https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/70443 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:12:40 GMT 2026-04-06T12:12:40Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101151 Title: Myth and history in the West African novel Abstract: The study of African literatures necessitates a clean break from European and Western assumptions about the function of art and about the role of the artist in the community. The West African writer is deeply involved in the moulding of identity in a situation that is complex and, at times, paradoxical. National consciousness has to evolve within arbitrary boundaries left by colonialism and the African novelist has to create an authentic sense of identity through the English language and a Western genre. These conditions are particular to Africa and their manifestation in the African novel cannot be accounted for in European terms only. This thesis examines myth and history as manifested in the novels of Chinua Achebe, Ayi Kwei Armah and Wole Soyinka. The starting point was an exploration of myth and history in West African novels. This showed that the traditional opposition between mythological thought and historic vision was untenable vis d vis the writer’s practice in Africa. Chinua Achebe, Ayi Kwei Armah and Wole Soyinka all show a mythopoeic sensibility as well as an ethical consciousness. Their recourse to myth rarely leads outside a time referent but is always grounded in the authors’ commitment to their society's actual situation. The novels of Achebe, Armah and Soyinka are explored through the theories of Edward Said, Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha. The practice of the writers themselves in the novels, as well as comments about art and the artist in their essays, pointed towards the work of these theorists. The writers’ own development and their response to the political situations in which they have been, at times, personally involved is also brought to bear on the discussion of the novels. A sincere desire to bring about a fuller understanding of the native element of the novels led to an exploration of historical, religious and sociological material about the Igbo, the Akan and the Yoruba of West Africa. The focus on the indigenous aspect of the novels follows from the rejection of the attitude that privileges ‘universal’-over local elements. This has been done in the consciousness that this process neuters and devitalises an art whose very heart is socio-political commitment. Description: PH.D. Wed, 01 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101151 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/93465 Title: Religion : the disturbing factor in a Mediterranean peace process Abstract: In recent years, there has been much comparative study on the role of religion in international affairs. It has by now become an accepted fact that our century, particularly this last decade or so, has once more seen the rise of religious movements. I particularly find the Mediterranean an interesting case-study in this respect: one cannot ignore the religious factor in conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation in Lebanon, just to mention two prominent examples. The intense, and often disturbing, relationship between religion and politics is a characteristic in this part of the world. Even more interesting are the relations Judaism, Christianity and Islam have with each other. The three Abrahamitic religions, as they are often termed, have co-existed in this region for centuries, although the "co-existence" has many times degenerated into mere "tolerance" or even downright violence. In this study, therefore, I shall be looking at each of these religions in tum and at their place in the history of Mediterranean politics. From these, I have tried to extract values which can be translated into relevant and concrete policy action. Thus, in the first chapter, I have dealt with Judaism and its unique interpretation of the value of redemption, which is perhaps why Judaism has often been called the religion of hope. This is then followed by examples of events in the Mediterranean which have or have not lived up to this value. The second chapter deals with forgiveness as understood in Christian terms. Once again, this is followed up by examples of where and when such a value proved to be so decisive in a particular context. One of the most outstanding examples of this is certainly the formal invitation Pope John Paul II extended to the PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1982. Islam and its emphasis on justice comes in the third chapter. Of all the three, Islam is the only one which makes no distinction between religion and politics, so its notions of justice are indeed very interesting in an era where social injustice is at the heart of practically any conflict. Finally, the fourth chapter deals with the fact that these three values can only make a coherent whole if the three religions decide to cooperate further. Thus, this chapter deals with "interfaith" as a practice which evolved in the 1960s and which has gained an important place in the agenda of each of the three religions. Lastly, for the sake of brevity, this study has been limited to the Mediterranean, so the events that support the arguments belong to the Mediterranean environment. There are therefore many other events, such as the conflict in Northern Ireland, for example, which have not been mentioned. This study has also been limited to the three Abrahamitic religions and in their pure form; by this, I mean to say that I have not gone into much detail regarding the differences within every religion. Islam, for example, differs widely from country to country. Moreover, there are many other theological and social values that are of particular relevance to the issue we are discussing. I have however limited myself to one from each religion, to leave space for its analysis in a political context. Description: B.A.(HONS)INT.REL. Wed, 01 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/93465 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/93000 Title: Security council reform Abstract: Over its first fifty years of existence the United Nations has become an established part of the firmament of international relations, involved in a massive range of activities, many of which are the essence of the functioning of international society. Despite divergent views of the UN Member States as to the actual value of the world Organisation, the need persists for an institution which can, in some way, however imperfectly, articulate the twin ideas of a universal society of states and the cosmopolitan universality of humanity. The Security Council wields considerable power and is precisely the single most important organ of the United Nations. Yet its revival has accentuated the gap between the Security Council itself and Member States not represented on it, and between the Permanent Members and temporary members of the Security Council, thus generating demands that its composition should no longer be dominated by the victors of the Second World War, but should instead accurately reflect the modern world. Description: B.A.(HONS)INT.REL. Wed, 01 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/93000 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/89898 Title: The new Franco-Algerian tensions Abstract: The events that are occurring in Algeria today, are the result of Algeria's turbulent history. The years between 1978 and 1992 led to today's civil-war. Algeria's poor economy, social divisions, corrupt political life and, the spread of Islamic fundamentalism led to the crisis of 1988. With the cancellation of the 1992 elections, hell broke open in Algeria. A civil-war between the military backed junta and the Islamic extremists has left more than 60,000 dead. The conflict spilled over the Mediterranean in 1994 into France. The French government unofficially backs the Algerian regime. French security forces have moved rapidly to isolate any extremist activities in France. A solution that suits both the Islamic extremists and the present government, is still far from being found. In my study of the state of affairs that has developed between these two nations whose pasts are stained with so much blood, I will try to shed some light on the salient points of today's conflict, on how it came about and on its repercussion on both states. Description: B.A.(HONS)INT.REL. Wed, 01 Jan 1997 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/89898 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z