https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/7740 Sat, 24 Oct 2026 07:45:08 GMT 2026-10-24T07:45:08Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150056 Title: Scripting a multicultural future : the Chinese and Korean songs of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army Authors: Heward, Lehyla G. Abstract: Hundreds of military songs are credited to the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army (NAUA). The NAUA was a coalition of Chinese and Korean guerrilla armies that operated in Northeast China during the Manchukuo period (1932–45). The NAUA used songs to teach and inculcate new behaviors in line with socialist and communist ideologies. Most importantly, the songs worked on an emotional level, meaning that they conveyed collective sentiments while also directing their appropriate expression in order to foster camaraderie and boost morale. Drawing from concepts formulated by historians of emotions, I argue that the NAUA became what Barbara Rosenwein terms an “emotional community.” As such, the NAUA defied strict nationalist sentiments primarily due to the discursive power and easy dissemination of the military songs. The Chinese and Korean songs, along with their aesthetic features, have not been studied comprehensively. As literary products of a tumultuous era, the NAUA songs deliver historical evidence of the transnational and transcultural ideologies present in resistance groups across the Japanese empire. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150056 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149454 Title: Familiar strangers : images and voices of Soviet allies in dubbed films in 1950s China Authors: Hu, Nan Abstract: After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), dubbed Soviet films became an important tool to promote the Sino-Soviet alliance among the Chinese people. This essay explores the representation of the Soviet allies through the dubbing of Soviet films in 1950s China, with a focus on not only the content of these voices, but also the techniques and aesthetics of voicing. It shows that although designed by the PRC to produce an image of the Soviets as relatable and familiar, these films also produced an image of strangers, which allowed alternative imaginations of the Soviet characters and the Sino-Soviet relationship. This paper argues for the ambiguity of the image of the “Soviet big brothers” in dubbed films in the 1950s, which disrupted the official imagination of the relationship between the Chinese and the world. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149454 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148689 Title: The reception of ancient Mesopotamia in modern Iraqi art : a study on Dia Al-Azzawi’s visual depictions Abstract: This research presents a reception-based analysis of Mesopotamian imagery in modern Iraqi art, with a specific focus on the work of Dia al-Azzawi. The study situates itself within the emergence of Iraqi modernism, a period in which questions of identity were negotiated through the intersection of Western modernist aesthetics and Mesopotamian cultural heritage. It examines five selected works by al-Azzawi, alongside comparative material from four other Iraqi artists, namely Jewad Selim, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, Hana Malallah, and Faisel Laibi Sahi. Methodologically, the study employs visual analysis, reception theory, and postcolonial approaches to examine how Mesopotamian motifs are interpreted, reconfigured, and recontextualised within modern Iraqi artistic practices. In doing so, it investigates how stylistic choices and visual strategies reflect broader concerns of cultural identity, historical memory, and postcolonial negotiation in Iraqi art. The research argues that Mesopotamian imagery in Iraqi modernism functions not as a static reference to antiquity, but as an active and evolving visual language through which questions of national identity, displacement, and postcolonial consciousness are continuously negotiated. It further demonstrates that while artists share a common engagement with heritage, their approaches (with specific reference to Dia al-Azzawi’s approach) differ significantly in terms of formal strategy, symbolic depth, and conceptual intent. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148689 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148686 Title: Translating ‘America’ by Wenyen Gu : a study in cross-cultural translation Abstract: The main goal of this thesis is to fill the translation gap of Chinese ‘New Generation’ authors and their representation of contemporary disillusionment for English readers. My work aims to strive away from the Chinese literature that is already on the rise and focus on less popular, but just as important, Chinese literary works. In recent days the emphasis in contemporary Chinese literature has switched to a more personal exploration of modern society and the inner struggles of the individual. The writers of the ‘New Generation’ have developed a more global viewpoint and increased formal experimentation, resulting in works that exhibit greater individualism and diversity in both form and content. I have tried to fill this gap by translating a short story titled “America” by a ‘New Generation’ author Wenyan Gu. My reflection analyzes the Mandarin literary language as well as go through excerpts from the source text and my translated version to explain the decisions I have made and reasons as to why I made such choices. As my translation is the first ten-thousand characters of the story, my purpose is to show an introductory section of the novella to English readers on how complex and fascinating the Chinese culture is through literature. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148686 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z