Analysis of the relationship between changes in macroeconomic variables and various sector price indices of JSE
- Mapanda, Tungamirai Chisvuvo
- Authors: Mapanda, Tungamirai Chisvuvo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Johannesburg Stock Exchange , Stock price indexes -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147445 , vital:38637
- Description: Purpose- The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between changes in domestic macroeconomic variables and various indices of the JSE during the full time period, June 1995 to December 2018 and the sub-periods, June 1995 to June 2007 and July 2007 to December 2018. Design/ methodology/ approach- The paper employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model approach to cointegration using monthly data from June 1995 to December 2018. Findings- In terms of the long run, the results show that the coincident indicator measure of domestic economic activity is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices for all study periods. In terms of inflation, the results show no relationship between inflation rate and the various indices for both whole period and June 1995 to June 2007 sub period. However for the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, JSE All Share Index and JSE Top 40 Index are negatively related. For the real effective exchange rate, only the Consumer Services Index is positively related to the exchange rate in terms of June 1995 to June 2007 sub period. However, JSE All Share Index and JSE Top 40 Index are negatively related to the exchange rate in all study periods. In terms of the short term interest rate, for the whole period, JSE All Share Index, JSE Top 40 Index, Health Care Index and Telecommunications Index are negatively related to interest rate. In terms of the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period, JSE All Share Index and Industrials Index are negatively related to the short term interest rate. For the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Telecommunications Index and Technology Index are negatively related. In terms of the short run, the coincident indicator is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices for all study periods. Inflation is not significantly related to any index in the whole period. In terms of the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period, Industrials Index and Financials Index are positively related to inflation and in the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Consumer Goods Index, Health Index and Consumer Services Index are negatively related to the inflation rate. The real effective exchange rate is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices in the different study periods. In terms of the short term interest rate, for the whole period and the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period only the Technology Index is not significantly and negatively related to the short term interest rate, but for the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Top 40 Index, Telecommunications Index and Technology Index are positively related to the interest rate. Only the Financial Index is negatively related to short term interest rates during this sub period. Research Limitations- Not a lot literature was found on the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the various sector indices of the JSE. Most previous work, in the South African context focused just on the JSE All Share Index. Practical Implications- The findings can help investors diversify their portfolios into indices that benefit from expected changes in macroeconomic variables, such as recessions, rising interest rates, rising inflation or a weakening exchange rate. Alternatively, they can hedge themselves against the negative implications of such macroeconomic changes on portfolio performance. In addition, the findings are important for the monetary authorities to better understand the implications of their policy changes on financial markets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Mapanda, Tungamirai Chisvuvo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Johannesburg Stock Exchange , Stock price indexes -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147445 , vital:38637
- Description: Purpose- The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between changes in domestic macroeconomic variables and various indices of the JSE during the full time period, June 1995 to December 2018 and the sub-periods, June 1995 to June 2007 and July 2007 to December 2018. Design/ methodology/ approach- The paper employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model approach to cointegration using monthly data from June 1995 to December 2018. Findings- In terms of the long run, the results show that the coincident indicator measure of domestic economic activity is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices for all study periods. In terms of inflation, the results show no relationship between inflation rate and the various indices for both whole period and June 1995 to June 2007 sub period. However for the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, JSE All Share Index and JSE Top 40 Index are negatively related. For the real effective exchange rate, only the Consumer Services Index is positively related to the exchange rate in terms of June 1995 to June 2007 sub period. However, JSE All Share Index and JSE Top 40 Index are negatively related to the exchange rate in all study periods. In terms of the short term interest rate, for the whole period, JSE All Share Index, JSE Top 40 Index, Health Care Index and Telecommunications Index are negatively related to interest rate. In terms of the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period, JSE All Share Index and Industrials Index are negatively related to the short term interest rate. For the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Telecommunications Index and Technology Index are negatively related. In terms of the short run, the coincident indicator is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices for all study periods. Inflation is not significantly related to any index in the whole period. In terms of the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period, Industrials Index and Financials Index are positively related to inflation and in the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Consumer Goods Index, Health Index and Consumer Services Index are negatively related to the inflation rate. The real effective exchange rate is positively and significantly related to the various JSE indices in the different study periods. In terms of the short term interest rate, for the whole period and the June 1995 to June 2007 sub period only the Technology Index is not significantly and negatively related to the short term interest rate, but for the July 2007 to December 2018 sub period, Top 40 Index, Telecommunications Index and Technology Index are positively related to the interest rate. Only the Financial Index is negatively related to short term interest rates during this sub period. Research Limitations- Not a lot literature was found on the relationship between macroeconomic variables and the various sector indices of the JSE. Most previous work, in the South African context focused just on the JSE All Share Index. Practical Implications- The findings can help investors diversify their portfolios into indices that benefit from expected changes in macroeconomic variables, such as recessions, rising interest rates, rising inflation or a weakening exchange rate. Alternatively, they can hedge themselves against the negative implications of such macroeconomic changes on portfolio performance. In addition, the findings are important for the monetary authorities to better understand the implications of their policy changes on financial markets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
The development of teacher leadership: a formative interventionist study in a semi-urban secondary school of Khomas region in Namibia
- Authors: Shilongo, Justina
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia -- Case studies , Education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144923 , vital:38392
- Description: Historically the education system in Namibia was shaped by the policies of the apartheid ideology (Amukugo, 1993). During that time, authority and responsibility were centralised and teachers were not part of the decision making process. By then, most people expected to be told what to do and would not initiate something on their own, a culture inherited that even exists today. In addition, opportunities were not given to teachers to develop as leaders. While Namibians have this history on record, the fact remains that the way in which apartheid laws were put in place, the ideological basis of the policy of apartheid and its impact, was not supportive of the ideas of democracy that Namibia is advocating for today. Despite a number of series of policy guidelines and directives issued to guide the development of a democratic culture in the education sector, less is happening about the leadership of teachers in schools. This stimulated me to conduct an activity theoretical interventionist research, aimed at exploring what opportunities there are for teachers to develop as leaders. This study is a case study, operating from a generative standpoint. The study was conducted in a semi-urban secondary school in Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. The study took a formative intervention approach as it sought to bring about change to practice in the case study school and also to contribute to a body of knowledge in the field of study. This qualitative study employed interviews, observations, document analysis and WhatsApp messaging as data generation tools. Crystallised data revealed multiple realities that demonstrated meaningful and trustworthy data. To analyse data the study employed inductive and abductive analysis to make data meaningful to the reader. Thus, to explore teacher leadership development in a semi-urban secondary school, Change Laboratories Workshops was used as a method to gather and analyse data, as underpinned by 2nd generation CHAT. Grant’s (2017) model of teacher leadership was also used to analyse the data and indicate where teacher leadership roles were mostly visible from all four zones. The findings revealed that there were different understandings of the notion of teacher leadership. It was understood as the possession of certain qualities, a managerial role, an involvement in the decision-making process and a form of social responsibility. It was also revealed that teachers led in all four zones (Grant, 2017b), however participants were not active in all the roles. High participation was noticed in zone one, within the classroom; zone two, leading in curricular and extra-curricular activities and zone four, leading beyond the school into the community. This study explored teacher leadership development and at length identified the conditions that constrained and enabled teachers to develop as leaders in a secondary school. The factors that constrained teacher leadership in the case study school were: lack of time, demanding workloads and other commitments, lack of interest in extramural activities and SMT support for initiatives. Fear and unwillingness to take on leadership roles, narrow views on leadership and ingrained traditional leadership structures, limited leadership capacity building initiatives and the absence of clear educational policies on teacher leadership were also identified. The high involvement in zone one, two and four were attributed to some mechanisms the school put in place to promote teacher leadership, such as through various committees set-up, as well as a culture of mutual care and love. During the change laboratory workshops, teachers opted to be trained in leadership-related matters and to revive the CPD committee.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Shilongo, Justina
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Educational leadership -- Namibia , Educational leadership -- Namibia -- Case studies , Education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144923 , vital:38392
- Description: Historically the education system in Namibia was shaped by the policies of the apartheid ideology (Amukugo, 1993). During that time, authority and responsibility were centralised and teachers were not part of the decision making process. By then, most people expected to be told what to do and would not initiate something on their own, a culture inherited that even exists today. In addition, opportunities were not given to teachers to develop as leaders. While Namibians have this history on record, the fact remains that the way in which apartheid laws were put in place, the ideological basis of the policy of apartheid and its impact, was not supportive of the ideas of democracy that Namibia is advocating for today. Despite a number of series of policy guidelines and directives issued to guide the development of a democratic culture in the education sector, less is happening about the leadership of teachers in schools. This stimulated me to conduct an activity theoretical interventionist research, aimed at exploring what opportunities there are for teachers to develop as leaders. This study is a case study, operating from a generative standpoint. The study was conducted in a semi-urban secondary school in Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. The study took a formative intervention approach as it sought to bring about change to practice in the case study school and also to contribute to a body of knowledge in the field of study. This qualitative study employed interviews, observations, document analysis and WhatsApp messaging as data generation tools. Crystallised data revealed multiple realities that demonstrated meaningful and trustworthy data. To analyse data the study employed inductive and abductive analysis to make data meaningful to the reader. Thus, to explore teacher leadership development in a semi-urban secondary school, Change Laboratories Workshops was used as a method to gather and analyse data, as underpinned by 2nd generation CHAT. Grant’s (2017) model of teacher leadership was also used to analyse the data and indicate where teacher leadership roles were mostly visible from all four zones. The findings revealed that there were different understandings of the notion of teacher leadership. It was understood as the possession of certain qualities, a managerial role, an involvement in the decision-making process and a form of social responsibility. It was also revealed that teachers led in all four zones (Grant, 2017b), however participants were not active in all the roles. High participation was noticed in zone one, within the classroom; zone two, leading in curricular and extra-curricular activities and zone four, leading beyond the school into the community. This study explored teacher leadership development and at length identified the conditions that constrained and enabled teachers to develop as leaders in a secondary school. The factors that constrained teacher leadership in the case study school were: lack of time, demanding workloads and other commitments, lack of interest in extramural activities and SMT support for initiatives. Fear and unwillingness to take on leadership roles, narrow views on leadership and ingrained traditional leadership structures, limited leadership capacity building initiatives and the absence of clear educational policies on teacher leadership were also identified. The high involvement in zone one, two and four were attributed to some mechanisms the school put in place to promote teacher leadership, such as through various committees set-up, as well as a culture of mutual care and love. During the change laboratory workshops, teachers opted to be trained in leadership-related matters and to revive the CPD committee.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Bacterial colonisation and degradation of geologically weathered and discard coal
- Authors: Olawale, Jacob Taiwo
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Coal mine waste , Coal -- Biodegradation , Coal mines and mining -- Environmental aspects , Land degradation , Electron microscopy , Extracellular polymeric substances , Flagella (Microbiology) , Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Microbiologically influenced corrosion
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61625 , vital:28043
- Description: Bacterial beneficiation of low-grade coal, coal discard, and waste has the potential to mitigate land degradation, water and soil pollution and, be a strategy for mining companies to responsibly extract and process coal with environmental sustainability. This study investigated the colonisation and biodegradation or depolymerisation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by selected strains of bacteria, and an attempt has been made to describe the mechanisms associated with colonisation and biodegradation of this carbonaceous material. Ten bacterial strains, Bacillus strain ECCN 18b, Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Proteus strain ECCN 20b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b, Microbacterium strain ECCN 22b, Proteus strain ECCN 23b, Serratia strain ECCN 24b, Escherichia strain ECCN 25b, Bacillus strain ECCN 26b and Bacillus strain ECCN 41b, isolated from diesel-contaminated soil and coal slurry and identified using DNA sequencing, were rescreened and their coal biodegradation potential ranked. The ranking of the bacterial strains was undertaken using several indicators including; formation of brown halos on the plate culture (solid), change in colour intensity of the medium in liquid culture, change in culture media pH, and an increase in absorbance at 280nm and 450nm. Although, all the ten strains showed evidence of biodegradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal based on the ranking employed, and the three strains considered the best candidates were Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b. The actions of the three bacterial strains were further studied and characterised in relation to coal degradation. Electron microscopy revealed that Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b attached to the surface of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by a process that appeared to involve extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and flagella. The presence of flagella for Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Bacterial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by these selected strains resulted in the release of soluble and insoluble products. Ultraviolet/ visible spectrophotometric (UV/VIS) analysis revealed that the soluble products resembled humic acid-like substances, which was confirmed following Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Analysis revealed that the coal-derived humic acid-like substances were similar to commercial humic acid extracted from bituminous coal. Elemental analysis of the insoluble product residue after bacterial biodegradation revealed the modification of the chemical compositions of the coal discard and geologically weathered coal substrates. Characterisation of the functional groups of the insoluble product using FTIR spectroscopy indicated changes, with the appearance of new peaks at 1737cm-1, 1366cm-1, 1228cm-1, and 1216cm-1 characteristic of aldehyde, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, and alkanes. Broad spectra regions of 3500 -3200cm-1, characteristic of alcohol and phenol, were also observed. Together, these results were taken as evidence for increased oxidation of the coal substrates, presumably as a consequence of bacterial catalysed biodegradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal. During bacterial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal, strains produced extracellular protein, which was detected and further investigated using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS- PAGE). At least three protein bands with molecular mass 53 kDa, 72 kDa, and 82 kDa were common to the three bacterial strains. Following ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel filtration chromatography, additional bands with molecular mass 16 kDa, 33 kDa, 37 kDa, and 43 kDa were detected. An extracellular laccase activity was detected in cultures of Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b. Cytochrome P450 activity was detected in all the bacterial strains in the presence of both coal discard and geologically weathered coal. This is the first time that cytochrome P450 activity has been reported following exposure of these three bacterial strains to a coal substrate. Overall, this research has successfully demonstrated the partial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b and the release of humic acid-like substances. Thus, the biodegradation process involved adherence to and growth of the bacteria on the surface of coal substrate and appeared to require the formation of alkaline substances and the combined activities of extracellular LAC and cytochrome P450. Since bacterial degradation of low-grade coal and discard appears to be viable, the bacteria isolated in this study can potentially be used either for conversion of discard into valuable chemicals or to mitigate the deleterious effects of stockpiled coal discard on the environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Olawale, Jacob Taiwo
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Coal mine waste , Coal -- Biodegradation , Coal mines and mining -- Environmental aspects , Land degradation , Electron microscopy , Extracellular polymeric substances , Flagella (Microbiology) , Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Microbiologically influenced corrosion
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61625 , vital:28043
- Description: Bacterial beneficiation of low-grade coal, coal discard, and waste has the potential to mitigate land degradation, water and soil pollution and, be a strategy for mining companies to responsibly extract and process coal with environmental sustainability. This study investigated the colonisation and biodegradation or depolymerisation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by selected strains of bacteria, and an attempt has been made to describe the mechanisms associated with colonisation and biodegradation of this carbonaceous material. Ten bacterial strains, Bacillus strain ECCN 18b, Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Proteus strain ECCN 20b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b, Microbacterium strain ECCN 22b, Proteus strain ECCN 23b, Serratia strain ECCN 24b, Escherichia strain ECCN 25b, Bacillus strain ECCN 26b and Bacillus strain ECCN 41b, isolated from diesel-contaminated soil and coal slurry and identified using DNA sequencing, were rescreened and their coal biodegradation potential ranked. The ranking of the bacterial strains was undertaken using several indicators including; formation of brown halos on the plate culture (solid), change in colour intensity of the medium in liquid culture, change in culture media pH, and an increase in absorbance at 280nm and 450nm. Although, all the ten strains showed evidence of biodegradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal based on the ranking employed, and the three strains considered the best candidates were Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b. The actions of the three bacterial strains were further studied and characterised in relation to coal degradation. Electron microscopy revealed that Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b attached to the surface of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by a process that appeared to involve extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and flagella. The presence of flagella for Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Bacterial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by these selected strains resulted in the release of soluble and insoluble products. Ultraviolet/ visible spectrophotometric (UV/VIS) analysis revealed that the soluble products resembled humic acid-like substances, which was confirmed following Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Analysis revealed that the coal-derived humic acid-like substances were similar to commercial humic acid extracted from bituminous coal. Elemental analysis of the insoluble product residue after bacterial biodegradation revealed the modification of the chemical compositions of the coal discard and geologically weathered coal substrates. Characterisation of the functional groups of the insoluble product using FTIR spectroscopy indicated changes, with the appearance of new peaks at 1737cm-1, 1366cm-1, 1228cm-1, and 1216cm-1 characteristic of aldehyde, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, and alkanes. Broad spectra regions of 3500 -3200cm-1, characteristic of alcohol and phenol, were also observed. Together, these results were taken as evidence for increased oxidation of the coal substrates, presumably as a consequence of bacterial catalysed biodegradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal. During bacterial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal, strains produced extracellular protein, which was detected and further investigated using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS- PAGE). At least three protein bands with molecular mass 53 kDa, 72 kDa, and 82 kDa were common to the three bacterial strains. Following ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel filtration chromatography, additional bands with molecular mass 16 kDa, 33 kDa, 37 kDa, and 43 kDa were detected. An extracellular laccase activity was detected in cultures of Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b. Cytochrome P450 activity was detected in all the bacterial strains in the presence of both coal discard and geologically weathered coal. This is the first time that cytochrome P450 activity has been reported following exposure of these three bacterial strains to a coal substrate. Overall, this research has successfully demonstrated the partial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal by Citrobacter strain ECCN 19b, Exiguobacterium strain ECCN 21b and Serratia strain ECCN 24b and the release of humic acid-like substances. Thus, the biodegradation process involved adherence to and growth of the bacteria on the surface of coal substrate and appeared to require the formation of alkaline substances and the combined activities of extracellular LAC and cytochrome P450. Since bacterial degradation of low-grade coal and discard appears to be viable, the bacteria isolated in this study can potentially be used either for conversion of discard into valuable chemicals or to mitigate the deleterious effects of stockpiled coal discard on the environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Going to university: the Influence of higher education on the lives of young South Africans
- Case, Jennifer M, Marshall, Delia, McKenna, Sioux, Mogashana, Disaapele
- Authors: Case, Jennifer M , Marshall, Delia , McKenna, Sioux , Mogashana, Disaapele
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa College students -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Social aspects Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: e-book , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61134 , vital:27981 , https://books.google.co.za/books?id=T-RMDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Case, Jennifer M , Marshall, Delia , McKenna, Sioux , Mogashana, Disaapele
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Aims and objectives -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa College students -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Social aspects Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: e-book , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61134 , vital:27981 , https://books.google.co.za/books?id=T-RMDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
Studies in leaf domatia-mite mutualism in South Africa
- Authors: Situngu, Sivuyisiwe
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Insect-plant relationships , Mites , Mutualism (Biology) , Biological pest control agents
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63334 , vital:28394
- Description: Plants have various traits which allow them to cope and resist their enemies including both insects and fungi . In some cases such traits allow plants to build mutualistic relationships with natural enemies of plant pests. This is the case in many dicotyledonous plants which produce leaf domatia. Leaf domatia are plant cavities usually found in the axils of major veins in the abaxial side of leaves. They are usually associated with mites and often mediate mutualistic relationships with predacious mites. Mites use leaf domatia primarily for shelter, to reproduce, and to develop. In turn, plants benefit from having predaceous mites on their leaves, because mites act as plant “bodyguards” and offer defence against pathogens and small arthropod herbivores. This phenomenon has been well documented all over the world, but Africa remains disproportionally understudied. The aim of this study was to fill the gap that exists in our knowledge of the extent of the distribution of leaf domatia-mite mutualisms and generate a better understanding of the diversity of mites found within leaf domatia from an African perspective. This was done by surveying plant species that bear leaf domatia from different vegetation types in South Africa. The plants with leaf domatia were examined for the presence of mites in order to determine patterns of mite abundance and diversity and, in so doing, address the following questions: • Does each tree species host have a specific mite or mite assemblage? • Do some mites prefer certain types of leaf domatia? • Do mites prefer a specific place in the tree canopy and does the microclimate in the tree canopy affect the distribution of mites? • Do different vegetation sites and types differ in their mite diversity and species composition? • Does mite abundance and diversity vary with seasons? Do coffee plantations have a different suite of mites than the adjacent forest? The anatomical structures of leaf domatia from six selected plant species(Coffea arabica, Gardenia thunbergia, Rothmannia capensis, Rothmannia globosa (Rubiaceae), Ocotea bullata (Lauraceae) and Tecoma capensis (Bignoniaceae) with different types of leaf domatia were also studied. The results from this study suggested that the key futures which distinguish domatia are the presence of an extra layer of tissue in the lower epidermis, a thick cuticle, cuticular folds, the presence of trichomes and an invagination. This study provides a better understating of the structure of leaf domatia. Leaf domatia bearing plants are widely distributed in South Africa, and species and vegetation-specific associations were assessed. Over 250 plant specimens with leaf domatia were collected and examined and more than 60 different mite species were found in association with the sampled plant species. The majority of mites found within the domatia of these tree species were predaceous and included mites from Stigmatidae, Tydeidae and Phytoseiidae. Furthermore, 15 new species were collected, suggesting that mites are understudied in South Africa. This study showed that the different vegetation types sampled did not differ markedly in terms of their mite biota and that similar mites were found across the region, and the association between leaf domatia and mites was found to be opportunistic and that mites had no preference for any particular domatia types. No host specificity relationship was observed between plants and mites. The assessment of mites associated with Coffea arabica showed that indigenous mites are able to colonise and establish a beneficial mutualism on exotic species. This is important as it ascertains that economically important plants that are cultivated outside their area of natural distribution can still benefit from this mutualism. This study also found that mite abundance and diversity in plants with leaf domatia were influenced by factors such as temperature, relative humidity and rainfall. Mite communities found in association with domatia changed as the year progressed and over the seasons. The seasonal fluctuations varied between the sampled plant species. In addition, this study found that mites were sensitive to extreme environmental conditions, and thus, mites preferred leaves found in the lower parts of the tree canopy and avoided exposed leaves. This study provides a better understanding of the distribution of domatia bearing plants in South Africa and their associated mites and contributes to our knowledge of the biodiversity of mites in the region. Furthermore, this study also adds to our understanding of the leaf domatia - mite mutualism in Africa. The applied example looking at the plant-mite mutualism in Coffea arabica highlights the importance of this mutualism in commercial plants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Situngu, Sivuyisiwe
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Insect-plant relationships , Mites , Mutualism (Biology) , Biological pest control agents
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63334 , vital:28394
- Description: Plants have various traits which allow them to cope and resist their enemies including both insects and fungi . In some cases such traits allow plants to build mutualistic relationships with natural enemies of plant pests. This is the case in many dicotyledonous plants which produce leaf domatia. Leaf domatia are plant cavities usually found in the axils of major veins in the abaxial side of leaves. They are usually associated with mites and often mediate mutualistic relationships with predacious mites. Mites use leaf domatia primarily for shelter, to reproduce, and to develop. In turn, plants benefit from having predaceous mites on their leaves, because mites act as plant “bodyguards” and offer defence against pathogens and small arthropod herbivores. This phenomenon has been well documented all over the world, but Africa remains disproportionally understudied. The aim of this study was to fill the gap that exists in our knowledge of the extent of the distribution of leaf domatia-mite mutualisms and generate a better understanding of the diversity of mites found within leaf domatia from an African perspective. This was done by surveying plant species that bear leaf domatia from different vegetation types in South Africa. The plants with leaf domatia were examined for the presence of mites in order to determine patterns of mite abundance and diversity and, in so doing, address the following questions: • Does each tree species host have a specific mite or mite assemblage? • Do some mites prefer certain types of leaf domatia? • Do mites prefer a specific place in the tree canopy and does the microclimate in the tree canopy affect the distribution of mites? • Do different vegetation sites and types differ in their mite diversity and species composition? • Does mite abundance and diversity vary with seasons? Do coffee plantations have a different suite of mites than the adjacent forest? The anatomical structures of leaf domatia from six selected plant species(Coffea arabica, Gardenia thunbergia, Rothmannia capensis, Rothmannia globosa (Rubiaceae), Ocotea bullata (Lauraceae) and Tecoma capensis (Bignoniaceae) with different types of leaf domatia were also studied. The results from this study suggested that the key futures which distinguish domatia are the presence of an extra layer of tissue in the lower epidermis, a thick cuticle, cuticular folds, the presence of trichomes and an invagination. This study provides a better understating of the structure of leaf domatia. Leaf domatia bearing plants are widely distributed in South Africa, and species and vegetation-specific associations were assessed. Over 250 plant specimens with leaf domatia were collected and examined and more than 60 different mite species were found in association with the sampled plant species. The majority of mites found within the domatia of these tree species were predaceous and included mites from Stigmatidae, Tydeidae and Phytoseiidae. Furthermore, 15 new species were collected, suggesting that mites are understudied in South Africa. This study showed that the different vegetation types sampled did not differ markedly in terms of their mite biota and that similar mites were found across the region, and the association between leaf domatia and mites was found to be opportunistic and that mites had no preference for any particular domatia types. No host specificity relationship was observed between plants and mites. The assessment of mites associated with Coffea arabica showed that indigenous mites are able to colonise and establish a beneficial mutualism on exotic species. This is important as it ascertains that economically important plants that are cultivated outside their area of natural distribution can still benefit from this mutualism. This study also found that mite abundance and diversity in plants with leaf domatia were influenced by factors such as temperature, relative humidity and rainfall. Mite communities found in association with domatia changed as the year progressed and over the seasons. The seasonal fluctuations varied between the sampled plant species. In addition, this study found that mites were sensitive to extreme environmental conditions, and thus, mites preferred leaves found in the lower parts of the tree canopy and avoided exposed leaves. This study provides a better understanding of the distribution of domatia bearing plants in South Africa and their associated mites and contributes to our knowledge of the biodiversity of mites in the region. Furthermore, this study also adds to our understanding of the leaf domatia - mite mutualism in Africa. The applied example looking at the plant-mite mutualism in Coffea arabica highlights the importance of this mutualism in commercial plants.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Queering boundaries: visual Activism and representations of sexuality in the work of contemporary South African artists
- Authors: Littleford, Lara
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Homosexuality in art -- South Africa , Photographers, Black -- South Africa , Gay photographers -- South Africa , Lesbian photographers -- South Africa , Transgender people in art -- South Africa , Muholi, Zanele , Mlangeni, Sabelo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17816 , vital:22283
- Description: Zanele Muholi, a photographer and visual activist, and Sabelo Mlangeni, a photographer, explore the different ways of representing gender, particularly transgenderism, and sexuality, particularly homosexuality, in their photography. Muholi and Mlangeni document the daily lives and lived realities of people who are black and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in South Africa. African sexuality remains a contested subject that is difficult to discuss in light of the controversies it provokes due to colonial attitudes toward African bodies. In this instance, colonial attitudes toward African sexuality have exoticised African bodies. Moreover, hyper-sexuality is ascribed to bodies that are black and male, whilst fetishising and objectifying black female bodies. Furthermore, representations of homoeroticism in Africa transgress and challenge dominant ideologies of sexuality and gender in an African context. In this sense, Muholi and Mlangeni directly address tension and resistance between individual and community. Such tensions are found within and between categories of African-ness, whereby homosexuality and transgenderism are regarded as being ‘un-African’ and an import from the West. For example, Muholi represents the existence of homosexuality and transgenderism in her photography in order to subvert the notion that homosexuality is ‘un-African’, attempting to complicate the conceptions of identity, gender and sexuality in South Africa. Muholi’s photography is used as a vehicle for her ‘visual activism’, which purports to create socio-political awareness surrounding homophobia, transgenderism, and epistemic injustice in South Africa. The visual imagery of these two artists investigates the boundaries that are set by various social, political and cultural constructs. These boundaries inform existing social, political and cultural attitudes toward homosexuality and transgenderism, and these homophobic and transphobic attitudes result in crimes committed against homosexual and transgender individuals, such as hate crimes, which includes ‘curative/corrective’ rape, the prevalence of which is rising at an alarming rate. Muholi’s photography and visual activism seek to create visibility in order to raise public awareness of hate crimes, victimisation, alienation and stigmatisation that homosexual and transgender South Africans, specifically those individuals living in township areas, face on a daily basis. These two artists represent sexuality as a site of contestation and, as such, heteronormative traditions, hegemonic social structures, and cultural conventions are transgressed and contested in their photography.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Littleford, Lara
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Homosexuality in art -- South Africa , Photographers, Black -- South Africa , Gay photographers -- South Africa , Lesbian photographers -- South Africa , Transgender people in art -- South Africa , Muholi, Zanele , Mlangeni, Sabelo
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17816 , vital:22283
- Description: Zanele Muholi, a photographer and visual activist, and Sabelo Mlangeni, a photographer, explore the different ways of representing gender, particularly transgenderism, and sexuality, particularly homosexuality, in their photography. Muholi and Mlangeni document the daily lives and lived realities of people who are black and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in South Africa. African sexuality remains a contested subject that is difficult to discuss in light of the controversies it provokes due to colonial attitudes toward African bodies. In this instance, colonial attitudes toward African sexuality have exoticised African bodies. Moreover, hyper-sexuality is ascribed to bodies that are black and male, whilst fetishising and objectifying black female bodies. Furthermore, representations of homoeroticism in Africa transgress and challenge dominant ideologies of sexuality and gender in an African context. In this sense, Muholi and Mlangeni directly address tension and resistance between individual and community. Such tensions are found within and between categories of African-ness, whereby homosexuality and transgenderism are regarded as being ‘un-African’ and an import from the West. For example, Muholi represents the existence of homosexuality and transgenderism in her photography in order to subvert the notion that homosexuality is ‘un-African’, attempting to complicate the conceptions of identity, gender and sexuality in South Africa. Muholi’s photography is used as a vehicle for her ‘visual activism’, which purports to create socio-political awareness surrounding homophobia, transgenderism, and epistemic injustice in South Africa. The visual imagery of these two artists investigates the boundaries that are set by various social, political and cultural constructs. These boundaries inform existing social, political and cultural attitudes toward homosexuality and transgenderism, and these homophobic and transphobic attitudes result in crimes committed against homosexual and transgender individuals, such as hate crimes, which includes ‘curative/corrective’ rape, the prevalence of which is rising at an alarming rate. Muholi’s photography and visual activism seek to create visibility in order to raise public awareness of hate crimes, victimisation, alienation and stigmatisation that homosexual and transgender South Africans, specifically those individuals living in township areas, face on a daily basis. These two artists represent sexuality as a site of contestation and, as such, heteronormative traditions, hegemonic social structures, and cultural conventions are transgressed and contested in their photography.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The taxonomy, life-history and population dynamics of blacktail, Diplodus Capensis (Perciformes: Sparidae), in southern Angola
- Authors: Richardson, Timothy John
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Diplodus -- Angola , Perciformes -- Angola , Sparidae -- Angola , Fish populations -- Angola , Fishes -- Classification -- Angola , Fisheries -- Angola
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5324 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005170 , Diplodus -- Angola , Perciformes -- Angola , Sparidae -- Angola , Fish populations -- Angola , Fishes -- Classification -- Angola , Fisheries -- Angola
- Description: The blacktail, Diplodus capensis, is an inshore sparid fish distributed from Mozambique to Angola. This species forms an important component of coastal fisheries within its distribution, one being the subsistence handline fishery in southern Angola. With this fishery being critically important to the livelihoods of local communities, a biological study and stock assessment was conducted to provide information for the management of this species in southern Angola. However, with molecular evidence suggesting that the Benguela current may have separated the southern African populations of many inshore fish species over two million years ago, a morphological, taxonomic analysis was considered necessary to first investigate whether there was evidence for allopatry in this species. A total of 46 morphometric measurements and 18 counts were carried out on specimens collected from various locations in southern Angola and South Africa. Results were analysed using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and the significance of clusters was tested using analysis of similarities (ANOSIM). Biological samples of D. capensis were collected monthly from an unexploited area from April 2008 to March 2009. Additional biological samples were collected from the subsistence fishers in an exploited area during May, June and December 2009. Standard biological laboratory techniques were employed for the lifehistory comparison between the exploited and unexploited area. A per-recruit analysis was conducted using the life-history parameters from both areas in order to assess the current status of the subsistence fishery and to investigate the potential short-falls of the per-recruit assessment approach. The morphometric comparison showed that there was not sufficient evidence for speciation between the southern Angolan and South African populations of D. capensis. There was, however, sufficient morphological evidence to suggest that these populations are separate stocks. This indicated that the existing reference points on which the management of the South African population is based are unsuitable for the Angolan population. Diplodus capensis in southern Angola is omnivorous, feeding predominantly on algae, barnacles and mussels. An ontogenetic shift from algae to barnacles and mussels was correlated with allometric growth patterns in their feeding apparatus. This species is a rudimentary hermaphrodite in southern Angola with peak spawning in June and July. The overall sex ratio (M: F) was 1: 4.7 in the unexploited area and 50% maturity was attained at 149.5mm FL and five years. Diplodus capensis in southern Angola exhibits very slow growth with the maximum age observed being 31 years (validated using mark recapture of chemically injected fish). Females [L(t) = 419.5(1-e⁻°·°⁴⁵⁽t⁻³·⁴ ⁾)] grew significantly faster (LRT, p < 0.05) than males [L(t) = 297.4(1-e⁻°·°⁷⁷⁽t⁻²·⁷⁾)], and females dominated the larger size classes and older age classes. In the exploited area, the length and age frequencies were severely truncated, the maximum observed age was greatly reduced (17 years) and the sex ratio was less female biased at 1: 2.2. Although there was no evidence for a physiological response to exploitation through alterations in growth or size/age at sexual maturity between the two areas, there was an increase in the proportion of small females in the exploited area, which may have been a compensatory response for the loss of large females. A combination of an underestimate of longevity, different estimates of the Von Bertalanffy growth parameters and overestimates of the natural mortality rate in the exploited population resulted in a 92% underestimate of the pristine spawner biomass-per-recruit (SBR) value. An assessment based on the actual pristine SBR estimate from the unexploited area revealed that the subsistence fishery had actually reduced D. capensis to 20% of its pristine SBR levels and highlighted the value of pre-exploitation life-history information for the application of per-recruit models. This study has shown that D. capensis in southern Angola displays life-history characteristics that render it susceptible to overexploitation, even at low levels of fishing pressure. The current lack of infrastructure and enforcement capacity in the fisheries department of Angola renders traditional linefish regulatory tools, such as size limits, bag limits and closed seasons, inappropriate. Therefore, suitably designed marine protected areas are recommended as the best management option for this species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Richardson, Timothy John
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Diplodus -- Angola , Perciformes -- Angola , Sparidae -- Angola , Fish populations -- Angola , Fishes -- Classification -- Angola , Fisheries -- Angola
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5324 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005170 , Diplodus -- Angola , Perciformes -- Angola , Sparidae -- Angola , Fish populations -- Angola , Fishes -- Classification -- Angola , Fisheries -- Angola
- Description: The blacktail, Diplodus capensis, is an inshore sparid fish distributed from Mozambique to Angola. This species forms an important component of coastal fisheries within its distribution, one being the subsistence handline fishery in southern Angola. With this fishery being critically important to the livelihoods of local communities, a biological study and stock assessment was conducted to provide information for the management of this species in southern Angola. However, with molecular evidence suggesting that the Benguela current may have separated the southern African populations of many inshore fish species over two million years ago, a morphological, taxonomic analysis was considered necessary to first investigate whether there was evidence for allopatry in this species. A total of 46 morphometric measurements and 18 counts were carried out on specimens collected from various locations in southern Angola and South Africa. Results were analysed using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and the significance of clusters was tested using analysis of similarities (ANOSIM). Biological samples of D. capensis were collected monthly from an unexploited area from April 2008 to March 2009. Additional biological samples were collected from the subsistence fishers in an exploited area during May, June and December 2009. Standard biological laboratory techniques were employed for the lifehistory comparison between the exploited and unexploited area. A per-recruit analysis was conducted using the life-history parameters from both areas in order to assess the current status of the subsistence fishery and to investigate the potential short-falls of the per-recruit assessment approach. The morphometric comparison showed that there was not sufficient evidence for speciation between the southern Angolan and South African populations of D. capensis. There was, however, sufficient morphological evidence to suggest that these populations are separate stocks. This indicated that the existing reference points on which the management of the South African population is based are unsuitable for the Angolan population. Diplodus capensis in southern Angola is omnivorous, feeding predominantly on algae, barnacles and mussels. An ontogenetic shift from algae to barnacles and mussels was correlated with allometric growth patterns in their feeding apparatus. This species is a rudimentary hermaphrodite in southern Angola with peak spawning in June and July. The overall sex ratio (M: F) was 1: 4.7 in the unexploited area and 50% maturity was attained at 149.5mm FL and five years. Diplodus capensis in southern Angola exhibits very slow growth with the maximum age observed being 31 years (validated using mark recapture of chemically injected fish). Females [L(t) = 419.5(1-e⁻°·°⁴⁵⁽t⁻³·⁴ ⁾)] grew significantly faster (LRT, p < 0.05) than males [L(t) = 297.4(1-e⁻°·°⁷⁷⁽t⁻²·⁷⁾)], and females dominated the larger size classes and older age classes. In the exploited area, the length and age frequencies were severely truncated, the maximum observed age was greatly reduced (17 years) and the sex ratio was less female biased at 1: 2.2. Although there was no evidence for a physiological response to exploitation through alterations in growth or size/age at sexual maturity between the two areas, there was an increase in the proportion of small females in the exploited area, which may have been a compensatory response for the loss of large females. A combination of an underestimate of longevity, different estimates of the Von Bertalanffy growth parameters and overestimates of the natural mortality rate in the exploited population resulted in a 92% underestimate of the pristine spawner biomass-per-recruit (SBR) value. An assessment based on the actual pristine SBR estimate from the unexploited area revealed that the subsistence fishery had actually reduced D. capensis to 20% of its pristine SBR levels and highlighted the value of pre-exploitation life-history information for the application of per-recruit models. This study has shown that D. capensis in southern Angola displays life-history characteristics that render it susceptible to overexploitation, even at low levels of fishing pressure. The current lack of infrastructure and enforcement capacity in the fisheries department of Angola renders traditional linefish regulatory tools, such as size limits, bag limits and closed seasons, inappropriate. Therefore, suitably designed marine protected areas are recommended as the best management option for this species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Rhodes University Research Report 2004
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:559 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011950
- Description: [From Introduction] Rhodes University has had another successful year in terms of research activities and outputs in what has been an exciting Centenary year and I would like to add my congratulations and thanks to those of the Vice-Chancellor to all staff and postgraduate students for their research efforts in 2004. This report documents the research highlights and outputs in its many forms during 2004. Research which is not disseminated in this manner is wasted and I would like to encourage all staff and students to continue to publish their research in the most appropriate way. I would particularly like to stress the importance of publishing research findings in subsidy earning journals and of converting conference papers into journal articles where possible. Outputs in accredited journals are one of the principle means by which the University earns research subsidy and increasing the subsidy earned in this way will directly benefit internally funded research activities. In terms of journal publications 2004 has been a very good year with the audited but still to be awarded journal units increasing to 202 units from 165 awarded in 2003. I am confident that this is a sustainable trend and it is particularly encouraging in the context of a national trend of declining research outputs. A particularly successful publication was the special edition of the SA Journal of Science which was dedicated to the Rhodes University Centenary. I would like to thank all of those staff and students who submitted articles for publication in this edition and Professor Barker for initiating and co-ordinating this publication. An aspect of research outputs which remains a serious concern is the continued poor recognition by the Department of Education of publications in the form of books, chapters, refereed conference proceedings and patents. Not only are a small fraction of these outputs accepted for subsidy purposes but to date no feedback has been given in terms of which books, chapters, etc have in fact been subsidised or why the majority of submissions are not accepted. The Department of Education has, however, indicated that such feedback will be forthcoming from 2005. A further, and possibly even more problematic, aspect of recognition of research outputs (and NRF rating) is the inability to assess outputs in the Performing and Visual Arts. Attempts have been made to address this issue at a national level but no solution appears to be likely in the near future. A concerted and unified national approach to addressing the issue of recognition of research outputs other than articles in accredited journals is urgently needed at the highest level if the research efforts in many disciplines are not to be undermined. My thanks once again to all staff and students for their continued commitment to research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Rhodes University
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:559 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011950
- Description: [From Introduction] Rhodes University has had another successful year in terms of research activities and outputs in what has been an exciting Centenary year and I would like to add my congratulations and thanks to those of the Vice-Chancellor to all staff and postgraduate students for their research efforts in 2004. This report documents the research highlights and outputs in its many forms during 2004. Research which is not disseminated in this manner is wasted and I would like to encourage all staff and students to continue to publish their research in the most appropriate way. I would particularly like to stress the importance of publishing research findings in subsidy earning journals and of converting conference papers into journal articles where possible. Outputs in accredited journals are one of the principle means by which the University earns research subsidy and increasing the subsidy earned in this way will directly benefit internally funded research activities. In terms of journal publications 2004 has been a very good year with the audited but still to be awarded journal units increasing to 202 units from 165 awarded in 2003. I am confident that this is a sustainable trend and it is particularly encouraging in the context of a national trend of declining research outputs. A particularly successful publication was the special edition of the SA Journal of Science which was dedicated to the Rhodes University Centenary. I would like to thank all of those staff and students who submitted articles for publication in this edition and Professor Barker for initiating and co-ordinating this publication. An aspect of research outputs which remains a serious concern is the continued poor recognition by the Department of Education of publications in the form of books, chapters, refereed conference proceedings and patents. Not only are a small fraction of these outputs accepted for subsidy purposes but to date no feedback has been given in terms of which books, chapters, etc have in fact been subsidised or why the majority of submissions are not accepted. The Department of Education has, however, indicated that such feedback will be forthcoming from 2005. A further, and possibly even more problematic, aspect of recognition of research outputs (and NRF rating) is the inability to assess outputs in the Performing and Visual Arts. Attempts have been made to address this issue at a national level but no solution appears to be likely in the near future. A concerted and unified national approach to addressing the issue of recognition of research outputs other than articles in accredited journals is urgently needed at the highest level if the research efforts in many disciplines are not to be undermined. My thanks once again to all staff and students for their continued commitment to research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Technologies of the self in the writings of William S Burroughs
- Authors: Williams, Michael John
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Burroughs, William S., 1914- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2225 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002268 , Burroughs, William S., 1914- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Description: William Burroughs's profane life has been an affront to conventional morality, and his transgressive works have strained against the thematic and formal boundaries of literature. Although he has remained a problematic figure, he is gradually gaining recognition as a literary innovator. This thesis argues that his writings may be understood as technologies of the self, that is, the texts are tools that the writer Oses to transform himself. The Introduction outlines the problems that his writings pose for criticism; provides an overview of critical responses to his work; and demonstrates the appropriateness of Michel Foucault's theory of the technologies of the self as an approach to his texts. Furthermore, it makes a comparison between Burroughs's concerns and similar concerns evident in Foucault. The most prominent of these is a fear of control, and a desire to escape from control. It is argued that this similarity arises from the writers' shared experience of homosexuality in the twentieth century. This experience provokes them to undertake a·work of homographesis, in which they attempt to undermine the construction of identity in text, whilst simultaneously reinscribing identity in problematized autobiographical writing. Chapter One provides a corrective to the critical neglect of Burroughs's homosexuality and focuses on his sexual problematic as a key factor in the development of his literary style. It argues that the writer has an abject imagination that was precipitated by three principal traumatic experiences: his homosexuality, his addiction to opiates, and the accidental shooting of his wife. The chapter examines the way that the writer develops his unique literary style, the routine, in an attempt to express his psychic disintegration. The routine becomes the basic building block of Naked Lunch, serving both as a cathartic release of psychic anguish and as an attempt to subvert repressive social and linguistic structures. The metaphor of the anal aesthetic is introduced to describe the intersection of linguistic, psychic and political strategies in the texts. Chapter Two addresses the period,subsequent to Naked Lunch, in which Burroughs experimented extensively with the cut-up technique to develop a form of aleatory collage. The chapter argues that the writer hoped that the technique would enable him to transform himself and to~discover a new way of thinking, but suggests that its extreme nature both isolated him from his audience and intensified his psychic abjection. Chapter Three follows on from this to argue that the writer responds to the limitations of the cut-up in The Wild Boys by returning to a more intelligible form of writing. This return corresponds with an attempt to inscribe homosexual themes into his work directly. However, the combination of a homosexual agenda and the writer's defence against the identity loss of abjection leads him to assert a radical masculine identity that causes him to perceive women as the chief perpetrators of control. As a result, he rejects women from his mythological system. Chapter Four suggests that in Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads the writer moves away from the radical queer agenda of The Wild Boys in the hope of discovering a form of ethics that avoids the traps of universalized humanism and the harsh "othering" of the queer agenda. The chapter draws a parallel between Burroughs's individualized ethics and Foucault's idea of an ethics grounded in aesthetic self-fashioning. Chapter Five examines The Western Lands, in which the writer confronts death in order to discover the nature of individual value in a normalized culture. Like Foucault, Burroughs believes that the most important task in a limited existence is the dandyistic creation of the self.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Williams, Michael John
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Burroughs, William S., 1914- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2225 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002268 , Burroughs, William S., 1914- -- Criticism and interpretation
- Description: William Burroughs's profane life has been an affront to conventional morality, and his transgressive works have strained against the thematic and formal boundaries of literature. Although he has remained a problematic figure, he is gradually gaining recognition as a literary innovator. This thesis argues that his writings may be understood as technologies of the self, that is, the texts are tools that the writer Oses to transform himself. The Introduction outlines the problems that his writings pose for criticism; provides an overview of critical responses to his work; and demonstrates the appropriateness of Michel Foucault's theory of the technologies of the self as an approach to his texts. Furthermore, it makes a comparison between Burroughs's concerns and similar concerns evident in Foucault. The most prominent of these is a fear of control, and a desire to escape from control. It is argued that this similarity arises from the writers' shared experience of homosexuality in the twentieth century. This experience provokes them to undertake a·work of homographesis, in which they attempt to undermine the construction of identity in text, whilst simultaneously reinscribing identity in problematized autobiographical writing. Chapter One provides a corrective to the critical neglect of Burroughs's homosexuality and focuses on his sexual problematic as a key factor in the development of his literary style. It argues that the writer has an abject imagination that was precipitated by three principal traumatic experiences: his homosexuality, his addiction to opiates, and the accidental shooting of his wife. The chapter examines the way that the writer develops his unique literary style, the routine, in an attempt to express his psychic disintegration. The routine becomes the basic building block of Naked Lunch, serving both as a cathartic release of psychic anguish and as an attempt to subvert repressive social and linguistic structures. The metaphor of the anal aesthetic is introduced to describe the intersection of linguistic, psychic and political strategies in the texts. Chapter Two addresses the period,subsequent to Naked Lunch, in which Burroughs experimented extensively with the cut-up technique to develop a form of aleatory collage. The chapter argues that the writer hoped that the technique would enable him to transform himself and to~discover a new way of thinking, but suggests that its extreme nature both isolated him from his audience and intensified his psychic abjection. Chapter Three follows on from this to argue that the writer responds to the limitations of the cut-up in The Wild Boys by returning to a more intelligible form of writing. This return corresponds with an attempt to inscribe homosexual themes into his work directly. However, the combination of a homosexual agenda and the writer's defence against the identity loss of abjection leads him to assert a radical masculine identity that causes him to perceive women as the chief perpetrators of control. As a result, he rejects women from his mythological system. Chapter Four suggests that in Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads the writer moves away from the radical queer agenda of The Wild Boys in the hope of discovering a form of ethics that avoids the traps of universalized humanism and the harsh "othering" of the queer agenda. The chapter draws a parallel between Burroughs's individualized ethics and Foucault's idea of an ethics grounded in aesthetic self-fashioning. Chapter Five examines The Western Lands, in which the writer confronts death in order to discover the nature of individual value in a normalized culture. Like Foucault, Burroughs believes that the most important task in a limited existence is the dandyistic creation of the self.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
Art as an expression of the unconscious psyche
- Authors: Weiner, Elana
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Art -- Psychology , Art and mental illness , Art therapy , Subconsciousness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3119 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004903 , Art -- Psychology , Art and mental illness , Art therapy , Subconsciousness
- Description: This study aimed to investigate the use of expressive art as a manifestation of the unconscious psyche and as an indication of underlying personality dynamics. Its use as a significant medium for therapeutic encounter and exploration was investigated by analysing the art produced by four psychiatric in-patients during their participation in an eight-week art therapy programme. Each patient's art series was qualitatively and thematically interpreted with a focus upon the meaning of significant recurring images and motifs. The results of this study indicate that the particularity of each patient's graphic imagery enabled the lived experience of their struggles and preoccupations to emerge as uniquely different. Through their art productions they revealed the nature of their inner worlds and the power of their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1988
- Authors: Weiner, Elana
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Art -- Psychology , Art and mental illness , Art therapy , Subconsciousness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3119 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004903 , Art -- Psychology , Art and mental illness , Art therapy , Subconsciousness
- Description: This study aimed to investigate the use of expressive art as a manifestation of the unconscious psyche and as an indication of underlying personality dynamics. Its use as a significant medium for therapeutic encounter and exploration was investigated by analysing the art produced by four psychiatric in-patients during their participation in an eight-week art therapy programme. Each patient's art series was qualitatively and thematically interpreted with a focus upon the meaning of significant recurring images and motifs. The results of this study indicate that the particularity of each patient's graphic imagery enabled the lived experience of their struggles and preoccupations to emerge as uniquely different. Through their art productions they revealed the nature of their inner worlds and the power of their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1988
A review of developments in cartography with special reference to cartographic education and training in South Africa
- Authors: West, Walter Oakley
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Cartography , Cartography -- Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:4806 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003295 , Cartography , Cartography -- Study and teaching
- Description: Preface: The study presents a review of the history and development of cartography, as it has occurred almost throughout the westernized world, with particular reference to developments in education and training over the last three decades. The intention is to relate these developments to the present state of cartography, cartographic education and training in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
- Authors: West, Walter Oakley
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Cartography , Cartography -- Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:4806 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003295 , Cartography , Cartography -- Study and teaching
- Description: Preface: The study presents a review of the history and development of cartography, as it has occurred almost throughout the westernized world, with particular reference to developments in education and training over the last three decades. The intention is to relate these developments to the present state of cartography, cartographic education and training in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
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