Search

This thesis investigates visual and written representations of West Asian female identities, and intersects with the fields of postcolonial feminist literary studies, cultural visual studies, and studies in affect theory. More specifically, I examine representations of Afghan and Iranian women in the post-millennial period, against a background of a continually shifting geo-political climate, especially following the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001. Given the ever-changing topography of media and information dissemination in the post-millennial period, this project is interdisciplinary and considers visual, written, and hybrid media. My distinctive contribution to the aforementioned fields of study is the introduction of the conceptual model of remediated witnessing, which focuses both on the witnessed individual and on the acts of witnessing and recording as reiterative processes. This thesis uses the model of remediated witnessing in an examination of the various media that frames West Asian female identities. I critically examine how women are ascribed to the following categories: Subaltern, Spokesperson, Mother, and Martyr. In my examination of these categories, I explore the ways that West Asian women are represented: in the face of global marketing and publishing trends, especially following 11 September 2001 and US military intervention in Afghanistan (Chapters Two and Three); and in consideration of familial and societal structures and acts of protest in Iran and Afghanistan (Chapters Four and Five). Using the model of remediated witnessing as a deconstructive tool, I negotiate the relationship between subject(ed) and agential positions as it applies to represented West Asian female identities. I suggest that the combined acts of performance, witnessing, and recording are layered, framed, and reframed from different angles. I argue that by cutting through or intersecting with these frames, a space can be created from which represented female identities can occupy both subject(ed) and agential positions.

This thesis focuses on the Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAMBR). The aim of this work was threefold; firstly, to investigate the effect of certain system parameters on membrane fouling in the SAMBR; secondly, to monitor phage removal in the SAMBR; and, finally to assess the viability of anaerobic wastewater treatment processes (including the SAMBR) to treat domestic sewage (rather than sludge) for full scale operations in the UK. Using a Kubota flat sheet membrane with 0.4μm pores, the critical flux was found to be 11.8 lm-2h-1 (litres per meter squared per hour or LMH), similar to those found by other researchers. The existence of a critical gassing rate was investigated (‘there exists a critical gassing rate which when reached causes a steep rise in transmembrane pressure (TMP)’), and was determined to be 4 litres per minute (LPM) or 2.4 m3m-2h-1; more interestingly, this appeared to happen at the changeover between a slug flow regime and bubble flow. The viscosity of the biomass in the SAMBR was found to be 2.5 times greater than water with the colloid fraction having the largest impact on the overall viscosity. The build-up of foulants on the membrane was thought to be the cause of a 10 fold increase in molecular weight cut off that was observed after operation beyond the critical flux and gassing rate. In addition, after extensive fouling some removal of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was observed from 3.35% acetate removal to 5.9% removal of isovalerate, and this was not likely to be due to degradation across the membrane, but was thought to be due to electrostatic repulsion by the biofilm. The removal of bacteriophages by the SAMBR was used as a model for the removal of pathogenic viruses. Before critical operation (and the resulting jump in TMP), the smallest phage (MS-2) showed removals of between 1.8 - 2.1 log removal value (LRV), while the larger T4 phage showed removals from 5.1 - 5.3 log. Once critical operation had occurred, and the TMP increased, the T4 phage had a log removal greater than 7. The MS-2 phage, after operation beyond the critical parameters, showed a log removal dependence on the gas scouring rate. The LRV varied from 3.0 at a low gassing rate up to 5.5 at the highest gas scour, and this was thought to be due to concentration polarisation effects. The effect of activated carbon on phage removal was also investigated; while PAC had little effect, the addition of GAC to the SAMBR actually caused an increase in phage throughput. Finally, a range of potential flowsheets for anaerobic wastewater treatment were modelled. It can be concluded from this work that anaerobic treatment is a practical and promising alternative to conventional activated sludge plants. In addition, the SAMBR was found to be the most favourable anaerobic unit. However, it was noted that there is still a lack of full scale data for this unit, thus further emphasising the importance of research into this technology.

In this thesis I offer a diachronic survey of feasting practices on the Greek mainland from c. 1600 to c. 700, covering the Early Mycenaean era, the palatial period, and the Early Iron Age. I focus upon three specific spheres of feasting activity in each period under discussion - sociopolitical, funerary and sanctuary-based - and employ multiple sources of evidence in order to create a comprehensive image of feasting styles and behaviour in each of these spheres. In particular, I direct my focus towards the association between feasting practices and sociopolitical changes and the ways that they impact upon each other, in order to increase our understanding of both phenomena. Feasts can be an active way of bringing about sociopolitical developments, for example if they are employed by leaders or members of the elite in order to attain, maintain or express authority over others; conversely, the types of sociopolitical milieu in existence can affect and alter the styles of feasting that people practise. For the Early Mycenaean period, I highlight the fluidity of feasting activities, as this is not only a unique characteristic of commensality in this era but also reflects the competitive sociopolitical environment. I then examine the palatial period and how far the palaces' influence can be said to have spread over their polities, by focusing on how much control they had over feasting activities. For the Early Iron Age, I deal with issues of change and continuity and how feasting could be both a reassuring continuum in times of uncertainty and a method mobilised by leaders to convey their authority. Finally, I offer a case-study of feasting in the poems of Homer and Hesiod and consider how these can inform us about late 8th-century mental perspectives on commensality, including codes of feasting behaviour.