130 research outputs found
Microstructural damage sensitivity prediction using spatial statistics
No full text© 2019, The Author(s). The vast compositional space of metallic materials provides ample opportunity to design stronger, more ductile and cheaper alloys. However, the substantial complexity of deformation micro-mechanisms makes simulation-based prediction of microstructural performance exceedingly difficult. In absence of predictive tools, tedious experiments have to be conducted to screen properties. Here, we develop a purely empirical model to forecast microstructural performance in advance, bypassing these challenges. This is achieved by combining in situ deformation experiments with a novel methodology that utilizes n-point statistics and principle component analysis to extract key microstructural features. We demonstrate this approach by predicting crack nucleation in a complex dual-phase steel, achieving substantial predictive ability (84.8% of microstructures predicted to crack, actually crack), a substantial improvement upon the alternate simulation-based approaches. This significant accuracy illustrates the utility of this alternate approach and opens the door to a wide range of alloy design tools
Women in African Drama: Representation and role
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the representation and role of women in African theatre. The discussion is based on published and unpublished plays by African writers selected from a pan-African perspective.
The thesis is divided into two major parts: Women in Society; The Portrayal of Women by Major Playwrights. Part I follows a thematic approach aimed at examining the position of women in three different areas which form the chapters for the part : Women, Tradition and Social
Change; The Urban Woman and Women in Politics. Part II of the thesis analyses major African playwrights' presentation of women characters. This part discusses not only the characterization of women by major playwrights but also these writers' attitude towards women and women's issues. Examined here in two chapters are The Portrayal of Women by
Major Male Playwrights and The Portrayal of Women by Major Female Playwrights.
Chapter 1, 'Women, Tradition and Social Change' discusses selected playwrights' examination of African women's experiences in the traditional African setting as a major foundation of the present and future socio-political situation of the continent; this chapter is the springboard
of the study.
From the traditional milieu the study then moves on to the
relatively new urban environment. This Chapter examines the predicaments in which the African woman finds herself as she struggles to survive in a world which differs significantly from the traditional one. Survival in the urban environment demands a certain degree of autonomy
from communal ties on the part of the individual. Yet in the case of the African woman, society does not hesitate to censure her movements and even to point an accusing finger at her for failing to satisfy traditional expectations when she is genuinely trying to meet the challenges presented by life in towns.
The myth that a woman's place is exclusively in the kitchen is a widespread one the world over. A more negative myth found in Africa is that participation of women in public affairs leads to social disaster. The third chapter of this study examines the role of African women in politics in the traditional and contemporary periods.
The fourth chapter discusses the portrayal of women by major male playwrights. Of great significance in this analysis is the attitude of these male writers towards women and also towards issues affecting women. It is for this reason that cross-references are made between these male writers and the female playwrights examined in Chapter 5.
Very negligible research has been done on drama by African women. It is in recognition of this unfortunate situation that the fifth and last chapter of this thesis is dedicated to women's self-perception as reflected in their portrayal of fellow-women in theatre. This chapter examines only major female playwrights; the minor female playwrights
are examined alongside the male in the appropriate areas in Chapters 1 to 3
Research on land markets in South Asia : what have we learned?
No full textThe authors review the literature on land markets in South Asia to clarify what's known and to highlight unresolved issues. They report that: (1) We have a good understanding of why sharecropping persists and why it can be superior to other standard agricultural contracts. We have less understanding of what determines the relative efficiency of sharecropping in different environments and why other apparently superior contractual relationships are rare. (2) Insecure rights to land adversely affect production and investment incentives in areas outside of South Asia, but in South Asia strong evidence linking investment and rights to production is scarce. (3) An inverse relationship between farm size and output per unit area is a recurrent feature in data from South Asia, apparently related to land-labor interactions. (4) Although small farms seem to be more efficient than large ones, small farmers have trouble raising their profitability and enlarging their holding, largely because of credit constraints, but also because of poverty and policy that discriminates against them. (5) Misguided land reform in the past has made tenancy unattractive to landowners, so large capital-intensive farms have developed. Political economic analysis is needed to explain the failure of past land reform, as well as distortions in agricultural input and output markets in (6) South Asia. Land fragmentation (as distinguished from farm size) has caused productivity losses. Those losses have not been quantified and the reasons fragmentation persists are poorly understood. (7) Transaction costs are a significant impediment to functioning land markets. In South Asia, transfers of land rights are complicated by lack of explicit title to land, and by informal and customary rights. (8) One pressing research problem is gender discrimination, an important factor in land market imperfections -especially (within the household) the separation of land management and its control. Research needs include more systematic regional comparisons, the use of more panel data, and an investigation of how agricultural productivity is affected by gender problems and land fragmentation.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Land Use and Policies,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction,Land Use and Policies
The visceral screen: Between the cinemas of John Cassavetes and David Cronenberg, a Barthesian perspective
No full textThe thesis discusses two directors who are never considered together in academic discourse. Cassavetes’ perceived focus on events led by the dynamics of performance and his looseness of technique opposes the calculated compositions of the Cronenberg film, with its aesthetic of horrific images and its gallery of emotionally detached protagonists. Yet it is between such opposing methods of cinematic expression that the ineffable qualities of film aesthetics can be discovered. Cassavetes’ cinema achieves this by revelling in a surplus of activity that exceeds narrative, while the indescribable characteristics of the Cronenberg oeuvre is achieved through a systematic emptying of the image’s meaning through a simultaneous commitment to paring back emotion and portraying of images that are controversial and inconceivable. Taken together, the thesis identifies these aspects of film as ‘the visceral,’ a facet of the moving image that most certainly exists, but is resolutely, and disturbingly resistant to interpretation.
Roland Barthes’ writings are integral to a theory of the visceral. His re-evaluation of Saussurean semiology as a method of analyzing and undoing ideologically-imposed meanings informs readings of sequences from Cassavetes and Cronenberg’s films. Following Barthes, the thesis suggests that the existence of the visceral is realized as a resistance to ideological interpretations of the image, and so cannot be described. Ultimately, the inability of semiology to fully grasp certain aspects of the filmed image is put forward as a rejoinder to theories of the fiction film as principally a narrative medium
Die posisie van swart skrywers van Afrikaanse prosa in die Afrikaanse prosasisteem sedert 1992
No full textThesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2016.In die studie word ? sisteembeskrywing van swart Afrikaanse prosaskrywers se posisie binne die Afrikaanse prosasisteem gegee, met die publikasie van Abraham Phillips se Die verdwaalde land in 1992 as begindatum. Die kontensieuse begrip swart word generies gebruik om alle skrywers van kleur in te sluit.
Swart skrywers se posisie is deur gebruikmaking van metatekste literêr-sistemies beskryf. Even-Zohar, Bourdieu, De Geest en Schmidt se sisteemteorieë is hiervoor aangewend.
Op grond van die aantal studies oor hul werk is Abraham Phillips, A.H.M. Scholtz en E.K.M. Dido as prominente skrywers hanteer. Ander minder prominente skrywers se posisies word ook beskryf.
Die studie het ? aantal bevindinge opgelewer.
Phillips is ? bekroonde skrywer wat uit ? benadeelde posisie prosatekste skryf. Sy posisie word binne die raamwerk van Bourdieu se veldteorie aangetoon. Literêre kritici het sy tekste op verskillende wyses in die literêre veld geposisioneer. Slegs Phillips se debuut word as gekanoniseerd beskou. In 1992 word hy die eerste swart skrywer van Afrikaanse prosa aan wie beduidende simboliese kapitaal toegeken is.
Scholtz, ? bekroonde skrywer, se drie tekste is met gebruikmaking van Even-Zohar se polisisteemteorie beskryf. Op grond van analises van metatekste word hy as gekanoniseerde skrywer in die Afrikaanse literêre sisteem gereken.
Dido se diskursiewe posisies in die literêre sisteem is binne De Geest se funksionele sisteemteorie beskryf. Sy het tot dusver geen literêre toekenning ontvang nie, maar is in 2005 met ? eredoktorsgraad deur UWK vereer. Sy word as baanbreker vir swart Afrikaanse vroueskrywers binne die literêre sisteem geposisioneer.
Karel Benjamin, S.P. Benjamin, Clive Smith, Joseph Marble, Elias P. Nel, Kirby van der Merwe, P.J. Philander, Catherine Willemse, Bettina Wyngaard, Anastasia de Vries en Zain Eckleton word as minder prominente skrywers beskou en hul posisisionering geskied binne Schmidt se operasionele raamwerk.
Die gevolgtrekking was dat swart skrywers van Afrikaanse prosa sedert 1992 verskillende posisies in die Afrikaanse literêre sisteem inneem.A systems description was given of the position of black African prose authors within the Afrikaans prose system with the publication of Abraham Phillips' Die verdwaalde land in 1992 as starting date. Despite being contentious the generic term "black" is used to include all authors of colour. The position of black authors is literary-systematically described by using meta-texts and by implementing the systems theories of Even-Zohar, Bourdieu, De Geest and Schmidt.
Based on the number of studies on their work, Abraham Phillips, AHM Scholtz and EKM Dido are considered to be "prominent" authors. The position of other less "prominent" authors are also described.
The study yielded a number of findings.
Phillips, an award-winning author, writes his texts from a disadvantaged position. His position in the Afrikaans literary field is described according to Bourdieu's field theory. Literary critics positioned Phillips s texts in different ways in the literary field. Only Phillips' debut can be considered part of the literary canon. In 1992 he became the first black author of Afrikaans prose to be awarded symbolic capital.
The acclaimed Scholtz s position is described according to Even-Zohar's Polysystems Theory. Based on the analysis of meta-texts he is considered as a canonical author in the Afrikaans literary system.
Dido s discursive positions in the literary system are described according to De Geest s Functional Systems Theory. Dido has not yet received any literary awards, but was awarded an honorary UWC doctorate in 2005. She is positioned in the Afrikaans literary system as a pioneer for "black" African women authors.
Karel Benjamin, SP Benjamin, Clive Smith, Joseph Marble, Elias P. Nel, Kirby van der Merwe, PJ Philander, Catherine Willemse, Bettina Wyngaard, Anastasia de Vries and Zain Eckleton are considered to be less prominent authors and their positioning is shown according to Schmidt's operational framework.
The study concludes that black Afrikaans prose authors since 1992 can be ranked in different positions in the Afrikaans literary system.AfrikaansDLittUnrestricte
The 'true use of reading' : Sarah Fielding and mid eighteenth-century literary strategies.
No full textPhDThe aim of this thesis is to explore, by examining her life and
works, how Sarah Fielding (1710-68) established her identity as an author.
The definition of her role involves her notions of the functions of
writing and reading.
Sarah Fielding attempts to invite readers to form a sense of ties
by tacit understanding of her messages. As she believes that a work
of literature is produced through collaboration between the writer and
the reader, it is an important task in her view to show her attentiveness
toward reading practice. In her consideration of reading, she has two
distinct, even opposite views of her audience: on the one hand a familiar
and limited circle of readers with shared moral and cultural values and
on the other potential readers among the unknown mass of people. The
dual targets direct her to devise various strategies. She tries to
appeal to those who can endorse and appreciate her moral values as well
as her learning. Her writings and letters testify that she is sensitive
to the demands of the literary market, trying to lead the taste of readers
by inventing new forms.
The thesis opens with an overview of Sarah Fielding's career,
followed by a consideration of her critical attention to the roles of
reading. I go on to examine the narrative structures and strategies
she deploys, with a particular emphasis on her use of the epistolary
method. The following chapter deals with her attention to the reading
of the moral message tangibly embodied in her educational writing. It
is followed by an analysis of the activity which earned her a reputation
as a learned woman. Various as the forms of her works are, they invariably
reflect her attempt to balance herself between the two demands of
inventiveness and familiarity
Working across cultures in indigenous science education
No full textThe research in this thesis considers the ability of westerners, primarily teachers, to work cross-culturally with indigenous students in four of the settler states, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. It looks particularly at identity learning as a way in which westerners enhance their understanding and attitudes to another culture. Identity learning, and culture shock as an associated process, is examined in relation to the ideas of border crossing and culture brokerage. A number of issues were raised, some through the literature, which became foci for the research. Examination of border crossing indicated that some westerners were successful as cross-cultural communicators but did not suggest why. Discussions of cultural borders gave rise to their critique as being essentialised but failed to suggest how this was to be overcome. Anthropological models did not give any characterisation to the role of culture broker, although the ethnohistory literature gave some insight. The influence of culture shock on westerners working in indigenous communities in the settler states was not particularly understood nor its relationship to identity learning explored. A qualitative methodology is used involving a series of interviews with eight participants who were considered to be experienced in cross-cultural communication with a background in education. From the interviews a series of narratives were written which revealed their experiences and understandings particularly about their border crossings, culture brokerage and opinions regarding teaching indigenous students and teaching them science. These narratives became the major source of data for analysis. This research shows that many westerners who are successful working in cross-cultural settings value the culture of their indigenous hosts. This is the consequence of enhanced identity learning and can be the result of culture shock. Not all westerners learn to value the other culture and may either leave the community or stay for some other reason. Border crossers are able to think beyond the limitations of an essentialised ‘we and they’ dichotomy and locate themselves in other ways relative to the border. Culture brokerage is a strategy that individuals choose to use, sometimes on the behalf of a government or institution. The characteristics of an effective culture broker are those of a border crosser and this establishes a nexus between border crossing and culture brokerage. Suggestions regarding preparation to teach in indigenous communities reflect the enhancement of identity learning and promotion of border crossing. Preservice training should include experience practicum teaching with indigenous students. Effective teaching of indigenous students could be supported by hiring experienced teachers and extending their stays. All teachers who go to work in indigenous communities need to be aware of culture shock and its possible impact and mechanisms for minimising its impact need to be established through mentoring programs. The context of the students needs to be taken into account by consideration of their culture and appropriate interpretation of the curriculum and implementation of teaching strategies. Teachers need to acknowledge that they are in positions of power but need to negotiate that respectfully with their indigenous students. As teachers of science they need to have a more inclusive idea of the nature of science so they can facilitate the border crossings of their indigenous students
Derrida and postmodernity: At the end(s) of history
No full textThis thesis erects and defends the proposition that Jacques Derrida's readings of 'metaphysics in deconstruction' and his raising to theoretical consciousness of the 'differential matrix', have the capacity to inaugurate a 'brave new world' in this postmodern 'age of the aporia'. Beginning with an examination of Derrida's readings of Husserl and Saussure, it is argued that the radical historicity uncovered here qua an originary synthesis of language, time and the other, opens the possibility for greatly more democratising and emancipating self-creations and human solidarities to be thought. In terms of 'self-creations', and borrowing from the work of Elizabeth Deeds Errnarth, Chapter Two follows Derrida as modernity's sovereign subject and its 'History' are dis-placed by an absolutely affirmative postmodern subjectivity whose axiom might be 'I inherit, therefore, I am ... yes, yes ... ' Construed through his deconstructive reading of Kant, Derrida shows the way in which this postmodern subjectivity without alibi, makes of us all (like it or not, know it or not) resistance fighters, so many singularities existing in constant tension with all normalising/totalising tendencies (social, economic, techno-scientific, political, legal etc ... ) which profess to know the secret. Turning to co-extensive 'human solidarities', Chapter Three subsequently demonstrates the way in which Derrida's call for a 'New International', orientated through a 'new figure of Europe', enables us to imagine new polysemic communities (local, national, international) founded on the 'aporia of the demos', a 'foundation' that construes its hyper-relativity as a positive (ethico-political) condition of decision in terms of a radical responsibility (on an individual and communal level) for the moral/aesthetic decisions we make. It is thus that I will argue that Derrida's vision for a 'new world order' is born out of an aporetic condition which is both a risk and a chance of both the best - and the worst - happening; as someone who shares Derrida's desire for a fairer, freer, more peaceful world, one respectful of difference and otherness, I believe this to be a 'poker like gamble' well worth taking. Chapter Four offers a comparative analysis between the work of Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard, two theorists counter-signing differently many of the 'same' discourses/ traditions/cultures/languages, etc ... to which they are both heirs. The chapter examines their respective 'quasi-philosophies of the limit', together with their differing conceptions of the issues surrounding globalisation and universalisation, as well as Baudrillard' s elevation of America (as opposed to Europe) as the exemplary site of resistance against the dangers of totalisation in 'postmodem' societies. The central argument here, in line with my previous remarks, is that Derrida's thought arguably remains 'the best' way to navigate the postmodem condition and the challenges it produces. The originality of this thesis lies in two main areas, the first having to do with my presentation and conception of Derrida's oeuvre and the second having to do with the comparisons made in this study between Derrida and Ermarth and Derrida and Baudrillard. In terms of the former, I offer what I consider to be a unique, sustained, in-depth analysis of the 'development' (on a theoretical and practical level) of the thematics of 'radical historicity' and of 'post-historical man' - effectively the development of Derrida's quasi-philosophy of history- from his earliest works so that they can be seen to inform his later intervention(s) in what are conventionally understood as ethical and political matters; transforming this understanding in the process and, after the end of history's ends (upper case, lower case and the totalising 'history of meaning' per se), quite literally and radically changing the way we see what we call 'the world'. For while in the conventional literature Derrida's politics come late, I argue here that his indeed later political work is but an emphasis of constant political thematics acting as a leitmotif from beginning to end. Turning to the latter, in terms of the comparisons I make - first between Derrida and Ermarth in Chapter Two and more especially between Derrida and Baudrillard in Chapter Four - the claim to originality lies in the fact that there is no comparison of any note or depth in the literature between these thinkers; nothing that compares Derrida's 'affirmative postmodem subjectivity' and its 'inheritance' with Ermarth's 'rhythmic time' and 'muIti-level consciousness', and nothing comparing Derrida's corpus - specifically his optimistic emancipating and democratizing hopes for the future - with Baudrillard's more pessimistic conceptualization of 'simulation society' and the loss of our European universal values under the hegemonic, globalising movement of the 'American model'. The aim of these two comparisons is to support my claim that Derrida's historico-political position is the 'best' way of essaying the quasi-ground of an in(different) politics in such a way that it keeps the future open to what he calls a 'better world' to come, a world without ends
Sarah Fielding: Satire and Subversion in the Eighteenth-Century Novel
No full textThis study of Sarah Fielding (1710―68) is an original contribution to Fielding scholarship that has a dual purpose: to support those who are striving to re-introduce her to the modern literary landscape in an effort to restore her eighteenth-century literary standing, and to firmly establish Fielding as an early feminist writer. It is argued here that throughout her oeuvre Fielding challenged prevailing traditions that denied women a choice, particularly in education, employment and marriage. These themes are also considered in the political treatises of Mary Astell (1666―1731) and Mary Wollstonecraft (1759―97), who are now widely recognised as feminist writers.
It is further argued that Fielding’s subversion in fiction of the English patriarchal system is underscored by her unorthodox performance in the literary arena. This is fully explored alongside her use of sentimentalism as a literary tool with which she challenges her seemingly inhumane society. Fielding’s interest in ‘the Labyrinths of the Mind’ (in modern terms, human psychology) will also be addressed as will her placement in the history of feminism and her placement in the sentimental novel tradition. Fielding’s performance as a literary critic will be compared with the few female authors who, like her, dared to publish literary criticism during her writing career. Accordingly, extracts from Fielding’s novels and her two critical pamphlets will be thoroughly examined.
An updated biography of Fielding that is also included here will provide evidence for a further claim, that her fiction is autobiographical in part. A comprehensive account of Fielding’s performance as a literary critic forms the final chapter of this work. It is the first full-length examination of her contribution to the genre and includes an appraisal of her recently unearthed critical pamphlet entitled A Comparison Between the Horace of Corneille and The Roman Father of Mr. Whitehead (1750) that is yet to be formerly attributed to her. Ultimately this study of Fielding will go far beyond what has previously been written about this remarkable eighteenth-century author, particularly regarding her feminist activity
Cello techniques and performing practices in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
No full textThis thesis comprises a study of cello performance practices throughout the nineteenth century and into the early decades of the twentieth. It is organised in terms of the increasing complexity of the concepts which it examines, as they are to be found in printed and manuscript music, instrumental methods and larger treatises, early recordings, concert reviews and pictures. Basic posture is considered along with different ways of holding the
bow. The development of the tail-pin shows that even when it was widely used, the older posture was still referred to as a model. Some implications for tone quality and tonal
projection are considered in the light of the shape of the arms. Some connections between the cellist's posture and that recommended by etiquette books are explored. The
functionality of the left hand and arm, and the development of modem scale fingerings, show that there was a considerable period of overlap between newer and older practices, with modern scale fingerings evolving over a long period of time. Similarly, views on the function of the right wrist in bowing are shown to change gradually, moving towards a more active upper arm movement with less extreme flexibility of the wrist. Two central expressive techniques especially associated with string playing arc considered in the context of the cello, namely vibrato and portamento. These topics are examined in the light of written indications in music, recommendations in cello treatises, and the practices evidenced in early recordings. The sources for this study can be brought into an overall
framework of a constant dialogue between `theory', as expressed in verbal instructions to the learner, or general a priori reflections about the cello, and `practice', manifested in performing editions and early recordings, or in individual acts of reception. A wide divergence is noted, both between theory and practice in general, and in terms of different styles of playing observable at any one time. It is suggested that tensions between practice
and critical disapproval can be resolved in terms of Lacanian discourse. Several test cases are used in order to compare several different recordings of the same works. The question of the musical character of the cello is discussed in terms of widespread assumptions about its gendered identity. A wide range of sources suggest that this moved from a straightforwardly `masculine' identity expressed through a controlling, elevated eloquence to a less clearly defined one, incorporating the 'feminine', with a greater stress on uninhibited emotional expression. Some performance implications for this change of view are pursued with respect to specific repertoires. Broad conclusions stress the importance of the diversity of performance practices as opposed to unifying generalisations
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