"Defacement asks what happens when something precious is despoiled. It begins with the notion that such activity is attractive in its very repulsion, and that it creates something sacred even in the most secular of societies and circumstances. In specifying the human face as the…
"Defacement asks what happens when something precious is despoiled. It begins with the notion that such activity is attractive in its very repulsion, and that it creates something sacred even in the most secular of societies and circumstances. In specifying the human face as the…
This dissertation examines the palace architecture of Adamaoua and North provinces of northern Cameroon. It is concerned largely with the palaces of the sub-emirates of the Sokoto Empire, founded immediately before and after the commencement of the jihad of Usumanu dan Fodio whi…
This research (the first long-term ethnographic study of FOI in Britain) investigates concepts at the heart of FOI - transparency, trust, secrecy, truth, private, public, power and agency. Eighteen months participant observation fieldwork, alongside policy-makers, practitioners,…
This dissertation explores evidence and provides insight to secrecy-related information actions that can and are sometimes used as a method to circumvent established government policy and law. These information actions may also be used to cover up such circumventions after the f…
Why do states use secrecy? Specifically, why do great powers often seem to create a kind of "backstage" area around local conflicts? That is, why create a covert realm where external powers can meddle in local conflicts to pursue their security interests? This project generally …
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a universal issue affecting many communities that result in immediate short- and long-term consequences. The purpose of this study was to gain insight on how African American female survivors describe their sexual abuse experience, results of disc…
Conventionally, the era that begins after the death of celebrated Ottoman sultan Süleyman I in 1566 is seen as the beginning of Ottoman decline. In line with the decline paradigm, late sixteenth century is also accepted as a time of political turmoil. This period is characterize…
Some secrets are good and some are bad. When somebody asks you to keep a secret about something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you might not know what to do. Should you keep the secret because the person is your friend, or a member of your family, or someone older than you t…
Secrets and Leaks examines the complex relationships among executive power, national security, and secrecy. State secrecy is vital for national security, but it can also be used to conceal wrongdoing. How then can we ensure that this power is used responsibly? Typically, the onu…
"Philosophical esotericism--the practice of communicating one's unorthodox thoughts 'between the lines'--was a common practice until the end of the eighteenth century. The famous Encyclopédie of Diderot, for instance, not only discusses this practice in over twenty different art…
Philosophical esotericism--the practice of communicating one's unorthodox thoughts "between the lines"--Was a common practice until the end of the eighteenth century. The famous Encyclopédie of Diderot, for instance, not only discusses this practice in over twenty different arti…