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Zygmunt Bauman and other postmodernists have argued that postmodernity is characterized by the disintegration of the legitimacy and authority of what has been referred to as grand narratives or "illusions." These theorists often highlight the manipulative and obfuscating effects of illusion. As such, scholars like Bauman contend that postmodernity sets the stage for sincere, moral responsibility. However, they fail to acknowledge that these illusions provide a cultural and social function through their satisfaction of human needs. Failing to fully acknowledge the importance of this function and human needs in general leads many postmodern theorists to be unable to adequately theorize about the contemporary epoch. In addition to the weakening authority of grand illusions, the advent of technologically advanced society coincided with the process of desublimation (a process by which instant gratification occurs). Desublimation worked to undermine what Sigmund Freud has referred to as the life instincts by promulgating false needs (i.e., wants or desires perceived as needs). As such, contemporary society may be depicted as constituting anomic, atomistic individuals seeking self-preservation. This process may be delineated as the death instincts, or Thanatos, as coming to triumph over the life instincts, Eros. A Thanatos society has significant implications for moral responsibility. The diminution of sincere emotional integration facilitates the unbridled spread of postemotionalism into more and more spheres of social life. As postemotional scripts become the prevailing moral guidelines, Thanatos manifests itself as a compulsion to repeat destructive behavior at the societal and individual level. Society and its members struggle in their attempts to choose the "right" course of action. Confusion and fear become affixed features of personal and social life and morality becomes an arbitrary endeavor.

Modernist perspectives on work and leisure rooted within the post-war period have reflected a differentiated relationship between work and leisure (Parker, 1971; 1983; Wilensky, 1960). The impacts of globalization, de-regulation of the labour market and the rise of flexible accumulation of capital have altered traditional modernist notions of work and leisure (Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2005b; Schor, 1992). Recent literature demonstrates the manner in which leisure is re-appraised in the postmodern context (Blackshaw, 2010; Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2010b), providing new ways of understanding how leisure can engage with work (Bowers, 2011; Guerrier & Adib, 2009; Ravenscroft & Gilchrist, 2009). This dissertation examines meaningful work and its relationship to leisure amongst professional and knowledge workers in a not-for-profit and public sector organization. Three areas of investigation were pursued using qualitative approaches, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Article one comparatively examined experiences of meaningful work amongst workers from both organizations, and the extent to which experiences aligned to what is understood as a ‘liquid work’ organization (Clegg & Baumeler, 2010; Poder, 2007). Through an analysis of the factors that promote and hinder satisfaction, workplace satisfaction was primarily found within the not-for-profit sector organization, which more closely reflected a ‘liquid work’ organization. Article two examines leisure’s engagement with satisfying and productive forms of work through what is understood as a form of ‘civil labour’ (Rojek, 2001). Through an analysis of workers’ feelings towards work, different levels of engagement offer the potential for leisure to engage in productive and satisfying work. This was primarily evident amongst not-for-profit workers, whose engagement in work provided opportunities for developing social and cultural capital. Finally, article three examines the extent to which a de-differentiation of work and leisure (Rojek, 1993; 1995) is taking place amongst workers in the two settings. In comparatively examining workers’ perceptions of work and leisure, it is evident that a differentiation still exists. The discussion focuses on the relevance of workers’ experiences of work in producing different ways of understanding leisure in relation to work. The concluding chapter presents an integration of three articles, limitations, alternative methods and proposals for future research.

Modernist perspectives on work and leisure rooted within the post-war period have reflected a differentiated relationship between work and leisure (Parker, 1971; 1983; Wilensky, 1960). The impacts of globalization, de-regulation of the labour market and the rise of flexible accumulation of capital have altered traditional modernist notions of work and leisure (Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2005b; Schor, 1992). Recent literature demonstrates the manner in which leisure is re-appraised in the postmodern context (Blackshaw, 2010; Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2010b), providing new ways of understanding how leisure can engage with work (Bowers, 2011; Guerrier & Adib, 2009; Ravenscroft & Gilchrist, 2009). This dissertation examines meaningful work and its relationship to leisure amongst professional and knowledge workers in a not-for-profit and public sector organization. Three areas of investigation were pursued using qualitative approaches, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Article one comparatively examined experiences of meaningful work amongst workers from both organizations, and the extent to which experiences aligned to what is understood as a ‘liquid work’ organization (Clegg & Baumeler, 2010; Poder, 2007). Through an analysis of the factors that promote and hinder satisfaction, workplace satisfaction was primarily found within the not-for-profit sector organization, which more closely reflected a ‘liquid work’ organization. Article two examines leisure’s engagement with satisfying and productive forms of work through what is understood as a form of ‘civil labour’ (Rojek, 2001). Through an analysis of workers’ feelings towards work, different levels of engagement offer the potential for leisure to engage in productive and satisfying work. This was primarily evident amongst not-for-profit workers, whose engagement in work provided opportunities for developing social and cultural capital. Finally, article three examines the extent to which a de-differentiation of work and leisure (Rojek, 1993; 1995) is taking place amongst workers in the two settings. In comparatively examining workers’ perceptions of work and leisure, it is evident that a differentiation still exists. The discussion focuses on the relevance of workers’ experiences of work in producing different ways of understanding leisure in relation to work. The concluding chapter presents an integration of three articles, limitations, alternative methods and proposals for future research.

Postmodern phenomena in law Abstract This thesis examines postmodernity and its manifestation in law and legal science. The first part is dedicated to achieving as precise definition of the term postmodernity as possible, as there is no general consensus, due to the fragmentary nature and instability of postmodern philosophy. Because of a limited quantity of comprehensive resources, describing postmodernity, available the historical perspective was applied in order to build a clear and compact narrative. The modernity movement is defined as it precedes postmodernity historically and philosophically. Postmodernity arose in reaction to the historical events which shaped the world of the twentieth century. From the detailed historical narrative are then synthesized the main defining characteristics of postmodernity. Those characteristics are: erosion, plurality, globalization, the fragmentary and liquid nature of society. The second part is predominantly dedicated to the topic of plurality as it is the basic element of postmodern thought. The comparative approach was chosen due to the ongoing globalization. Plurality as a postmodern phenomenon manifests itself significantly in the form of legal pluralism. The emphasis is put on defining legal pluralism, the additional meta-questions that head towards pondering...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the rate of divorce since the onset of democracy (1994). The author intends to examine the causes of divorce as well as the impact of divorce on the parties involved. The author believes that gender equality and women rights are possible contributing factors to the problem of the high rate of divorce South Africa is witnessing today (this will serve as our research gap). Qualitative method will be employed in this study. Interviews will be conducted with the divorcees. The participants (the divorcees) will be our source of knowledge. Interviews will be recorded and subsequently transcribed. Now that divorce is rampant, it is the duty of the clergy to pastorally care for the divorcee. The author will propose a pastoral care model to help the divorcee cope with their situation. The author will as well analyse some biblical passages that are sometimes misinterpreted by theologically untrained pastors to reject the divorcee. Since our study is in the area of practical theology, the author will focus on the practical application of the biblical passages addressing the issue of divorce that are often misunderstood, and therefore, misapplied. Stigma associated with divorce, especially in African culture and context will be discussed. The findings from this study will be evaluated and analysed. Thematic analysis will be employed. And from the analysis of the findings, the author will then be able to give recommendations. Recommendations will be made with regard to caring for the divorcee within the church (the body of Christ). / Dissertation (MA (Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Practical Theology / MA (Theology) / Unrestricted

Thesis advisor: Thomas H. Groome / The central proposal of this dissertation is that recovering the sacramentalprinciple and sacramentality—as a deep structure to all of life—is essential to Christian life, and thus to Catholic education for faith. The sacramental worldview takes seriously the material and historical reality of finite creaturely existence as the place of encounter with Holy Mystery. The seeds of an approach to cultivating this worldview lie in the ancient church practice of mystagogy. Chapter One surveys the epistemological and anthropological facets of the modern and postmodern contexts which posit a desacramentalized cosmos. Many find themselves confined to the limit and flatness of an instrumental, rationalistic, and data driven day to day existence within a commodity culture. This engenders a resistance to the depth of a sacramental cosmos undergirded by the love of the Creator. Furthermore, sacramental ritual and communal worship are no longer a primary place of formation or celebration for fewer and fewer people. Chapter Two traces the historical contours of the sacramental principle as a deep structure to Catholic Christian faith in particular, and indeed, to all of reality. This is placed in conversation with Charles Taylor’s philosophical diagnosis of the secular age and the sacramental theology of Louis-Marie Chauvet. It is into a “world already spoken” by the Logos that the symbolic order acts as a set of building blocks to construct our reality and is therefore the way in which we experience God’s self-communication in God’s transcendence. Chapter Three explores the anthropology and epistemological category of experience in the work of Karl Rahner. Rahner helps us to understand that experience is a necessary epistemological category—constitutive of human knowing. Second, experience is existentiell, meaning that all experience is active and lived, grounded in freedom. Chapter Four maintains that mystagogy was an essential interpretive frame of reference for discerning Christian mystery in the ancient church. The exploration of origins leads to a four-movement model—recollection, recognition, reorientation, and relation—that emerges as a constitutive pattern in early mystagogy. Chapter Five is constructive employing the work of John Dewey, Maxine Greene, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and Thomas Groome who emphasize the importance the epistemological category of experience in education. Moreover, the four-movement pattern mentioned above is discernible in the spectacular resurrection narrative of the Road to Emmaus and a model for education in faith, prefigured by Jesus’ earthly pedagogy. Consequently, I propose a more extended, broader sense of a mystagogical approach for contemporary praxis to enable the reclamation of an essential sacramental imagination for our time. The telos of these four movements of mystagogy is to enable an anagnorisis—a re-cognition and response to the presence of Holy Mystery within everyday experience. Finally, Chapter Six engages the implications of the foregoing. Mystagogy is an indexical praxis which invites us to be life-long apprentices to becoming alert to God’s hidden presence in our lived experience. It is the rehearsal of a disposition that understands reality as saturated by grace, and learning to accept it as both gift and obligation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

This project seeks to explore the subject of nation and nationalism in the context of rhetoric and the philosophy of communication. By exploring ancient tropes of nation through rhetorical figures such as Isocrates in Ancient Greece and Cicero in the Roman Republic; through Kant, the Enlightenment and modernity; and, through postmodern interpretations, I attempt to reconceptualize the nation as a communicative construct while pointing to what may lie ahead for the future. By applying Anderson's (2006) concept of "imagined communities" as an interpretative framework, the nation appears to be a more fluid, contingent space for communication that is grounded in ancient and Enlightenment ideals, but is perhaps reconfiguring in the face of postmodern complexity as advanced by scholars such as Appadurai (1996) and Smith (1979, 1983, 1995, 1998, 2008, 2010). The transition from antiquity and modernity to postmodernity is characterized by what I call a theory of "dialogic nationalism," which has roots in Martin Buber's understanding of dialogue (1988, 1996, 2002) and his writings on nationalism (2005). Dialogic nationalism may serve as an alternative hermeneutic for the nation within the postmodern moment. The experience of international students in the United States and the complex issue of immigration around the world are also explored as practical applications for dialogic nationalism. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts; / Communication and Rhetorical Studies / PhD; / Dissertation;

Vivemos, atualmente, uma grande crise econômico-financeira que afeta alguns países do mundo ocidental. Zygmunt Bauman escreveu A ética pós-moderna há mais de duas décadas, denunciando a crise ética que já existia naquela época. Aliás, a própria noção de crise, segundo Bauman, havia mudado de referência semântica, de algo relativo a critério para algo que não vai bem. Tal mudança data da Revolução Francesa acompanhando o desenvolvimento do capitalismo. A expressão pós-modernidade e, depois, modernidade líquida, de que Bauman se utiliza decorre das transformações sociais resultantes do grande progresso tecnológico mundial e, que, nos últimos anos, faz com que tenhamos de viver sempre nos adaptando a transformações de formas de vida cada vez mais efêmeras. Essa denúncia de Bauman coincide com dois aspectos importantes do marxismo: de um lado, uma irracionalidade excludente do modo de produção capitalista, inclusive com a imagem da cobra devorando seu próprio rabo. De outro, a denúncia da Escola de Frankfurt, quanto à razão instrumental. Contrariamente à Escola de Frankfurt, que admitiu entre seus membros considerações psicanalíticas, como as contribuições de Eric Fromm, Wilhelm Reich e Herbert Marcuse, Bauman não mencionou a psicanálise entre suas considerações. Tal fato é estranho em razão de conceituação da moral, como decorrente de uma pulsão interna do indivíduo, resultante do face a face com outra pessoa. Outro aspecto não contemplado por Bauman foi a não referência à filosofia da práxis, própria do marxismo. Ao criticar os filósofos e os juristas, por tentarem aprisionar a realidade cambiante em fórmulas fixas, Bauman perde a referência. Afinal, para ele os seres humanos são ambivalentes (bons e maus); os fenômenos morais são irracionais; a moralidade é aporética. Tese que defende. Por outro lado, faltaram considerações, como as de que o homem, ao modificar o mundo, modifica a si próprio, assim a práxis cria uma nova realidade e uma nova moral. / This research thesis aimed to: Nowadays, we are passing throught a huge economics and finantial crisis that affects some countries from the called Ocidental World. Zygmunt Bauman has written Postmodern ethics more than twodecades ago denunciating ethical crisis that already existed at that time. More, the concept of crisis itself, according to this author, had changed from a semantic reference of something related to judgment to something the meaning became to something that is wrong, is not right. This inversion came along the French Revolution and followsthe development of capitalism. The expression post-modernity and latter liquid modernity, that the polish writteruses, are decurrent from the social changes caused by the great technical development. It forces us to live in constant changes to new ways of life, each time more ephemeral. Thus denunciation coincides with two important aspects of Marxism: the unreasonable productive way of capitalism shown by the picture of the snake eating its own tail. On the other hand, it denounces the School of Frankfurt regarding to the instrumental reason. School of Frankfurt, that admitted psychanalitic contributions, as the ones from Eric Fromm, Wilhelm Reich and Herbert Marcuse, in opposition to that, Bauman didnt brought up psichanalisys. This is weird because of his concept of morals as resulting from the internal drive from the person when dealing to each other. Another aspect not mencioned by him was the praxis philosophy from Marxism. Bauman got lost when criticizing philosophers and jurists for trying to aprisionate the dynamic reality intosthatic formulas. If the human beings arebad or good. The moral phenomenon are irrational, and morality is contradictory. According to him, on the other hand, thers not enough considerations as that the man when changing the world, at same time changes themselves, this the praxis creates a new reality and a new moral. Bauman criticizes philosophers and jurists for trying to consider reallity in a prestablish model but not give anything back. For him human beings are good and evil; the moral phenomenon are irrational; moral is contradictory. When changing the world men change themselves. The praxis creates a new morality and a new world.