The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of Joe Duquette High School students through listening to their stories. My approach to listening developed out of the context of the school's Aboriginal philosophy. The thesis analyzes and describes what constitutes a meaningful education within the cultural framework of Good and Right Relations from the perspective of Joe Duquette High School students.<p> The Joe Duquette High School environment is a holistic one where the Sacred Circle philosophy and the good and right relations framework serves as a guide to the pedagogy of the school.<p> The methodology used in this thesis was shaped by the cultural philosophy of Joe Duquette High School and guided by student emphasis and meaning. A number of methodologies were drawn upon in order to approach the multiple contexts of the Joe Duquette High School cultural complex.<p> The central themes identified by students through their narratives serve as an organizational framework for the findings. My interpretation of what the students said is presented through my own personal narrative. I used my own story to develop more fully those ideas/concepts/ideals expressed by the students.<p>The main contribution of this study is highlighting the Joe Duquette High School experience through the students' perspectives and the method used to tell their story came out of the cultural context of the school.

In 17th century Italy, the trend toward small sacred concertato forms precipitated the publication of a number of volumes devoted exclusively to sacred solo vocal music. Several of these, including the Ghirlanda sacra (Gardano, 1625) and Motetti a voce sola (Gardano, 1645) contain sacred solo motets by some of the best Italian composers of the period. Venetian composers were at the forefront of the move toward the smaller concertato forms and, to fulfill various needs of church musicians, wrote in an increasingly virtuoso style intended to highlight the solo voice. This study traces the development of the solo motet in the sacred works of Venetian composers from the time of Monteverdi to Vivaldi. It revolves around sacred solo motets composed at Saint Marks and the Venetian ospedali (orphanages). It includes works of Alessandro Grandi, Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, and Antonio Vivaldi. It also deals with solo motets of lesser composers whose works are available in modern critical and performing editions or in recently published facsimiles. In addition to providing a more detailed survey of the genre than has been previously available, this study provides an overview of highly performable (but largely neglected) repertoire.

published_or_final_version / Music / Master / Master of Philosophy

This Thesis deals with the cultural encounter between Islam and Javanese culture as represented by the slametan ritual. The major purposes of this thesis are threefold; (1) to give a brief account of the historical backdrop of the encounter between Islam and the Javanese tradition; (2) to discuss the ongoing dispute among scholars over whether the slametan is animistic, syncretistic or Islamic; and (3) to provide a new perspective on the slametan ritual based upon textual (religious) and contextual (socio-cultural) analysis. / The hypothesis underlying this work is that the slametan is a prototype of syncretistic ritual, the representative of Islamic elements---as its core---on the one hand, and local traditions---as its periphery---on the other. This work will argue against the theory of the slametan developed both by Geertz and Woodward. The first scholar sees the slametan from a socio-cultural perspective only, while the latter views it on an Islamic theological basis. The current writer argues that one should employ a holistic perspective to see the slametan comprehensively; both from "inside" (religious perspective) and "outside" (cultural perspective).

India has complex and sophisticated oral tradition which ha s developed over millennia. The Sanskrit language has had an enormous influence over the whole of India, especially its oral tradition. The advent of the literate tradition in India which began approximately five thousand years ago preserved (in writing) much of the oral style elements. In chapter I of this dissertation the influence of the Sanskrit language and its oral transmission to various parts of the globe are briefly traced. Marcel Jousse, in the early part of this century, developed theories involving the anthropological basis governing human expression. These are rooted in mimism, bilateralism and formulism. Chapter 2 of this dissertation briefly outlines the principles of Jousse's theories and provides a brief overview of orality - literacy studies. The views of other experts in the field like Parry, Lord, Finnegan and Ong are also discussed. The Bhagavadgita (the chosen text) is a popular religious text among Indians. Its style encapsulates the oral style elements of Sanskrit literature. A brief summary of the first six discourses which cover the philosophy of Karma Yoga are provided in Chapter 3. Selected slokas (couplets) of these discourses are used as a basis to discuss certain formulaic techniques like a dialogue within a dialogue, application of the Parry-Lord theory, use of imagery (including simile, comparison and metaphor), use of honorific names and the significance of numbers as mnemotechnical devices. All these are elements of oral style. The discussion of the philosophy of Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion) takes up the next six discourses (discourses 7-12) of the Bhagavadg1ta. Chapter 4 provides a brief summary of these discourses. The elements of oral style which are i dentified and discussed among slokas (couplets) in these discourses are the propositional geste, parallelism, key words in a recitation and contextual meaning. The final chapter (chapter 5) deals with the philosophy of Jnana Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge). The slokas (couplets) of the next six discourses (13 - 18) which cover this philosophy are used as a basis to identify and discuss the nine characteristics of oral style as described by Ong, borrowing from other sources, alliteration and assonance which are further elements of the oral style. This dissertation concludes that the oral formulaic style has played a significant role in preserving the uniqueness, freshness and originality of the Bhagavadgita. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

Le rapport occidental moderne au sacré s’est transformé de façon importante au 20e siècle avec le processus de sécularisation. Cette désagrégation d’un sacré traditionnel laisse un vide – principalement existentiel et spirituel – là où auparavant certains contenus associés au sacré permettaient de se positionner dans et face à l’universel, c’est-à-dire d’occuper une place dans le monde et les institutions qui l’organisent et d’investir cette place d’un sens compris, accepté et partagé autant individuellement que collectivement. De toute évidence, un tel processus d’effritement ne s’opère pas sans restes et la littérature est un espace qui recueille ces vestiges d’un sacré en transformation, d’un sacré qui fait l’objet d’une quête. L’écriture de Cioran représente un lieu exemplaire où sont concentrés ces vestiges et elle est aussi l’outil ou le médium par lequel la quête s’effectue. Son écriture tiraillée, pétrie d’un malaise existentiel et d’un doute profond, témoigne d’un refus, pensé comme une incapacité, à souscrire aux visions traditionnelles, surannées, du sacré. Généralement considérée par la critique comme inclassable – ni tout à fait philosophique, ni tout à fait littéraire – l’œuvre de Cioran souligne pourtant l’importance de la littérature comme modalité de l’esprit. Cette œuvre met en lumière le rôle de la littérature pour la pensée dans la mesure où elle est un espace qui permet d’accueillir la pensée en quête d’un sacré hors-cadre, en même temps qu’elle se fait le moyen d’une recherche plus libre, plus personnelle, du sacré. La littérature devient donc le réceptacle autant que le moyen d’une quête pleinement existentielle, une quête qui n’est ni représentée ni confessée, mais bien mise en scène, c’est-à-dire dramatisée. Le « je » qu’on retrouve partout dans l’œuvre de Cioran n’est pas le « je » d’une confession, mais bien un « je » narratif qui n’équivaut pas au « je » de l’écrivain. C’est précisément dans le décalage lié à la dramatisation qu’apparaît le paradoxe propre au savoirparticulier que porte la littérature: soit ce caractère personnel, incarné, particulier qui devient le véhicule d’une expérience universelle dans la mesure où elle a le pouvoir ou le potentiel d’abriter l’expérience personnelle d’un lecteur qui performe, pour lui-même, le texte. En ce sens, écriture et lecture sont """! imbriquées, comme deux faces d’une même réalité, dans cette quête d’un sacré qui se produit chez Cioran dans un espace d’exception, en dehors des institutions. À partir de l’exemplarité de l’œuvre cioranienne, cette thèse propose une réflexion qui porte sur la littérature comme mode d’inscription des vestiges du sacré ainsi que comme manifestation et moyen d’une quête d’un sacré débarrassé des balises institutionnelles, et qui tente de mettre en lumière le type de savoir propre à la littérature sous l’angle précis de la dramatisation littéraire dans le contexte particulier de cette quête. / The secularization process characteristic of 20th century Western thought has wrought profound change in our modern view of the sacred. Indeed, The disintegration of traditional representations of the sacred has left a mainly existential and spiritual void where, previously, certain contents of these representations allowed one to find a personal space in relation to, and within, the Universal – in other words, to find one’s place in the world and its organizing institutions – and to invest such a space with shared, accepted and understood meaning. However, this decaying process is not without producing a residual which literature can gather: vestiges of a sacred in transformation – a sacred which also remains the object of a search. Cioran’s writing is exemplary in this respect. Not only is it a depository for the remains of the sacred, it is also the tool or the medium, the striving path of its pursuit. His torn writing, ridden with existential angst and profound doubt, bears witness to a refusal – presented as an inability – to subscribe to outdated traditional representations of the sacred. Neither completely philosophical nor literary, thereby generally considered unclassifiable by scholars, Cioran’s oeuvre brings attention to the importance of literature as a modality of the mind. Cioran’s oeuvre brings to light literature’s role within thought as a space where a search for a sacred that lies beyond its traditional framework might manifest itself, but also as a means of undertaking a freer, more personal, search for the sacred. Literature thus becomes as much a receptacle as a means of a wholly existential quest that is neither represented nor confessed, but acted out. The “I” found throughout Cioran’s works is not the “I” of a confession, but the “I” of a narrative, which is not to say it is the “I” of the author. It is precisely in the gap created by dramatization that arises the paradox inherent to the particular knowledge literature conveys: the personal, incarnate, particular character of this knowledge becomes the vehicle for a universal experience which has the power or potential of harboring the reader’s personal experience as he performs – or acts out, #! as it were – the text for himself. In this sense, reading and writing are intertwined – are two sides of a single reality – in this quest for a sacred that comes forth, in Cioran’s thought, in this space of exception, outside of institutions. Taking as its starting point the exemplarity of Cioran’s oeuvre in these respects, this thesis proposes a reflection on literature as a mode of inscription of what remains of the sacred, as well as a manifestation and a means of a yearning or a quest for the sacred unhindered by institutional boundaries. It aims thereby to shed light on the type of knowledge peculiar to literature by taking into account the literary dramatization that takes place in the context of this search.

In this dissertation an examination of oral style in the Sixteen Vedic Sanskaras with particular reference to the Naming, Marriage and Death ceremonies, has been made. Sanskaras, which originated in the Vedas, have been orally transmitted from teacher (Guru) to pupil from generation to generation. The Introduction outlines the role of Sanskaras in the life of a Hindu and its link with the ancient Vedas. The oral features that facilitate memorisation and transmission of the Mantras are mentioned. The three universal anthropological laws of Marcel Jousse are applied. The first chapter focuses on the theoretical framework of orality where important terms are defined. The contribution of Marcel Jousse and Ong are highlighted. The orality-literacy continuum is elaborated upon. The important role of memory skills as a facilitator of the transmission of knowledge is explained. The second chapter deals with the origin and the classification of Vedic literature. The role of the Sacred Fire (Yajna) in Sanskaras is emphasized. It is around this ritual fire that the ceremony and the oral traditions revolve. The fire is central to all the rites and ceremonies and the litanies constantly refer to the fire as the vehicle of transmitting the aspirations of the devotee to God. The third chapter states the reason for the choice of the topic and summarises each of the sixteen Vedic Sanskaras. This is followed by the identification of oral elements in the Naming ceremony. The evidence of orality in the marriage ceremony features in chapter four initially establishing the importance of the marriage ceremony and thereafter outlining the essential steps of a Hindu marriage. The death ceremony is described in chapter five with special reference to evidence of oral style expression therein. The conclusion emphasizes the role of orality in keeping alive the Hindu tradition and customs. It also augurs well for further research in Vedic literature. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

This dissertation is accompanied by a video recording of the performance of the yajna and an audio recording of the mantras (sacred verses) recited during the performance. This thesis endeavors to illustrate how oral style elements are used to accentuate the mantras during the performance of the yajna. The mantras and the yajna itself, have its roots in the Vedic scriptures which have been transmitted orally from generation to generation. In chapter one, "Introduction", a brief description of the concept of Hinduism which forms the basis of my investigation is presented. An individual's life, according to Hinduism, is divided into four stages and the performance of yajna features prominently in the sixteen Vedic sanskaras. In chapter two, the term yajna is defined and the origin of yajna as reflected in the Purusa Sukta is discussed. The five main daily duties or Panca Mahayajna, presented for the welfare and progress of the individual and society are explained. It must be noted that the Panca Mahayajna are not necessarily all rituals or rites but rather social or human commitments, which are a part of the Vedic code of ethics. However, the Deva Yajna or Agni-hotra or yajna as it is very commonly known to Hindus, is a ritual that is performed. The Devayajna forms an integral part of the Panca Mahayajna. The third chapter outlines some of Marcel Jousse's thoughts, views and ideas about oral style expressions relevant to the yajna. The universal anthropological laws of Formulism, Bilateralism, Mimism and Rhythmism as propounded by Marcel Jousse are highlighted. Key concepts like gesture, memory, rhythm and oral expression, used as facilitators for the transmission of knowledge are explained. this chapter forms part of the conceptional framework of the study. Chapter four focusses on the definition of oral tradition The Vedas, an example of Hindu literature reflecting oral tradition, are discussed. Some interesting comments tracing the authenticity of the Vedas and facts declaring the Vedas as the source head of all knowledge about human behaviour also feature in this chapter. In the fifth chapter, the procedure, explanation and analysis of the gestural and oral expressions as reflected in the performance of the yajna are examined. The anthropological laws of Marcel Jousse are applied in the recitation of the mantras and the actual performance of the yajna. Mnemotechnical devices that facilitate memorisation, featuring in the mantras are discussed. The conclusion emphasises the role of oral style elements that are evident in the yajna and explores the possibility for further research in Vedic literature. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban,1999.

Why the Buddhist Pali Canon? Why the Brahmajala Sutta? Will this dissertation contribute anything new and valuable towards Orality-Literacy Studies? It was with much anxiety and apprehension as well as intimidation in remembering the words of Jousse (1990): "A man who writes a book deriving solely from other books contributes nothing new." ...... that the choice of this topic became finalised. The Brahmajala Sutta commences with the words: "Evam me sutam" (Thus I have heard) It is the written representation of an oral form that came into existence as the culmination of an established authentic oral tradition that had its origins in the 5th Century B.C. It became preserved in written form in the 1st Century B.C. with the purpose of canonizing the Discourses of Gotama Buddha. These were and still are oral elements transmitted orally and the written text abounds with such as mnemotechniques, repetitions, refrains, sound and rhythmic patterns, silences and pauses that are germane to the content and comprehension of the sutta (discourse). This text which has survived many centuries holds much fascination as it attaches a meditative dimensions to the Orality-Literacy continuum since the meditative repetition of its verses aims at the spiritual transformation and enhancement of the individual. Le Roux (1991: 48) asks, "Is it possible to rekindle a live relationship with this ancient text, which is now only available in printed form?" In answering her question she states, "It is possible when the present day reader realises that this sutta has a dynamic vitality of its own, that it is able to challenge, communicate and demand a response from the interpreter. Inevitably, the reader is drawn into an involvement with the message of the sutta which Ricoeur (1967:354) calls, "a passionate, though critical relation with the truth value of each symbol." When the two horizons meet, that of the present day reader and the ancient text itself, understanding becomes a reality. That is possible notwithstanding immense differences in time, language and religio-philosophical beliefs." This dissertation is not intended to be an exegetical analysis of the Brahmajala Sutta, for which, in any case, it affords neither scope nor range. What it seeks to do is to explore how the text came to be fixed in its present form, as well as to appreciate the processes that lie behind its formulation, and most important of all, to attempt to understand what intrinsic qualities it possesses that give it its "dynamic vitality." In the first three chapters, the text is placed against the historical, sociological and cultural contexts of the Buddhist Pali Canon. This information is essential as it provides the background necessary for the comprehension of important aspects of the sutta. Chapter Four locates the position of the Brahmajala Sutta within the giant corpus of material embraced by the Buddhist Pali Canon and Chapter Five presents the structural formulation of the text. In Chapters Six and Seven, the oral compositional process with its use of formulaic devices comes into focus within a semantic, morphological and phonological analysis. I emphasise that since I consider my knowledge of the Pali Canon to be relatively limited, I have had to rely on the works of the many eminent researchers whose names appear in the Bibliography, for the information contained in the first three chapters. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of Joe Duquette High School students through listening to their stories. My approach to listening developed out of the context of the school's Aboriginal philosophy. The thesis analyzes and describes what constitutes a meaningful education within the cultural framework of Good and Right Relations from the perspective of Joe Duquette High School students. The Joe Duquette High School environment is a holistic one where the Sacred Circle philosophy and the good and right relations framework serves as a guide to the pedagogy of the school. The methodology used in this thesis was shaped by the cultural philosophy of Joe Duquette High School and guided by student emphasis and meaning. A number of methodologies were drawn upon in order to approach the multiple contexts of the Joe Duquette High School cultural complex. The central themes identified by students through their narratives serve as an organizational framework for the findings. My interpretation of what the students said is presented through my own personal narrative. I used my own story to develop more fully those ideas/concepts/ideals expressed by the students.The main contribution of this study is highlighting the Joe Duquette High School experience through the students' perspectives and the method used to tell their story came out of the cultural context of the school.