The basis of this thesis is a study of the ninth-century portion of the Liber Vitae of Durham (London, British Library, Cotton Domitian VII). This is a list of names of those who were remembered in the liturgy and prayers of the community of St. Cuthbert, who were resident at Lindisfarne at the time when the greater part of the list was written. The aim of this thesis is to discover what information the Liber Vitae can provide about religion, society, and politics in Northumbria in the seventh to ninth centuries, with particular regard to the role of St. Cuthbert's community in Northumbria. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the Liber Vitae; the second part focuses more on St. Cuthbert's community. Each part consists of three chapters. The first is a description of the manuscript; and the second looks at its purpose, with particular stress on the liturgical aspects of "libri vitae". This chapter also contains a comparison of the Liber Vitae with eight other early commemoration books. The third chapter looks more closely at the information contained in the Liber Vitae, based on the identification of the names in the book. Chapter Four is the first chapter of Part Two and comprises a description and discussion of St. Cuthbert's community and the sites included in its "familia". Chapter Five studies the community's relations with other ecclesiastical centres, and Chapter Six is a discussion of Northumbrian politics in the seventh to ninth centuries and the community's place in this world. Within the thesis certain topics are brought out - the importance of groups within the society of the time, and in particular kinship groups; a study of the royal families who competed for power in Northumbria; the wide range of Lindisfarne's contacts; a reassessment of Lindisfarne's relations with the Irish after 664; and the connection between the Liber Vitae and the promotion of the cult of St. Cuthbert.

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Comparative approaches in historic preservation usually involve two or more different buildings. The old Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts allows for a comparative approach with the same building, but in two different eras: one where the clamor to replace the library building came close to resulting in its destruction (1960s); the other, 35 years later, where the question of the building’s survival was never in doubt, never even raised (2000s). From its earliest days, serious design and workmanship flaws have plagued the structural integrity of the monumental Victorian Gothic building that stands in the center of Pittsfield. Its grand space proved inadequate for the functioning of a public library. Yet it continues to survive, and in 2014, another major preservation project is underway to address the bulging of the masonry on the front façade. A narrative of the history of this building reveals broader trends in public attitudes towards the preservation of our cultural heritage, and insights into the contributing elements that provide justification for preservation as well as into the role of the public historian in connecting preservation with the community.

In order to eradicate the legacy of the past, the South African democratic government adopted a developmental approach to local government. The White Paper on Local Government (WPLG)(1998:17) defines developmental local government as government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways of meeting their social, economic and material needs and of improving their quality of life. A developmental approach aims to enhance the skills and capacity of community members by promoting their participation in their own development process (Theron, 2005a:120). TheIntegrated Development Plan (IDP) awards an opportunity to both the municipality and the community to work together on issues of local development. The aim of this study was to determine the role of community participation in the IDP process of Govan Mbeki Municipality. A qualitative research approach was followed in which data was gathered through document analysis and focus group interviews. The respondents in the study comprised eight community members and six municipal representatives. The key findings of the study indicated contrasting views between the community and the municipality’s perspectives in particular with regard to the role of the community during the prioritisation of needs and the decision-making processes. Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the researcher made recommendations and provided guidelines for the implementation of community participation in the IDP. The researcher concluded that in order for community participation to have maximum impact, local government is obliged to create an enabling environment for participation which includes amongst others addressing the institutional obstacles and the capacity gaps within the community. The researcher finally recommended that these roles be implemented, evaluated and integrated in the current IDP process as undertaken by Govan Mbeki Municipality. / Dissertation (MSD (Social Development and Policy ))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted