Empirical Report

Thematic analysis exercises seek to identify major themes from scenarios in an exercise that
culminates into a detailed empirical report. The report relies on an audio clip, which was
transcribed into the main life events of Mah Hussain-Gambles to provide the main material
from which to decipher thematic aspects. Several transition moments have enabled both
Frank and Mah to move from refugee status in England to accomplished scholars, business
owners, and managers. Consequently, the thematic analysis identified that both Frank Land
and Mah Hussain-Gambles relied heavily on alienation, Anglophone redemption, and self-
determination to change their respective situations from refugee status to accomplished
scholar and business managers and owners. The thematic attributes that enabled such
transition for both characters are alienation from Germany and Afghanistan, respectively,
Anglophone redemption, and self-determination. Both characters relied on these three themes
in slightly different ways to assimilate themselves into English society, get a decent
education, and establish successful businesses that provided them with justification to
continue living in their new refuges.

3

Introduction

Empirical reports are based on either experimentation or observations to analyze
scenarios and arrive at informed conclusions. They rely on highly formal structures to ensure
that the learner breaks down the scenarios into useful components, which would be necessary
in a thematic analysis of Mah Hussain-Gambles’ audio transcript using Frank Land’s
thematic characteristics as he transitions in his life. Although Frank Land’s life encompasses
his post-World War Two accomplishments, they have the same characteristics as the main
protagonist in the thematic analysis exercise. Consequently, the thematic analysis identified
that both Frank Land and Mah Hussain-Gambles relied heavily on alienation, Anglophone
redemption, and self-determination to change their respective situations from refugee status
to accomplished scholar and business managers and owners.
Thematic Analysis

Alienation
Frank Land explained how he grew up in a wealthy family in Germany, benefiting
from a good life before the German Nazi take-over when Adolf Hitler took power, which
introduces the first theme of alienation relative to the audio script about Mah Hussain-
Gambles. Frank Land stated how growing up in pre0-Nazi Germany was a positive
experience in Berlin. The family lived in a nice apartment in the city before the Nazis took
power and confiscated everything they owned. Immediately after that happened, Frank’s
family is alienated from their comfortable life because of their Jewish roots meaning they are
enemies of the state by default. While fleeing to England, Frank’s uncle is accosted by Nazi
officers and condemned to Dachau concentration camps (Bryant & Land, 2020). Once out of
the German territory, Frank has to rely on his lackluster grasp of the English language,
abandoning his German roots and beginning life as both a secretive Jew in a foreign land.
This theme of alienation applies to Mah Hussain-Gambles as well as demonstrated in her

4
audio confession of having Afghan roots but also growing up in Pakistan. While the
accomplished scholar has made a comfortable life in England, she was also alienated from
her roots and origins while young in part due to political strife and poverty in Afghanistan
(Sommer et al., 2018). She also benefited from early schooling in Pakistan in much the same
way Frank was schooled in England after fleeing from Germany due to Nazi occupation.
Therefore, the theme of alienation takes center stage once both protagonists’ storylines
become evident.
Further along the same theme of alienation, Frank has to assimilate himself to the
English lifestyle, schooling, and even industry. He understood that life in Germany was gone
once the racist Nazi occupation began condemning and exterminating Jews. He understands
the need to let go of his original identity as a way of getting closure and moving on with his
life to the extent of changing his name from Landsberger to Land. Land sounded more
English and would make identification with the company he was keen to start with brother
easier for English customers. Therefore, Frank further alienates himself through assimilation
when he changes the family name to an alternative that is more Anglophile, in a manner that
resembles the way Mah Hussain-Gambles assimilation in the UK. Once she studied
Pharmacology at the University of Sunderland, she decided to change the remnants of her
Urdu legacy to English immigrant to ensure she could get a job quickly and settle in the
country. She not only got a job as a chemical technician but also advanced her postgraduate
studies to a Ph.D. level and even published scientific papers in British journals (Hussain-
Gambles, n.d.). Mah Hussain-Gambles also sought to contribute to the English society and
economy that had saved her by setting up a cosmetic business with her pharmacology skills
and knowledge, demonstrating the extreme degree to which she has alienated herself from the
past troublesome life.

5

Anglophone Redemption
Frank Land’s family was attacked in Berlin, Germany, when the Nazi occupation
began soon after Hitler ascended to power, pushing the Landsberger family to seek solace
and refuge in England, which demonstrated the Anglophone redemption that has been a
common theme for more than a century. Britain and her UK counterparts have been involved
in almost all major global conflicts since World War One, and many European and Asian
refugees had to seek refuge in England when they faced religious, ethnic, or even political
persecution. Frank had learned some basic English language while in school due to the
family’s economic abilities, which enabled the children to access decent grammar schools
(Bryant & Land, 2020). Therefore, when the family settles in England, they do not face as
much difficulty as refugees from other parts of the world. Similarly, Mah Hussain-Gambles
also benefits from Anglophone redemption in the form of her family moving from Pakistan to
the UK. She was able to learn the English language and abandon the Urdu dialect, and also
attended the University of Sunderland before getting a decent job as a polyurethane chemist
in a company (Hussain-Gambles, n.d.). Therefore, the theme of Anglophone redemption in
the form of Frank Land moving into the UK and settling in the country to the point of starting
a successful company is replicated in Mah Hussain’s life. She also benefits from access to the
politically and socioeconomically stable UK society, where she can go to school and even
start a business.
Anglophone redemption rears its head as a major theme in both Frank Land and Mah
Hussain’s life transitions when one considers their access to post-secondary schooling and the
effects such academic strife had on their subsequent lives. Frank Land started his studies
earlier but was able to excel in the alienated English society to a point she graduated with a
degree from the London School of Economics. Such prestigious academic credentials in the

6
UK at a time when the society was still reeling from the effects of World War Two afforded
Frank Land numerous opportunities, and after discussing the same with his brother, they
decided to begin the J. Lyon & Company. Similarly, Mah Hussain-Gambles benefits from her
Pharmacology degree from the University of Sunderland, which enabled her to get
employment as a polyurethane chemist at a local company. The emphasis on decent
postgraduate education in the United Kingdom to complement the skills and talents of its
inhabitants in building the economy is evident in both protagonists’ life journeys (Sommer et
al., 2018). The transition moments for both Frank and Mah relied heavily on access to decent
university education as both protagonists went on to improve their lives due in part to the
decent academic education obtained from their respective English universities. Therefore,
Anglophone redemption takes yet another form of university education in prestigious
universities enabling the immigrants to access the competitive English job market and
succeed in life subsequently.
Self Determination
Frank Land’s self-determination enables him to seek asylum in England alongside his
family when other Jews from Germany facing persecution seek refuge in other parts of
Europe and make a successful life in the new country under his own terms. The Landsberger
family has to flee from Germany when the Nazi occupation begins rooting out Jews and
assassinating them in mass genocide shows. However, the family has decent socioeconomic
abilities and finds its way to England, save for Frank’s uncle, who was arrested and sent to
Dachau. Once in England, Frank and his family have to rely on self-determination to
assimilate themselves and settle in their new home. He uses his basic English language skills
to get by in the new country and also his sharp intellect to excel in academics as he
understands that only good education will establish his family in the new country. Eventually,
Frank Land achieved academic excellence in the form of economics degrees from the London

7
School of Economics and started a successful business venture (Bryant & Land, 2020). It is
through self-determination that Frank Land transitions from refugee status in England to a
successful academic and businessman.
Similarly, self-determination enables Mah Hussain-Gambles to pursue a good grasp
of the English language and its culture when the family moves into the country from
Pakistan. She also decides to abandon her Urdu legacy and pursue her studies relentlessly, as
demonstrated by her Pharmacology degree from a prestigious UK university, subsequent
completion of postgraduate studies to Ph.D. levels, and even a personal business venture
(Hussain-Gambles, n.d.). Evidently, the two protagonists have utilized self-determination to
establish themselves in the alien English society where self-determination is a major
ingredient of success (Pereira et al., 2021). They also leveraged Anglophone redemption and
self-determination to create successful lives and business ventures.

Conclusion

Thematic analysis exercises that rely on empirical reports are structured reports that
use observation to extract the desired outcomes from the scenario provided. The analytical
process relies on intensive reading, which seeks to identify commonalities or distinct themes
in the scenarios provided. Frank Land’s story makes several claims about thematic
characteristics that complemented his transition in life. Several transition moments have
enabled both Frank and Mah to move from refugee status in England to accomplished
scholars, business owners, and managers. The thematic attributes that enabled such transition
for both characters are alienation from Germany and Afghanistan, respectively, Anglophone
redemption, and self-determination. Both characters relied on these three themes in slightly
different ways to assimilate themselves into English society, get a decent education, and
establish successful businesses that provided them with justification to continue living in their
new refuges.

8

References

Bryant, A., & Land, F. (2020). A ‘conversation’ between Frank land (FL) and Antony
Bryant (AB): Part I. Journal of Information Technology, 35(4), 361-
375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268396220908274
Pereira, P., Marinho, D. A., & Santos, F. (2021). Positive motivational climates, physical
activity, and sport participation through self-determination theory: Striving for
quality physical education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation &
Dance, 92(6), 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2021.1936307
Sommer, I., Kien, C., Faustmann, A., Gibson, L., Schneider, M., Krczal, E., Jank, R., &
Gartlehner, G. (2018). Prevalence of mental disorders in young refugees and asylum-
seekers in European countries. European Journal of Public Health, 28(10), 1295-
1310.. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky212.455