This study brings together Plaatje’s politicaland literary visions, arguing that the one informs the other. Plaatje’s literary work is used as a starting point for the discussion, and the first chapter explores the relationship of his political and artistic visions. Mhudi is his definitive romance text, and it is argued that Plaatje’s romance visionin this text is reflected in his political thinking, and in turn reflected by it. His romance work was part of a literary romance tradition which Plaatje both drew upon and transformed, and thus the basic features of romance are explored in Chapter Two. Plaatje’s work is situated between two influential romance models, therefore Chapter Two also discusses the romances of Shakespeare, whomPlaatje read as reflectinga non-racial humanism that was translatable into the African context, in terms of political vision and of literary text. His other models were the colonial romances of Haggard. It is argued that, while Plaatje could glean many elements fromHaggardthat suited his purposes as an African, specifically a SouthAfrican, writer, he nevertheless—despite his own pro-British leanings, qualified though they might have been by the complexities of his colonial context—would not have represented Africa and Africans in terms of the exotic other in the way Haggard clearly did. Thus Plaatje, in terms of his romance vision, may have usedmanyofthe themesand techniques of Haggardianromance, but consistently qualified these colonial works by using the more classically shaped Shakespearean romance structure at the deep level of his work. The third chapter examines Haggard’s romance, but differentiates between two Haggardian types, the completed or resolved romance, whichis more classical in its form, and evokes an image of a completed quest, as well as the necessity of the quester entering the world again. Haggard’s “completed” African romance, it is argued, is resolved only in terms of a colonial vision. Chapter Four, by contrast, examines examples of his unresolved African romance, in which African ideals implode, and show themselves to be inneed of foreign intervention. It is argued that Haggard’s image of Africa was based on the unresolved or incomplete romance. His vision of Africa was such that it could not in itself provide the materialfor completed romance. This vision saw intervention as the only option for South Africa. While Plaatje uses elements of Haggard’s “incomplete” romance models when writing Mhudi, he handles both his narrative and politicalcommentaryin this text in terms of his own politicalthought. This non-racial politicalvisionis guided by his belief that virtue and vice are not the monopoly of any colour, a non-racialism he associates with Shakespeare. However, within the context of the South Africa of his fictionand of his life, this non-racial ideal is constantly under threat. It is partly threatened by political forces, but also challenged by moral changes within individuals and societies. In Chapter Five the examination of Plaatje’s work begins withhis Boer War Diary, inwhicha romance structure is sought beneath his diurnal observations and political optimismduring a time of warfare and siege. The discussion of this text is followed by a reading of Native Life in South Africa in which it is argued that Plaatje looks, in the midst of personal and social suffering, for that which can translate a tragic situation into romance resolution. “Translation” is used in a broad sense, echoing Plaatje’s view of the importance of translation for cross-cultural understanding and harmony. The arguments of Chapter Five are extended into Chapter Six, where a reading of Mhudi places emphasis on the possibilities of change implied in romance. Plaatje’s non-racial humanism recognizes the great potential for injustice and human suffering within the context of South African racism, but constantly seeks to translate such suffering into the triumph of romance. While the narrative of Mhudi concludes on a romance peak, tensions between the tragic and romance possibilities alert the reader to the sense that, despite its romance resolution, something has been lost in the translation of the potential tragedy into romance.

In this study I have sought to explore the theoretical foundations of the French artist Daniel Buren's work and its subsequent resonance in a context of emergent cultural conservatism. The study also traces, the increasingly tenuous position of the avant-garde, the survival of which is contingent on the presence of certain liberal democratic institutions. For me these concerns led to a systematic investigation of the censorship of Buren's installation at the 1971 Guggenheim International Exhibition. This was the last in a series of exhibitions that was to promote international goodwill by bringing together the best of recently produced works by contemporary avant-garde artists from around the world, and awarding prizes to those considered outstanding. But the real ideological significance of this show was apparent in the aggressive attempt by the administrators of the Guggenheim to promote American cultural superiority. Buren was invited to contribute a piece to the show in the belief that his work fit into the formalist mode around which the exhibition was organized. Yet the day before the show opened Museum officials suddenly decided to remove his work from the exhibition. The official explanation provided by the authorities of the Guggenheim cited the size and placement of Buren's work as being in direct conflict with the work of other artists in the exhibition. However, this explanation was clearly specious given that the Guggenheim officials knew months in advance exactly what this work would look like, and its intended place of installation. Moreover, Museum officials used the complaints of four participating artists as justification for their actions. Meanwhile, fifteen other artists in the show objected to the Museum's use of censorship. The issue of the Guggenheim Museum's sudden decision to withdraw Buren's installation from the Sixth Guggenheim International is thus more complex than the official explanation would indicate. My thesis contends that the abrupt removal of Daniel Buren's work is traceable to efforts by Guggenheim officials to protect other works in the exhibition, and the International series as a whole, from floating into the avant-gardist-traditionalist polemic that had again flared up in the New York art world. Chapters One and Two examine the organization of the 1971 Guggenheim International and the rationale behind that organization. Chapter Three looks at the threefold controversy surrounding the 1971 International: the conflict that arose between participating artists, the questions of censorship that were raised by the actions of Museum officials, and the overwhelmingly hostile critical response to the exhibition. This study investigates a period of social and epistemological rupture in American art, the reverberations of which continue to be felt today. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

M.A. / The Song of Songs has been considered a key platform for feminist liberative causes. The purpose of this study is to critique such feminist ideological readings of the Song of Songs, because of the apparent contradictions among feminist advocates. This study encapsulates itself in Postmodern fashion to account for reader centred interests. The exercise involves a close reading of the text, paying special attention to the poetic features in the Song as well as the presumed (feminist) readerly interests. While the entire spectrum of the Song is reflected, the study confines itself to the analysis of the exordium (introduction 1:2-2:7), which is reiterated in the peroratio (conclusion 8:5-14), a correspondence noted by a number of structuralists. The scope, therefore, mainly makes room for feminist ideological interests other than the traditional readings of the Song of Songs, which have been adequately explored elsewhere. The analysis of the texts in question combines insights from classical rhetoric with a 'newcomer' Socio-rhetorical criticism, which allows an integrated scientific approach of reading and rereading texts from various angles. Thus, various disciplines, social scientific, rhetorical, postmodern and theological criticism work together in generating a rich environment for textual analysis. The method also permits for the various 'textures' within a text (namely, inner, inter, social and cultural, ideological and sacred), to be explored individually, then synthesised to form a meaningful interpretation. Conclusive findings from the described exegetical exercise is weighed against feminist readings, readings which demonstrate how texts construct readers and vice versa. Pertinent questions arising out of the ideological readings are not ignored, such as: What exactly does an ideology implicate? Whose reading is decidedly the best reading of the Song of Songs? Or, is there such a thing as the best reading of a text? Does the Song of Songs itself prescribe a particular ideological reading? It was found that although the feminist 'voice' is very conspicuous in the Song, the male is also and constantly 'there'. The Song does not celebrate supremacy of either of the gender, but mutuality and equality.

Compassion is one of the fundamental experiences which signify human existence. Person perception is the constructive process with which we form an opinion or judgment of another person. Two experiments (N =277) were conducted in this study. Experiment 1 examined the effects of a mindfulness meditation on compassion in a large sample of young adults. Participants (n =76) were randomly assigned to three groups. Participants in group 1 received the mindfulness meditation, group 2 received an alternate version of the mindfulness meditation (self-focus only), and participants in group 3 were asked to complete an attention task and read a geological text. It was hypothesized that mindfulness meditation is significantly associated with the experience of compassion. Results showed that participants in the experimental group 1 experienced significantly higher levels of compassion compared to participants in the control group 3. The participants in group 2 were not different from experimental group 1 or from control group 3. Gender differences in the effects of meditation on compassion were explored. Different measures yielded conflicting evidence for gender differences in experienced compassion. For the second experiment a Solomon four-group experimental design was employed to examine the possible effects of compassion on person perception. Participants (n = 201) were randomly assigned to 4 groups. The effect of pretesting impression formation on posttest performance was investigated. It was hypothesized that compassion has a significant effect on impression formation. The Stouffer's z -method was used to investigate this effect. Results indicated that participants in the experimental groups after completing a mindfulness meditation rated a target person significantly more favorable, compared to participants in the control groups. Results also indicated that pretest had no significant effect on post-test ratings of the impression formation task. Transcendental applications for the inducement and experience of compassion in psychotherapy and the role of compassion in human society are considered. Limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

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Tato diplomová práce pojednává o zmírnění bitové chybovosti bezkabelového optického spoje s užitím principu reciprocity aplikovaného na komunikační kanál, spolu s možností kódování přenášených dat. V této práci je implementováno LDPC a Reed-Solomonovo kódování pro jejich vyhovující vlastnosti. Zbytková rámcová chybovost je vypočtena a k dispozici jako výstup systému, který je implementovaný v hradlovém poli (FPGA).

Magister Theologiae - MTh / In this minithesis, I argue that the prime reason of the Deuteronomistic Historian (Dtr) for inserting the incomparability of God in Solomon's prayer is to convey his (Dtr's) theological interpretation of the history of Israel as history controlled by her sovereign God, Yahweh. Other reasons are also considered. In order to argue the main reason and others, the sociohistorical aspects of the Davidic-Solomonic era are briefly highlighted as well as the Deuteronomistic Historian, his time and theology. A closer look at the Babylonian exile shows the significance of this event in terms of the theological thought of Dtr conveyed in the passage 1 Ki. 8:23-26 and the rest of Solomon's prayer. A brief exploration of the theme "The Incomparability of Yahweh" as seen in the Deuteronomistic History is then undertaken to acquire a full comprehension of the incomparability formula within the Deuteronomistic writings. This also helps to place the formula within its immediate context, i.e. the passage and the prayer itself, and within its broader context, viz., the Deuteronomistic writings An exegesis of 1 Ki. 8:23-26 is undertaken giving further rise to lexical data leading to major themes. This critical exegesis, the lexical data and major themes lead to the postulation of the assumed reasons for the insertion of the incomparability formula by Dtr. Arguments for each reason are then put forth culminating in my argument that Dtr wants to conveys his theological interpretation of the history of Israel as history controlled by her sovereign God, Yahweh. The minithesis is concluded with an overview, reflections and theological perspectives of Dtr gleaned especially from the postulated reasons. Finally, this research shows the actuality of Dtr's theological thoughts for his time as well as for today's readers, especially in terms of the sovereignty of God, his hesed for his people and the motif of conditionality expressed in the Deuteronomistic theology permeating Solomon's prayer.

Graded ideals over the polynomial ring are studied deeply with a huge of methods and results. Over the exterior algebra, there are not much known about the structures of minimal graded resolutions, Gröbner fans of graded ideals or the Koszul property of algebras defined by graded ideals. We study componentwise linearity, linear resolutions of graded ideals as well as universally, initially and strongly Koszul properties of graded algebras defined by a graded ideals over the exterior algebra. After that, we apply our results to Orlik-Solomon ideals of hyperplane arrangements and show in which way the exterior algebra is useful in the study of related combinatorial objects.

In 1409 Pierre Salmon created the Dialogues, an illuminated manuscript, for Charles VI of France. The miniature of David and Solomon, found in the Dialogues, compared King Charles VI to the two Old Testament Kings of Israel. An exploration of this comparison reveals the inability of the king of France to rule his kingdom. Salmon purposefully brought this comparison to the attention of Charles VI to encourage the king to repent of his sins in order to restore his health and the political stability of France.

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