This thesis explores the research question: to what extent does the idea of 'social science' persist in constructing IR textbooks in our contemporary context? In light of the considerable changes in the discipline's canon catalysed by the Third Debate, it is surprising that there has been no sustained engagement with a large body of textbooks in over a decade. The thesis uses a folklorist approach to review contemporary undergraduate IR textbooks by exploring their family resemblances to Donkeyskin and Bluebeard stories. The thesis finds that many contemporary textbooks resemble Donkeyskin stories, both because they employ a problem/choice structure that works to curtail how IR is defined and because they rely on a number of assumptions about what it means to write a textbook and study IR. However, the thesis also finds that there is a limited but notable body of textbooks that resembles Bluebeard stories in terms of how 'forbidden' assumptions about how IR is defined and what it means to write a textbook are confronted. These two readings of textbooks are complemented by a third aspect of the folklorist approach, a reading of framing gestures. While many textbook authors employ framing gestures that cast authors as curators of the field of IR, reinforcing strict boundaries for participation in the negotiation of the IR canon, there are notable exceptions that cast textbook authors as creators. The effect is to demonstrate and open up for participation the process of negotiating the boundaries of what gets to 'count' as IR.

This thesis employs the literary folklorist methodology to explore personal narratives. Personal narratives told by Elizabeth (Beth) Wyatt Winn were analyzed. It was discovered that these narratives provide an eyewitness account of history, reveal world views, and encapsulate experiences into values and personal meanings. The depth of meaning found in Elizabeth (Beth) Wyatt Winn's personal narratives illustrates the importance of personal narratives in historical research and historical re-creation and simulation. Appendices include several oral interviews containing personal narratives.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T19:32:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jose Josberto Montenegro Sousa.pdf: 965677 bytes, checksum: 1a1760474c0bd557750ce7438e9bb38d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-08 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This work aimed to study traditional cultures of Ceará State, Brazil, with emphasis on the experiences and the way of being and living of poor backwoodsmen population. We agreed to discuss conceptions about the backwoods and backwoodsmen, disseminated by folklorits´ onset, the instance of literacy, of sciences, and public power, that reproduce equivocate apprehension about backwoodsmen s culture which its origin forwards significantly to indigenous and African cultural heritage. These affirmations are marked by persistent strategies kept as expressions of popular culture. We analyzed the dimension of their argument and point of views, giving privilege to the narratives produced about and by backwoodsmen, with the objective to evidence distinct perspectives of its statement s content / Neste estudo tratamos de culturas tradicionais no Ceará, com ênfase às experiências e modos de ser e viver de populações pobres sertanejas. Procuramos problematizar abordagens e concepções sobre o sertão e sertanejos, disseminadas por investidas de folcloristas, de instâncias do letramento, das ciências, e de poderes públicos, que reproduzem apreensões equivocadas acerca de culturas sertanejas cujas origens remetem, significativamente, a heranças culturais de povos indígenas e africanos. Estas asserções estão marcadas por persistentes estratégias de enfrentamento mantidas como expressões da chamada cultura popular. Analisamos pontos de vista e dimensões de seus argumentos, privilegiando narrativas produzidas sobre e por sertanejos, com o intuito de evidenciar distintas perspectivas quanto ao conteúdo de seus enunciados

Unlike in the days of yore where storytelling was primarily known for its entertainment value, storytelling should be harnessed to make people's livelihood. Chapter 1 serves as prologue wherein the background of the study, problem statement, statement of aims, research methodology, research questions, hypotheses, definition of terms and organization of the study are presented. Storytelling began with the aim of transmitting the culture of people from one generation to another. There are different theories to account for the origin of stories. The identified problem is that storytelling is dying because it has not yet been professionalised in African languages. For storytelling to become viable in South Africa, storytellers have to be economically empowered. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in this study. Various questions have been prepared for use when interviewing the respondents. As a point of departure, the research hypotheses were laid down. Various concepts used in the study have been defined in order to clarify any misconceptions. For a study to follow a predetermined plan, it has to be organised in its initial stage. For that reason what has been discussed in each chapter has been summarised in the first chapter. Chapter 2 presents views of scholars, researchers and authors in general on how storytelling could be professionalised. The factors which retard the professionalisation of storytelling were also provided. The furnished views are classified according to their similarity. In Chapter 3, the methodology used in the gathering of research data is outlined. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used, but the qualitative method more extensively because this is an explorative study. Data was collected through interviewing, questionnaires, documents and observation methods. Two sampling methods were used to select the respondents: the snowball sampling method and the judgmental or purposeful sampling design. The setting of the study was determined by the accessibility and the willingness of the respondents to use the site. Once the data was collected, it was analysed and interpreted. Chapter 4 focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the research data collected through interviews, questionnaires and systematic observations. During data analysis, similar themes from different respondents were combined in order to interpret the main findings. All such themes are discussed under major categories. In this chapter, themes were identified in relation to how storytelling might be professionalised. The fifth chapter outlines the main findings arrived at during the analysis and the interpretation of the data. To make this study more pragmatic, the findings are accompanied by suggested recommendations. The final chapter provides a general conclusion to the entire study. The success of professionalised storytelling and storytellers, the implications in terms of teaching and professionalisation, the implications for further study and the limitations of the study are also dealt with in this chapter. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Unlike in the days of yore where storytelling was primarily known for its entertainment value, storytelling should be harnessed to make people's livelihood. Chapter 1 serves as prologue wherein the background of the study, problem statement, statement of aims, research methodology, research questions, hypotheses, definition of terms and organization of the study are presented. Storytelling began with the aim of transmitting the culture of people from one generation to another. There are different theories to account for the origin of stories. The identified problem is that storytelling is dying because it has not yet been professionalised in African languages. For storytelling to become viable in South Africa, storytellers have to be economically empowered. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in this study. Various questions have been prepared for use when interviewing the respondents. As a point of departure, the research hypotheses were laid down. Various concepts used in the study have been defined in order to clarify any misconceptions. For a study to follow a predetermined plan, it has to be organised in its initial stage. For that reason what has been discussed in each chapter has been summarised in the first chapter. Chapter 2 presents views of scholars, researchers and authors in general on how storytelling could be professionalised. The factors which retard the professionalisation of storytelling were also provided. The furnished views are classified according to their similarity. In Chapter 3, the methodology used in the gathering of research data is outlined. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used, but the qualitative method more extensively because this is an explorative study. Data was collected through interviewing, questionnaires, documents and observation methods. Two sampling methods were used to select the respondents: the snowball sampling method and the judgmental or purposeful sampling design. The setting of the study was determined by the accessibility and the willingness of the respondents to use the site. Once the data was collected, it was analysed and interpreted. Chapter 4 focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the research data collected through interviews, questionnaires and systematic observations. During data analysis, similar themes from different respondents were combined in order to interpret the main findings. All such themes are discussed under major categories. In this chapter, themes were identified in relation to how storytelling might be professionalised. The fifth chapter outlines the main findings arrived at during the analysis and the interpretation of the data. To make this study more pragmatic, the findings are accompanied by suggested recommendations. The final chapter provides a general conclusion to the entire study. The success of professionalised storytelling and storytellers, the implications in terms of teaching and professionalisation, the implications for further study and the limitations of the study are also dealt with in this chapter. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)