published_or_final_version / Philosophy / Master / Master of Arts

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong. / "Errata" slip included. Shelved with H.K.U. publications. Type-written copy. Includes bibliographical references (1, 241-243).

Thesis (M.A.) - University of Hong Kong. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-243) Also available in print.

This dissertation explores the hermeneutical impasses which have resulted from the recent debates about the theological interpretation of Scripture between revisionist theologian David Tracy and postliberal theologian Hans Frei and suggests that locating the role of Scripture in the economy of redemption would ease many of these methodological tensions. The works of Evangelical theologian Kevin Vanhoozer and Ressourcement theologian Henri de Lubac, it is argued, provide helpful resources for these discussions as these theologians explicitly seek to explain the role of Scripture in mediating the relationship between Christ and the Church. The dissertation suggests that examining the role of Scripture in the context of the economy does provide helpful insights for hermeneutical method as it shows the intrinsic unity between the literal reading of Scripture and Scripture's spiritual interpretation, as well as the intrinsic unity between Scripture and Church in receiving Scriptural mediation. It is concluded that these insights ease ongoing tensions between Frei and Tracy by showing that Frei's insistence on the plain sense of Scripture is compatible with Tracy's insistence on the transformative disclosure of Christ in Scripture. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Theology / PhD / Dissertation

The Dark Valley Period and its resultant Asia Pacific War remains an open question in Japan; this era is consistently revisited in both public debates over textbooks and state apology as well as in popular culture and literature. The discussion of the Dark Valley Period and the conflicts it generated also exists within manga, a widely consumed media, and has shifted genres multiple times in the decades following the Japanese surrender. Some genres, such as early senki-mono, portrayed the war as a heroic, although ultimately futile, action undertaken by self-sacrificing youth. Semiautobiographical works, such as those created by the late manga artist Mizuki Shigeru, countered this narrative by showing the war as brutal, senseless, and useless. Often, the popularity or decline of a genre skewed closely to the general attitude concerning the wartime period. Due to its wide-scale consumption by youth, manga has the potential to both represent and forward shifts in public perception. Additionally, historical revisionists and anti-Article 9 proponents have shifted their discourse into manga in order to appeal to and influence a younger audience. This strategy is further strengthened by previous genre works, such as the Space Battleship Yamato series, which reframed the Dark Valley Period and the Asia Pacific War in a positive light indirectly through their narrative. This dissertation posits that the discussion has recently shifted into shōnen/seinen fantasy manga and that this discussion reflects a level of sympathy with revisionist historians that would normally cause a public backlash against the series in question if this sympathy was not masked by genre.

A Kingdom Jack’d is a satirical verse-play based on William Shakespeare’s Henry IV dramas. It opens in 1399 England, following the deposal of Richard II and what should have been the coronation of Henry IV. Instead, political machinations have thrust the clownish rogue John “Jack” Falstaff to the throne. With his band of cutthroats running court and the Lancasters reduced to mere rebels, Britain descends into chaos. The country’s only hope lies with Shakespeare’s literary creation Doll Tearsheet and his other peripheral, disempowered female characters. At play’s end, peace is gained with Falstaff’s flight into exile and the dismantling of patriarchal order.

My thesis focuses on the ideological development of the Maximalist Revisionist Zionist leader Abba Ahimeir, and positions him more accurately within the contexts of the Zionist Right, the period of his political activity, and the Zionist movement in general. Through an examination of his doctoral thesis on Oswald Spengler and first publications, I conclude that Spenglerian theory exerted a fundamental influence upon Ahimeir throughout his entire life, and that his embrace of Fascist ideology began six years earlier than is generally accepted. I thus contend that Ahimeir's ideological path was already set in 1924, far earlier than is generally believed. A survey of his journalistic output, while a member of the moderately socialist party HaPoel HaTzair, shows that Ahimeir's apparent shift from Left to Right was not the radical defection that it is currently considered to be. A study of primary source archival material allows me to demonstrate that as a leader of the Revisionist Youth Group Betar and instructor in its Leadership Training School, Ahimeir's ideological influence upon Revisionist youth was far greater than is commonly accepted. A discussion of more general intellectual-historical concepts - Spenglerian-, Fascist-, and Revolutionary- theory, Jewish Völkisch-nationalism, secular Messianism - allows me to re-weight certain ideological outlooks in the current body of research regarding Ahimeir, the Revisionist Party, and the Zionist Left. Notably, I suggest we view Ahimeir as a 'Revolutionary' who used Fascism merely as a modus operandi in the service of his revolution. This particularistic ideological outlook was exemplified in his semi-clandestine, anti-British resistance group Brit HaBiryonim, as a thorough examination of court documents from the group's trial demonstrates. The study provides the first intellectual biography of one of the most influential figures on the Zionist Right, and rights some historical wrongs that exist within Revisionist- and Labour-Zionist myths, and indeed, Israeli collective memory.

What is Chinese behaviour like in the International Labour Organization (ILO) - is China a Status Quo or a Revisionist Actor? Despite the prominence of the issue of China's rise in international relations studies, little research has been published on China's behaviour in international organizations in other realms than the economic. This thesis, therefore, seeks the answer to the posed question. Chinese statements are examined concerning forced and child labour, as well as other distinct themes, their structure and a potential underlying strategy. The findings are retrieved from an analysis of Chinese statements in sittings of ILO organs and checked against information provided in ILO reports to detect discrepancies. A major finding is that the overall behaviour of China in the ILO can categorized as reform-minded status quo, even though there are some factors which could be interpreted as revisionist tendencies. Due to this categorization, a continued peaceful rise of China is considered to be possible.

Lietuvos ir Lenkijos valstybių santykiai tarpukariu, kaip ir daugelio to meto kaimyninių Europos valstybių santykiai, buvo įtempti ir sudėtingi. Tiesa, jie buvo savaip ypatingi bei unikalūs. Unikalumas pasireiškė jau vien tuo, kad konstitucinė Lietuvos sostinė faktiškai beveik visą nepriklausomybės laikotarpį priklausė Lenkijai. Trumpam nesutarimus dėl Vilniaus krašto buvo išsprendusi 1920 m. spalio 7 d. pasirašyta Suvalkų sutartis. Tačiau, jai nespėjus įsigalioti, konfliktą atnaujino neteisėti Liucijano Želigovskio vadovaujamų dalinių karo veiksmai. Valstybių diplomatinius santykius jų pablogėjimą ar gerėjimą geriausiai atspindi valdžios institucijų dokumentai. Oficialių Lietuvos ir Lenkijos diplomatinių santykių nutraukimą žymi minėtos Suvalkų sutarties sulaužymas o atnaujinimą 1938 m. Lenkijos ultimatumas Lietuvai. Tačiau net nevykstant tiesioginiam oficialiam šalių diplomatų bendradarbiavimui, Lenkijos ir Lietuvos tarpusavio santykiai nebuvo visiškai nutrūkę. Jie tesėsi slaptos diplomatijos ir tarptautinių organizacijų (Tautų Sąjungos) veikloje. Beveik visą Pirmosios Lietuvos Respublikos gyvavimo laikotarpį vyko diplomatinė kova dėl Vilniaus krašto teritorinės priklausomybės, o į šią kovą (vienaip ar kitaip) buvo įtrauktos ir didžiosios Europos valstybės. Šiame geopolitiame valstybių interesų žaidime reikėtų išskirti Sovietų Rusijos (vėliau Sovietų Sąjungos) įtaką Lietuvos – Lenkijos santykiams. Dvi Lietuvos ir Sovietų pasirašytos (1920 m. Taikos ir 1926 m. Nepuolimo)... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Lithuanian and Polish relations were strained and difficult in the interwar period, as well as by many of the neighboring European countries. Of course, they were special in their own way and unique. The uniqueness of these relations was seen from the fact, that the constitutional capital of Lithuania de facto belonged to Poland during almost the whole period of independence of Lithuania. Suvalkai treaty, which was signed in 1920-10-07, solved the disagreements of Vilnius region only for a short period of time. However, illegal actions of the units led by Liucijano Zeligowzki renewed the conflict even before Suvalkai treaty came into effect. Diplomatic relations of these states and their worsening and improvement are best reflected by the authorities documents. The break of above-mentioned Suvalkai treaty shows the suspention of official relations of Lithuania and Poland and the renewal of these relations may be illustrated by the Polish ultimatum to Lithuania in 1938. However, even without direct official diplomats cooperation, relations between Polish and Lithuanian were not completely broken . They continued in secret diplomacy and international organizations activities (United Nations). The diplomatic struggle for the Vilnius region territorial affiliation took almost all period of First Lithuania Republic of Lithuania and the major European countries had been included in this fight (in one way or another). Influence of Soviet Russia (later Soviet Union) to... [to full text]

The thesis explores a multidisciplinary approach, bridging together perspectives from art-historical, philosophical and anthropological fields of knowledge to question and outline the way materiality has been thought about, and how this in turn can be informative to developing a curatorial methodology. By looking at Moderna Museet Stockholm, the thesis will demonstrate the mileage of thinking materially in the act of exhibition making and the curatorial position. In doing so, the thesis explores various discursive arenas of the institution such as the museum, the temporary exhibition and the permanent collection. Central to developing the methodology are concepts such as agency, revisionist history and cultural modernity.