The conservation of built heritage is increasingly recognised as promoting cultural sustainability and encouraging the inclusion of culture in the sustainable development of the built environment. Reflecting this recognition is the advocacy of a dynamic integrated conservation approach that considers built heritage within its historic, physical, social, and cultural contexts. Yet, the cultural context of built heritage remains one of the most challenging and neglected aspects in conservation practice. In the specific case of Sudan's historic port town of Suakin, a number of recurrent obstacles to the site's conservation, in addition to a number of potential enablers to address these challenges, have been recognised throughout previous research. However, previous investigations have lacked an essential local socio-cultural perspective. Furthermore, a lack of strategy or framework for Suakin's conservation has so far prevented the coordination of its stakeholders, and the consequential implementation of potential enablers to address its conservation challenges. This thesis is the conclusion of a four-year EngD research that has developed a protocol for the conservation of the built heritage of Suakin. It begins with an introduction to the context, justification and scope of the research, and the research aim and objectives. A review of previous literature is then presented concerning a number of issues related to the research subject and the methodology employed to meet the research aim and objectives. The research methods conducted, including literature review, a mixed-method case study, questionnaire surveys, and a series of participatory action research focus groups, are then explained and the results achieved are discussed. The research findings result in the development of a protocol for Suakin's conservation consisting of five themes emanating from the research stages. These are: ownership; finances and planning; stakeholder inclusion and collaboration; conservation knowledge and awareness; response to the local context. Each theme is comprised of a challenge, or number of challenges, and corresponding solution(s). Furthermore, the research findings define a protocol implementation strategy, consisting of Suakin's stakeholders' suggested implementation and responsibility of the protocol solutions. The collaborative stakeholder process established by the research, and the resulting protocol and its implementation strategy, are a new development in the approach towards Suakin's conservation. The potential long-term impact of the research on Suakin's conservation has so far been indicated by the adoption of the resulting protocol implementation strategy as a formal approach to Suakin's conservation by NCAM. The thesis concludes with a critical review of the research throughout the research stages and key recommendations for the research sponsor, for Suakin's stakeholders, for the built heritage conservation industry and for further research. The findings of this research were published in four peer-reviewed papers.

ABSTRACT The thesis investigates how transnational familial ties and socio-cultural dynamics shape migrants‘ remitting behavior and inform their relationships. It shows that most research on remittances fails to capture the personal and social significance remittances have for migrants, embedded not only in their transnational social relations, but also in cultural contexts. Drawing on empirical qualitative and quantitative research amongst Congolese migrants in Johannesburg, the study argues that migrants remit mainly in a bid to escape social death by fostering familial belonging and sustaining social status. It shows that socio-cultural influences and internalized social stereotypes about the economic effects of emigration shape migrants‘ awareness of the role expectations their communities of origin hold in relation to them. This internalization of role expectations subjects migrants to such a social pressure that they often feel a compelling need to be perceived as financially ―successful‖ as well as ―valid‖ and ―good‖ family members – not only in their communities of origin but also among other migrants. In this context, remittances become a fundamental measure and criterion that shapes migrants‘ sense of belonging and social and familial inclusion or exclusion. For individual migrants, remittances play an essential instrumental role portraying positive images for themselves and, at the same time, are seen as a means to avoid social stigmatization and exclusion.

Research into cultural dynamics and trend mechanisms has been used to “deconstruct” theinfluence structure of fashion in a way that can be applied to a hypothetical design strategy.The design strategy revolves around designing products with the intension to indirectlycommunicate an idea or ideas and by taking advantage of a products emotional value, toincrease structural and cognitive embeddedness of underlying ideas.The application of the strategy is the design of a smart product called “Gelo”. Gelo is a ‘smartwall’ concept that uses soft robotic actuators to transform its surface to adapt to changinglight conditions, improve room acoustics, and produce dynamic visual displays.By using HASEL soft robot actuators for movement, emerging technology could be exploredthrough the medium a conceptual consumer product while also allowing interestingfunctionality to be implemented to the Gelo concept. The addition of this functionalityallowed for ‘display like’ properties which are used to explore the idea of smart home devicesas a way of provide an enhanced emotional experienced.

Screening and assessment play a critical role in the lives of young children and their families. The results of these procedures can paint enduring portraits of the strengths and vulnerabilities of both children and families. This article explores the challenges of cultural dynamics and family issues relative to six areas of assessment: the target of assessment, the setting, the methods, the personnel, the uses, and, finally, the fusion of assessment with intervention. While the authors' examination of these challenges does not eliminate the problems inherent in the screening and assessment with infants and young children, it can, perhaps, raise issues and stimulate ideas that can help us to enter the homes and worlds of diverse families and their children in ways that are both respectful and responsive.

A presente dissertação consiste numa tentativa de se desenvolver uma discussão ampliada a partir de uma análise de Cidade de Deus, de Paulo Lins. Tal análise buscava desentranhar os traços formais fundamentais da obra, para a partir delas intuir dinâmicas sociais, culturais e históricas, tornadas mais evidentes pelo próprio trabalho. Partindo do caráter de exceção e de novidade da obra no quadro do romance brasileiro dos anos 1990 e mesmo em geral, sem excluir a sua matriz francesa, coube-nos perguntar no que consistia tal empreitada artística, traduzido num inusitado modo de composição, tendo em vista não tanto a sua reverberação dentro da história literária, mas as suas consequências em outros planos, sejam eles culturais ou histórico-sociais. / The dissertation that follows tries to develop a broader discussion from the analysis of Paulo Lins\' Cidade de Deus. Such an analysis strives to unravel the fundamental formal characteristics of the novel, and then to make use of them to perceive and see through some cultural, historical and social dynamics that are to become clearer in due course. Starting from the status of exception and novelty of this literary work, against the background of the Brazilian novel and its French matrix, the question repeatedly raised was the one concerning the very nature of this artistic effort, its unusual composition mode, aiming not so much at its reverberations inside the literary history, but at its consequences in different cultural and sociohistorical dimensions.

Nessa dissertação abordamos certo poema de Paganus Bolotinus, cônego de Chartres na primeira metade do século XII. Sob a pena do clérigo são traçados diversos ataques a supostos eremitas que perambulam pela região espalhando as doutrinas das novas religiões e por isso são tidos como falsos. O estudo desses versos redigidos contra os falsos eremitas que vão à cidade em busca do exercício da palavra, permitiu-nos ir muito além das muralhas chartrenses. A análise da estruturação do discurso poético nos permitiu, primeiramente, dar sentido ao documento e apurar a identificação daqueles a quem se direcionam as palavras do cônego. Uma vez compreendidas as figuras em jogo na narrativa pudemos fazer considerações a respeito do eremitismo medieval, demonstrando a necessidade de pensá-lo no plural a fim de sempre deixar aberta a possibilidade de que práticas e representações não ortodoxas tenham existido entre aqueles que se sentiram atraídos por algum dos muitos aspectos desse tipo de vida religiosa. Finalmente, pudemos tecer alguns comentários de caráter teórico acerca do trabalho do historiador posto a refletir sobre níveis e dinâmicas culturais, tendo sempre em mente suas relações com a sociedade estudada e a forma literária impressa no relato textual objeto da pesquisa / This work deals with a poem of Paganus Bolotinus canon of Chartres in the first half of the 12th century. Under the clergy\'s writing a lot of attacks are done on alleged hermits who wander around that region spreading the doctrines of the new religions. Due to this fact they are considered false hermits. The study of these verses written against the false hermits, who go to the city in order to preach, allowed us to go further the walls of Chartres. In the first place, the analysis of the structure of the poetic discourse made possible to give sense to the document and to verify the recognition of those to whom the canon\'s words were addressed. Then, once the characters in the narrative were understood, we established some grounds about the medieval eremitism, showing the necessity to think it as a plural phenomenon, in order to consider if any non-orthodox practices and representations existed among those attracted by the different aspects of this type of religious life. Finally, we made some comments about the theoretical aspect that involves the work of the historian who reflects on cultural levels and its dynamics, always having in mind the relations with the studied society and the written form imprinted in the textual report that is his object of research

Entendimento de processos que levem ao surgimento de opiniões extremas é valioso na prevenção de atos de violência. Os modelos são ferramentas úteis para identificar possíveis padrões relacionados a estes processos. No entanto, modelos discretos ou contínuos com confiança limitada não se mostram adequados para estudar dinâmicas caracterizadas pela divergência de opiniões. É proposta uma extensão cultural do modelo de Opiniões Contínuas e Ações Discretas (CODA) com múltiplos assuntos alternados por um mecanismo de ligação preferencial. Os agentes são influenciados não só em suas opiniões, mas também nas importâncias que atribuem aos diferentes assuntos. As principais características do modelo são o surgimento de preferências e consensos locais, aos quais estão associadas as opiniões mais extremas. Há, em contrapartida, persistência de opiniões brandas nos temas menos preferidos. O estudo do espaço paramétrico do modelo revelou que modificações diminuindo a localidade das interações aumentam maiorias e amenizam opiniões. Duas estratégias distintas de debate foram testadas. Zelotes têm poder de conversão aumentado quando dispersos. Evitadores minimizam o número de interações indesejável se agrupados. Foram esboçadas abordagens para inserção de efeitos da mídia na dinâmica / Understanding processes leading to extremism is invaluable to prevent violence outbursts. Models are useful tools that allow for identifying patterns related to those processes. Nevertheless, discrete models and bounded-confidence continuous models are unfit for studying diversion-based dynamics. We present a cultural extension of CODA model, with multiple subjects selected through a preferential attachment rule. Agents are influenced in their opinions and relevance attributed to different subjects. The most notable results of the dynamics are the establishment of local subject preferences and consensus, associated with more extreme opinions. On the other hand, there is persistence of immature undeveloped opinion in the locally less regarded subjects. The study of parametric space has shown that settings reducing the locality of interactions both increase the majority size and make opinions less extreme. Two distinct debate strategies were simulated. Zealots increase conversions when spread throughout the network. In contrast, subject avoiders decrease the number of unwanted interactions by grouping together. Some ideas for introducing media influence to the model were outlined

Nessa dissertação abordamos certo poema de Paganus Bolotinus, cônego de Chartres na primeira metade do século XII. Sob a pena do clérigo são traçados diversos ataques a supostos eremitas que perambulam pela região espalhando as doutrinas das novas religiões e por isso são tidos como falsos. O estudo desses versos redigidos contra os falsos eremitas que vão à cidade em busca do exercício da palavra, permitiu-nos ir muito além das muralhas chartrenses. A análise da estruturação do discurso poético nos permitiu, primeiramente, dar sentido ao documento e apurar a identificação daqueles a quem se direcionam as palavras do cônego. Uma vez compreendidas as figuras em jogo na narrativa pudemos fazer considerações a respeito do eremitismo medieval, demonstrando a necessidade de pensá-lo no plural a fim de sempre deixar aberta a possibilidade de que práticas e representações não ortodoxas tenham existido entre aqueles que se sentiram atraídos por algum dos muitos aspectos desse tipo de vida religiosa. Finalmente, pudemos tecer alguns comentários de caráter teórico acerca do trabalho do historiador posto a refletir sobre níveis e dinâmicas culturais, tendo sempre em mente suas relações com a sociedade estudada e a forma literária impressa no relato textual objeto da pesquisa / This work deals with a poem of Paganus Bolotinus canon of Chartres in the first half of the 12th century. Under the clergy\'s writing a lot of attacks are done on alleged hermits who wander around that region spreading the doctrines of the new religions. Due to this fact they are considered false hermits. The study of these verses written against the false hermits, who go to the city in order to preach, allowed us to go further the walls of Chartres. In the first place, the analysis of the structure of the poetic discourse made possible to give sense to the document and to verify the recognition of those to whom the canon\'s words were addressed. Then, once the characters in the narrative were understood, we established some grounds about the medieval eremitism, showing the necessity to think it as a plural phenomenon, in order to consider if any non-orthodox practices and representations existed among those attracted by the different aspects of this type of religious life. Finally, we made some comments about the theoretical aspect that involves the work of the historian who reflects on cultural levels and its dynamics, always having in mind the relations with the studied society and the written form imprinted in the textual report that is his object of research

Entendimento de processos que levem ao surgimento de opiniões extremas é valioso na prevenção de atos de violência. Os modelos são ferramentas úteis para identificar possíveis padrões relacionados a estes processos. No entanto, modelos discretos ou contínuos com confiança limitada não se mostram adequados para estudar dinâmicas caracterizadas pela divergência de opiniões. É proposta uma extensão cultural do modelo de Opiniões Contínuas e Ações Discretas (CODA) com múltiplos assuntos alternados por um mecanismo de ligação preferencial. Os agentes são influenciados não só em suas opiniões, mas também nas importâncias que atribuem aos diferentes assuntos. As principais características do modelo são o surgimento de preferências e consensos locais, aos quais estão associadas as opiniões mais extremas. Há, em contrapartida, persistência de opiniões brandas nos temas menos preferidos. O estudo do espaço paramétrico do modelo revelou que modificações diminuindo a localidade das interações aumentam maiorias e amenizam opiniões. Duas estratégias distintas de debate foram testadas. Zelotes têm poder de conversão aumentado quando dispersos. Evitadores minimizam o número de interações indesejável se agrupados. Foram esboçadas abordagens para inserção de efeitos da mídia na dinâmica / Understanding processes leading to extremism is invaluable to prevent violence outbursts. Models are useful tools that allow for identifying patterns related to those processes. Nevertheless, discrete models and bounded-confidence continuous models are unfit for studying diversion-based dynamics. We present a cultural extension of CODA model, with multiple subjects selected through a preferential attachment rule. Agents are influenced in their opinions and relevance attributed to different subjects. The most notable results of the dynamics are the establishment of local subject preferences and consensus, associated with more extreme opinions. On the other hand, there is persistence of immature undeveloped opinion in the locally less regarded subjects. The study of parametric space has shown that settings reducing the locality of interactions both increase the majority size and make opinions less extreme. Two distinct debate strategies were simulated. Zealots increase conversions when spread throughout the network. In contrast, subject avoiders decrease the number of unwanted interactions by grouping together. Some ideas for introducing media influence to the model were outlined

A presente dissertação consiste numa tentativa de se desenvolver uma discussão ampliada a partir de uma análise de Cidade de Deus, de Paulo Lins. Tal análise buscava desentranhar os traços formais fundamentais da obra, para a partir delas intuir dinâmicas sociais, culturais e históricas, tornadas mais evidentes pelo próprio trabalho. Partindo do caráter de exceção e de novidade da obra no quadro do romance brasileiro dos anos 1990 e mesmo em geral, sem excluir a sua matriz francesa, coube-nos perguntar no que consistia tal empreitada artística, traduzido num inusitado modo de composição, tendo em vista não tanto a sua reverberação dentro da história literária, mas as suas consequências em outros planos, sejam eles culturais ou histórico-sociais. / The dissertation that follows tries to develop a broader discussion from the analysis of Paulo Lins\' Cidade de Deus. Such an analysis strives to unravel the fundamental formal characteristics of the novel, and then to make use of them to perceive and see through some cultural, historical and social dynamics that are to become clearer in due course. Starting from the status of exception and novelty of this literary work, against the background of the Brazilian novel and its French matrix, the question repeatedly raised was the one concerning the very nature of this artistic effort, its unusual composition mode, aiming not so much at its reverberations inside the literary history, but at its consequences in different cultural and sociohistorical dimensions.