This study analyses the ways in which gender relations are expressed and articulated through the use of folk proverbs amongst Pashto-speaking people of Pakistan. Previous work on Pashto proverbs have romanticised proverbs as a cultural asset and a source of Pashtun pride and ethnic identity, and most studies have aimed to promote or preserve folk proverbs. However, there is little recognition in previous literature of the sexist and gendered role of proverbs in Pashtun society. This study argues that Pashto proverbs encode and promote a patriarchal view and sexist ideology, demonstrating this with the help of proverbs as text as well as proverbs performance in context by Pashto speakers. The analysis is based on more than 500 proverbs relating to gender, collected from both published sources and through ethnographic fieldwork in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Qualitative data was collected through 40 interviews conducted with Pashto-speaking men and women of various ages and class/educational backgrounds, along with informal discussions with local people and the personal observations of the researcher. The study is informed by a combination of theoretical approaches including folkloristics, feminist sociology and sociolinguistics. While establishing that patriarchal structures and values are transmitted through proverbs, the study also reveals that proverbs’ meanings and messages are context-bound and women may, therefore, use proverbs in order to discuss, contest and (sometimes) undermine gender ideologies. More specifically, it is argued that: (1) Proverbs as ‘wisdom texts’ represent the viewpoint of those having the authority to define proper and improper behaviour, and as such, rather than objective reality represent a partial and partisan reality which, in the context of the present research, is sexist and misogynist. (2) While proverbs as ‘texts’ seem to present a more fixed view of reality, proverbs as ‘performance in context’ suggest that different speakers may use proverbs for different strategic purposes, such as to establish and negotiate ethnic and gendered identities and power which varies on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, and class of the interlocutors. The thesis concludes that, rather than considering folk proverbs as ‘factual’ and ‘valuable’ sources of cultural expression, scholars should pay more attention to their ‘performatory’, ‘derogatory’ and ‘declaratory’ aspects as these often relegate women (and ‘other’, weaker groups) to a lesser position in society.

This thesis examines the Persian ghazal poetry of Mirza Ghalib. It does so in the light of the corpus of critical literature in Urdu, Persian, and English that concerns both the poetry of Ghalib as well as the poetry of the so-called “Indian Style” of Persian poetry. Poems by Ghalib and his literary forebears, including Fighani, Naziri, ‘Urfi, Zuhuri, Sa’ib, and Bedil are offered in translation; critical commentary follows each text. The thesis explicates the ways in which each of these authors engaged in an intertextual dialogue, here called javaab-go’ii, or appropriative response-writing, with his forebears, and argues that the dynamics of this intertextual dialogue contribute significantly to the poetry’s aesthetics. These “aesthetics of appropriation” are discussed, analyzed, and evaluated both in the light of Ghalib’s writings on literary influence and Persian poetics, as well as in the light of the aforementioned corpus of critical literature. / text

In studying the background and origin of meaning for this word [ecclesia], this paper will seek to investigate the pagan, the Jewish, and the Christian literature in this order. Of couse, as the preliminary discussion has so far indicated, the primary weight and burden of study will be upond the Septugintal influence. The three stages to be developed are reminiscent of the comment of R.C. Trench in his opening comments concerning ecclesia. He named them as heathen, Jewish, and Christian. The development of these stages will be united and brought together to make some pertinent conclusions in the final chapter of this thesis. At all points, this study will seek to limit itself to this one Greek word, [ecclesia], and words which have a direct relationship with it, rather than dealing with the many images used by the New Testament and theology to understand and to explain the church.

Rainouart au tinel et Guillaume d'Orange font figures, au sein de leurs gestes, de guerriersdémesurés : appuis de la monarchie, défenseurs de la France, ils n'en sont pas moins des fauteurs detrouble, chacun à leur manière. Entre épique et comique, paganisme et christianisme, monstruositéet altérité, Rainouart et Guillaume puisent tous deux dans un panel à la fois historique, littéraire, etmythologique. Personnage burlesque et carnavalesque, Rainouart interpelle : fondé sur desparadoxes extrêmes, il fait tout à la fois figure de puissant chevalier et de géant Sarrasin, de moineturbulent et de cuisinier farfelu. Mais l'archétype sur lequel ce personnage est construit n'est pasexclusivement médiéval, et présente de fait de nombreux recoupements avec les théoriesDumézilienne, mais aussi un élargissement de ces théories, à la fois par ses traits ursins, de kolbitr,mais aussi de guerrier sauvage. / « Rainouart au tinel » and « Guillaume d'Orange » are figures, in their chanson de geste, ofexcessive warriors : supports of the monarchy, defenders of France, they are also troublemakers,each in their own way. Between epic and comic, paganism and Christianity, monstrosity andotherness, Guillaume and Rainouart draw both on a panel historical, literary and mythological.Burlesque and carnivalesque, Rainouart creates debate: based on extremes paradoxes, it is at oncepowerful knight and giant Saracen, turbulent monk and wacky cook. But the archetype on whichthis character is built is not exclusively medieval, and make considerable overlap with Dumezil'stheories, but also an expansion of these theories, as a bear, a kolbitr, but also a wild warrior.

The Greater Hindu Kush designates a mountainous area extending from Afghanistan over Pakistan, Tajikistan and India to the westernmost parts of China. It is home to over 50 lan- guages from six different phyla; Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Nuristani, Turkic, Tibeto-Burman and the language isolate Burushaski. Due to its unique geographical setting, it is characterised by language contact and isolation, which lays the perfect ground for research on linguistic diversity, language convergence and genealogical relations. The present study relies on data from the entire region and attempts to identify structural similarities based on lexical items from core vocabulary, numerals and kinship terms. The study reexamines the genealogical affiliation through lexical similarity and investigates areal patterns of vergence, i.e. the branching out or mergence of these patterns. Results reconfirm the established classification of the languages and indicate a certain level of structural simi- larity across language families for some features such as numeral bases, numeral composition and the terms for ‘parents’ and ‘parents-in-law’, yet it also shows great diversity for other features such as ‘grandchildren’ and one’s siblings’ partner. / Language contact and relatedness in the Hindukush region (421-2014-631)

The Hindu Kush region stretches from Afghanistan over Pakistan to North India and is home to what is commonly known as the Dardic languages. The Dardic langagues are a group of Indo-Aryan languages that have in isolation and under contact developed or retained features that can not be found in Indo-Aryan languages outside the region. In the ongoing project ”Language contact and relatedness in the Hindu Kush region” data on over 50 languages has been collected including nine varieties of northwest Indo-Aryan Pashai spoken in west Afghanistan. A cognate analysis and an analysis of phonological, morphological, syntactical and lexical features were conducted. The cognate analysis shows that the Pashai varieties build two clusters, a western group consisting of the three western Pashai varieties and an eastern group consisting of six eastern varieties. The structural analysis shows a more diverse picture with three potential clusters, a group of the two most western varieties, a northeastern group and a central group consisting of one western variety and two southeastern varieties. Some features found to be shared by languages in the region are also found in all Pashai varieties like a subject-object-verb order and postpositions. / Hindukushregionen sträcker sig från Afghanistan över Pakistan till norra Indien och hyser de vanligtvis så kallade dardiska språken. De dardiska språken tillhör de indo-ariska språken vilka i isolation och genom kontakt utvecklade eller bevarade drag som inte längre finns i indo-ariska språk utanför regionen. I det pågående projekt “Språkkontakt och språksläktskap i Hindukushregionen” samlades data från mer än 50 språk inklusive nio varietéer av det nordvästra indo-ariska språket Pashai som talas i västra Afghanistan. En kognatanalys och en analys av fonologiska, morfologiska, syntaktiska och lexikala drag genomfördes. Kognatanalysen visar att Pashai varieteterna formar kluster, en västragrupp av de tre västra varieteterna och en östra grupp av de sex östra varieteterna. Struktruanalysen visar en mer skiftande bild av tre potentiella kluster, en grupp av de två mest västra varieteterna, en nordöstra grupp och en centergrupp bestående av en västra varietet och två sydöstra varieteter. Några drag som anses vara delad av språken i regionen kan också konstateras i alla Pashaivarieteter som ensubjekt-objekt-verb följd och postpositioner.

L'examen attentif des concordances ponctuelles et annexes des romans de Tristan et Wîs et Râmîn de Gorgâni dévoilela survivance d'un passé idéologique commun provenant de I'idéologie tripartite des Indo-européens. Comme le récitdu roman persan date de l'époque parthe, cette thèse pour découvrir l'énigme d'une transmission ou d'un emprunt, se focalise sur I'origine iranienne de certains thèmes et motifs du roman de Tristan et retrace la migration d'un rameau des peuples iraniens en Europe jusqu'en France. Ce peuple que la mémoire historique connaît sous le nom des Alains était I'un des descendants des Scythes qui étaient eux-mêmes les frères nomades des Parthes.

L'examen attentif des concordances ponctuelles et annexes des romans de Tristan et Wîs et Râmîn de Gorgâni dévoilela survivance d'un passé idéologique commun provenant de I'idéologie tripartite des Indo-européens. Comme le récitdu roman persan date de l'époque parthe, cette thèse pour découvrir l'énigme d'une transmission ou d'un emprunt, se focalise sur I'origine iranienne de certains thèmes et motifs du roman de Tristan et retrace la migration d'un rameau des peuples iraniens en Europe jusqu'en France. Ce peuple que la mémoire historique connaît sous le nom des Alains était I'un des descendants des Scythes qui étaient eux-mêmes les frères nomades des Parthes. / A careful examination of occasional concordances and appendices of Tristan and Gorgâni's Wîs and Râmîn novel reveals the survival of a common ideological past borrowed from Indo-Europeans tripartite ideology. As the narration of the Persian novel dates from the Parthian period, this thesis to solve the enigma of a transmission or an adaptation focuses on the Iranian origin of some themes and motifs of Tristan novel and retraces the migration of a branch of lranian people in Europe, even to France. This people who is known by historical memory under the name of the Alans, was one of thedescendants of the Scythians who were themselves the nomadic brothers of the Parthians.

This dissertation analyses movements from and to a contemporary 21st century Indian multi-caste village in the Kumaun Himalayas, where movements have traditionally involved transhumance and border trade with western Tibet. With the closure of the Indo-Tibetan borders after the Indo-China war in 1962, the economy and livelihoods of the people of the region have fundamentally changed and movements now take place in the form of migration for work to the plains of India, both in the private sector and in government services. The dissertation is based on an ethnographic village study and explores all contemporary forms of movement visible in the village: out-migration; return-migration; and in-migration. It examines how these different types of movement tie in with the changing socio-economic lives of the villagers. This explorative study focuses on the patterns, causes and effects of migration on rural lives past and present, and on the multiple interrelated social changes, which are part of these migratory processes. The author uses mixed qualitative-quantitative methods, including a census survey of all 148 households, 45 semi-structured interviews, follow-up in-depth interviews, and innovative methods such as arts-based visual methods. The framework applied is interdisciplinary and multi-theoretical and contributes to the existing empirical body of literature on migration, development and change. The author chooses to employ the framework of the rural left behind when examining the lives of the wives and elderly parents of migrants. However, she argues that those in the village who are in the truest sense ‘left behind’ are not the family members of migrants, but the unemployed men who lack the capabilities to migrate for work and who reside in the village without any gainful economic activity. The thesis structure includes eight chapters in addition to the introduction and conclusion. Chapter 1 reviews the relevant literature on migration and development and is followed by the methodology chapter (chapter 2), a village background chapter (chapter 3) and a chapter covering the historical context (chapter 4). The structure of the main analysis (chapters 5-8) is along the lines of patterns and reasons for out-migration (chapter 6), out-migration types and their impact (chapter 6), return migration types, reasons and impact (chapter 7) and in-migration types, reasons and impact (chapter 8). Each analysis chapter ends with brief conclusions; these are expanded in the final conclusions (chapter 9).

This is a study of demonstratives in Gawri [ISO 639-3: gwc] (Hindukush Indo-Aryan, HKIA), based on field data collected in Islamabad, Pakistan during the winter of 2016–2017. Previous studies of HKIA languages report systems of third-person pronouns with a three-way demonstrative contrast – two terms distinguishing between proximal and distal referents, and one used with accessible referents out of sight. Gawri, by contrast, exhibits a five-term system of demonstrative determiners, which is separate from its personal pronouns. This study investigates the deictic meaning, pragmatic use, and syntactic function of each demonstrative in Gawri as well as a comparative sample of four Indo-Aryan languages. The purpose is to assess differences in reference to accessible and inaccessible entities, and whether Gawri’s invisible term is viable in an exophoric (situational) context. A modified version of Wilkins’ (1999) demonstrative questionnaire was used to elicit data from seven speakers. Results indicate that Gawri’s invisible demonstrative is functionally exophoric on at least two discrete distances from the deictic center, while it is restricted to accessible referents in other HKIA languages. A reanalysis of Gawri’s demonstrative system is proposed, which reduces its number of terms to two within each of the parameters of distance and visibility. / Detta är en undersökning av demonstrativor i gawri [ISO 639-3: gwc] (Hindukush-indoariskt, HKIA) baserad på fältdata samlade i Islamabad, Pakistan under vintern 2016–2017. Tidigare studier i HKIA rapporterar tredjepersonpronomen med en tredelad demonstrativkontrast, varav två termer särskiljer proximala från distala referenter och en används med tillgängliga referenter utom synhåll. Gawri har i motsats ett femdelat system av demonstrativdeterminerare som är separata från dess personliga pronomen. Denna studie undersöker samtliga demonstrativors deiktiska betydelse, pragmatiska användning och syntaktiska funktion i gawri samt i ett jämförelsesampel med fyra indoariska språk. Syftet är att upptäcka eventuella skillnader i referens till tillgängliga och otillgängliga entiteter, samt huruvida den osynliga demonstrativan är tillämpbar i en exoforisk (situationell) kontext. En modifierad version av Wilkins (1999) demonstrative questionnaire användes för att elicitera data från sju talare. Resultatet visar att gawris osynliga demonstrativa är funktionellt exoforisk vid åtminstone två diskreta avstånd från den deiktiska mittpunkten, medan den är begränsad till tillgängliga referenter i andra HKIA-språk. En omanalys av gawris demonstrativsystem föreslås, vilken reducerar dess termer till två inom var och en av parametrarna avstånd och synlighet. / Language contact and relatedness in the Hindukush Region, Swedish Research Council, Project number: 421-2014-631