Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisors: Jeffrey Meikle and Mark Smith. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

The diploma thesis aims to find out what was the media image of the end of the Mayan calendar as the supposed end of the world in 2012. A a number of theories, reflections and predictions were made about what would probably happen on December 21, 2012. The apocalyptic predictions of the end of the world appeared most often. Probably due to deeper ignorance of the theme and attractiveness of catastrophic scenarios, the end of the Mayan calendar has become a widespread phenomenon that resonated across society and has become a frequent subject of media stories. The analysis of media content investigated the extent to which the 2012 phenomenon of the selected media was really devoted, what kind of approach to the topic the media took and whether it encouraged fear or uncertainty in society. The thesis provides a sufficient theoretical basis and historical context that the subsequent analysis can then rely on.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-06-29T14:21:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 danielabarbosadeoliveira.pdf: 833589 bytes, checksum: 4c7e36561ecf152e2d42b5b2dc065451 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-05T14:59:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 danielabarbosadeoliveira.pdf: 833589 bytes, checksum: 4c7e36561ecf152e2d42b5b2dc065451 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-05T14:59:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 danielabarbosadeoliveira.pdf: 833589 bytes, checksum: 4c7e36561ecf152e2d42b5b2dc065451 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-11 / FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Esta dissertação tem por objetivo uma análise direcionada da obra A Guerra do Fim do Mundo (1981) de autoria do aclamado escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa. Pretendo demonstrar que o autor se utilizou do humor, da paródia e do sarcasmo em consonância com as mais primitivas interpretações a respeito da Guerra de Canudos (1896- 97), um dos conflitos mais marcantes da história do Brasil e tema central de sua obra, bem como se apropriou e ressignificou alguns dos elementos da carnavalização literária, teoria proposta e desenvolvida pelo igualmente célebre crítico russo Mikhail Bakhtin. Tal teoria alcançou os meios intelectuais e acadêmicos americanos com maior força justamente no período em que a obra vargallosiana estava sendo elaborada. O trabalho é composto por uma introdução sumária, na qual se demonstra de que maneira o tema foi pensado e delineado, três capítulos, nos quais a argumentação é gradativamente construída, e uma conclusão. / This dissertation aims at an analysis of the book The War of the End of the World (1981) authored the acclaimed Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. I intend to show that the author used humor and parody in line with the earliest interpretations of the War of Canudos (1896- 97), one of the most outstanding conflicts in the history of Brazil and central theme of his work, as well as new meaning and appropriated some elements of carnivalization literary, theory developed by the equally famous critic Russian Mikhail Bakhtin and reached the American academic and intellectual circles with greater strength precisely while the Vargas Llosa’s work was being prepared. The work consists of a summary introduction, three chapters, in which the argument is gradually built, and a conclusion.

In this dissertation I think-with figures of #AnthropoceneChild in speculative texts that story the end of the world through some form of climate catastrophe. In these post-apocalyptic tales, the child-figures do different things. Firstly, child-figures reflect problematics of the contemporary world without interrupting dominant patterns of thought, materiality, and governance. In these stories, the child is the future and the future is the child. Secondly, some child-figures are tasked with protecting a world in which they have been made disposable. This incites critical questions about distributions of racialized harm and also exposes the limits of survivalist logics. Thirdly, a few child-figures refuse current arrangements of existence and set in motion new worlds, even if the contours, forces, and politics cannot yet be fully described. These are speculative worlds of not this, what if, and not yet. Different aspects of this assemblage are centred at different moments in this dissertation. The looseness of the framework allows me to move between the unsettled complexities of bionormative childhoods, anthropogenic climate change, reproductive futurism, and structures of anti-blackness, settler colonialism, and white supremacy in relation to (1) child-figures at the end of a world, (2) child-figures who save their world, and (3) child-figures who destroy the world. This dissertation is organized into two main sections: Part I provides the theoretical background for the speculative arguments developed over Part II. In Part I, I unpack my proposal that #AnthropoceneChild bookends the Anthropocene. By this I mean that the language of birth, origin, and innocence finds repetitious form in scholarly discussions of Anthropocene beginnings, and that child-figures are pivotal to playing out the end of the world in pop culture performances of Anthropocene pedagogy. Part II consists of three chapters that engage with speculative child-figures that inherit and inhabit a damaged planet. This includes grappling with racialized technologies of care and abandonment, folding parent-child relations into environmental discourses of stewardship, and gesturing towards imaginaries of what might be possible after the end of the (white) world. The conclusion pulls the ideas and figures of previous chapters together in a queer-kin consideration of geos-futurities for #AnthropoceneChild wherein the end of the world might not be a cause for mourning but a possibility for an otherwise. / Graduate

[pt] A contemporaneidade é um período marcado pela presença ubíqua da tecnologia, tornando rápidas, voláteis e precárias as nossas condições existenciais. Bernard Stiegler (1952-2020), ciente disso, demonstra em várias de suas obras a preocupação com as novas gerações diante de um contexto histórico no qual o mundo parece caminhar apressadamente rumo ao abismo. Em sua obra sobre a disrupção, o autor se utiliza de uma personagem, o jovem Florian de 15 anos, com o objetivo de, através de seu discurso, ilustrar a realidade que busca compreender. O norte da dissertação é exatamente a fala desse adolescente, que entende que o seu pensamento, marcado por protensão negativa, pode ser estendido a seus pares de geração. Por meio da análise da fala do jovem, buscamos pensar sobre a projeção de futuro que a juventude faz hoje e sobre como ela se difere de outros momentos de nossa História em que a tecnologia não estava tão intimamente presente na vida diária. Também, pretendemos dar conta do que conceitualmente é a juventude, por que o recorte geracional é relevante para a discussão e como todas essas definições são condicionadas sócio-historicamente. Buscamos igualmente compreender a origem e a incidência do fenômeno da negação na psique jovem diante dos problemas que parecem se acumular na existência contemporânea, tais quais as mudanças climáticas, a redução significativa de oportunidades dignas de trabalho e o agravamento da desigualdade social. / [en] The contemporary period is marked by the ubiquitous presence of technology, causing our existential conditions to be volatile and precarious. Bernard Stiegler (1952-2020), aware of this, demonstrates in several of his works his concern for the new generations in a historical context in which the world seems to be rushing towards the abyss. In his work on disruption, the author presents a character, the 15-year-old Florian, with the aim of, through his speech, illustrating the reality he seeks to understand. The dissertation revolves around the speech ofthis teenager, who believes that his words, filled with negative protension, could be shared with his peers of the same generation. Through the analysis of the young man s speech, we seek to understand more about the projection of the future that the youth makes today and how it differs from other moments in our History in which technology was not so intimately present in our daily life. Also, we intend to understand the concept of youth, why generations are relevant to the discussion and how all these definitions are socio-historically conditioned. We also seek to discuss the origin and incidence of the phenomenon of denial in the young psyche before problems that seem to accumulate in contemporary existence, such as climate change, the significant reduction of decent job opportunities and the worsening of social inequality.

Les recherches historiques montrent que les croyances en la fin du monde (CFM) sont très anciennes et qu’elles s’adaptent aux cultures et aux époques en fonction de certains risques perçus par les groupes sociaux (Boia, 1999). Sur cette base cette thèse fait l'hypothèse générale d'un système de croyances déjà structuré intégrant ces CFM, système dont l'équilibre pourrait évoluer sous l'influence de certaines peurs humaines. La première partie de ce travail postule donc l'existence d'un système de pensée intégrant les CFM. A partir de questionnaires (881 participants), nous avons pu mettre en évidence trois modalités de CFM : la fin du monde écologique (responsabilité humaine), la fin du monde scientifique (éloignement temporel et totalité), et la fin du monde religieuse (cause religieuse et meilleur monde possible). Chacune de ces modalités est liée de manière spécifique à diverses façons de justifier le monde : les Croyances en un Monde Juste (notamment la Justice Finale et la Justice Immanente ; Maes, 1998), la Justification du Système (Kay & Jost, 2003), la Religion et la Spiritualité. C'est ce système que nous nous efforçons de "déséquilibrer" dans la deuxième partie en intégrant les apports de la Psychologie Existentielle Expérimentale (Greenberg, Koole & Pyszczynski, 2004). Selon la littérature, l’individu mis dans une situation de « menace existentielle » (i.e. Mort et Incertitude) a besoin de se raccrocher à des croyances rassurantes. Nous émettons donc l'hypothèse selon laquelle ces menaces bouleversent la structure de croyances de l’individu. Nos résultats (245 participants) confirment en partie cette idée, et indiquent aussi l’importance de mesurer les affects. Pour résumer, cette thèse montre l'existence et le fonctionnement d'un système de croyances capable de se déséquilibrer sous l'influence de menaces existentielles et de l’état émotionnel. / Historical research show that beliefs in the end of the world (BEW) are very ancient and that they are culturally guided through the risks that are perceived by social groups (Boia, 1999). Thus, this thesis makes the hypothesis that there is a beliefs structure which integrates BEW, and that this structure could evolve with human fears. The first part of the present study suggests that there is a beliefs system that integrates BEW. 881 participants answered to a questionnaire, and results have shown three main BEW: ecological end of the world (human responsibility), scientific end of the world (totality and temporal distance), and religious end of the world (religious causality and possibility of a better world). Each of these beliefs is linked with specific ways of justifying the present world: Beliefs in a Just World (particularly Ultimate Justice and Immanent Justice, Maes, 1998), System Justification (Kay & Jost, 2003), Religion and Spirituality. In the second part of this study, we used the Experimental Existential Psychology to make this beliefs system unbalanced (Greenberg, Koole & Pyszczynski, 2004). According to this theory, individual faced to an “existential threat” (i.e. Death and Uncertainty) needs to cling on to reassuring beliefs. Thus, we made the hypothesis that these existential threats would have an effect on the beliefs system analyzed previously. Results have partially confirmed this hypothesis (on 245 participants) and brought new information about the importance of measuring emotional state. To summarize, this thesis shows the existence of a beliefs system, how it works, and how existential threats and emotional state can unbalance this beliefs system.

[pt] Trata-se de um estudo sobre narrativas de desenvolvimento sustentável e fim de mundo baseado na Rio+20, evento ocorrido em junho de 2012 na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Fazendo a leitura da Rio+20 como um conjunto de rituais, o estudo tem como fonte principal os eventos do Fórum ICSU, sediado na PUC-Rio, da Cúpula dos Povos, no Aterro do Flamengo, do Humanidade 2012, no Forte de Copacabana, e da UNCSD, no Riocentro. Para situar a interpretação de narrativas, o trabalho oferece um resumo histórico e teórico sobre os temas em discussão, evidenciando negociações e disputas nos últimos 40 anos. Além disso, elabora-se um mapeamento etnográfico descritivo dos lugares percorridos, propiciando a visualização desses espaços como situações sociais específicas. A tese busca identificar, com base na análise comparativa de narrativas selecionadas, elementos que caracterizem diferentes perspectivas em torno do desenvolvimento sustentável. Aponta para as disputas internas e externas à ciência e aos movimentos sociais, tendo como linha de interpretação o englobamento. Chama a atenção para o paradoxo contemporâneo entre desafios planetários e governabilidade nacional. Destaca algumas dicotomias presenciadas no campo entre ciência e saberes tradicionais, crescimento econômico e bem-estar/bem viver e felicidade, Conferência e Cúpula, conflito e cooperação, holismo e individualismo e teoria e prática. Em meio à diversidade do campo, identifica como ideias praticamente onipresentes as noções de totalidade, interdependência, cooperação, coerência, desindustrialização, localização e movimento. Inspirado na visão humanista da revolução do amor , o estudo indaga se mudanças significativas que garantam futuros para a humanidade e o planeta devam passar necessariamente pelos laços de afeto. / [en] This consists of a research about narratives of sustainable development and end of the world based on Rio+20, an event held in June 2012 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Considering Rio+20 as a group of rituals, its main sources are: ICSU Forum, hosted by PUC-Rio, the People s Summit in Aterro do Flamengo Humanidade 2012 in Forte de Copacabana, and the UNCSD in Riocentro. To better situate the analysis of narratives, the work offers a historical and theoretical summary about discussed themes testifying negotiations and conflicts over them for the last forty years. The study offers a descriptive ethnographic mapping of visited places, enabling the visualization of such spaces as socially specific situations. Using comparative interpretation of selected narratives this thesis seeks to identify what characterizes different perspectives on sustainable development, pointing at internal and external disputes in science and social movements which are better interpreted by the idea of englobing. It calls attention to the contemporary paradox between planetary challenges and national governability. The study describes some dichotomies on the field between science and traditional knowledge, economic growth and wellbeing/buen vivir and happiness, Conference and Summit, conflict and cooperation, holism and individualism, theory and practice. Amongst the diversity of the field it identifies the concepts of totality, interdependence, cooperation, coherence, deindustrialization, localization and movement as common denominator when dealing with sustainable development. Inspired in the humanist vision of revolution of love , the study inquires if significant changes to guarantee future for humanity and the planet should necessarily be built upon bonds of affection.

Les auteurs de théâtre (ou les duos auteur/metteur en scène), sur lesquels porte notre étude, s’intéressent au réel dans sa pluralité, sans avoir d’image du monde : ils semblent avoir intégré « la fin du monde ». Leur écriture s’inscrit de plain-pied dans le monde « démondé » qui est le nôtre. Elle cherche à se situer au plus près de la profusion et de la dispersion, qui le caractérisent. Mais l’ambition de ces artistes n’est pas simplement de manifester la fin du monde. Ils sont dans l’après, dans l’urgence de sentir (ou de donner à sentir) à quoi elle peut ouvrir : à quelle vie vivable ? à quelle possibilité d’habiter le réel ? S’ils ont fait le deuil du monde comme tout-structure et d’une place revenant à l’homme au sein d’une telle ordonnance, ils n’ont pas fait le deuil, en revanche, de la possibilité de (re)faire monde. Leur geste semble sous-tendu par la nécessité d’ouvrir à un tel recommencement.Au sein du corpus étudié, la thèse repère trois veines théâtrales, ouvrant à trois types de praxis du monde : premièrement, un théâtre de l’approbation du réel (celui de Philippe Dorin et Michel Froehly) ; deuxièmement, des théâtres de la réeffectuation du réel (ceux de Pascal Rambert et d’Olivier Cadiot et Ludovic Lagarde) ; enfin, troisièmement, des théâtres ouvrant, ne serait-ce qu’un temps, à la possibilité d’une « conversion » de monde (ceux de Joël Pommerat, Jan Lauwers et Nature Theater of Oklahoma). Elle s’intéresse aux formes que ces théâtres inventent pour représenter ou mettre en oeuvre ces recommencements, et ce faisant, redonner « croyance au monde ». Car l’enjeu, majoritairement, semble bien être d’inventer un théâtre de la « croyance au monde ». / Authors/directors (or author / director duets) analyzed in our study are interested in the real in its plurality, without having an image of the world: they seem to have integrated "the end of the world". Their writing is fully inscribed in our “deworlded”world. It seeks to be located as close as possible to the profusion and thedispersion which characterize it. But the ambition of these artists is not just to showthe end of the world. They deal with what comes after, in a hurry to feel (or to givethe feeling of) what this end can open to: to which life worth living? to whichpossibility to inhabit the real? If they have mourned the world as a whole-structureand a place for men in such an order, they have not mourned, however, thepossibility of (re)doing (the) world. Their gestures seem underpinned by the need toopen to such new beginnings.Within the corpus we have studied, this dissertation identifies three theatrical veins,opening to three types of praxes of the world: first, a theater of the approval of thereal (that of Philippe Dorin and Michel Froehly); second, theaters of the remakingof the real (those of Pascal Rambert, and of Olivier Cadiot and Ludovic Lagarde);third, theaters opening, if only one moment, to the possibility of a “conversion” ofthe world (those of Joël Pommerat, Jan Lauwers, and Nature Theater of Oklahoma).It analyzes the forms which these theaters invent to represent or implement thesenew beginnings, and in doing so restore a “belief in the world”. What is at stake, inmost cases, seems to be the invention of a theater of the “belief in the world”.

Cette thèse est une étude des groupes subalternes en Amérique Latine qui se concentre principalement sur l’examen de la production littéraire que ces groupes ont inspirée mais aussi sur les tensions sociales, idéologiques et culturelles dérivées de leur présence au sein d’une nation. Ces groupes qu’on va identifier méthodologiquement comme étant des Groupes Subalternes sont apparus dans le panorama littéraire et politique d’une manière peu habituelle, plus par leur négativité en relation au projet moderne d’institutionnalisation positiviste que par les particularités de leur culture. Néanmoins, ils sont devenus, par la suite, le symbole iconographique de l’identité nationale de leurs pays respectifs. Ces groupes qui, par définition, étaient destinés à sombrer dans l’oubli historique sont devenus plus tard les protagonistes des «guiding fictions» de la formation d’une conscience d’unité nationale. Les textes qui seront examinés au cours de cette recherche sont ceux qui montrent de manière paradigmatique la réalité et les modes d’existence de ces populations qui ont été caractérisées par leur négativité par rapport aux normes de la pensée hégémonique moderne dans l’espace socio-culturelle et -politique de l’Amérique latine. Ces textes nous montrent une déviation dans l’évolution historico-discursive de la vision que les artisans idéologiques des États-nation naissants ont voulu imposer sur ces groupes vers la fin du XIX e. Dans cette étude, on analysera deux exemples paradigmatiques : celui de la communauté de Canudos au Brésil, à travers le texte « Os Sertões » d’Euclides Da Cunha, et celui des gauchos de l’Argentine, à travers l’examen du texte « El Martin Fierro » de Jose Hernandez. Dans la première partie de cette thèse on dessine, à grands traits, les repères historiques et socio-politiques des idéologies qui ont abouti au processus de modernisation de l’Amérique latine. On propose, au même temps, quelques concepts critiques vis-à-vis de l’analyse des groupes subalternes. Dans les chapitres suivants, on procède à une lecture attentive des textes mentionnés plus haut, tout en considérant, à la fois, la nécessité de cette analyse, la difficulté des problèmes et la nature de notre propos. On explique aussi la place qu’occupent les groupes subalternes dans la représentation littéraire de leur pays d’origine et l’impact qu’ils ont eu dans la formation de l’imaginaire national. En réfléchissant sur les données engendrées lors de l’analyse, la conclusion de la thèse aborde les conséquences épistémologique et idéologique provoquées par le régime discursif de l’État-nation latino-américain. / This dissertation represents a study of subaltern groups in Latin America focusing mainly on the study of the literary production that these groups inspired but also on the social, ideological and cultural tensions derived from their presence within a nation. These groups, which I identify methodologically as Subaltern Groups, appeared in the literary and political panorama in an uncommon way, originating more from their negativity in relation to the modern project of positivist institutionalization than through the distinct characteristics of their culture. Nevertheless, they went on to become the iconographical symbol of national identity in their respective countries. Although, by definition destined to be forgotten historically, they later became protagonists of the “guiding fictions” forming an awareness of national unity. The texts chosen for review in this research project reveal, paradigmatically, the reality and modalities of existence of these communities, characterised by their negativity in relation to the norms of modern hegemonic thought within the socio-cultural and political space of Latin America. These texts reveal a deviation in the course of the countries’ historical-discursive evolution with regards to the vision that the new Nation-states’ ideological artisans wished to impose on these groups at the end of the 19th century. In this study, two paradigmatic examples are analysed: that of the Canudos community in Brazil presented in Da Cunha’s Os sertões and that of the gauchos in Argentina, as portrayed in José Hernández’. The first part of this thesis gives a general outline of the historical and socio-political references corresponding to the ideologies that lead to the modernisation of Latin America. I also put forward critical concepts the analysis of subaltern groups. In the following chapters, I proceed with a close reading of the above-mentioned texts, while considering, at the same time, the necessity of this analysis, the inherent challenges related to the problems as well as the nature of the subject. In this context, the thesis also characterizes the place that subaltern groups hold in the literary representations of their own countries as well as the impact that have had on the development of their nation’s collective imaginary. By reflecting on the data generated by the analysis, the conclusion of this thesis addresses the epistemological and ideological consequences caused by the discursive regime of the Latin-American Nation-state. / Esta tesis consiste en un estudio de los grupos subalternos en Latinoamérica que se focaliza principalmente en el examen de la producción literaria que esos grupos inspiraron, pero también en las tensiones sociales, ideológicas y culturales derivadas de su presencia en el seno de una nación. Esos grupos que denominamos metodológicamente Grupos Subalternos surgieron en el ámbito político y literario de una manera poco común, más por su negatividad en relación con el proyecto de institucionalización positivista que por las particularidades de su cultura. Sin embargo, luego se convirtieron en el símbolo iconográfico de la identidad nacional de sus respectivos países. Esos grupos que por definición estaban destinados al olvido histórico lograron, no obstante convertirse luego en los protagonistas de las “guiding fictions” para la formación de una consciencia de unidad nacional. Los textos que se examinarán en esta investigación son aquellos que muestran de manera paradigmática la realidad y los modos de existencia de esas poblaciones que se caracterizaron por su negatividad con respecto a las normas del pensamiento hegemónico moderno dentro del espacio socio-político-cultural de Latinoamérica. Esos textos ponen a la vista una desviación en la evolución histórico-discursiva de la visión que los artesanos ideológicos de los Estados nación nacientes desearon imponer a esos grupos hacia finales del siglo XIX. En este estudio, se analizarán dos ejemplos paradigmáticos: el de la comunidad de Canudos en Brasil, a través del texto « Os sertoes » de Euclides Da Cunha y el de los gauchos de Argentina, a través del examen de « El Martin Fierro » de José Hernández. En la primera parte de esta tesis, se hará mención a grandes rasgos de los puntos de referencia históricos y socio-políticos de las ideologías que desembocaron en el proceso de modernización de Latinoamérica. Simultáneamente, se proponen algunos conceptos críticos con respecto al análisis de los grupos subalternos. En los capítulos subsiguientes, se procederá a una lectura atenta de los textos antes mencionados, considerando al mismo tiempo la necesidad de este análisis, la dificultad de los problemas y la naturaleza de nuestro tema. Además se explicará el lugar que ocupan los grupos subalternos en la representación literaria de sus países de origen y el impacto que ejercieron en la construcción del imaginario nacional. Al reflexionar sobre los datos generados durante el estudio, la conclusión de la tesis aborda las consecuencias epistemológicas e ideológicas provocadas por el régimen discursivo del Estado-nación latinoamericano.

À partir d’un dispositif théorique et méthodologique emprunté au structuralisme figuratif de Gilbert Durand, ce mémoire propose une exploration du Mythe de la Fin du Monde dans quelques unes de ses manifestations romanesques et théâtrales. Les postulats de base qui fondent notre démarche sont au nombre de trois : a) l’œuvre littéraire possède toujours un substrat mythique ; b) un mythe représente un noyau de mythèmes, dont le trait définitoire est la redondance ; c) il n’y a pas de version privilégiée ou primitive du mythe, qui doit être vu comme une constante de l’esprit humain. Au niveau des applications pratiques, notre travail s’articule en deux démarches complémentaires, reprises d’une section à l’autre. Dans un premier temps, en nous appuyant sur le corpus romanesque – où le mythe nous semble abondant et complet – nous identifions les redondances internes et génériques que nous qualifions de «mythèmes». Dans un second temps, nous vérifions la présence et le fonctionnement de ces mythèmes dans le corpus dramatique. / Within the theoretical and methodological framework of the figurative structuralism devised by Gilbert Durand, this work sets out to explore the Myth of the End of the World based on two corpora: five novels and two plays. Three main postulates underlie our research: a) the literary work is always based on a mythical substratum; b) myth is an aggregation of mythemes, whose defining characteristic consists in their redundancy; c) myth is a constant of the human spirit and therefore none of its versions takes precedence over another. As far as the applications of the theory are concerned, our work is articulated in two distinct phases, repeated form one section to another. Based on the body of novels, where the myth manifests itself in its most complete and abundant form, phase 1 is devoted to the identification of redundancies, both internal to each work and generic, that are categorized as mythemes. Phase 2 verifies their presence in the body of plays.