In advancing a critical examination of post-processualism, the thesis has – as its central aim – the repositioning of the Neolithic within contemporary archaeological theory. Whilst acknowledging the insights it brings to an understanding of the period, it is argued that the knowledge it produces is necessarily constrained by the emphasis it accords to the cultural. Thus, in terms of the transition, the symbolic reading of agriculture to construct a metanarrative of Mesolithic continuity is challenged through a consideration of the evidential base and the indications it gives for a corresponding movement at the level of the economy; whilst the limiting effects generated by an interpretative reading of its monuments for an understanding of the social are considered. Underpinning these constraints is the conceptual privileging of the individual consequent upon the post-processual reaction to the totalising frameworks of modernist knowledge and the metanarratives of progress they construct – as exemplified in the economic reading of Childe. In examining the form of this reaction, the wider post-processual transposition of postmodernism within contemporary archaeological theory is also considered. In utilising Giddens’ concept of reflexivity, it is argued that rather than the ‘cultural turn’ itself, it is the inflection of the epistemological frameworks of the Enlightenment with a teleological reading of the past as progress that represents the postmodern within contemporary archaeological theory and it is through this understanding of postmodernism as expressing the capacity that modernity has to be self-aware that the conditions are established for the recovery of the Neolithic as a holistic object.

No description available.

AbstractIn 2011, the Swedish government created a new curriculum for the compulsory school. This curriculum included stricter guidelines about what was to be taught in a variety of subjects taught in public and many private schools. This policy, entitled Lgr 11, has potential to influence a generation or more of Swedes regarding their understanding of the postcolonial world and future dealings with that part of the world and its peoples. In this paper, elements of postmodern and postcolonial historiography is employed when analyzing Lgr 11’s history syllabus. How the postcolonial world and its histories are represented in Lgr 11‘s narrative(s) is investigated. The importance of this document to Swedes is that, with a significant proportion of the Swedish population recent immigrants from the postcolonial world, the perspectives of that region are important in the development of identity for recent immigrants, Swedes themselves and in understandings of a large portion of the world for less recent immigrant Swedes. Swedish identity now includes postcolonial histories.

This study addresses the post-revolutionary history of Roma in the Romanian public sphere by examining the social construction of this minority in press and history textbooks. The objective is to illuminate synchronic and diachronic structural patterns in public texts debating Roma in order to offer a deeper understanding of the Romanian xenophobia assuming that the public debate affects the status quo of Roma. Public texts represent fruitful channels of communication through which selective social realities par excellence, stocks of knowledge and typifications are proclaimed by different societal actors. The press possess a critical function whilst history textbooks a manipulative function advocating normative historical realties par excellence. The modi operandi utilized are quantitative, qualitative content- and critical discourse analysis, which are applied in the monitoring of approximately 6000 newspapers, 197 articles (1991-2012) and 6 textbooks (2008-2014). The results indicate that the media history of Roma resembled police investigations rather than conventional journalism. Manifest and latent stereotypifications have synchronically and diachronically formed uncritical and demonizing stocks of knowledge, whose societal truths sustained the othering of Roma in press and were depicted as a force behind the destruction of [“our”] national self-image. History textbooks have offered an inexistent stock of historical knowledge omitting, e.g. the slavery and deportations of Roma but highlighting ethnocentric perspectives, patriotism and other minorities.

The aim of this dissertation is to study the evolution of the Russian anti-utopian literary genre in the new post-Soviet environment in the wake of the defunct Soviet socialist utopia. The genre has gained a renewed importance during the 2000s, and has been used variously as a means of dealing satirically with the Soviet past, of understanding the present, and of pondering possible courses into the future for the Russian Federation. A guiding question in this study is: What makes us recognize a novel as anti-utopian at a time when the idea of utopia may appear obsolete, when the hegemony of nation states has been challenged for several decades, and when art has been drawn towards the aesthetics of hybridity? The main part of the dissertation is comprised of detailed analyses of three novels: The Slynx (Kys', 2001) by Tatyana Tolstaya; Homo Zapiens/Babylon (Generation ‘P’, 1999) by Viktor Pelevin; and Ice Trilogy (Ledianaia Trilogiia, 2002−2005) by Vladimir Sorokin. The further development of the genre is subsequently discussed on the basis of seven novels published in the past decade. A main argument in the dissertation is that the genre has been modified in ways which can be seen as a response to social and political changes on a global scale. The waning power of the nation state, in particular, and its broken monopoly as the bearer of social projects marks a new context, which is not shared by the classic works of the genre. Analysis of this evolution in post-Soviet anti-utopian novels draws on sociological as well as literary studies. The dissertation shows how the analysed novels use the possibilities of the genre to problematize various forms of societal discourse, and how these discourses work as mutations of utopia. Prominent among these are historical discourses, which reflect the increasing importance of historical narratives in public political debates in the Russian Federation.

During the summer of 2013, fierce protests broke out against a test-mining operation in Gállok (Kallak) outside Jokkmokk, Sweden. Environmental activists joined with local indigenous Sámi in the protest. The incident made national and international headlines, resonating with other instances of conflict between mining companies and indigenous peoples around the world. This thesis aims to explore political discourses and historical narratives behind those, and other, protests and tensions in relation to mining between, on the one hand, the Swedish state which express – through various institutions – to be a proud 'mining nation' with a firm environmental legislation, and, on the other, indigenous Sámi in the Swedish north. Using discourse analysis in combination with a novel application of concepts from narrative theory (the concept of masterplots), the narratives and ideologies of the national institutions responsible for decision-making in mining affairs in Sweden – the government, the parliament, and the Mining Inspectorate – are investigated by analyzing various written and verbal sources. The investigation show a coherent trend within the institutions in making the Sámi people, their rights to land and water, and Sweden's colonial history towards them and their land, Sápmi, invisible, misunderstood, and/or belittled. Mining is understood as an evidently vital and typically Swedish industry, fundamental for the rise of Sweden as a modern welfare state, and an industry which 'makes the world better' by providing the necessary raw materials for the (assumed) inevitable progress and benefit of (western) technology and (western) civilization. The exclusion of certain histories allow for a hegemony in which a certain future is naturalized, made out to be unavoidable. Furthermore, the plot structures employed to create and sustain the hegemony draw on several colonial masterplots. The conclusion of this thesis is that the hegemonic discourse sustains a colonial attitude towards Sápmi and the Sámi people, without it ever being expressed nor understood as such.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:17:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DIS ANA BEATRIZ CARVALHO BAIOCCHI.pdf: 949003 bytes, checksum: acfeb76c6fe8f164893b5277009906af (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-01 / The aim of this study is the attempt to retake the problem of Marxist philosophical discourse, that is, to implement a philosophy of history in a postmodern discussion of these metanarrativas crisis. In this sense the choise of the author Fredric Jameson is closely related to their position regarding the debate on postmodern. Against all expectations in relation to post-modern theories of crisis metanarrativas, the author think the postmodern in a less pessimistic in a narrative reflect on what Marxist discussion and its relationship with history. However, the assessment in relation to the concept of totality before running through a critical theoretical categories of modernism (its ideology and utopia intrinsic) rather than the process of aggregation of the system. Thus, the questions of Fredric Jameson in relation to post-modern theories renewing him examining the superstructure of artistic and textual phenomena, which allows you to have a panoramic view over the contemporary cultural sphere. From this perspective, and assuming postmodernism as an ally cultural of advanced capitalism, or late, we seek to undertake a reassessment of Marxism from the postmodern critique of ideology and utopia‟s own high-modernism. / O objetivo central deste trabalho passa pela tentativa de retomar o problema do discurso filosófico marxista, qual seja, da realização de uma filosofia da história dentro de uma discussão pós-moderna de crise dessas metanarrativas. Nesse sentido a escolha do autor Fredric Jameson está intimamente relacionada com seu posicionamento em relação ao debate sobre o pós-moderno. Contrariando todas as expectativas em relação às teorias pós-modernas de crise das metanarrativas, o autor procura pensar o pós-moderno de modo menos pessimista numa tentativa de refletir sobre o discurso marxista e sua relação com a história. Assim sendo, a apreciação em relação ao conceito de totalidade perpassa antes uma crítica às categorias teóricas do modernismo (sua ideologia e utopia intrínsecas), mais do que ao processo de totalização do próprio sistema. Diante disso, os questionamentos de Fredric Jameson em relação às teorias pós-modernas reconduzem a análise da superestrutura dos fenômenos artísticos e textuais, o que lhe permite dispor de uma visão panorâmica de toda a esfera cultural contemporânea. Dessa perspectiva e pressupondo o pós-modernismo como aliado cultural do capitalismo avançado, ou tardio, procura-se empreender uma reavaliação do marxismo a partir da crítica pós-moderna da ideologia e da utopia próprias do alto-modernismo.

A obra de Lídia Jorge, iniciada em 1980, com a publicação de O dia dos prodígios, constitui um dos mais significativos e relevantes conjuntos de escritos da literatura portuguesa contemporânea. Entre coletâneas de contos, peças de teatro, poemas e textos da literatura infantil, seus dez romances, publicados até 2011, versam sobre diversos aspectos da natureza humana e da vida portuguesa, especialmente no tocante aos fatos ocorridos após a Revolução dos Cravos (1974), compondo um dos mais importantes panoramas da evolução sociopolítica em Portugal desde então. O projeto de pesquisa que deu origem a esta tese buscou contemplar quais aspectos desse panorama aparecem com maior consistência ao longo de sua escrita romanesca e qual sua relação com os fatos Históricos do país, em sua fase democrática. Aliada a isso, a escrita de Lídia Jorge apresenta, ao longo dos dez romances, uma reflexão sobre o próprio ato de escrever e sobre a relação entre a História e sua representação na ficção contemporânea portuguesa. Assim, sob a perspectiva da metaficção historiográfica, conforme a definem Hutcheon (1991) e White (1995), esta tese faz uma leitura dessas dez obras, buscando compreender o projeto estético-ideológico da autora, como ele se consubstancia e de que maneira se desdobra, desde O dia dos prodígios até A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). Este trabalho propõe que os romances de Lídia Jorge constituam, até agora, três diferentes fases: o percurso inicial, formado pelos quatro primeiros romances O dia dos prodígios (1980), O cais das merendas (1982), Notícia da cidade silvestre (1984) e A costa dos murmúrios (1988); a segunda fase, de que fazem parte A última dona (1992), O jardim sem limites (1995) e O vale da paixão (1998); e a terceira fase, constituída pelos romances O vento assobiando nas gruas (2002), Combateremos a sombra (2007) e A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). Serviu como espinha dorsal para a construção deste estudo a imagem do bordado como técnica para a construção de imagens, as quais, em conjunto e por si sós, constituem um painel representativo de um povo, de sua História e de sua relação com sua própria identidade. Em suma, este trabalho busca caracterizar quem é e como escreve um dos mais importantes nomes da literatura portuguesa contemporânea. / Lídia Jorges work, started in 1980 with the novel O dia dos prodígios, forms one of the most significant and relevant sets of literary pieces produced in the Portuguese contemporary literature. Among short stories, plays, poems, and books for children, her ten novels so far, published between 1980 and 2011, evolve around several aspects of human nature and of the Portuguese life, especially the ones occurred after the Carnation Revolution (1974) building one of the most important overviews of the Portuguese sociopolitical evolution since then. The research project which originated this dissertation aimed to comprehend which aspects of that overview show more consistently in her novelistic writing, as well as its relation with the historical events of the country, in its democratic period (after 1974). In addition, Lidia Jorges writing presents, throughout her so-far ten novels, a reflection upon the act of writing itself and its relation with History and how it is represented in Portuguese contemporary fiction. Therefore, under the perspective of historiographic metafiction, as defined by Hutcheon (1991) and White (1995), this dissertation provides an analysis of her so-far ten novels, aiming at understanding the writers aesthetic and ideological project, how it consubstantiates and how it develops, since O dia dos prodígios and A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). This work proposes that Lidia Jorges novels be divided into three different moments: the initial phase, made up of her first novels O dia dos prodígios (1980), O cais das merendas (1982), Notícia da cidade Silvestre (1984), and A costa dos murmúrios (1988); the second moment, in which belong A última dona (1992), O jardim sem limites (1995), and O vale da paixão (1998); and the third moment, which includes O vento assobiando nas gruas (2002), Combateremos a sombra (2007), and A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). As foundation for developing this study, it was used the image of the needlework as metaphor for building imagery which, as a set and each one by itself, constitute a representative panel of a people, their History, and their relation with their own identity. In short, this work aims to characterize who one of the most important of the Portuguese contemporary literature is and writes.

A obra de Lídia Jorge, iniciada em 1980, com a publicação de O dia dos prodígios, constitui um dos mais significativos e relevantes conjuntos de escritos da literatura portuguesa contemporânea. Entre coletâneas de contos, peças de teatro, poemas e textos da literatura infantil, seus dez romances, publicados até 2011, versam sobre diversos aspectos da natureza humana e da vida portuguesa, especialmente no tocante aos fatos ocorridos após a Revolução dos Cravos (1974), compondo um dos mais importantes panoramas da evolução sociopolítica em Portugal desde então. O projeto de pesquisa que deu origem a esta tese buscou contemplar quais aspectos desse panorama aparecem com maior consistência ao longo de sua escrita romanesca e qual sua relação com os fatos Históricos do país, em sua fase democrática. Aliada a isso, a escrita de Lídia Jorge apresenta, ao longo dos dez romances, uma reflexão sobre o próprio ato de escrever e sobre a relação entre a História e sua representação na ficção contemporânea portuguesa. Assim, sob a perspectiva da metaficção historiográfica, conforme a definem Hutcheon (1991) e White (1995), esta tese faz uma leitura dessas dez obras, buscando compreender o projeto estético-ideológico da autora, como ele se consubstancia e de que maneira se desdobra, desde O dia dos prodígios até A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). Este trabalho propõe que os romances de Lídia Jorge constituam, até agora, três diferentes fases: o percurso inicial, formado pelos quatro primeiros romances O dia dos prodígios (1980), O cais das merendas (1982), Notícia da cidade silvestre (1984) e A costa dos murmúrios (1988); a segunda fase, de que fazem parte A última dona (1992), O jardim sem limites (1995) e O vale da paixão (1998); e a terceira fase, constituída pelos romances O vento assobiando nas gruas (2002), Combateremos a sombra (2007) e A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). Serviu como espinha dorsal para a construção deste estudo a imagem do bordado como técnica para a construção de imagens, as quais, em conjunto e por si sós, constituem um painel representativo de um povo, de sua História e de sua relação com sua própria identidade. Em suma, este trabalho busca caracterizar quem é e como escreve um dos mais importantes nomes da literatura portuguesa contemporânea. / Lídia Jorges work, started in 1980 with the novel O dia dos prodígios, forms one of the most significant and relevant sets of literary pieces produced in the Portuguese contemporary literature. Among short stories, plays, poems, and books for children, her ten novels so far, published between 1980 and 2011, evolve around several aspects of human nature and of the Portuguese life, especially the ones occurred after the Carnation Revolution (1974) building one of the most important overviews of the Portuguese sociopolitical evolution since then. The research project which originated this dissertation aimed to comprehend which aspects of that overview show more consistently in her novelistic writing, as well as its relation with the historical events of the country, in its democratic period (after 1974). In addition, Lidia Jorges writing presents, throughout her so-far ten novels, a reflection upon the act of writing itself and its relation with History and how it is represented in Portuguese contemporary fiction. Therefore, under the perspective of historiographic metafiction, as defined by Hutcheon (1991) and White (1995), this dissertation provides an analysis of her so-far ten novels, aiming at understanding the writers aesthetic and ideological project, how it consubstantiates and how it develops, since O dia dos prodígios and A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). This work proposes that Lidia Jorges novels be divided into three different moments: the initial phase, made up of her first novels O dia dos prodígios (1980), O cais das merendas (1982), Notícia da cidade Silvestre (1984), and A costa dos murmúrios (1988); the second moment, in which belong A última dona (1992), O jardim sem limites (1995), and O vale da paixão (1998); and the third moment, which includes O vento assobiando nas gruas (2002), Combateremos a sombra (2007), and A noite das mulheres cantoras (2011). As foundation for developing this study, it was used the image of the needlework as metaphor for building imagery which, as a set and each one by itself, constitute a representative panel of a people, their History, and their relation with their own identity. In short, this work aims to characterize who one of the most important of the Portuguese contemporary literature is and writes.

The purpose of this essay is to analyze award-winning author Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 through the lens of postmodernism. The focus will be on identifying symbols and signs of the hyperreal when it comes to freedom of speech, censorship, and technology through Jean Baudrillard’s orders of simulacra from his book Simulacra and Simulation. The images of Ray Bradbury’s dystopian society in Fahrenheit 451 are analyzed, as well as the main characters and their relationship to technology, books, censorship, and freedom of speech. This essay also argues that the hyperreal is relevant today and has been throughout history if knowledge is suppressed or controlled by society as presented in Fahrenheit 451.