pimenta and Gustavo Barroso, Plínio Salgado and Rolão Preto during the first half of the twentieth century. For this, we will use the methodological resources of transnational history, whose approaches main are the subsidies and the imaginary structures that overflowed the borders of their respective countries. So, the first purpose refers to the choice of specific moments in their political and ideological trajectories that best summarize the process of building "intellectual hero", a term that fundamentally revealed the dream of these four intellectuals of build an immaculate selfimage, that in several occasions was confused with the model used in the stories written about mythical heroes, sacred or profane. The investigation quest an examination of the main and symbolic and / or cultural product produced by this type of intellectual, the written word, which was consummated by the appropriation of narratives essences of Caramuru and Sebastianism and (re) signified through contemporary myths of Conspiracy and Salvation. Thus, we seek the one hand, hold a cross-country analysis of the Lusitanian and Brazilian mythical categories and on the other, establish a point of intersection between the political myths, which were present in authoritarian intellectual projects of state-building and short overseas.

This dissertation asks why the system of time measurement set up towards the end of the nineteenth century took the form that it did. The answer is partially dependant on the advent of new technologies such as railways, steamships, and telegraphs. However, instead of focusing on a teleological story of technological progress, this dissertation derives its answer by examining the social, political, and cultural context of the individuals involved. The dissertation uses the 1884 International Meridian Conference as a case study to suggest that time reform was driven by professional context more than by technological imperatives or national interest. Astronomers and engineers came to the conference with very different visions for modern timekeeping. Using a constructivist lens, this dissertation examines the decision-laden process by which temporal knowledge was constructed. Questions about the very nature of accurate time was at the heart of the debate: was time a public good, a commodity, or a specialized tool? The answers to these questions depended heavily on one’s profession, and as a result the conference, directed by astronomers who preferred time as a specialized tool, rejected standard time as a broad reformation of civil timekeeping for the public. The process of construction continued after the conference as well, as the universality of standard time became wrapped up with the heightened accuracy required by specialized astronomical time. Entrepreneurs latched on to this, selling accurate time as a desirable symbol of modernity, while at the same time large numbers of people continued to use older timekeeping methods that were more convenient. New timekeeping methods did not sweep aside the old, leaving timekeeping a more complex, rather than a simplified, process. The standard time system which emerged from this complexity was far from inevitable, and in fact remained largely incomplete. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation asks why the system of time measurement set up towards the end of the nineteenth century took the form that it did. While partially dependent on new technologies such as railways and telegraphs, timekeeping was shaped more directly by the cultural context of the individuals involved. The dissertation uses the 1884 International Meridian Conference as a case study to suggest that time reform was driven by professional norms more than by national interest or changes in technology. Astronomers and engineers came to the conference with very different visions for modern timekeeping. Indeed, questions about the very nature of accurate time was at the heart of the debate: was time a public good, a commodity, or a specialized tool? The answers to these questions depended heavily on one’s profession, and as a result the standard time system that emerged was far from inevitable, and in fact remained incomplete.

Tout au long du XIXe siècle et jusqu’au début du XXe siècle, des gens d’Église membres des communautés religieuses quittent la France pour rejoindre le Canada. Ils franchissent l’Océan Atlantique pour suivre la voie missionnaire, accomplir une carrière ecclésiastique et professionnelle, ou pour préserver une vocation religieuse menacée par la politique anticléricale d’un gouvernement. Ce phénomène particulier, négligé par l’histoire religieuse et l’histoire des migrations, alimente un système migratoire missionnaire transatlantique en marche depuis le début du XIXe siècle. À la croisée de plusieurs champs historiographiques, cette thèse propose l’étude de ce mouvement migratoire particulier, tant à l’échelle collective qu’individuelle, afin de comprendre la place qu’occupe le Canada dans le parcours migratoire des religieux français entre 1842 et 1914. / Throughout the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Catholic community members of Roman Catholic religious orders left France to join Canada. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean to follow the call of missionary appeal, to pursue an ecclesiastical and professional career, or to save a religious vocation threatened by the anticlerical policy of the French government. This particular phenomenon, neglected in religious and migration history, fueled a transatlantic missionary migration system since the beginning of the nineteenth century. At the crossroads of several historiographical fields, this thesis addresses the study of this peculiar migratory movement, both at the collective and individual level, in order to understand the place occupied by Canada in the migratory path of French clerics between 1842 and 1914.

The period between the 1750s and 1830s witnessed a major change in travel practices in Europe, moving away from the traditional Grand Tour and focusing more on natural places, their visual power, and their influence on individual emotions. Such changes meant that the Alps ceased to be seen as a natural obstacle that had to be crossed in order to access Italy, and became a place to explore and a mountainous space par excellence. This thesis addresses the importance of mental mapping in travel literature and its impact on the construction of the Alps as a transnational space, which eventually facilitated the creation of a viable touristic market in the Alps as we know it today. The first part of the thesis analyses the transformation of the Alps from a natural frontier to a border region explored by travellers and their networks. The second part discusses the consequences of these changes on mental mapping and spatial representations of the Alps by travellers: it highlights the way external visitors often had very subjective interpretations of what the Alps meant as a term and a place, and conveyed those to other travellers through travel writing. Finally, the third part of this work investigates the development of an Alpine myth as a product of these shifting mental representations: the Alps became a set of expectations, typical images, and encounters to be expected.

The aim of this master thesis is to analyze how and why Scandinavian-American history has been used in exhibitions in both Scandinavia and the United States after the end of the Great Migration. More specifically, the thesis deals with the Swedish and American exhibitions of the controversial Kensington Rune Stone, discovered in Minnesota in 1898. Despite the fact that its authenticity has been disputed by academic expertise, it has been displayed by many prominent actors. The Rune Stone is one of many purportedly pre-Columbian artifacts found in the United States. Moreover, it is an identity marker, harboring many kinds of identity constructions. The thesis therefore focuses on the meanings that the Rune Stone has been charged with since its discovery, as historical culture and in specific exhibits, on how it has been displayed, and on why it has been exhibited at  national museums in both Sweden and the United States.  The principal source materials are five exhibitions of the Kensington Rune Stone. Through an analysis of previous research about the Rune Stone, four dimensions in the historical culture surrounding the Stone have been isolated, which are used as theoretical tools in the analysis. Hence, the previous research is viewed as secondary source materials. Structured into two phases, the analysis highlights both the making of the exhibits and the public display settings. The study shows why the actors considered the Rune Stone important, which dimensions of the historical culture that were activated, and how the actors narrated the history to the public.  This master thesis argues that the Scandinavian-American use of history consists of several dimensions and should be comprehended within a transnational context. The exhibitions of the Kensington Rune Stone differ significantly from each other. From a Swedish point of view, the uses of the Rune Stone in America, as part of a “Viking discourse”, may be regarded as both vulgar and incorrect. However, this study shows that all exhibitions have had common implications. The uses of history take place within national and regional contexts and discourses, but the historical culture is hybridized and entangled across national borders. Consequently, the pre-Columbian historical culture has accompanied the Rune Stone when it moved between cultural contexts.

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In this MA thesis I want to examine if it is possible to be writing a historical narrative with other tools than words. Rufina Bazlova is a Belarusian textile artist, currently based in Prague, who is telling us her narrative about the falsified elections in Belarus held in August 2020. She does it using embroidery, strongly connected with traditional Belarusian symbols used in the crafts that has been an important source of belief in everyday life for women in Belarus since the early 11th century. What kind of narrative is the artist telling us? In what way can her embroidery be seen as cultural memories? I am using the methods formal analysis by Heinrich Wölfflin and iconography and iconology by Erwin Panofsky to explore the hidden meanings in five of Bazlovas embroidery pieces, Female solidarity, Parliament House, Streets of Belarus, Solidarity with Soligorsk and Run from a gun. They are all a part of the work of art named Belarusian Vyzyvanka. I am placing Bazlovas embroidery in the context of cultural memories by looking at them with the eyes of different researchers in the field of cultural memory studies. The thesis has a range from descripting the meaning of traditional textile symbols to implementing the methods of art history. I am continuing with placing the embroidery into the field of cultural memory studies and asking questions about freedom of speach and the political situation in Belarus today. I am looking back in the Belarusian history to find some of my answers and I am adding a transnational perspective to my examination.

No description available.

Placing coffee at the centre of its analysis, this dissertation reveals the intersections between consumption, culture, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR)’s involvement in the developing world. State planners took steps to promote coffee as a good consumed not only for its value as a stimulant but also for enjoyment. Enjoying a warm cup of coffee represented East Germans’ participation in socialist society, and in a global coffee culture. Moreover, by adopting and weaving the older ideals and traditions associated with coffee into its messages of a bright socialist future based on modernity, progress and culture, the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) used coffee as part of its long-term goals of reforming society along socialist lines. When a major frost destroyed two thirds of Brazil’s coffee trees in July 1975, causing world prices to quadruple by 1977, GDR planners faced a genuine ‘Coffee Crisis’ that challenged the state’s political well-being. The regime replaced the most affordable brand ‘Kosta’ with ‘Kaffee-Mix,’ a blend of 51 per cent coffee and 49 per cent surrogate. Vehement public rejection of the replacement necessitated the hasty conclusion of new trade deals to solve the supply problem, deals which brought the GDR into contact with the developing world in ways it had not anticipated. This project considers four case studies – the GDR’s coffee deals with Angola, Ethiopia, Laos and Vietnam, and I argue that these coffee deals reveal as much about the GDR’s engagements with the global south as they do about its own self-image as a modern state in a divided, yet globalizing world. The GDR consciously approached these relationships as an industrially developed nation needing to ‘guide’ these newly independent states toward (a socialist) modernisation. Furthermore, these trade agreements reveal the balance between pragmatism and ideology which characterized the GDR’s pursuit of coffee; ideology often informed state representatives and framed the negotiations, but pragmatic concerns generally found primacy throughout the process. The GDR invested heavily in these developing countries’ coffee industries, sending technical equipment, along with agricultural and technical experts to help these countries meet East Germans’ import needs. In Angola and Ethiopia, the GDR provided weapons for coffee, while contracts with Laos and Vietnam led to lengthy development projects to ‘modernize’ each country’s coffee industry. This investment in turn helped change the balance of the world coffee trade; the most striking example of this process was the explosion of the Vietnamese coffee industry through the 1980s, which ultimately made Vietnam the world’s second largest producer of coffee next to Brazil. The need for coffee in the GDR, then, sparked a specific expansion of its involvement in the Global South, a process that complicates scholars’ positioning of the GDR within international relations. The example of coffee and the trade agreements it spurred suggests the need to move beyond questions about the degree to which the GDR could overcome its diplomatic isolation, or the extent of East German autonomy from the Soviets, toward questions about the nature of East Germany’s own foreign policy agenda, how it saw itself in the world, and how it contributed to the processes of globalization. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This investigation contributes to studies of post 1945-Europe and the Cold War by examining the culture, economics and politics surrounding the consumption of a single commodity in East Germany, coffee, from 1945-1989. Coffee was associated with many cultural virtues and traditions which became tied to the GDR’s official image of Socialism. When the regime’s ability to supply this good was jeopardized in 1975-77, the government sought out new sources of coffee in the developing, so-called ‘Third World.’ East Germany entered into long-term trade and development projects with countries like Angola, Ethiopia, Laos and Vietnam, to secure sufficient beans to supply its own population. These trade deals connected East Germany to a much broader, globalizing economy, and led to some lasting effects on the world coffee trade.