In 1932, Alfonso Caso, a rising professor of anthropology and employee of the Mexican National Museum of Anthropology and History made a huge archeological discovery; a centuries old tomb in the ancient citadel of Monte Alban located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. In the months that followed the discovery the find was excavated, cleaned, cataloged and put on display. Altogether the cache consisted of hundreds of objects made of gold, precious stone, sea shells and human remains. Dubbed the Monte Alban Treasure by its discoverer, the find soon became a worldwide sensation. Public interest in a travelling exhibition exacerbated demands for the treasures public display in the United States. This dissertation traces the discovery, exhibition and consequences of the display of Monte Alban Treasures in the United States following the end of the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution. I argue that as the Revolution was in full swing, the existing new leadeship used archeology and art to dictate the cultural monikers that represented the country after the civil war. Defining the national character, establishing a cohesive cultural history and developing a visual narrative that coalesced with the governments aspirations informed the basis of the social changes fomented between 1921-1936. I argue that a series of popular art and archeological shows in Mexico and the United States in the late 1920's primed audiences for a revolutionary re-interpretation of Mexico's past that integrated indigenous populations into the history of the nation. This narrative minimized the impact and influence of European colonial powers and instead focused upon emphasizing the origins of Mexico's independent cultural identity. The display of Monte Alban Treasures in Mexico and the United States between 1922 and 1934 was part of this emergent revolutionary rhetoric. This research project explores the popular audience responses to the exhibit, but also charges alleging that the artifacts selected for display were fabricated. This twist demonstrates some of the major problems associated with using art and archeological evidence to represent broader political agendas. In this case, the Mexican government appropriated the Monte Alban Treasures, assigned them a narrative of indigenous appreciation and inclusivity and used their subsequent display to promote this abroad. This project will show how science and art were not contradicting fields of study, but fused to forge the public Revolutionary identity of Mexicans in the mid twentieth century.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Münster, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

This research focuses on how many African cultural objects found their way to Western museums or private collections. Therefore the author examines to what extent African states have succeeded in their quest for the return of their cultural objects and what the inadequacies in the current international legal regime for the return of cultural objects are. Can the return of African cultural objects properly be identified as a human right issue and will such identification present better chances for their return? Also look at how existing international human rights mechanisms are applied in the quest for the return of African cultural objects. Focuses on the specific African countries of Nigeria and Ethiopia in respect of their efforts towards the return of their tangible and moveable cultural heritage. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2007. / A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Prof. Andreas Eshete of the Faculty of Law, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

In this dissertation, I examine the Sonoran Desert trilogy by Kathleen Alcalá through the lens of post-oppositional theory as developed by AnaLouise Keating. Moving beyond the use of post-oppositional theory to analyze non-fiction works, I apply this theory instead to the fiction of Kathleen Alcalá—whose work appears in such anthologies as The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature. Alcalá, though well published, is underrepresented in contemporary literary criticism, as can be seen by the only eight entries under her name in the MLA International Bibliography. Therefore, I have chosen her most significant fiction work, her trilogy about the Sonoran Desert, as the perfect text upon which to map post-oppositional theory. Through analysis of her three novels, I show that her work is an ideal example of post-oppositionality in action and that her characters act as post-oppositional revolutionaries and prophets within the pages of the text. The first chapter outlines the parameters of the project. In Chapter 2, I argue that post-oppositionality can be seen in Alcalá through gender bending, looking at the characters of Membrillo and Manzana, Corey, and Rosalinda. In Chapter 3, I argue that the characters of Estela, La Señorita, and Magdalena are enacting post-oppositionality through their transcendence of traditional women's roles in sexuality. In Chapter 4, I argue that the female characters of the novels act as revolutionaries through their political and social agency—reaching out to other characters through such work as educating and writing. In Chapters 5 and 6, I feature my interviews with Alcalá and Keating, who were generous enough to speak with me over Zoom during lockdown. Finally, in the conclusion chapter, Chapter 7, I examine how post-oppositionality in the novels prepares the reader for post-oppositional action in reality. Throughout all of these chapters, I rely on other theories and historiographies such as gender theory (Judith Butler, Foucault, West and Zimmerman, etc.), the history of women's sexuality, and the roles of women in nineteenth century Mexico (looking especially at the works of Nancy LaGreca and Anna Macías).

本論文希望透過研究故宮博物院於1961年前往美國進行的「中國古藝術品展覽」，解釋今天故宮的特殊角色與定位。除了期望說明故宮代表中華文化的論述如何形成與建立，同時也解釋故宮如何透過展覽的陳列與解說，來呈現國家與國族的形象與想像。通過研究故宮發展、故宮藏品與國家政權之間的互動，對於文化藝術與權力之間的關係作更深刻的思考。 今天故宮不僅被視為中華文化的象徵，甚至將故宮藏品當成「國寶」。但是如果我們嘗試分析故宮藏品，不難發現這些文物僅是中國皇室收藏的珍奇異品。不過最近幾年，由於台灣社會、政治的變遷，故宮的獨尊地位開始受到挑戰。現任故宮院長杜正勝就質疑前任院長秦孝儀塑造故宮為華夏民族博物館的作法，否定台北故宮和北京故宮有前、後繼承的關係；並主張台北故宮的典藏政策不需要依循「國寶」的脈絡。由於這樣的質疑與轉變，使得故宮在中國文化上所代表的正統與典範地位，以及故宮和國家、政權之間的關係得以被重新思考。 今天，我們之所以認為博物館能夠傳達國族或文化的概念，主要正是因為博物館將收藏的文物「有意識」的重新加以排列展示，因而得以將國家、文化的發展脈絡，具體的呈現在人們眼前。國家對於藝術品的保存與展示，逐漸變成定義一個國家、文化傳統的重要媒介。展覽不僅呈現文化遺產，還進一步將國家發展歷史「展示」出來，經由重新脈絡化來宣揚國族與文化。例如日本過去經常藉由博覽會與展覽貶抑中國，並積極塑造日本成為「亞洲藝術遺產的守護者」。而故宮對外展覽，其實正是開始爭取中國對外形象的塑造以及發言權，甚至彰顯中國在東方藝術與文化上的重要地位。 因此本論文以1961年故宮前往美國五大城市舉行為期近一年的「中國古藝術品展覽」為例，探討故宮如何透過展覽的展示與解說，塑造中國國族的歷史與想像，同時建立中國藝術的「經典」，因此影響了西方對於中國藝術的論述與評價。這場展覽是中華民國政府播遷到台灣之後，國家級文物首次大規模的出國展覽。不僅由創辦《時代》（Time）、《財星》（Fortune）、《生活》（Life）等刊物的媒體鉅子亨利魯斯提出邀請，並出任贊助人。同時，中、美兩國元首擔任名譽倡導人，展覽期間更是備受官方與學術界的矚目。但此時世界局勢不穩，似乎沒有必要大張旗鼓安排故宮文物前往美國展覽。另一方面，由於中華民國與中華人民共和國政府互相爭奪正統，雙方都透過外交與司法途徑互相角力，爭取中國的代表權。如果中共借題發揮，這批參展文物極有可能被中華人民共和國政府收回，因此故宮赴外展覽的動作，格外引人矚目。 故宮博物院從建館以來，受限於經費及政治因素，對於收藏文物展示的時間並不長，研究工作也無從展開，只能偏重於清點工作。可是為了赴外展覽，必須編寫展覽目錄，勢必集合學者著手檢討文物的真假、年代與作者。也因為要對外展現「中國」，而必須對文物重新編排、解釋。因此，故宮赴外展覽確實是一個討論與觀察中國近代國族建構論述形成的特殊視角。故宮如何對外呈現、宣揚「中國」文化與藝術，其實正是具體展現故宮如何形塑與建構「中國」國族與文化的論述與想像。尤其是在前文所述的特殊歷史時空下，究竟展覽中呈現出怎樣的「中國」圖像，應該是一個相當值得探討的議題。因此，這個深受各方重視，又在敏感時機出國的展覽，如何選擇足以代表中國藝術與文化的作品，並以怎樣的方式展示，標示出民族國家框架下定義的中國，便是本研究試圖探討的議題。 本文希望強調故宮赴外展覽往往和國族形象的建構以及文化外交有密切的關係，因為展覽的特殊目的，因此影響了故宮在文化與藝術上的意義。也就是說，故宮今天獨特的地位和赴外展覽中的國族論述以及審美的展示方式有密切關係，而也正是因為故宮的特殊背景，賦予這些藏品更深的民族、國家意涵。 / The National Palace Museum has generally been considered as representing the culture of China and, for many years, the collection of the National Palace Museum was considered representative of traditional Chinese art. It has also been used by the Nationalist government in Taiwan as a symbol of legitimacy for the Republic of China. However, the society and politics of Taiwan have changed recently leading to an introspection for the foregoing opinions. The current director of the National Palace Museum, Tu Cheng-sheng, has questioned the transformation of the institution from the prototype of an imperial museum into a national art museum. Because attitudes about nations and cultures have changed, we can rethink why and how the National Palace Museum took on its role as representation of Chinese culture and the significance of its role in the history of modern China. Museums are important in shaping knowledge, in defining identities, and in representing culture. Since the late eighteenth-century in Europe, the modern museum has been a powerful apparatus for supporting the idea of the nation-state by exhibiting culture. Many recent studies on the establishment of the Louvre and other European national museums have demonstrated how these museums and their collection represent culture and establish canons through exhibitions. But in the past research, there has not been much discussion about how the National Palace Museum practices representation of culture through the images of art works displayed or exhibited in the museum. In 1961 The Chinese Art Treasures exhibition toured five major cities, Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. This exhibition of works from the National Palace Museum was organized on the invitation of the United States government for the purpose of instilling cultural understanding. At the same time, the exhibition was organized with a clear political agenda—to counter the threat from the Communist government who wanted to take back the collection. This paper will discuss how the exhibition The Chinese Art Treasures was used to define the Republic of China’s national sovereignty and to represent Chinese culture. The exhibition was held during the period when the conflict between the Republic of China under the Nationalist (the KMT) and the People's Republic of China over political legitimacy was the most heated and tense. This paper hopes to illustrate how the KMT employed the exhibition to proclaim the Republic of China’s firm stance in its claim of sovereignty over China and to demonstrate how the exhibition solidified the National Palace Museum’s role as the representation of the five thousand-year cultural legacy of China.

Les Pirqé de-Rabbi Eliézer (PRE) marquent un changement majeur dans l’histoire de la littérature rabbinique. Ce livre, datant du IXe siècle de notre ère, est principalement une « histoire biblique » depuis la création jusqu’au temps d’Esther. Il est le premier récit continu dans le corpus rabbinique. Il est aussi, selon toute probabilité, le premier ouvrage rabbinique qui dérive de la main d’un seul auteur. L’aspect le plus remarquable est l’introduction des légendes autour des personnages bibliques qui ne se trouvent nulle part dans la littérature rabbinique classique. La recherche contemporaine considère la matière non-rabbinique des PRE comme un exemple de la survivance de la littérature du Second Temple dans la tradition rabbinique. En revanche, la présente étude essaie d’expliquer la matière non-rabbinique des PRE comme le résultat de l’influence des cultures chrétienne et musulmane sur l’auteur, plutôt qu’une transmission interne de la littérature du Second Temple parmi les juifs. L’examen de cette hypothèse prendra la forme d’une étude de deux livres qui ressemblent aux PRE dans leur forme et leur contenu : le Livre des Jubilés, ouvrage hébraïque de l’époque du Second Temple, et la Caverne des trésors, un écrit chrétien syriaque du VIe siècle. Les trois constituent des exemples de « l’histoire sainte », c’est-à-dire l'histoire d’Israël ancien racontée indépendamment du texte biblique. Loin d’être un examen de l’histoire de l’exégèse, cette étude est une enquête sur la mythologie comparative, l’évolution des traditions, et la construction d’une identité à travers la transformation d’une histoire partagée, l’histoire des prophètes et des patriarches. / Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer (PRE) is a watershed in the history of rabbinic literature. This ninth-century work, an account of “biblical history” from creation until the time of Esther, is the first extended, continuous narrative of any sort in rabbinic literature. It is also, in all probability, the first major rabbinic work to derive from the hand of a single author. The most remarkable aspect of PRE, however, is its introduction into rabbinic tradition of several legends about biblical figures which are not found in the classical rabbinic corpus. Modern scholarship considers the non-rabbinic legends in PRE an example of the survival of Second Temple literature within Jewish tradition. The present study, however, will attempt to explain the non-rabbinic material found in PRE as the result of the author’s adoption (and adaptation) of elements from the surrounding Christian and Muslim culture rather than through the direct transmission of Second Temple works among Jews. This hypothesis will be tested through the examination of two works close to PRE in form and content, the Book of Jubilees (Hebrew, second century BCE) and the Cave of Treasures (Syriac, sixth century CE). All three are accounts of “Sacred History,” that is, the history of ancient Israel as recounted independently of the biblical text. It is not a study of biblical exegesis. Rather, it is an inquiry into comparative mythology, the evolution of tradition, and the construction of communal identities through the transformation of a shared history, the history of the ancient prophets and patriarchs.

L’empereur japonais Naruhito est le descendant de la plus vieille lignée monarchique au monde. Encore aujourd’hui, la monarchie constitutionnelle japonaise est célébrée de manière à ce qu’on puisse y observer des rituels traditionnels vieux de 1300 ans. À travers les âges, la monarchie nippone aura grandement évolué en fonction des courants de pensée qui auront intégré les coutumes japonaises, mais l’essentiel des rituels tels qu’ils étaient pratiqués originellement est toujours observable de nos jours. Les plus importants rituels mis en œuvre par l’institution impériale sont au nombre de trois : le Senso, le Sokui rei et le Daijō-sai. Lors de ces trois rituels, on organise respectivement la nomination de l’empereur, son intronisation et sa communion avec Amaterasu-Ô-mikami, l’instance divine de la plus haute importance selon le shintoïsme, une religion japonaise ancestrale. Pendant ces rituels, trois trésors sacrés sont primordiaux puisqu’ils sont notamment consubstantiels à la position de l’empereur. En effet, selon la mythologie japonaise, ces trois objets sacrés, une épée, un miroir et un joyau, auraient été remis par Amaterasu-Ô-mikami à son descendant en des temps immémoriaux, au moment où celui-ci recevait l’ordre de régner sur terre comme empereur. Au moment de l’ordonnance, le miroir sacré, en tant que corps théophanique, aurait remplacé Amaterasu-Ô-mikami, corps par lequel seul l’empereur pourrait communier avec la déesse. L’empereur devra léguer les trois Trésors à son descendant afin que celui-ci puisse à son tour accéder au mandat céleste détenu par le miroir. Ainsi, depuis l’écriture de la mythologie en 712, l’institution impériale japonaise, les trois Trésors sacrés et Amaterasu-Ô-mikami sont indissociables. Les trois Trésors sacrés de la monarchie japonaise et l’histoire qui s’y rattache sont utilisés dans ce travail afin d’analyser une théorisation développée par Brian Schiffer et Lars Fogelin en 2015. Selon ces auteurs, les objets peuvent être perçus comme détenteurs d’agentivité par certaines personnes, du moment qu’on puisse démontrer que les objets sont passés par des rites de passage au long de leur histoire de vie. / Japanese Emperor Naruhito is the descendant of the oldest monarchical lineage in the world. Even today, the Japanese constitutional monarchy is celebrated in such a way that traditional rituals dating back 1,300 years ago can be observed. Through the ages, the Japanese monarchy has greatly evolved through different schools of thought that have integrated Japanese customs, but, essentially, rituals as they were practiced originally are still practiced today. Among the rituals of the imperial institution, three are crucial: the Senso, the Sokui rei and the Daijō-sai. These three rituals deal respectively with the nomination of the emperor, his enthronement and his communion with Amaterasu-Ô-mikami, the divine authority of the highest importance according to Shintoism, the ancestral Japanese religion. During these rituals, three sacred treasures are primordial since they are consubstantial to the position of the emperor. Indeed, according to Japanese mythology, these three sacred objects, a sword, a mirror and a jewel were given by Amaterasu-Ô-mikami to his grandchild during immemorial times when he received the order to reign over Japan as the emperor. At the time of the ordinance, the sacred mirror would have been a substitute for Amaterasu-Ô-mikami as the theophanic body through which the emperor alone could commune with the goddess. In time, the emperor is required to bequeath the three Treasures to his descendant so that he can in turn access the celestial mandate detained by the sacred mirror. Thus, since the writing of mythology in 712, the Japanese imperial institution, the three Sacred Treasures and Amaterasu-Ô-mikami are interrelated. The Three Sacred Treasures of the Japanese monarchy and the related history are analyzed through a theory developed by Brian Schiffer and Lars Fogelin in 2015. According to the authors, objects can be perceived as holders of agency as long as it can be demonstrated that they have gone through rites of passage throughout their life history.