Caledonia Dreaming : commitment, literature and independence

International audienceThis paper examines the notion of commitment in literature in the contemporary context, and the connection between literature and nationalism in Scotland. It starts with the philosophical reflection on the goal of all art that Alan Riach and Alexander Moffat based their argument on in their book The Arts of Independence (2014), in order to underline the ways commitment is related to the history of cultural nationalism and to the representation of Scottish identity in contemporary literature, in places where this representation does appear. In order to do so, the paper tackles the necessity for artists to eschew what Eleanor Bell calls the postmodern predicament, in particular the dangers of an essentialist approach to Scottishness. It also examines the wider implications of the concept of cultural nationalism, in a context where inferiorism as well as banal nationalism are surfacing again. These recent developments have led artists and critics alike to try to devise new configurations for cultural nationalism, with the return of the idea of an " archipelagic " identity, or with a distinction being drawn between independence and interdependence for example. The part played by the artists in the independence debate, their commitment, has been precisely to promote a literature that looks at what, according to Riach and Moffat, is the essential goal and virtue of all art, to speak to and of our humanity

Identity work and consumption in consultancy firms

This thesis takes the role of consumption as a lens to study how employees of a consultancy firm engage in identity work. It argues that the existing literature explaining the relationship between organizational identity and identity work is limited. This study suggests that consumption as a construct enables an explanation of the aforementioned relationship. Particularly findings from this study suggest that consumption: (i) fosters homology between consultants and clients (ii), consultants use consumption as a resource to construct a sense of identity as well as to do work, (iii) suggest that consultants' consumption practices are influenced by the organizational identity, and, (iv) organizational identity is refined through employee consumption practices. This thesis concludes by discussing the importance of consumption to organizational identity and identity work, as well as areas for future research

Melancholia and conviviality in modern literary Scots : Sanghas, Sengas and Shairs

This paper considers the visions of Scottish identity projected in twenty-first century, post-devolution Scots literature, and seeks to read them against Paul Gilroy’s Postcolonial Melancholia (2005) which examines the protean identities of post-imperial Britain. Gilroy looks particularly at social and artistic manifestations of racial and cultural inequality, although conceding that there is also room for a ‘postcolonial conviviality’ that celebrates diversity. His critique of this ‘Britain’ is, however, selectively constructed, making only passing reference to the constituent nations of the United Kingdom, and no space is devoted to an evaluation of post-colonial Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. As yet, no comparable analysis is forthcoming for these ‘home nations’, so this paper attempts to outline the ways in which Scottish—and particularly Scots—literature may provide relevant comparable cultural commentary. Focus is given here to literature written in Scots because the choice to write in Scots is strongly politically motivated and speaks immediately to the question of cultural inequality and loss. Specific attention is paid to Matthew Fitt’s But n Ben A-Go-Go (2000), Suhayl Saadi’s Psychoraag (2004), and Anne Donovan’s Buddha Da (2003), which various engage with questions of personal and national identity as their main characters take part in their personal journeys

Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Powertrain

Hybrid powertrains represent the current trend on passenger cars. The purpose of thisreport is to create a basic model of a hybrid powertrain in Matlab/Simulinkenvironment and study their performance over certification driving cycle. Threecommonly used architectures are modeled and discussed in Simulink. Hence, the basiccomponents of a powertrain – battery, electric machine and combustion engine – arestudied and basic models are realized. A Thevenin equivalent circuit is used to simulatethe behavior of the battery, and the combustion engine is modeled after a Willansmodel. The electric machine model is based on a known efficiency map. Then, thearchitectures are created as well as their control strategies. The control strategies arecreated through state diagrams, and implemented into the Simulink model viaStateflow charts. A validation procedure is presented in order to study the consistencyof the models.Hybrid drivlinor representerar en central personbilstrend. Syftet med rapporten är attpresentera en grundläggande modell för en hybrid drivlina i Matlab/Simulink. Trearkitekturer behandlas och har implementerats i Simulink. Sedan studeras degrundläggande komponenterna i ett drivaggregat (batteri, elmaskin ochförbränningsmotor). En Thevenin-ekvivalent krets används för att simulera batterietsbeteende. Förbränningsmotorn är modellerad efter en Willans-modell.Elmaskinmodellen är baserad på en känd verkningsgradsmapp. De tillhörandestyrstrategierna med hjälp av tillståndsdiagram. De implementeras i Simulinkmodellenmed hjälp av Stateflow-diagram. Ett valideringsförfarande presenteras ochvisar modellernas konsistens

Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Powertrain

Hybrid powertrains represent the current trend on passenger cars. The purpose of thisreport is to create a basic model of a hybrid powertrain in Matlab/Simulinkenvironment and study their performance over certification driving cycle. Threecommonly used architectures are modeled and discussed in Simulink. Hence, the basiccomponents of a powertrain – battery, electric machine and combustion engine – arestudied and basic models are realized. A Thevenin equivalent circuit is used to simulatethe behavior of the battery, and the combustion engine is modeled after a Willansmodel. The electric machine model is based on a known efficiency map. Then, thearchitectures are created as well as their control strategies. The control strategies arecreated through state diagrams, and implemented into the Simulink model viaStateflow charts. A validation procedure is presented in order to study the consistencyof the models.Hybrid drivlinor representerar en central personbilstrend. Syftet med rapporten är attpresentera en grundläggande modell för en hybrid drivlina i Matlab/Simulink. Trearkitekturer behandlas och har implementerats i Simulink. Sedan studeras degrundläggande komponenterna i ett drivaggregat (batteri, elmaskin ochförbränningsmotor). En Thevenin-ekvivalent krets används för att simulera batterietsbeteende. Förbränningsmotorn är modellerad efter en Willans-modell.Elmaskinmodellen är baserad på en känd verkningsgradsmapp. De tillhörandestyrstrategierna med hjälp av tillståndsdiagram. De implementeras i Simulinkmodellenmed hjälp av Stateflow-diagram. Ett valideringsförfarande presenteras ochvisar modellernas konsistens

Assembling Club Cultures: Disc Jockeys as Cultural Intermediaries

Cultural intermediaries have been considered as influential agents capable of influencing consumption practices. Existing research on cultural intermediaries draws extensively on works of Pierre Bourdieu to conceptualize cultural intermediaries as well as to provide a theoretical planform through which to analyze cultural intermediary practices. Empirical works drawing on Bourdieu tend to depict cultural intermediaries as a static category; as agents standing and intermediating between realms of culture and consumption. Recently, assemblage theorizing has gained traction within the cultural intermediary academic dialog as a contending approach seeking to provide a more dynamic view pertinent to cultural intermediary practices. In this dissertation, I draw on the latter to depict a dynamic view of cultural intermediary practices. This dissertation is based on an ethnographic study of the underground electronic music club scene in Helsinki, Finland. Data comprising this research comprises of field notes, in-depth interviews, photographs and netnographic data. The ethnographic endeavor lasted for about 3 years. This dissertation contributes to cultural intermediary academic dialogue in a number of ways. First, I seek to go beyond the notion of regimes of mediation and portray a picture of cultural intermediary work as a dynamic process belonging to a number of nested sets of assemblages. Secondly, I bring forth material agency as an important element in mediating how music is consumed and musical styles are qualified. And lastly, by depicting the process of assembling club cultures, I show how such a process fosters a sonic consumer subjectivity

Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Powertrain

Hybrid powertrains represent the current trend on passenger cars. The purpose of thisreport is to create a basic model of a hybrid powertrain in Matlab/Simulinkenvironment and study their performance over certification driving cycle. Threecommonly used architectures are modeled and discussed in Simulink. Hence, the basiccomponents of a powertrain – battery, electric machine and combustion engine – arestudied and basic models are realized. A Thevenin equivalent circuit is used to simulatethe behavior of the battery, and the combustion engine is modeled after a Willansmodel. The electric machine model is based on a known efficiency map. Then, thearchitectures are created as well as their control strategies. The control strategies arecreated through state diagrams, and implemented into the Simulink model viaStateflow charts. A validation procedure is presented in order to study the consistencyof the models.Hybrid drivlinor representerar en central personbilstrend. Syftet med rapporten är attpresentera en grundläggande modell för en hybrid drivlina i Matlab/Simulink. Trearkitekturer behandlas och har implementerats i Simulink. Sedan studeras degrundläggande komponenterna i ett drivaggregat (batteri, elmaskin ochförbränningsmotor). En Thevenin-ekvivalent krets används för att simulera batterietsbeteende. Förbränningsmotorn är modellerad efter en Willans-modell.Elmaskinmodellen är baserad på en känd verkningsgradsmapp. De tillhörandestyrstrategierna med hjälp av tillståndsdiagram. De implementeras i Simulinkmodellenmed hjälp av Stateflow-diagram. Ett valideringsförfarande presenteras ochvisar modellernas konsistens

“Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mother Superior”: la transgression chez Iain Banks et Irvine Welsh

International audienc