As methods by which texts are to be understood, positivism and historicism have a long tradition and continue to exert wide influence in all academic disciplines. Other approaches to textual concerns have recently emerged to challenge the dominance of these two approaches. Foremost among these new approaches are hermeneutics and deconstruction. Both of the latter approaches recognize that interpretation is inescapable. The latter challenges even the possibility of determinate meaning. A theoretical discussion of historicism and positivism uncovers questionable and troublesome difficulties. Hermeneutics in its conservative or radical variations overcomes the difficulties of interpretation that positivism and historicism can't explain. As an example of the problems of positivism and historicism, several narratives from the Book of Mormon illustrate how readings by revisionist Mormon readers—those who believe it is a modern work of fiction rather than an authentic ancient document—find exactly the evidence sought, largely without consulting the text they attempt to explain. Using biblical criticism with the assumption that it will illuminate the Book of Mormon text, especially of the literary rather than the historical variety, the narratives are complex and sophisticated works. Four narratives (the stealing of the daughters of the Lamanites, the broken bow, the Nahom incident, and the building of the ship narrative) illustrate the texture of the Book of Mormon as a set of complicated narratives that draw strongly from biblical archetypes of the exodus and patriarchal narratives.

Nous nous intéressons dans cette thèse à la relation originale et problématique qui s’est établie, dans la période qui va de l’après-guerre jusqu’à la fin des années 1970, entre, d’une part, la temporalité de l’écriture telle que vécue par l’écrivain et, d’autre part, la temporalité produite par le texte. Le schème paradoxal qui préside à cette relation pourrait se résumer ainsi : écrire pour savoir pourquoi écrire. Si la formule semble consonner avec la vulgate d’une écriture autotélique, elle nous semble plus profondément poser la question complexe du désir du scripteur, quand toute relation univoque entre le dedans et le dehors est mise en cause. Pour mener à bien cette étude, nous procédons en deux grands moments. Le premier aborde cette configuration par un bord théorique : nous suivons le fil du syntagme de « point aveugle », en ses acceptions métaphoriques et conceptuelles, dans un corpus essayistique extrait du grand moment théorique français. La seconde propose deux parcours de lecture dans les œuvres littéraires narratives fictionnelles de Bernard Pingaud et d’Henri Thomas – écrivains qui, selon des modalités distinctes, montrent deux voies d’articulation originale des registres temporels considérés. Aussi différents soient-ils, ils partagent ce principe : écrire pour savoir ce que, sans cette traversée, on ne pourrait savoir, en s’affrontant à cet irréductible point aveugle qui se donne comme condition de possibilité et d’impossibilité du sens / The focus of this thesis is the relationship - in the period between the end of World War Two and the late 1970s - between the temporality of writing as experienced by the writer, and the temporality produced by the text itself. The paradoxical structure of this relationship can be captured by the following formula: writing in order to know why one writes. Though this formula may seem to invoke the modernist received wisdom concerning autotelitic writing, this thesis takes it as the starting point in order to understand the desires of the “scriptor” (to use Roland Barthes’s term) when all unambiguous relations between the internal and the external are called into doubt. This study will proceed in two major parts. The first will apply a theoretical lens to the notion of the “blind spot” as it appears in its various metaphorical and conceptual senses in the essayistic corpus of so-called “French theory”. The second will consist of a literary analysis of the fictional narratives of Bernard Pingaud and Henri Thomas: writers who, each in their own distinct modalities, reveal an original way of articulating the forms of temporality at the center of this study. As different as they are, Pingaud and Thomas each share the aim of writing in order to understand that which, without writing, one could never understand. In pursuit of this aim, both writers come face-to-face with a blind spot that poses itself as the condition of both the possibility and the impossibility of meaning

Man-made objects are an expression of both the social organisation in which they were produced and the communicative context in which they appear and are used. In this respect, they represent easily accessible material, which is highly suitable for and useful in reconstructing the social structures in organisations and opening up latent structures of meaning for analysis. Nevertheless the analysis of physical materials has tended to live a shadow existence. This paper presents a hermeneutic method of analysing artefacts in organisations. The basic concept centres on the reconstructing of the processes of meaning and organising in social systems. After providing a brief introduction to the methodological principles, the paper goes on to discuss this method in greater detail. Concrete examples of the study of specific materials in an organisational analysis context are used to ground the interpretation of artefacts in the overall organisational analysis context. The paper closes with a discussion of the possibilities and limitations of this kind of analysis. (authors' abstract) / Series: ["p_series_typename_S48" not defined]

In his opus magnum Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, the prominent (post)analytic Richard Rorty calls for such a philosophical inquiry, thath would rather fit under the term hermeneutics, than epistemology. Hermeneutics being the trademark term of an important movement of continental philosophy, this comes as a suprise. By examining Richard Rorty's criticism of epistemology and Hans- Georg Gadamer's concept of hermeneutics, this paper tries to find out, how much do they have in common. Source texts for this research are the topic-relatively relevant texts from the books Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature and Truth and Method. In conclusion, the main difference appears to lie in their answers to the hardly solveable question of importance of the very concept of truth. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Este trabalho consiste num esforço de compreensão da interpretação heideggeriana da articulação (Artikulation) existencial a partir da fenomenologia estabelecida na primeira parte de Ser e Tempo enquanto ontologia do Dasein. O estudo se inicia com a apresentação da necessidade de uma reflexão acerca do sentido do ser e parte, em seguida, para a reconstituição comentada da gênese das principais estruturas existenciais do Dasein sob a perspectiva de sua co-originariedade (Gleichursprünglichkeit). Destacando o pano de fundo ontológico, acompanhamos a crítica heideggeriana à metafísica da presença e sua alternativa colocação da existência como possibilidade (Möglichkeit). Por fim, expomos como o conceito hermenêutico de fala (Rede) é capaz de explicar a transcendência do ser-no-mundo (In-der-Welt-sein), uma vez que, como consideramos, garante as condições do movimento do existir como jogo entre ente e nada. Nesse sentido, interpretamos a estrutura articuladora da fala tanto a partir da crítica heideggeriana à lógica, como a partir de um possível programa fenomenológico de ampliação existencial do lógos grego. / This work is an effort to understand the Heideggerian interpretation of the existential articulation (Artikulation), based on the phenomenology established on the first half of Being and Time as Dasein\'s ontology. The research begins with the presentation of the relevance of a reflection on the meaning of Being, and then it reconstitutes the genesis of the fundamental existential structures of Dasein under the perspective of its co-originality (Gleichursprünglichkeit). By emphasizing the ontological background, we follow Heideggers critique of metaphysics of presence and his alternative proposition of the existence as possibility (Möglichkeit). Finally, we try to show how the hermeneutical concept of discourse (Rede) is able to explain the transcendence of the Being-in-the-world (In-der-Welt-sein), since, as we maintain, it guarantees the conditions of the existential mobility as a play between beings and nothing. In this sense, we interpret the articulative structure of the discourse both from Heideggers critique on logics and from a possible phenomenological program of an existential enlargement of the Greek lógos.

This thesis is an account of praxis: it examines Playback conceptually, and portrays a programme of practical work exploring the experience of workplace audiences of five Playback Theatre performances, delivered from 2002-2005. The aim of the performances was to assist multi-disciplinary teams of staff in community health centres in Auckland New Zealand to communicate and work together with more understanding of each other. The thesis describes Playback as a way not only to elicit complex narratives which allow for diverse points of view to be expressed, but also as an aesthetic reworking of these narratives using action, music, dance, gesture and speech, in ways which have been influenced by 20th century avant-garde forms such as surrealism, dada, collage, jazz and poetry. Unlike some forms of theatre, Playback calls on elements of ritual and group method, in that it relies on audience members taking an active part in the performance by contributing narratives from their own lives. The thesis interrogates the notion of audience in theatre, using the words audience, spectator, spectactor, participant, public and polis, and specifically investigates two moments of the theatre as polis, in the French and Russian revolutions, when the potential of theatre to engage with the widest cross-section of the nation led to influential experiments and innovations in theatrical practice, each of which influenced the succeeding century. Some Playback discourse and practice is found to contain simplistic, even nostalgic, concepts of personal narrative, and the potential for performers’ interpretations in Playback to reinscribe social privilege is noted. In spite of its simple structure, Playback demands extremely complex skills from all the performers, not only the facilitator. In addition, the complex setting of the practical work encompasses both local NZ health initiatives and developments in global health. The work in each Healthcare Centre is described in a complete chapter: each containing details of the Centre and the Playback, seen through the findings of the patient focus groups, through comments made in interviews by the staff and through the researcher’s observation and experience. In all three Centres, existential and emancipatory metanarratives surfaced in the performances and in interviews. Professionalism was seen as meaning different things: at Ngākau it was a measure by which people were found to be unsatisfactory; at Oranga, it referred to applying the lessons of the Playback to one’s own practice; while at Pātaka, professionalism was evident in narratives of self care, dedication and seeking clarification and support from peers. While the study revealed limitations of Playback, it also pointed to some unique contributions this form of improvisational theatre can make to a programme of staff or group development. In particular, Playback can open up spaces, people and topics, for non-dogmatic, pluralistic, embodied thinking and reflection, leading people to more nuanced understandings of themselves and each other, and can even affect attitudes and behaviours.

Most of the research related to psychotherapy is about modality, treatments and therapeutic outcomes. There is little research on the psychotherapists themselves; their subjective experiences, their preparation or personal development. Personal growth, which leads to a developmental level permitting self-reflection and relational ability, is considered by the psychotherapy profession to be an important aspect of the psychotherapist's education. This hermeneutic study focuses on students' experience of personal growth during a formal psychotherapy educational programme. The core of the thesis is the presentation of the students' lived experience during training. Recent graduates of psychotherapy programmes were interviewed and their accounts include the process of personal growth, in what ways the developmental journey was felt to be supportive and containing, ways graduates feel changed, the impact on their lives during and after the training, and the meanings they ascribe to the experience. The particular growth experiences of Maori graduates are to some degree explored, as are the experiences of psychotherapy teachers who facilitate personal development. Themes emerged from data analysis; personal growth did happen, was felt to be positive, and took place as a journey. The growth process was turbulent, painful, yet resulted in positive outcomes for the graduates. Love and relationship were experienced as the most significant catalyst in promoting growth towards key outcomes. It was felt that bicultural learning activities enhanced and supported growth for Maori and non-Maori. The nature and complexity of love is discussed; including the place of love in personal change, psychotherapy and psychotherapy training. The discomfort commonly experienced in the profession around describing the therapeutic relationship as one involving love is highlighted. Possible reasons are given for this, for not using the word love in psychotherapy. Implications for psychotherapy education arising from the research are presented; with questions about, and recommendations for, facilitating personal growth, and the utilisation of love in a more open and conscious manner as a part of psychotherapy training. Currently most preparation of psychotherapists occurs in mainstream academic institutions, with a movement in the profession towards more formal qualifications. It is a challenge for educators and students alike to continue to include in traditional academic structures and processes what is felt to be the essence of psychotherapy; love and relationship, the practice of which requires high levels of personal development.

This thesis aims to critically evaluate global intellectual property instruments with detailed analysis of the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Aspects of Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) provisions in order to investigate the enforcement issues, confronted by the Developing Countries due to fragile legal infrastructure. These intellectual property laws are evolutionary and designed to protect and honour human intellectual creations since BC 400 which recognized them distinct from divine inspirations. Italian Renaissance witnessed the systematic recognition of human skill, craft, innovation and invention. Venetian Government institutionalized it by awarding patents and copyrights to skilled workers and publishers. Its primary purpose was to protect the trade and secondary was to foster intellectual creativity through reward and recognition. These rewards and recognitions, known as Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), developed with each new invention and creation. Industrial Revolution accelerated it and developed nations entered into international conventions to protect their nationals and their interests across the borders. In 1995, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) accommodated all the previous (IPRs) instruments and its enforcement linked with global trade. It was a dilemma for developing nations who were desirous to participate in global trading system for their economic development but could not administer (IPRs) regimes on their land due to fragile and static infrastructure. All assistance from developed countries during the transitional period could not address the problems due to alien prescriptions, applied to counter problems in the developed World. Developing Nations need innovative, flexible and indigenous approach to administer the TRIPS Agreement. A case study of Pakistan judicial environment to address the TRIPS enforcement issue has been conducted. The methodological approach of this thesis is the interpretive paradigm of the qualitative research tradition. This interpretive paradigm or framework is applied through the two methodologies of hermeneutics and case study.

The death of one�s parents, irrespective of the age at which it occurs, is generally regarded as a life experience of considerable significance. The last few years of an elderly person�s life are often characterized by increasing frailty, declining health and loss of independence. Responsibility for the spiritual and physical care of parents during that period is undertaken by many adult children. Current research in this area is generally informed by the requirements of social policy, which, by identifying and addressing the inherent difficulties in this so-called informal caring, is designed to support carers in the community. The research reported in this thesis represents a departure from this mode of inquiry and seeks, rather, to explore the existential aspects of caring in this particular situation, from the carer�s perspective. To achieve this objective, an existential phenomenological approach informed principally by the philosophies of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, and the adaptation of these philosophies by Schutz, Giorgi and van Manen to social science research, was developed to suit the particular requirements of the topic. In addition to the author�s autobiographic material, primary sources include conversations with five people who had been principal carers for their parents during their final illnesses. In all cases caring had ended with the parent�s death at least one year before the conversations took place. The principal secondary sources are Simone de Beauvoir�s memoir, A Very Easy Death, and Philip Roth�s account of his father�s illness and death, Patrimony: A True Story. In addition, the argument is supported throughout by reference to other literary works. From these sources a number of major existential themes, including temporality, hope, suffering, and knowing the body, have been explored in depth, in conjunction with relevant existential theories. Synthesis of these topics suggests that in this particular circumstance, for the people involved in the study, the phenomenon of caring can be understood as an unconditional engagement with the life and concerns of their parent at the end of life, and can be interpreted within an existential framework as representing an authentic way of Being.

Multi-stakeholder dialogue and collaborations have been considered as ‘panacea’ for complex local to global problems confronting governments, businesses and society. And for over a decade now, they have also been increasingly promoted as mechanisms to achieve sustainability. There is, however, a dearth of empirical studies that give deeper insights into the practical dimensions and various implications of such processes for sustainability. This dissertation explores how multi-stakeholder organising processes for sustainability occur in local settings. It relies on a theoretical framework that combines institutional and social movements theoretical perspectives. Such a theoretical cross-fertilisation has been helpful in explaining: (a) how the macro institutional context of sustainable development influences micro interactions of individuals during collaborations; and (b) how those micro interactions may influence the sustainability movement organised at macro societal levels. The dissertation is philosophically based on the principles of critical hermeneutics. It draws on the works of Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jürgen Habermas to understand the nature of reality, society and human relationships. The study also uses literature on sustainable development, organising, dialogue, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, emotions and time. Three cases of multi-stakeholder dialogic collaborations organised to address sustainability of two regions in New Zealand were investigated through observations, interviews with participants and documentary research. These processes were developed in response to a regulatory change in New Zealand – the new Local Government Act (2002) which emphasises sustainable development of communities. The data across the three cases was analysed using principles of grounded theory and critical hermeneutics. Analysis reveals how various kinds of institutional pressures (engulfing cultural-cognitive, regulative and normative institutions connected with sustainable development) confront different stakeholders with varying intensities. Those pressures influence stakeholders to become involved in and commit to such collaborations. And as stakeholders participate in such processes, they are shown to engage with one another rationally and emotionally, and with different conceptions of time. The collaborations thus can be characterised by a complex fusion of rationality, emotionality and temporality. On the one hand, multi-stakeholder dialogic collaborations stimulate learning, facilitate relationship building and build social capital for implementing sustainable development. They thus prove themselves as potent governance mechanisms that can help to institutionalise sustainable development. On the other hand, multi-stakeholder dialogic collaborations for sustainability are highly messy, unpredictable, paradoxical and conflict-ridden processes of stakeholder engagement. They are shown to suffer from three major problematics: problematic of misunderstandings; problematic of stakeholders’ emotions; and problematic of stakeholders’ time. They thus, ironically and paradoxically, are also problematic solutions for sustainability.