Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

Following on the debates about the meaning of Acadia, this thesis intends to explore the idea of a so-called "Acadia of the diaspora". By examining the identity phenomenon, both at the level of representations and of the individual and collective life experience of one of the Acadian groups living outside the Maritimes, namely the Acadians of the province of Quebec, it tries to find an expression of what characterizes globally and on the long term what is called the "Acadian diaspora", and, at the same time, to define the basis of its existence. Through a geographical analysis, it also attempts to understand the role of the environment and of the generation in identity building for the Acadians living in different places of Quebec and to identify the territory they belong to. This thesis may not close the debate, but it attempts to initiate a reflection that could result in collaborative actions from Acadians different background while throwing some light on questions left answered after the first World Acadian Conference.

This study explores the nature of dreams and dreaming in shamanism and Buddhism. It focuses on the specific case of Tibet where the indigenous layer of religious beliefs and practices has been dominated by Buddhism but continues to emerge as a vital presence in the religious world-view of Tibet. The three major divisions in this study are concerned with (1) the shamanic world-view and attitude towards dream, (2) the ancient Indian world-view and the Buddhist approach to dream, and (3) the use and meaning of dreams and dreaming in Tibetan culture. With regard to Tibetan attitudes to dream, it will be shown that conflicting statements and views expressing, on the one hand, the value of dream as a vehicle of prophecy and knowledge and, on the other, dismissing the world of dream as the ultra-illusions of an illusory world were present in the Indian Buddhist tradition that entered Tibet. However, in the Tibetan context, dream comes to play a heightened role in Buddhist religious life as a method of authenticating spiritual status and as a path to liberation. The Tibetan attitude toward dream is shown to encompass earlier contradictions, but also to involve an additional tension arising out of the Buddhist competition with, and eventual hegemony over, indigenous religious systems that also use dream to transmit and validate knowledge and religious power. These tensions are reflected in conflicting statements over dream that appear in Tibetan literature. Resolution and harmony, however, are possible because of a concept of interdependency and interconnectedness that is fundamental to both shamanism and Buddhism. I have proposed that the conflicting views on dream in Tibetan literature reflect a much more complex situation than is expressed in assigning the differing views to the categories of 'popular' and 'elite', and I have provided an alternate model for understanding the contradictory attitudes to dream in Tibetan Buddhism.

This thesis investigates the meanings of Christian salvation within the context of the AIDS pandemic in South Africa. The pandemic poses enormous social, economic, developmental, as well as theological, problems for the fledgling democracy of South Africa. The pandemic has stricken the whole continent of Africa particularly forcefully, but in South Africa, where there had been expectations of a new order since the peaceful overthrow of the apartheid government in 1994, the expectations of "salvation" for the nation have been cruelly dashed by the force of the pandemic. With the aid of a lemma, I show that salvation is neither equivalent to and coextensive with political liberation, nor reducible to a unassignable spiritual state of being in relationship with Christ. Rather, as in Old Testament writings, salvation should be understood as having direct bearing on the immediate context of the person or nation in question---which understanding is frequently overlooked. In the context of AIDS, then, an understanding of salvation should have a bearing on social death due to the stigma of the condition; on the healing of the illness itself; on the reconciliation of people whose lives are immediately affected by the pandemic; on addressing those social factors which allow the spread of HIV, and on the tardiness in the provision of effective medical care for people with various AIDS-related illnesses. In the thesis I demonstrate that another unavoidable dimension of the "New" South Africa is the traditional Bantu cult of the ancestors. I cite numerous reports showing that the cult is widely practiced, even by Christians. The ancestors are therefore an unavoidable dimension of the common religious understanding of life. If the meanings of salvation in the pandemic are being sought, then it would be a grave oversight not to consider how they relate to the cult of the ancestors. This research has shown that the cult of the ancestors makes a definite contribution to an understanding of salvation in the context of the pandemic in South Africa. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

While government intelligence"knowledge to support policy decision making"is often characterized as an art or science, this dissertation suggests it is more akin to what Science and Technology Studies call a "technological system" or a" sociotechnical ensemble". Such a policy support tool is a mechanism socially constructed for the production of policy-relevant knowledge through integration of social and material components. It involves organizational and procedural innovations as much as it does specialized hardware for obtaining, manipulating, and distributing information. The development and function of American intelligence is illustrated here through a case study of how the United States and its European allies learned about Germany's World War II secret weapons, especially the long-range liquid fueled rocket known to their military as the A4, but better known to the public as the V-2. The colonial British heritage and the unique American experiences of participating in wars taking place in domestic and foreign territories set the cultural stage for both the strengths and weaknesses with which American intelligence approached the rapidly evolving German secret weapon capabilities of World War II. The unfolding events that American and British intelligence dealt with in building their knowledge evolved through three stages: early speculation about the existence and nature of the secret weapon threat derived from frequently misleading or misunderstood espionage reports, followed by improvements in knowledge from direct access to information sources provided by enabling technologies, and, finally, systematic reflection on the aggregate of earlier knowledge and new data. This allowed government decision makers to build plans and resources with which to counter the new threats and to prepare for post-war management of similar political and technical issues. However, it also illustrated the difficulties that large and complex systems create for stabilization of institutional innovations. / Ph. D.

This thesis investigates how the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA can strive to be more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible within its collections and exhibits. By understanding the cultural insights of visitors, potential visitors, staff, and one member of the board of trustees through anthropological inquiry, museum leaders can utilize this information to better serve the stakeholders within the greater community that the museum aims to represent. The results of this research provide valuable insights into why people visit the museum, and which exhibits or artifacts are popular among both first time and recurring visitors. In addition, the results also provide context for obstacles that prevent people from visiting, shed insight into power dynamics between staff, museum leaders, and public stakeholders and how these can limit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the museum. By drawing on postmodernism, and political economy within anthropology, this thesis sheds a deeper insight into issues of DEI at the Museum of Flight, and ultimately, what steps the museum can take to be more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all stakeholders within its collections and exhibits.

Despite the existence of fair housing-based legislation that renders nearly all forms of housing discrimination in the U.S. illegal, discrimination in housing persists. This applied thesis examines housing inequality through the lens of a fair housing center based in Flint, Michigan. I designed and conducted ethnographic research on the fair housing center and its role in the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and related legislation through systemic, routine, and complaint-based investigation. Specifically, my research explores (a) the historical, economical, and political events that continue to impact access to fair and equitable housing; (b) the role non-profit private fair housing organizations play in enforcing fair housing laws; and (c) the ways in which law, policy, and lived experiences of housing discrimination intersect as well as recommendations on how they can be improved. To accomplish the aforementioned goals this project gathered and analyzed the experiences of civil rights testers, fair housing coordinators, and fair housing attorneys in their respective roles at the fair housing center for a bottom-to-top comprehensive analysis of fair housing enforcement in the U.S. Additionally, I drew on the results of this research to develop recommendations for new civil rights tester training, recruitment, and retention. The recommendations I provided may assist the fair housing center with its growing demand to enforce fair housing by increasing and retaining its current tester pool, thereby expanding its enforcement capabilities.

In order to stop rising health care expenditures, 81 villagers and their health professionals were interviewed about their medical knowledge (aeteology, symptoms, treatment, illness length, necessity to consult a doctor, etc.) and health care practices concerning common respiratory illnesses. According to informants, sniffles, cough, flu, common cold, sore throat/tonsillitis, bronchitis and sinusitis are the most common respiratory illnesses. All of them are regarded to be caused by several mechanisms of getting cold and/or wet. Despite the general disbelief in the germ theory and the prevention of contagion among household members, informants have an extensive knowledge about effective treatments and consult health professionals when home-remedies fail or a doctor's excuse is needed. Due to the effectiveness of home-treatments and self-containment of most common respiratory infections, this study concludes that health insurance companies should restrict the reimbursement of prescriptions for Bagatellmedizin, inhalation apparatus and home-remedies.

Domestic water supply, utilization and management were characterized within the Mahaweli Development Scheme in Sri Lanka. Domestic water in a Mahaweli-developed village was compared to that in an ancient village. Domestic water supply and quality were linked to irrigation supply and local hydrogeology. Taste, flow and accessibility determined water utilization. Hydrogeology in the ancient village provided a better domestic water situation. Agency-provided wells often went unused in the new village because of poor quality and unavailability of groundwater. Surface-water sources were likewise less reliable in the new village. Consequences of poor siting included increased workloads and health risks for domestic water users. Domestic water considerations that must be incorporated in irrigation/resettlement planning are presented. Simple hydrologic investigations utilization of local knowledge and participation can assist planners and managers to provide villagers with safe and acceptable domestic water.