L’oeuvre anthropologique de Claude Lévi-Strauss a joui, dès les années cinquante, d’un succèsretentissant dans le champ des sciences humaines et sociales. Dans celui spécifiquement de l’art, ce futd’abord le cas, avant que l’ethnologue ne récuse rapidement toute alliance possible avec la créationmoderne. Face à ce désaveu brutal, par contrecoup, la pensée esthétique de l’anthropologue est depuisrégulièrement reléguée au rang des conservatismes. Il y a dans les arts plastiques, comme un malaiseLévi-Strauss. Partant de ce constat, le présent travail entend faire corps selon deux aspects étroitementmêlés.Le premier consiste à « servir » Lévi-Strauss. En effet, l’examen démontre qu’il est, par bien desaspects, difficile de réduire l’auteur des Mythologiques à la figure de l’amateur gêné par l’aspect radicaldes avant-gardes. Dans une approche apaisée, le débat avec l’art moderne est alors rouvert afin decomprendre les ressorts profonds du positionnement esthétique de l’anthropologue. Elargissant la focale,l’étude tente de saisir l’art selon une approche civilisationnelle. L’Occident, en tant qu’entité culturelle,est analysé au regard du primat accordé dès l’antiquité au logos et jusqu’à son expression moderne autravers de la pensée scientifique.L’autre aspect de ce travail consiste cette fois à « se servir » de la pensée lévi-straussienne dans lebut d’élaborer les bases d’une postmodernité débarrassée de l’écueil du « tout se vaut ». Des outils aupremier rang desquels le triangle culinaire ainsi que la méthode structurale, sont également convoquésafin d’instruire les possibilités d’un rééquilibrage entre pensée scientifique et pensée mythique. Sefaisant, le travail tente de montrer le caractère profondément poïétique de la pensée lévi-straussienneainsi que de répondre à la question posée par la poïétique de René Passeron : « Si l’art est exemplaire, illui faut dire en quoi. »De la rencontre entre les deux grands aspects précités, naît la thèse majeure de ce présenttravail. Celle-ci consiste à démontrer combien le malaise Lévi-Strauss n’est en fait que l’autre nom dumalaise postmoderne, sa forme paradigmatique. / Since the 50’s, Levi-Strauss anthropological work has enjoyed a huge success in the socialsciences as well as in the Arts. These were parallel until the ethnologist quickly refused every possiblealliances with modern arts. As a direct consequence of this brutal disavowal, the anthropologist'saesthetic thought is regularly pushed into conservatism, thus, the inception of a Lévi-strauss vexationwithin the plastic arts. It is upon this that this discussion will be based.On one hand, this work will use Lévi-Strauss's thought. Indeed, the author of theMythologiques can't be reduced to the image of an amateur uncomfortable with the radical side of theavant-garde's thought. We'll reopen the discussion about modern art in order to understand the roots ofthe aesthetic positioning of the anthropologist. The cultural point of view in the arts will be the centerof this work. The cultural entity of the western civilization is analyzed from the primal importance itgranted since the antiquity to the logos until its modern expression : the rational thought.On the other hand, this work is permitted by the levi-straussian way of thinking and elaboratesthe basis of a postmodernity freed from the « all is equal » problem. Many tools such as the culinarytriangle and the structural method will be employed in discussing this. They help in keeping the delicatebalance between the rational and the natural thought, Thus, this is an attempt to answer a questionraised in the poietics of René Passeron : « If art is an exemple, we must say in which way it is. »These two sides create the main part of this work which demonstrates how the Lévi-Straussvexation is actually the other name for the postmodern vexation. We could even say that it is itsparadigmatic form.

In my diploma thesis I focused on human rights in Islam from the universal and the culture comparative point of view. A goal of my work was to find out, whether it is possible to justify the human rights abuses under the terms of concept of cultural relativism in the Islamic civilisation. The thesis should answer a question if it is possible to apply the principles of cultural relativism in case of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. This was achieved by analyzing the most important international and regional tools for human rights protection. The thesis is divided into three chapters, which are dedicating to this issue.

The study examines SA‟s human rights diplomacy in Africa and the selected countries, namely Libya, Nigeria, the Sudan and Zimbabwe during the presidencies of Presidents Mandela and Mbeki. When SA decided to follow an ethics based foreign policy, especially in the area of human rights, it joined a number of countries who had adopted a similar approach such the United States of America, the Netherlands and Australia. These countries have an established history of human rights diplomacy which is supported by institutional and policy frameworks. The study argues that although both presidents were committed to a human rights oriented foreign policy, due to constraints that they faced in the continent human rights issues were not consistently and concertedly pursued by them, especially following SA‟s 1995 engagement with Nigeria during the term of the Sani Abacha government. These constraints led to a major shift in SA‟s human rights diplomacy. This shift entailed a move away from unilateral action to reliance on multilateral forums to deal with human rights challenges; the development of continental norms and standards, as well as strengthening continental structures; and conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa. This shift became evident in the content of Departmental strategic plans, and reporting both internally and externally to oversight structures such as Parliament. Hardly any proactive plans were developed to address human rights issues in any of the individual countries. Reporting to Parliament also focused on developments at a multilateral level both at the UN and AU with little coverage of human rights issues in individual countries. The use of multilateral bodies such as the SADC to address human rights issues became more pronounced, the Zimbabwean crisis being the case in point. Despite the merits of the collective approach, its value is diminished if it is undertaken to the exclusion of bilateral engagements by South African diplomats in specific countries or if gross human rights violations are not raised in multilateral bodies. Similarly, the significance of the normative framework and requisite structures cannot be doubted, but because the results of these initiatives are only realisable in the medium to long term, this approach needs to be buttressed by bilateral diplomatic engagements. During the period from 1994 to 2008, SA also engaged in a number of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction and development initiatives. These interventions averted human rights violations by securing peace as well as facilitating the development of constitutional and related frameworks to ensure the protection of human rights in the affected states. In conclusion, with the exception of Nigeria, SA hardly intervened on its own to intercede on behalf of victims of civil and political rights violations in any of the four states covered by the study. Its approach undermined its commitment to promote and protect human rights in the African continent. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2015 / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted

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Background Involuntary family separation due to forced migration is a particular form of suffering to which contemporary methods of psychosocial support seem scarce. It has been shown to cause mental and physical impairments that are often misdiagnosed for pathologies. Migrants who endure such trauma may have prolonged feelings of ambivalence for resettling and impaired conditions for integration. Aim Based on such research and reports, this study attempts to find appropriate measures of inter-personal psychosocial support that may improve resilience and wellbeing to live under such conditions. While building upon Social Work ethics, it targets both professional and non-professional providers of psychosocial support.  Methodology Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with informants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, and Syria. All had resettled in Sweden and been separated from their families due to migrating. The interviews explored psychosocial measures that they had received and their own resources for coping. The data was then analysed through Thematic Analysis. Result The results are presented in three overarching themes. The first indicates that psychosocial support is an ambiguous term that was described in manners that contradicts a duality of professional and non-professional support. The two following themes describe support from the informants’ surrounding networks and their own attitudes and efforts of coping. These themes present a “map” of psychosocial needs that can orient support providers to suitable interventions. Discussion and conclusion The study concludes that psychosocial support for migrants in separation benefits of being looked upon from a holistic perspective of needs. Western dualities of professional and non-professional support are not the primary concern in such crises. The findings imply that providers of support do well in bridging the gap to others and collectively fill such necessities. Providing access to community, acknowledgment, and a sharing of the efforts to reunite are means to help the separated find purpose in seemingly purposeless suffering. Methods of coping are own ways to endure the distress of separation. Supporters may help to explore such strategies while remembering cultural variations of perspectives on stress and support.

This paper puts the issue of Czech-Polish relationships into a context of the intercultural communication. The culturological approach used for the analysis of the communication between cultures brings a new holistic view. Factors of close cultures, the impact of a conflict as well as the importance of intercultural competences are analysed. Based on the Czech-Polish case, barriers to the intercultural communication are specified and discussed. These barriers rise from language, stereotypes, information, religion and history. A question of comicality and prestige of a language not to say entire culture is articulated. The new Network Theory of Barriers is suggested which introduces a closely related networked set of above mentioned obstacles. New platforms for the intercultural dialogue are outlined that can bring a possibility to step out of the circle of misunderstanding. These platforms consist of improving language skills, international institutions and the Internet.

The world has seen gradual evolution of regional human rights arrangements. The adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, was followed by the creation of numerous regional instruments that address concerns of particular importance in the regional context. Three world regions, Africa, the Americas and Europe, have established their respective regional instruments together with the supervisory mechanism, such as commissions and courts. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, with its emphasis on group rights and individual duties challenges the Western liberal account of rights, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The cultural differences brought to the fore not only the tension between individual and group rights but also the question as to whether of the universalism of human rights is possible. The study advocates for a moderate universalism of human rights, which can only be achieved through a dialogue among different cultural approaches to the notion of human rights. This study examines the content and substance of human rights norms of the African system with a view to recommending the possible strategies for their reform. Its central thesis is, the system is rather weak and therefore needs to be reformed. Toward this end, the study analyses the provisions of the African Charter. Thereafter, it explores its weaknesses and proposes strategies for their reform. The African human rights mechanisms face a number of common and particular challenges. Prospectively, Africa is going through a tremendous and interesting phase. These challenges are not insurmountable. / Constitutional, International and Indigenous Law / LL.D.

Ľubica Guindon :Universalism of Human Rights in the Light of pluralism of African cultural values The purpose of this thesis is to analyze actual discourse in international law terms about universal or culturally determined characters of human rights. This theoretical problem is introduced with the focus on legal qualification of female circumcision (FC/ FGM ) in international human rights protection. The study goes beyond the scope of international law and reaches cross-disciplinary analysis related to the African context and its cultural, political and social factors. Chapter One addresses the theoretical issues of the notion of human rights, its sources and models in international law. This passage challenges an African approach to human rights bills including a catalogue of individual duties towards family, state and society as a whole. This concern about collective identity of a person within his or her community is a very important feature of African understanding of human rights and human dignity, and can enrich the universal consensus in this field. Within the theoretical issues of the international human rights protection it is necessary to look at the global, regional and local dimension of legal regulation. The most influential strategies on the global level are universal treaties with...

The world has seen gradual evolution of regional human rights arrangements. The adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, was followed by the creation of numerous regional instruments that address concerns of particular importance in the regional context. Three world regions, Africa, the Americas and Europe, have established their respective regional instruments together with the supervisory mechanism, such as commissions and courts. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, with its emphasis on group rights and individual duties challenges the Western liberal account of rights, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The cultural differences brought to the fore not only the tension between individual and group rights but also the question as to whether of the universalism of human rights is possible. The study advocates for a moderate universalism of human rights, which can only be achieved through a dialogue among different cultural approaches to the notion of human rights. This study examines the content and substance of human rights norms of the African system with a view to recommending the possible strategies for their reform. Its central thesis is, the system is rather weak and therefore needs to be reformed. Toward this end, the study analyses the provisions of the African Charter. Thereafter, it explores its weaknesses and proposes strategies for their reform. The African human rights mechanisms face a number of common and particular challenges. Prospectively, Africa is going through a tremendous and interesting phase. These challenges are not insurmountable. / Constitutional, International and Indigenous Law / LL.D.

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls are denied their right to inherit from their husbands and fathers as a result of the operation of the indigenous law rule of male primogeniture, in terms of which an heir must be male. This violates prohibitions on gender discrimination, as well as other, more specific provisions found in international human rights treaties. However, courts in both South Africa and Zimbabwe have in recent years upheld the rule. States Parties to relevant treaties have an obligation to ensure equal inheritance rights for women and girls. In the case of South Africa, provisions of the Constitution are also relevant. After discussing the operation of the indigenous law of inheritance, the international human rights provisions violated by it, as well as the recommendations of the South African Law Commission and legislative proposals on this issue, the writer suggests that legislation should be adopted to ensure equality for women and girls, while retaining the positive aspects of indigenous law and culture. / Constitutional, International & Indigenous Law / LL. M. (Law)