Landscape’s Revenge

Drawing from diverse critical traditions from Latin-America and Europe, this work posits the landscape as the pathway to the hidden, dark depths of Robert Walser’s and Bernardo Carvalho’s literary projects. Behind the deceivingly idyllic or exotic sceneries lies a fictional stage riddled with irony and failure, with anti-heroes and outcasts who, with their dying breaths, narrate a world that is slowly undoing itself

Landscape’s Revenge

Drawing from diverse critical traditions from Latin-America and Europe, this work posits the landscape as the pathway to the hidden, dark depths of Robert Walser’s and Bernardo Carvalho’s literary projects. Behind the deceivingly idyllic or exotic sceneries lies a fictional stage riddled with irony and failure, with anti-heroes and outcasts who, with their dying breaths, narrate a world that is slowly undoing itself

Expert and lay representations of GM food: Implications for risk communication.

This thesis is conducted in two parts. The first part investigates expert and lay representations of GM food risk using the Carnegie Mellon University approach (Granger Morgan at al, 2002) and social representations theory (Moscovici,1984). Elite interviews were followed by focus group discussions with lay people to explore how GM food risks are understood by both parties. Expert and lay perceptions differ on a wide range of issues. In contrast to experts, lay participants are particularly concerned with various non-scientific risk dimensions, such as trust and values. These moral and ethical concerns cannot be addressed through the provision of scientific information alone as the Carnegie Mellon University approach suggests. Social representations theory offers an alternative to this top-down approach by showing that, rather than erroneous knowledge, lay participants' non-scientific concerns express ways of understanding GM food. The second part of the thesis focuses on one particular non-scientific dimension of lay GM food representations, namely the concept 'messing with nature', and examines the social construction of nature and naturalness in relation to food. 188 respondents completed an internet-administered free associations task to establish in depth what lay people mean when they judge GM food to be 'unnatural'. The findings show that the concept of 'messing with nature ' can be firmly established as a major risk dimension in relation to GM food. Moreover, rather than being solely material, both food and nature have significant symbolic and affective dimensions. This indicates that GM food risks are social in part- they are representations that have socio-cultural and value dimensions and with all this they are disputed. In turn, this has a range of implications for risk communication

The social construction of "Sadomasochism" : subjugated knowledges and the broader social meanings of this bodily practice

The central ideas of this critical criminological thesis on the social construction of "Sadomasochism" are informed by Michel Foucault's politization of "truth" and "body" and represent an attempt to engage in politics of difference'(Sawicki.l991)in order to appreciate the contemporary expansion of the body practice' of consensual SM'.In order to avoid the traditional dualism of mind/body which 'haunts' much of feminist and deconstructionist accounts on ' sexuality'.my thesis draws on Merleau-Pontv's notion of' lived body'.The ' Spanner'-case[R.v.Brown: 1992-93 Jand the following decision of the European Court of Human Rights (19.2.1997)are taken as a point of departure in order to explore the relationship between legitimised concepts of 'bodv-practice' and the now legallv restricted 'body-practice' of consensual 'SM'.The first chapter of this thesis attempts to defamiliarize the social constructions of' sexuality' and 'Sadomasochism' as well as the "body' and 'pain' as these are 'normalising' concepts of'truth'. In this context the exploration of the meanings of 'body' and 'sexuality' in contemporary consumer culture is crucial as the criminalisation of consensual ' SM' which involves woundings that are not' trifling or transient' is based on the protection of health' of the bodies' involved. The following chapter focuses on the empirical research on consensual' SM'-bodv-practice which I conducted within a mainly qualitative research-framework and an interactionist emphasis on meaning during 1996/97 in London and thus provides space for the'subjugated knowledges' of this consensual body-practice'.The exposure of socially legitimized powerelationships which are in many ways contradicted by the realities of "Sadomasochism" is the aim of chapter four of this thesis. Within this chapter I attempt to point out several contradictions of constructed meaning that the social construction of 'Sadomasochism' serves to keep hidden via its function of 'Other'. The project of deconstruction thus not only implies the deconstruction of concepts but also aims to expose:"...the problems which reside in the endeavour to keep meaning pure.to say 'just this' and not 'that'.because 'just this' always depends on 'that' which it is not."(Naffine.l997.p.89) Chapter five reflects upon the empirical data and attempts to outline the potential broader social meanings of the rising interest in the consensual bodily practice'of 'SM' within contemporary postmodern' consumer culture.Chapter six offers an insight and exploration of the to my knowledge not vet empirically researched upon spiritual dimension of consensual 'Sadomasochism' and introduces the notion of transcendence. Apart from the evaluation of the results of a questionnaire on this topic.diverse examples of other historical spiritual practices.The conclusion of this thesis attempts to offer an alternative reading of the bodily practice' of consensual 'SM' as a potential 'practice of resistance' and also explores its potential relevance in connection to Foucault's notion of the care of oneself

Preaching in the \u27Hear\u27 and Now: Justification, Development, and Assessment of \u27Parabolic Engagement\u27 Pedogogy in French-Speaking Missionary Settings

This thesis argues the utility of ‘parabolic engagement’ method for preachers and listeners in the French Antillean context. The opening chapter defines key terms and clarifies how this imaged sermonic style addresses the listening habits of targeted audiences. It explains that figured delivery is often context-interpretive, involving a more personal, experiential decoding by the listener. Engagement technique increases auditor involvement and creates unique communicative rapport. The chapter points out that the entire experimental process validates the usefulness of the pedagogy. Part One addresses the theological rationale for ‘parabolic engagement’ method. Chapter Two reviews appropriate literature with respect to engagement. Chapter Three argues the biblical basis for creating a method of figured preaching. Chapter Four discusses how precise homiletic situations demand a circumstantial approach to engaging delivery. Part Two attempts to synthesize a broad range of image-creation methodologies and make them suitable for teaching among oral peoples. Chapter Five shows the necessity of a grammar for figured proclamation pedagogy. Chapter Six develops simplified classical methods for finding the illustrative crux of an idea or text. Chapter Seven shows the need to then engage the listener by means of analogous correspondence with the concrete world. Chapter Eight explores how circumstantial factors encourage the transformation of engaging analogies into extended narratives. Part Three validates the thesis within the missionary setting. Chapter Nine describes the suitability of ‘parabolic engagement’ method among Creoles and European French on the island of Martinique. Chapter Ten establishes an experimental design by specifying components, clarifying how the hypotheses were tested, justifying data collection methods, and explaining the use of participatory action research and educational ethnography. Chapter Eleven details the implementation, measurement, and success of engagement strategies. Lastly, Chapter Twelve argues for the utility of ‘parabolic engagement’ and posits generalizations by summarizing the merits, conclusions, and limitations of the model

Attitudes to upper respiratory infections, antibiotics and bacterial resistance: Managing common respiratory infections and promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics by the general population.

The public, as the users of antibiotics, can contribute to the control of bacterial resistance. National and international campaigns have recommended public education to promote the judicious and safe use of antibiotics, and in particular, reducing antibiotic use and misuse in upper respiratory tract infections. Campaigns, however, have not been informed by detailed understanding of public attitudes to the problem. Although previous studies have explored lay perceptions of common infections and antibiotics, public attitudes to bacterial resistance, beliefs about antibiotic use in relation to bacterial resistance and the attitudes towards respiratory tract infection influencing antibiotic use are under researched. This thesis addresses this gap using a grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews with members of community groups were conducted across South East Wales. By analysing patterns and connections between various beliefs this thesis shows that historical antecedents and beliefs about dirt and germs act as prototypes for current beliefs about resistant infection. Most respondents did not feel that they have a personal role in either the cause or control of bacterial resistance. Lay beliefs about aetiology resided in both traditional and biomedical models. There was a reliance on medicines, and specifically antibiotic attachment, which contributed to self-medication and expectations for antibiotics during upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Promoting public engagement in the control of bacterial resistance requires a number of approaches to behavioural change. In relation to antibiotic use efforts to promote adherence to antibiotic regimes need to address beliefs about antibiotics, forgetfulness and practical barriers to adherence but also to reduce public expectations for antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections by enhancing understanding about the microbial causes of URTI. Efforts to reduce antibiotic use, however, need also to address the wider meaning and the reliance on antibiotics. Public engagement in the control of infection through hand washing should be promoted as an effective way to reduce the risk community acquired resistant infection

A history of the Xhosa, c1700-1835

The boundaries of the territory occupied by the Xhosa fluctuated considerably, but in the period 1700-1835 they did not often extend west of the Sundays River, or east of the Mbashe River, along the coastal strip which separates the escarpment of South Africa's inland plateau from the Indian Ocean. It is an area of temperate grassland, permitting the cultivation of cereals and light crops, such as maize, millet, tobacco and pumpkins but better suited to stock-farming than intensive agriculture