Like death, the defining human reality underlying our relationships and views of life's meaning, the experiences and activities of undertakers, remains an uncommon subject for psychological research. Existential anxiety roots a society-wide denial of the fundamental nature of death. which necessitates the development of institutions to take responsibility for the dying and dead. As the image and service of the stigmatised funeral industry improves, society's experience of death should become more meaningful. The overview of the research into these topics noted the need for further studies. Within a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology, this study adopted a qualitative approach and case study method, which provided descriptions of the ecology, contexts, and relationships characteristic .of the undertaker's vocation by focussing on patterned expressions of views and attitudes. The aim was to gain insight into the undertaker's experience of the many faces of death, with a genuine interest and deep respect for their world. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study examines carnival and ritual in Breyten Breytenbach's dramatic oeuvre and focuses on his Afrikaans drama texts Boklied (1998) and Die toneelstuk (2001). Seeing that these dramas had their debut performances at the Afrikaans national arts festival, the Afrikaans festival phenomenon, as well as Breytenbach's texts will be discussed as framed Events, within a carnival environment, as defined and described by Russian philosopher Bakhtin. The study evolves around three critical questions: 1. How does Bakhtin define the term "carnival" and could Afrikaans national arts festvals be seen as platforms for carnavalesque expression? 2. How does Professor Temple Hauptfleisch define an Event and why can the Afrikaans national arts festivals, as well as the drama texts under discussion, be seen as such Events? 3. How does Breyten Breytenbach's texts link up with Bakhtin's carnival theory and the ritual nature of the Dionysos festivals? / Afrikaans & Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

This dissertation aims at finding out the religious significance of Basotho ritual practices at births, weddings and funerals in Lesotho. The researcher combines literature review of scholars who have studied the Basotho socio-cultural life, with personal field study through dissemination of questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. Through this approach he finds out the various ritual practices that dot the Basotho life through the rites of passage, and then studies their religiousness in terms of traditional beliefs. He also finds out how these ritual practices have persisted in the face of Christian influence and western education, and how far they have been influenced. There is also an attempt to look into the importance of ancestor veneration in connection with Basotho beliefs and practices. The study reveals that the religious connotation of the ritual practices lies in how people seek transcendental meaning to life through the ritual practices. / Religious Studies & Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

1 Michal Vázal: The Confucian Ideal of Harmonious Community according to the Norms of the Wu Lineage from Mingzhou Abstract Abstract: This paper aims to characterize the structure and values produced by rituals in a kinship community, and how these characteristics subsequently helped to shape a harmoniously working community and its ideological relationship with the state in terms of local governance. The rituals in question are partially confined in time and place, as they are observed on one particular community, and are examined only in the extent of the primary source named "The Norms and Rituals of the Wu Lineage of Mingzhou" (Mingzhou Wu Shi Jiadian) - a ritual manual authored mainly by Wu Di (died 1736) from the village of Mingzhou, which belonged to the Huizhou prefecture (the south of the present day Anhui province). On the other hand, this text is largely based on Zhu Xi's "Family Rituals" (Jiali) which were viewed across the country as the ritual standard. The most essential rituals used to govern the lineage were coming of age ritual, wedding rituals, funeral rituals and sacrifices to ancestors. A unifying principle behind the structure and values these rituals created was seniority. The lineage structure was created mainly by the system in which the branches of firstborn sons were superiors to...

Ärzte sind in einer multikulturellen Gesellschaft gefordert, gesundheitsrelevante kulturelle Besonderheiten wie das religiös motivierte Fasten zu berücksichtigen, welches in unterschiedlicher Ausprägung in vielen Religionen eine zentrale Rolle einnimmt. Im Judentum gibt es vierundzwanzigstündige Fastenzeiten mit strikter Nahrungs- und Flüssigkeitskarenz. Im Christentum gibt es Fasten, welche eine veränderte Zusammensetzung der Nahrung während der Fastentage vorsehen, wie das Fasten der griechisch-orthodoxen Kirche oder das Daniel Fasten, während bei römisch-katholischen oder protestantischen Fastenexerzitien oft Heilfasten mit Nahrungskarenz praktiziert werden. Im muslimischen Mondmonat Ramadan wird tagsüber sowohl auf Nahrung als auch auf Trinken verzichtet. Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit war, die bisher erforschten Auswirkungen der verschiedenen Fastenarten auf anthropometrische Parameter, Blutfettwerte und Hämodynamik bei normalgewichtigen, gesunden Fastenden zu untersuchen. Die Literaturrecherche wurde vorwiegend in pubmed und für das Heilfasten zusätzlich in zwei Spezialbibliotheken durchgeführt. Bei der Auswertung erfolgte zur Verbesserung der Vergleichbarkeit der Ergebnisse eine Einteilung der Studien in Gruppen nach definierten Qualitätskriterien. Zur Beurteilung der Ergebnisse wurde einzeln auf die untersuchten Themenkomplexe eingegangen. Anthropometrische Parameter: Während beim Jom Kippur nur eine leichte Abnahme des Körpergewichts aufgrund von Verschiebungen im Flüssigkeitshaushalt vorkamen, konnten bei einwöchigem Heilfasten und beim Daniel Fasten keine signifikanten Ergebnisse dokumentiert werden. Beim griechisch-orthodoxen und Ramadan-Fasten zeigte sich eine Abnahmetendenz für Gewicht und Body-mass-Index (BMI), welche sich mit der Länge des Fastens zu verstärken scheint. Für keine der Fastenarten konnte bisher ein Rebound- Effekt nachgewiesen werden. Blutfette: Im Fettstoffwechsel beobachtete Veränderungen während des Jom Kippur sind aufgrund der Kürze des Fastens lediglich als passager zu bewerten. Die zum griechisch-orthodoxen und Daniel Fasten vorliegenden Studien konnten bisher die Reduktion des Gesamt- und LDL-Cholesterols belegen, während beim Heilfasten die kurzfristigen Effekte widersprüchlich erscheinen und wenig Langzeitergebnisse vorhanden sind. Beim Ramadan-Fasten war die Variabilität der Ergebnisse groß, wobei sich jedoch fast durchgehend eine Erhöhung der Werte für HDL und HDL-Cholesterol zeigte. Hämodynamik: Zusammenfassend kann man bei der dürftigen Studienlage für alle Fastenarten entweder keine Veränderung oder eine Tendenz zur Verbesserung der Blutdruckwerte sehen. Der Vergleich des menschlichen Fastens mit Grundlagenstudien zur Kalorienrestriktion oder zum intermittierenden Fasten bei Tieren, welche deutlich gesundheitsfördernde Ergebnisse zeigen, scheint nicht uneingeschränkt zulässig. Aufgrund der Studienlage kann derzeit nicht beantwortet werden, ob diese positiven Effekte auch durch regelmäßiges religiöses Fasten im menschlichen Körper erzielt werden können. Die meisten Studien zum religiösen Fasten sind Beobachtungsstudien, deren verschiedene Umgebungsbedingungen den Vergleich der Ergebnisse, insbesondere beim Ramadan-Fasten, erschweren. Bis auf wenige Ausnahmen kommen die Studien aus Ländern, in denen das jeweilige Fasten traditionell praktiziert wird. Die Arbeit zeigt den Facettenreichtum der vorhandenen religiösen Fastenpraktiken und ihre Relevanz für die heutige medizinische Praxis. Lücken in der Studienlage und qualitative Mängel der bestehenden Daten konnten aufgezeigt werden. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass die Anzahl der qualitativ hochwertigen Studien zu allen verbreiteten Arten des Fastens weiterhin wächst und dass derzeit noch nicht medizinisch untersuchte Fasten zukünftig ebenso in die Forschung einbezogen werden. / In a multicultural society doctors are required to consider health-related cultural features such as religious fasting, which, to varying degrees, play a central role in many religions. In Judaism fasting is a strict twenty-four hour abstention from food and fluids. In Christianity there are fasts that involve a change in the variety of foods eaten, as is the case in the Greek Orthodox Church or in the Daniel Fast, while in Roman-Catholic or Protestant fasting retreats a juice fast is often observed. In the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan food and fluid intake is restricted to the night hours only. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the findings of existing research into the impact of different kinds of religious fasting on anthropometric parameters, blood lipids and haemodynamics of healthy people. The literature research has been carried out mainly through pubmed and for the juice fast two additional, specialised libraries were consulted. For the evaluation and a better comparability of the results the studies were classified into groups, defined by specific qualitative criteria. For the purpose of evaluating the results, they were analysed in groups according to the main criteria of the study. Anthropometric parameters: while during Jom Kippur only a slight reduction of body weight due to shifts in the body\\\'s fluid balance could be observed, in a one-week juice fast and in a Daniel Fast there were no significant changes. In the Greek Orthodox and Ramadan fasts a tendency to reduction of body weight and body mass index (BMI) were observed, which seemed to intensify according to the length of the fast. In none of these fasts a rebound effect was found. Blood lipids: the changes observed in lipid metabolism during Jom Kippur should be regarded as transient due to the shortness of the fast. The studies of Greek Orthodox and Daniel fasting have shown a reduction of total and LDL cholesterol, while those examining juice fasting reveal the short term effects as contradictory, with there being only few long term results available. The results pertaining to Ramadan fasting showed a high variability, though a rise in HDL and HDL cholesterol has been quite consistently reported. Haemodynamics: in summary it can be stated, considering the very sparse number of studies in this area, that in all of the above mentioned forms of religious fasting there was either no change or a slight tendency towards a reduction of blood pressure. The comparison of human fasting to experimental studies in caloric restriction or intermittent fasting in animals, which have clearly shown health enhancing effects, does not seem unconditionally valid. Based on the current state of science no definitive answer can be given on whether regular religious fasting can generate these positive results in humans. Most studies in the field of religious fasting are observational studies with differing environmental conditions, a fact that hampers the comparison of the results, especially for the Ramadan fast. Except for few exemptions the studies all originate in countries where the respective fast is traditionally held. This study revealed the great variety within the existing religious fasting practices and their relevance for today’s medical practice. Gaps in the current state of evidence and research as well as qualitative shortcomings in the existing data where revealed. It is to be hoped that the rise in high-quality studies of all common religious fasts will continue and that fasts, not medically studied to date, will in future also become the subject of research.

This study examines carnival and ritual in Breyten Breytenbach's dramatic oeuvre and focuses on his Afrikaans drama texts Boklied (1998) and Die toneelstuk (2001). Seeing that these dramas had their debut performances at the Afrikaans national arts festival, the Afrikaans festival phenomenon, as well as Breytenbach's texts will be discussed as framed Events, within a carnival environment, as defined and described by Russian philosopher Bakhtin. The study evolves around three critical questions: 1. How does Bakhtin define the term "carnival" and could Afrikaans national arts festvals be seen as platforms for carnavalesque expression? 2. How does Professor Temple Hauptfleisch define an Event and why can the Afrikaans national arts festivals, as well as the drama texts under discussion, be seen as such Events? 3. How does Breyten Breytenbach's texts link up with Bakhtin's carnival theory and the ritual nature of the Dionysos festivals? / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

Cerrillos is an Early to Middle Paracas civic-ceremonial site located in the upper Ica Valley of Perú. The site is known for its finely plastered adobe architecture, beautifully decorated ceramics, and complex textiles, many of which are decorated with camelid hair. Cerrillos was located in a strategically important place where the mountains meet the coastal desert and the Ica River bends south, a likely intersection in a road system that connected Cerrillos to contemporary sites in the Paracas region and beyond. This paper focuses on several early textiles, ceramics, and other artifacts, including ceramic palettes used for gold working and wooden earspools, that suggest that Cerrillos was involved in a cultural phenomenon or interaction sphere that linked sites as far away was Chavín de Huántar through the interchange of goods, beliefs, and practices. The paper presents a complete description of the textiles excavated at Cerrillos between 1999 and 2002, focusing on two fabric fragments with images of the Staff Deity and one with an abstract Chavín-like design. The ceramics discussed in the text demonstrate the wide variety of styles found at Cerrillos, including some that resemble the Janabarriu of Chavín de Huántar and several others that are either not Paracas or an Early Paracas style that has never been previously described. / Cerrillos es un sitio cívico-ceremonial con ocupación entre las épocas Paracas Temprano y Medio, localizado en el valle alto de Ica, Perú. Es conocido por su arquitectura de adobe enlucida de manera fina, cerámica bellamente decorada y textiles complejos, muchos de ellos decorados con fibra de camélido. Estuvo localizado en un lugar de importancia estratégica, donde las montañas se encuentran con el desierto costero y el río Ica gira hacia el sur, una probable intersección en un sistema de caminos que lo conectaba con sitios contemporáneos en la región de Paracas y más allá. Este artículo se enfoca en diversos textiles, cerámica y otros artefactos tempranos, entre ellos paletas de cerámica usadas para trabajar el oro y aretes en forma de argollas de madera, lo que sugiere que este complejo estaba involucrado en un fenómeno cultural o esfera de interacción que vinculaba sitios tan lejanos como Chavín de Huántar mediante el intercambio de bienes, creencias y prácticas. Este artículo presenta una completa descripción de los textiles excavados en Cerrillos entre 1999 y 2002, y se enfoca en dos fragmentos textiles, uno con imágenes del Dios de las Varas y el otro con un diseño abstracto parecido al chavín. La cerámica tratada en el texto demuestra la amplia variedad de estilos encontrados, entre ellos algunos que se parecen al Janabarriu de Chavín de Huántar y varios otros que no corresponden al estilo Paracas o que semejan un estilo Paracas Temprano que nunca antes ha sido descrito.

Through a critical-functional, rather than literal, reading of the text of Revelation, this dissertation hypothesises a move beyond the paralysing constant reduction of hermeneutic meaning to two conventional poles when discussing hope – the early Christian movement’s hope through reversal, and contemporary nihilism. In order to do so in a responsible manner, it is necessary to study other research done on the topics of eschatology and hope – especially as seen in the book of Revelation. For this reason, the most popular and representative scholars of the Book of Revelation are studied. This overall look at current scholarships' views regarding the Apocalypse will help detect any possible missing elements in our approach to Revelation. But no study of this topic can be considered near complete if other disciplines are not involved; in this case especially when moving on to a critical-functional reading of Revelation. This thesis thus features an exploratory study of the functioning of ritual and hope within the human psyche; from archaeological to psychological perspectives. This emphasises the importance of, and leads into, the possibilities of a functional reading of the Book of Revelation. All of the above work leads to a re-evaluation of the success of hope as metanarrative for today. The suggestion is that Christian hope is not imaginary, but is irreducibly imaginative. For “reality is never just the world as it exists; it is the world as it is experienced through the lenses of social perception” (Barr 2010:636). / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament and Early Christian Studies)

Like death, the defining human reality underlying our relationships and views of life's meaning, the experiences and activities of undertakers, remains an uncommon subject for psychological research. Existential anxiety roots a society-wide denial of the fundamental nature of death. which necessitates the development of institutions to take responsibility for the dying and dead. As the image and service of the stigmatised funeral industry improves, society's experience of death should become more meaningful. The overview of the research into these topics noted the need for further studies. Within a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology, this study adopted a qualitative approach and case study method, which provided descriptions of the ecology, contexts, and relationships characteristic .of the undertaker's vocation by focussing on patterned expressions of views and attitudes. The aim was to gain insight into the undertaker's experience of the many faces of death, with a genuine interest and deep respect for their world. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This dissertation aims at finding out the religious significance of Basotho ritual practices at births, weddings and funerals in Lesotho. The researcher combines literature review of scholars who have studied the Basotho socio-cultural life, with personal field study through dissemination of questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. Through this approach he finds out the various ritual practices that dot the Basotho life through the rites of passage, and then studies their religiousness in terms of traditional beliefs. He also finds out how these ritual practices have persisted in the face of Christian influence and western education, and how far they have been influenced. There is also an attempt to look into the importance of ancestor veneration in connection with Basotho beliefs and practices. The study reveals that the religious connotation of the ritual practices lies in how people seek transcendental meaning to life through the ritual practices. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)