Under the 1990s restructuring of the Swedish education system, ‘the fundamentaldemocratic values’ have stipulated clearly both in the Education Act and all of thenational curricula as one of the educational goals. This study aims to illuminate how thefundamental democratic values in the Swedish curriculum for preschool are implemented,its process and outcome on a micro level, a preschool. The role of the preschools inSweden has been changed especially after the new curriculum has been issued in 1998, and now, “to impart and establish respect for human rights and the fundamentaldemocratic values” is an important task of the preschools and expected to “activelypromote” in its work with children. Through a qualitative case study focused on apreschool in Forest municipality, Stockholm, the findings show the principal and thepedagogue in the chosen preschool are conscious of the importance of the fundamentaldemocratic values within the individual perspectives. This study also illustrates that thepedagogue have developed their understanding for the fundamental values continuously,through the several types of meetings, and have applied it to their daily activities.Furthermore, the findings also show that the pedagogue in the chosen preschool haveutilised ‘the five value keywords’ those were selected in the school district where thepreschool belonged. As a whole the research on the chosen preschool indicates theimportance of role of pedagogue at preschool for implementation of the nationaleducation policy. On the other hand, this study has clarified that Forest municipality hashad important role for the implementation process and evaluation of preschools in themunicipality. This fact indicates that how municipalities take initiatives affects successfulimplementation of the curriculum. As concluding remarks, this study argue the results ofthe present research indicate that the chosen preschool has supplied opportunities for bothchildren and parents to learn/exercise deliberative democracy, that may be seeds to fosteractive citizen.

Cette thèse de doctorat se propose d’éclairer les parcours personnels et collectifs de la quarantaine de membres fondateurs du Parti social-démocrate en RDA (SDP puis SPD), au-delà de sa création le 7 octobre 1989, afin de retracer leurs efforts de structuration mais aussi d’élaboration d’un programme social-démocrate proprement est-allemand, tout ce travail partisan qui dépasse la charge révolutionnaire à l’encontre du régime socialiste quarantenaire du SED. Après la chute du Mur, ce parti résolument est-allemand doit s’ouvrir à la question allemande et se confronter au Parti social-démocrate d’Allemagne ouest-allemand qui l’aide tout autant qu’il tente de le récupérer, notamment lorsque le parti est-allemand accède au gouvernement de la RDA en mars 1990. Alors que les deux gouvernements de Berlin et de Bonn préparent l’unification selon la volonté majoritaire, les sociaux-démocrates est-allemands, patriotes, s’affairent à empêcher que leur identité et leur pays ne soient happés par la RFA au niveau national ou par le parti frère de Bonn au niveau partisan. Au-delà de la politique effectivement menée, ce travail s’intéresse donc aux aspirations véhiculées par le parti est-allemand durant son l’année d’existence autonome jusqu’à sa fusion avec le SPD de RFA, le 26 septembre 1990, quelques jours avant la Réunification nationale. / This dissertation analyses the personal and collective background and development of the approximately 40 founding members of the Social democratic Party in the GDR (SDP, then SPD) from October 7th 1989 until the fusion of both German Social democratic parties on September 26th 1990, 8 days before the national Reunification. Beyond the revolutionary act against the East German regime and the SED, this thesis tries to retace the structural and programmatic development of the party and insists on the East-German basis of its ideology. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the SDP has to position itself vis-à-vis the national question and its relations to the West German SPD. The latter helps its new partner but tries to dominate the East German party, especially after it has become part of the East German government after the free national elections on March 18th 1990. Although the majority of the East German population hopes for a prompt reunification as it is promised by the conservative parties in Bonn and Berlin, the SPD tries to avoid a complete rendition of East-German identity and succeeds in maintaining some of its aspects beyond the German Reunification. Nevertheless, the East German social democrats fight for the ratification of the three Treaties by the West German SPD part of which seems reluctant. Throughout their political actions, the East German social democrats seek to maintain their identity which they consider no less valuable than the one that is impersonated by the Federal Republic and the West German SPD. This dissertation tries not only to depict the social democratic policies but to analyze the evolution of objectives within the year of its autonomous existence.

The purpose of this study was to investigate community development through the ward committee structures in the Northern Areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Community development through the ward committees is the key principle in the democratisation process, as well as the promotion of good governance. Community development is an opportunity for both local government and the community to strengthen the democracy that is being enjoyed; and simultaneously to promote accountability. In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Systems, 2000 (Act 32 of 2000), the role of local communities in the particular interests of their municipality must take place, among other things, by the ward councillor – as well as all other suitable procedures, mechanisms and processes set up by the municipality. Ward committees have the power to advise the ward councillor; and as municipal structures, they must ensure that there is always community participation in the sphere of local government. Community participation gives communities the opportunities to express their views, as well as giving them a sense of ownership. The objectives of the study were: - To determine the roles and responsibilities of the ward councillors in terms of the new developmental mandate (the need to encourage the involvement of communities and organisations in local government matters). - To investigate the relations between ward councillors and their ward committees, and between the offices of ward councillors and the general public. - To examine the extent to which ward councillors in the northern areas of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality understand the policy and administrative procedures and processes in the municipality, when addressing issues that affect the community. In order to achieve these objectives, it was necessary to review literature on community participation. An empirical search was conducted in wards 10 and 11 in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Recommendations were provided which could assist the municipality to effectively make use of the ward committees and the ward councillors. If implemented, these recommendations could also enhance community development through the ward committee structures. Thus, the relationship between the ward committees and the ward councillor should be harmonious; and subsequently, they should also strengthen trust between them. Then the flow of communication will improve.

Arabic text / الحمدُ لله الذي أكْرَمَنَا بِنُورالعلمِ المُبَدِّدِ للظُلمات, وعصَمَنا به من الأهواءِ المُرْدِية والآراءِ المُضلة رافع الإصْرَ عنَّا, جاء بالدين الوَسَطِ وحَذَّرَ من الوَكْسِ والشَطَطِ وبعدُ : فإنَّ أحقَ العلومِ بالتَّسْطِيرِ وأنفَسهَا عند الجَمْعِ والتَّحْبِيرِ , تِبْيَان وجهِ الحقِّ فيما تتعَاورهُ الأفهام بالجهلِ تار ة , وتار ة بما عرض لها من الأَوْهَامِ , ومن المهم تَجْديد وتَرْسِيخِ المفاهيم السياسية في ضوء نظام الشريعة الإسلامية, مِفْتَاح الهداية ونَهْجِ السعادة, بل وتصحيحها مما اعْتَراهَا من التشويه والزَّيفِ إذ ذاك من أفضل النوافل وأعظمها نفعا وعائدة, وأوفرها خيرا وفائدة. واعلم أن الناس أصنافٌ مختلفون وأطوارٌ مُتباينون يتقاطعون بالإيثار تابعا ومتبوعا ويتساعدون على أعمالهم آمِرا ومَأْمُور ا , فكان لزاما أن أحرر بحثا للرسالة, وانْصَبَّ الإختيار على السياسة ليوافق المقال الحال, فالإنتفاضات والثورات الشعبية تَتْرَا في دولنا الإسلامية, والمرحلةُ تستلزم المشاركة وتوضيح المفاهيم الشرعية, وجلاء الحقائق وإسْقَاطها على الواقع وتصحيح المسارات, فالرأي العام بين مُوجِبٍ ومُبيحٍ للثورات, وسَاكتٍ ومُطيعٍ لهذه الحكومات. لذلكَ ارتأيتُ أن أُبْحِرَ في خِضمِّ هذه الأمواج الفكرية المُتلاطمةِ , وأُشَمِرَعن ساعدي راجيا أن أبلغ الحقيقة الصائبة, وأُرْشِد القارىء الكريم إلى فَهْمِ السياسةِ الراشدة / Recent political turmoil and developments in the Muslim World have motivated me to present this dissertation aimed at renewing, correcting and deepening an understanding of political concepts in light of the Islamic code. It is thus my endeavour to relate them to current reality as I perceive it. A primary concern that I address herein are debates revolving around political rebellion; namely, their permissibility or the need to remain sycophantic towards prevailing political authorities. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)

Cette étude porte sur un corpus de chroniques du XIVe siècle qui comprend les trois principaux textes historiographiques florentins en langue vulgaire de cette période – Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi de Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica de Giovanni Villani et Cronaca fiorentina de Marchionne di Coppo Stefani – et se fixe pour objet l’analyse des principaux concepts employés pour décrire le fonctionnement de la cité et ses enjeux, ainsi que l’identification des sources présentes dans les chroniques. L’analyse prend en compte à la fois l’écriture du fait politique et la valeur de celui-ci dans l’élaboration du discours de la cité.Pour mettre en évidence ce qui transparaît des principaux rouages politiques de la cité, les textes du corpus sont abordés selon les trois axes suivants : les rapports entre cité et citoyens dans le contexte de l’affirmation de la souveraineté du Comune et en regard des notions d’unité et de division ; la question de la liberté à Florence, ses principes fondamentaux, ses formes et ses représentations, par opposition à la tyrannie ; les liens entre cité céleste et cité des hommes à partir de l’analyse de la réception des signes célestes et des notions de providence, fortune et libre arbitre. L’approche retenue s’arrête sur les enjeux et les représentations propres à chacun de ces axes.De cette analyse conceptuelle il ressort que les trois sources principales du discours de la cité sont les auteurs de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine, la théologie chrétienne et le droit. On trouve également des sources contemporaines des chroniqueurs : textes officiels et documents produits par la cité, auteurs de référence pour la période comme Dante Alighieri. / This study focuses on a corpus of chronicles of the Fourteenth century consisting in three main historiographical Florentine texts written in vernacular in this period, namely Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi by Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica by Giovanni Villani and Cronaca fiorentina by Marchionne di Coppo Stefani. It aims at analyzing the principal concepts describing the running of the city and its stakes, as well as identifying the sources present in these chronicles. The analysis takes in account both the operation of writing the political experience and its value in elaborating the discourse on the city.To highlight what can be seen from the main aspects of political machinery in the city, the approach to the texts is threefold : the connections between city and citizens both in the context of the Comune’s increasing sovereignty and in the light of the concepts of unity and division ; the question of freedom in Florence, its fundamental principles, its forms and representations, in opposition to tyranny ; the links between the celestial city and the city of men based on the analysis of the reading of celestial omens and the concepts of Providence, Fortune and Free Will. The approach chosen concentrates on the stakes and representations peculiar to each of those subjects.From this conceptual analysis it emerges that the three main sources to the discourse on the city are the authors of Classical Antiquity, Christian Theology and Law. Contemporary sources of the chroniclers also can be found : official texts and documents produced by the city, noted authors in the period as, for instance, Dante Alighieri.

PhD (African Studies) / Department of African Studies / Literature and media reports constantly show increased incidences of ill-discipline and lawlessness amongst the youth. These misdemeanours adversely affect communities and the behaviour of the youth as active, responsible and proactive members of the society and community members. Unfortunately, there are insufficient conversations about morality across social strata. The elders often seem disenfranchised by the popularity of the rights-based approach and modernity. In addition, communities are not proactive in coming up with initiatives that encourage on-going nyambedzano between the elders and the youth on issues around morals and discipline. Nyambedzano is a Venda concept that does not seem to have the exact English translation, so in this study I will use the concepts communication, conversation and dialogue interchangeably. Furthermore, there is a continuous blame game in the community about who should lead effective conversations that should buttress the development of responsible youth citizens. The purpose of this study was to explore the relevance of nyambedzano between the youth and elders about African morality among the youth. The study also aimed to investigate factors that were hindering nyambedzano to take place. I conducted qualitative appreciative focus group discussions with the elders and youth (who were in and out of school) that were purposively selected. Data was analysed thematically in relation to the stages of an Appreciative Inquiry approach. Findings revealed that nyambedzano between the elders and the youth about youth morality is relevant; however, its application is complicated by several factors which include the changing family structure, the changing parenting age, media and technology influences, a rightsbased approach to child rearing, and the denigration of cultural values at home, school and in the community. These findings were synthesised to develop a facilitative nyambedzano programme. Contrary to Vhavenda cultural practices, nyambedzano would have to be a two-way communication process between the elders and the youth. It would take place at different contexts, the home being the starting point. There would have to be some compromise between the rights- based contemporary approaches and traditional cultural ways of dealing with morality. This study makes methodological, empirical and theoretical contributions. An Appreciative Inquiry approach was applied to the Vhavenda ethnic group to explore the possibility of Nyambedzano between the youth and elders. The empirical contribution is that this study is the first to address nyambedzano as a process for promoting morality among the youth, within the context of the Tshivenda culture. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the development of the facilitative nyambedzano programme that describes how nyambedzano between the elders and the youth should take place, taking into consideration the cultural values of the Vhavenda people. The recommendations are based on the creation of supportive parents, families, teachers, schools, churches, community members and policy makers. / NRF

The key research question of my diploma thesis deals with the problem of whether the President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman creates the same discourse as far-right political parties in the Czech Republic. The research concerns the social discourse surrounding the current migration crisis facing Europe. In this connection, there is a discourse analysis of the themes of migration, Islam, terrorism, external and internal actors. This research is conducted on the basis of the theory of binaries from Teun Van Dijk, which can be applied to a populist political style characterized by President Zeman and extreme right-wing political parties, among which are analyzed the Workers' Party of Social Justice, National Democracy, Dawn - the National Coalition, Freedom And Direct Democracy - Tomio Okamura and the Citizens' Rights Party. Research data is collected from President Zeman's official communications channels and political parties, including official websites and social networks. Based on a discourse analysis of their political views, it is possible to compare President Zeman and the extreme right-wing parties to each topic and to conclude whether they speak the same or differently about these themes.

The potential of Digital twin (DT) technology outside of the industrial field has been recognized by researchers who have promoted the vision of applying DTs technology beyond manufacturing, to purposes such as enhancing human well-being and improving quality of life (QoL). The expanded definition of DTs to incorporate living and nonliving physical entities into the definition of DTs was a key motivation behind the model introduced in this thesis for building health digital twins of citizens. In contrast with DTs that have been developed in more industrial fields, this type of digital twins modeling necessitates protecting each citizen's unique identity while also representing features common to all citizens in a unified way. In nature, DNA is an example of a model that is both unified, common to all humans, and unique, distinguishing each human as an individual. DNA’s architecture is what inspired us to propose a digital twin DNA (DT-DNA) model as the basis for building health DTs for citizens. A review of the literature shows that no unified model for citizens’ health has been developed that can act as a base for building digital twins of citizens while also protecting their unique identity thus we aim to fill this gap in this research. Accordingly, in this thesis, we proposed a DT-DNA model, which is specifically designed to protect the unique identity of each citizen’s digital twin, similar to what DNA does for each human. We also proposed a DT-DNA-based framework to build standardized health digital twins of citizens on micro, meso and macro levels using two ISO standards: ISO/IEEE 11073 (X73) and ISO 37120. To achieve our goal, we started by analyzing the biological DNA model and the influencing factors shaping health in smart cities. The purpose of the first is to highlight the DNA model features which provide the building blocks for our DT-DNA model. The purpose of the latter is to determine the main bases of our DT-DNA model of health DTs. Based on the analysis results; we proposed DT-DNA to model health DTs for citizens. In keeping with our DNA analogy, we have identified four bases, A, T, G, and C, for our unified and unique DT-DNA model. The A base in the proposed model represents a citizen’s anthropometric when we build the DT-DNA on an individual level and represents the city’s regulatory authorities when we build the DT-DNA on community and city levels. The T base represents different tasks included in the provided health data that are required to model citizens’ health DT-DNA on different levels. The G base represents the geographic and temporal information of the city, where the citizen exists at the time of data collection. The C base represents the context at the time of data collection. To proof the concept, we present our initial work on building health DTs for citizens in four case studies. The first two case studies are dedicated for health DTs at the micro level, the third case study is dedicated for health DTs at the meso level and the fourth case study is dedicated for health DTs at the macro level. In addition, we developed an algorithm to compare cities in terms of their community fitness and health services status. The four case studies provide promising results in terms of applicability of the proposed DT-DNA model and framework in handling the health data of citizens, communities and cities, collected through various sources, and presenting them in a standardized, unique model.

In order to gain an understanding of how begging is constructed as a societal problem in the local Swedish social context, the aim of this qualitative study was to investigate a number of municipal begging bans in order to make visible societal attitudes that hide behind written language of begging discourse. The data collection method was text collection, and the material was documents in the form of three municipal begging bans (in municipal regulations). The method of analysis was critical discourse analysis (CDA), a form of textual analysis, and the analytical focus was the written discourse in its social context. The municipal begging bans that were analysed testified to a very high degree linguistically about negative societal attitudes towards begging, and the conclusions that could be drawn on the basis of the results were presented in four summarising themes. These where: disruption of public order, a vulnerability that one does not want to contribute to maintaining, ”we and them” and passivity and criminality. These societal attitudes could be summarized as not our vulnerable/poor = not our problem, and were largely hidden behind references to disruption of public order in public spaces.

This diploma thesis explores content, purpose and impact of citizenship of the European Union. The European Union is an international organization that affects day-to-day lives of citizens of its Member States. From the beginning of its existence, the European Union (formerly the European Community) has always taken into consideration the interests of its Member States. As it has accrued more power while widening and broadening its competencies, it has made it possible for the European Union to tackle new problems. Eventually, in order to reduce democratic deficit participation of individual citizens became inevitable for the purpose of creation of a genuine link between individuals and the European Union, which helps to ensure its proper governance. Although some rights linked with citizenship had been already incorporated into the law of the European Union, citizenship of the European Union was embedded into the primary law of the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty. Entering into force on 1 November 1993, this represented a milestone for the quality of the relationship between the European Union and citizens of its Member States. Citizenship of the European Union, which is a citizenship sui generis, is characterised by its accessority and additionality to the citizenship of a Member State....