As a marginal radical Left group, Chinese Trotskyists who were suppressed by the Communist state and other dominant political powers have rarely been mentioned in the modern and contemporary history of Chinese politics. This is what led to my academic interest in discovering the “unknown” Trotskyist history of Chinese radicalism. Compared to previous studies on Chinese Trotskyism in mainland China prior to 1952, based on newly-available archival sources and other primary materials, this thesis explores the new political emergence of Chinese Trotskyist movement in Hong Kong by investigating the Trotskyists’ role in Hong Kong’s political arena and the political dynamics of the Trotskyist activities mainly in the 1970s. As a result, this research will add something new to previous studies, and will enrich readers’ understanding of the “neglected” history of Chinese Trotskyists’ radicalism at the margin.

Analysing individual motivations, organisational characteristics, security pressures and societal factors, this thesis focuses on organisational motivations for the inclusion of female fighters during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). It examines why some of the non-state armed organisations (or militias) involved in the war included women as fighters whereas others did not. This thesis is the first comprehensive analysis of the topic, and the first study which takes into account the roles of women in all major militias involved in the war, including the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese Kataeb Party (Kataeb), Lebanese Forces (LF), Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and Amal Movement (Amal). This thesis is based on semi-structured interviews with 69 former male and female fighters, party members, civil society representatives, researchers and journalists. Fieldwork was conducted during four one- to six-week-long field visits to Lebanon between the summer of 2015 and autumn 2016. Moreover, four (auto)biographies of former female fighters were included in the analysis. This thesis argues that the main reason for female participation in the militias involved in the Lebanese civil war was women’s insistence to be included. Organisational barriers to women’s inclusion in those militias that were not entirely in favour of female participation, such as the militias of the (centre) right, was overcome due to the security context. Overall, societal opposition to female participation remained relatively high, which is why (compared with other conflict contexts) the overall number of female fighters was not higher.

Late colonial Maharashtra witnessed a proliferation of sex literature that claimed to be scientific. Sexual-health journals and books on sexual science and eugenics, as well as marriage manuals insisting on sex reforms, were produced in Marathi in considerable numbers between 1920 and 1950. Why did sex reformism blossom in Maharashtra? What was reformed in the name of sex and science? What larger purpose did this writing serve in late colonial times? The present research work answers these questions while problematising the Marathi sexual modernity articulated through this literature. In critically assessing sex reforms, my argument highlights the rearrangement of an inextricable nexus between caste and sexuality that shaped late colonial Marathi expressions of modernity. The proliferation of scientific sexuality in this process, I argue, was an upper-caste resolution of the Brahminical crisis over dominating reformism in Maharashtra. To demonstrate this, my work situates sex literature in the context of Marathi caste politics. While explaining the Brahminical crisis and its resolution through analysing sexual discourses of brahmacharya (celibacy), marriage, and obscenity, this work unpacks the making of sex reforms as a journey to create a caste-sexual subject of Marathi modernity—the respectable upper-caste man.

The innovation of enamels and enamel painting techniques on porcelain during the 1720s marked the establishment of a new type of porcelain product which soon played a significant role in Chinese porcelain consumption, both domestically and globally. Yet, the impact of this innovation on production and consumption has rarely been studied. This thesis addresses this gap by offering a historical perspective on eighteenth century Chinese enamelled porcelain, its production and consumption, both in domestic and export markets. It is demonstrated that both the Qing court and the local manufactures responded actively to new technological developments. Following the discussion on how the court and local manufactures interacted and the technology was transferred, my thesis continues to demonstrate the impact of technological innovation on the domestic and export markets. It has shown in domestic market, enamelled porcelain was not only consumed by the imperial court, as current scholarship assumed, rather it had reached a wider set of consumers. In terms of export porcelain trade, my detailed examinations and analyses of the English East India Company Records demonstrate that enamelled porcelain played significant roles over different periods. Overall, this research contributes to knowledge about enamelled porcelain consumption in eighteenth-century China and beyond, and also sheds light on the study of Chinese porcelain and the Chinese porcelain trade. The discussion on the enamelled porcelain trade between China and the English East India Company during the eighteenth century provides a detailed insight into how the Chinese porcelain trade developed and changed over time.

This study is built around two core questions. Firstly, what constitutes the formation of Kurdish identity in the Kurdistan Region-Iraq (KRI)? Secondly, what have the inner dynamics of this process been since 1991? Two major theoretical approaches are used to address these questions, namely ethno-symbolism and political discourse theory (PDT). These theories are utilised to approach the research questions on two levels: the cultural-historical and the political; and result in four major findings regarding the inner dynamics of collective identity formation in the KRI. Firstly, it is found that actors active in the process of collective identity formation are primarily nationalist political parties and intellectuals. Secondly, that Kurdish identity in the region forms around ‘Kurdish’ ethnic, cultural and historical features. Thirdly, that a large set of cultural and historical tools have been utilised to produce Kurdish identity in the KRI. Fourthly, that different forms of Kurdish identity have been produced in the KRI, meaning that Kurdishness in the region is split, fragmented, relational and crisis-ridden. This study also argues that the process of Kurdish identity formation in the KRI from 1991 to 2014 can be divided into three II historic phases. The first of these stretched from 1991 to 2003 and saw the ambiguous development of a traditional Kurdish ethno-nationalist identity; the second lasted from 2003 to 2009 and saw the development of an ambiguous Kurdish nationalist identity; whilst the third stretches from 2009 to the present and has seen Kurdish identity acquire a civic character in response to newly emerged political, social and economic conditions in the KRI. The study also combines the theoretical and methodological approaches of ethno-symbolism’s culturist approach and PDT’s social constructionism in order to develop an approach suitable for studying the complexities of Kurdish identity formation in the KRI. The resulting argument is that whilst Kurdish cultural and historical features play an essential role in producing the Kurdish identity in the KRI, this identity is produced in the discursive realm by competing social and political actors, each of which seeks to hegemonise their own particular form of Kurdish identity.

由於東南亞擁有複雜的地質歷史及海洋環境，因此生物多樣性尤其豐富。在更新世時期(Pleistocene)，海平面波動導致淺水域的陸地暴露, 繼而造成海洋盆地的分隔。在末次盛冰期(Last Glacial Maximum)，最低海平面甚至低於現今的水平120米。當時大量的土地暴露於海平面上，最大的連接加里曼丹（婆羅洲），蘇門答臘和爪哇，稱為巽他陸架(Sunda Shelf)。巽他陸架不單隔開了南中國海，西里伯斯海和蘇祿海，更分隔了印度洋和太平洋。當海平面上升，巽他陸架逐漸被海水覆蓋，附近的海洋生物於是重新佔領為淒息地。因此物種的散播和混合相信是造成東南亞地區豐富生物多樣性的原因。 / 親緣地理研究顯示，巽他陸架的出現顯著地塑造了海洋動物的基因格局(genetic pattern)。其中最突出的，是在印尼東部（西里伯斯海和弗洛雷斯海）和印尼西部（爪哇海）的動物樣本發現了明顯的基因分別。另一方面，由於海洋動物大部分都有浮游幼蟲階段，促進了遺傳的連繫(genetic connectivity)。然而，大部份的親緣地理研究都針對海洋動物，而缺乏對其他生物（例如植物及藻類）的知識。廣泛分佈於東南亞沿海海域的大型藻類馬尾藻屬(Sargassum spp.) ，有著獨特的生命史。它們有著固定的繁殖幼體(germlings)，而那些繁殖幼體卻可以依附在浮藻體(drifting fronds)上經海流傳播。這特點使它們成為一個很好的研究對象，並提供不同的視角了解該地區的親緣地理學和進化史。本論文選擇了三種在本地區最常見和分佈最廣的品種作研究，分別為匍枝馬尾藻(S. polycystum)，硬葉馬尾藻(S. aquifolium)和冬青葉馬尾藻(S. ilicifolium)。這些物種的種群結構預計會同時受到過去的地理隔離(vicariance event)和現今的海洋環流的影響。因此本研究用了三個分子標記，分別為細胞核內第二內轉錄間隔區(ITS2)，葉綠體染色體內的雙磷酸核酮糖羧化脢大小單位的間隔序列區(RuBisCo spacer)和線粒體細胞色素c氧化酶亞基-III(cytochrome oxidase subunit-III)來分析它們的種群結構。 / 研究揭示了冬青葉馬尾藻(S. ilicifolium)的種群可分為四個分支：西爪哇，南中國海，西里伯斯海/弗洛雷斯海和澳大利亞/太平洋群島，這相信是過去冰川分離的結果。這些分支重新佔領巽他陸架地區後產生了單型(haplotype)的混合。相反，匍枝馬尾藻(S. polycystum)和硬葉馬尾藻(S. aquifolium)在基因上比較同質並找不到分支。它們種群結構上的差異是由於不同的繁殖方式：冬青葉馬尾藻(S. ilicifolium)是季節性繁殖的，所以它的傳播很依賴於季候風洋流的方向；然而硬葉馬尾藻(S. aquifolium)則可以全年繁殖，這特性促進了它的傳播和基因的連繫；最後，匍枝馬尾藻(S. polycystum)能夠無性繁殖，這解釋到它相對較低的遺傳多樣性(genetic diversity)。 / 此研究首次透過東南亞馬尾藻的比較親緣地理發現不同的繁殖方式造成了種群結構的差異，並藉此提供了另一種機制來解釋該地區的進化歷史。 / Southeast Asia is well-known for its high biodiversity which is largely due to its complex geological history and present day oceanographic conditions. Fluctuating sea level during the Pleistocene resulted in exposure of land masses in relatively shallow water and isolation of marine basins. The lowest sea level at Last Glacial Maximum was 120m below present day level. This exposed a large land mass known as the Sunda Shelf which connected Kalimantan (Borneo), Sumatra and Java. South China Sea, Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea were isolated from each other while Indian Ocean was separated from Pacific Ocean. After rising of sea level, recolonization to Sunda Shelf region occurred. Population dispersal and mixing may have contributed to cause high biodiversity in the region. / Previous phylogeographical studies revealed significant genetic pattern of marine animals shaped by the emergence of Sunda Shelf. The most prominent of these was the isolation between Eastern (Celebes Sea and Flores Sea) and Western Indonesia (Java Sea). On the other hand, present oceanographic conditions also facilitated genetic connectivity among marine animals as most of them have pelagic larval stages. Most of the phylogeographical studies, however, were on marine animals. Marine macroalgae, in particular members of the genus Sargassum, are widely distributed in the coastal seas of Southeast Asia. Their unique life history patterns and restricted dispersal ability due to their immobile germlings on one hand, and unique dispersal strategy on the other hand with germlings attached on floating fronds that can be drifted by ocean currents, make them a good candidate to provide a different perspective in understanding the phylogeography and the evolutionary history of the region. Three species of Sargassum, S. polycystum, S. aquifolium and S. ilicifolium were chosen for study. They are the most common and most widely distributed canopy species in Southeast Asia. The population structures of these species were expected to be subjected to the influence of both the vicariant events in the past and the present day oceanographic circulation. Three molecular markers were used to assess the presence of any population structure, namely the nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2), plastidal RuBisCo spacer (Rbc spacer) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit-III (Cox3). / Significant structure was revealed in populations of S. ilicifolium, which could be divided into four clades: West Java, South China Sea, Celebes/Flores Sea and Australia/Pacific Islands as the result of past glacial isolation. Recolonization to Sunda Shelf occurred with admixture of haplotypes from adjacent clades. In constrast, homogeneous population was revealed in S. polycystum and in Southeast Asian population of S. aquifolium. The difference in population structure between these three species may be explained by differences in their modes of reproduction. Sargassum ilicifolium exhibits seasonal reproduction and its dispersal was highly dependent on direction of monsoon currents. On the other hand, S. aquifolium reproduces throughout the whole year which may facilitate its dispersal and genetic connectivity within Southeast Asia. Finally, S. polycystum can propagate asexually. This could have contributed to its low genetic diversity across its wide distribution range. / The present research provided the first comprehensive examination of comparative phylogeography of macroalgae in Southeast Asia with mode of reproduction found to be an important factor that significantly contributed to the structure of Sargassum populations. This study thus provided another likely mechanism to explain the evolutionary history of the region, as exemplified by the large genus Sargassum. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Chan, Sze Wai. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-138). / Abstracts also in Chinese.

2011 became a year of revolt for the Middle East and north Africa as a series of popular uprisings toppled veteran strongmen that had ruled the regions for decades. The contentious mobilisations not only repudiated orthodox explanations for the resilience of Arab autocracy, but radically asserted the 'political imaginary' of a sovereign and united citizenry, so vigorously encapsulated in the popular slogan al-shab yurid isqat al-nizam (the people want to overthrow the system). In the Republic of Yemen, revolting citizens precipitated the resignation of perennial President Ali Abd Allah Salih and demanded a fundamental reconfiguration of the prevailing social contract into a modern civil state (al-dawla al-madaniya al-haditha). It is tempting to situate the root causes of these historic citizen revolts in the political inertia and moral bankruptcy of (neo)patrimonial Arab autocracies, their neoliberal economic policies, unemployment and social inequality, a youth bulge or new media technologies - all of which doubtlessly constituted crucial enabling factors. For the historian, however, the story runs much deeper than such 'presentist' interpretations suggest. Adopting a dynamic, process-orientated approach, this doctoral dissertation examines why and how the revolutionary mobilisation in 2011 transpired in relation to Yemen's history of contentious politics. The narrative is built around the argument that the revolt was the result of three parallel, dynamic processes: the erratic and limited liberalisation process since Yemeni unification in 1990, the 'oligarchisation' of power sine the 1994 war, and the 'politics of calculated chaos' - a paradoxical propensity of the Salih regime to foster disorder and dissent in order to position itself as the defender of the republicanism and Yemeni unity. When regime changes in North Africa precipitated a shift in political opportunities, these processes culminated in the formation of a loose, temporary and heterogeneous opposition coalition that mounted a singular contentious challenge against the regime. Traditional powerbrokers, however, soon stifled the brief revolutionary moment as they politicised, co-opted and superseded the citizen movement. Loosely inspired by the histoire de la long duree, the thesis contextualises the emergence and trajectory of the Yemeni citizen revolt in the political economy imperatives, deep-seated regional divisions and collective memories of past regimes and revolutions, such as the pre-Islamic South Arabian kingdomes, the millennial Zaydi Imamates or the twin revolutions of the 1960s. It thereby revels some striking historical parallels to earlier episodes of contention in terms of longstanding demands, ideas and repertoires, which continue to constitute frameworks of reference for contemporary contentious politics.

Ip, Ho Yeung Brian. / Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-148). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 26, October, 2016). / Ip, Ho Yeung Brian.

This research focuses on the question why the East Timorese in exile after 1999 are suffering in silence. Today, many of them still live in temporary camps for more than a decade after East Timor referendum. Using Foucaultian approach in investigating the long period of history of the construction of the people in camps, and also the concept of reflexive sociology this research tries to explain the construction of victims within the trend of transitional justice in post Cold War period. The victims of structural violence are rarely recognised within the liberal human rights campaign. Following Arendt’s idea that the camp is the place where human rights and citizen right are not recognized, this research finds that Agamben’s argument that the making of camp itself is not separated from the juridical and disciplinary power is valid. Using historical narratives in three different settings Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia, Portugal, Portuguese Timor/Provinsi Timor Timor/East Timor this thesis explains the process of exclusion of different communities in different periods in particular those who are victims of modern state and also cosmopolitan solidarity in camps.

Does Max Weber's hypothesis, that says that the Protestant Ethic gave rise to rational capitalism, explain the economic modernization of South Korea? The Protestant Ethic comprises predestination, radical ("rugged") individualism, innerworldly asceticism, the work ethic, permission by the government to practice usury (exploitation of fellow man), and an assault on charity (once wealth is acquired, do not give it away). / This study surveys the history of Korea with emphasis upon the impact of Christianity as a formative and motivating force in the development of that country's rational capitalistic economy. The author analyzes the effect upon Korean society of this foreign religion, beginning with its introduction in 1784 until 1984, and summarizes its influence upon various major institutions: (1) indigenous religions, (2) family life, (3) government, (4) education, and (5) economy. / The author shows that Weber's hypothesis partially explains South Korea's economic miracle. In the case of South Korea, innerworldly asceticism, the work ethic, and radical ("rugged") individualism (as is manifested among yangban entrepreneurs) contributed to economic growth; however, predestination, an essential component of Weber's theory, plays no role. In its place, patriotic nationalism became a driving force; other essential factors were: Japan imposing state capitalism upon colonial Korea, South Korean governmental leadership's commitment to economic growth, the normalization with Japan in 1965, and favorable or expanding international economic opportunities. Usury, another essential element in Weber's theory, proved irrelevant in South Korea. Koreans had practiced usury for centuries prior to the introduction of Christianity. Also irrelevant was the need to assault charity because South Korea received foreign aid, which accounted for about 10% of her GNP per year from 1954 to 1975. / Although the role of Christianity in the economic modernization of South Korea was not as influential as anticipated, nevertheless, Weber's theory has some merits. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-05, Section: A, page: 1288. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.