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The Only Crime is the Punishment: An Analysis of Prison Letters in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Creative Writing)--John Cabot University, Spring 2023.Letters written by prisoners in literature provide fascinating perspectives on the realities of the prison experience. Prison is often considered a substitute society for individuals who do not conform to what is expected of them in society, reducing the imprisoned to the crimes they committed. By allowing prisoners to speak for themselves, their letters convey their humanity, even to readers who consider them deserving of their punishments. Using the letters written by prisoners Dick and Perry in Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel In Cold Blood and Oscar Wilde’s autobiographical letter De Profundis, this thesis investigates the ways they show the humanity of the characters and draw the sympathy of the reader. Despite the differing crimes, eras, and geographical locations in these texts, the prisoners present sympathy evoking events in various ways that allow readers to question why they did not conform to societal expectations. We see Perry present himself as a victim of abuse by authority figures during his formative years and Dick relying on his insanity to lessen his punishment. Capote does not directly critique the system, but instead allows the murderers space to write about who they were prior to committing murder. In contrast, Wilde does not conform to Victorian ideals of refraining from having relations with other men. He critiques what the society he was writing in expects of him, relying on the unjustness of his punishment to prove his point that his individuality was compromised by society. The ways that these two literary texts show the humanity of the characters and draw the sympathy of the reader show that there must be a balance between individuality and collectivism, but also that compassion is a necessary component to considering an individual’s punishment when they break the law
Transforming the Italian Body Politic with Futurist Food
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2023.Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s Manifesto della Cucina Futurista was first published in the Turin-based Gazzetta del Popolo on December 28, 1930. Despite the widespread public backlash against the manifesto’s desire to revolutionise the Italian diet with the aim of spiritually and materially transforming the Italian body politic, the Futurist culinary venture was materialised into a restaurant, a colonial pavilion, numerous culinary lectures, multiple banquets, and a book-length publication titled La Cucina Futurista (1932) by Marinetti and Futurist artist Luigi Colombo Fillìa. Previous studies of Futurist cuisine, limited as they are, tend to focus on either the avant-garde dimensions of Futurist cuisine — its edible food sculptures and theatrical dinner sets — or the political implications of the movement’s engagement with autarchic policies and its rampant espousal of violence, xenophobia, misogyny, and the cults of youth and sport in alignment with the Fascist regime. These differentiated studies conform to a historiographical phenomenon which splits Futurism into two phases, favouring ‘early’ Futurism (1909-1916) as more pure and aesthetically innovative than the Futurism that followed. This thesis finds it more pertinent to ask, instead: what continuities existed between Futurist cuisine and the early years of the movement? Through the analysis of the manifesto and its subsequent physical, visual, and textual expansions as well as the critical reading of its near and far reception, it emerges that Futurist cuisine was a polemic proclamation against middle class conformity whose reactionary right-wing politics did not compromise its uninterrupted use of avant-garde tactics, or vice versa. This thesis holds that the exclusion of Futurist cuisine from the art historical canon cannot be viewed any longer as a simple oversight, but a reflection of the field at large, its biases, and its deep infatuation and need to preserve a neutral account of Futurism, for the role the movement performs in the overwriting Fascist politics from the Italian contribution to modern art
Diplomacy and Conflict on the Slave Coast: The Slave Trade's Role in Dahomey's18th century Invasions of Allada and Whydah
No full textThesis (B.A. in History)--John Cabot University, Fall 2022.The Kingdom of Dahomey’s 18th century invasions into the territories of its neighbors, Allada and Whydah, reveal insightful information regarding the role that the Slave Trade played in the struggle for West African political authority. This thesis analyzes how Dahomey used its participation in the Slave Trade to further its own geopolitical interests on the Slave Coast, from the late 17th century to the mid-1800s. It also examines the fluctuating power relations present between Dahomey, the Oyo Empire, Allada, and Whydah. The first chapter serves as an overview of the diplomatic relations on the Slave Coast throughout the 17th century. Additionally, it will also discuss how the Kingdom of Dahomey eventually increased its political independence, isolating itself from neighboring states. The second chapter examines Dahomey’s contacts with European trading and how it utilized the increased capital (mainly firearms) to assert its political authority in the region. The third chapter outlines the 1724 and 1727 military campaigns into Allada and Whydah, ordered by the Dahomian ruler Agaja, thereafter, analyzing the fallout wars with the Oyo Empire. The fourth and final chapter tackles the second half of the 18th century, a period of limited Dahomian political authority. Additionally, it will examine the internal divisions within the Kingdom and how its new ruler King Tegbesu dealt with the Oyo Empire
The Reception of Egyptian Culture in Early Imperial Rome
No full textThesis (B.A. in Classical Studies, Minor in History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2022.Historically, the Romans tended to integrate rather than suppress the cultures of the peoples they vanquished. Between the end of the Republic and the early stage of the Empire, however, the city of Rome broke with their traditional tolerance, just as it was annexing Egypt. At this moment, in fact, a negative view about the Egyptians spread among the Roman authorities. The result was that, in Rome, a series of decrees were issued to counter the spread of the Egyptian culture. This reaction was in full contrast to the Roman cities of Delos, Pompeii, and Aquileia, which did regard positively and integrate Egyptian culture. The reason for this difference was the Roman need to re-embrace traditional Roman values at a time when the city was experiencing political and social clashes. The result was that Roman authorities enforced a negative and hostile view towards Egyptian culture, which was considered contrary to Roman values. This thesis explores and compares the different reception of Egyptian culture in the cities of Rome, Delos, Pompeii, and Aquileia, and seeks to find reasons for those differences
How We Fight Back: Sarkis’s Two Rainbows, a Case Study in Decolonizing the Italian Museum
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2022.This thesis focuses on Two Rainbows, a large neon work by conceptual artist Sarkis Zabunyan. It has been exhibited multiple times in different forms and in several international venues, most notably as part of Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury, a 2015 exhibition curated by Hou Hanru and Donatella Saroli at the MAXXI - National Museum of 21st-Century Art in Rome. My methodological approach is informed by the art-historical literature on identity and cultural politics, as this is a central debate in contemporary art and its histories. Sarkis’ identity as a Turkish-born man of Armenian descent provides him with a unique perspective to weigh in on these contemporary discussions. His background and biography are part and parcel of the idea of resistance present in many of his works. This in turn impacts the way his work is received in various cultural and political contexts. Much of Sarkis’ work addresses the idea of hope and new beginnings following political conflicts, like that of the 2013 Gezi Park uprisings in Taksim Square. Two Rainbows is no different. It stands as a bright symbol of resistance and civil disobedience against an oppressive government following the Gezi Park repression, and remains a beacon for opponents of Turkey’s far-right dictatorial regime. In the context of decolonizing Italian museums, and the concept of decolonization in the art historical field, the MAXXI took early steps in challenging the Italian museum, the concept of Italian art as exclusive, and the inherent Eurocentricity of the art historical canon. The process of decolonization necessarily takes different forms in different institutions and countries. In Italy, perhaps, this might imply situating Italy in a more extensive and inclusive definition of the Mediterranean, rather than as a pillar of Western civilization, or promoting non- Western artists in ways that do not propagate primitivism or exoticism. Indeed “decolonization” iii has, over the past twenty years, gone well beyond a narrow dictionary definition of holding colonies in other countries. It has become short-hand for challenging the Western canon in art history and in museum studies, for challenging the white (and frequently also patriarchal and heteronormative) bias inherent in a Eurocentric view of art and culture. Ultimately, this thesis focuses on Two Rainbows as a case study to enquire about the specific cultural, social, and political context that Italy, and Rome in particular, presents with regard to one of the most powerful, and necessary, endeavors of contemporary art history. While “decolonization" is a subject of crucial debate in art history and museum studies in England and the United States, in particular, the question seems somewhat peripheral still in Italy. Sarkis’ work, and the exhibition cycle that Istanbul. Passion, Joy, Fury contributed to is one the rare instances of an Italian institution broaching this topic. Might this be a decisive instance of taking steps towards decolonizing the Italian museum
A Gordian complication: The essential role of femininity in Keats’ pursuit of poetical creativity, through desire and fear
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Psychology, Creative Writing, Art and Design)--John Cabot University, Fall 2022.Femininity is omnipresent in Keats’ poetical work. Whether it is included through the many female figures portrayed in his best-known verse, or through the qualities that make up his poetical character and poetical style of writing, femininity never fails to be at the center of Keats’ poetical creativity. However, Keats’ relation to femininity is not a linear one. Both in his personal life and in his poems, a strong ambivalence of feeling towards women and femininity surfaces. That ambivalence is characterized by an intense desire for the feminine and an irresistible attraction to it, but also by a fear of it and an anxiety generated from the union with it. This anxiety comes from the poet’s fear of annihilation when confronted with femininity. The female figures encountered in the poems selected all possess qualities of the typical femme fatale: tempting, seduction, destructive. They have the power to lead men to self-destruction, annihilation and endanger their masculine identity. Nevertheless, while the male heroes seem to be aware of that danger, they still decide to pursue their union with the feminine. This wish for self-destruction can thus be explained by an ultimately positive outcome to the poet’s annihilation. That destruction of the self by femininity is indeed proven to be beneficial to his quest for poetical creativity and his achievement of poetical character
What were the experiences of ethnically cleansed Krajina Serbs during Operation Storm in 1995 following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and how have these events been handled by the international legal system?
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political science, Minor in Italian studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2022.This thesis explores how the dissolution of Yugoslavia led to the ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Krajina in 1995. Examination of these events can help better understand the causes of genocidal crimes even among people who had lived as neighbors for generations. This thesis will analyze how the discourse used to keep Yugoslavia intact for fifty years, “unity and brotherhood,” dangerously suppressed ethnic rivalries and worsened the violence that followed the splitting of the state into several nations. The second section of the thesis, and the part that introduces the most important original material, is composed of semi-structured interviews with ethnically cleansed Krajina Serbs who give first-hand testimony to what and how crimes were committed during the Operation Storm, the battle launched to restore Croatian control in the territory of the majority Serbian population. This thesis also examines how Croats, Serbs, and the international community addressed the crimes of ethnic cleansing, and sheds doubt on legal remedies that were often doubtful and inconsistent and may have failed to establish deterrence against such crimes in the future
Love drugs
No full textThesis (B.A. in Humanistic Studies, Minor in Business Administration)--John Cabot University, Spring 2022.Medication used for treating the phenomenon of Love has been increasingly relevant in philosophical debate. We have the ability to alter a person's chemical structure in the brain and influence their lives and romantic relationships. There are precautions of using medication especially for something like love which really has no objective definition or proper diagnoses. It is also prevalent to argue for or against an authentic mode of being whilst we love. Furthermore, unaltered human beings, ones who are sober, have changed moral and ethical ways of living for our society for thousands of years. They were able to do this because of the lack of direct chemical manipulation. Love may be void of one definable meaning, but its characteristics surely have crafted the world in which we live in
The JCU Timeline, Celebrating the Past, Leading the Future
No full textJohn Cabot University - 50th Anniversary (1972-2022
Inclusive value creation in the coffee industry. A framework of blockchain-enabled dynamic capabilities for sustainable international supply chain transformation
No full textThe components that characterize sustainable business models in the coffee industry – such as fair prices, conducive working conditions, sustainable production, and ecological protection – pose challenges for international coffee manufacturers in maintaining their financial performance. Therefore, sustainable business models must be more competitive than traditional ones. While sustainability strategies are to a large extent public – meaning, they can be imitated by others – when combined with complementary assets, they can yield additional assets, resources, and capabilities, ensuring these firms a long-term competitive advantage. Based on the dynamic capabilities of resource-based theory, our study explains how the use of blockchain technology reinforces critical dynamic capabilities to differentiate the brand as a source of intangible assets and inclusive value creation in sustainable international coffee supply chains. Overall, our study helps balance the distribution of value among the coffee supply chain partners located in industrialized and developing countries