Arts VoicesConstructing arguments

An archive of Arts voices Each slide features a

statement of argument taken from a work published by a UWA Arts academic.

Bear in mind that these excerpts are only fragments. As you read, take care to note the broad range of ways Arts scholars express their intentions, claims, and argument.

Tanya DalziellEnglish and Cultural Studies

This article argues that Black Mirror operates, in part, under the sign of what might be called proleptic mourning, a struggling with the ethical knowledge that mourning necessarily begins before death proper.

“An Ethics of Mourning: Gail Jones’ Black Mirror.” Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature 4 (2005): 49-62.

Victoria RogersSchool of Music

Manifestations of both Indian and Western musical practices will be identified, and the article proceeds to discuss two key issues that emerge from the analysis: the extent to which Glanville-Hicks succeeded in synthesising the two musical systems; and whether Indian music can be accommodated within a Western musical framework without infringing upon its intrinsic meaning. The article concludes by exploring the cultural assumptions that underpinned Glanville-Hicks’s appropriation of Indian music, placing her approach in the context of two hundred years of similar endeavours in Western music and drawing upon Edward Said’s definitive theory of Orientalism.

“East Meets West in Peggy Glanville-Hicks's 'The Transposed Heads’.”

Context: Journal of Music Research 27/28 (2004): 51-70.

Wendy JiangAsian Studies

This paper reviews Archer’s and Thorp’s ideas about the most frequently encountered culture bumps, or ‘confused encounters’, and offers alternative ways of perceiving and handling them. It also stresses that the fundamental values of a nation should be considered in dealing with these cultural variations, and suggests six principles for perceiving and handling them.

“Handling Culture Bumps.” ELT Journal 55.4 (2001): 382-90.

Bonnie ThomasFrench Studies

Is this development in the literature by female writers the product of wishful thinking or does it reflect a more complex set of phenomena rooted in external influence and the evolving local dynamics of gender relations? It would take a series of anthropological studies to answer this question, but by examining more closely the work of one rising star of this new generation of writers, one can draw some preliminary conclusions about social change in the Caribbean. Gisèle Pineau focuses on this transition in her works, especially in La Grande Drive des esprits. An analysis of this work will provide insights into the complex nature of these changes.

"Gender Identity on the Move: Gisèle Pineau's La Grande Drive des esprits" The French Review 76.6 (2003): 1126-1136.

Michael LevinePhilosophy

The thesis of this essay is that the age of monumentality, or meaningful memorials and memorialization in the public sphere, is over.

“Mediated Memories: The Politics of the Past.” Angelaki: Journal of Theoretical Humanities 11.2 (2006): 117-136.

Susan BroomhallHistory

This essay explores what we can learn about the household limitation behaviour and strategies of those members of sixteenth-century French society who numbered among the mass of the poor. In particular, it focuses on the evidence produced by urban poor relief councils and hospitals, as they recorded the circumstances of the poverty-stricken clientele for their administrative records, and presents some preliminary findings. Although contraceptive methods do not feature explicitly in petitions and supporting documents, it is possible to build up a modest picture from these sources of the kinds of household limitation techniques available to the urban poor. As this essay demonstrates, in some cases, these involved reproductive strategies, yet in other cases it may be more appropriate to speak of household limitation methods.

“Family and household limitation strategies among the sixteenth-century urban poor.” French History 20.2 (2006): 121-37.

Martin ForseyAnthropology & Sociology

In order that the social drama model gains more explanatory power it needs a means of demonstrating how these responses are shaped by the cultural and structural forces that swirl around people every moment of their lives, a task for which I will argue practice theory is well suited. For now, I continue setting the scene for this exploration of Turner’s dramaturgical model by considering the broadergeographical, political and social realities influencing the events I witnessed at Ravina High.

“Producing Cosmos? The Explanatory Power of Social Drama for School Reform.” Ethnography and Education 1.3 (2006): 285-300.

Samina YasmeenCentre for Muslim States and Societies

Drawing from the information gathered through interviews, observations, and participation in sessions involving other Muslims available in the Perth Metropolitan Area, the paper argues that the emerging activism is following two diverse directions: some Muslim women favour orthodox interpretations of Islam as guides to citizenship, whereas others favour a more liberal/moderate approach to being a Muslim and a citizen in Australia. Governmental agencies, it suggests, need to appreciate and take into account this diversity of views and approaches among Muslim women when designing their strategies for engaging Muslims living under their jurisdiction.

“Muslim women as citizens in Australia: Diverse notions and practices.” Australian Journal of Social Issues 42.1 (2007): 41-54.

Roderic PittyPolitical Science and International Relations

Because a volume of documents on the subject has been published, the facts are not in dispute, although some particular issues concerning how much Cabinet discussed the question of China policy in February 1971 remain unclear, at least to non-participants. Nevertheless, since Australian policy, as distinct from rhetoric or rationalisations, was essentially unchanged during 1970-72 at a time when US policy towards China was completely reformulated, it is not Australian decisions that have to be explained, but rather non-decisions, or persistent procrastination in the face of a transformed world. Explaining such conduct might tell us about more than just this particular diplomatic bungle, so an attempt will be made to explore the wider issues outlined above.

“Way Behind in Following the USA over China: The Lack of any Liberal Tradition in Australian Foreign Policy 1970-1972.” Australian Journal of Politics and History 51.3 (2005): 440-450.

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