The subject of this dissertation is funeral rites in the Murasaki Shikibu's novel, The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari). The analysis of the text seeks to explore the author's depiction of the end of life, the afterlife, communication with spirits or souls of dead and to summarize the notes and descriptions of the proceedings of funeral rituals including 'before burial' and memorial ceremonies. The purpose of this dissertation is to create an overview of funeral rituals and ideas of death described in the text of Genji Monogatari. The Tale of Genji is considered a document which reflects contemporary thinking and can therefore be relied on for a study of funeral and memorial rituals. The main method used to develop the topic is a detailed analysis of theoretical, practical and aesthetic aspects of death described in the Genji Monogatari novel. The ideas of the Heian Court about death and the afterlife were mainly affecting the cult of ancestors, Shinto, Taoism, Buddhism and Shamanism, which also participated in the creation of the funeral cult. Ideas of the afterlife were also very diverse. The world of the living and the world of the dead, in the concept of old Japanese, were not strictly divided and spirits had access to all spheres of life. Communication with spirits of the living and the souls...

Annotation: The aim of the thesis " Methods of Social Work in Families with a Child in the Terminal Phase of a Disease" is to answer the basic research question, which reads: "How do the social workers of selected Prague organizations focusing on child palliative care perceive the application of methods of social work with child clients in the terminal stage of the disease? " A partial aim of this thesis is to describe the current state of child palliative care in the Czech Republic. The purpose of this diploma thesis is not to map all the methods of social work that could be used in practice, but to note the seriousness, the topicality of the problems and to point out the different perception of the given situation.

This paper traces burials from Iron Age I Canaan that reflect an influence of Philistine culture. This influence can be measured by the presence of Philistine bichrome pottery or other evidence related to this ancient biblical people. A major road block to the clearest possible understanding of Philistine burials is that no cemeteries have been found at any of the earliest settlements of the biblical Philistines, the Pentapolis. The Old Testament lists these cities as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza (e.g. Joshua 13:3). Though extensive excavation has been conducted at most of these sites, they have yet to yield a necropolis. Excavations are still being done at Tell es-Safi/Gath and Ashkelon, so hopefully the future will supply researchers with data to help clarify this rather vague area of Philistine studies. Recognizing these limitations, the paper presents a "symbiotic model," which identifies some of the areas of shared culture from the Canaanite context. Examples of this symbiosis are seen as the amalgamated result of people groups living in close proximity to each other and influencing the customs and practices of their neighbors. A Mycenaean origin of the Philistines is an underlying supposition of the research laid out in this paper. Because of this origin, and the other influences upon the early Philistine settlers in Canaan, a certain amount of cultural comparison becomes necessary to be able to understand the developing Philistine culture of Iron I. The paper includes a map of tombs and burials bearing Philistine influence and a map identifying different types of tombs and their locations. The variety of tomb types is an important facet of Philistine custom. The strong Egyptian influence upon Canaan and the surrounding area at that time in history is inescapable. Evidence of this influence will be explored. The inclusion of a chapter on the anthropoid clay coffins, and the Philistines' relationship to them, struggles with the scholarly interpretations. Finally, a chapter on literary implications strives to shed light on possible Philistine burial practices from the perspective of the Old Testament and other applicable literatures of the ancient Near East. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th.

x, 215 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT PQ149 .A56 2004 / This dissertation project seeks to connect the thematic concerns of Francophone women's post-colonial fiction to broader issues of breaking cycles of violence and resisting the negative effects of globalization. An important part of the study will be a discussion of the historical trend towards the mechanization of nature to account for an ideology of domination that the West has exported to its colonies. Borrowing especially from Carolyn Merchant and the Frankfurt School of critical theorists but also from feminist object relations theorist Jessica Benjamin, I trace masculine culture's will to mastery over a weaker other to a primal fear of chaotic nature and the omnipotent Mother. Violence that is currently directed at nature, women and children, and that is a central theme in the narratives I consider, has a long history. Colonization in all its forms stands out as the main characteristic of this history that will continue to repeat itself if left unexamined. My project demonstrates how these particular post-colonial novels engage with the past in such a way as to diffuse the internal mechanism of abusive power. There are two principle components of this engagement: one is the bringing-to-light of a buried history, personal and collective, that Western, masculine culture strives to repress. The other is the creation of an aesthetic that offers a means to mourn a traumatic past, thereby initiating a process of emotional and social healing. Both phenomena serve as political resistance to a hegemonic system based on denial of loss. In these novels I refer to this aesthetic of mourning as a "feminine symbolic of loss" to distinguish it from a traditional male canon of melancholy literature which instead capitalizes on loss for its own advancement. Their representations of oft-tabooed subjects attest to a refusal to comply with the cultural mandate of silence, driving a wedge into that mechanism of power that perpetuates itself by the disavowal and repression of loss. / Committee in Charge: Karen McPherson, David Castillo, Linda Kintz, Wolf Sohlich

This insider research journey explores the meaning-making processes of female spousal caregivers in anticipatory mourning and the knowledges which they have gained in retrospect. The research traces the social constructions of meaning and how they influence the process of meaning-making. A phenomenological study was undertaken in which unstructured interviews were conducted with five bereaved participants, highlighting the unique way in which each woman made meaning of loss in anticipatory mourning. The main phenomenological themes to emerge from their meaning-making were: a) the significance of time; b) challenges and gifts; c) witnessing the decline; d) paradoxes; e) the significance of the spousal relationship; and f) spirituality. The therapeutic effect of telling the life story is explored in this study and the need for contextual pastoral care that is specific to the state of anticipatory mourning is highlighted. Finally, possibilities for co-constructive pastoral care are raised in the light of the research findings. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. ( Practical Theology, with Specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

This thesis constitutes a narrative that explores an alternative meaning construction for the experience of loss. During the telling of this story, I consider the appropriateness of adopting the 'new paradigm' approach for this particular thesis, and the constructivist and social constructionist epistemological assumptions underlying such an approach. I delve into the use of 'self as researcher under this epistemological umbrella. This is followed by an exploration of 'chaos theory' and its application to social systems. And finally, I consider the usefulness of this theory in constructing meanings for loss experiences on various systemic levels within my own family system. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

Among the AmaXhosa the death of a person is marked by a tradition called ukuzila - the equivalent of the mourning process. As a sign of spousal mourning, and to show respect, the remaining spouse has to put on a marker (be visible). However, it is mostly the woman who is under obligation to show her mourner status by wearing ‘clothes of mourning’. The discriminatory nature of the practice, especially pertaining to visibility and some of the detrimental effects on the widows’ health and safety have been documented by some researchers, but the reasons for the continuity of visibility remain largely unexplored. Taking into account the dynamic nature of ‘culture’, this research explored the discourses deployed in men and women’s constructions of ukuzila specifically focusing on spousal mourning and the continuity of widows’ visibility in spite of their resistance to it. The research used postcolonial feminism drawing on postructuralism as its theoretical lens. This theoretical lens provided useful concepts such as hybridity, visibility, surveillance and power with which to examine spousal mourning and conceptualised people’s subject positions as multiple, fluid and contingent. Furthermore, the research employed thematic and discourse analysis at its methodology. Discourse analysis was employed to identify and analyse the discourses utilised in the constructions of spousal mourning. The research was conducted through focus group discussions held with younger and older urban and rural men and women, as well as interviews held with widows and widowers and key cultural informants. Concerning the question of constructions of spousal mourning for men and women, visibility of the mourner emerged as a central and contentious issue. Some participants were of the view that one could show mourning by engaging in culturally appropriate mourning behaviour, whilst others were of the view that showing one’s mourning had to be visible by publicly displaying mourning through a marker. Another group proposed mourning “by heart”, whereby the mourners’ status could either be inferred from their behaviour, whereas others maintained that behaviour was not mandatory. Various justifications for the continued visibility of widows were advanced. These justifications included showing love and respect to the deceased husband; showing respect to the ancestors; and helping to monitor their own behaviour in order to ensure that it is in line with appropriate mourning behaviour. The continued visibility of widows was also used to regulate the widows’ sexuality. Widows were coerced to put on ‘clothes of mourning’ in order to ‘protect’ them from being approached by men for a relationship during the mourning period. The regulation of the movement of widows was also managed through visibility. Widows’ movements were restricted in order to protect the community from pollution or bad luck. For example, they were not allowed to visit places of entertainment or visit other households. Key discourses identified were the familial-‘ukwenda’, respect-‘hlonipha’, and male sexual drive (MSD) discourse. The familial - ‘ukwenda’ discourse is centred on the idea that one is ‘married to the household’, which includes the nuclear family and wider extended family including ancestors. According to the respect-‘hlonipha’ discourse, respect is due to others on the basis of their age, status, and more especially their gender. Showing respect (hlonipha) necessitates the avoidance of all forms of behaviour and utterances that could be deemed disrespectful. The MSD holds a widespread view of sexuality as a biological drive that resides within each male and it was drawn on to make sense of discontinued visibility among widowers, whilst visibility of widows continued. It is argued that it is these discourses, embedded in the ‘culture’ of the AmaXhosa and upheld by the family that sustain the discriminatory nature of the practice, especially concerning the continued visibility of widows in spite of the resistance that has been voiced.

Até sua entrada no mercado de trabalho, a identidade da mulher foi construída somente através do casamento, de modo que ela faz ainda um grande investimento na vida afetiva e familiar. Em função disso, esta pesquisa objetivou investigar o processo de luto vivenciado pelas mulheres em decorrência do término de suas uniões amorosas, sejam elas oficiais ou consensuais. Para realização deste estudo, foram entrevistadas oito mulheres separadas que não haviam vivenciado a experiência de um novo casamento. A faixa etária das participantes variou entre 38 e 66 anos, sendo a média de idade de 49 anos. Elas pertenciam às camadas médias da população e residiam em duas grandes capitais: Recife e Rio de Janeiro. Todas as entrevistadas tinham filhos com os ex-parceiros. Com o seu consentimento, as entrevistas foram gravadas e transcritas. Considerando a Análise Temática, as respostas foram categorizadas por temas, formando categorias de análise. Os dados indicam que, independentemente de quem deixa e quem é deixado, podem surgir logo após a separação vários sentimentos: euforia, alívio, tranqüilidade, sensação de liberdade, atordoamento, medo, raiva, tristeza, sentimento, sentimento de abandono. Quanto aos sentimentos atuais relacionados à separação, algumas entrevistadas aceitaram o término do casamento. Por outro lado, alguns relatos apontaram para a dificuldade de elaborar a perda, não do parceiro propriamente dito, mas do casamento. A maioria das participantes atribuiu a vários fatores o término do casamento. Entre estes fatores, podemos citar: a infidelidade masculina; as diferenças de classe social, de educação e de interesses; e o fato de algumas entrevistadas terem exercido o papel de provedoras durante o casamento. Analisando como se deu o processo de reconstrução da identidade individual nas participantes, verificamos que a separação é uma oportunidade de estabelecer novos projetos existenciais e de recuperar aspectos de si mesmo. Quanto à relação com os ex-parceiros, o relato de uma das participantes confirmou a possibilidade de o vínculo amoroso transformar-se em amizade. Os demais relatos, porém, demonstraram que tal situação não corresponde freqüentemente à realidade. A maioria das participantes reconheceu que contribuiu de alguma forma para a separação. Esperamos que este trabalho acadêmico contribua para a investigação do luto feminino decorrente da separação amorosa, propiciando reflexões e sendo um reforço para bibliografia atual sobre o tema / Until women started growing on the job market her identity was built only throughout the marriage, increasing her investment in family and love life. Because of that, this research focused on investigating the process of grief lived by women when their love relationship end either by consensus or official. For this study eight divorced women that havent had experienced remarriage were interviewed. Their age range was between 38 and 66 with a medium age of 49 years old. They were from middle class and lived in two big capitals Recife and Rio de Janeiro. All the interviewed had kids with their ex partners. With their consent the interviews were recorded. Taking in consideration the Thematic Analysis, their responses were categorized in themes building the categories. Data indicates that independent of dumper or dumped, different feelings can appear after a separation: freedom, tranquility, rejection, fear, angry, sadness, etc. Some of the interviewed accepted the end of the marriage but on the other side, some pointed to the difficult dealing with the lost, not just of the partner but the marriage by itself. Most of the participants related the end of marriage to different facts, among them are the men infidelity, social class differences, education and interests and the fact that some of the interviewed were providers during the marriage. Analyzing how the individual identity reconstruction process happened among the participants was verified that separation was an opportunity to establish new projects and recover self aspects. As for the relationship with ex-partners, one of the participants confirmed the possibility of love relationship be transformed into friendship. All the others agree that this situation does not correspond to reality. We hope that this academic work contributes to the investigation of the feminine grief due to love separation, incentivizing reflections and reinforcing the actual bibliography about this subject

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Quoi de plus inné que les concepts d’oblique, d’horizontal ou de vertical ? Pour nous, moderne, ces concepts fondamentaux sont la base de tout notre système de pensée, tant mathématique qu’artistique. Tout porterait à croire que ces principes soient présents dans la civilisation grecque, dont nous nous réclamons les héritiers. Ce n’est pourtant pas une évidence au vu des textes qui nous ont été rapportés. Homère n’a pas connu le concept d’oblique – aucun mot ne saurait le traduire dans la langue de son époque. Et même plus tard. Les Grecs ont cinq adjectifs pour signifier approximativement l’oblique : λοξός, πλάγιος, λέχριος, σκολιός et δόχμιος. Chaque discipline (cosmologie, optique, géographie, artistique, etc.) a sa façon d’appréhender ces cinq termes, qui ne recouvrent à chaque fois que partiellement notre notion d’oblique. Paradoxalement, ce que le langage écrit n’a pas synthétisé se retrouve en abondance dans l’imagerie. Plus surprenant encore, l’oblique dans l’image, que nous considérons comme signe du mouvement dans notre langage iconographique, se retrouve aussi bien pour signifier le mouvement que le repos. Deux monuments de l’art grec attirent notre attention sur ce nouveau paradoxe : la frise du Mausolée d’Halicarnasse et l’Athéna Pensive. A chaque fois l’oblique est présente, à chaque fois elle porte deux sens bien distincts. Ces deux formes de langage, écrit et imagé, apportent un éclairage différent, et pour le moins complémentaire, sur la façon dont les Grecs de l’Antiquité ont appréhendé (ou non) le concept d’oblique. / What could be more innate than the concepts of oblique, horizontal or vertical ? For us, modern, these three concepts are the basis of our whole system of thought, both mathematical and artistic. It would appear to be obvious that these principles are present in the Greek civilization, whose we claim the heirs. However that isn't so obvious in view of the texts that have survived. Homer didn’t know the concept of oblique - no words can translate it into the language of his time. And even later. The Greeks have five adjectives to mean approximately oblique : λοξός, πλάγιος, λέχριος, σκολιός and δόχμιος. Each discipline (cosmology, optic, geography, art, etc.) has its own way of looking at these five words, which cover partially our notion of oblique. Paradoxically, what the written language has not synthesized, can be found in many images. Even more surprising, the oblique in the image, which we consider as a sign of movement in our iconographic language, is found both here to signify the movement than the rest. Two monuments of Greek art call our attention to this new paradox : the frieze of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Mourning Athena. In each of them the oblique ligne is present, and wears two distinct senses. These two forms of language, written and pictorial, bring a different perspective, furthermore complementary, on how the ancient Greeks apprehended (or not) the concept of oblique.