The Midnight express phenomenon : a historical materialist approach to the reception of the film Midnight express /

This thesis examines the Midnight Express phenomenon focusing on the film's reception by audiences in Europe, North America, and Turkey between 1978-2003. Using and enhancing the "historical materialist approach" to film reception developed by Janet Staiger, the thesis considers the historical determinants of the film's nationally and culturally differential readings in different periods and of the transformations in those readings. The thesis argues that while Midnight Express was most likely read in the late 1970s as an attempt to reaffirm American social identity by projecting Turks as an instance of the negative Other, there has been an important shift in the reception of the film in the West during the 1990s due to the changes in the discursive contexts in which the film has been circulating. One does not observe any specific reference to Turkish prisons as a part of the issue of human rights violations in Turkey in the initial reception of the film by European and American critics, whereas these issues appear to be important constituents of a particular reception of the film in the West in the present. The thesis explains this shift by pointing to the constitution of a particular discourse on human rights violations in Turkey after 1980, and especially throughout the 1990s, which has become a part of the discursive repertoires of the Western audience. Therefore, the thesis argues that today, Midnight Express functions as a more legitimate political statement about Turkey in the eyes of some Western audiences than it had been in the 1970s. On the other hand, parallel to the increasing desire of Turkey to connect itself to the West, particularly to become a member of the European Union, one observes an immense increase in the belief in and defense against the negative effects of Midnight Express on Turkey's international representation since the 1990s. The historical and current discourses that audiences, both in Turkey and abroad, bring into play suggest that these audiences engage with Midnight Express by assuming or denying not only the subject positions constructed by the film text but also certain history-specific extra-filmic subject positions produced by other social and discursive formations.

The reception of Eugen Wüster’s work and the development of terminology

L’objectif principal de cette thèse est d’explorer et d’analyser la réception de l’œuvre d’Eugen Wüster afin d’expliquer comment ses travaux ont influencé le développement disciplinaire de la terminologie. Du point de vue historique, les travaux de Wüster, en particulier la Théorie générale de la terminologie, ont stimulé la recherche en terminologie. Malgré des opinions divergentes, on s’entend pour reconnaître que les travaux de Wüster constituent la pierre angulaire de la terminologie moderne. Notre recherche vise spécifiquement à explorer la réception de l’œuvre wüsterienne en étudiant les écrits relatifs à cette œuvre dans la littérature universitaire en anglais, en espagnol et en français entre 1979 et 2009, en Europe et en Amérique. Réalisée dans le cadre du débat sur la réception de l’œuvre de Wüster, cette étude se concentre exclusivement sur l’analyse des critiques et des commentaires de son œuvre. Pour ce faire, nous avons tenu compte de la production intellectuelle de Wüster, de sa réception positive ou négative, des nouvelles approches théoriques en terminologie ainsi que des études portant sur l’état de la question en terminologie entre 1979 et 2009. Au moyen d’une recherche qualitative de type exploratoire, nous avons analysé un corpus de textes dans lesquels les auteurs : a. ont cité textuellement au moins un extrait d’un texte écrit par Wüster ; b. ont référé aux travaux de Wüster dans la bibliographie de l’article ; ou c. ont fait un commentaire sur ces travaux. De cette manière, nous avons cerné les grandes lignes du débat autour de la réception de son œuvre. Les résultats de notre étude sont éloquents. Ils offrent une idée claire de la réception des travaux de Wüster dans la communauté scientifique. Premièrement, Wüster représente une figure centrale de la terminologie moderne en ce qui concerne la normalisation terminologique. Il fut le premier à proposer une théorie de la terminologie. Deuxièmement, la contextualisation appropriée de son œuvre constitue un point de départ essentiel pour une appréciation éclairée et juste de sa contribution à l’évolution de la discipline. Troisièmement, les résultats de notre recherche dévoilent comment les nouvelles approches théoriques de la terminologie se sont adaptées aux progrès scientifiques et techniques. Quatrièmement, une étude menée sur 166 articles publiés dans des revues savantes confirme que l’œuvre de Wüster a provoqué des réactions variées tant en Europe qu’en Amérique et que sa réception est plutôt positive. Les résultats de notre étude font état d’une tendance qu’ont les auteurs de critiquer les travaux de Wüster avec lesquels, dans la plupart des cas, ils ne semblent cependant pas être bien familiarisés. La « méthodologie des programmes de recherche scientifique », proposée par Lakatos (1978) et appliquée comme un modèle interprétatif, nous a permis de démontrer que Wüster a joué un rôle décisif dans le développement de la terminologie comme discipline et que la terminologie peut être perçue comme un programme de recherche scientifique. La conclusion principale de notre thèse est que la terminologie a vécu des changements considérables et progressifs qui l’ont aidée à devenir, en termes lakatosiens, une discipline forte tant au plan théorique que descriptif.

The reception of T. S. Bayer’s 'Historia Regni Graecorum Bactriani' (1738)

Theophilus (Gottlieb) Siegfried Bayer (1694-1738) is usually credited as the first person in modern times to address the history of the Greeks in Bactria in a serious way. Bayer’s Historia Regni Graecorum Bactriani, brings together numismatic and historical research. He describes two Graeco-Bactrian coins which he was able to examine first hand, and collects and comments upon the Classical historical sources on the Greek kingdoms of Bactria and India. It was published in St. Petersburg in 1738, where Bayer, a German, held an academic position. In this short article, I am interested in two questions surrounding the Historia Regni Graecorum Bactriani. First (and relatively briefly), how Bayer conducted his research without first hand access to source material and without himself travelling in Bactria – or indeed further east than St. Petersburg. Secondly, the way in which Bayer’s scholarship was received by some of his contemporaries and by later writers, outside the field of Bactrian studies.

The Savannah hypotheses: origin, reception and impact on paleoanthropology

The reconstruction of the human past is a complex task characterized by a high level of interdisciplinarity. How do scientists from different fields reach consensus on crucial aspects of paleoanthropological research? The present paper explores this question through an historical analysis of the origin, development, and reception of the savannah hypotheses (SHs). We show that this model neglected to investigate crucial biological aspects which appeared to be irrelevant in scenarios depicting early hominins evolving in arid or semi-arid open plains. For instance, the exploitation of aquatic food resources and other aspects of hominin interaction with water were largely ignored in classical paleoanthropology. These topics became central to alternative ideas on human evolution known as aquatic hypotheses. Since the aquatic model is commonly regarded as highly controversial, its rejection led to a stigmatization of the whole spectrum of topics around water use in non-human hominoids and hominins. We argue that this bias represents a serious hindrance to a comprehensive reconstruction of the human past. Progress in this field depends on clear differentiation between hypotheses proposed to contextualize early hominin evolution in specific environmental settings and research topics which demand the investigation of all relevant facets of early hominins' interaction with complex landscapes.

"Fit Cradle of the Reviving Art": An inquiry into the the Evolving Material Reality of the Murals in the Camposanto of Pisa from the Perspective of their British Reception from the 17th to the 19th century

The Camposanto of Pisa is an extraordinarily complex and evocative monument, which has captured the imagination of pilgrims, both religious and secular, for centuries. The late Medieval and early Renaissance wall paintings that line the perimeter of the portico surrounding a vast inner courtyard, are unparalleled in early Italian art, not only for their striking variety of composition and narrative complexity, but also for the sheer grandeur of their proportion. However, the passage of time has scarred the structure of the Camposanto and inflicted terrible damage on its wall paintings. This thesis explores the material reality of the Camposanto as experienced over three centuries through the eyes of British travelers. In order to situate the Camposanto mural cycle within an historical and cultural context, the first chapter provides an overview of the construction and decoration of the monument. Notably, Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), the Italian Humanist often recognized as the father of art history, included numerous descriptions of the Camposanto murals in his highly influential text Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori. Accordingly, the second chapter provides an analysis of Vasari’s descriptions and reflects upon the influence that the Renaissance author may have had upon the subsequent British reception of the Camposanto murals. The third chapter utilizes three centuries of travel writing in order to investigate the aesthetic impact of the Camposanto mural cycle upon British tourists from the seventeenth through to the nineteenth century.

The Mexican war and its heroes : being a complete history of the Mexican war, embracing all the operations under Generals Taylor and Scott, with a biography of the officers ; also, an account of the conquests of California and New Mexico, under Gen. Kearney, Cols. Doniphan and Fremont ; together with numerous anecdotes of the war, and presonal adventures of the officers.

A reprint of two separate works: General Taylor and his staff, Philadelphia, Grigg, Elliot & co., 1848, and General Scott and his staff. Philadelphia, Grigg, Elliot & co., 1848.

History in Scott's novels; a literary sketch,

"The talisman": King Richard I.--"Ivanhoe": King Richard I.--"Fair maid of Perth": Robert III. in Scotland.--"Quentin Durward": Louis XI in France.--"Anne of Geierstein": Louis XI in France.--"The monastery": Mary Stuart in Scotland--"The abbot": The Earl of Murray's regency in Scotland.--"Kenilworth": Queen Elizabeth in England.--"Nigel": King James I. Great Britain--"Woodstock": The commonwealth, Great Britain.--"Peveril of the Peak": King Charles II.--"Old Mortality": Charles II. and William III.--"Rob Roy": King George I.--"Waverley": George II.--"Redgauntlet": George III.--Conclusion: Reception of George IV. in Scotland in 1822.

A volume of English miscellanies illustrating the history and language of the northern counties of England.

"Chiefly drawn from the registers of the lord mayor and corporation of York."-Pref., p. [v]

Making the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan: A History and Analysis Through the Lens of Coordination and Deferral Theory

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06