Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:56:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alessandra_ valerio.pdf: 1828536 bytes, checksum: 89dd3fd7694f358de4b3ff9ec3267ef3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-06 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The research presented here is intended to address the literary phenomenon of metafiction and its performance, in particular, from the set of aesthetic and political principles that are conventionally designated by postmodernism, which is assigned the crucial condition descriptor of contemporary culture. From the survey of gaps and critical contradictions of other approaches to the same object, the proposal is to make our own conceptual construction of this fictional model, reminiscent of an important philosophical and literary tradition, articulated around the cognitive and aesthetic development of self-awareness and modern self-reflexivity (GUMBRECHT, 1998). Given that most of the studies of metafiction, until then, tends to exhaust the characteristics of a single object (author, work), exempting to establish wider connections between different self-conscious manifestations and self-reflexive and the epistemic lines in general, which are the forms of contemporary thought, this research seeks to build an interpretive system that integrates these discontinuities in a larger set of self-conscious cultural experiences. It is a connection line between modern literary self-consciousness (CERVANTES, STERNE, JOYCE) and postmodern metafiction, giving evidence of the main differences and connections between forms of activities of self-referential models in each context. To this end, the articulation of an expository approach to literary phenomenon that is not limited to the immanent aspect was necessary, much solidified position on some critical perspectives, but to consider the urgent need to understand literature as a complex communication system. As a result, the theoretical alternative that presented itself as the most productive in this case was the pragmatic approach of the literary act, announced some time ago by the Theory of Speech Acts of Austin and Searle, developed in the literary context by Derrida (1992), Culler (1999) and Maingueneau (1996). / A pesquisa ora apresentada tem por objetivo abordar o fenômeno literário da metaficção e sua atuação, em especial, a partir do conjunto de princípios estéticos e políticos que se convencionou designar por pós-modernismo, ao qual se atribui a condição crucial de descritor da cultura contemporânea. Partindo do levantamento das lacunas e contradições críticas de outras abordagens do mesmo objeto, a proposta é proceder a nossa própria construção conceitual sobre esse modelo ficcional, remanescente de uma importante tradição filosófica e literária, articulada em torno do desenvolvimento cognitivo e estético da autoconsciência e autorreflexividade modernas (GUMBRECHT, 1998). Tendo em vista que a maior parte dos estudos sobre a metaficção, até então, tende a exaurir as particularidades de um único objeto (autor, obra), eximindo-se de estabelecer conexões mais amplas entre as diferentes manifestações autoconscientes e autorreflexivas e as linhas epistêmicas gerais que constituem as formas de atuação do pensamento contemporâneo, a presente investigação procura construir um esquema interpretativo que integre essas descontinuidades em um conjunto maior de experiências culturais autoconscientes. Trata-se de estabelecer uma linha de conexão entre a autoconsciência literária moderna (CERVANTES, STERNE, JOYCE) e a metaficção pós-moderna, que evidencie as principais diferenças e articulações entre as formas de atuação dos modelos autorreferentes em cada contexto. Para tal, foi necessária a articulação de uma abordagem enunciativa do fenômeno literário que não se restringisse aos aspectos imanentes, postura muito solidificada em algumas perspectivas críticas, mas que considerasse a urgente necessidade de compreender a literatura como um sistema complexo de comunicação. Em virtude disso, a alternativa teórica que se apresentou como a mais producente para este caso foi a abordagem pragmática do ato literário, anunciada já há algum tempo pela Teoria dos Atos de Fala de Austin e Searle, desenvolvida no âmbito literário por Derrida (1992), Culler (1999) e Maingueneau (1996).

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le champ de la géographie des sexualités et contribue plus précisément au champ des géographies queers. Elle étudie la manière dont sont pensés les lieux queers en commençant par les définir, explorant la manière dont ils s’organisent de manière rhizomatique. Les personnes queers créent des lieux à travers des constellations de personnes qui se regroupent autour d’un rapport spécifique au genre et à la sexualité ainsi qu’autour d’un discours politique queer. Après avoir fait l’archéologie de ces milieux, une étude sera menée sur la violence que vivent les personnes queers dans l’espace public jusque dans les espaces privés. La violence systémique est décrite par l’analyse des rapports de domination et des normes. Les violences intracommunautaires sont ensuite étudiées. L’auteur.e propose finalement une critique des espaces queers sécurisés (safe space) pour proposer une autre conception des lieux par la construction d’espaces bienveillants. La méthodologie de la thèse est fondée sur l’observation participante, l’auto-ethnographie ainsi qu’un questionnaire et des entretiens venant compléter les sources. Un accent a été mis sur la réflexivité de la recherche, notamment sur le travail émotionnel que doit faire le chercheur.e face à ce type de terrain. / This thesis is a contribution to the geographies of sexualities and more specifically to queer geographies. It first seeks to understand how queer places are created by the many ways they are defined, though of, and organized in their rhizomatic pattern. Self-defined queer people have indeed a tendency to create places through the gathering of an array of persons who are connected by a particular relationship to gender, sexuality, as well as by the political component of the queer discourse. Focusing next on the “milieux de vie” that emerged from this loose network of places, the research looks at the systematic violence exerted against queer people in the public and private space. This phenomenon is seen and explained through a set of norms and domination patterns occurring at different levels and scales in society. Violence within the communities is finally studied. The author concludes in examining and in offering a critic of the concept of safe space, which lay the ground for the proposal of the construction of espaces bienveillants (derived from the concept of brave place). The study was conducted through participant observations, auto-ethnographic method, on-line surveys and direct conversations. Reflexivity was at the center of the field work, the author insists most notably on the emotional work researcher faces in this type of research.

Abstract My doctoral thesis deals with the content conflicts involving the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning and the didactic models of environment education as a part of the environment's social determination and interpretation processes, i.e. environmental discourses. I also study how the determination of the reflexivity of modernity is reflected in the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning through the presuppositions included in it related to the formation of social reality and social construction of nature. Thirdly, I try to identify the common cultural heritage of the unreflected nature of institutional environmental education and its research, the conflicts between environmental discourses, and the prevailing definition of the reflexivity of modernity. I maintain that public environmental discourses influence the institutional forms of environmental education through the levels of the social construction of nature. I also suggest that the differing ideas about the reflexivity of modernity can be classified into different levels, and didactic models of environmental education can be classified into different types. The different levels and the different types can be distinguished from each other on the basis of how they conceptualise the relation between the theoretical category of the social construction of nature and its practical manifestations, environmental discourses and environmentally oriented education. I maintain that the different types of didactic models for institutional environmental education favour cultural reflection. In reality they do not, however, reach that level. The basic theoretical problem involving institutional environmental education is based on two main factors: a) scientisation of environmental problems, b) personalisation of environmental problems. The constructivist conception of knowledge and learning aim at understanding the ecological and sociopolitical consequences of an environmental crisis, but not at reflecting on the foundations of the environmental crisis. Environmental education as an institution is bound up in three ways with the prevailing limited environmental discourses: a) The problems in the constructivist conception of knowledge and learning can be basically interpreted as reflections of conflicts in the prevailing environmental discourses and of paradoxes in the prevailing social order, b) The goals, contents and methods of environmental education are like a compressed description of the goals, contents and means of prevailing environmental policy processes, c) Environmental education as socialisation is quite important in legitimising prevailing limited environmental discourses. / Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjassani tarkastelen institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen konstruktivistiseen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitykseen sekä ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisiin malleihin sisältyviä sisällöllisiä ristiriitoja osana ympäristön yhteiskunnallisia määrittely- ja tulkintaprosesseja eli ympäristödiskursseja. Tarkastelen myös sitä, miten moderniuden refleksiivisyyden määrittely heijastuu sisältämiensä sosiaalisen todellisuuden rakentumista ja luonnon sosiaalista konstruointia koskevien ennakko-oletusten välityksellä ympäristökasvatuksen konstruktivistiseen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitykseen. Kolmanneksi hahmotan institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen ja sen tutkimuksen reflektoimattoman luonteen, ympäristödiskurssien ristiriitojen ja hallitsevan moderniuden refleksiivisyyden määritelmän yhteistä kulttuuriperustaa. Tutkimuksessani väitän, että julkiset ympäristödiskurssit vaikuttavat ympäristökasvatuksen institutionaalisiin muotoihin luonnon sosiaalisen konstruoinnin tasojen välityksellä. Väitän myös, että yhteiskunta- ja kulttuuriteorioiden eriävät määritelmät moderniuden refleksiivisyydestä on eroteltavissa eri tasoihin ja ympäristökasvatuksen didaktiset mallit ovat vastaavasti luokiteltavissa eri tyyppeihin. Nämä eri tasot ja tyypit ovat eroteltavissa toisistaan sen perusteella, miten ne käsitteellistävät luonnon sosiaalisen konstruoinnin teoreettisen kategorian ja sen praktisten ilmentymien, ympäristödiskurssien ja ympäristöön orientoivan kasvatuksen välisen suhteen. Analyysin perusteella väitän, että institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisten mallien eri tyypeissä kannatetaan kulttuurista reflektiota. Todellisuudessa ne eivät kuitenkaan saavuta tätä tasoa. Institutionaalisen ympäristökasvatuksen didaktisten mallien ja ympäristökasvatuksen tutkimuksen teoreettinen perusongelma rakentuu kahdesta tekijästä: a) ympäristöongelmien tieteellistämisestä ja b) ympäristöongelmien yksilöllistämisestä. Ympäristökasvatusta koskevassa tutkimuksessa esitetty konstruktivistinen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsitys ja sen perustalle rakennetut ympäristökasvatuksen didaktiset mallit kohdistuvat ympäristökriisin ekologisten, sosio-poliittisten ja kulttuuristen seurausten ymmärtämiseen, mutta eivät ympäristökriisin perusteiden reflektointiin. Ympäristökasvatus instituutiona on sidoksissa vallitseviin rajallisiin ympäristödiskursseihin kolmella tavalla: a) konstruktivistisen tiedon- ja oppimiskäsityksen sisältämät ongelmat ovat lähtökohtaisesti tulkittavissa heijastumiksi vallitsevien ympäristödiskurssien sisältämistä ristiriidoista ja vallitsevan sosiaalisen järjestyksen sisältämistä paradokseista, b) ympäristökasvatuksen tavoitteet, sisällöt ja menetelmät ovat kuin tiivistetty kuvaus vallitsevien ympäristöpoliittisten prosessien päämääristä, sisällöistä ja keinoista, c) ympäristökasvatus sosialisaationa on varsin merkittävä vallitsevien rajallisten ympäristödiskurssien legitimoija.

This research examines the practice of process consultancy in Sweden with a particular emphasis on working in disturbing and uncomfortable situations. The managerial discourses that consultants are working in are dominated by an abstract language with a relentless eye towards imaginative futures in the form of visions, missions, strategies, and goals (Stacey 2011, Mowles 2014). Based on linear casuality thinking that comes from the natural sciences, the assumption is of predictability and control. Therefore, disturbing, uncomfortable, or conflicting situations arising in practice are generally overlooked, avoided, or suppressed as they - per definition - are neither predictable nor controllable. Although process consultancy in many respects gradually has changed from delivery/expertise of ready made concepts into more of conversational facilitation, speaking partnerships, inquiry and coaching, disturbing and uncomfortable moments are still generally being avoided or overlooked. This research is a narrative-based inquiry that has served as a basis for engagement in literature, reflections, reflexive inquiries, and conversations with fellow researchers, members of faculty, and other practitioners. Out of this iterative and intese process, the arguments have emerged and developed. In describing a multitude of uncomfortable and disturbing situations from my practice, and while paying close attention to them in local context, a view of these situations as problematic and avoidable has moved into a wider and deeper understanding regarding what might be taking place among us. Interpreting directives, policies, and strategies - what to do and how to do it - in order to find the most functional ways forward is imperative in organisations. Hence, corrigibility and definite inquiries into worlds of practice and relations are necessities. As ideologies and intentions among people differ, problems and disturbances are inevitably encountered in processes of particularising (making concrete in specific contexts) generalised plans and strategies, which, in turn, creates different and new generalisations (Stacey 2011, p. 358). Utilising process consultancy in order to 'deal' with the above situation may, however, paradoxically enhance anxiety and disturbancies even more. In drawing attention to disturbances as central, 'normal', and generative (normforming), I have come to think of the actual process in process consultancy as having felt dissolving qualities. As 'states' of body/mind are temporary, shifting, and changing when we are being influenced and influence others and ourselves (constrain and enable) at the same time as we speak, a sense of solution often occurs in the process. Rather than solving or resolving issues - a more traditional approach, intentionally aiming at fixing something - acts of conversations and reflexive inquiries are not aiming anywhere in particular. They are explorative and mind-moving and make us re-identify or re-form our sense of self. Hence, in the process of 'loosening up or breaking apart' identity, a sense of solution (I refer to as dissolution) is felt to emerge. This process can be disturbing per se, and the newly gained thinking - also of a temporary kind - can be felt as 'better' or 'worse' or neither, as movements and outcomes are unpredictable. In process consultancy, the understanding of people as an elusive science - changeable, fluid, and plural (messy and needy rather than tidy and rational) - is helpful in order to understand 'stuckness' and enable movement by taking experience seriously rather than engaging in excessive quantification or being futuristic and idealising.

The study emanates from the need to explore the perceptions, opinions and experiences of family therapy practitioners with regard to the epistemological shifts in family therapy theory and intervention, reflecting team practice, and the development of the personal/professional self. The need arose as a result of the evolution of family therapy from first-order cybernetics to the postmodern theoretical environment and the potential impact of such a shift on the capacity for reflexivity and authenticity in practice for family therapy practitioners at Family Life Centre. Family Life Centre provides training for staff members, sessional workers and students (social work and psychology) who have an interest in the practice of family therapy. In the past however, such training has focused more on the experiential dimension, specifically within the context of reflecting team practice. Theoretical training has been inadequate, with practitioners’ knowledge typically gained from under- and post-graduate studies. Knowledge of family therapy theory in terms of approach and extent is varied. While the diverse theoretical backgrounds of counsellors at Family Life Centre adds texture and depth to the practice of family therapy, the possibility of confusion exists, and may create a lack of confidence and authenticity in practice. Family therapy practice at Family Life Centre leans towards a postmodern paradigm, although eclecticism is valued. The multiplicity of approaches to family therapy necessitates an awareness of one’s chosen paradigm, and understanding of the potential impact of the self of the family therapy practitioner upon the therapeutic encounter with a client family. A theory or theories that represent a personal embodiment for the practitioner are more likely to be experienced as authentic to the self of that practitioner and thus impact positively on the development of the therapeutic relationship with the client family. The significance of this therapeutic relationship with regard to healing is well documented in the literature. The capacity of the practitioner for reflexivity regarding the development of the personal and professional self is both essential and ongoing, a journey that should never end. An exploratory design was used to explore the impact of epistemological shifts and reflecting team practice on the development of the personal and professional self of the family therapy practitioner. Exploratory designs are used when the phenomenon is little known. The study can be seen as applied research, aimed at extending the knowledge of human behaviour relating to intervention in the field of family therapy. In order to achieve insight into the perceptions, opinions and experiences of family therapy practitioners, an interview schedule was used to collect the relevant data which was then analysed and from which conclusions were drawn. From the conclusions it is apparent that family therapy practitioners are not always clear on the difference between the modern and postmodern paradigms, although they are certain of the approach they use in practice. It is evident that the approach used is not necessarily ‘chosen’ and that many respondents are actively engaged in contemplating their own professional development. The experience of reflecting team practice in family therapy is seen as extremely valuable to the respondents in terms of the opportunity for learning on a number of levels, including theoretical awareness, skills development and self-awareness. However, reflecting team involvement seems to evoke anxiety for many of the respondents, relating to issues such as evaluation, team composition, power dynamics, fit with the self, as well as the fit for different client families. The development of the personal and professional self is seen as both essential and ongoing, highlighting the necessity of this crucial task in the complex arena of family therapy practice. / Thesis (PhD (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / PhD / unrestricted

Can psychotherapeutic interventions be introduced in a playful manner to families and children affected by HIV / AIDS? Working from an ecosystemic worldview, this dissertation undertakes an investigation into the possibilities of working with HIV / AIDS affected children and families in South Africa in a playful manner in psychotherapy. Through a process of co-creating and reflecting, the narratives of four psychotherapists are used to describe their experiences of playfulness and psychotherapy with HIV / AIDS affected persons. These narratives are presented against a background of a research literature discussion of HIV / AIDS and play in therapy. It is argued that playful psychotherapeutic interventions with HIV / AIDS affected children and families are possible, given four criteria. Firstly, the basic resource requirements, food, clothing and transport, of the children and family members must be in place before emotional needs can be adequately addressed. Secondly, children should be allowed in the therapeutic space with the rest of the family. Thirdly, psychotherapists should be trained to make psychotherapy more child friendly. Lastly, these therapists should be willing to engage in a playful manner with their clients, and not fall prey to the stigma of HIV / AIDS. / Dissertation (MA (Counseling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

The first two decades of the 20th century have brought us to a critical crossroad that few could have predicted when the calendar ticked over from 1999 to 2000. The strife of world wars, of intolerance, of discrimination, of prejudice and oppression that were so evident in the 20th century should have provided the impetus for peace and acceptance in the 21st. Yet, world events early in this century have demonstrated that we have not learned from the lessons of history and thus, unless we intervene, we are doomed to repeat them. Teachers and schools play significant roles in shaping future citizens – in helping learners develop character and integrity, to value others and the earth, and to work collaboratively to address problems new and old. Teacher educators play a critical role in developing the pedagogical understanding of pre-service teachers as they prepare to take up these roles in Canadian classrooms. Teacher educators working from and for a social justice mandate recognize that there are many factors that impact their ability to guide pre-service teachers to a greater understanding and valuing of equity and diversity in their classrooms, schools, and communities. This study’s exploration of factors that constrain or enable this work has exposed the difficulty and intransigence of perceiving the work and ultimately, the world through polarized binaries of either/or – constrain or enable. This has resulted in a greater respect for the complexity in envisioning and enacting pedagogy and practice that strives to inculcate pre-service teachers with a commitment to creating classrooms focused on equity, diversity and social justice. / Graduate

Mobile phone technologies are transforming how young people think, work, play and relate to each other. However, a central concern for the thesis is that education policy and practice far too often resembles an industrial model that is standardised, mechanistic and linear and that rarely reflects the informational, dynamic and creative lives of young people. In particular, the educational project fails to connect with the way young people use their mobile phone technologies to multi-task, connect, and create content at a precipitous rate. This thesis focuses on the ways in which mobile phone technology is now a significant influence in the way young people develop a sense of self, and a sense of identity and agency that permeates the way they engage with education. The specific research questions that follow from this are: how are young peoples’ identities shaping the meaning and use of mobile phones within (im)material culture? How is the relationship between identity and the creation and use of social space being defined through mobile phone technology? And, taken together how might these processes of identity development influence the way the educational project develops in the future? This thesis addressed these aims by conducting a visual ethnographic study over three years, using participation observation in a sixth-form college in the UK that included video interviews with seven college students. The research has produced a conceptual framework that documents a number of key findings that include: (a) the mobile phone has an immediate symbolic value to young people providing signals about the user’s identity, or presentation of the self; (b) the mobile phone also helps facilitate the performance of lived experiences and is actively part of assisting in various forms of agency. (c) The mobile phone enables a constant flow of (re)presentations of young people that reflects a fluidity of identity that characterises key aspects of contemporary social life. Finally, (d) the mobile phone also supports and enhances the maintenance of social space through the maintenance of social groups and also crucially, the feeling of being oneself. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that too often education systems overlook that fact that learning for young people is typically, and inevitably, personal and yet at the same time located in connected, information-driven environments that are predisposed to digital technologies. Therefore, this research argues for educational policy makers and practitioners to think creatively about how to develop education in ways that fundamentally support young people in their (re)construction of a personalised landscape for learning through their mobile phone technologies.

The aim of this research is to explore the contextual characteristics of a particular group of Dutch restaurant owner’s (SSUSCROs) and practitioners, to examine how these contextual characteristics might be used in a professional hospitality education programme. This very small segment of the Dutch restaurant business (0,2-0,5% of the total restaurants) is known for its strong commitment to competitiveness, in delivering quality service and products. No previous research in The Netherlands had embarked on a search for connecting this specific category of practitioners to education. As owners of their restaurants, the SSUSCROs were aware of the potential contribution that participating in this research would make. The research was designed from a constructionist epistemological point of view. This means that the data supplied by the respondents, and the background and vision of the researcher provided an interplay. By using grounded theory methodology, theory is constructed from the empirical data. The main instrument for the primary research was in-depth, interviewing. Six retired and four practising restaurant owners, and a connoisseur of the business were interviewed in one to three hour depth interviews that were digitally recorded. The transcripts of the recorded interviews were analysed, applying the specific constructivist version of grounded theory methodology as described by Charmaz’s (2006). The research generated a grounded theory in the form of a narrative about the SSUSCRO social construct and its central theme ‘Living the business’. The narrative informs future practitioners i.e. students, about how they can prepare for possible future business ventures in the culinary restaurant business. Furthermore, it confronts future practitioners with the notion of particular contextual characteristics and value systems that need to be incorporated in order to successfully engage in and sustain a career in the culinary restaurant sector. Elements of the narrative, connected to Covey’s 7-Habits of Highly Effective People framework for personal leadership. The findings from this research confirmed the importance of providing students in hospitality management education with a approach towards professional development that is grounded in the social construct of a remarkable group of entrepreneurs such as the SSUSCROs. The conclusions suggested that faculty and academic management of hospitality management programmes need to become more knowledgeable about the particular nature of the discipline, and the specific category of practitioners researched here.

The following thesis describes and analyses the representation of lung cancer in the Canadian print media. The thesis employs a theoretical framework comprised of Giddens’ theory of reflexivity and Goffman’s theory of framing, to understand the social dynamics of negotiation behind the disease’s portrayal in the media, in a late modern context. Late modernity was defined by institutional reflexivity and a focus on understanding and mitigating risk. The research was conducted through a content analysis and examined quantitative trends that contributed to a subsequent qualitative interpretation. The results show that the coverage of lung cancer decreased over time. The analysis shows a discourse of a biomedical institution that has unsuccessfully controlled the disease, a lack of patient advocacy, particularly among celebrities, and a continued conflation of smoking behaviour and lung cancer, all of which contributed to the decreasing coverage. The framing processes point to a society focused on understanding risk through studying the disease’s causes, as well as one concerned with legislative debate and behavioural prevention. The emergence of a frame focused on the patient’s lived experience might contribute to an improved representation of the disease.