My research is about musicians, visual artists, music collectors, fans, curators and cultural activists, participating in the popular discourse of music through relevant music activities. It... Show moreMy research is about musicians, visual artists, music collectors, fans, curators and cultural activists, participating in the popular discourse of music through relevant music activities. It narrates these people, with some of their music-based plans and initiatives. It also narrates the implementation of the plans and initiatives takes place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It takes place in an urban media infrastructure setting. I employ self-organizing, collectivism, and institutionalization of cultural production as useful concepts to define the alternative milieu. It is the milieu which shapes the production of tools and ways of organizing a series of action on managing music, culture, and life. Music, which also serves as a commons, emerges as a horizon of possibilities, or a means, to be managed and maintained for different purposes. I propose sustainability as a shared imagination of what doing music means. The articulation of such imagination informs the structure of the dissertation. The structure articulates the questions brought about by managing commons; they are the questions about a sense of security, sustainability, and documentation. It provides insights into what aspects that the people need to work on when they think about music. Show less
The analysis of the relationship between legitimacy and reform is complex. This is because 'political reform' consists of an array of institutional reforms.The general question guiding this project... Show moreThe analysis of the relationship between legitimacy and reform is complex. This is because 'political reform' consists of an array of institutional reforms.The general question guiding this project is whether the introduction of reform helps boost the legitimacy of the democratic system: does the impact of reform on legitimacy vary with the type of reform, or with the process of reform. To answer these questions, this study also seeks to establish how many reforms have taken place, what types of reform have been introduced and under what circumstances these reforms occur. Show less
The Zimbabwean issue has often divided opinion. President Robert Mugabe's domination of the country__s political and media landscapes has attracted scrutiny and criticism from the West. The ... Show moreThe Zimbabwean issue has often divided opinion. President Robert Mugabe's domination of the country__s political and media landscapes has attracted scrutiny and criticism from the West. The "oppressed" people of Zimbabwe are said to have not had an alternative to state-sponsored TV or daily media outlets. The availability of new media vices including the Internet is being seen as offering a new platform to fight these perceived forms of dictatorships. This PhD employed qualitative methods to probe the potential of new media in sustaining democracy in Zimbabwe. Show less
