Le culte de possession autour de María Lionza connaît une importante phase d’expansion au début du XXème siècle, lorsque des flux migratoires intenses se dirigent non seulement vers les champs d’exploitation pétrolière mais aussi vers les espaces urbains qui, en étant les principaux bénéficiaires du miracle économique entraîné par la découverte de l’ « or noir », s’engagent dans un processus vertigineux de modernisation. Originaire du Centre-Nord du Venezuela, cette dévotion s’est donc consolidée parallèlement à l’essor du modèle économique rentier et de l’édification d’un État centralisé bien décidé à mettre en ouevre un ambitieux programme d’unification nationale dont l’historiographie patriotique, alors largement promue par les pouvoirs publics, était le fil conducteur. Curieusement, les grands symboles de cette cosmogonie républicaine se retrouveront progressivement dans les centres « spirites » marialionceros qui prolifèrent surtout en ville : ainsi, vers la fin des années 1950, de nombreuses figures historiques (comme le cacique Guaicaipuro ou le Libertador Simón Bolívar) s’intègrent peu à peu aux autels de culte, toujours prêts à accueillir de nouvelles entités. Ces personnages, désormais considérés comme des divinités, communiquent directement avec les adeptes par le biais de médiums lors du rituel sacré de la transe. Cette thèse s’interroge sur la nature et le sens des interférences et des possibles chevauchements entre les représentations du passé véhiculées par l’État-nation vénézuélien, et celles mises en avant dans le culte de María Lionza. En explorant les métamorphoses subies par la dévotion depuis le XXème siècle, nous examinerons l’extraordinaire capacité de ce phénomène religieux à récupérer des épisodes précis du passé, depuis la Conquête et les guerres d’indépendance jusqu’à la modernité pétrolière non exempte de contradictions. Dans cette démarche, la notion de « mémoire collective » joue un rôle central, puisque cette réappropriation suppose avant tout la réélaboration, au gré des crises politiques et économiques qui ont secoué le pays, de l’Histoire telle qu’elle se présente dans le discours officiel. À partir d’une enquête de terrain menée dans le lieu de pèlerinage le plus important du culte de María Lionza, la montagne de Sorte (État de Yaracuy, Venezuela), nous décrypterons les trames mémorielles qui s’imbriquent et s’enchevêtrent dans ce culte tout au long des deux derniers siècles tout en réfléchissant sur les nouvelles lectures, parfois tout à fait inattendues, qu’elles offrent du passé commun. À cet effet, nous proposerons d’abord une analyse détaillée de la géographie sacrée de Quibayo (montagne de Sorte), pour montrer comment les représentations d’autres époques qui s’y sédimentent vont de pair avec des périodes de crispation sociale dont les coups et les contrecoups ont marqué différentes générations d’adeptes. Ensuite, nous nous intéresserons à la dimension performative de la mémoire collective, en jetant un regard sur l’une des lignées d’esprit les plus populaires, les Indiens, et sa mise en scène dans le principal rituel de possession collectif, « la danse sur le feu ». Enfin, nous retracerons l’évolution récente du culte dans cette période d’enthousiasme révolutionnaire, et nous mesurerons l’impact du retour en force de l’idéologie nationaliste sur la dévotion. / The cult of possession around María Lionza experienced a period of growth at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the heavy flow of migrants supplied not only the operation of the oilfields but also the urban spaces which, as the principal beneficiaries of the economic miracle created by the discovery of the “black gold”, underwent a dizzying process of modernization. This devotion to María Lionza, which originated in the north central region of Venezuela, was therefore strengthened in parallel with the rise of the rentier economic model and the erection of a centralised State determined to implement an ambitious programme of national unification in which the patriotic historiography, then broadly promoted by the authorities, was the driving force. Curiously, the great symbols of this republican cosmogony would gradually come to be found in the “spirit” centres (marialionceros) which flourished, especially in cities: thus, in the late 1950s, several historic figures (such as the Chief Guaicaipuro and the Liberator Simón Bolívar) were gradually integrated into the devotional altars, which were always ready to accept new entities. These characters, who came to be seen as divinities, communicate directly with the followers of the cult through mediums during the sacred trance ritual. This thesis examines the nature and sense of the interferences and possible overlaps between the representations of the past transmitted by the Venezuelan nation-state, and those promoted by the cult of María Lionza. Through an exploration of the mutations undergone by this religious devotion in the twentieth century, we examine the extraordinary capacity of this religious phenomenon to retrieve certain episodes of the past, from the Spanish Conquest and the Wars of Independence to the contradictory oil-based modernity. Within this approach, the notion of “collective memory” plays a central role, because this re-appropriation essentially presupposes the re-elaboration, in accordance with the political and economic crises which have shaken the country, of Venezuela’s history as seen in scholarly discourse. Starting with a field survey carried out at the most important pilgrimage site of the cult of María Lionza, the Sorte Mountain (Yaracuy state), we explain the threads of memory which have become intertwined and entangled in the cult over the course of the last two centuries, while offering a consideration of the new, sometimes completely unsuspected readings which they offer of the shared past. For this purpose, we offer firstly a detailed analysis of the sacred geography of Quibayo (Sorte Mountain) to demonstrate how the collected representations of previous times work in tandem with the historical periods of social tension whose coups and countercoups marked different generations of devotees. We then turn to the performative dimension of collective memory, by focusing on one of the most popular spiritual approaches, that of the Indians, and their staging of the principal ritual of collective possession, the “dance over coals”. Finally, we trace the recent development of the cult in this period of revolutionary fervour, and measure the impact of the powerful return of a nationalist ideology on this religious devotion.

Depuis les travaux fondateurs de M. Nilsson, on admet que les cultes grecs de l’époque archaïque héritent des pratiques rituelles des Mycéniens. Pendant toute la période qui s’étend du XIIIe au début du Ve siècle, et au delà, sont surtout consacrées par dépôt, par crémation, et par libation, des denrées issues des travaux des hommes, animaux domestiques, végétaux cultivés et liquides provenant de l’agriculture et de l’élevage. Des évolutions majeures affectent cependant l’organisation de la vie religieuse au cours de ces huit siècles ayant connu des crises, des changements de régime, des déplacements de population importants. Il ne convient cependant pas nécessairement d’opposer les aspects statiques et dynamiques : même les héritages les plus anciens ont progressivement été adaptés aux contextes nouveaux, et c’est particulièrement vrai de ceux qui concernent les consécrations d’offrandes alimentaires. Parce qu’elles s’articulent avec les besoins essentiels de l’homme comme « animal politique » autant qu’elles s’en détachent, ces dernières focalisent l’attention du chercheur sur ce que les actes de culte disent de la place du sacré dans les sociétés grecques en mutation. De l’époque mycénienne à la fin de l’époque archaïque les pratiques religieuses sont des enjeux de pouvoir. La répartition des prérogatives au cours des cérémonies, la définition d’un corpus de denrées jugées adéquates pour les consécrations, et la possibilité, ou non, de partager avec le divin, reflètent et cimentent l’organisation socio-politique des communautés. Si les accidents de la vie religieuse accompagnent ceux de la vie sociale et politique, ils témoignent aussi de l’évolution des mentalités. Propice au développement de la science et de la philosophie, l’époque archaïque a particulièrement favorisé les questionnements sur la pratique des cultes, et les réflexions sur la construction d’un espace sacré singulier. / Since M. Nilsson’s work, it is accepted that the Greeks of the Archaic Period have inherited some of their religious habits from the Mycenaean era. From the XIIIth down to the VIth century BCE, the Greeks offered to their gods parts taken from domestic animals, cultivated plants, and drinkable liquids by burning them, depositing them in an appropriate place, or pouring them. Still, during eight centuries where there have been huge crisis, political disruptions, and population displacements, major religious changes took place. Those suggest that even practices that seem to have been the same have enventually been adapted to new contexts. This is especially the case for those associated with food offerings. Because they are closely related to the basic needs of humans, but can still be pretty distant from them, food offerings encourage researchers to focus on what religious practices tell us about how sacred matters were embeded into Greek mutating societies. From the Mycenaean down to the Archaic period, cult is an instrument of power. The social and political organisation of Greek communities was both represented and reinforced by the distribution of religious privileges, the definition of which goods were suitable for the offerings, and the possibility, or impossibility, for everyone to share with the gods. Religion and politic share an intimate relationship, but cult practices also closely reflect how the Greeks thought the world they lived in. New questions about religion and the definition of sacred space naturally followed the development of philosophy during the archaic period.

Canonization of Saint Thomas Aquinas Abstract This thesis inquires into the canonization process of Thomas Aquinas, in relation to specific circumstances and general usage of the era on the field of canonizing saints. While at the grave of the reverend master, miracles were produced and the popular cult was rising, on western universities, a doctrinal dispute has flared up which touched Thomas' doctrine, as well. The case has not be resolved untill nearly fifty years, when the pope John XXII has shown interest in canonizing one important personality of Dominican order. The choice fell on Thomas. The minor friars, protected by the roman king Louis IV the Bavarian, oposed but the pope got his purpose through, and so Thomas' learning became the leading stream in theology and thinking. The aim of this thesis is to approach period specificities of the cult of saints and canonization processes, to outline a brief history of Thomas' way to canonization and following occurrences, and to try to figure out broader context of the process, evaluating the importance of particular aspects at the same time. The thesis is based on canonization documents and relies on relevant sources and specialized literature. Keywords Canonization, canonization process, cult of saints, Thomas Aquinas, relics, translation, dispute,...

The main goal of the thesis is to find out whether there is a connection between Instagram usage and a change in the perception of one's own body image, more specifically an increase in dissatisfaction with one's own physical appearance. The supporting goals are to map the individual factors arising from this dissatisfaction and to describe the solutions that Instagram users have adopted to achieve the dream appearance. Through qualitative research, specifically by analysing in-depth interviews with bloggers presenting extreme slenderness on social networks, the life stories of respondents are analysed in order to reveal how interest in body shape developed in the presence of social networks and new media. The interviews reveal the interest of Instagram users in watching and sharing photos presenting extreme slenderness and clarify their connection to eating disorders. Instead of triggering such diseases, Instagram manifests itself as a tool for maintaining and remaining in a new mental and physical condition. By publishing photographs showing a very thin body, women assure themselves of their own attractiveness, and thus also influence their self-presentation, which results in an equivalent relationship of satisfaction from slenderness and satisfaction from their self presentation.

The purpose of this study is to examine the meeting between children in cults and personnel in Swedish schools and Child Protective Services (CPS). Furthermore, the study investigates whether children in cults who are being mistreated receive the help and attention they need from school and the CPS. This study has a qualitative research approach. Five semi-structured interviews with former cult members and professionals who have worked with children in cults were conducted. The interviews were supplemented with a content analysis of two autobiographies written by former cult members. The theory chosen was the general systems theory with the aim to use it as a tool to further understand how cults work as a system and how it affects the children in them. The results show that children who live in cults can be exposed to physical and mental abuse. Furthermore, it is difficult for professionals to identify children that have experienced abuse, due to the cults view of and approach to people outside their own community. Lack of knowledge regarding how to recognize these children in cults that have experienced abuse and non-existent training in how to handle said cases is one reason for why many children have been overlooked.

The theme Point of View: David Lynch and intertextuality of this master thesis deals with the work of American film director David Lynch, which we view in terms of intertextuality. The aim is to show how David Lynch manipulates with intertextuality in his films Wild at Heart and Lost Highway and what other means he uses to achieve the specific atmosphere of his films. We say that it is impossible to unambiguously interpret Lynch's work and we will try to show that every of various points of view can be correct.

The aim of my work is the church of St. Nicholas in Benesov in terms of one of the monuments, which is the cycle of St. Clement Baroque painter Ignaz Raab. At the beginning shortly focus on the period of the formation and history of the church. Church on this site can be dated back to the 11th century already. It is very interesting to observe how the church was created in connection with the founding of the city. In the next part, I will study the cult of St. Clement and his association with the Czech environment. In the next chapter I will deal with the author cycle Ignaz Raab. I will be interested in what the creative period of a cycle of St. Clement, which Czech and foreign influences acting upon it, and how this inspiration reflected in his work. The last part will include individual images of the cycle, which will discuss the iconography and by comparison.

In my work I deal with the place of pilgrimage of the Virgin Mary on the Holy Mountain in Příbram in the interwar period. In the newly established Republic of Czechoslovakia, tense relations between Church and State has prevailed. Even iconoclastic acts are documented from that time. My assumption is that the Holy Mountain functioned as a place that helped to bring together believers, unite Catholics, and restore the faith. A catholic group called Matice Svatohorská was founded to focus on repairing extensive grounds and spreading the awareness of the Holy Mountain and the cult of the Virgin Mary through a published journal. Through an analysis of this journal I want to capture the resources that Catholic leaders used in consolidating and expanding the Catholic Faith in Bohemia. Through the analysis of the journal I want to know how the magazine reflected the relationship between church and state and what additional information reflects. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

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This thesis examines the relevancy of south-west portals with regards to their potential usage in post-burial ritual activity with particular focus on the deposition of sacrificial offerings. South-west portals are a type of stone constructions found on the edges of mounds and stone settings in eastern central Sweden usually dating to the Viking Age (c. 750-1100 CE). As many as possible of all excavated south-west portals are accounted for. The find materials in south-west portals as well as their accessibility are assessed in accordance with the reasoning that long-term grave cult would result in repeated sacrificial depositions and that the portals would have had to have been accessible for such sacrifices to have been conducted. There is no clear evidence of south-west portals having been used for deliberate sacrificial depositions. Some portals would have been inaccessible and most non-funerary find assemblages were likely non-deliberate or at least nonindicative of repeated sacrifices. South-west portals were likely more relevant in funerary rites of passage or potentially odd instances of necromancy rather than in sacrifices connected to ancestor worship. / Denna avhandling undersöker relevansen av sydvästportar med avseende på deras potentiella användning i rituella aktiviteter efter begravningen med särskilt fokus på deponering av offergåvor. Sydvästportar är en typ av stenkonstruktioner som förekommer på kanterna av högar och stensättningar i östra Mellansverige, vanligtvis daterade till vikingatiden (ca 750-1100 e.v.t.). Så många som möjligt av alla utgrävda sydvästportar redovisas. Fyndmaterialet i sydvästportar samt deras tillgänglighet bedöms utifrån resonemanget att långvarig gravkult skulle resultera i upprepade offerdepositioner och att portarna skulle ha behövt vara tillgängliga för sådana offer att genomföras. Det finns inga tydliga bevis för att sydvästportar har använts för avsiktliga offerdepositioner. Vissa portar skulle ha varit otillgängliga och de fyndmaterialansamlingar som inte var gravar var sannolikt oavsiktliga eller åtminstone icke indikativa på upprepade offerriter. Sydvästportar var sannolikt mer relevanta i begravningsriter eller potentiellt udda fall av nekromanti snarare än i offer kopplade till förfädersdyrkan.