Tantrische Praktiken von Meditation in Zurückgezogenheit sind auf der tibetischen Hochebene seit mindestens einem Jahrtausend verbreitet, doch ihre äußerst elitäre und geheime Natur hat ihre Erforschung bisher verhindert. Diese Dissertation definiert die vormoderne Struktur der eremitischen Tradition in Khams, die von der Ris med-Bewegung festgelegt wurde, und widmet sich der Wiederbelebung dieser Tradition im modernen Khams unter der chinesisch-kommunistischen Herrschaft. Die Fallstudie bildet die ’Ba’ rom bKa’ brgyud- "Meditationsschule von La phyi" (La phyi sgom grwa) mit Fokus auf den gTum mo-Verwirklicher Tshul khrims mthar phyin (geb. 1947), der als zeitgenössische Verkörperung des Mi la ras pa gilt. Gemäß der Dissertation liegt die rituelle und soziale Macht des tibetischen Eremiten in der Ausführung, Verkörperung und Aussöhnung von Paradoxa: das Erreichen von soteriologischen Zielen im weltlichen Leben sowie die Lösung der Dilemmas der Tibeter in Krisenzeiten. So wird Entsagung zu einer affirmativen Strategie, die Netzwerke aktiviert, die wiederum Eremiten, ihre Linien, Praktiken und Trainingsstätten seit Jahrhunderten unterstützten. Der Antrieb für soziale Ermächtigung der Einsiedler liegt in der Radikalität ihrer Entsagung, bei der nicht nur erwartet wird, Befreiung und Erleuchtung unvermeidlich zu generieren, sondern diese wie Mi la ras pa "in diesem Leib und Leben" zu verwirklichen. Eine solche wahrgenommene Transformation des Körpers durch Meditation ist entscheidend für die Befähigung der Eremiten, Widersprüche zu versöhnen und Einsiedeleien zu gründen, die als Orte für eine effektive Identitätskonstruktion und Sphären der Autonomie und Macht, die aus der lokale Geschichte und heilige Stätten gewonnen werden, dienen. Gerade in Krisenzeiten neigen Einsiedeleien dazu, Netzwerke zu bilden und zu einer alternativen Bewegung zu werden, die die etablierten Machtstrukturen umgeht oder gegen sie spricht, zugleich aber ihren religiösen Charakter behält. / Tantric practices of meditation in retreat have been prevalent across the Tibetan Plateau since at least a millennium, yet their highly elitist and clandestine nature has hitherto prevented their exploration and analysis. This thesis defines the pre-modern structure of the hermitic tradition in Khams, codified by the nonsectarian Ris med movement, but devotes most attention to the examination of its revival in contemporary Khams under the Chinese communist rule through the case study of the ’Ba’ rom bKa’ brgyud “meditation school of La phyi” (La phyi sgom grwa), centered around the cotton-clad gtum mo-accomplisher Tshul khrims mthar phyin (b. 1947), eulogized as the contemporary embodiment of Mi la ras pa. The main claim of this dissertation is that the ritual and social power of the Tibetan hermit lies in the performance, embodiment and final reconciliation of paradox – generally attaining soteriological goals in mundane life and specifically, resolving the dilemmas of Tibetans during times of perceived crisis. Acts of renunciation become an affirmative strategy, activating networks that have sustained hermits, their lineages, practices, and training venues for centuries. The reason for social empowerment of hermits lies in the radical nature of their training, which by social agreement is not only bound to generate liberation and enlightenment, but is even able to yield fruit “in this very body and life,” in emulation of Mi la ras pa. Such transformation of the body through meditation is crucial to the hermit’s ability to reconcile contradictions and to establish hermitages as venues for effective identity construction and spheres of autonomy and power, extracted from local history and sacred geography. Especially in times of crisis, hermitages tend to form networks and evolve into a movement for counter-culture, which circumvents or speaks against the established power structures of the day, but at the same time, maintains its essentially religious character.

This thesis presents a method of identifying astronomical expressionsinherent within the spatial geography, cultural landscapes, and layouts of structures with a view to implementing the systematics in an African context. In determining astronomical codes of the southern African pre - early farmer and metalworking archaeological sites - this review deals with oral tradition, rituals, formative calendars, fertility, meteorites, eclipses, bio-diversity, sustainable agriculture, rainmaking and the general star lore. Conclusions are drawn from the hypothesis that certain structures functioned as astronomical expressions by use of monoliths and other configurations, with specific examples of how these possibilities were drawn from aspects within the Mapungubwe/Zimbabwe Cultural Complex and the preceding riverine cultural formations. / Dissertation (MSc(Applied Science))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

An analysis of Soviet history and political thought in the context of imperialism and colonialism This study attempts to clarify problems with dominant liberal narratives and historiography relating to the Soviet Union, particularly relating to questions of empire and colonialism, and instead platforms Third World Marxists and other anti-imperialist scholars and revolutionaries whose views have been effectively sidelined and stifled. By tracing the history of political thought around these questions from pre-revolutionary Marxists through to Cold War era anti-colonial and pan-African scholars and revolutionaries alongside developments in the dynamic and forms of imperialism, and by situating anti-colonial nationalisms in the context of worldmaking rather than state building, this text aims to contribute to analyses of Soviet policy and its relationship to the global history of decolonisation in the 20th Century. This work identifies serious theoretical and ideological deficiencies in existing literature and concludes that concise definitions of imperialism and empire such as those used by V.I. Lenin and Kwame Nkrumah are not consistent with commonly held beliefs about the role played by the Soviet Union in the history of anti-colonial and national liberation movements. Western liberal literature on this subject has suffered significantly as a result of political and ideological prejudices stemming directly from the US Cold War victory and psychological warfare campaigns targeting communist and anti-colonial movements to this end. My research indicates that misidentification and misuse of terms relating to empire and colonialism pose serious obstacles and risks to present and future efforts geared towards global peace and equality which add urgency to the correction of mistakes both in scholarly and popular historical, political, and cultural approaches to interpretations of Soviet history. / Graduate

This historical study analyses the holistic dynamics of Ethiopia, taking into account political, social, economic, cultural, religious, and media development aspects, with a focus on the three most recent governments (1930–2014), in relation to freedom of expression. The analysis indicates that the Feudalist-Imperial system was clearly the extension of centuries-old imperial hegemony which had used religious, cultural and patriotic hegemony to stifle freedom of expression. During the Socialist-Military regime every sphere of society, including acts of expression, were oriented towards the revolution and socialist political ideology. During the current ethnically based so-called Revolutionary-Democratic regime, freedom of expression has been stifled by means of legislation, government and party structures, complex surveillance, and social networks. While the instruments of repression have differed, relatively speaking, from government to government, the extent of repression has remained similar over a number of centuries. Threats to freedom of expression derive from rulers or governments, in which instances they are entrenched through policies, laws and bureaucracies, from religious and cultural hegemonies, from poverty and a related lack of education and access to information, and from conflicts, rivalry and wars. These threats have their origins in three main interrelated causal or determining factors, namely the Certainty–Uncertainty Dilemma, Ethno-Luminary Thought and Narcissism, which together form a pyramid beneath which freedom of expression in Ethiopia has been trapped. This pyramid is identified in the study as the Social Pyramid, or the Pyramid of Repression Instruments, and it in turn gives rise to an overall web of suppression, that is, the Pyramid Trap of Repression. The study concludes that the repression of freedom of expression in Ethiopia is likely to remain intact, insofar as the threats to freedom of expression and the factors giving rise to those threats persist. While limited gains concerning the right to freedom of expression are achieved periodically, these are routinely undone and rolled back, since the Pyramid Trap of Repression is not dismantled. / In hierdie historiese studie word die holistiese dinamika van Etiopië ontleed, met inagneming van politieke, sosiale, ekonomiese, kulturele, religieuse, en media-ontwikkelingsaspekte. Daar word op die drie mees onlangse regerings (1930–2014) gefokus, ten opsigte van vrye meningsuiting. Die ontleding dui daarop dat die feodalisties-imperialistiese stelsel duidelik die uitbreiding van eeue-oue imperialistiese hegemonie was wat religieuse, kulturele en patriotiese hegemonie gebruik het om vrye meningsuiting te onderdruk. Gedurende die sosialisties-militêre regime was elke sfeer van die samelewing, insluitende dade van uitdrukking, georiënteer tot die revolusie en sosialisties-politieke ideologie. Tydens die huidige, etnies gebaseerde sogenaamde revolusionêr-demokratiese regime, is vrye meningsuiting onderdruk deur wetgewing, regering- en partystrukture, komplekse bewaking, en sosiale netwerke. Hoewel die instrumente van onderdrukking relatief gesproke verskil het van regering tot regering, het die mate van onderdrukking oor ʼn aantal eeue heen soortgelyk gebly. Bedreigings vir vrye meningsuiting is afkomstig van heersers of regerings (en in sulke gevalle word hulle beveilig deur beleide, wette en burokrasieë), van religieuse en kulturele hegemonieë, van armoede en ʼn verwante gebrek aan opvoeding en toegang tot inligting, en van konflikte, mededinging en oorloë. Hierdie bedreigings het ontstaan vanweë drie vernaamste kousale of bepalende faktore wat onderling verwant is, naamlik die sekerheid-onsekerheid-dilemma, etno-voorligter-denke en narsisme, wat gesamentlik ʼn piramide vorm waaronder vrye meningsuiting in Etiopië vasgevang is. Hierdie piramide word in die studie as die sosiale piramide, of die piramide van onderdrukkingsinstrumente, geïdentifiseer, en dit lei op sy beurt tot ʼn algehele web van onderdrukking – die piramidelokval van onderdrukking. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is dat die onderdrukking van vrye meningsuiting in Etiopië waarskynlik onaangeroer gaan bly, so lank as wat die bedreigings vir vrye meningsuiting en die faktore wat tot daardie bedreigings aanleiding gee, onveranderd bly. Hoewel beperkte suksesse van tyd tot tyd behaal word rakende die reg tot vrye meningsuiting, word sulke prestasies dikwels ongedaan gemaak, omdat die piramidelokval van onderdrukking nie afgebreek word nie. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)