This screenplay is a fictional Coming of Age story of a young restless woman who, on an existentialist search for her inner self, investigates into the truth behind her famous grandmother's past, an anthropologist who conducted controversial research in the Samoa of the 1920s. In the turbulent streams of her consciousness, Kat drifts in between an urban reality in Berlin, daydreams about her grandmother's journey into the exotic unknown, fantasies about the enigmatic young Samoan single mom Penei, and memories of a once loving family. The encounter with Penei and the resulting friendship and frail romance of the two women proves to be an eye-opener for Kat who finally discovers that the objective truth proves to be the ultimate myth and that only the acknowledgement of her own, subjective vision will lead her on the path to her inner happiness. Although the character of Anna König is inspired by the historic figure of anthropologist Margaret Mead, the script has no intent to refer to actual facts of Mead's life. All the characters depicted are entirely fictional.

Henry Black was born in Adelaide in 1858, but arrived in Japan in 1864 after his father became editor of the Japan Herald. In the late 1870s, Henry Black addressed meetings of members of the Freedom and People�s Rights Movement. His talks were inspired by nineteenth-century theories of natural rights. That experience led to his becoming a professional storyteller (rakugoka) affiliated with the San�y� school of storytelling (San�yuha). Black�s storytelling (rakugo) in the 1880s and 1890s was an attempt by the San�y�ha to modernise rakugo. By adapting European sensation fiction, Black blended European and Japanese elements to create hybridised landscapes and characters as blueprints for audiences negotiating changes synonymous with modernity during the Meiji period. The narrations also portrayed the negative impacts of change wrought through emulation of nineteenth-century Britain�s Industrial Revolution. His 1894 adaptation of Oliver Twist or his 1885 adaptation of Mary Braddon�s Flower and Weed, for example, were early warnings about the evils of child labour and the exploitation of women in unregulated textile factories. Black�s kabuki performances parallel politically and artistically inspired attempts to reform kabuki by elevating its status as an art suitable for imperial and foreign patronage. The printing of his narrations in stenographic books (sokkibon) ensured that his ideas reached a wide audience. Because he was not an officially hired foreigner (yatoi), and his narrations have not entered the rakugo canon, Black has largely been forgotten. A study of his role as a mediator of modernity during the 1880s and 1890s shows that he was an agent in the transfer to a mass audience of European ideas associated with modernity, frequently ahead of intellectuals and mainstream literature. An examination of Black�s career helps broaden our knowledge of the role of foreigners and rakugo in shaping modern Japan.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-218).

Project (D. Min.)--Iliff School of Theology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-136).

Thesis (PhD) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / The digital copy of the exegesis, and the 2 CDs of images, props and environments created for the work have been removed from the thesis and are held by the Library's Digital Services Team. Also held in print (423 p. : ill. ; 25 x 27 cm. + 1 DVD of the film Boy (ca. 15 min.)), in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 791.4372 ING)

Thesis (M.C.S.)--Regent College, Vancouver, BC, 1991. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes abstract and curriculum vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-236).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 249-270).

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen viewed (6/23/2008). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-104).

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1996. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 275-281).