Disertacijoje nagrinėjami Lietuvos bajorijos mediniai gyvenamieji pastatai, darbe vadinami ponų namais. Darbo t i k s l a s – išaiškinti ir pateikti Lietuvos bajorų namų medinės architektūros raidą nuo Valakų reformos iki 1861 Valstiečių reformos. Darbe tirti esami bei neišlikę (žinomi dėka šaltinių) mediniai bajorijos namai, nustatyti vyravę pastatų tipai, priežastys, lėmusios tipų kaitą, atskleidžiami architektūros ypatumai, ponų namo santykis su etnine ir profesionaliąja architektūra. Tyrimai parodė, kad skirtingų bajorijos sluoksnių ponų namų architektūros raida vyko skirtingai. Stambių ir vidutinių bajorų namų raida buvo intensyvi, ją ypač veikė stilinės architektūros pokyčiai. Smulkių bajorų namai kito mažai, statyboje laikytasi etninių tradicijų. Pagal stambių ir vidutinių bajorų XVI a. vidurio– XIX a. vidurio pastatų planines ir tūrines –erdvines struktūras ir formas, išskirti trys architektūrinės raidos etapai: ankstyvasis- formavimosi (iki XVII a. vidurio), „barokinis“ (XVII a. vidurio – XVIII a. septinto dešimtmečio); „klasicistinis“ (XVIII a. pabaigos – XIX a. vidurio). Pirmajame etape iš esmės pakito gyvenamosios erdvės sankloda ir namo įvaizdis: vietoje kelių skirtingų funkcijų namų, skirtų bajoro šeimai ir jo svečiams (gyvenamojo, pokylių namo, ir kt.) susiformavo vienas daugiafunkcinis, parterinis, simetriškos kompozicijos ponų namas. Antrajame ir trečiajame etapuose daugiafunkcinis ponų namas buvo tobulinamas pagal etiketo (gyvenimo būdo) ir vyravusių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Doctoral thesis Evolution of wooden architecture of manor houses in Lithuania (from the middle of 16th century till the middle of 19th century) explore and present an evolution of the wooden architecture of manor houses since the middle of the 16th century till the middle of the 19th century. The thesis investigates the existing and not existing (known from the sources) wooden residential buildings of Lithuanian nobility, identifies their dominant types and reasons, which influenced the change of architecture, and reveals the singularities of the architecture and the relation of a manor’s house with ethnic and professional architecture. The research has shown that the architectural evolution of the manor house owned by nobility of different rank was developing differently. The development of great and middle-class nobility’s manor house was intense, especially influenced by the changes in style architecture. The small noblemen‘s houses were changing a little, their construction followed the ethnic traditions. According to the layout and shape of structures and forms of the buildings set on the manors of great and middle-class nobility, three stages of their architectural evolution were singled out: the period of early formation (till the middle of the 17th century), “baroque” period (from the middle of the 17th century till the seventh decade of the 18th century) and the “classicism” period (from the end of 18th century till the end of the 19th century). The doctoral thesis... [to full text]

Doctoral thesis Evolution of wooden architecture of manor houses in Lithuania (from the middle of 16th century till the middle of 19th century) explore and present an evolution of the wooden architecture of manor houses since the middle of the 16th century till the middle of the 19th century. The thesis investigates the existing and not existing (known from the sources) wooden residential buildings of Lithuanian nobility, identifies their dominant types and reasons, which influenced the change of architecture, and reveals the singularities of the architecture and the relation of a manor’s house with ethnic and professional architecture. The research has shown that the architectural evolution of the manor house owned by nobility of different rank was developing differently. The development of great and middle-class nobility’s manor house was intense, especially influenced by the changes in style architecture. The small noblemen‘s houses were changing a little, their construction followed the ethnic traditions. According to the layout and shape of structures and forms of the buildings set on the manors of great and middle-class nobility, three stages of their architectural evolution were singled out: the period of early formation (till the middle of the 17th century), “baroque” period (from the middle of the 17th century till the seventh decade of the 18th century) and the “classicism” period (from the end of 18th century till the end of the 19th century). The doctoral thesis... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjami Lietuvos bajorijos mediniai gyvenamieji pastatai, darbe vadinami ponų namais. Darbo tikslas – išaiškinti ir pateikti Lietuvos bajorų namų medinės architektūros raidą nuo Valakų reformos iki 1861 Valstiečių reformos. Darbe tirti esami bei neišlikę (žinomi dėka šaltinių) mediniai bajorijos namai, nustatyti vyravę pastatų tipai, priežastys, lėmusios tipų kaitą, atskleidžiami architektūros ypatumai, ponų namo santykis su etnine ir profesionaliąja architektūra. Tyrimai parodė, kad skirtingų bajorijos sluoksnių ponų namų architektūros raida vyko skirtingai. Stambių ir vidutinių bajorų namų raida buvo intensyvi, ją ypač veikė stilinės architektūros pokyčiai. Smulkių bajorų namai kito mažai, statyboje laikytasi etninių tradicijų. Pagal stambių ir vidutinių bajorų XVI a. vidurio– XIX a. vidurio pastatų planines ir tūrines –erdvines struktūras ir formas, išskirti trys architektūrinės raidos etapai: ankstyvasis- formavimosi (iki XVII a. vidurio), „barokinis“ (XVII a. vidurio – XVIII a. septinto dešimtmečio); „klasicistinis“ (XVIII a. pabaigos – XIX a. vidurio). Pirmajame etape iš esmės pakito gyvenamosios erdvės sankloda ir namo įvaizdis: vietoje kelių skirtingų funkcijų namų, skirtų bajoro šeimai ir jo svečiams (gyvenamojo, pokylių namo, ir kt.) susiformavo vienas daugiafunkcinis, parterinis, simetriškos kompozicijos ponų namas. Antrajame ir trečiajame etapuose daugiafunkcinis ponų namas buvo tobulinamas pagal etiketo (gyvenimo būdo) ir vyravusių stilių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The increasing recognition that millions of women and children die every year as a consequence of the poor health of the mother coupled with inadequate care before, during, and after delivery, has highlighted the importance of seeking women's views of health services in order to contribute to improving women's health. In order to shed more light on women's views of health services, this study explores women's experiences of MCH and FP services in Cato Manor in KwaZulu-Natal. The study looked at a number of factors including knowledge of reproductive health services and interpersonal relations between women and health providers. In-depth interviews with service users and CBHWs as key informants were used to obtain information for the study. The results suggest that the majority of the MCH service users expressed overall satisfaction with the services. Discontent mainly rose from lack of contraceptive counseling and the long waiting times at the clinic. Thus, suggestions to improve service delivery included increasing contraceptive counseling especially with regard to the range of methods and their side effects. The study also argued for sustainable improvements in women's health and increasing involvement of men in ensuring positive reproductive health outcomes for women. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Community radio and participation - the case ofSiyaya FM illustrates that radio is a powerful tool when it comes to communication and empowerment for active listeners. However, it also shows that community members are not empowered to the same extent if they are not engaged. Participation is essential for development and empowerment as described by, among others, Chambers (1983). At the same time the thesis demonstrates that it is difficult to involve all parts of a community because of power structures and therefore the radio station might end up empowering people already in power. Siyaya FM has, however, a role to play in Cato Manor with its high unemployment rate by training people the tool of radio and also educating listeners and informing them of important issues that can improve their knowledge. In addition, the radio station can take part in building social cohesion among the different groups of community members. By strengthening community radio stations the national authorities have a potential to meet the goals of their development strategies, while at the same time fulfilling the constitutional promise of freedom of speech for all by creating access to the airwaves for everybody. However, funding shortages create obstacles for many South African community radio stations to fulfil their task as community developers. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006

This study assesses the role of skills development initiatives in promoting Local Economic Development in Cato Manor Township. The study objectives were: To investigate the concept of skills development initiatives as it is used as an LED strategy in South Africa and Cato Manor Township in particular; to identify and evaluate the methods or procedures used for skills development initiatives towards LED strategies in Cato Manor Township; to assess the effectiveness of skills development initiatives in Cato Manor Township and to highlight the lessons learnt through comparison with international and local precedents on the effective implementation of skills development initiatives. The methodology for this research study incorporated the use of primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources include interviews with stakeholders that play a role in the implementation of skill development initiatives in Cato Manor. Interviews were conducted with the Cato Manor Development Association (CMDA) as the core founder of LED in Cato Manor Township. Key Area Based Management (ABM) officials and the eThekwini Municipality Town Planner were also interviewed. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 20 Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises and the perceptions of the Ward Councillor and Ward Committee added value to the discussion. The key findings revealed the extent to which skills development initiatives as LED strategies have been effective in Cato Manor Township. Such initiatives have been used as tools to lower the level of prevailing, eradicate poverty, create employment opportunities and encourage the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Skills development initiatives have been major role players in the redevelopment strategy for this township, even though shortcomings were identified as hindrances to their contribution to sustainable development. Four main factors that contributed to the success and failure of skills development initiatives in Cato Manor Township were identified: skills development and employment opportunities; the upgrading and maintenance of business infrastructure; social development, poverty alleviation and skills development initiatives in Cato Manor Township; and youth empowerment with skills training programmes. Major findings revealed that skills development initiatives as LED strategies do not effectively target all areas of development, there is still more to be done to accelerate the economic and social growth. Therefore, the study recommends new and transformed methods or procedures of skills development initiatives as LED strategies in Cato Manor Township. That includes a holistic target of all principles of sustainable development such as economic, social and environmental development. The study also emphasizes the importance of adopting monitoring mechanisms such as the developing an LED model to guide and monitor development strategies within the area. Keywords: Skills development initiatives, Cato Manor, South Africa, Sustainable development, small and medium sized Enterprises

The aim of this work was to create a study of revitalization and restoration of the manor house and park in Veľké Leváre. During the creation of the design it was necessary to re-evaluate the cultural-historical values of the manor house, the construc- tional-technical condition, the requirements of the potential investor and the demand for functions in the village’s proximity. I have realized that placement of a mono-function in a mansion is almost impossible, considering its extensive ground plan. The manor house, thus, creates a complex of functions that overlap each other. The result of the entire design is a com- prehensive solution of the full use of the manor house with the park. Hence, the park will have a relaxing and recreational function. In the proposal, I have also offered a possible plan of stages of project’s works. The manor house and the adjacent park can, thus, fulfill the full function in the society again.

The diploma thesis Josef Macek and the First Czechoslovakian Land Reform is focused on the theoretical work and political engagement of a prominent Czech economist and social democratic politician Josef Mack (1887 - 1972) in relation to the first Czechoslovak land reform with an accent on the first half of the 1920s in Czechoslovakia. The theoretical level is confronted with political practice in the bodies of (Revoluční) Národní shromáždění.

In my thesis I tried to put down the transformation of rural areas, specifically the region of Poděbrady, which took place in the first half of the 20th century. The center of the region is the town Poděbrady, the whole area consists of 35 municipalities together. The transformation of rural involved several factors - the establishment of an independent republic, land reform, electrification, river regulation, the development of communications, transport and mechanization of agriculture. I deal with the natural conditions of the region, because they greatly influence the local life and economy. "Střední Polabí" is a flat area known for its fertility. Therefore, most people here worked in agriculture in the first half of the 20th century. Major employers were landowners from aristocratic families, particularly in Poděbrady and Dymokury. They gave work to people in the fields and in industrial plants. Breweries, sugar mills, brickworks, dairy, oily or glassworks were in operation in the region. Leisure, customs and festivals belonged also to the life of people.

The intention of this study is to approximate the attitude to children born out of marriage and their mothers in the years 1750-1849. The nominal excerpts from parish registers were used to find numbers of births and proportion of illegitimate children at the manor of Škvorec, the area located at the eastern border of Prague. The proportion of children born out of marriage is compared with contemporaneous regulations that could influence attitudes and behavior of contemporary society. The study also investigates the social status of born children, their fathers and godfathers. The results show that the position of unmarried mothers and their children has improved in the followed period. The results suggest that many unmarried mothers already lived with their partners in the companienate marriage in that time.

This paper concerning the regional architectural term known as the Tjust Empire style analyses manor houses built in the Tjust area by the east coast of Småland in the period 1810-1860. The term Tjust Empire style was invented in 1937 by PhD. Manne Hofrén in his dissertation on architecture in Kalmar län in the period 1650-1850. The aim of the paper is firstly to determine whether there is a distinct difference between the regional Tjust Empire style in architecture and the common Swedish empire style or as its Swedish equivalent is known; the Karl Johan style. Secondly, the paper strives to analyse why and how the Empire style became so popular in the area during this period, focusing on architecture as a means to express social identity and status. My disposition is grounded in an ethnological viewpoint on architecture where culture is seen as created by and part of human existence. In order to give my analysis substance two case studies have been done of two manor houses in the area; Casimirsborg and Blekhem, in order to compare these with architecture representative of the Swedish Empire/Karl Johan style. The manor houses have been chosen partly because they represent the architectural style of the period well and partly due to them being accessible. As material concerning the construction of the two buildings, such as plans and sketches is sparse the opportunity to examine and analyse them at the spot has been invaluable. When I have been able to, I have used plans and fire insurance documents available. For a general view of the architecture during the period I have had to rely on material already written concerning the architecture of the time, the patrons, their architects and master builders. This has shown that the Tjust Empire style is in fact very closely tied to the common Swedish Empire or Karl Johan style and that it directly strives to commit to it. I have also been able to show that the the reason for the Tjust Empire style being so popular in the area in the period lies in a unique economic and social situation at the time; as well as, a relationship between the patrons and their favoured architects.