Browsing Doctoral Degrees (English, Media and Performance Studies) by Issue Date
Now showing items 21-40 of 64
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R.K. Narayan's Malgudi novels : a critical study of theme and character.
(1995)This thesis analyses critically theme and character in the fourteen novels of R.K. Narayan, written between 1935 and 1990, and it assesses their importance in Narayan's Indian world view. It evaluates Narayan's depiction ... -
Joseph Conrad's Victory : a case study of the primary text, selected critical commentary, Natal Senior Certificate English first language examination questions and a selection of candidates' examination responses in 1990, with suggested developments in pedagogical practice.
(1995)No abstract available. -
Liberalism in South African English literature 1948-1990 : a reassessment of the work of Alan Paton and Athol Fugard.
(1996)This thesis examines the concept of liberalism as it informs, and is expressed in, the work of two of the most prominent South African writers during the apartheid era of 1948-1990: Alan Paton and Athol Fugard. The aim ... -
Nadine Gordimer after apartheid : a reading strategy for the 1990s.
(1997)The aim of this study is to suggest, by selective example, a method of interpreting Gordimer's fiction from a 'post-Apartheid' perspective. My hypothesis is that Gordimer's own comments in her key lecture of 1982, "Living ... -
Locating the popular-democratic in South African resistance literature in English, 1970-1990.
(1998)As a conjunctural construct located between politics, society and art, the popular-democratic construes the resistance literature of the 1970s and 1980s as being expressive of an entire social movement to end oppression ... -
'Who is the other woman?' : representation, alterity and ethics in the work of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.
(1998)This dissertation analyses a number of key themes in the work of postcolonial theorist and literary critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and uses her ideas to argue for the usefulness of both deconstructive and postmodern ... -
Magic realism in Zakes Mda's Ways of Dying (1995) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995).
(1998)I shall argue in this thesis that Zakes Mda's novels Ways of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b) are magic realist texts that are representative of the hybrid nature of this literary mode. Furthermore ... -
Mediating contemporary cultures : essays on some South African magazines, malls and sites of themed leisure.
(1998)In this Thesis, from the disciplinary vantage point of English Studies, I explore some of the complex meanings that may be attributed to several forms and practices of South African consumer culture: magazines, malls and ... -
Humour as "cultural reconciliation" in South African situation comedy : an ethnographic study of multicultural female viewers.
(1998)South African women of different ethnicity and background, having lived under apartheid, are now challenged by the freedoms expressed in the Bill of Rights and the new Constitution. This study, identifying the connections ... -
An analysis of racial stereotyping in SABC-TV commercials in the context of reform, 1978-1992.
(1998)This thesis uses racial stereotyping as a critical approach to the analysis of television advertising commercials broadcast by the SABC during the period of Reform in South Africa, 1978-1992. Due respect is given to ... -
Voices in a university : a critical exploration of black students' responses to institutional discourse.
(1998)The context for this study is the period leading up to and the four years since the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994. It is a critical exploration of black students' responses to university discourses as ... -
Theorizing discourses of Zimbabwe, 1860-1900 : a Foucauldian analysis of colonial narratives.
(1998)This study seeks to understand colonial narratives of Zimbabwe 1860-1900 as a locus of transgression and opposition. I investigate the range and complexity of discourses within the imperial project open to both European male ... -
Are Africa's development failures due to cultural irrationality or the manner of development? : towards a theory of sustainable community development through communication.
(1999)This study is an analysis of the implications of the manner of development, decision making and communication therein on Africa's development performance since the 1950s. It sought to establish the causes of development ... -
"Sister outsiders" : the representation of identity and difference in selected writings by South African Indian women.
(2000)No abstract available. -
Women in the Histories of Herodotus.
(2001)This thesis examines the portrayal of women in the Histories of Herod at us against the backdrop of two influences, Greek mythology, and the social customs and thought pertaining to women in ancient Greek society. ... -
Wopko Jensma : a monograph, the interface between poety and schizophrenia.
(2002)This thesis is a monograph of South African poet and artist, Wopko Jensma. Jensma's published anthologies, Sing/or Our Execution (1973), Where White is the Colour, Where Black is the Number (1974) and Have You Seen My ... -
Forms of community service : Guy Butler's literary contributions.
(2003)Guy Butler (1918-2001) was one of South Africa's most prolific English writers. His work extended across several genres. He has hitherto been seen by his critics in terms of neat binaries: Marxists versus liberals, ... -
In the public interest : news values, ethics and the need for a new focus in South African journalism.
(2004)The dramatic transition from South Africa's previous apartheid political system to a democratic dispensation, has posed unique challenges for the media. Ethical practices per se are difficult, with joumalists being faced ... -
Culture in the public sphere : recovering a tradition of radical cultural-political debate in South Africa, 1938-1960.
(2005)This thesis is concerned with the negotiation of cultural and literary matters in South African public life during the period 1938 to 1960. While I begin with an exploration of the more 'orthodox' or 'academic' traditions ... -
The role of computer games and social constructivism in skills development of learners from different educational backgrounds.
(2005)This study is positioned within a specific South African context where many learners not only lack access to resources but are considered underprepared and therefore are seen as academically disadvantaged. Research findings ...