The sword and the pen in the pre-modern Arabic heritage : a literacy representation of an important historical relationship

The so-called "literary debate" in Greek, Latin and many Near Eastern
languages is a well-developed genre. In his 1987 article, Geert Jan van Gelder surveyed its background more than adequately, 1 and very few details of that paper need to be repeated here. He assessed thoroughly the historical contribution of numerous poets to the relationship between "the sword and the pen," and also analyzed various aspects of this relationship in a few prose texts.

Metaphoric use of the mountain symbol in painting

This paper consists of two parts. The focus of Part I is the symbol of the mountain and its metaphoric use in art history and in the mythology of many cultures. Part II links an examination of twentieth century contemporary artists and relevant issues, the mythology and historical references covered in Part I and the paintings that make up the body of the thesis. The study is concerned with the role of the symbol and the form of its interpretation in the expression of ideas and images that are relevant to it. These themes have been developed in order to place the paintings in a context of continuity and establish iconographic links with the past. One particular site has been chosen through which to examine the symbolic associations between the mountain and the metaphoric quest. The metaphor of pilgrimage to the site and of searching for a lost unity is implicit in this process. The realisation reached at the summit confirms the significance of this journey. Each painting is discussed and linked with the themes that are relevant to it, linking the research recorded in Part I with the execution of the paintings, aiming at a synthesis of theory and practice.

People's war under modern conditions : an investigation into Chinese defence strategy, 1977-2049

This thesis is an investigation of the relevance of ‘people's war’ to contemporary Chinese defence policy. This loose concept has been eroded by 'modernity’, but a guerilla-based defence remains the essential theme. Prior to China's acquisition of nuclear weapons, people's war was the sole element of the state's deterrent policy, aiming to swamp an invader with China's numerical strength. In the 1980s and beyond people's war finds effectiveness through a combination of materiel of middle range technology and the traditional usage of massive manpower. People's war under modern conditions remains essentially defensive, but now incorporates 'active defence’ with accent on greater mobility. However, the central thesis of this work relates to how the traditional strategy may influence nuclear doctrine. This thesis proposes that China could abandon long-range ballistic missiles and adopt a new concept in nuclear strategy: that of, Guerilla Nuclear Warfare. Trained in guerilla tactics and equipped with battlefield nuclear weapons, this would represent the logical extension of China's people's war strategy to the new nuclear conditions associated with superpower research into space-based ballistic missile defences and which, in full deployment, could nullify a Chinese nuclear deterrent based only on 'mid-tech' delivery systems. Guerilla Nuclear Warfare, as a strategy, would involve the irregular use of locally held and controlled tactical nuclear weapons, but it would also be a method of circumventing the proposed Soviet missile defence shield by not challenging it. Guerilla Nuclear Warfare does not exist in the late 1980s, but evidence exists to suggest its development. It cannot yet be proven as the new direction but China's strategic circumstances add weight to available indications: unless the Strategic Defence programs of the established superpowers are arrested then it appears the sole option available to the Chinese for the maintenance of a nuclear deterrent in the early part of the 21st Century.

Prelude to the birth of Wayo-Secchu (Japanese hybrid style) in Japanese early modern architecture

This paper will investigate the background of the emergence of Wayo-secchu (Japanese Hybrid Style), by re-examining the rhetoric of the government-oriented early Meiji Western style architecture and Japanese traditionalism's reaction to it. I will elucidate the undercurrent of the intentional shift in nineteenth-century Japan towards the recuperation of traditional Japanese style, a shift which initiated the Japanese hybrid style we now call Wayo-secchu. I will discuss the effect of institutional pressure to Westernize, by investigating what was meant by a new architectural method as expressed by the government of the time.

Painting that moves : digital realism and the single moving image

Explores space and object relations in a digital 3-D animation production, "Moving-Image". The exegesis examines these relations through an analysis of pictorial realism in painting. The illusion of three dimensional forms in the space of the computer screen is contextualised by investigation of the work's underlying digital conditions.

Photography towards painting : the techniques of large contact negatives

Investigates the relationship between painting and photography, with a special focus on techniques using large contact negatives and digital applications. The thesis is comprised of a written exegesis that contextualises and informs upon an exhibition of photographic and digital inkjet montages. It discusses the theoretical and structural issues underpinning the conceptual basis of the research and elaborates upon the applications and processes involved in producing each exhibited image.

L. Bernard Hall and the feminine in Australian painting 1885-1935

This thesis draws on images to explore the processes by which an individual - Lindsay Bernard Hall - and a categorical concept - the feminine - became devalued in Australia's national tradition. It celebrates Hall's contribution to Australia's cultural heritage and the significance of his art in the visual record of modernising womanhood.

Eleven seasons : a creative writing journey through modern Australian football

This thesis offers a novel, 'Eleven seasons', that traces the physical and emotional journey of a young male footballer through the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. It also offers a comparative review of creative writing about Australian football, and a critical analysis of the book's creative gestation from idea to completed text.