Abstract The region of New England has played a strong role in the formation and development of the United States on both physical and ideological levels, and the image of the small New England town is highly evocative at both a regional and national level. It is an image shaped by an awareness of the past and the needs of the time. Alice Hoffman is a popular writer who often writes about people living in small New England towns. This thesis is a study of how Hoffman’s fictional small New England towns are created in six of her Massachusetts novels, Practical Magic (1995), The River King (2000), Blue Diary (2001), The Probable Future (2003), Blackbird House (2004) and The Red Garden (2011). To provide a framework for this study, concepts developed by cultural geographers such as sense of place and landscape are combined with imagological, sociological and historical ideas of collective memory and narrative identity. Phenomenology is at the root of the epistemological stance and concepts that are central to this study of the creation of place. Concepts of place, time and identity from across disciplines are combined in an extension of the horizons of imagology that shifts focus from national images to a broader range of images producing a cultural imagological study of the creation of Hoffman country. This study works with various levels of engagement and interaction with community in the fictional towns of the novels. The major sub-communities in The River King are used to amplify the workings of a sense of place and nostalgia in relation to rootedness. The town community as a whole is studied through Blackbird House and The Red Garden to explore how history and memory merge to create the mythology central to the identity of a town. Changing interactions with community at an individual level are scrutinized through a topobiographical study of the reconstruction of narrative identity in the novels Practical Magic and Blue Diary. The Probable Future figures around the interaction of a family with the rest of the community and this changing interaction is examined through the processes and functions of memorialization. All six novelistic towns are then examined in terms of landscape and imagined communities. Through the study, a mapping of Hoffman Country emerges and the formation of Hoffman’s imagined small New England towns is explicated. / Tiivistelmä Uuden-Englannin alue on ollut merkittävä Yhdysvaltojen alueellisessa ja ideologisessa muodostumisessa. Mielikuvat pienistä uusienglantilaisista kaupungeista miljöinä ovat voimakkaita, ja usein niihin liittyy tietoa paikkojen historiasta. Alice Hoffmann on suosittu nykykirjailija, jonka useissa teoksissa henkilöhahmot asuvat Uuden-Englannin pikkukaupungeissa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tarkastella, miten Hoffman rakentaa fiktiivisiä kaupunkeja kuudessa Massachusettsiin sijoittuvassa teoksessaan. Tutkimusaineistona ovat teokset Practical Magic (1995, suom. Noitasisaret), The River King (2000), Blue Diary (2001), The Probable Future (2003), Blackbird House (2004) ja The Red Garden (2011, suom. Punainen puutarha). Tässä tutkimuksessa kulttuurimaantieteellisiä käsitteitä, kuten paikkatunne (sense of place) ja maisema, on yhdistetty imagologian, sosiologian ja historian käsitteisiin kollektiivisesta muistista ja narratiivisesta identiteetistä. Näin kulttuuri-imagologia yhdistää imagologian tutkimuksen kansallisuuteen liittyvät mielikuvat mielikuviin tietystä paikasta, ajasta ja identiteetistä. Tätä teoreettista kehystä käytetään analysoitaessa Hoffmannin fiktiivisiä pienkaupunkiyhteisöjä. Tutkimuksen tietoteoreettisena perustana on fenomenologinen näkemys ja käsitteistö. Kulttuuri-imagologian kautta tarkastellaan Hoffmannin romaaneissaan rakentamia yhteisöjä ja miljöitä. Olennaisimmat yhteisöt romaanissa The River King vahvistavat paikan ymmärryksen ja nostalgisuuden merkityksen henkilöhahmojen kokemalle juurettomuudelle. Kaupunkiyhteisöjä on tarkasteltu novellikokoelmien Blackbird House ja The Red Garden avulla osoittamaan, miten historia ja muisti toimivat rakentaen mytologista paikan identiteettiä. Yksilöiden toisistaan erottuva yhteisöllinen vuorovaikutus analysoidaan topobiografisella tavalla rekonstruoitaessa narratiivista identiteettiä romaaneissa Practical Magic ja Blue Diary. The Probable Future -teoksen hahmojen vuorovaikutus perheen sisällä ja muun yhteisön kanssa ilmentää muistelmallisuuden prosessia. Kaikkia kuutta fiktiivistä kaupunkia tarkastellaan maiseman ja fiktiivisen yhteisöllisyyden näkökulmista. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa Alice Hoffmanin uusienglantilaisiin pikkukaupunkeihin sijoittuvien teosten analyysin avulla, miten kirjailijat voivat käyttää ja muokata teoksissaan mielikuvia paikoista luodessaan tunnesiteitä yksilöiden, yhteisöjen ja miljöiden välille.

Hispanic Generation 1.5 students are foreign-born, U.S. high school graduates who are socialized in the English dominant K-12 school system while still maintaining the native language and culture at home (Allison, 2006; Blumenthal, 2002; Harklau, Siegal, & Losey, 1999; Rumbault & Ima, 1988). When transitioning from high school to college, these students sometimes assess into ESL courses based on their English language abilities, and because of this ESL placement, Hispanic Generation 1.5 students might have different engagement experiences than their mainstream peers. Engagement is a critical factor in student success and long-term retention because students’ positive and negative engagement experiences affect their membership and sense of belonging at the institution. The purpose of this study was to describe the engagement and membership experiences of Hispanic Generation 1.5 students’ at a Massachusetts community college. This study employed naturalistic inquiry within an embedded descriptive case study design that included three units of analysis: the students’ engagement experiences in (a) ESL courses, (b) developmental courses, and (c) mainstream courses. The main source of data was in-depth interviews with Hispanic Generation 1.5 students at Commonwealth of Massachusetts Community College. Criterion sampling was used to select the interview participants, ensuring that all participants were native Spanish speakers and were taking or had taken at least one ESL course at the institution. The study findings show that these Hispanic Generation 1.5 students at the college did not perceive peer engagement as critical to academic success. Most times the participants avoided peer engagement outside of the classroom, especially with fellow Hispanic students, who they felt would deter them from their English language development and general academic work. Engagement with ESL faculty and ESL academic support staff played the most critical role in the participants’ sense of belonging and success, and students who were required to engage with faculty and academic support staff outside of the classroom were the most satisfied with their educational experiences. While the participants were all disappointed with some aspect of their ESL placement, they valued the ESL engagement experiences more than the engagement experiences while completing developmental and credit coursework.

The meaning of and motivations behind self-identification is a contentious topic within “the Black community.” The thesis examines the articulation of “Black” and/or “African” identities as means of gaining access to Nova Scotia’s Black Business Initiative (BBI), a state-funded organization mandated with “fostering a dynamic and vibrant Black presence” in the Nova Scotian business community. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Halifax in 2013, including interviews with a diverse representation of 36 participants who self-identified as either "Black" or "African." Viewed as a rare redress effort directed toward and run by Blacks, the BBI is a highly visible site of contestation and competition between “indigenous Blacks” and more recently arrived “African Nova Scotians” from the African continent and Caribbean islands over the boundaries of native and foreign Blackness. The thesis argues that a group historically positioned as “Black” (i.e. Other) within a lasting narrative of displacement – both in the Americas in general, and academic diaspora discourse specifically – can be seen as adopting and adapting a discourse of indigeniety as an act of political and economic empowerment. Stuart Hall’s theoretical understanding of the articulation and positioning of Black identities is used to frame a discussion on the coupling of a distinct group’s lived experiences of subjugation and marginalization in place (i.e. Blackness) with a political and juridical ideology of belonging and entitlement to state recognition and resources (i.e. indigeniety) as a means of securing racially directed resources. It therefore challenges Paula Madden’s (2009) overly simplistic critique of this community as creating a hierarchy of Blackness and performing an erasure of Mi’kma’ki through its claims of Black indigeniety.

I denna uppsats studeras individers upplevelser av gränser i ett bostadsområde som har två olika boendeformer villor och hyreslägenheter. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka upplevelser av gränser och dess innebörder ses som skapade. Studiens frågeställningar är: vilka gränser upplever de boende i området? Vilken innebörd har gränserna för de boende? Uppsatsen är av kvalitativ natur och bygger på empirin från kvalitativa intervjuer. Studien har ett konstruktionistisk synsätt vilket innebär att de gränser som upplevs och dess innebörder ses som skapade. Studiens huvudresultat visar att de boende upplever flera gränser och att de inverkar på trygghet, samt hur de boende rör sig i bostadsområdet, vilket skapat en vi och dem-kultur.

Since the fate of the Syrian/Assyrian minority that has fled Turkey has not received much attention in research, this thesis is made to recognize the group and their experiences as refugees, Christians, and citizens in their old and new countries of Turkey and Sweden. When talking about dual citizenship, in terms of previous research, researchers often argue about how migrants prefer to keep their former citizenship when moving to another country. According to scholars and policymakers, dual citizenship is a benefit since it, for instance, helps immigrants to naturalize into their country of settlement. However, this is not always the case. By interviewing nine Syrians/Assyrians from Turkey, who either hold dual citizenship (Swedish and Turkish citizenship) or only Swedish citizenship (former Turkish citizens), this thesis will focus on how the minority thinks, feels, reasons, and argues about dual citizenship. Because of a history filled with oppression, discrimination, violence, and death (the Syrian/Assyrian genocide in 1915) in Turkey, many Syrians/Assyrians did not want to keep the bond to their country of origin when migrating to Sweden. In the sense of security and safety, belonging, naturalization and integration, and loyalty, this study will focus on what dual citizenship means for the Syrian/Assyrian participants who came to Sweden in the 1970s and if they make use of the possibility to hold more than one citizenship. The main finding is that the minority feels safe and at home in Sweden and not in Turkey. Because of their lack of protection and rights as Christians in their country of origin, Sweden is, as they call it, their new home. Even if some of them hold dual citizenship, while others only have Swedish citizenship, the majority of the Syrian/Assyrian people do not feel any sense of attachment, feeling, or loyalty toward Turkey today. However, there are exceptions. By holding dual citizenship, those Syrians/Assyrians who misses the food, the climate, or the culture can visit their country of origin, whenever they want to, as citizens.

The UK's departure from the EU marks a pivotal moment in the history of intra-EU migration, one which foretells significant consequences for the identities and future plans of EU27 citizens who call the UK home, as they try to navigate the uncertainty and xenophobic othering sparked by the referendum result in June 2016. This thesis proposes five hypotheses on the cause-and-effect relationships that link migrant identity to subsequent decision-making in the context of Brexit, through coping strategies and other determining factors. Findings are based on thematic and comparative analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews with 22 Italian, Polish and Romanian citizens living in London, which were conducted between March 2018 and April 2019, prior to the UK's departure date and during a period of considerable uncertainty regarding their future in the country. In terms of Brexit's impact on their identity formation, xenophobic othering plays a key role in reinforcing and reconfiguring collective identities, and provokes contests to citizenship-identity hierarchies within the EU27 community in London. Despite the three nationalities' differing patterns of belonging and resulting identity reconfigurations, Brexit has broadly increased their attachment to, and solidarity through, a transnational European identity. In terms of the practical impact of Brexit on significant life-course decisions, the referendum has not triggered a 'Brexodus' or mass emigration of EU27 citizens from the UK, as emigration decisions are primarily governed by individual and circumstantial factors. Citizens who do not emigrate either face analysis paralysis and adopt avoidance tactics to delay decision-making, or they opt for instrumental naturalisation which often leads subliminally to a greater sense of belonging in the UK. Alongside the general hypotheses, this thesis also depicts the diverse attitudes and coping strategies that differentiate Italians, Polish and Romanians from one another, with regards to their distinct national and cultural backgrounds.

No description available.

No description available.

Le but de cette recherche ethnographique, menée au Pérou à partir de 2008, est de restituer les pratiques, les discours moraux et les multiples stratégies qui sous-tendent l’appropriation des vestiges et des pièces archéologiques par plusieurs acteurs. Cette question est abordée à travers le prisme particulier du trafic d’art et des pratiques considérées comme illicites. Une ethnographie itinérante (Marcus, 1995) et une méthodologie basée sur la biographie des objets (Kopytoff, 1986) permettent dereconstruire le circuit de céramiques, de la production (la fouille clandestine) à laconsommation (l’achat) en passant par leur échange, don et contrefaçon. De trésors à biens culturels, d’artefacts à curiosités, le parcours de ces objets met au jour à la fois la multiplicité de leurs usages socio-politiques et l’évolution des instances delégitimation qui les concernent.La thèse s’intéresse plus particulièrement au département de Lambayeque, situé sur la côte nord, connu pour les remarquables découvertes archéologiques (civilisation Mochica) qui y ont eu lieu au cours des dernières décennies. Elle démontre que, loin d’être les fruits d’un consensus, la patrimonialisation et la mise en tourisme, en tantque ressources économiques et symboliques, peuvent exacerber les conflits, en créantdes dynamiques d’inclusion et exclusion. De fait, l’opposition historique entre conservateurs et destructeurs du patrimoine renforce encore davantage l’asymétrie entre professionnels et communautés porteuses, en termes de savoir et de pouvoir. De plus, le manque de filiation des habitants avec les ancêtres (et donc l’absence de continuité et d’ « authenticité »), jugé par les institutions comme en lien avec une attitude destructive et purement marchande, a entravé une réelle participation de la communauté dans la patrimonialisation. Pour en être reconnus en tant qu’acteurs légitimes, et non comme simples bénéficiaires, ils sont ainsi contraints de reformuler leurs régimes de valeur et de renégocier leurs logiques d’appartenance. / The aim of this ethnographic research, carried out in Peru as of 2008, is to map the practices, moral discourses and multiple strategies which underlie the appropriation of relics and archaeological objects by different actors. This topic is analysed through the prism of art trafficking and practices considered to be illicit. A multi-sited ethnography (Marcus 1995) and a methodology based in the biography of objects (Kopytoff, 1986) allows to reconstruct the circuit of ceramics, from production (clandestine digging) to consumption (purchase), through various forms of exchange, gift and counterfeit. From treasures to cultural goods, from artefacts to oddities, the itinerary of these objects sheds light on the multiplicity of their socio-political uses and the evolution of legitimation authorities concerned by them. The thesis focuses more specifically on the region of Lambayeque, on the northern Peruvian coast, which has been characterised by extraordinary archaeological discoveries (Mochica civilisation) over the last few decades. It shows that, far from being the product of consensus, the heritage making and touristic development, as an economic and symbolical resource, can exacerbate conflicts, creating dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. In fact, the historical opposition between heritage conservationists and destroyers reinforces the asymmetry between professionals and bearer communities, in terms of knowledge and power. Moreover, a destructive attitude and commercial interest in relics, considered as the sign of a lack of filiation and therefore of continuity and « authenticity », hinders inhabitants’ participation. In order to be recognized as legitimate actors, and not as simple beneficiaries of heritage making they are obliged to reformulate their value regimes and renegotiate their logics of belonging.

Text in English / Although the participation of students at institutions of higher learning in South Africa is increasing, student dropout remains a challenge. Student dropout is influenced by a variety of factors, some of which are psychological. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of adjustment and sense of belonging on students’ intention to dropout of university. The study comprised of three distinctive objectives. The first objective of the study was to examine the relationship between sense of belonging, adjustment and students’ intention to drop out of university. Second, the study sought to test whether sense of belonging and adjustment would predict students’ intention to dropout of university. Finally, the study sought to test whether students’ socioeconomic status would moderate the relationship between sense of belonging and intention to dropout of university. The sample for the study consisted of 955 students enrolled for undergraduate programmes for the 2018 academic year. Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression and moderation analysis were used to test hypotheses stated in the study. The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between sense of belonging, adjustment and the intention to dropout. The findings also confirmed that sense of belonging and adjustment predict the intention to dropout. However, the study could not prove the hypothesis that socioeconomic status moderates the relationship between sense of belonging and the intention to dropout. Nevertheless, the findings of this study highlighted the importance of psychological factors on undergraduate students’ academic success. Thus, universities should consider initiating programmes that will address students’ psychological challenges throughout their enrolment at university to improve student retention and rates of graduation. / Psychology / M.A.(Psychology with Specialization in Research Consultation)