This document is based on a recent study on the relation between ethnicity, culture, «race» and ancestry among Afro-Peruvians. Findings show that while construction of the «black» or Afrodescendant identity in Peru holds the cultural dimension as a central component, it mainly - and fundamentally- revolves around the idea of the existence of a «black race». According to these «racialized» identity criteria, the boundaries of an Afro-descendant «we» cover only those with certain phenotypic markers that Afro-Peruvians themselves consider as defining membership in the «black race». The phenotypical «evidence» of «blackness» thus appears as a kind of «necessary condition» for the «black»/Afro- Peruvian identity. This form of self-identification poses a threat to the political discourses and projects of Afro-Peruvian organizations seeking to build a «de-racialized» Afrodescendant identity, one that is linked to a historical memory of the African diaspora which, nonetheless, seems to hold a weak presence among our country’s people of African descent. / El documento se basa en una reciente investigación sobre la relación entre etnia, cultura, «raza» y ancestralidad entre los afroperuanos. Los resultados permiten concluir que si bien la construcción de la identidad «negra» o afrodescendiente en el Perú tiene como un eje centra la dimensión cultural, principalmente —y de modo fundamental— gira en torno a la idea de la existencia de una «raza negra». Según estos criterios identitarios «racializados», las fronteras de un «nosotros» conformado por los afrodescendientes sólo abarcan a aquellas personas que tienen ciertos marcadores fenotípicos considerados —por los propios afroperuanos— como definitorios de la pertenencia a la «raza negra». La «evidencia» fenotípica de la «negritud» aparece así como una suerte de «condición necesaria» para la identidad «negra»/afroperuana. Esta forma de autoidentificación representa un desafío para los discursos y proyectos políticos de las organizaciones afroperuanas que procuran construir una identidad afrodescendiente «des-racializada» y vinculada a la memoria histórica de la diáspora africana —la cual,sin embargo, parece tener una débil referencia entre los afrodescendientes de nuestro país—.

Esta dissertação investigou, através de um estudo de caso de uma instituição de ensino superior privada, o estágio supervisionado de professores no curso de Licenciatura para a Língua Inglesa. Embora tenha o propósito de promover uma experiência prática no local de trabalho, observa-se que o estágio supervisionado obrigatório, pela legislação, para o professor se formar muitas vezes se torna um momento de frustrações para o estagiário. Identificando os conceitos teóricos desse tipo de estágio, esta Investigação indicou que a burocracia interfere na construção de identidade, na formação e preparação do professor. Esta experiência singular pode, no entanto, ser um evento gratificante no percurso do estagiário se houver a devida orientação. A investigação conclui que com a adoção de uma abordagem sociológica, etnográfica e dialética para uma pesquisa inicial é de grande relevância, os estagiários tenderão a mitigar as frustrações relacionadas à documentação e envolver-se numa investigação valiosa a respeito de: o que é um professor, o que ele faz, quem sou eu (estagiário) e que tipo de professor eu quero ser. Argumento, portanto, que a participação ativa e engajada nesse momento da carreira do professor, é essencial para promover uma formação inovadora de professor para um mundo moderno e em constante mudança. / This dissertation has investigated, by means of a case study in a private college, supervised teachers internships at Teachers College for English teachers. Despite proposing hands-on experience in the work place, the supervised internship, legally mandatory for teachers to graduate, quite often turns out to be a moment of frustration for the teacher-to-be. By bringing to light the theoretical background of such an internship, this investigation indicates that bureaucracy interferes in the construction of identity, as well as in a teachers education and preparation. This unique experience can, however, be a fulfilling event in the interns journey if it is given the due orientation. The investigation has concluded that by adopting a sociological, ethnographic and dialectic approach to such an initial yet significant research paper, interns will be more inclined to see beyond the red tape and involve themselves in a rewarding investigation of: what a teacher is, what a teacher does, who am I and what kind of teacher do I wish to be. I therefore argue that active and engaging participation at this point in an interns career is essential for promoting innovative teacher education for the modern, everchanging world.

This research is concerned with the construction of identity with regards to female children of alcoholics studying at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). Available literature on this topic suggests that the context of parental alcoholism is not conducive to the healthy construction of identity, particularly with regards to self-esteem and the ability to create strong, trusting relationships in later life. It seems that it is during the young adult years, namely between the ages of 18 and 25, that concerns surrounding one’s identity begin to emerge. The study was conducted from a qualitative perspective, namely social constructionism, in which meaning making is unique to each individual and the construction of identity is impacted on by one’s context, culture, history and language. Focus groups were conducted on a sample of female, students at RAU who were socialised within the context of parental alcoholism. This sample represented the ethnic ratio of RAU students during 2003. The focus group sessions were videotaped with the informed consent of the participants. Five focus groups were conducted for a duration of one hour each. The sessions were transcribed after which a discourse analysis was executed. The results of the study suggest that the construction of identity is impacted on by a context of parental alcoholism. It seems that female students experience a great sense of responsibility towards others to the extent of taking on a parental function and denying their own needs. In addition to this, a common thread, which seemed to weave itself through the stories of the participants, was that of struggling with intimate relationships, in particular, trusting others appeared especially difficult and painful. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

The thesis deals with choices made by women on maternity leave living in Prague, predominantly in the area of work and family life. Women's choices do not always represent their preferences and are strongly influenced by the institutional conditions and family interests. Women's preferences are also determined by the idea of maternity preferred by them- Another focus of the thesis is the construction of symbolic boundaries between mothers and childless women. Mothers differentiate themselves from childless women based on moral criteria and from each other based on the understanding of motherhood. Mothers tend to describe maternity leave as a happy period and do not think of it as of a loss of freedom or a sacrifice. However, they admit that long-term maternity leave is stereotypical and can induce feelings of isolation. For that reason, a part of women try to break free, at least partially, from the childcare and return into the realm of adults.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Who are you? Who am I? – Charades in the mediated world of today. A study of the construction of identity at Facebook.</p><p>(Vem är du? Vem är jag? – Charader i dagens medierade värld. En studie av identitetskonstruktionen på Facebook.)</p><p>Number of pages: 58 (66 including enclosures.)</p><p>Author: Mathilda Wahlund</p><p>Tutor: Ylva Ekström</p><p>Course: Media and Communication Studies C</p><p>Period: Fall 2007</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University.</p><p>Purpose/Aim: The aim is to study how people construct their own identities today. I want to understand and study how such a central thing as identity is being constructed, in a place which offers members to freely present themselves, the community Facebook.</p><p>Material/Method: Through Internet based interviews and observations I approach the inner worlds of my informants. Using semiotics I can detect underlying meanings. My theoretical base consists of modernist and postmodernist perspectives among others. Gidden’s theory of the self narrative, Butler’s queer theory, the theory of articulation represented by Stuart Hall, Gauntlett’s model of objects and intersectionality represented by Nina Lykke among others.</p><p>Main results: The main result is that people do not actively construct identity in one way on the Internet. They do it in several ways, deliberately and non deliberately. Identity construction today is very fragmented, like the world we live in. People choose their own ways to present themselves, and the ways they do it vary. But people are often aware of the fact that they do present themselves, they’ve just not been reflecting over who they present.</p><p>Key words: Identity, the self, the subject, construction of identity, modernity, postmodernity, Facebook, Giddens, Butler, queer theory, articulation, the model of objects, intersectionality, interviews, observation, semiotics.</p>

This interpretive research study examines peer leadership in a distributed online MBA community of practice at New States University (NSU pseudonym, based in USA). It explores ways in which faculty members in a global business course, NMBA616 (pseudonym), negotiate relationships, meaning and identity in their efforts to be effective teachers and address their own needs for professional growth and development. The research participants provide insights about community formation and function in a virtual domain where they work together at a distance without meeting face-to-face. The study appears to be a new application of culture code methodology, symbolic interactionism and social learning theory as they conjoin on social, psychological and organizational levels. To my knowledge it is the first study of an MBA virtual community of practice. Research interviews were conducted primarily by distance using web-based technology, teleconferences and email, as well as some face to face discussion. The central questions are: 1) To what extent does a distributed faculty team in an online global business management course constitute a community of practice? 2) What is the nature of faculty relationships in the online global business management course? and 3) What are the leadership issues in a virtual practice setting? Findings reveal that online community practitioners are resourceful in creating peer leadership that is embedded within the group and its relationships. The study is motivated by my personal interests and professional experience, as well as by the quest of online colleagues for ways to assess, support and improve themselves and their practice. Building on personal experience as an online business communications instructor, the thesis presents an example of peer leadership in a virtual global business community of practice and in its completion stands as a case study.

Les sociétés modernes sont de plus en plus souvent confrontées aux enjeux de la diversité. Le multiculturalisme tente d’y apporter une réponse à travers un modèle de société basé sur une politique de la reconnaissance. Selon moi, l’argumentation des multiculturalistes repose sur leur conception de l’identité. C’est pourquoi, pour apporter une critique nouvelle de ce courant de pensée, j’analyse les écrits de ses principaux défenseurs, Will Kymlicka et Charles Taylor, en concentrant mon analyse sur ce qu’ils entendent par identité. Je soutiens que leur conception ne laisse pas assez de place au potentiel d’évolution et ne considère pas suffisamment l’importance et le pouvoir de la volonté individuelle dans la construction de l’identité. En m’appuyant sur l’étude d’autres auteurs, je souligne la nécessité de considérer les frontières entre le semblable et l’autre de manière plus souple et de reconnaître que la violence peut s’exercer par la création de différences entre les personnes. J’ai choisi la figure radicale de « l’homme sans qualités » de Robert Musil pour montrer comment un individu peut devenir autonome à travers un acte de destruction créatrice. Enfin, je conclus que l’État devrait favoriser ce processus, et permettre au sujet, qui est selon moi dénué d’une nature authentique, de penser son existence comme une expérience du possible. / Modern societies are increasingly confronted with the challenge of diversity. Defenders of multiculturalism responded with a model of society based on a politics of recognition. This model can be connected to a particular conception of identity. In order to make a new contribution to the critique of this approach, this work presents an analysis of the writings of two of the main proponents: Will Kymlicka and Charles Taylor. It does so by focusing on their conception of identity and argues that it does not leave enough room for change and fails to fully recognise the importance and the impact of personal will. The works of other authors are analysed in order to emphasize the need to view the boundaries between sameness and otherness in a more flexible fashion and to acknowledge that violence can attend the creation of differences between people. The figure of the “man without qualifies” portrayed by the novelist Robert Musil is offered as emblematic of how an individual can become autonomous through an act of creative destruction. Finally, it is concluded that the state should facilitate the creation of difference and this requires allowing citizens to conceive of their lives as an experience of the possible.

<p><strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Facebook är ett socialt onlinenätverk som under sina levnadsår har ökat explosionsartat i popularitet. På Facebook sköter många användare stora delar av sina sociala relationer och delar med sig mycket av sig själva. Det finns inget tidigare socialt nätverk i stil med Facebook som har haft samma genomslagskraft hos internetanvändarna. I användandet skapas en digital identitet som lämnar spår på Facebook, även om en användare är död. Kring dessa kvalämnade digitala identiteter vill vi undersöka unga vuxnas syn.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Syfte: </strong>Vårt syfte med denna uppsats är att ta reda på hur unga vuxna ser på sitt och andras användande av Facebook  kopplat till digitala spår och döden.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> Vi har valt att använda fokusgruppssamtal som metod för insamling av det empiriska materialet. Denna metod är både kvalitativ och induktiv. Det empiriska materialet har vi analyserat med den symboliska interaktionismen som metodologisk ansats.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Resultat: </strong>Det finns många meningsskillnader i vårt resultat. Deltagarna i fokusgrupperna ser både styrkor och svagheter med mediet Facebook då det kommer till döden. Detta handlar i mångt och mycket om att deltagarna ser Facebook som ofullständigt i detta avseende.</p> / <p><strong>Background:</strong> Facebook is a social online network that has expanded in popularity during the course of its existence. Many users manage large parts of their social  life and share much information about themselves on Facebook. There is no previous social  online network like Facebook, that has had the same development among the internet users. In the use of Facebook users create digital identities, which leave traces on Facebook, even if the user is dead. With this as an aspect, we want to study  young adults’  views on digital identities and death on Facebook.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> Our purpose in this study is to find out how young adults view upon their own as well as others use of Facebook related to digital traces and death.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Method:</strong> We chose to use focus group as a method of collecting the empirical material. This method is both qualitative and inductive. The empirical material is analyzed with the symbolic interaction as a methodological approach.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> There are many different opinions in our results. The participants in the focus groups see both strengths and weaknesses of the medium Facebook when it comes to death and digital traces. This based on the participants view of Facebook as incomplete medium in this aspect.</p>

Abstract Title: Who are you? Who am I? – Charades in the mediated world of today. A study of the construction of identity at Facebook. (Vem är du? Vem är jag? – Charader i dagens medierade värld. En studie av identitetskonstruktionen på Facebook.) Number of pages: 58 (66 including enclosures.) Author: Mathilda Wahlund Tutor: Ylva Ekström Course: Media and Communication Studies C Period: Fall 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University. Purpose/Aim: The aim is to study how people construct their own identities today. I want to understand and study how such a central thing as identity is being constructed, in a place which offers members to freely present themselves, the community Facebook. Material/Method: Through Internet based interviews and observations I approach the inner worlds of my informants. Using semiotics I can detect underlying meanings. My theoretical base consists of modernist and postmodernist perspectives among others. Gidden’s theory of the self narrative, Butler’s queer theory, the theory of articulation represented by Stuart Hall, Gauntlett’s model of objects and intersectionality represented by Nina Lykke among others. Main results: The main result is that people do not actively construct identity in one way on the Internet. They do it in several ways, deliberately and non deliberately. Identity construction today is very fragmented, like the world we live in. People choose their own ways to present themselves, and the ways they do it vary. But people are often aware of the fact that they do present themselves, they’ve just not been reflecting over who they present. Key words: Identity, the self, the subject, construction of identity, modernity, postmodernity, Facebook, Giddens, Butler, queer theory, articulation, the model of objects, intersectionality, interviews, observation, semiotics.

Bakgrund: Facebook är ett socialt onlinenätverk som under sina levnadsår har ökat explosionsartat i popularitet. På Facebook sköter många användare stora delar av sina sociala relationer och delar med sig mycket av sig själva. Det finns inget tidigare socialt nätverk i stil med Facebook som har haft samma genomslagskraft hos internetanvändarna. I användandet skapas en digital identitet som lämnar spår på Facebook, även om en användare är död. Kring dessa kvalämnade digitala identiteter vill vi undersöka unga vuxnas syn.   Syfte: Vårt syfte med denna uppsats är att ta reda på hur unga vuxna ser på sitt och andras användande av Facebook  kopplat till digitala spår och döden.   Metod: Vi har valt att använda fokusgruppssamtal som metod för insamling av det empiriska materialet. Denna metod är både kvalitativ och induktiv. Det empiriska materialet har vi analyserat med den symboliska interaktionismen som metodologisk ansats.   Resultat: Det finns många meningsskillnader i vårt resultat. Deltagarna i fokusgrupperna ser både styrkor och svagheter med mediet Facebook då det kommer till döden. Detta handlar i mångt och mycket om att deltagarna ser Facebook som ofullständigt i detta avseende. / Background: Facebook is a social online network that has expanded in popularity during the course of its existence. Many users manage large parts of their social  life and share much information about themselves on Facebook. There is no previous social  online network like Facebook, that has had the same development among the internet users. In the use of Facebook users create digital identities, which leave traces on Facebook, even if the user is dead. With this as an aspect, we want to study  young adults’  views on digital identities and death on Facebook.   Purpose: Our purpose in this study is to find out how young adults view upon their own as well as others use of Facebook related to digital traces and death.   Method: We chose to use focus group as a method of collecting the empirical material. This method is both qualitative and inductive. The empirical material is analyzed with the symbolic interaction as a methodological approach.   Conclusion: There are many different opinions in our results. The participants in the focus groups see both strengths and weaknesses of the medium Facebook when it comes to death and digital traces. This based on the participants view of Facebook as incomplete medium in this aspect.