This dissertation analyses academic military history and the writing of the World Wars in Canada. While there have been hundreds of books devoted to Canada???s role in the World Wars, few historians have examined the writing of that same history, or the archival records that were used to construct these narratives. It has been the official historians of the Department of National Defence who, for much of the twentieth century, have controlled the historical writing of the World Wars, and that military history has been narrowly defined as the history of military operations. Training, administrating and operational war-fighting remained the focus. Only recently have academic military historians pushed the discipline of military history to explore the impact of the World Wars on Canadian society. Nonetheless, it remains the publications of A.F. Duguid, C.P. Stacy, Gilbert Tucker, Fred Hitchins, Joseph Schull, and more recent official historians that provide the central narrative when examining the writing on Canada???s World Wars. An exploration of key historians and their works reveals historical themes underpinning how memory and narrative of the World Wars has been constructed within historical writing. The official historians were the guardians of memory and controllers of the past. Caught within the battles of reputations that followed the World Wars, they were forced to carefully navigate through these contested issues. Laying an interpretative frame-work, the official historians allowed subsequent generations to build upon and rework their findings, through writing their histories but also by acting as the archivists for their respective services. While the official histories have their flaws, they are also exceptionally important foundational studies that deserve greater attention and study in their own right.

This dissertation analyses academic military history and the writing of the World Wars in Canada. While there have been hundreds of books devoted to Canada???s role in the World Wars, few historians have examined the writing of that same history, or the archival records that were used to construct these narratives. It has been the official historians of the Department of National Defence who, for much of the twentieth century, have controlled the historical writing of the World Wars, and that military history has been narrowly defined as the history of military operations. Training, administrating and operational war-fighting remained the focus. Only recently have academic military historians pushed the discipline of military history to explore the impact of the World Wars on Canadian society. Nonetheless, it remains the publications of A.F. Duguid, C.P. Stacy, Gilbert Tucker, Fred Hitchins, Joseph Schull, and more recent official historians that provide the central narrative when examining the writing on Canada???s World Wars. An exploration of key historians and their works reveals historical themes underpinning how memory and narrative of the World Wars has been constructed within historical writing. The official historians were the guardians of memory and controllers of the past. Caught within the battles of reputations that followed the World Wars, they were forced to carefully navigate through these contested issues. Laying an interpretative frame-work, the official historians allowed subsequent generations to build upon and rework their findings, through writing their histories but also by acting as the archivists for their respective services. While the official histories have their flaws, they are also exceptionally important foundational studies that deserve greater attention and study in their own right.

Today's technical communicators enjoy an increasingly broader role and influence in the workplace, and are often given latitude to use engaging rhetoric and personal touches in many kinds of communications. Historical documents, particularly those that are substantially removed from our own era, can offer fresh approaches and insight into the enduring elements of successful communication. This study explores the technical writings of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and considers their usefulness to professionals today. Although the political writing of Franklin and Jefferson is more familiar, both men frequently wrote about scientific and technical subjects and were well-known in their day for these documents. Franklin created a captivating persona and arguments which carried emotional and logical appeal. Jefferson was a student of ancient rhetoric and applied classical principles of arrangement to guide readers. His fondness for statistical records led to a skill in presenting numerical data and other types of information in creative, efficient ways. By using tone, language, and description, both Franklin and Jefferson created technical narratives that are equally informative and aesthetically pleasing. The contemporary era of technical communication has been shaped by positivism, the plain language movement, and humanism, among other significant trends. Franklin's and Jefferson's approaches to technical communication both support and challenge the guiding philosophies of these movements. Their styles are reviewed in this study against the context of modern approaches. Opportunities for further historical study are also offered, including additional writings of our Founding Fathers and technical writing from the turn of the twentieth century.

The main purpose of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of genre-based approaches in teaching academic writing. The study was motivated by the researcher's perceptions about university students' difficulty in acquiring the essayist literacy of the academy, and the fact that very little empirical research had been conducted on the effect of genre-based writing interventions. The following questions guided the research: (1) Can genre-based approaches be justified theoretically? (2) How effective are genre-based academic writing interventions? (3) Which is more effective: a narrow-angled or a wide-angled approach? The theoretical framework combines foundational principles of Systemic Functional Grammar, Constructivism and Critical Literacies. A mixed methods design was used, including a survey of writing tasks, genre analysis, discourse analysis, and a quasi-experimental comparison of pre- and posttest essay ratings. The survey of writing tasks indicated that the academic essay was the written genre most frequently required by humanities departments, and that argumentation, discussion, explanation, description and analysis were the text types featuring most prominently in writing prompts. Since the materials of the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies contained the largest number of essay-length tasks, the subject-specific intervention was focused on students of history. The cross-disciplinary group included students with Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Psychology and Sociology as majors. A genre-based presyllabus, comprising exploration, explicit instruction, joint construction, independent construction and critical reflection, was customized for the subject-specific and cross-disciplinary groups. The syllabus gave prominence to the use of rhetorical modes, logical development of an argument, and engagement with other authors. The statistical analyses of the essay scores show that the narrow-angled and the wide-angled genre-based interventions were effective. Although the size of the improvement on the four dimensions of the scoring instrument was not equal, the overall improvement of the students in each of the groups is statistically significant. Despite the more modest overall improvement of the students in the cross-disciplinary group, their mastery of stance and engagement exceeded that of their subject-specific counterparts. Even though both interventions were effective the subject-specific group performed significantly better than the cross-disciplinary group overall (p = 0.043). Their performance was also more consistent across the four dimensions of the scoring instrument. The results of the opinion survey indicate that students from both groups were generally positive about the effect of the respective interventions on their academic writing abilities. The only significant difference is the subject-specific group's more positive evaluation of the transferability of the skills they acquired. The more pronounced skills transfer was probably facilitated by the subject-specific group's deeper level of engagement with source materials and more opportunities for practising content-based writing. Main limitations of the study include the small sample size and non-parallel presentation of the two interventions. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Unit for Academic Literacy / Unrestricted

Esta dissertação trata da construção do conceito de história do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (IHGRGS). Para isto, desenvolveu-se uma análise do perfil dos homens que fundaram esta Instituição em 1920, em Porto Alegre/RS, inspirada em sua congênere nacional, o Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro. Inicialmente, apresenta-se uma breve análise acerca das trajetórias profissionais e das experiências ligadas às letras vividas pelos fundadores da entidade. A segunda parte do texto ocupa-se da constituição do conceito de história apropriado pelo Instituto; para isso, fez-se uma análise dos textos publicados na Revista do IHGRGS. Sabe-se então que o discurso historiográfico estruturado é o resultado da simbiose entre o conceito de história antigo, marcado principalmente pelo princípio da Historia magistra vitae, e o conceito moderno de história que se preocupa em garantir a produção de um saber científico e positivo, objetivo último do Instituto. / This dissertation aims to discuss the construction of the concept of history of the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul Historical and Geographical Institute). It develops an analysis of the profile of the man who founded this institution in 1920, in Porto Alegre/RS, inspired by its national congeners, the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute). Initially, it presents a brief analysis about the founders' professional trajectories and their experiences concerning the letters. The second part broaches the constitution of the concept of history appropriated by the Institute, through the analysis of the texts published in its journal. It's known that the historiography's discourse structured is the result of a symbiosis between the ancient concept of History, marked by the principles of the Historia magistra vitae, and the modern concept of History, which intended to guarantee the production of a scientific and positive knowledge, the main goal of the Institute.

Esta dissertação trata da construção do conceito de história do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (IHGRGS). Para isto, desenvolveu-se uma análise do perfil dos homens que fundaram esta Instituição em 1920, em Porto Alegre/RS, inspirada em sua congênere nacional, o Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro. Inicialmente, apresenta-se uma breve análise acerca das trajetórias profissionais e das experiências ligadas às letras vividas pelos fundadores da entidade. A segunda parte do texto ocupa-se da constituição do conceito de história apropriado pelo Instituto; para isso, fez-se uma análise dos textos publicados na Revista do IHGRGS. Sabe-se então que o discurso historiográfico estruturado é o resultado da simbiose entre o conceito de história antigo, marcado principalmente pelo princípio da Historia magistra vitae, e o conceito moderno de história que se preocupa em garantir a produção de um saber científico e positivo, objetivo último do Instituto. / This dissertation aims to discuss the construction of the concept of history of the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul Historical and Geographical Institute). It develops an analysis of the profile of the man who founded this institution in 1920, in Porto Alegre/RS, inspired by its national congeners, the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute). Initially, it presents a brief analysis about the founders' professional trajectories and their experiences concerning the letters. The second part broaches the constitution of the concept of history appropriated by the Institute, through the analysis of the texts published in its journal. It's known that the historiography's discourse structured is the result of a symbiosis between the ancient concept of History, marked by the principles of the Historia magistra vitae, and the modern concept of History, which intended to guarantee the production of a scientific and positive knowledge, the main goal of the Institute.

Esta dissertação trata da construção do conceito de história do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (IHGRGS). Para isto, desenvolveu-se uma análise do perfil dos homens que fundaram esta Instituição em 1920, em Porto Alegre/RS, inspirada em sua congênere nacional, o Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro. Inicialmente, apresenta-se uma breve análise acerca das trajetórias profissionais e das experiências ligadas às letras vividas pelos fundadores da entidade. A segunda parte do texto ocupa-se da constituição do conceito de história apropriado pelo Instituto; para isso, fez-se uma análise dos textos publicados na Revista do IHGRGS. Sabe-se então que o discurso historiográfico estruturado é o resultado da simbiose entre o conceito de história antigo, marcado principalmente pelo princípio da Historia magistra vitae, e o conceito moderno de história que se preocupa em garantir a produção de um saber científico e positivo, objetivo último do Instituto. / This dissertation aims to discuss the construction of the concept of history of the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul Historical and Geographical Institute). It develops an analysis of the profile of the man who founded this institution in 1920, in Porto Alegre/RS, inspired by its national congeners, the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute). Initially, it presents a brief analysis about the founders' professional trajectories and their experiences concerning the letters. The second part broaches the constitution of the concept of history appropriated by the Institute, through the analysis of the texts published in its journal. It's known that the historiography's discourse structured is the result of a symbiosis between the ancient concept of History, marked by the principles of the Historia magistra vitae, and the modern concept of History, which intended to guarantee the production of a scientific and positive knowledge, the main goal of the Institute.

Le présent travail s’inscrit dans le regain d’intérêt pour le complexe des chroniques médiévales de l’ordre Teutonique. Afin de mieux cerner les fonctions de l’écriture historiographique au sein de l’Ordre, il fait le choix de s’attacher en particulier à une compilation méconnue de la première moitié du XVe siècle, l’Ancienne Chronique des Grands-Maîtres. Riche d’une tradition manuscrite touffue, la chronique se présente pour l’essentiel comme la mise en prose des œuvres plus célèbres qui l’ont précédée au XIVe siècle. La nouvelle donne politique et militaire qui affecte alors un ordre Teutonique en crise oblige pourtant à s’interroger sur les ressorts et les limites de cette apparente continuité d’un discours historique dont tout par ailleurs paraît attester la caducité. Appuyée sur les outils de la philologie et de la codicologie, l’enquête s’efforce de retracer le cycle de vie d’une compilation, depuis ses « prétextes » du XIVe s. jusqu’à sa réception, en ses manuscrits et au-delà, étudiée jusqu’à 1550 environ. La résurgence historiographique dissimule en réalité un contexte d’écriture nouveau. La chronique est née dans les années 1430 d’un projet éminemment partisan alors que l’Ordre se déchire entre plusieurs factions, mais tire précisément sa force d’avancer masquée, sous la forme d’une chronica nullius. Dès lors, la réception du texte apparaît sous le jour d’un processus de neutralisation progressive d’un manifeste tendancieux. Elle montre aussi que ce précis d’histoire, en dépit de sa large diffusion, échoue in fine à devenir une vulgate historiographique. L’étude est prolongée par une nouvelle édition critique du texte, ambitionnant de remplacer l’édition de 1866 / This PhD aims at giving an insight into the uses of historical writing within the medieval Teutonic Order, whose chronicles have been the focus of a renewed scholarly interest for two decades. It focuses on a little-known compilation dating back to the first half of the 15th century, the Old Chronicle of the Grand Masters. Preserved in many manuscripts, this text reads at first glance as a prose version of more famous masterpieces from the 14th century. The political and military “new deal” a weakened Teutonic Order has to cope with in 15th-century Prussia raises a wide range of questions around this permanence of a historical discourse which was otherwise considered at odds with the real situation of the Order after Tannenberg. Applying the tools of codicology and philology, this work tries to shed light on the complete span of a chronicle’s life, from its “foretexts” to its reception until the middle of the 16th century. As a matter of fact, the apparent revival of an “outdated” historical discourse conceals a wholly modified set of conditions impinging on history writing. The text proves to be a biased manifesto under the guise of an “authorless” unveiling of the true history, and is as such deeply embedded within a context of internal rivalries between “regional” clans within the Order. The further reception of the text therefore needs to be reasserted as a process of step-by-step neutralization. At the same time, the inquiry into the chronicle’s reception shows that the Old Chronicle of the Grand Masters, despite a widespread diffusion, failed to become a historical vulgate of sorts. A new critical edition of the text is given to replace the old edition by Toeppen, flawed with many shortcomings

When considering the available sources for Islamic history between the seventh and eighth centuries CE, there are few which have greater importance than al-Balādhurī's (d. ca. 892 CE/279 AH) Kitāb Futūḥ al-Buldān (The Book of the Conquest of Lands). While the text and its author are recognized for their importance as a historical source for the early Islamic period, there has previously been no in-depth study of either. This dissertation works to correct these gaps in knowledge of the author and his text by investigating the construction, form, content, and early reception history of al-Balādhurī's book. This research begins by providing a manuscript tradition of Futūḥ al-Buldān, including a discussion of a previously unpublished manuscript. It thereafter illuminates the background of al-Balādhurī, bringing together much of the previous scholarship on the author while augmenting that information with an analysis of biographical sources and the text itself. It situates the author and his text in its ninth/third century milieu, a period of history where the early Arabic historical tradition was still in its infancy and only just being committed to writing. It suggests the text was likely completed at the end of the "anarchy at Sāmarrā'" in the late 860s CE, and highlights the author's role at the court of several 'Abbāsid Caliphs. After this, it discusses a number of al-Balādhurī's most important (and, in some cases, previously understudied) sources of information, and argues that the author chose to differentiate when he was learning information directly from a teacher and when he had access to written sources. It then analyzes the content and themes of the text, placing special attention on the unique form of Futūḥ al-Buldān and its importance in providing modern scholars with information on the conquest, settlement, and building projects of the early Islamic world. In considering these key themes, this research then argues that Futūḥ al-Buldān defies traditional modern genre classification by borrowing form and content from several different Arabic genres including conquest literature (futūḥ), legal texts, and administrative geographies. It contends that both the text's content and form suggest that it was written to be read by courtly administrators in the service of the state as both a site of memory (lieu de mémoire) and as an "administrator's handbook" during a time of upheaval in the 'Abbāsid realm. Finally, it considers the legacy of Futūḥ al-Buldān and the popularity of al-Balādhurī's book throughout the medieval period through an analysis of textual reuse.

This thesis is a study of the works of the historian Flodoard of Rheims (893/4–966), author of two substantial prose narratives (Annales and Historia Remensis ecclesiae) and an epic verse history (De triumphis Christi). Flodoard is the only major Frankish chronicler of his day, so his accounts of the political history of the West Frankish, Ottonian and Italian kingdoms are of paramount importance to modern scholars. Flodoard's Annales have been considered a reliable and neutral account of contemporary affairs, so historians have been content to mine them for ‘facts' informing wider debates concerning the history of late Carolingian Europe. Additionally, he has been judged a conscientious, source-driven archivist: his Historia Remensis ecclesiae preserves an abundance of otherwise-lost documentary sources which has been used by scholars to illuminate the church of Rheims' illustrious history. However, Flodoard was an actor on the highest political stage. He spent time at royal courts, travelled to Rome, and regularly communicated with the leading political and intellectual figures of his day. He was also deeply enmeshed in the affairs of the powerful archbishopric of Rheims. This study demonstrates that Flodoard's histories are not easily extricated from the context of his own turbulent career. It argues that Flodoard cannot be understood without reference to the vicissitudes of the complex political environment in which he operated. By taking Flodoard on his own terms and situating his historical works in their appropriate political and intellectual contexts, this thesis challenges the conventional way we read Flodoard, asking what kind of information we can reliably interrogate him for, whom his audiences were, why he wrote history at all and whether he is truly representative of his age.