School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemGeorge Eliot as historian : the social and political background to Middlemarch( 1974)Since its first publication in 1871-2, George Eliot's Middlemarch, has been studied and re-studied by literary critics of all castes and in the course of their resulting assessments many extreme statements have been made about its factual and historical veracity. This thesis has attempted to modify and rationalize such statements by the use of historical rather than literary criteria and to balance extravagant assertions about Eliot's ability as historian and social observer. From an historical point of view, Middlemarch contains a wealth of material for the scholar to study, covering as it does the period of agitation leading up to the passing of the 1832 Reform Act and comprehending the whole stratum of provincial society at that time. For the purpose of this thesis, it was impossible to cover all of the diverse elements included in the novel and many aspects which could well have found a place have of necessity been omitted. Some of these are the phenomenon of the successful Businessman of Evangelical leanings embodied in Mr. Bulstrode, the concept of early nineteenth century philanthropy as developed through the characters of Dorothea, Mr. Brooke and Mr. Bulstrode and the suggestion of an element of "women's liberation" in the outspokenness of the elder Miss Brooke. The aim of this thesis has been to discover, by means of a comparison with contemporary materials, whether Middlemarch may with Justice be used by the historian as a piece of documentary evidence and, following on this, whether any novel may be used in this way.
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ItemSchopenhauer's will and the nature of human agency( 2001)Much of the criticism of Schopenhauer's philosophy stems from his apparent inability to reconcile his metaphysical theory of the `World as Will' with his epistemological views. Schopenhauer's theory of representation involves the claim that knowledge is conditioned by the a priori forms which the knowing subject imposes on experience, implying that proper knowledge can be only of representations. In his metaphysical writings, Schopenhauer asserts that a direct awareness of ourselves experienced in self-consciousness enables us to discern the nature of the thing-in-itself, and identify it with will. The claim that `the thing-in-itself is will' breaches the unknowability thesis concerning things as they are in themselves. In this paper I suggest that the noumenal designation that Schopenhauer envisages for his concept of the will is inappropriate, and that an alternative characterisation of Schopenhauer's concept of the will better expresses his philosophical purpose. The crucial contention is that Schopenhauer misappropriates the Kantian notion of the thing-in-itself and that he employs it in a manner distinctly different from Kant. Schopenhauer does not consider the thing-in-itself to be the causal ground of phenomena, and there are good grounds to suggest that, instead, he considers it to be 'the essence of all that is'. I' maintain that the main advantage of the view that Schopenhauer's concept of the will entails an 'essentialist' rather than noumenal designation, is its capacity to reconcile some aspects: of Schopenhauer's metaphysics with the demands of his theory of representation - and I utilise Young's characterisation of the Schopenhauerian 'will' as a metaphysical, yet non-noumenal essence of the phenomenal world, to demonstrate this claim. Thereafter I examine the significance of this interpretation of Schopenhauer's concept of the will to other parts of his philosophy: specifically, its influence on Schopenhauer's account of the self, his determinism and his conception of human agency. Finally, I present a standard criticism which can be raised against Schopenhauer's account of human agency, and submit a revised version of his account, which, I contend is capable of withstanding the standard criticism, whilst preserving most of Schopenhauer's important insights in this area.
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ItemSome foundations of science in Victoria in the decade after separation( 1990)The decade following separation from New South Wales must surely be considered one of the most dramatic in Victoria's history. In that short space of time Victoria was transformed from a small dependent colony into a bustling cosmopolitan self-governing community of enormous wealth, completely outstripping its neighbours in the process. There had been an influx of migrants of such magnitude that the civil authorities found it very difficult to keep up with the population explosion. It must at times have seemed to them to be an impossible task to provide food, housing, water, power, roads and transport, sewerage and other amenities adequate to cope with the increasing number of people pouring into the colony. Added to this were problems of civil insurrection, severe economic depression, major constitutional reforms, and great political instability. During this period, despite all the trials and difficulties they had to face, Victorians developed a real sense that they were the premier colony, that they could achieve. whatever they set out to accomplish. There was a great feeling of optimism and self-confidence.
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ItemMcCrea, a matter of paradigms( 1980)
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ItemReligion and freethought in Melbourne, 1870 to 1890( 1960)The men and women who appear in this thesis are partof the first generation in the history of Europe to debatewidely and to reject religious belief. In Victoria theywere isolated from the main scenes of the struggle, theirnumbers were relatively insignificant, they made no originalor very influential contributions to the arguments,yet for them, a part of Europe on this tiny colonial stage,the drama was no less demanding on their consciences. Butbecause the stage was smaller, the central issues of thedebate emerge more clearly and simply than they do inEngland and America. By studying a microcosm of the controversyover "Religion and Science" in Victoria, we cangain some idea of the causes, and the magnitude of thegreat disturbance of belief that swept through the Christianworld in the later part of the Nineteenth Century.
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ItemShow business: a history of theatre in Victoria 1835-1948( 1949)...The material available to the student of the theatrical history of this State and Nation, is relatively sparse, and extremely scattered. Much has been covered in newspaper articles, but no attempt has ever been made to pull the material together and show it as part of a continuous story, superimposed upon the background of the political, social and economic history of the State. That is what I now attempt to do. If it does nothing more than bring the basic information within reasonable compass, I will not feel I have failed. If, on the other hand, it should arouse an interest in either the history or the practice of Theatre, in its widest sense, so that a multitude of young men and women may be rescued from the slough of saccharine sentimentality into which Hollywood has led them, to an increasing interest in legitimate Theatre, the development of which is considered by some to be a concomitant of National greatness, then I shall feel that I have indeed succeeded. (From introduction)
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ItemHow the south-east was held: aspects of the quadripartite interaction of Mount Gambier, Portland, Adelaide and Melbourne 1860-1917( 1977)This thesis examines aspects of the "perennial theme of discussion", acknowledging the involvement of four participants, viz., Mt. Gambier, Portland, Adelaide and Melbourne. The assertion of regional generality was supported by the fact that between 1866 and 1921 the Mt. Gambier district rarely contained less than 39% of the total population of the South-East of South Australia. Indeed, in 1911, over 48% of the region's population lived in the vicinity of Mt. Gambier. Furthermore, as Hirst noted, Mt. Gambier was the only old South Australian country town to maintain a steady rate of growth between 1870 and 1917. These facts contributed to the belief, to be longheld by both Adelaide and Melbourne, that Mt. Gambier was the key to the South-East of South Australia. The holding of Mt. Gambier was then thought to be a necessary precursor to the holding of the South-East. Learmonth and Logan have each produced very useful studies of the Victorian port of Portland and its hinterland. Their perceptions, however, remain essentially "Victorian". While the proximity of the border between Victoria and South Australia was acknowledged, no rigorous attempt was made to study historically its regional influence. This thesis also aims to remedy that situation. (From introduction)
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ItemIndigenous representation in Australia's frontier and foreign wars( 2005)This thesis investigates the evolving perception of Australian identity and its impact on the commemoration of Indigenous soldiers. Structured around three case studies, this thesis follows a chronological timeline of commemorative practices characteristically colonial in its presentation of Indigenous Australian communities. The first chapter focuses on colonial constructions of national identity and its influences on the legacy of Captain Reginald Saunders, the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. Referencing his 1960s biography and textual memorial, The Embarrassing Australian by Harry Gordon, this thesis argues that it is only through the language of assimilation that Saunders was accepted as an "Australian" and appropriately commemorated for his military achievement. The second chapter highlights evolving perceptions of Australian history and national identity and the impact of Indigenous soldier commemoration within the Australian War Memorial. While the Memorial initially disregarded the Indigenous Australian contribution to the war effort, it has since evolved to acknowledge their role within its galleries. The final chapter looks at museums and their representation of Indigenous soldiers during the Frontier Wars. The portrayal of Indigenous soldiers, either as savages or warriors, among the museum displays and storyboards reflect how the nation chooses to publicly commemorate them. The methods adopted by museums reveal their rejection or acceptance of the Indigenous story of European colonization. By showing how forms of representation are tied to historical moments in regards to Indigenous soldiers and linking these commemorative trends with Australian national identity this research both adds to the body of literature on Australian commemoration and foreshadows an evolving trend where perceptions of "nation" are increasingly willing to embrace an Indigenous past into its definition.