Between incurably degenerative illness and the graffiti which ignited the Syrian Civil War, YOUR TURN, DOCTOR complicates hope. When myths of revolution, of wellness, no longer console—love as measured in anything but loss. Within a multidisciplinary project how an increasingly painful embodiment intersects the material excess of capitalism is explored. Can objects function as a political demand, necessitating changes in the way the world is ordered? Who for? To understand one kind of oppression in necessary sterility and another in marginalization so profound blindness can result. That is to ask, how long must one be told they do not see a thing they see before they don’t, before transgressions become norms? A list of "Indulgences" modeled loosely after Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses outlines content. Five sections reference the five pillars of Islam— with each containing nineteen individual proposals. Nineteen serves as the common denominator for the mathematical structure of much of the text of the Quran.

<p>This dissertation explores how the contemporary Anglophone novel asks its readers to imagine and respond to disposable life as it emerges in our present-day biopolitical landscape. As the project frames it, disposable life is not just life that is disposed of; it is life whose disposal is routine and unremarkable, even socially and legally sanctioned for such purposes as human consumption, scientific knowledge-production, and economic and political gain. In the novels considered, disposability is tied to excess--to the "too many" who cannot be counted, much less individuated on a case-by-case basis. </p><p>This project argues that the contemporary novel forces a global readership to confront the mechanisms of devaluing life that are part of everyday existence. And while the factory-farmed animal serves as the example of disposable life par excellence, this project frames disposability as a form of normalized violence that has the power to operate across species lines to affect the human as well. Accordingly, each chapter examines the contemporary condition of disposability via a different figure of disposable life: the nonhuman (the animal in J. M. Coetzee's The Lives of Animals and Disgrace), the replicated human (the clone in David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go), the woman (in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy), and the postcolonial subject (the victim of industrial disaster in Indra Sinha's Animal's People and political violence in Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost). Chapter by chapter, the dissertation demonstrates how the contemporary novel both exposes the logic and operations of disposability, and, by mobilizing literary techniques like intertextual play and uncanny narration, offers up a set of distinctively literary solutions to it. </p><p>The dissertation argues that the contemporary novel disrupts the workings of disposability by teaching its audience to read differently--whether, for instance, by destabilizing the reader's sense of mastery over the text or by effecting paradigm shifts in the ethical frameworks the reader brings to bear on the encounter with the literary work. Taken together, the novels discussed in this dissertation move their readership away from a sympathetic imagination based on the potential substitutability of the self for the other and toward a form of readerly engagement that insists on preserving the other's irreducible difference. Ultimately, this project argues, these modes of reading bring those so-called disposable lives, which are abjected by dominant social, economic, and political frameworks, squarely back into the realm of ethical consideration.</p> / Dissertation

The music of John Adams (b. 1947) exemplifies a reinvestment in traditional instrumental genres and musical values that began to take place in contemporary music in the late 1970s and early '80s. His Harmonielehre for orchestra (1984-85) meets many of the conditions of the symphonic genre, including its scoring for full orchestral forces, its multi-movement structure, its presentation of contrary, dialectical melodic gestures, and its dramatic thematic and harmonic conflict. It is thus ironic that Adams would title his composition after a treatise written by Arnold Schoenberg, a figure whose break from the musical past inspired many of the complex and experimental musical models that arose between the publication of his own Harmonielehre (1911, rev. 1922) and that of Adams. But to conclude that Adams' composition is a statement about tonality is perhaps over-simplistic. Examination of the two works reveals more similarities between the composers' artistic philosophies than differences. This dissertation is an attempt to expose these similarities in order to discover the motivations behind Adams' curious decision to title his composition after Schoenberg's treatise, and to gain a deeper understanding of the artistic priorities shared by both composers that arises from the interrelationship between their respective Harmonielehren. Adams' title is partly a marker of the types of Romantic-era stylizations that pervade his score. But I argue that the relationship between the two Harmonielehren is not merely cursory. Prevalent themes within Schoenberg's prose can inform the analysis and interpretation of Adams' composition. Adams draws on Schoenberg's treatise as a signifier of his creative identification, one that both complements and departs from the creative model presented in Schoenberg's text. Both Harmonielehren confront the aesthetic expectations of their individual times and places, but while Schoenberg centers his creative identification in a discourse of restless inquiry into new materials and models of musical expression, Adams seemingly subscribes to Schoenberg's presentation of composition as craft, as the working-with and fitting-together-of the pre-existing sound vocabularies of music.

This paper is about a confessional painting series, which appropriates Abstract Expressionist techniques, and is on geometric canvas reliefs. The main focus through out the series is the process of my recovery from a traumatic event and the process of the creation of a language through abstraction.

The basic, universal movement of the running body has been repeated and made visible in aesthetic, scientific, and political debates. Such debates of the body may depend on live movements in real space-time, movements articulated by motion capture devices, or movements that exercise in imagination: a head of state who uses the running body to manipulate his political subject, for example, or a series of images taken from an optical motion capture system that simultaneously represents and dissects movement patterns of the body in its swiftest motions, or a sound art installation that voices the familiar dynamics of running steps and heavy breathing. In each instance, the bodily practice of running is extracted from its seemingly unmediated everyday, placed instead within aesthetic methodologies and technologies to scrutinize the movement and its complex of meanings. This action is meant to reveal that real experience-that nonfictional movement, as it were-of the body running, to see into the rhetorical, cultural productions of our public, bodily realities. I begin this inquiry by defining the term "running body" and examining the manner in which that body was scientifically observed and aesthetically codified in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then, the running body is investigated in experimental choreography, visual arts, and political demonstrations in the 1960s and 1970s. Thirdly, I will address the use of the actual running body within contemporary art exhibitions, as either an intervention or interruption to accustomed meaning-making within traditional spaces for art. At the dissertation's end will be an exploration of the running body as a critical method for reorienting the narrative of contemporary history with image technologies, art installation devices, and the moving body. This study demonstrates that if, at the very base of our existence, our bodies move the world and, in turn, the world around us moves our body, this same reciprocity can hold true in shaping historical consciousness and self-consciousness.

Broadly, the study examines the argument that education potentially contributes to violent conflict or, on the contrary, acts as a mediating factor in the reconstruction of divided or fragmented societies; indeed, as a driver for peace and unity. It looks at the case of Sierra Leone, a country emerging from a decade-long civil war (1991–2002). There are four aims to the study: <ul><li>(1) To examine, by drawing on a number of disciplines, the theoretical explanations of what puts societies at risk of violent conflict;</li><li>(2) Using these interdisciplinary perspectives, to identify the features of educational systems that are considered to be associated with or give rise to violent conflict;</li><li>(3) To examine which of these characteristics are present in post-conflict Sierra Leone; and</li><li>(4) Based on the findings, to formulate a number of general theoretical propositions about the characteristics of educational systems that might put society at risk of conflict.</li></ul> The research question for the study is: Which features of the educational system in Sierra Leone might put the country at risk of further conflict? Importantly, the research question is approached theoretically; a study attempting to demonstrate this solely empirically would not be feasible. The study adopts a robust interdisciplinary approach. It seeks explanations across the social sciences for the causes of violent conflict and identifies three theories that bear upon the key features that characterise many contemporary conflicts, i.e. ethnicity or cultural identities, status as a low-income country, and ‘fragile’ or failing states. The explanations revolve around the theories of: 1) ‘horizontal inequalities’ by Frances Stewart; 2) the ‘opportunity cost of rebellion’ by Paul Collier et al.; and 3) the role of state and ruling elites by Robert Bates. The study, then, together with an analysis of education and its relationship to conflict, creates an interdisciplinary theoretical and conceptual framework on the characteristics of educational systems associated with a risk of violent conflict. Methodologically, the study examines the educational system of post-conflict Sierra Leone as a case study, focusing on young people’s experiences, perceptions, and expectations of education. Three groups of young people with different educational experiences in Makeni city are selected as principal cases: (1) 15 students in a secondary school; (2) 15 students in technical and vocational training; and (3) 10 out-of-school informants. Additionally, 49 adult key informants were interviewed (among which 34 were ultimately analysed) and documentary analyses were conducted. The findings from the study reveal a number of features in the educational system in Sierra Leone (in areas such as access, curriculum, and governance) that the theoretical lens adopted in the study suggests as being associated with a risk of violent conflict. The analysis that follows seeks to further elucidate these features and recognise their complexity. The analysis is enriched by the perspectives and experiences of the beneficiaries of education who participated in the study. This sets it apart from other studies. The limitation of the study lies in the fact that it cannot demonstrate a causal relationship between the features of education and possible further violent conflict in Sierra Leone (a challenge most studies of this kind would face). The study does, however, offer a rich theoretical and conceptual framework and a robust set of theoretical propositions in relation to the question it poses. In contribution to the field and the growing literature on this topic, the study offers a theoretical and conceptual base for future research tackling the role of education in violent conflict and for building (and modifying) knowledge on the topic.

Dance has attracted little scientific interest on the effects of physical fitness improvements on performance and injury severity, particularly with respect to contemporary dance. The main aims of the current work were: a) to observe the physical demands of dance performance; b) to develop a reliable dance-specific performance tool; c) to assess the association between selected physical fitness parameters and performance in contemporary dance by using a new reliable method (AC test); d) to assess selected physical fitness parameters in relation to injury severity in contemporary dance; e) to study the effects of increased fitness parameters on performance through a randomized controlled trial. A total of 50 performances, performed by 20 dancers, were monitored by using a portable accelerometers (SWA armbands) and heart rate monitors while 45 performances in DVDs were video analysed. Six dancers and two dance teachers were recruited to test a newly developed performance tool. A sample made of 41 dancers were recruited and assessed for aerobic fitness (DAFT), lower body muscular power (jump height test), upper body muscular endurance (press-ups test), flexibility (active and passive hip ROM), body composition (skinfolds), performance (n=17) and injury severity (n=16). In order to investigate the effects of the supplementary fitness training on performance, 24 of the total 41 dancers, were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n=12) or control (n=12) group. The intervention group undertook a specifically designed exercise-training programme (circuit and WBV training) lasting six weeks. Both groups were re-tested for physical fitness levels and performance at the end of the intervention period. Results revealed that performance intensities varied from light to moderate while these were observed with the use of pliés and jumps as well as lifting other dancers. Based on the seven most frequently used criteria by selected pre-professional contemporary dance institutions and companies, a novel performance tool (AC tool) was developed with an inter-rater reliability of r=0.96. There was a significant correlation between aesthetic competence (AC) scores and jump ability (r=0.55) and press-ups (r=0.55), respectively. Stepwise backward multiple regression analysis revealed that the best predictor of AC was press-ups (R2=0.30, p=0.03, 95% confidence intervals=0.11–1.34). Univariate analyses also revealed that the interaction of press-ups and jump ability improved the prediction power of AC (R2=0.44, p=0.004, 95% confidence intervals=0.009–0.04). Pearson’s correlation coefficients detected significant negative correlations between the mean score recorded for injury severity (expressed as TDO) and lower body muscular power (r=-0.66; p=0.014); backward regression analysis also revealed that, from all studied parameters, the strongest predictor of TDO was lower body muscular power (p=0.014). For the intervention group repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant increases (pre vs. post) in aerobic fitness (p<0.05), lower body muscular power (p<0.05), upper body muscular endurance (p<0.05) and performance (p<0.05). Linear regression analyses indicated that the only significant predictor of AC was aerobic capacity (F=7.641; p=0.03); the interaction of press-ups and aerobic capacity (F=6.297; p=0.036), and lower body muscular power with aerobic capacity (F=5.543; p=0.05) demonstrated an improved prediction power. These results show that the observed contemporary dance performance is an intermittent type of activity of moderate intensity. Given the reliability of the AC tool, it is concluded that upper body muscular endurance and jump ability best predict AC of contemporary dancers. Reduced lower body muscular power is associated with increased severity of injuries. Finally, supplementary exercise training significantly increases lower body muscular power, upper body muscular endurance and aerobic fitness, which in turn are beneficial to improve AC of contemporary dancers.

This study examines British television situation comedy over the last fifteen years and analyses the genre as part of a discourse about the nature of modernity. In this period globalisation, technology and the rapid reassessment of formerly established social structures have created new modes of everyday existence that represent significant changes to people’s lives. The thesis argues that contemporary sitcoms address these shifts in social understanding and anxieties about contemporary British life. A wide range of texts are discussed, four in particular detail; Peep Show, Love Soup, Saxondale and Home Time; which explicitly try to form a dialogue with their audience about living in modernity. The thesis largely takes a methodological approach from Television Studies, referencing scholars from the discipline, in particular John Ellis’s concepts of “working through” and employing a significant amount of textual analysis. Chapter two looks at the context of television in this changing world and chapter three analyses how sitcom as a genre has redefined its forms. Chapter four identifies the importance of ‘tone’ in comedy and analyses how modernity demands new modes of address for comedy to meet the expectations of its audience. The study demonstrates how texts balance new approaches with continuities drawn from the existing sitcom tradition. In order to interrogate the nature of social change and its effects, chapter one engages with the work of a number of social theorists. In particular it analyses the recent writings of Richard Sennett and Zygmunt Bauman, who identify contemporary life as “the culture of the new capitalism” and “liquid modernity” respectively. They consider how such change might affect how individuals feel about themselves and their place in society. Throughout, the thesis demonstrates how this work might be applied to the study of sitcom and combines social theory with a detailed analysis of this television form in transformation, arguing that sitcom remains a resonant site for audiences to participate in a productive discourse about how we live today.

Ce mémoire s'attarde à la notion d'hyperréalisme en littérature contemporaine et à son incarnation spécifique dans trois romans de Suzanne Jacob : L'Obéissance (1991), Rouge mère et fils (2001) et Fugueuses (2005). Le recours à la théorie et à l'histoire de la peinture est essentiel puisque l'hyperréalisme est d'abord endossé par l'art pictural. De plus, la peinture, la photographie, le cinéma, la musique, la télévision, la sculpture, l'architecture et la littérature sont autant de médiations fortement présentes dans le roman hyperréaliste. Cette présence multiple des médias est essentielle au caractère hyperréaliste d'une œuvre ; la tentative d'intégrer le réel passe par un détour représentationnel. Les manifestations stylistiques et narratives de l'hyperréalisme sont associées à l'intégration de formes empruntées à d'autres arts ou médias comme la fugue et le fait divers. Les effets de l'hyperréalisme sur la narration se manifestent également par un éclatement des focalisations, en témoignent la fragmentation narrative ainsi que l'importance accordée au détail. Enfin, l'hyperréalisme joue sur une tension constante entre continuité et rupture. Les conséquences sont à envisager dans une sorte d'appréhension du réel, tant par le personnage que par le roman, qui doivent composer avec une multiplicité de représentations. / This Master's thesis studies the concept of hyperrealism in the context of contemporary literature. It focuses more specifically on the ways it is expressed in three novels written by Suzanne Jacob : L'Obéissance (1991), Rouge mère et fils (2001) and Fugueuses (2005). An overview of the history and theoretical aspects of pictural art is essential to understand hyperrealism for the latter is intertwined with this art form. When taking a closer look at the hyperrealistic novel, one will notice the abundance of media references (i.e. pictural art, photography, cinema, music, television, sculpture, architecture and literature). This occurrence of multiple medias and the depiction of the real through mediated representations are essential components of hyperrealistic works. Style and narrative are intimately related to these medias and art forms. The Hyperrealist novel hence will feature complex and particular narrative structures characterized by juxtaposed focalizations, narrative fragments and importance given to fine detail. Finally, the hyperrealist novel employs continuity and fragmentation. It features characters and author composing with these complex representations wich will eventually lead them to demonstrate skepticism and doubt when apprehending the real.

The purpose of this investigation is to provide a preliminary critical study of a contemporary Texas novelist. Edwin Shrake. No critical studies on his works have been published; therefore, the sources of data for the paper are limited to the novels and reviews of the books. One chapter is devoted to each of Shrake's major works-- But. Not for Love, Blessed McGill, and Strange Peaches. The plot, characterization, themes, regionalism, and artistic techniques of each novel are studied, and the strengths and weaknesses of each are discussed in order to determine its literary merit. The study concludes that Shrake is a regional novelist whose use of a limited setting does not limit the impact of his books. Through his universal themes, Shrake creates novels that are international in scope.