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<p> In this thesis, the Palio horse race and the contrade (neighborhood) structure of Siena Italy are examined. Using thick description and grounded theory, ideas of residency, age, and identity construction are investigated among the contradaioli of Siena. It is of interest to see how these factors affect identity performativity on an individual and societal level. The value and increasing role of contradaioli women will also be discussed, as it is a topic that contradicts initial perceptions of women as a suppressed group. Although residency status within the contrada was previously known as the focal point of identity, over time its significance has shifted to account for a modern world with increased population mobilization. Residency patterns found to exist in Siena are reflected in the type and level of labor contributions made based on how far they lived from their contrada. Despite the initial perception that gender was the main factor that impacted participation and labor contributions, it was revealed that it was not the only significant variable and, in fact, age and residency was a more prominent dynamic to consider. </p>

<p> The "Macron Law", liberalizing French Sunday shopping hours, created great controversy in the French media in the winter of 2014-15, with particular opposition coming from the political left and the religious right. The controversy seemed to symbolize deeper issues for French society, appearing to some as a watershed, to others a threat. Some citizens expressed concern that the &ldquo;European way of life" was disappearing, being replaced by a more materialist, consumerist, extreme capitalist economic model that posed an overt threat to the traditional social protection system. Were these fears real or only imagined? To an observer, shops open on Sundays might only be a convenience, not an encroachment of &ldquo;jungle capitalism&rdquo;, and the French welfare state, even with changes in recent years, still appeared quite generous. Was the Macron Law a simple adjustment of business hours, or was it an existential moment for the nation? Focusing on French socialism, the social welfare system, and the pivotal presidential years of Fran&ccedil;ois Mitterrand, this thesis argues that the evolution of the meaning of Sunday in France can be seen as a metaphor for the nation&rsquo;s political and economic development in the late twentieth century. The thesis contends that following the turbulent 1970s, as the neoliberal paradigm became dominant globally, France forged a unique approach, an acceptable path between that model and the nation&rsquo;s traditions, just as an accommodation was found in the Sunday shopping controversy, when aspects of religious and socialist traditions were compromised to meet the demands of modern life.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research is to explore the shifts in the rhetoric utilized by the European Far-Right political parties in response to terror attacks. The subjects of study are the National Front and Alternative for Germany within France and Germany respectively with both states having experienced attacks by Muslim terrorists within recent years. This study was conducted through the employment of Image Theory through a content analysis, specifically through the lens of the Barbarian and Enemy Images and if they can be observed in either party&rsquo;s rhetoric. This shift in rhetoric can be seen expressed by both parties as they acted and reacted through their policy platforms over the years of observation.</p><p>

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