The music of He Yong and Zhang Chu, two of the Three Heroes of Magic Stone, has played an integral part in the development of Chinese rock. Often relegated to footnotes in the music’s history, this thesis aims to prove their cultural and musical significance during the late-eighties and early-nineties of China’s Reform and Opening period. The term “voices against an era” was chosen to define He Yong and Zhang Chu’s role as rock musicians with alternative voices during this historical period, with an investigation of the term’s role in creating an alternate dialogue. To do this, I first define what it means to be a “voice of a generation” and “cultural hero” and the mythicizing of these terms as a method of crafting a dominant discourse supporting the illusion of economic reform and globalization. He Yong and Zhang Chu’s implication in the myth is explored through their record company’s promotion of them as “heroes.” I follow this up by establishing the artists as alternative voices utilizing the tools of “noise” and “poetry” to present an alternative depiction of China’s Reform and Opening. Chinese societal issues such as identity loss, alienation, the negative effects of modernity, nature, freedom, and social pressure are then identified and analyzed as central themes in six of the artists’ songs. Lastly, I examine how He Yong and Zhang Chu navigated the paradox of fame to influence subsequent generations of rock musicians and fans through their musical legacy. By following a holistic approach that includes analysis of historical and cultural contexts, biographical information, artist interviews, music, lyrics, promotional material, music videos, and scholarly articles, this study proposes that the role of these two rockers was vital in shaping Chinese popular music and providing alternative interpretations of Reform and Opening.

After the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, with the emergence of the multipolarity and the formation of new entities in the Eurasian space Turkey search for new ways due to the declining role in the West-East tensions forced it to turn to the East. In this area, rapprochement with Azerbaijan from a national and ethnic point of view to be an optimal way out. On this way, the master's thesis aims to analyze the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations in the 1990s. For this purpose, the following tasks have been set. Analysis of rapprochement trends in relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey after independence, analysis of the role of internal and external factors in this area, as well as the role of the legal framework in building relations.

No description available.

This is an early history of Mixed Martial Arts in America. It focuses primarily on the political campaign to ban the sport in the 1990s and the repercussions that campaign had on MMA itself. Furthermore, it examines the censorship of music and video games in the 1990s. The central argument of this work is that the political campaign to ban Mixed Martial Arts was part of a larger political movement to censor violent entertainment. Connections are shown in the actions and rhetoric of politicians who attacked music, video games and the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the grounds that it glorified violence. The political pressure exerted on the sport is largely responsible for the eventual success and widespread acceptance of MMA. The pressure forced the sport to regulate itself and transformed it into something more acceptable to mainstream America

自第二次世界大戰結束後，日本眾議院選舉制度從1947年以來採用中選舉區制度，直到1993年眾議院大選後，除了日本共產黨以外的7個在野政黨一同組成聯合政府，結束了自由民主黨自1955年以來的長期執政，情況開始所轉變。日本新黨黨魁細川護熙就任日本首相後，為了兌現選舉承諾，而在任內推動了選舉制度改革，將選制改為小選舉區比例代表並立制，期望能以此改善國內政治獻金醜聞頻傳的金權政治弊端。而實施新選舉制度後所帶來的諸如小選舉區制有利於大型政黨但一黨難以過半、小黨在國會生存難度增加卻也有比例代表區維持其存在等效應，導致聯合政府從1990年代開始不再只是為了達成某種政治目標而形成的少數特例。自此以後，日本政黨結盟組成聯合政府便形成一種常態。因此本研究認為，1990年代選舉制度改革與聯合政府的形成，兩者可說是相輔相成。 為了進一步分析選舉制度改革對1990年代的日本聯合政府、乃至於日本政壇造成何種影響，本研究將以1996年小選舉區比例代表並立制首度實踐於眾議院選舉作為分水嶺，將1996年以前成立的細川、村山聯合政府定義為「選舉制度改革前的聯合政府」，1996年到2000年成立的橋本、小淵與森聯合政府定義為「選舉制度改革後的聯合政府」，並從政黨規模、意識形態、政黨穩定狀況與政治資金規正法修正案的實施等角度進行觀察與比較。本研究發現，選舉制度改革後的聯合政府在政黨規模上已形成一個大型政黨加上兩個小黨的合作模式，意識形態也趨向右派主導而多元。就政黨穩定狀況而言，經過選舉制度改革所帶來的政黨重組，使日本政黨正走向稍無定型的一強，或是二強n弱體制。而在政治資金規正法修正案與選舉制度改革雙管齊下實施後，日本選舉也已由過去的派閥主導，開始向政黨主導模式邁出了第一步。 / After the end of World War II, SNTV-MMD system (single non-transferable vote with multi-member district system) was adopted by the Lower House in Japan since 1947. However, the electoral system of Lower House has been adapted after the Japanese general election in 1993. The Liberal Democratic Party, generally abbreviated to “LDP,” has been the ruling party of Japan since it was founded in 1955, but the LDP lost its overall majority after the Japanese general election in1993. A coalition government was created by seven opposition political parties, and Morihiro Hosokawa, the leader of Japan New Party, was elected prime minister. Hosokawa promoted electoral reform, he adapted the electoral system of Lower House for single member district with proportional representation system, because he promised to eradicate the plutocracy in Japan. The new electoral system causes several conditions, including the major parties are superiors in election, but it’s difficult for them to win the majority seats in Lower House. Besides, it’s difficult for the minor parties to win the seats in single member district, but there is an opportunity for them to win seats in proportional representation. Those conditions cause that Japanese political parties form coalition government become normality. Therefore, the electoral reform and the forming of coalition government are complementarity in the 1990s. In this research, the coalition governments in the 1990s are divided into two groups by the executing of single member district with proportional representation system in Japanese general election of 1996. The Hosokawa government and the Murayama government are defined as “the coalition governments before the executing of new electoral system.” The Hashimoto government, the Obuchi government and the Mori government are defined as “the coalition governments after the executing of new electoral system.” Those two group are contrasted with each other from the scale of political parties, the ideology, the stability of political parties, and executing of the Political Funds Control Law. There four major findings in this research. The first one is the coalition governments after the executing of new electoral system are formed by one major party and two minor parties. The second one is even the coalition governments after the executing of new electoral system are leading by the right-wing parties, the ideology of them is multivariate. The third one is electoral reform causes the party realignment and the Japanese political party system become one unstable major party or two major parties with several minor parties. The last one is the leader of Japanese election is turning to the parties from factions, because the new electoral system and the Aamendment to the Political Funds Control Law are executed.

Master thesis Zlatý máj - Magazine about Children's Literature and Art and the Personality of Z. K. Slabý follows foundation and history of Czechoslovak literary journal Zlatý máj. It has been published from September 1956 till December 1997, when 391 issues came out in forty one volumes. The magazine experienced its golden era in 1960s, when it participated not only in domestic, but also in international discussions about children and youth literature. But it also endured through the time of so called normalization (1969 - 1989), when most of literary or cultural magazines perished, and its final end was brought by lack of finance after formation of democratic Czech Republic. The name of writer and literary critic Zdeněk Karel Slabý has been tied to Zlatý máj for the most of its existence. He acted at first as the redactor, in two periods as editor in chief (1968 - 1971, 1990 - 1992) and at last as a member of board of editors. As a part of his job, but also because of his active and creative nature he shaped or co-shaped the image of Zlatý máj. His authorial signature is visible in his texts, his opinions and preferences formed the sections and content of the magazine. Master thesis analyses the work of Z. K. Slabý and defines its place and importance in context of the literary theory and critique.

The thesis investigates the phenomenon of new media in Czech art institutions in the 1990s. This work attempts to show how this difficult-to-define concept operated in this particular historically and geographically situated language game (using a concept developed by Ludwig Wittgenstein). The new media at the time were associated with vision of emancipation from ideologically burdened traditional media and the establishment of a new democratic society based on the Western type. The thesis is based on three case studies in which new media art penetrated first into the educational institution, and later it got through to a private institution with foreign support for exhibition programmes and for the general public, and finally in the late 90s new media art reached also a governmental organization. It is the foundation of New Media Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, the Orbis Fictus exhibition organized by the Soros Centre for Contemporary Art, and the formation of the department of intermedia and new media at the National Gallery in Prague. Despite the fact that new media should be linked with the restoration of the country and society in the spirit of the Western model and its new vision, interactivity, use of new technologies and opposition to the traditional media had the media...

The thesis investigates the field of Theatre practice variously referred to as alternative, non-mainstream, avant-garde, community or fringe theatre. I have suggested the term 'Radical Group Theatre' - a term which, I believe, best encompasses the sector formerly represented by this diverse body of theatre practice. I focus on the relationship between theoretical and practical paradigms, and debates surrounding them; theatre making processes; and directorial practice in a theatre form which has emerged as a distinctive set of characteristics, ideological frameworks and practices in the Australian context. The work is strongly informed by the perspectives and practices of a range of major contributors to the field. It notes the inadequacy of conventional analytics and established understandings of the theory/practice nexus for exploring Radical Group Theatre, and establishes an alternate set of frameworks. These enable fresh engagement with the development and current praxis of an important theatre form which has not previously been considered as a whole field yet has taken particularly exciting directions in Australia over the past three decades. Methodology and objectives: An important aspect of the study is the way in which the research methodology parallels the practice under investigation. That is, the practice of Radical Group Theatre in Australia mirrors the 'Reflective Reflexive Loop' which I propose as the pre-eminent principle of the praxis. The methodology has developed out of my Masters degree research which was an interrogation of my directorial practice in the field of Youth/Community theatre, 1976-1989. I was further interested to analyse the field of group theatre to determine whether common key principles identified as characteristics of the form in the earlier study constituted the basis for an analytical model of Radical Group Theatre praxis. The investigation for this thesis began with a project designed to synthesise the essential qualities of directorial practice: the qualities of the good director, the major influences on practice, and the expectations participants have regarding the function of the director. The preliminary findings formed the basis for a comparative study which sought answers to the key questions as they apply to a pre-professional radical theatre setting - university student theatre. This project gave birth to the focus questions of the study which established the theoretical and methodological frames for the thesis.

This thesis deals with the impacts of information and communication technology investment surge on USA economic growth in the 1990s. Besides others, rapid development of these technologies also led to the creation of a stock market bubble, which affected the expansion phase of the economic cycle. Its burst in 2000-2001 resulted in economic slow-down and end of the longest recorded economic expansion in the history of the United States. Main part of the thesis discusses the benefits of information technology for economy and further evaluates the role of the speculative bubble in the development of consumption and investment expenditures. The thesis results suggest that the increase in capital intensity and sharp stock market price inflation significantly accelerated the dynamics of the economic growth in the second half of the described cycle.

This thesis is concerned with the depiction of working-class Dublin in Roddy Doyle's first three novels, The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, known as The Barrytown Trilogy. The first part of the thesis provides a short overview of Doyle's early work in the context of modern Irish fiction with a focus on working-class protagonists and outlines Ireland's and specifically Dublin's cultural and economic background in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The second part is based on a comparative analysis of the three books in which the author celebrates everyday life in Barrytown, a fictitious neighbourhood in the north of Dublin, through the eyes of a typical working-class family. One section is also dedicated to the language of the trilogy used as a means of achieving greater authenticity. KEYWORDS Roddy Doyle, The Barrytown Trilogy, The Commitments, The Snapper, The Van, Irish literature, Dublin, working class, family, 1980s, 1990s