>Doctor Literarum - DLit / The South African years (1925-1966) of Alex la Guma is examined in this thesis. While La Guma's father was an important role model, most critics have overlooked his mother's contribution to his literary and political development. Throughout the thesis the same point is made about Blanche, La Guma's wife, who supported him in many ways. The researcher describes La Guma's infancy, childhood and adolescence, his father's political profile, how notions of race and writing, coloured identity and family and political experiences created the conditions that enabled him to become a story teller and political activist . / South Africa

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"The Rescue Plot" examines the battles surrounding the rescue of migrants at sea in the long aftermath of Europe’s 2015 refugee crisis. Challenging the prevailing view of the border as a “field of struggle” between Europe and its outsides, this dissertation proposes the scene of maritime distress in the Mediterranean as a theater for playing out the internal contradictions of Europe itself: the fiscal crisis of the Eurozone; the wavering hegemony of liberal democracy; the radical Left’s search for a revolutionary subject, and migrants’ own elaboration of Europe between the experience of violence and the fantasy of fulfillment. Combining ethnography conducted on board the ships and aircraft of activist collectives rescuing migrants in the sea passage with literary criticism of nautical fiction and archival research into the histories of policing maritime mobility, the chapters of this dissertation develop an alternative history of the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean: not one of humanitarian mass disaster and unbridled state violence, but one of fierce battle waged among states, global capital and the alliances of border-crossers, activists and workers who meet at sea, each in search of their own form of emancipation as it shimmers on the horizon.

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Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

by Elaine Chiu-ling Yam. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-181). / Acknowledgments / Abstract / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction - On Literature and Public Sphere --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Cultural Communication and Chinese Writers in Deng Era --- p.24 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- A Master of Irony - Wang Shuo's Wanzhu Literature --- p.42 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- A Race of Heroes - Mo Yan's Ideal Lifeworld --- p.77 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- In Search of the Self - Jia Pingwa's City of Decadence --- p.111 / Chapter Chapter 6: --- Conclusion - The Generation of Alternative Values --- p.144 / Bibliography --- p.162

Relying on Lucien Goldmann's theory of genetic structuralism, this study examines the relationship between ideology (world vision) and the autobiographical form in South African writing. The five autobiographers selected for discussion represent different social groups in the South African social formation. The central argument of this thesis is that there is a relationship between autobiographical self-portraiture and the collective interests, values and attitudes of particular social groups in South Africa. Therefore, most South African autobiographies are more concerned with the articulation of collective consciousness than with the celebration of individual talents and achievements. Chapter 1 on Peter Abrahams explores the values underpinning the ideology of liberal humanism and their influence on the process of self-representation within the mode of autobiography. The second chapter examines the apparently contradictory conceptions of self-identity in Bloke Modisane's autobiography. Chapter three focuses on the conflict between Naboth Mokgatle's ethnic loyalty to the Bafokeng tribe and his newly acquired radical working class consciousness. The fourth chapter examines the liberal-Christian ideology in Alan Paton's two volumes of autobiography. The fifth and final chapter explores counter hegemonic modes of self-definition in Sindiwe Magona's two-volumed autobiography. In all the five chapters there is an attempt to link the authors' self-presentation to specific social classes or groups. The thesis argues for a literary-sociological approach to the analysis of autobiography and seeks to challenge the deconstructive theoretical perspectives on autobiography which, by rejecting the validity of humanist assumptions regarding human subjectivity, deny any possibility of meaningful socio-political action. / English Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (English)

Text in English and Xhosa. / Translation of title: Socio-political themes in the poetry of Shasha. / Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study of socio-political issues examines Shasha's poetry. Chapter One is the introduction of this study and states the central aim of the study, the scope of the study, as well as the thematic approach followed in the entire study. Chapter Two is divided into five subheadings: • The poetry that is not politically aligned; • Pre-independence poetry; • The poetry about the warriors who fell in the struggle; • Post-independence poetry; and • Reconciliatory poetry. In the poetry that is not politically aligned, the author sometimes writes a poem, which, although not politically aligned, would have a theme dealing with politics. In the pre-independence poetry, the author emphasizes the situation that agonizes the blacks in their own indigenous land. He also stresses how the oppressors have succeeded in their work of oppression: the strategy of dividing and ruling them, and make them kill one another. In the poetry about the freedom fighters, the author portrays the gruesome ways in which they were slaughtered, examples of which are: - Steve Biko; Bathandwa Ndondo; Samora Machel and Chris Hani. Shasha praises these fallen heroes and maintains that their blood has sprinkled the arrival of the liberation. Even though they are dead the author sees them as if they are still alive because of their outstanding contribution in the struggle. In the post-independence poetry, the author highlights the disappointment of the blacks, as the situation is not what they expected, because of the unfulfilled promises by the black government in power. The author expresses disappointment because of unmeasurable corruption in the present government: nepotism is practiced, irrespective of qualifications. In the reconciliatory poetry, the author reconciles the different nations that are hostile to each other: the blacks and whites. He mentions different kinds of actions to be reconciled because he says that these actions happened were because of the apartheid regime. In Chapter Three, the author shows his knowledge about health issues, he does not only warn about different kinds of diseases, he also mentions the causes, effects and symptoms in the victims. It is evident from this chapter that the author is a qualified medical practitioner, as he shows confidence and knowledge in the issues he is writing about. In Chapter Four, the author observes problems that influence the social status of the people. The social issues he writes about stresses the fact that some of these diseases are not caused by physical aspects but also by by social problems. In Chapter Five, the author challenges people to return to the older times of customs and traditions. Studying Shasha's cultural poetry leaves the reader / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek sosio-politieke vraagstukke in die poësie van Shasha. Hoofstuk 1 is die inleiding tot die studie waarin die sentrale doelstelling en omvang van die studie uiteengesit word, asook die tematiese benadering wat in die studie gevolg word. Hoofstuk 2 word in vyf subafdelings ingedeel: • Poësie wat nie polities gerig is nie; • Voor-onafhanklikheids poësie; • Poësie oor vegters wat in die vryheidstryd gesterf het; • Na-onafhanklikheidspoësie; en • Versoeningspoësie. In die poësie wat nie polities gerig is nie, skryf die outeur nietemin soms 'n gedig wat handeloor 'n politieke tema. In die voor-afhanklikheids poësie, beklemtoon die digter die situasie wat pyn veroorsaak vir swartmense in hulle eie land. Hy wys daarop hoe die voormalige onderdrukkers daarin geslaag het om swartmense te onderdruk deur die strategie om hulle te verdeel en te regeer, wat daartoe gelei het dat hulle mekaar doodmaak. In die poësie oor die vryheidsvegters, die digter beeld die grusame wyses uit waarop hulle vermoor is, voorbeelde daarvan is Steve Biko, Bathandwa Ndanda, Samora Machel, en Chris Hani. Shasha prys hierdie gevalle helde en voer aan dat hulle bloed die aankoms van bevryding besprinkel het. Desnieteenstaande dat hulle gesterf het, sien die digter hulle asof hulle steeds leef op grond van hulle uitstaande bydrae tot die bevrydingstryd. In die na-onafhanklikheids poësie, behandel die digter die teleurstelling van swartmense, aangesien omstandighede nie is soos wat hulle verwag het nie as gevolg van onvervulde beloftes van die swart regering. Die digter spreek teleurstelling uit oor die groot mate van korrupsie in die regering van die dag. In die versoeningspoësie poog die digter om die verskillende bevolkingsgroepe wat vyandiggesind is teenoor mekaar, versoen: swartmense en witmense. Die digter noem verskillende tipes aksies wat versoen moet word, wat plaasgevind het weens apartheid. In Hoofstuk 3 toon die digter sy kennis van gesondheidsake. Hy waarsku nie slegs teen verskillende tipes siektes nie, maar verwys ook na die oorsake, effekte en simptome in die slagoffer. Dit is duidelik dat die digter 'n gekwalifiseerde mediese praktisyn is, aangesien hy vertroue het en kennis wys oor die vraagstukke waar hy dig. In Hoofstuk 4 word gedigte behandel waarin die digter skryf oor sosiale status van mense. Die sosiale vraagstukke wat in die gedigte behandel word, word veroorsaak deur fisiologiese, sowel as sosiale probleme. In Hoofstuk 5 word gedigte behandel wat die tema het dat mense moet terugkeer na tradisionele gebruike. Die studie van Sasha se poësie laat geen twyfel dat hy tradisionele waardes aanhang nie.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In hierdie proefskrif word gekyk na die verwantskap tussen geskiedenis, mite, geheue en teater. Daar word ook gekyk na die mate waartoe historiese of mitiese toneelstukke gebruik kan word om die amptelike geheue en identiteite, soos deur bewindhebbers in post-koloniale Nigerie en Kenya geskep, terug kon wen of uit kon daag. Hierdie werke word dan vergelyk met die soort teater wat tydens die Apartheidbewind in Suid-Afrika geskep is, om verskille en ooreenkomste in die gebruik van historiese en mitiese gegewens te bekyk. Die slotsom is dat een van die belangrikste kenmerke van die teater in vandag se samelewing sy vermod is om alternatiewe historiese narratiewe te ontwikkel wat kan dien as teen-geheue ("counter-memory") vir die dominante narratief van amptelike geskiedenisse. Sodoende bevraagteken die teater dan ook 'n liniere en causale siening van die geskiedenis, maar interpreteer dit eerder as meervoudig en kompleks. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: This thesis considers the relationship between history, myth, memory and theatre. The study explores the extent to which historic or mythic plays were used to either reclaim or challenge the official memories and identities created by those in power in the postcolonial Kenyan and Nigerian context. These are then compared to the South African theatre created during Apartheid, exploring the similarities and differences in the South Africans use of historic or mythic referents. The conclusion reached is that one of the most powerful aspects of theatre in society is its ability to create alternate historic narratives that become a counter-memory to the dominant narrative of official histories. It also challenges seeing history as linear and causal, and makes it more plural and complex.

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