The civilizations of ancient China and Mesoamerica, although not historically related and obviously different in many specific aspects (such as language and writing), show many interesting... Show moreThe civilizations of ancient China and Mesoamerica, although not historically related and obviously different in many specific aspects (such as language and writing), show many interesting commonalities and similar tendencies in their cultural manifestations. The aim of this thesis is to examine the validity of contemporary cosmological interpretations of architecture and related visual art in both regions.In comparing the cosmological characteristics and the performance in the architecture of ancient China and Mesoamerica this thesis has a multidisciplinary focus (considering architecture, archeology, astronomy, history and anthropology). Through comparison, it is found that the two have many similarities in their cosmological theory: they have similar azimuth characteristics (associated with colors, directional gods, seasons, life and death, etc.), their buildings are rich in space orientation; they both have Three Realms (Heaven, Earth, Underworld) and a similar life and death concept, especially they all worship their ancestors; furthermore, they use a similar Calendar Round in their respective calendars. In the performance of architecture, they use their own methods to integrate the concept of cosmology into architectural creation, which makes their architecture establish connections among the cosmos, gods, and time. Show less
The Savage as Living Ghost is a study about four scholarly failures to dismantle the notion of the savage in Western discourse. These scholarly attempts are, broadly, structuralist,... Show moreThe Savage as Living Ghost is a study about four scholarly failures to dismantle the notion of the savage in Western discourse. These scholarly attempts are, broadly, structuralist, poststructuralist, postcolonial or multiculturalist, and decolonial. This study examines these four scholarly attempts by confronting them with close-readings of literary works or films in which the notion of the savage is attached to or associated with Native Americans. As Native Americans constitute the paradigmatic figuration of the savage since the European conquest of America, I focus particularly on the ways the West has constructed Native Americans as savages in this study. In Western discourse, the terms “savage” and “civilized” appear quite frequently in political speeches, the media, academic works, and daily conversation. This study looks critically at the rhetoric of civilization which designates Native Americans as savages and Europeans as civilized, and traces how the notion of the savage serves as a moral and cultural term to establish a hierarchy between Native Americans and the Europeans. Studying this process of othering reveals the dark side of European modernity. Show less
