Food security has long been a component of the global development project. Over time, extensive definitions and conceptual frameworks for food security have emerged. This thesis explores food security policy discourse in middle income, non-crisis contexts in the Global South. Taking as its research site the Southeast Asian state of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), the thesis explores how food security is defined as a policy problem, and what solutions are proposed. Using an interpretive analytical approach, the research analyzes authored policy documents and constructed policy texts drawn from interviews conducted between 2011-2013 with 25 international experts to identify narratives emerging from the praxis of formal policy documents, institutional mandates and policy-in practice. The role of international expertise in shaping the national level discourse is explored in detail. Four policy narratives are identified: food security as modernization/economic growth, the smallholder narrative, the nutrition narrative, and food security as development. Particular attention is paid to the totemic status of rice in the discourse. For each narrative, a matrix of problem statements, proposed solutions, key indicators, and supporting institutions is presented. A metanarrative analysis of how these narratives intersect suggests that one of the characteristics of food security conceptually is its inclusiveness, giving it a remit across a range of sectors. This research presents food security as a valence issue, which, by virtue of its expansiveness, provides a platform on which multiple, divergent policy agenda coexist. Despite recognition among experts of serious shortcomings in both the conceptual framework and applied use in policy, this fluidity ensures that food security remains in consistent use, as both a component of national policy and as an artefact of global development discourse at the national level. Because of its continued focus on undernutrition in rural areas, the omission of issues such as overnutrition, urban food systems, and environmental degradation from the discourse, narratives in food security policy are presented as hewing to pre-existing problem statements and solutions. This renders food security an incomplete fit within the policy context of rapidly developing nations in 21st Century Southeast Asia.

This thesis proceeds from an attempt to articulate the body. At its core, however, is not the attempt to offer a definition of the body but instead to articulate a problem of touching on it. As such, it is motivated by a question at once banal and impossible: ‘Are we nearly here yet?’ Following Jean-Luc Nancy’s engagement with the account of space and being-there proposed by Martin Heidegger, it relates the materiality of the body to a broader role of touch and sense in constructing a world of engagements in which the body is never “here” but always “there”, always exposed in its touch upon the other. Following Nancy, this thesis begins by opening an ontological formulation of space and embodiment in which the materiality of the body allows for sense to pattern a world of bodies always separated from each other but situated in relation to each other. Sense, on Nancy’s account, is both bodily and conceptual; sense is the touch of vision, of the hands, of the body, and of understanding. Emphasising this multiple formulation of touch, this thesis offers an ontology of space as both material and transparent, in which this transparency figures the potential of the world to be continually re-spaced according to the touches and relationships enacted within it. After establishing this ontology of body and touch, the thesis enacts a series of attempts to approach the body, conducted in relation to encounters with bodies through photographs, painting and self-portraiture, as well as encounters with bodies that reveal aspects of their particular embodiment at moments of disruption or in their pathological relationships to the world. In each case, what is explored are figures of approach and withdrawal, turn and return, in which the body is nearly available to touch, but always elusive.

This doctoral work is based on analysis of the discourse on cultural value in contemporary Italy, what are the 'grand narratives' that characterize this discourse and what is the relationship between them. In particular, great relevance is given to the concepts of “neoliberalism” and “commons”. The application of these two economical terms to the field of culture is particularly relevant in the Italian discourse: in 2011, Italy saw the rise of protest groups made of professionals from the arts sector who opposed practices influenced by the theories on the commons to the implementation of neoliberal-inspired policies. In fact, since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, the discontent of the Italian population with the implementation of austerity policies and the lack of political and economic stability caused an uprising involvement in political activism. The cultural sector, in particular, was facing a lack of state funding; in addition, many young professionals had been struggling to find a paid job, especially in the theatre sector. The dissatisfaction of the emergent creative class led to a series of demonstrations and campaigns that asked for the recognition of the rights of arts workers. Many abandoned buildings, especially former theatres, were occupied and became spaces dedicated to artistic and political experimentation. Two of these organisations are discussed in the case studies: Teatro Valle Occupato, in Rome, and Rebeldía, in Pisa. The idea of cultural value promoted by these organisations is analysed in relation to the one reflected by Italian cultural policy after 2008. This thesis shows not only how cultural value is shaped by economic factors such as austerity, but also how it represents a battleground where different ways of understanding politics and policy clash, mingle and sometimes overlap. Furthermore, it shows that activist forms of arts management can develop their own pathways to innovation, filling a vacuum left by cultural policy.

Online social networks are understood to replicate the real life connections between people. As the technology matures, more people are joining social networking communities such as MySpace (www.myspace.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com). These online communities provide the opportunity for individuals to present themselves and maintain social interactions through their profiles. Such traces in profiles can be used as evidence in deciding the level of trust with which to imbue individuals in making access control decisions. However, online profiles have serious implications over the reality of identity disclosure. There are many reasons why someone may choose not to reveal their true self, which sometimes leads to misidentification or deception. On one hand, the structure of online profiles allows anonymity, which gives users the opportunity to create a persona that may not represent their true identity. On the other hand, we often play multiple identities in different contexts where such behaviour is acceptable. However, realizing the context for each identity representation depends on the individual. As a result, some represented identities will be essentially real, if edited for public view, some will be disguised, and others will be fictitious or humorous. The millions of social network profiles, and billions of connections between them, make it difficult to formalize an automated approach to differentiate fact from fiction in online self-described identities. How can we be sure with whom we are interacting, and whether these individuals or groups are being truthful with the online identities they present to the rest of the community? What tools and techniques can be used to gather, organize, and explore the available data for informing the level of honesty that should be entrusted to an individual? Can we verify the validity of the identity automatically, based on the available information online? We aim to evaluate identity representation online and examine how identity can be verified in a less trusted online community. We propose a personality classifier model to identify a user‟s personality (such as expressive, valid, active, positive, popular, sociable and traceable) using traces of 2.2 million profile features collected from MySpace. We use data mining techniques and social network analysis to extract significant patterns in the data and network structure, and improve the classifier during the cycle of development. We evaluate our classifier model on profiles with known identities such as „real‟ and „fake‟. Our results indicate that by utilizing people‟s online, self-reported information, personality, and their network of friends and interactions, we are able to provide evidence for validating the type of identity in a manner that is both accurate and scalable.

This research offers an analysis of social practices and discourses at work in the assessment of Media Studies students following the OCR AS specification produced for ‘Curriculum 2000’, in its first examination session - January 2001. The purpose of the research is not to scrutinise the accuracy of such assessment, or its value, but to raise questions about subject identity at the institutional level represented by an awarding body. In particular, the intention is to investigate further issues about assessment as a social practice raised by Nick Peim in his analysis of the cultural politics of English teaching. In addition the thesis sets out to ‘test’ his suggestion that Media Studies might offer an alternative to the cultural problems he identifies within the practices of ‘Subject English.’ The method adopted is discursive and theoretical, applying critical discourse analysis, phenomenology and deconstruction. The writers whose ideas and ways of thinking about discourse, language and pedagogy are most significantly ‘applied’ to data acquired through the research are Michel Foucault and Basil Bernstein. The conclusions drawn offer a response to Peim’s suggestions, and raise more questions about subject identity for Media teachers to consider. In particular, the data analysed lends itself to an analysis of the assumptions, logical inconsistencies and oppositions set up by ‘Subject Media’ and to a discussion about the relationship between a subject’s ‘spirit’ and the reality of its assessment practices. As such it provides a ‘micro’ analysis of the boundaries placed around academic and vocational ways of learning, and seeks to question such categories.

This thesis explores current assumptions surrounding why homeless people use outreach service programmes from a social psychological perspective. Specifically, within this, 2 main aims are tested: 1) The validity of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen 1988, 1991) and suggested additional avenues to this, in predicting homeless people’s use of outreach service programmes, and 2) To tackle methodological issues arising from prior social psychological research in this domain. There are 4 studies in this thesis. Study 1 (Chapter 4) addresses the issue of fine tuning research methods and applications that would be used later in this programme of research, and tests the relevance of social psychological theory to homeless people’s service use. The findings show interesting associations between perceived behavioural control (PBC)/ efficacy and homelessness issues. Study 2 (Chapter 5) examines the utility of single item questions of the direct measure of the TPB, as well as single items of additional avenues such as social identity/self-categorisation perspectives (SIT/SCT; Tajfel & Turner, 1979), self-esteem and affective functioning. PBC emerged as the only predictor of intentions to use services. Study 3 (Chapter 6) has two aims. First, to test a multi-domain measure based on the TPB, SIT/SCT framework, and second, to examine the predictive contribution of social cognitive influences and socio-demographic variables to intentions to use service programmes. The multi-domain measure did not show utility, yet attitude, ‘coping’ thinking style and ethnicity predicted intentions to use services. Lastly, the main aim of Study 4 (Chapter 7) was to test the utility of an efficacy based intervention on the empowerment of homeless people. The intervention showed to increase perceptions of control and decrease negative affect. I conclude that (a) the utility of the TPB framework can be strengthened with additional avenues, and (b) a PBC/efficacy intervention can empower homeless people into securing more permanent accommodation.

Asylum claimants regularly arrive in the UK without corroborating evidence to support their request for refugee protection. Consequently, an assessment of the credibility of the applicant’s account of persecution tends to become the focal point of asylum decision-making. In order for an applicant’s asylum claim to be assessed as factual, and therefore, credible it must be prepared in a way that conforms to the narrative models in legal discourse and meets the evidential requirements for showing past persecution and a future well-founded fear of persecution. It is for this reason, in part, that the role of legal practitioners becomes crucial. This thesis explores the ways that asylum solicitors deal with the issue of credibility in their daily working practices. It also examines the structural and procedural constraints which affect the working practices of solicitors when representing asylum clients in this way in asylum appeals. Based on ethnographic research conducted in Glasgow over an eighteen-month period, this thesis considers the ways that asylum solicitors approach credibility when representing asylum clients. This thesis explores the different forms of paid and unpaid labour undertaken by asylum solicitors and analyses how external factors such as legal aid funding arrangements affect the morale and working practices of solicitors who represent asylum claimants. It seeks to argue that a criminalising discourse exists in the asylum and immigration processes in Glasgow. Moreover, it demonstrates that such discourses extend to a cohort of asylum solicitors working in Glasgow and that the culture of disbelief which exists among these solicitors results in them regularly disbelieving their asylum clients’ accounts. Finally, by considering proposed changes to funding arrangements in Scotland, which would bring them in line with those in place in England and Wales, this thesis contends that were these arrangements to be introduced this would result in the underrepresentation of, and limited access to justice for, asylum applicants in Scotland.

During the past decade one of the bestsellers in the American art market was a group of figurative-representational paintings from post-Unification Germany. Dubbed “New German Painting”, this body of work included artists with explicit East German affiliations, such as the so-called “New Leipzig School”, as well as artists who trained at academies in former West Germany. While the American art critical discourse predominantly promoted the art as a new kind of German history painting, which confronted the country’s recent past of division and reunification, the reception amongst German art critics was more negative by far. The latter did not see a serious engagement with recent German history in the new body of art, and dismissed the painting as catering to a growing post-socialist nostalgia industry. Moreover, the traditional figurative style of painting, which was adopted in particular by artists trained at academies in post-Wende East Germany, was often criticized as an aesthetically and politically reactionary artistic position. In spite of the obvious social and political connotations of the art critical discourse on the “New German Painting”, art historical scholarship has barely examined this new body of art in light of underlying interactions between the painting’s aesthetic content and the social-political context of post-Unification Germany. This is a surprising omission, considering that scholars of modern German art are traditionally deeply concerned with the interplay between aesthetic and political continuities and discontinuities. A possible explanation for this gap in the literature is that art history lacks a framework to capture the intersecting aesthetic and social-political notions that have emerged in the discourse on the painting. This thesis aims to overcome this shortcoming by examining the phenomenon “New German Painting” from an interdisciplinary perspective that combines sociological with art historical approaches. The theoretical perspective builds on innovations in the sociology of art, which complement established concerns with social structure with a sensibility for aesthetic specificity. In the empirical parts of the thesis this perspective is used to trace continuities between the new painting and its reception with earlier moments in German post-World War II art history; as well as to examine the social context and historical moment in which the painting emerged. Particular attention is paid to affinities between the discussion of the “New German Painting” and current crossdisciplinary academic literature on nostalgia in post-Wende Germany. Overall, the thesis argues that this more encompassing approach is better suited for revealing how the phenomenon “New German Painting” sits at the centre of debates about collective memory and cultural identity in post-1989 Germany, including the complex relations between the former East and West that characterise these debates.

Despite the late stage of modernity we live in, urban legends, an already prolific form of folklore, have become even more prone to retransmission within the internet. This thesis aims to understand why and how these contemporary folk tales are so widely believed and disseminated. Two crime legends that spread in Mexico City through email from 2005 to 2007 will be studied as narratives that address some of the most pressing problems as perceived by a given population, engaging human beings principally by helping to make sense of hostile environments, binding together human groups through fear and collective reassurance, and fulfilling a basic, atavistic compulsion in human beings towards conflict and its representations. Urban legends about ongoing crime seem to give momentary relief to the people engaging with them, but may ultimately aggravate the vision they hold of their surrounding reality and erode their context at large. Metaphorically, they can be compared to the use of cigarettes to alleviate stress. As a result, such urban legends may be regarded as negative and deluding stories leading a culture, as the title suggests, deeper into the 'labyrinth' it most fears. The thesis concludes that this ongoing narrative construction of social fears may thus indeed have detrimental consequences, such as lessening the living standards of whole communities and deteriorating their social fabric.

I examined the characteristics of converts to Judaism through the Reform Synagogues, 1952-2002, exploring the psychological impact of conversion, the nature of their Jewish identity and the durability of their religious commitment through time. Recognising the large variation in the Jewish practice and attitudes displayed, I also examined the influence of motivational, family and biographical factors on their Jewish identity. Motivation for conversion was multi-dimensional. The instrumental desire to create family unity was identified as the most powerful motivating factor. The strength of this variable was found to be a significant predictor of the level of behavioural changes in the converts’ Jewish lifestyle. Counter-intuitively, this motivational factor formed negative correlations with ethnicity and a non-significant relationship with ritual behaviour. The data highlight differences between the factorial structure of the Jewish identity of converts and born Jews. For converts, four identity factors were identified: ritual practice, ethnic belonging, Jewish development and spirituality. Miller et al. have identified three factors underlying the Jewish identity of born Jews under 50: behavioural ethnicity, religiosity and mental ethnicity. Survey data of converts has shown a clear division of ritual and ethnic behaviours, whilst in born Jews, the same differentiation is not demonstrated. Like moderately engaged born Jews, converts emphasised the notion of affective identity rather than the actual performance of Jewish ritual acts, though it is clear that ‘on average’ converts have a somewhat more intense pattern of ritual practice than born (Reform) Jews. The majority of the converts felt content with the results of their conversion but the relative lack of emphasis placed on Jewish continuity as opposed to the convert’s individual self-fulfilment, can be seen as an indication of a possibility that the conversion process may only delay demographic decline in the Jewish community for just one or two generations.