The Romani people have, since their arrival in Europe during the turn of the last millennia, been the subject of stigmatization and hatred. Despite efforts to end discrimination against the Romani population, they remain one of the most stigmatized groups throughout Europe. Media has often been blamed for presenting and reproducing stereotypes concerning the Romani people consequently further cementing preconceived notions about the group. Numerous researchers have studied how these stereotypes are manifested as well as the underlying reasons behind their existence in both Swedish and international ether and printed media published in the last few decades. In contrast to prior research, this study investigates how the Romani people have been portrayed and the reasons behind these portrayals during a more extensive historical period than done prior. Using a traditional approach to content-analysis, selected months and years between 1914-2013 are examined in two of the largest newspapers in Sweden. The results are then analyzed using postcolonial theory and Mary Douglas´ theory presented in the influential work Purity and Danger. In short, our analysis indicates that stereotypical representations of the Romani population, as well as various societal strategies for dealing with the group, are found throughout the examined period. The representations and strategies presented pre-world war II could, undoubtedly, be considered brutal and inhumane, while the representations and societal strategies found post-world war II could be regarded as less hostile and more benevolent whilst still at times stereotypical and oppressive. Despite certain positive changes regarding the representation of the Romani people and more humane suggested strategies for dealing with the group, the interests of the Romani people nevertheless remain secondary to the interest of the ruling elite, who above all aim to maintain power and establish order in society. Our ambition with this research is to contribute to a more extensive understanding of how the Romani people have been portrayed historically. In addition, we hope that the use of, in the subject area, new theoretical framework can contribute to new insights regarding the political elite and media´s influence on shaping the general population´s perception of ethnic minorities in society.

Personal archives are a largely neglected subject in archival theory. Among the consequences of this is the absenceof any general established or formalized practices when it comes to arrangement and description. Thisstudy opposes the notion that an archival institution without formal systems of arrangement and description doesnot order and describe archives in accordance with a general conceptual framework of a correct order. Supportingitself on the anthropological theory of Mary Douglas on dirt and cleanliness, it studies the implicit notions oforder that can be found in the archival descriptions of the personal archives kept by the Swedish national archives.Several patterns where revealed by the study: among them the primacy of quantity stood out. The vaguesystem of categories based on Martin Grass description model appears only to be employed loyally where quantitiesof the particular categories are such that they constitute complete volumes, which seem to be the cardinaljustifier of categorical division within the archive. The model itself is rarely applied with orthodoxy, and itsroughness often means that the categories engage in “border clashes” over which documents belong in whichcategory. Though these are often caused and generally determined by quantities, they also reveal an internalhierarchy of relations between specific types of records and categories. Furthermore, certain categories appearsmore stable than others, and when Grass system collapses, it reveals how certain of them – based on a principleof pertinence or theme – habitually fall out of use whereas categories defined by document types appear to remainfar more stable even in smaller archives and archives with low degree of differentiation.

This diploma thesis has two aims. The first one is exploration of "Grid/Group Theory" as it was presented by its author Mary Douglas in "Cultural Bias" (1978). According to this theory the thinking in the idiom of witchcraft is a product of an perception of specific social structure by an individual. The crux of this thesis should be comparation of social structure of few African societies with their cosmologies according to the empirical materials. It should proof the validation of the theory and also show some dificulties which the student must face during the application. The second aim is description of witchcraft and sorcery phenomenon and attempt to determine its essence or function for society.

The colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in Ashkenazi Jews has been found to be highest of any ethnic group in the world (Feldman, 2001). It is currently unclear how culture and religion influence health behaviors of U.S. Ashkenazi Jews, as well as what other socio-cultural factors influence AJ women's attitudes towards CRC risk and screening practices. This study aimed at exploring and describing the cultural and religious influences on health behaviors and beliefs related to CRC in Ashkenazi Jewish women. Research participants included seven key informants (rabbis) and forty-two Ashkenazi Jewish women ages 50 and up. Methods included in-depth, qualitative interviews and focus groups. The study also utilized a demographic survey which included questions about baseline knowledge of colorectal cancer in Ashkenazi Jews, and a ten-item American Cancer Society's Questionnaire on Experiences with and Attitude toward CRC Screening. Participants were recruited from Tampa synagogues and community using non-probabilistic sampling. Results revealed only 5% of participants were aware of the increased prevalence of colorectal cancer in Ashkenazi Jews; still, most participants (88%) were up to date on colorectal cancer screening. Judaic purity laws did not resonate with many participants, and for those who did follow them, they did not take a view of bodily functions as being impure. A consistent description of a 'Jewish way' of looking at health emerged, involving both the push for education, which increases knowledge about and access to healthcare, as well as the core Jewish tenet of the infinite value of life. No significant differences were found among the screening practices of the three self-identified denominations, and only breast and cervical cancer screening were found to be significantly different between those who have ever had a CRC screening and those who have not. Recommendations highlight the need for future research in this area including larger samples, further exploring core Jewish tenets as related to health behaviors in this population, partnering with the Jewish community for interventions, and addressing ways to better track CRC incidence, mortality and screening in this population in order to raise awareness.

”The myth of Palme- a textual analysis of the documentary Palme and its description of the social memory of Olof Palme as a norm or anomaly” by Emma Svanström aims to analyze how the directors of the documentary Palme choose to present Olof Palme to the future generations. Also the goal is to find out if their version presents Palme as a person who followed the norms or was divergent. To this purpose the thesis use textual analysis combined with a quantitative method in search of which persons the directors give the right to form the myth of Palme and which keywords they use to do describe him. To view the film as a social memory in the transformation to a myth the thesis use Jan Assmans theory of social memory and to find out if the documentary describes Palme as following the norms or divergent it uses Mary Douglas theory of anomaly. The results show that it is mainly the narrator and Olof Palme that gets to form the myth of him but also his family, friends, fellow employees and other persons that met him or was affected by his actions. Palme is discribed as special, intelligent, interested in social politics and able to act as he saw fit even if it was against the norms. He is above all described as a complex person with many and sometimes contradicting sides. Some of these actions and characteristics’ are viewed as following the norms while others are shown as anomalies.

The aim of this study is to contribute to the research about the role of rituals in the construction of social identity of women in Newar society. By studying the Kumari tradition, I explore how religious traditions play a role in maintaining social values and gender roles. Following this, I analyze how this role contributes to the continuation of the practice in the face of calls for its abolition in recent years. Of central importance is the controversy surrounding the Kumari tradition fueled by criticism from the UN and western media alleging that the religious practice of Kumari worship is a violation of children’s rights. This study also discusses changes in the Kumari tradition between 1996-2008, resulting in greater acknowledgement of the child’s social needs, both during and after her rule. The issue of the ‘anomalous’ position of former Kumari and how Nepalese society attempts to deal with it is also brought to light.

Thesis advisor: Richard R. Gaillardetz / This dissertation analyzes the various images of the body in the metaphor of the church as a body, or the body of Christ, in modern Catholic ecclesiology in order to reimagine the corporeal metaphor for postconciliar ecclesiology. The metaphor of the church as a body has a vertical dimension expressing the relationship between Christ and the church and a horizontal dimension expressing the relationships among Christians. In its vertical dimension, “body” has been understood as ‘self’ and/or as ‘spouse.’ In its horizontal dimension, the body has been understood as a living organism and/or as an ordered society. In the magisterial tradition especially, the body is described as a well-bounded and hierarchically ordered organism, in which members are united under a head and share in one common life, and which manifests the person to the world. The metaphor of the church as a body, then, has most often been used to express and justify papal authority and primacy and the exclusion of non-Catholics from the body of Christ, and to posit the Catholic Church as the ongoing manifestation of Christ’s presence and authority. This dissertation utilizes the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty to challenge these notions of the body, showing instead that the body is ‘intercorporeal’—interwoven with other bodies, united by meaningful action, and having flexible boundaries. The body is the necessary foundation of existence in the world, but can also inhibit personal presence as well. In light of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, this dissertation argues for a vision of the church as an intercorporeal body—a missionary, dialogical, and decentralized body that is capable of mediating, but also inhibiting, the presence of Christ to the world. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Chapter one gives a proposed outline for the research that will develop the theological-ethical dimension of neighbor as discerned from Leviticus 19. This chapter will give the reader an understanding of the purpose, motivation, and a hypothesis for the proposed research. An outline of the impending study will also be highlighted. In chapter two a brief discussion of two events and the evangelical denomination that have shaped my worldview will be highlighted. This chapter will also explore the diverse world of ideological criticism. A look at the wide ranging areas of specialties within ideological criticism will be the focus of this chapter. The way in which ideological criticism will be utilized as an interpretive methodology will be argued alongside Mary Douglas’ ring composition as a function of socio-rhetorical criticism. A grammatical analysis of Leviticus 19 will comprise chapter three. The Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible will be the primary source for this analysis. The exegesis of Leviticus will be the foundation for the study of the proposed topic. The purpose for the historical setting of the writing of Leviticus 19 will be given as well as archaeological evidence describing the societal make-up of the time period. An alternative interpretative emphasis will be argued in chapter four. Ring composition, as outlined by Mary Douglas, will be the tool utilized for this interpretation for Leviticus 19. This chapter will also explore the ways in which three New Testament characters utilized and contextualized passages from Leviticus 19. Chapter five will spotlight the recent events of May 2008. This month demonstrated the explosive consequences of unleashed and uncontrolled xenophobic violence. This month saw some of the most terrifying events since the inception of democracy in South Africa. Commentary and deliberation on the causes that sparked this violence will be examined through the eyes of journalists, politicians, citizens, foreigners and religious leaders. The reluctance of evangelicals to engage in social transformation will be critically analyzed in chapter six. Two movements that polarized the evangelical community will also be addressed. The thrust of this chapter will be the proposed theology of transformation. If this strategy of transformation might be utilized by the evangelical church, sustainable social justice could be possible. This strategy will be presented in a practical, applicable manner. The interrelationship between spiritual and social transformation will conclude this chapter. All of these will be encapsulated within the idea of ubuntu or African hospitality. Chapter seven will bring to a conclusion the research. There is a short synopsis of past and present religious creeds and statements of faith. The Hitler Effect will be examined in the light of how people focus on the minute differences instead of celebrating their overwhelming similarities. The events of November 2008 in America will be viewed through the refining lenses of society and its effect within greater society. This chapter will conclude with a summary of the study, reflections and future considerations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This thesis explores ancient ideas regarding the constructive properties of intoxicating drinks, as presented in Greco-Roman sources from the first to third centuries AD. In doing so, it responds to Mary Douglas' Constructive Drinking (1987), which emphasised that, contrary to anthropological findings, many societies' authorities tend to focus upon, and overemphasise, the destructive aspects of alcohol consumption. This pattern is particularly prevalent in modern Western scholarship. The same trend can be detected within both Greco-Roman society and classical scholarship. Although many Greeks and Romans undoubtedly consumed quantities of wine, on a regular basis, in a manner which was widely considered 'moderate', the literary evidence from this period tends to focus most heavily upon excessive and/or destructive drinking. Similarly, much of the modern scholarship which addresses drinking in the Roman Empire focuses upon drunkenness and the destructive aspects of drinking. Yet it is clear that Greco-Roman society considered wine consumption to be significantly beneficial, in a wide variety of ways, provided that moderation was employed. The destructive consequences of drinking were almost exclusively associated with excessive and inappropriate consumption. In reaction to this bias in the sources and scholarship, this thesis undertakes a re-reading of the ancient evidence through the 'Constructive Drinking' lens. It identifies and explores the ways in which the Greeks and Romans of this period considered drinking to be important, useful, or otherwise 'constructive' to the individual and society. Where possible, this thesis attempts to identify how important and widespread such beliefs were. This thesis has two main areas of focus. First, the ways in which intoxicating drink was considered to be constructive for an individual's health and wellbeing. Second, the ways in which intoxicating drink was considered to be of social benefit to both individuals and groups. This thesis accordingly provides a fresh perspective on drinking in antiquity, and illustrates the methodological significance of the Constructive Drinking lens for future research.

My goal in this thesis is to concentrate on the origins of Islam as we can understand it from the Quran itself, without using other, later sources. At the same time, I am interested in the relationship between pre-Islamic Arabia and early Islam. My method will be based primarily on Mary Douglas and her grid- group analysis. This British anthropologist attempted to analyse different social situations, in which various systems of understanding the world are formulated, using the parameters of "group" (the degree to which the borders of a group are defined) and "grid" (the number of rules by which an individual is controlled). These two parameters then made it possible for her to classify different cosmologies according to their ideas and their social reality. Applying this method, I will attempt to extract from the Quran - not primarily a narrative text - a description of the change of early Muslims' social situation and development of their religious ideas which is connected to it, and I will attempt to use Mary Douglas' anthropology to explain how such a transformation happened and could happen. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)