A qualitative, ethnographic study of the place of gongfu tea in the everyday lives of people in Chaoshan, China. Gongfu tea is a distinctive and refined style of preparing and drinking tea, involving a strong infusion prepared in small teapots, consumed in small cups, with most drinking sessions involving several brews from the same tea-leaves. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews and observations, with some but not all interviews being recorded. The dataset consists of interview recordings, field notes and photographs.

This study explores the place of traditional Chinese tea culture in a society undergoing changes both culturally, with the rise of consumerism, and structurally, with the growth of a market economy and globalization. It does so by examining tea drinking in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong Province. Chaoshan is the home of a style of preparing and drinking tea known as 'gongfu' tea, involving preparation of strong tea in small pots, and drinking repeated brews in small cups. As well as being an important part of the regional food and drink culture, gongfu tea has been adopted outside Chaoshan as a refined form of tea culture, and even represented outside China as an authentic 'Chinese tea ceremony'. It therefore provides an appropriate case study through which to examine both local practices and the processes through which local cultural objects are appropriated and transformed for use in other contexts. The study pursues two lines of inquiry. The first examines the development of a contemporary discourse representing Chaoshan gongfu tea as a manifestation of a continuous tradition dating back more than 1,000 years to the Tang Dynasty. I argue that, while tea has long been consumed in Chaoshan, this representation is not supported by historical evidence, and is an example of an invented tradition. The second line of inquiry is a study of contemporary gongfu tea-drinking practices, both among people born in Chaoshan, and among non-Chaoshan people who have taken it up as an acquired practice. Methodologically, the study uses sociological ethnography, in which the ‘field’ of research is not a specific locality but a field of inquiry defined by pursuing linkages relevant to the research questions. Findings are based on fieldwork involving semi-structured interviews with, and observations among, a snowball sample of 32 individuals plus one family that was treated, for analytical purposes, as a single unit. Fieldwork was conducted in four visits to the region between 2010 and 2017. The study found that, among people born in Chaoshan, gongfu tea is experienced as an integral part of everyday life, rather than a form of tea art. As a practice, it entails close attention to detail in preparing, serving and drinking tea, on the one hand and, on the other, a high level of creativity, rather than slavish adherence to a prescriptive model. People who have taken up gongfu tea as an acquired practice exhibit similar skills, but for them, gongfu tea is unlikely to be woven into the fabric of everyday life. Some people choose to cultivate additional knowledge and skills in order to enhance their gongfu tea practice as tea art. The study concludes by considering the relationship between Chaoshan gongfu tea as a cultural object created through discourse, and contemporary tea-drinking practices. I argue that the relationship is not as close as literary accounts imply. While each is informed by the other, neither is a mirror of the other, and each is a product of distinctive social processes: the discourse, by the activities of academics, entrepreneurs and others, each pursuing their own interests; tea-drinking practices, by the opportunities and constraints generated through economic and social processes emanating from the wider society.

This thesis uses book history methods and a cultural materialist approach to examine the social relations and cultural practices of publishers' editing at Sydney publishers Angus & Robertson in the mid twentieth century. 'Invisible mending' as a metaphor for publishers' editing was well known in the twentieth century and the thesis asks in what ways the metaphor sheds light on publishers' editing in this time and place. The thesis makes visible editors and editing – both by examining closely particular editors and their practice, and by showing the critical role publishers' editing played in cultural production in Australia in the middle years of the last century.

This study investigates how the Ahmadiyya is presented discursively in various texts produced by Indonesian state official institutions, social interest groups, and two Ahmadiyya groups. The issue is examined by identifying the discourse topics created and strategies employed in the spoken and written texts of the groups and institutions mentioned above. The identification is centred upon an assumption that, on the one hand, the Ahmadiyya sect has been allegedly discriminated against through some negative discourse presentations, and that, on the other hand, the sect and its supporters may have argued against the negative presentations. The main question of this study is what is the nature of the two groups of conflicting discourses created by state official institutions, social interest groups, and the two Ahmadiyya groups when addressing the Ahmadiyya sect issue? How and why were they produced? The main question is addressed by finding answers to some subsidiary questions. To answer the questions, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (especially the discriminatory and resistance discourse strategies) is used to examine discourse presentations of Ahmadiyya created in written texts, such as in articles, books, reports, and papers, as well as in spoken texts, such as in speeches, interviews, and personal statements found in television programs. The first part of the study focuses on how state official institutions present the Ahmadiyya sect in their legal proclamations and personal arguments. The second part discusses how social interest groups that have considerable concern about the Ahmadiyya explore the issue. The third part targets how two Ahmadiyya groups (the JAI and the GAI) present themselves while arguing against discourses that may have discredited them. The aim of the research project is to contribute to the body of knowledge about the Ahmadiyya issue in Indonesia and the field of CDA by investigating a relatively new issue in the field, namely the religious minority issue. The research expands the possible applications of CDA approaches to the investigation of the alleged discriminatory discourse practices, and how these practices are responded to through several discourse presentations and strategies. The findings reveal that the Ahmadiyya sect, especially Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (the JAI), has been discursively discriminated against. The discursive discrimination is created by presenting the Ahmadiyya negatively as, for example, 'the troublemaker', 'blasphemer/the actor of defamation','deviant sect', 'the Hijacker of Islam', 'the agent of imperialism', and 'the enemy of Islam'. These discourse topics are created using discourse strategies such as problematisation, collocation, quotation, lexicalisation, scapegoating, metaphor, social distancing, and scare tactics. In order to argue against the negative presentations, the Ahmadiyya groups and their supporters create defensive and offensive resistance discourses. The defensive discourses are 'discourse of democracy', 'discourse of unrestricted freedom of religion', 'discourse of impartiality', 'discourse of victims', 'defenders of Islam', 'public deception', and the 'discourse of peace' and these are reated by both the JAI and the GAI. The offensive discourses are 'discourse of public deception', 'government's negative actions', and 'problematising the government's authority or legitimacy'. These discourses are created using the strategies of nominalisation, re-contextualisation, contrasting, derogated personification, victimisation, positive attribution, positive personification, power delegitimising, negative portraits of misbehaving, and the strategy of social inclusion. In conclusion, both the dominant and the Ahmadiyya groups have been involved in a serious discourse conflict. Each side is entrenched in their respective positions, and adopted strategies to maintain their positions, defend themselves, and at times, attack each other. However, this is not healthy for a peaceful co-existence and living peacefully, because it (the discourse conflict) could lead to further physical attacks as happened in the past. It would be beneficial for both sides and for the nation as a whole, that both sides reflect on and reconsider their positions and search for a common ground. This study could contribute as a source for the reflection and consideration.

This project is presented in two parts: a creative (biographical) project on the life of Millicent Bryant, Australia's first woman pilot, and an academic exegesis. The creative project is presented in the form of fictional biography and the exegesis in conventional scholarly style, although it necessarily incorporates a more personal style of address.

This thesis examines the perspectives of Indonesian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers (IETs) on professional teaching standards in the context of teacher certification programs (PSG) in Indonesia. For its theoretical framework, it draws on literature on professional standards for teachers and on language teacher cognition. The standards movement in education (SME) which began in the United States of America (US) in the 1980s with the establishment of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has influenced the development of professional teaching standards for and certification of teachers in many countries. Developed countries such as Australia and New Zealand, for instance, have developed their standards for languages, literacy, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers.

The heroism of Leslie Charteris’ gentleman vigilante, Simon Templar, known as “the Saint”, is determined by a range of ideological, historical and social influences. The nature, origins and power of this heroism are addressed through an interdisciplinary analysis of his characterization and development over thirty-five years. Three fundamental elements – Charteris’ personal identification with his creation, Templar’s inclusion in the tradition of the Western warrior hero, and his reflection of the heroic quest figure – influence Charteris’ representation of the Saint. Further, the character’s varied literary origins, and contemporaneous ideologies in the prewar, wartime and postwar periods, generate five primary layers in Templar’s heroic persona. Chapter I provides an overview of Charteris’ Saint narratives, his readership, his other fiction and his distinctive writing style. Chapter II examines Charteris’ personal identification with the Saint, and argues that the character is part of the wider Western warrior hero and heroic quest narratives. Chapters III and IV identify the origin of the Saint in the literary representations of the empire hero, an English gentleman with special skills who resembles the American frontier hero, as well as in those of non-official detectives, romantic and charismatic criminals, vigilantes, pirates and highwaymen. In Chapter V, it is argued that important changes in the Saint, that reveal further complexities in his heroism, were generated by major political and social ideologies in the different periods and countries in which Charteris wrote his narratives. The final chapter analyses two specific aspects of the Saint’s heroism arising from his anti-war sentiment and his hostility to non-Western “others” in the 1930s and 1940s.

The heroism of Leslie Charteris' gentleman vigilante, Simon Templar, known as "the Saint", is determined by a range of ideological, historical and social influences. The nature, origins and power of this heroism are addressed through an interdisciplinary analysis of his characterization and development over thirty-five years. Three fundamental elements - Charteris' personal identification with his creation, Templar's inclusion in the tradition of the Western warrior hero, and his reflection of the heroic quest figure - influence Charteris' representation of the Saint. Further, the character's varied literary origins, and contemporaneous ideologies in the prewar, wartime and postwar periods, generate five primary layers in Templar's heroic persona. Chapter I provides an overview of Charteris' Saint narratives, his readership, his other fiction and his distinctive writing style. Chapter II examines Charteris' personal identification with the Saint, and argues that the character is part of the wider Western warrior hero and heroic quest narratives. Chapters III and IV identify the origin of the Saint in the literary representations of the empire hero, an English gentleman with special skills who resembles the American frontier hero, as well as in those of non-official detectives, romantic and charismatic criminals, vigilantes, pirates and highwaymen. In Chapter V, it is argued that important changes in the Saint, that reveal further complexities in his heroism, were generated by major political and social ideologies in the different periods and countries in which Charteris wrote his narratives. The final chapter analyses two specific aspects of the Saint's heroism arising from his anti-war sentiment and his hostility to non-Western "others" in the 1930s and 1940s.

This thesis contends that the specific example of musical celebrity points to general conclusions about how early celebrity was aided by the promulgation of celebrity images and how musical culture was fundamentally changed as a consequence.

We live in a world saturated by images, and it is clear that modern celebrity culture is driven by their dissemination through the fairly recent development (in historical terms) of the internet. Therefore, although the relationship between celebrity and image could be viewed as a modern phenomenon, the study showed that this is not the case. Early musical celebrities were also the product of the convergence of fame and commodity. The development of print technologies resulted in a sudden and prolific spread of images of celebrities, making these images more accessible to the wider public, even when access to their music was limited only to those who could attend live performances.

There has been some investigation into the early mechanisms of celebrity by various disciplines, however the difference in this research that it is a systematic study of the significance of the relationship between musical celebrity and image. Using a new multidisciplinary methodology, I analysed a large volume of images and artefacts to explore the connection between celebrity and image, as well as how this relationship changed over time. Whilst not tied to discrete case studies, I explored examples of the way image and celebrity fuelled one another through the lives of Dame Nellie Melba, Jenny Lind, and to a lesser extent Lord Byron, Franz Liszt, and others. These examples were selected as key moments in the codification of the mechanism of image of celebrity. This builds on the existing body of knowledge regarding early celebrity but focusses specifically on musical celebrity.

The Thesis Defence Examination (TDE) is a vital step for students in many countries to complete their degree. The TDE is defined as a class of communicative events; and it is assumed that, to succeed in performing a specific genre, students should understand the elements of the genre and perform appropriately. Although in some countries, such as Australia, the TDE is not commonly practised, in other countries such as the USA, the UK and Indonesia, the TDE is necessary before students can graduate. In Indonesia, the issue of the poor performance of undergraduate students in their TDEs has been raised by academic communities: many students appear to be competent in their general English, but most of them perform poorly in their TDEs. This thesis will discuss this discrepancy and propose a possible solution.

This study examines the ways in which Tasmanian Indigeneity is constructed by children's writers for their readers. The colonialist ideologies engendered by writers and illustrators of this literature demonstrate a conservative approach to representations through the roles, characterisations and cultural contexts of Indigenous peoples and their life experiences. Between 1950 and 2001 a small number of children's writers used Tasmania as a setting and subject for their novels. Physically isolated and unspoilt, Tasmania has a complex and dark past involving convict hardships and atrocities carried out by coloniser settlers against its Indigenous people. Tasmanian children's literature engages with that history, and its intersection with Indigeneity. This thesis centres on Tasmanian writers Jane Ada Fletcher, Nan Chauncy, Beth Roberts, Pat Peatfield Price and Nora Dugon, as well as mainland writers Fitzmaurice Hill, Gary Crew, Mary Small and Elizabeth Stanley who drew on Tasmanian subjects for their novels. Many of these works were highly recognised through the Australian Children's Book of the Year Awards. Taking a broadly chronological approach, this thesis shows how child readers were protected from the harshness of the historical truths of the massacre and dispossession of the Tasmanian Aborigines. Through its reiteration of doomed race theory, the mythology regarding the demise of the Tasmanian Aborigines is perpetuated either explicitly or symbolically in these works, except those of Dugon and Small, who, rather timidly, go some way towards depicting and acknowledging the identity of Tasmanian Aborigines. This is the first full scale study of its kind; its significance lies in its demonstration of how children's literature from Tasmania transmitted discriminatory attitudes that were deeply embedded and implicitly assumed for several generations of child readers. In their constructions of the world and its peoples these writers ensured that their child readers remained 'the most colonised persons on the globe' in their appropriation of colonialist attitudes towards Tasmanian Indigeneity. This thesis shows how, textually, the past continues to inform and shape meaning to the present, as representations of Tasmanian Aborigines in children's literature sees them as lost and invisible. Moreover, as an audience, Tasmanian Aboriginal children are treated as invisible.

This study uses two material collections of Aboriginal culture held at the Queensland Museum, in order to examine the participation of the Museum in the process of colonialism and othering. The collections examined were gathered by Dr Walter E. Roth and the pastoral manager Jeremiah Coghlan, from 1891-1903. Specifically, this thesis investigates how the collection of Aboriginal material culture perpetuated a myth of Aboriginal people as inherently conservative, incapable of adaptation to new circumstances, and poised on the brink of extinction. How these myths were perpetuated and, more importantly, how and why they ignored the contrary evidence of culture entanglement in the collections will be examined. This thesis deals with a broad range of multi-disciplinary approaches, synthesising the study of history with the study of material culture and museum theory. The concept of frontier entanglement of cultures has been adapted and applied to a study of objects, to demonstrate the physical evidence of this entanglement in Aboriginal culture, and what an acknowledgement of this entanglement might suggest for a reinterpretation of the frontiers, both imagined and actual.

This thesis focuses on the critical reception and the dissemination of Luciano Berio's works in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. The ongoing performances and recordings of Berio's music rely on public interest. This study investigates the critical reception of Berio's music in order to differentiate the composer's accessible works from those that the public and music promoters shun. I evaluate the critical reception of Berio's music within the parameters of psychological, cultural and sociological theories to provide an insight as to why some works will have continuing performances within the commercial arena. Conversely, I examine Berio's and other modernist composers' attitudes towards their listening and purchasing audiences. I also discuss Berio's perceptions of the press and whether the composer felt misrepresented or misunderstood by critics. Audiences attuned to tonal classical repertoire describe modernist music as ‘complex' and ‘difficult' for the listener. In turn, this becomes a major impediment to the promotion of modernist music via concert halls and recordings, as music promoters and entrepreneurs are unwilling to back performances that are unlikely to be financially viable. Yet some modernist works have secured enduring popularity. This thesis addresses that divergence. The longevity of Berio's music within the public domain is also dependent on future musicians who continue to perform and record his works. Focusing on the composer's fourteen virtuosic Sequenzas, I examine the players' reception of these solo works. Another area of study in this thesis concerns the role of Cathy Berberian in enhancing the critical reception and the general reception of Berio's work in collaboration with the vocalist.

'How are we to understand the significance of cinematic stereoscopy in the digital screen period, 2004 to the present?' This question is at the heart of this thesis, and is primarily answered by an examination of the relationship between stereoscopic technology, and visual technique and visual style. This relationship illustrates a number of key elements of film and stereoscopy's significance in the digital screen period, such as the adoption of new and different digital technologies by various filmmakers, including auteurs; the commercial needs of industry; as well as the diverse aesthetic approaches to screen technology integration, many of which correspond to representations of 'reality'. This is to say the relationship between stereoscopic technology, and visual technique and visual style is a way to understand broader notions about screen technology in digital screen period cinema.

A characteristic of high fantasy literature of the latter part of the twentieth century has been the writing of multi-volume, complex series. To date such works have attracted only a limited amount of critical scrutiny. In this thesis I am using Robert Jordan's 'The Wheel of Time' sequence as the focus texts to explore the role and purpose of both the author of such epic-style high fantasy, and that of his online following of fans, as storytellers and pattern makers, and more specifically the motif of patterning in the novels. This thesis focuses on the mediaeval technique of interlacing as the key structuring device of the 'WOT' to unlock the intricate patterning of Jordan's narrative. This motif is a literary structural device in which several simultaneous themes are interwoven into one large narrative, akin to the intricate knot work so characteristic of early Anglo-Saxon art. I apply close reading of the Jordan texts and ask the following questions: What are the patterns in Jordan's texts? How do they feature in the work? What functions do they serve in the work in regard to narrative, meaning and in relationship to the reader?