College of Arts & Humanities
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item THE GUQIN IN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY CHINA: A TRADITION REIMAGINED(2024) Yin, Xiaoshan; Witzleben, J. Lawrence; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation is a musicological and anthropological examination of a Chinese instrument, the qin 琴, or guqin 古琴, a seven-string zither with an unbroken history of more than 2000 years, in its contemporary social context. The instrument, once said to be played exclusively by the elite literati in imperial China, has long been portrayed as the most representative musical icon of traditional Chinese culture. By the 1990s, the qin lost its elite status and public awareness decreased, but in 2003 the guqin and its music were proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, later known as Representative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH). This proclamation and the national safeguarding agenda that comes along with it have evoked great enthusiasm from both the government and the public for revitalizing guqin music and culture. This process of contemporary revitalization is situated in a broader context: a national campaign to bring traditional culture back to life, reclaim the glory of the past, and build pride in Chineseness. However, there has been no detailed ethnographic study—in either English or Chinese—on developments in the qin world since the UNESCO proclamation in 2003, in contrast to the extensive historical and theoretical explorations of the instrument. My research is the first extended ethnographic study that closely examines this process of musical-cultural construction mediated by the national and regional safeguarding agenda and heritage narrative. I examine not only the musical products but also qin practitioners’ conceptualization and behavior, paying attention to the subjectivity of individual and group actors—that is, how they think of, speak about, and practice the guqin, and why. I explore how new communities and identities are being represented and/or constructed through qin performance practice and how the instrument in turn further structures the musical culture. I investigate the role the qin plays in people’s daily lives and in the cultural construction of the society, as well as the political, social, and economic powers that are mediating this musical-cultural process. My research is also in dialogue with a prevailing dichotomy between the “literati’s qin” and the “artists’ qin.” I question the historical and contemporary conceptualization of the literati, and present a new paradigm to view the qin world in China as it is socially and individually conceptualized and experienced, one which challenges essentialist ideas of the instrument being a heritage dating from time immemorial. I examine the dynamics of qin practitioners negotiating tradition and transformation as they continually reimagine and articulate the tradition. I view contemporary qin culture as multi-faceted, and I attempt to give attention and voice to different practitioners rather than labeling them or taking sides in debates. This study integrates historical, ethnographic, and musicological research methods. Historical documents that I investigated include but are not limited to nearly 150 old qin handbooks, mainly from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which contain qin music theories and repertoire, and fiction and non-fiction literature such as novels and encyclopedias. I conducted multiple field visits to mainland China during 2017–19, and intensive fieldwork there during June 2021–May 2022 and the summer of 2023. Cities that I visited include Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Kunming, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Zhuhai. I attended dozens of concerts, classes, and recording sessions, among other events related to the qin, and interviewed dozens of musicians and audience members. I analyze the visual and sonic expressions in stage performances and music videos, and conduct musicological studies on notation systems and practices. This dissertation is an example of “bottom-up” research in the area of ICH studies, as opposed to “top-down” research. Many studies on musical ICH in China and East Asia have dealt with top-down processes such as the UNESCO decision-making process, policy making at different levels of government, designation of heritage bearers, preservation actions, and the influence of these factors on the actual tradition and individual practitioners. A bottom-up study examines the situation in the reverse order. I focus on what is happening on the ground among grassroots practitioners and how that shapes the overall situation. My research also contributes broadly to scholarship on traditional Chinese music. Many scholars of Chinese music have written on the modernization of traditional Chinese music. The modernization process of the qin shares similarities with that of other genres, yet also demonstrates its own characteristics because of its rich written records and ICH status. A careful examination of the modernization of the qin is much needed in scholarship. This research offers ethnographic and historical data to musicologists and ethnomusicologists interested in the guqin and Chinese traditional music. Through the lens of the qin, my research deals with many aspects of Chinese cultural and social life, past and present. Therefore, this research also has the potential to be of great interest to social scientists, historians, and other scholars in Chinese and East Asian studies.Item From Islamic Exceptionalism to Universal Religious Categories: Reconceptualizations of Dīn and Millet in the Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Empire(2024) Agalar, Saban; Karamustafa, Ahmet T.; Zilfi, Madeline C.; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examines the transformation of the Islamic category of religion through a conceptual history of dīn (often translated as “religion”) and millet (often translated as “community”) during the Ottoman Empire from the late sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries. Arabic and Turkish world histories, which flourished during this period, exhibited a significant expansion in geographical and cultural scope compared to earlier examples and rarely focused on the House of Osman or Islamic history. I argue that these world historians similarly presented dīn as a universal analytical unit, challenging traditional Islamic scholarship that had reserved dīn for Islam or other monotheistic faiths. By presenting Islam as one dīn among many, these authors viewed dīn as a universal social phenomenon comparable to other domains of human life, although differing perspectives persisted among legal scholars, polemicists, and heresiographers. These world histories, along with a growing body of literature on non-Muslim faiths and scriptures, were also characterized by a more detached and analytical approach to their subjects. The dissertation links these conceptual and historiographical shifts to changes in Ottoman self-perception amid increasing awareness of cultural diversity and declining imperial power. This reconceptualization of dīn coincided with debates on the related term of millet, traditionally associated with monotheistic communities, as scholars explored its broader applicability to various religious groups. In addition to a close reading of historical and religious works, the dissertation employs computational tools to analyze substantial volumes of Ottoman texts, including court records and Evliyā Çelebi’s Seyāḥatnāme, to trace how millet was used in both official and literary contexts. For world historians, millet generally implies a shared confession, which is not always monotheistic. In the Seyāḥatnāme, millet typically refers to Christian communities within the empire while excluding Jews, whereas in court records, it primarily signifies the Muslim community, with occasional references to non-Muslim groups.While focusing on native concepts as understood by the Ottomans themselves, the dissertation also draws parallels with Protestant approaches to categorizing religion, noting similar efforts to develop comprehensive taxonomies in both contexts. At the same time, it underlines key differences: while the Protestant model prioritized creed as the central feature of “world religions,” Ottoman world historians embraced a broader understanding of dīn and millet, which included beliefs, acts of worship, belonging to a confessional community, and sometimes customs and morality. These Ottoman historians did not often exclude polytheistic communities as their Protestant counterparts did. Beyond offering an overlooked conceptual history expressed in an understudied historiographical genre in the Ottoman Empire, this dissertation’s potential contributions extend to the broader fields of Islam and the study of religion. By challenging narrowly defined and ahistorical Islamic conceptualizations of religion and non-Muslim faiths, it aims to expand the current understanding of Islam, moving beyond the traditional focus on the Quran and a few medieval classics. Additionally, the study engages with broader theoretical debates on the nature of religion, questioning the universality of post-Enlightenment European models by exploring non-Western religious categories in early modern history.Item Doctor's Domain: Innovation and Regulation in the U.S. Medical Device Industry, 1950-2000(2024) Bowrey, Brice; Sicilia, David; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examines the role of physicians in shaping the development and regulation of medical technologies in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century. I argue that physicians became the dominant actors in the medical technology sector by using their preexisting professional prestige to assert the primacy of clinical knowledge and promote a culture of tinkering in private sector research and development. In contrast, the nascent profession of biomedical engineering could not effectively compete for status and influence. By analyzing the professional conflicts between physicians, biomedical engineers, and other stakeholders in the regulatory system for medical devices that emerged during and after Congress enacted the Medical Device Amendments of 1976, this dissertation explores the role of perceived expertise and scientific legitimacy in shaping regulatory policy, business organization, and other social structures that facilitate technological innovation.Item DO MEASURES OF INDIVIDUAL WORDS AND FORMULAIC SEQUENCES TAP INTO THE SAME TRAIT: THE PERSPECTIVE OF ASSESSMENT AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PHONOLOGICAL SHORT-TERM MEMORY AND EXPOSURE(2024) Deng, Zhiyuan; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Nativelike language use is characterized by a high level of formulaicity (Pawley & Syder, 1983; Sinclair, 1991), and formulaic sequences are often believed to be building blocks of language acquisition (Christiansen & Arnon, 2017) and crucial to language fluency (Saito, 2020). Although they consist of multiple words and are analyzable, some researchers argued that the knowledge of formulaic sequences is largely lexical in nature, i.e., stored and processed holistically without recourse to analysis (Wray, 2002). Wray (2008) further proposed a heteromorphic view of mental lexicon, pushing the boundary of vocabulary to encompass not only individual words but also larger-than-word units such as formulaic sequences. The main purpose of the present study was to empirically test this proposal from the perspective of assessment, i.e., see if measures of formulaic sequences tap into the same latent construct underlying measures of individual words. In addition, the present study also investigated the contributions of phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and exposure to the knowledge of formulaic sequences and individual words. The study was carried out in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, and 136 Chinese participants of intermediate to advanced proficiency completed a battery of nine linguistic measures assessing their receptive and controlled productive knowledge of collocations, phrasal verbs, and individual words. In addition, their capacity of PSTM was measured by a non-word span test, and their engagement in various types of English-medium activities was measured by an exposure questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and model comparisons were conducted to examine the factor structure of nine linguistic measures, and a bi-factor solution with a single latent trait factor underlying all nine linguistic measures and a method-specific grouping factor for all six receptive measures was selected as the best-fitting model in terms of fit and parsimony. In addition, structural equation modeling revealed that PSTM, exposure, and length of learning English were all significant predictors for the knowledge of formulaic sequences and the knowledge of individual words. The three predictors combined explained about 33.4% of variance in the knowledge of formulaic sequences and 30.9% of the variance in the knowledge of individual words. However, the contributions of PSTM and exposure to the knowledge of formulaic sequences and to the knowledge of individual words were not significantly different in magnitude. The results provided psychometric evidence supporting the legitimacy of conceptualizing a heteromorphic mental lexicon showing that measures of formulaic sequences and individual words tapped into the same latent trait.Item Consistent Sounds of War in Iraq: Iraqi Soundscapes 1979-2006(2024) Salive, Natalie; Wien, Peter; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the evolution of the Iraqi soundscape from the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1979 to the aftermath of the 2003 invasion, focusing on how sound has been employed as a tool of power, control, and resistance. Chapter One introduces the concept of sonic history, with a specific focus on Iraq's unique soundscapes during the Ba'athist regime. It examines the role of sound as an instrument of warfare and propaganda, delving into how Saddam's regime utilized sonic environments to cultivate a pervasive cult of personality and how changing technologies altered Iraq’s auditory experience. The second chapter provides a detailed analysis of the Ba'athi soundscapes, establishing the sonic contexts within which the regime operated. It discusses the sounds associated with sites of violence like Abu Ghraib, the regime's strategies of censorship, and the pervasive sounds of terror that became normalized during the Iran-Iraq War. The chapter also previews the sounds that foreshadowed the "Shock and Awe" campaign during the 1991 Gulf War. Chapter 3 continues the narrative into the 2003 invasion and its aftermath, examining how the invasion perpetuated and transformed the existing aural environments. The chapter highlights the sounds of military vehicles, weapons, and civilian life, contrasting the propagandistic "sounds of freedom" with the persistent terror experienced by the Iraqi populace. The chapter also revisits themes of censorship and the complex auditory experience of "freedom" in wartime. Finally, Chapter 4 concludes the study by reflecting on the continuity and change in Iraq’s soundscape across these pivotal historical moments, underscoring the role of sound in shaping Iraq’s modern history. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how sound operates within contexts of violence and power, particularly within the framework of modern irregular warfare.Item "In This You Street Vicinity": Building a Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., 1903-1912(2024) Jamison, Bridget; Giovacchini, Saverio; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The decade of 1903-1912 was a period of great creation in the U Street neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the result of social conditions that had emerged through Reconstruction and beyond. The institutions that were built to house Black Washington’s cultural activities in this time were sites of conflict between contingents of Washingtonians, both Black and white, who held competing visions for the future of their city and communities. Although different principles and priorities determined the development and operation of different buildings, such as True Reformers’ Hall, the Twelfth Street Y.M.C.A., and the Howard Theatre, the concentration of cultural institutions in this one location produced a coherent idea of U Street that would carry into future decades. U Street at the beginning of the twentieth century was the local creation of people who were involved in national discussions on politics, religion, society, and economics and engaged with what was new and modern in arts and entertainment. Even before it became a famous theater district, U Street was an expression of Black business and Black artistry and the aspirations that the people there had for the future.Item Unawareness, and its Effect on Beliefs, Learning, and Group Decision Making(2024) Tashiro, Masayuki; Pacuit, Eric; Philosophy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation consists of three standalone papers centered around the concept of unawareness. The first paper, titled `Weak Explicit Beliefs', concerns the effect of unawareness to one's beliefs and extends the standard logic framework of awareness with a novel notion of beliefs under unawareness. The second paper, titled `Learning under Unawareness' concerns the effect of unawareness in one's learning process and extends the standard logic framework of awareness with two dynamic modal operators: learning and change of awareness. Lastly, the third paper, titled `Models of Group Deliberation with Asymmetric Awareness' concerns the effect of unawareness in group decision making situations, in which each agent in the group may be un/aware of different things, and explores a normative question whether it is always better to become more aware (of what the other agents in the group are aware of) via two formal models of group deliberation.Item DOES MODALITY MATTER? AURAL AND WRITTEN VOCABULARY IN SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING AND READING COMPREHENSION(2024) Iizuka, Takehiro; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the significance of the mode of delivery—aural versus written—in second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge and L2 comprehension skills. One of the unique aspects of listening comprehension that sets it apart from reading comprehension is the mode of delivery—language input is delivered not visually but aurally. Somewhat surprisingly, however, this difference has not always been considered, and in fact L2 listening studies are more often accompanied by written tests (of, e.g., vocabulary knowledge) than by aural tests. Few studies have systematically examined the impact of modality on comprehension skills and linguistic variables such as vocabulary either, despite the long-standing view of language skills being multimodal. In this study, therefore, I first examined the degree to which aural and written vocabulary is separate constructs. Then I examined how each of those constructs explains listening and reading comprehension skills differently. By using latent variable modeling, I also addressed limitations in previous studies, including undue influence from measurement error and unique characteristics of particular tests.One hundred eighty-five adult Japanese learners of English took four aural and four written English vocabulary tests, with parallel test formats across the modalities to allow for comparison. The effect of words was averaged out by counterbalancing eight property-matched sets of words. The participants also took listening and reading comprehension tests. The dimensionality of vocabulary knowledge was examined by comparing one-factor and multi-factor models. The unique contribution of aural and written vocabulary knowledge to listening and reading comprehension was evaluated by latent variable path analysis. The difference in the sizes of aural and written vocabulary knowledge was examined by latent means modeling. The results of the study were nuanced. Modality effects were observed in the sense that (1) a two-factor model of vocabulary knowledge with aural and written vocabulary had a significantly better fit to the data than a one-factor model, (2) aural vocabulary knowledge uniquely explained some variance in listening comprehension skills, and (3) the participants’ aural vocabulary size was significantly smaller than their written vocabulary size. However, the effects of modality were limited in the sense that (1) the aural and written vocabulary knowledge factors were very highly correlated and (2) the common part of the two factors—general vocabulary knowledge—explained much more variance in each of listening and reading comprehension skills than modality-specific knowledge. These results suggest that, although aural versus written test modality effects do seem to exist in L2 vocabulary knowledge and comprehension skills, its practical impact is small compared with that of general vocabulary knowledge at least in the context where words are presented in isolation as in the present study.Item A SLICE OF HOME: MUSIC & CULTURE IN A US-BASED CARIBBEAN STEELBAND COMMUNITY(2024) Francis, Josanne Fiona; Prichard, Stephanie; Grisé, Adam; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of participants in a specific Caribbean steelband community music program in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Using an ethnographic case study design, I focused on the youth-serving community steelband, Caribbean Steel Pulse (CSP). Guided by research questions on teaching and learning, cultural identity, and musical experiences within this context, my methodology was enriched by my insider perspective.I gathered data from observations and in-depth interviews with four participants—a student, two instructors, and two administrative personnel. Through my analysis, I identified four main themes: Family, Service, Cultural Identity and Continuity, and (M/m)usic (E/e)ducation. My findings revealed that teaching and learning in this “informal” Music Education space is a multifaceted process incorporating practical, theoretical, historical, and interpersonal elements. The dichotomy between traditional steelband methods, such as rote learning, and Western music theory in Caribbean Steel Pulse fostered a holistic understanding of music theory and performance while honoring cultural heritage. Participants' narratives highlighted both national and Afro/Caribbean diasporic identities. The steelband community of CSP provided a space for discovering, expressing and affirming these identities, facilitated by the inclusive and supportive environment of the parent organization, Caribbean Cultural Academy (CCA). This study highlights the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in music education, and the important role of youth-serving community music organizations in identity development, and music education. CCA's model, which minimizes financial and bureaucratic barriers to entry, contrasts with traditional school music programs that often inadvertently exclude economically disadvantaged students.Item A MON AMI: DEDICATED WORKS FOR TROMBONE AND PIANO SINCE 1915 THAT BECAME STANDARD LITERATURE.(2024) Cruz, Gilberto Alejandro; Gekker, Chris; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dedications, and furthermore commissions, have played a vital role in expanding the repertoire for so many instruments but especially for the trombone. From the last over one hundred years we look at five dedicated works for trombone and piano since 1915 that became standard literature. Works include Cavatine for Trombone and Piano by Camille Saint-Saëns (Dedicated to George W. Stewart), Romance for Trombone and Piano by Axel Jørgensen (Dedicated to Anton Hansen), Sonata (Vox Gabrieli) for Trombone and Piano by Stepjan Šulek (Dedicated to William F. Cramer), Sonata for Trombone and Piano by Eric Ewazen (Dedicated to Michael Powell), and Red Dragonfly Sonata for Trombone and Piano by Amy Riebs Mills (Dedicated to Megumi Kanda.) With research on each work, dedicatee, and composer with interviews with Ronald Barron, Per Brevig, Eric Ewazen, and Megumi Kanda.