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Tactics of the habitat: the elusive identity of Nat NakasaAcott, Heather Margaret 31 October 2008 (has links)
In this dissertation on Nat Nakasa I argue, in Chapter 1, that he is one of South Africa's first literary flaneurs. Walking the city as an urban spectator, part journalist, part sociologist, his modernist writings of the metropolis celebrate Johannesburg and also place him in a broad international context.
His `tactics of the habitat', in Foucault's phrase, become subversive ruses, a navigation through the cultural seam of South Africa in the 1960s, and this approach offers an alternative to a reductionist anti-apartheid critique.
Chapter 2 analyses the excavation of his memory and subsequent elevation to media icon, with the naming of the SANEF Award for Media Integrity after him. Chapter 3 discusses how his auto/biographical writings and representation of self and other contribute to `making history's silences speak'. Finally in chapter 4, I discuss his elusive identity as part of the Drum generation, an insider/outsider, and his exile and suicide in America. / English Studies / M.A. (English)
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Al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ b.Yūsuf al-Ṯaqafī : entre histoire et littérature / Al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ b.Yūsuf al-Ṯaqafī : between history and literatureEl Yamani, Mohamed Saad Eddine 13 December 2014 (has links)
Al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ b. Yūsuf al-Ṯaqafī est considéré par l’historiographie médiévale musulmane comme l’archétype de l’homme de pouvoir tyrannique. Ayant fait face avec succès à de nombreuses révoltes, il a posé un problème moral aux historiens musulmans, dans la mesure où il est mort de mort naturelle, sans avoir été puni par Dieu. Comment donc rendre compte de sa période mouvementée, de ses actions, de sa défiance vis-à-vis des symboles religieux, des massacres qu’il a commis ? Nous tentons de démontrer qu’en recourant entre autres à la satire et à l’ironie, les historiens et les hommes de lettres qui ont écrit sur lui ont répondu, chacun à sa manière, à cette question épineuse, en dressant de lui un portrait noir, qui touche à tous les aspects de sa personne. En nous appuyant sur les projets de Paul Ricœur et surtout de Hayden White, nous démontrons également que les historiens musulmans intervenaient de façon notable dans la composition de leurs œuvres pour orienter leurs récits selon leur conception morale et « idéologique » propre, offrant ainsi des portraits différents d’al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ. Le résultat en est des lectures sceptiques (al-Ṭabarī), ironiques (al-Balāḏurī) ou satiriques et très pro-‘alide (al-Mas‘ūdī). Le contre-point offert par l’étude de trois textes non historiques permet d’élargir cette vision et de prouver si besoin est la proximité entre histoire et adab à l’époque médiévale. Par la même occasion, nous pensons avoir trouvé de nombreux exemples réfutant la thèse d’une histoire canonique écrite sous le califat ‘abbaside. / Al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ b. Yūsuf al-Ṯaqafī is considered by Islamic medieval historiography as the archetypal man of tyrannical power. Having successfully dealt with many revolts, he posed a moral problem to Muslim historians, to the extent that he died of natural causes, without being punished by God. How then to account for his turbulent times, his actions, his distrust vis-à-vis religious symbols, massacres he committed? We are trying to demonstrate that by using satire and irony, historians and writers who have written about him have responded, each in its own way, this thorny issue by drawing a black portrait of him, touching on all aspects of the person. Building on the accomplishments of Paul Ricœur and especially Hayden White, we also show that Muslim historians intervened significantly in the composition of their works to guide their narratives according to their moral conception and “ideological” own, offering portraits various al-Ḥaǧǧāǧ. The result is skeptical (al-Ṭabarī), ironic (al-Balāḏurī) or satirical and very pro-‘alide (al-Mas‘ūdī) readings. The study of three non-historical texts broadens the vision and demonstrate if necessary proximity between history and adab in medieval times. At the same time, we believe we have found many examples refuting the thesis that a canonical history was written under the Caliphate Abbasid.
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Le discours politique et ses sources doctrinales dans les chroniques florentines du XIVe siècle / The political discourse and its doctrinal sources in Fourteenth century Florentine chroniclesValligny, Anne-Claire 23 March 2013 (has links)
Cette étude porte sur un corpus de chroniques du XIVe siècle qui comprend les trois principaux textes historiographiques florentins en langue vulgaire de cette période – Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi de Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica de Giovanni Villani et Cronaca fiorentina de Marchionne di Coppo Stefani – et se fixe pour objet l’analyse des principaux concepts employés pour décrire le fonctionnement de la cité et ses enjeux, ainsi que l’identification des sources présentes dans les chroniques. L’analyse prend en compte à la fois l’écriture du fait politique et la valeur de celui-ci dans l’élaboration du discours de la cité.Pour mettre en évidence ce qui transparaît des principaux rouages politiques de la cité, les textes du corpus sont abordés selon les trois axes suivants : les rapports entre cité et citoyens dans le contexte de l’affirmation de la souveraineté du Comune et en regard des notions d’unité et de division ; la question de la liberté à Florence, ses principes fondamentaux, ses formes et ses représentations, par opposition à la tyrannie ; les liens entre cité céleste et cité des hommes à partir de l’analyse de la réception des signes célestes et des notions de providence, fortune et libre arbitre. L’approche retenue s’arrête sur les enjeux et les représentations propres à chacun de ces axes.De cette analyse conceptuelle il ressort que les trois sources principales du discours de la cité sont les auteurs de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine, la théologie chrétienne et le droit. On trouve également des sources contemporaines des chroniqueurs : textes officiels et documents produits par la cité, auteurs de référence pour la période comme Dante Alighieri. / This study focuses on a corpus of chronicles of the Fourteenth century consisting in three main historiographical Florentine texts written in vernacular in this period, namely Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi by Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica by Giovanni Villani and Cronaca fiorentina by Marchionne di Coppo Stefani. It aims at analyzing the principal concepts describing the running of the city and its stakes, as well as identifying the sources present in these chronicles. The analysis takes in account both the operation of writing the political experience and its value in elaborating the discourse on the city.To highlight what can be seen from the main aspects of political machinery in the city, the approach to the texts is threefold : the connections between city and citizens both in the context of the Comune’s increasing sovereignty and in the light of the concepts of unity and division ; the question of freedom in Florence, its fundamental principles, its forms and representations, in opposition to tyranny ; the links between the celestial city and the city of men based on the analysis of the reading of celestial omens and the concepts of Providence, Fortune and Free Will. The approach chosen concentrates on the stakes and representations peculiar to each of those subjects.From this conceptual analysis it emerges that the three main sources to the discourse on the city are the authors of Classical Antiquity, Christian Theology and Law. Contemporary sources of the chroniclers also can be found : official texts and documents produced by the city, noted authors in the period as, for instance, Dante Alighieri.
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La Res publica de Tite-Live : formes et discours du pouvoir dans l’Ab Vrbe condita / Res publica : forms and discourse of power in Livy’s From the Founding of the CityCailleux, Fanny 16 November 2019 (has links)
L’œuvre de Tite-Live propose une histoire de la Res publica romaine depuis sa naissance jusqu’au tournant du premier siècle av. J.-C. où, selon les termes de l’auteur, « l’État se détruit sous l’effet de ses propres forces ». Au sortir d’une période de guerres civiles qui bouleversa en profondeur les repères politiques et sociaux, il s’agit pour l’historien de redéfinir l’identité politique de Rome en puisant dans les grands exemples du passé, à une époque où Auguste, en ramenant la paix, propose aussi, avec le Principat, un nouveau modèle d’exercice du pouvoir. Cette étude propose de relire l’Ab Vrbe condita comme une réflexion sur le pouvoir, un « discours », à une époque de profondes mutations. Retraçant le passé de la ville, l’historien exprime une pensée politique cohérente à travers ses commentaires, ses choix narratifs, et les discours qu’il attribue à différents personnages historiques. Celle-ci est le plus souvent proche de celle de Cicéron qui, du De Republica au De Officiis, offrait un cadre philosophique à la réflexion sur les institutions et les devoirs de l’homme d’État. Mais Tite-Live se la réapproprie en l’enrichissant des préoccupations politiques de son époque. Son récit de l’histoire de Rome s’inscrit principalement dans une défense de la libertas du peuple romain menacée par l’émergence d’un pouvoir personnel. Dans chaque situation, l’historien insiste sur les rapports complexes du dirigeant avec les institutions de la cité et le peuple de Rome. Par la mise en relation des exempla et des discours, Tite-Live propose un modèle de gouvernement unifié et cohérent fondé sur les vertus des dirigeants du passé et les valeurs collectives du peuple romain. / Livy’s body of work presents a history of the Roman Res publica from its beginnings to the turn of the first century. Civil wars had then deeply shaken the political and socials benchmarks and, while Augustus, after bringing peace back, was trying to impose a new political model with the Principate, it was the historian’s role to redefine Rome’s political identity through the use of well-known examples from the past. Livy’s From the Founding of the City may thus be read as a discourse about Roman power in a period of deep political change. The historian, as he tells the story of the city’s past, makes comments, narrative choices, and inserts into the historical figures’ speeches general remarks which help in many ways to grasp his political thinking. Most of the time, this thoughts are close to what can be read in Cicero’s political treatises. Cicero’s De Republica and De Officiis actually offered a philosophical frame of reference to political thinking, concerning the state institutions and the duties of state leaders. However, Livy develops his own theory and adds to Cicero’s political thought considerations on issues specific to his own time. Livy mainly defends the libertas of the Roman people against the emergence of personal power. In each and every situation, Livy sheds light on the complex relationships between the leaders and the state institutions and between the leaders and the Roman people. Linking exempla and speeches, Livy suggests a stable and coherent leadership model based upon the virtues of past political leaders and the collective principles of the Roman people.
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Fighting Tyranny in Fantastic Literature for Children and Young AdultsKokorski, Karin 10 June 2020 (has links)
The focus of fighting tyranny and the justifications of the consecutive wars in fantasy literature for children and young adults play a noteworthy role in the intertwinement of literature and its educational potential. This genre is filled with numerous images of violence, in particular different scenarios of war and its justifications. In the books war constitutes the final battle between good and evil, and thus manifests the protagonists’ ultimate moral decisions between these two forces. The following books constitute the corpus: C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-56), Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising Sequence (1965-77), Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (1995-2000), J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997-2007), Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (2002-11), Amanda Hemingway’s Sangreal Trilogy (2005-07), and P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast’s House of Night novels (2007-2014). Although not all the books feature wars, all display justifications for war and the imperative to fight tyranny. Located within an intersection of diverse critical theories, my thesis engages literary texts in order to reflect on their capacity to negotiate, challenge, subvert, and perpetuate values and power structures. Motif analysis forms the centre of this analysis. I deploy a varied approach to literary analysis, relying upon literary and cultural theories (especially theories of ideology) to understand the realizations of the different motifs. Through issues of character construction, (political) authority, religion, and the construction of difference, the reader learns much about the culture and values of the respective world. Furthermore, this analysis invites the reader to find parallels between the fabricated world and the real world, and thus transfer what s/he has learned from the texts his/her own world. Engaging in such a reading ensures the drawing of direct connections between the reality constructed in the books on the one hand, and politics, the construction of difference, religion, and just war theory in the reader’s world on the other. The content analysis leads to broader cultural messages, which comprise assumptions about gender, power, ethnicity, religion, and morality. This methodology emphasizes the relevance as well as the complexity of the books and their educative potential, and facilitates the analysis of the books as tools for the defence and perpetuation of Western values and culture.
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ἄριστον μέν ὕδωρ: URBAN PLANNING AND WATER IN AKRAGAS AND METAPONTOVasilodimitrakis-Hart, Seraphina 11 1900 (has links)
This thesis examines the water resource management in two Greek colonies in Magna Graecia, Akragas and Metaponto, and the relationship between resource management and political regimes. It asks how similar ancient urban theory was to the practical reality, and if different forms of government made different provisions for water management. Chapter 1 outlines urban and health theories found in the works of ancient theorists. It debunks the idea that Hippodamos was the inventor of grid planning, while introducing the concept of ‘total’ city planning. The focus of Classical scholarship on Athens necessitates discussions of several Athenian water systems and how resource management changed (or continued) through different governments in Athens as a point of comparison for Akragas and Metaponto. This chapter focuses on literary analysis and introduces the controversial Southeast Fountain House, with an in-depth consideration of the fountain’s naming and dating problems. Chapter 2 contains the case studies of Akragas and Metaponto and an exploration of the hydrogeology at the two sites, with an introduction to the hydrological phenomenon of karst activity. A discussion of their unique water features—the kolymbethra at Akragas and the canals in the chora of Metaponto—connects the deliberate planning that occurred in both cities to Hippodamos and the urban theorists. Chapter 3 more fully explores the role of tyrants and democracies in water management. Regardless of authorship, water resource management and water systems are necessary for any city, and so most tyrannical water infrastructure continued to be used and expanded and improved upon even under different governments. Even under tyranny water management is a provision of the state and is engaged with and managed by the citizens of the city. Water management is an essential part of siting and establishing a city, so that it is inseparable from urban planning. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)
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