Matching Items (10)
Description
At the beginning of the 20th century, the introduction of the motion picture as a medium changed the way people disseminate information between each other and to the masses. The magnitude of this change was supplemented and amplified first by, the addition of sound, then color, and finally (possibly most importantly) the invention of the technology to send and receive motion picture signals along with their corresponding sound tracks. This would eventually all be combined in the production of the first television sets. Some of the most stunning illustrations of the power brought about by this medium can be observed in the way that Germany was able to utilize film during (and before) World War II. The idea of using cinema as a propaganda tool led to the creation of UFA during WWI (1914-1918). Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' fascination with film and its propaganda potential led to the development of many successful public communication techniques and numerous tactics used to influence the people's thoughts and actions. This thesis provides background information pertaining to the outbreak of World War II including the German propaganda machine, and examines the role that motion pictures played in the distribution of anti-Polish messages before and during the early stages of the war. It focuses specifically on the film Feuertaufe as an example illustrating six major tenants of Nazi film propaganda namely: oversimplification, appeal to emotions, harnessing the power of the visual image, intentional blurring of lines between entertainment and facts, repetition, and the use of graphics combined with music. Next, this essay explores how each of the abovementioned characteristics were used by the Poles and the British in their pro-Polish film This is Poland in order to sway public opinion and spread messages aligned with their political views respectively. This thesis concludes by stressing the importance of being aware of these techniques so that one may be able to separate fact from hype, and by looking at the possible utilization of the six tenants in the years to come as smart mobile-devices usher in yet another metamorphosis of the art of information distribution.
ContributorsBanaszczyk, Piotr M (Author) / Horwath, Peter (Thesis advisor) / Gruzinska, Aleksandra (Committee member) / Alexander, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
The "Perchtenlauf," a multi-faceted procession of masked participants found in the eastern Alps, has been the subject of considerable discourse and often debate within European ethnology since the mid-19th century. While often viewed from a mythological perspective and characterized as a relic of pre-Christian cult practices, only recently have scholars begun to examine its connection with Carnival. Research of this kind calls for an in-depth analysis of the "Perchtenlauf" that is informed by Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque, an aesthetic of festive merriment and the release from social restrictions which is embodied by Carnival traditions. A carnivalesque reading of the "Perchtenlauf" reveals a tradition pregnant with playful ambivalence, celebrations of the lower body, and the inversion of social hierarchies. Past interpretations of the "Perchtenlauf" have often described its alleged supernatural function of driving away the harmful forces of winter, however its carnavalesque elements have definite social functions involving the enjoyment of certain liberties not sanctioned under other circumstances. The current study solidifies the relationship between the "Perchtenlauf" and Carnival using ethnographic, historical, and etymological evidence in an attempt to reframe the discourse on the tradition's form and function in terms of carnivalesque performance.
ContributorsNatko, David (Author) / Alexander, John (Thesis advisor) / Gilfillan, Daniel (Committee member) / Horwath, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This thesis explores the dialogue between William Shakespeare, Central and Eastern Europe during the Soviet experiment, and the power of performance as protest. Politically inflected plays that are transnational appropriations of Shakespeare were aimed to subvert state-sanctioned censorship in order to enforce public socio-political interrogations of the Communist Party. My research first established a foundation for the site-specific historical and political context from which the interpretations stem, before examining the texts themselves as pieces of cultural resistance. I focused on four appropriations of Shakespeare’s plays, one being a rewrite of Richard III and three being rewrites of Hamlet: Nedyalko Yordanov’s The Murder of Gonzago from Bulgaria, Matei Visniec’s Richard III Will Not Take Place or Scenes from the Life of Vsevolod Meyerhold from Romania, Géza Bereményi’s Halmi, or the Prodigal Son from Hungary, and finally Boris Akunin’s Hamlet, A Version, a contemporary example of the lasting strength of Shakespearean appropriations. My research essentially followed the question of how countries from the Soviet bloc viewed its own contexts through the Shakespearean prism, as well as the phenomenon of political indictments being historically communicated through theater. I also examined how cultural representatives, for the purpose of this project being playwrights and dramatic performers, employ historically separate material to address the present issues. Ultimately, by researching pre- and post-communist dramas written within the architecture of Shakespeare, an understanding of the role and power of the artist in the political landscape can be attained.
ContributorsEllison, Amber Nicole (Author) / Orlich, Ileana (Thesis director) / Goggin, Maureen (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
When communist leader Ceaușescu was overthrown in the Romanian revolution of 1989, Romania reinstated reproductive freedoms that had been denied under communist policy. This study looks at reproductive health in Romania in 2013, examining the progress in reproductive healthcare made since 1989 while looking at lingering barriers to resources and education. Thirty-five pharmacists were surveyed to collect information on pricing and accessibility of contraceptives in pharmacies. In addition, interviews were conducted with the director of Societatea de Educatie Contraceptiva si Sexuala (SECS), a reproductive clinic healthcare provider, a professor of philosophy and feminism at Babeș-Bolyai University, and four young Romanian women.
ContributorsZack, Lauren (Author) / Katsulis, Yasmina (Thesis director) / Orlich, Ileana (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / College of Public Programs (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Rabaul Creole German is a language that developed in the early twentieth century in Papua New Guinea, as a mixture of German and languages of the environment such as Tok Pisin and Kuanua. Children at a Catholic mission and orphanage were taught in German but it was not their native tongue; they developed a secret language that applied German vocabulary to their own syntax. As they grew up and married amongst themselves, their children learned the new language as native speakers; thus the creole was born. This project involved researching and becoming familiar with the language, familiar enough to apply the knowledge to translate a fairy tale from German into Rabaul Creole German.
ContributorsShear, Erin Julie (Author) / Alexander, John (Thesis director) / Horwath, Peter (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita has been misunderstood by some scholars in terms of interpreting the character of Ivan, otherwise known as Homeless. Past researchers have looked at Ivan and found him to be a spiritual failure in not carrying on the tale of the Master's novel. In this paper, it is argued Ivan the poet actually achieves a spiritual state superior to the other character's in the novel. By the novel's end readers witness a rebirth of Ivan into one who yearly has a intimate spiritual vision involving Yeshua. Meanwhile other characters like the Master or his love Margarita end the novel in only a purgatory-like space which leaves them neither in the arms of a spiritual experience nor on earth. But Ivan is able to experience both the spiritual and the physical at the same time. Conclusions of this nature are drawn from the writings of Orthodox Father Pavel Florensky whose writings on aesthetics are heavily reflected in the novel. Ivan comes to embody the standard of Fr. Florensky's writings which glorify a person who has turned towards God. This then is the ultimate in beauty, the reflection of God who is the standard of goodness and beauty. Ivan then at the novel's end is able to experience a sense of closeness with God through a vision where he sees a Christlike figure. The dream causes him to become calm and at peace. He has in effect turned towards God and then embodies the goodness of God. Therefore, the spiritual state of Ivan is one who has garnered a closer connection with God than any other character in the novel.
ContributorsPierce, Phillip David (Author) / Orlich, Ileana (Thesis director) / Sipka, Danko (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Following the fall of communism in Romania which took place on December 25, 1989, those living within the country as well as others around the world believed the ushering of a nation towards a brighter future was underway. The limitations imposed by the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu were removed and a brighter future was on the horizon. Twenty-seven years have passed since this historical event in Romanian history, yet the country is far removed from that brighter future, as it is now plagued by other symptoms. The transition from communism to a fully functioning democracy has not been as smooth or as quick as many initially expected, and although some problems are no longer prevalent, others are becoming a staple of the nation. The Colectiv nightclub fire exemplifies the current obstacles and drawbacks of present day Romania, which impede the country's further progress to becoming a truly democratic nation, free from corruption and other widespread negative forces. Although the results of the incident which happened on the night of October 30th, 2015 are devastating and painful for those involved, their families, and to the entire country as a whole, the factors which led to this tragedy must be examined and rectified in order to help prevent any such event from reoccurring in the future. Throughout this analysis, I will proceed by first outlining the damaged system within both the Romanian government and society, and then examine how these shortcomings had a direct impact on the disaster which took place on the night of October 30th, 2015.
ContributorsToader, Alin Christian (Author) / Orlich, Ileana (Thesis director) / Paulesc, Julieta (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
After being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009, Herta Müller attained great prominence around the world. Commentators, especially in English-speaking countries, seemed shocked by the decision. One of the primary concerns was that Müller was relatively unknown. This thesis seeks to address this and other concerns by looking at reviews of her works in German- and English-language publications both before and after the Nobel Prize was awarded. This thesis analyses chronologically the reception of her books beginning with Niederungen in 1982 and ending with the reception of her novel Atemschaukel in 2009. It compares the reception of the original German text to that of the English translation; therefore only works which have been translated and published in English are discussed. The study also shows that while Müller's work did not top the bestseller charts, at least before the Nobel Prize, she was hardly the completely unknown author that some in the English-language media believed. This thesis seeks to present trends in the reception as well as provide a basis for further study of the reception of Herta Müller.
ContributorsStringham, Enikő (Author) / Horwath, Peter (Thesis advisor) / Orlich, Ileana (Committee member) / Alexander, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
ContributorsTomoiaga, N. Anca (Author) / Orlich, Ileana (Thesis director) / Paulesc, Julieta (Committee member) / Bultz, Monica (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The dissertation focuses on several Romanian avant-garde magazines, such as Contimporanul, Integral, and 75HP, that Romanian artists and writers created in Romania in the 1920s, after Romanian Dadaists Tristan Tzara and Marcel Iancu disbanded from Zurich Dada in the 1910s. The Romanian avant-garde magazines launched the Romanian avant-garde movement—the most intense period of artistic production in the country. The Romanian avant-gardists established Integralism in an attempt to differentiate themselves from other European avant-garde groups and to capture the intense and innovative creative spirit of their modern era by uniting and condensing avant-garde and modern styles on the pages of their magazines. However, I argue that instead of Integralism, what the Romanian avant-garde magazines put forth were Romanian avant-garde versions of Constructivism and Cubism conveyed in the magazines’ constructivist prints and reproductions of cubist paintings. The originality of the Romanian avant-garde magazines, thus, is concentrated in their appropriation and reinterpretation of Constructivism and Cubism rather than in their Integralism. Moreover, in their rebellion and resistance to Romania’s social, political, and artistic status quo, the Romanian avant-garde magazines functioned as an instrument with which the Romanian avant-gardists expressed their complex relationship with their Jewish identity. The magazines were not on the periphery of artistic production, as art history discourse on modern and avant-garde art has situated them, but were an important player in the global network of avant-garde magazines that traversed across eastern and western Europe, South America, the United States, and Japan.
ContributorsMiholca, Amelia (Author) / Mesch, Claudia (Thesis advisor) / Orlich, Ileana (Committee member) / Holian, Anna (Committee member) / Navarro, Rudy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021