No abstract / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

Agricultural development involves the large scale economic production of plant and animal crops through modification and exploitation of ecosystems. Since crop species themselves are integral parts of the ecosystemic complex, any effort to raise the productivity of tropical agriculture must acknowledge ecological constraints as well as the opportunities for improved production. In the tropics this fundamental principle has been overlooked in the reduction of diversity of the ecosystem through monoculture of a very few export crops. In addition to reducing ecosystemic stability this has led to reduced production of basic food staples. The rich fauna is being replaced by domestic cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Monoculture has led to the adoption techniques requiring a large energy subsidy, i.e. selective breeding programmes, fertilization, mechanization and irrigation. Although the approach has proved conceptually sound in temperate regions and results in some practical benefits in the tropics, it has had a disastrous impact on the socio-economic stability of the traditional society. Undernourishment, poverty and the social unrest which have characterised Ghana in recent past are inevitable consequences of the mismanagement of agriculture. The underlying hypothesis of the study is that the development of tropical agriculture within an ecologically sound framework is a fundamental pre-requisite to modernizing the system, to increasing productivity and to providing a sound basis for agricultural development planning in West Africa. Properly implemented it would safeguard the future of tropical agriculture and the environment. This study is based on an examination of available literature, information from a mailed questionnaire and personal familiarity with the study area. Since most of the data refer to Ghana, I have focussed on the Ghanaian situation while drawing on experience from elsewhere. An ecological approach to tropical agricultural development is described, followed by a comparative study of systems of production in the tropical and temperate zones. This permits an assessment of the impact of the "Green Revolution" on tropical agrarian systems and reforms. The consequences of mismanagement of tropical agricultural development are assessed with respect to socio-economic and political difficulties. Most of the source data support the hypothesis. Suggestions are made to redress the underlying causes of low tropical agricultural production. It is the conclusion of this thesis that tropical agriculture can be best developed by recognising the nature of tropical ecosystems. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

In 1949 the newly created Federal Republic of Germany lacked freedom of action. The country was under Western Allied occupation, its new Government under supervision by the Allied High Commission. After coming to office in September 1949, chancellor Konrad Adenauer was determined to achieve West Germany's firm anchoring in the Western community, sovereignty, political, economic, and military security, and Western European integration. However, his later success should not obscure the fact that his policy was risky. In 1949-50 his course was complicated by the Saar issue, sparse Allied granting of sovereign rights, the rearmament question, and the problem of German unity. Meanwhile, the Opposition social Democrats under Kurt Schumacher criticized the concessions to the Allies and, as western integration assumed a quicker pace, stressed the primacy of German unity. Even members of the Bonn Cabinet started to doubt a policy that seemed likely to solidify German division. The West German press mirrored and judged the domestic fight over foreign policy. Four of the five leading publicists examined in this study tended to support economic and political integration in Western Europe, while not prepared to cede to French interests and to renounce German claims on the Saar, they did support the Petersberg Agreement on dismantling, accession to the Council of Europe, and involvement in the Schuman Plan negotiations. The issue of German unity played a limited role in their editorials. Two pundits, Paul Sethe and Hans Baumgarten, never mentioned it, while two others, Richard Tungel and Ernst Friedlaender, believed that western integration offered perspectives to regain East Germany in the future. Moreover, Schumacher's opposition found little positive echo. Only Rudolf Augstein and Sethe at times backed similar policies to that of the SPD. Although the broad tenets of Adenauer's course were accepted, there was consistent criticism of his diplomatic methods, in fact, in the spring of 1950 three commentators called on the Chancellor to surrender diplomatic affairs to someone else. Amongst the editorialists examined, only Augstein advocated a neutralist policy, hoping it would facilitate German unification. However, he did not sufficiently discuss the great risks associated with German neutrality. Augstein was also the only commentator to oppose West German rearmament categorically. Although none of the commentators supported outright rearmament, the pundits backed a para-military federal police against the perceived East German threat. The question of direct remilitarization was ignored or made dependent on Allied concessions. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

This thesis presents the first extended ethnographic account of a popular professional theatrical form and life-style—the jatra of West Bengal, India. The research material presented and analysed was collected from 1970-1972 in West Bengal and the immediately surrounding states of Assam, Orissa and Bihar. The cognitive universe of the jatra jagat (world), the cultural practice of the jatra business, and the interactional constraints operating among the various categories of people within the jatra profession, are described and interpreted. In addition, this thesis presents the first systematically and anthropologically annotated translation of a popularly performed jatra play, Pariah Paiser Pvithibi (The World for F-ive Paisa). The central point of the thesis revolves around an interpretation of the concerns of the professional jatra business—an aesthetic business, the business of cultural performance. The argument is that this performance form, from its asserted putative origin, has been a critical and self-reflective commentary on Bengali social and cultural life. The jatra is inextricably bound within the existential and cultural dilemmas of Bengali life, dilemmas and contradictions that traditionally were resolved at both metaphysical and practical levels. Now that the jatra is embedded within a capitalist business world, critical commentaries and revolutionary desires remain unresolved within the profession itself. In spite of this, the jatra remains critical of both itself and Bengali social and cultural life, embedded as it is in the current context of feared and despised Western cultural imperialism and internal domination. The anthropological interpretation and analysis presented in the thesis is informed from a number of sources; the views expressed by people within the jatra world, the work in anthropology that currently goes under the heading of 'symbolic anthropology', critical theory and literary criticism, and semiotics. With these points of view in mind, the thesis presents an analysis of the jatra advertising system, the jatra performance system, and a larger peripatetic performance system, as well as a statement about the interpretation of meaning in Bengali life. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Unknown

"The procedure followed in writing this paper has been to read and analyze these significant publications of Rebecca West and all available information concerning her life. Publications and their editions were identified in The United States Catalog, Cumulative Book Index, and the Library of Congress Catalogs. Bibliographic tools used in the search for biographical information include Essay and General Literature Index, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, International Index to Periodical Literature, New York Times Index, and Biography Index"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-79).

"Today, more than seventeen years after his death, West's novels are beginning to appear in selection lists, and his reputation as a writer has been firmly established. The purpose of this paper is to present evidence in support of the contention that West's novels now deserve a place on the shelves of every major academic and public library. The body of the study is concerned with the growth of his literary reputation and with the recent accelerated interest in his works as indicated by the appearance of their titles in creditable selection aids and other important reference tools"--Introduction. / Carbon copy of typescript. / "August, 1958." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Sarah Rebecca Reed, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references.

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This dissertation details and contextualizes the changing nature of obsidian circulation and use in the West Mediterranean from the sixth to second millennia B.C., with a particular focus on the reflexive relationship between obsidian consumption and long-term socio-economic processes. Central themes in this work include, a) the significance of exchange and long-distance relations in the creation and maintenance of social distinction, b) the specific role of obsidian circulation and consumption in these processes, and c) a longue durée investigation of the history of obsidian use and maritime activity in the West Mediterranean from the Neolithic through Bronze Age. Methodologically this is achieved through, a) the compilation and interrogation of a database of regional obsidian studies over the past 50 years, and b) the generation of new primary data via the typological analysis of 6,895 obsidian artifacts from 46 archeological sites in Sicily and Sardinia, 2,103 of which were also elementally characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry to determine their geological source. Central to this work is the idea that obsidian ‘characterization’ studies represent a powerful means of engaging with major social science questions, where a particular regional dataset can be used to contribute to debates of global significance. Thus, while the focus of this work is on obsidian consumption in the West Mediterranean, its implications are far-reaching. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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No description available.