Machiavelli&rsquo / s uniqueness and originality renders his educational direction as pertinent for times and conditions that are similar to and prevalent in ours. On the grand scale, his thought process disrupts the classical sense of philosophy, metaphysics, and religion. This disruption of the classical Western consciousness is an aim in the contemporary realm of political thought, which, starting with the extensive criticism of modernity found in the works of Nietzsche, has been developed in the realm of political thought throughout the twentieth and onto the twenty-first century. Therefore, Machiavelli &ndash / who lived 500 years ago &ndash / is nevertheless the source for productive knowledge, analysis, and prognosis for the contemporary political crisis, a crisis due to the downfall of modernity. The presupposition of latter-day modernity, as being considered the best of all possible worlds, is no longer believable. Modernity, what was once considered as being utterly unique and superior in human history, is responded to today by critiques on class domination, Western imperialism, the dissolution of community and tradition, the rise of alienation, and the impersonality of bureaucratic power. Machiavelli supplants the dominant modern consciousness through being a source for a new artistic revolution, a revolution of consciousness through a humane call for strength in facing reality, in order to re-constitute a divergent set of epistemological and ontological discoveries, which are better aligned to the condition of the present-day than those formulated by the dominant Western modern consciousness.

This study aims to explore the contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey, through a survey of the selected cases, focusing mainly on the use of traditional elements of mosque architecture. The selected cases are outstanding examples of contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey. Their architects are innovative in their design decisions and displayed their own design approach and interpretation outside the main stream of contemporary mosque design Turkey. In this framework, six mosques for every decade beginning from 1960&rsquo / s are analyzed in terms of their general architectural features and the use of traditional elements of mosque architecture in their design. Throughout the selected cases, the modification of forms and functions are studied and compared with the pre- Modern ones as well as with each other. The changed forms of obsolete elements and the introduction of new elements to their design are also discussed. By this way, a general evaluation regarding the developments and progress in contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey is proposed with reference to comparative results. On this basis, this study demonstrates that the main elements, organization schemes and planning setups of Classical Ottoman Mosque are still preserved in the selected mosque examples. The novelty brought to their design is basically the usage of modern materials and techniques and a formal exploration of mosque architecture.

A movement in literature has evolved out of the aftermath of 9/11 to confront the spectacle of terrorism perpetuated by the corporate news media and find a way to respond to terrorism in a more ethical manner. In this dissertation, I examine the influence of the media on literary production in the post-9/11 environment and how writers push back against the foreclosure of the media spectacle of terrorism. I examine a particular practice, infotainment, which crosses over from television news into literature that focuses on terrorism, and I lay out the theoretical framework for understanding literary responses to this practice. Since 9/11, the corporate media has been fixated with terrorism, and the vast amount of literature produced since the tragedy that focuses on terrorism demonstrates terrorism?s influence on literary production. I expose a theoretical basis for how literature intervenes in the spectacle of terrorism, offering a challenge to media foreclosure through an ethical engagement. Then, I examine texts in both the American and global contexts to determine how they intervene in the foreclosure and form more ethical responses. Writers like Don DeLillo and Moshin Hamid confront the unified definition of terrorism the corporate media presents by opening the subject to unanswered questions and in-depth examinations from all angles that enable responses rather than close off diverse perspectives. Literary writers strive to respond to the singular nature of each event, while positing an understanding of the plight of victims and perpetrators alike. The texts I examine each engage the foreclosure of the media spectacle of terrorism, creating a critical discourse by opening gaps, imposing ethical hesitation, reinstituting singularity, and responding to terrorism in an ethical manner. Don DeLillo posits an exemplary challenge to writers issued by terrorism in an often quoted line from Mao II: ?What terrorists gain, novelists lose. The degree to which they influence mass consciousness is the extent of our decline as shapers of sensibility and thought.? DeLillo, along with other contemporary writers, takes up this challenge in order to ethically respond to the spectacle of terrorism.

La ricerca ha individuato come elemento specifico d'interesse la ricostruzione storico-critica delle relazioni artistiche tra Italia e Germania, nel periodo compreso tra il 1918 e il 1925, nel corso del quale sono stati riscontrati gli episodi più rilevanti e i momenti originanti di sviluppi significativi per gli artisti, i galleristi e gli intellettuali coinvolti in queste relazioni. La ricostruzione storica delle vicende espositive, bibliografiche, documentarie, che hanno costituito il tessuto attraverso il quale si sono sviluppati e intrecciati i percorsi dei due ambiti culturali, è stata arricchita dall'individuazione e dall'approfondimento di alcuni aspetti e tematiche che si sono riconosciuti come ricorrenti e fondanti il dialogo artistico tra Italia e Germania nel corso del periodo preso in esame. Il primo capitolo si concentra sul quadro di riferimento storico-critico e sulle figure di mediatori che ne hanno permesso gli scambi, mentre il secondo sull'ambito delle relazioni tra Valori Plastici e la Germania. Il terzo capitolo ricostruisce le vicende di alcuni artisti tedeschi che nel periodo in questione soggiornano in Italia (Georg Schrimpf, Carlo Mense, Alexander Kanoldt, Christian Schad). L'ultimo capitolo accenna invece ad alcune ipotesi di analisi comparativa, che testimoniano del comune terreno di ricerca. / This research has been considering as a specific element of interest the historical-critical reconstruction of the artistic relationships between Italy and Germany in the period 1918-1925. During these years, it has recognized the most relevant episodes and the originating moments for meaningful developments in the following decades, for artists, galleries, intellectuals involved in these relationships. The historical reconstruction of exhibitions, publications, documents, which determined the environment for the courses of the two cultural surroundings to develop and intertwine, has been enriched by the identification and study of some aspects and themes recognized as recurring and founding for the artistic dialogue between Italy and Germany in the analyzed period. The first chapter focuses on the historical-critical frame of reference and on the figures of mediators who allowed these exchanges, while the second concentrates on the relationships between Valori Plastici and Germany. The third chapter reconstructs the Italian stays of some German artist who reside in Italy during this period (Georg Schrimpf, Carlo Mense, Alexander Kanoldt, Christian Schad). The last chapter proposes some hypotheses for comparative analysis, that testify the common ground of research.

Rezeption und Produktion sind im Medium Buch seit jeher eng miteinander verbunden. Nicht nur die Texte in einem Buch gelten als zitierfähig, sondern jedes seiner Elemente, wie die Abbildungen, die Typografie, sogar das Material eines Buches. Um selbst auch „zu produzieren“, sind dafür natürlich Orte wichtig, an denen man auf das bereits Produzierte Zugriff hat: zum Beispiel Bibliotheken.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-192).

My master's thesis explores the photographic series "This Land is Mime Land," which Shelley Niro made in 1992. Despite this work's complex form and structure, there are currently no sustained studies of this series alone, or books solely dedicated to Niro's art. Instead, "Mime Land" is often discussed in compilations that address a number of Native artists, Western feminist practices, or multiple works in Niro's oeuvre. My thesis fills this gap, as I closely investigate how "Mime Land" asks the viewer to look at visual culture, histories and Niro herself. Bell hooks's definition of the "oppositional gaze" - meaning a way of looking that challenges the conventions of visual culture by implementing the media's tools (film and photography) to construct new images of self - provides the framework for my analysis. Specifically, I contend that the subject, form and structure of "Mime Land" critically intervene in mainstream visual culture by asking the viewer to look at Native American women's identities, cultures and histories in new ways; ways that disavow the conventions of dominant visual representations and return the power over one's image to Niro, her family and community. My study demonstrates this thesis through a close consideration of the context contemporary to the work's production; a detailed examination of the photographs in the series; and an analysis of the work's overall structure.

From 1972 until 1989, the artist trio General Idea produced FILE Megazine. The first eight issues of FILE, published from 1972 – 1975, are the focus of this thesis. They stand apart from the later issues because their covers hijacked the look and iconic logo of Life magazine. The red rectangle with white block letters attracted the attention of Time Inc. and resulted in a lawsuit. Rather than fight the corporate giant, General Idea changed their logo after the autumn 1975 issue. FILE, like many artists’ magazines, is typically discussed in idealistic language that privileges the subversive or democratic intentions of the publication while neglecting its significance as a device for the promotion of community and collaboration. I argue that General Idea envisioned FILE as a utopian project intended to produce the world they sought to live in. Authors frequently employ FILE as a tool to discuss General Idea’s work, focusing on it as a mirror or archive of a larger project and emphasizing FILE’s humorous, bawdy, and irreverent aspects. In this thesis, I situate FILE in terms of its historical, art historical, and theoretical frameworks. I pay particular attention to General Idea’s early involvement in the mail art network, FILE’s relationship to 1960s and 1970s artists’ magazines and magazine art, the contemporaneous social and political climate in Canada, and General Idea’s investigation and employment of theoretical frameworks culled from Marshall McLuhan’s text The Medium is the Message and Roland Barthes’ book Mythologies. / text

In 2009, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) brought together teens and educators from exemplary museum teen programs for an unprecedented event, the National Convening for Teens in the Arts (NCTA). Prior to the Convening the ICA Teen Arts Council engaged participants in four weeks of discussions hosted on an online conversation platform. Since the 2009 event, the museum has continued to engage participants in online conversations prior to the Convening. This study examines the role of technology in the teens' experience at the 2011 National Convening for Teens in the Arts through a synthesis of interviews conducted with key educators associated with the Convening and ICA, observations, and document analysis. This research additionally examines how technology impacted the Convening as a whole. The following shows how the online conversations sparked conference dialogues and enabled the teen-driven and teen-focus environment present throughout the Convening. Also, the online conversations helped to develop a community amongst conference participants, educators and teens alike. / text

This report is an analysis of Salvador Plascencia’s first novel, The People of Paper, with relationships to current understandings of lesbian genres from queer theory, the body from disability theory, and race in relation to the characters’ migrations/transgressions across physical and figurative boundaries from Mexico to the United States. Key thinkers who have influenced my reading of the novel include Gloria Anzaldúa whose text, Borderlands/La Frontera, portrays the intersections of a multiplicity of identities across gender, sexuality, ability, nationhood, race, and ethnicity. The thinking of Chicana lesbian scholar, Catrióna Rueda Esquibel; queer scholar, Alexander Doty; and disability scholars, Rosemarie Garland Thomson and Tobin Siebers, are also integral to the report as I explore the intersections of sexuality, disability, and diaspora of key figures like the “retarded” prophet, Baby Nostradamus, and the women of paper, Merced de Papel and Liz. These figures are explored in relation to each other as well as to the readers, critic, and author as the novel is a metafictional one that lends itself to the blurring of genre boundaries. Further, as I analyze these corporeal intersections, I focus on the lesbian trope of forked tongues as a trope of queer disability as it relates to the markedly “Other” body of Merced de Papel and the lesbian triangle she forms with Little Merced and Merced as well as to the formation of a queer disability community. / text