Cette thèse porte sur l’influence de l’âge des personnes physiques en droit privé. Le but est de démontrer comment son utilisation en fait un facteur d’humanisation du droit privé puisque de toute évidence, l’âge est en droit privé, un critère dont le législateur se sert pour organiser la protection des personnes physiques vulnérables et un critère pris en considération par le juge pour apprécier cette protection. Cette protection se mesure à travers l’influence de ce critère sur la situation juridique du mineur mais aussi sur celle des personnes d’un âge avancé pour lesquelles l’âge constitue un facteur de vulnérabilité. Cette thèse montre les rapports entre les notions d’âge, enfance et vieillesse puisqu’il s’agit là des deux extrémités de l’âge qui intéressent le droit privé. Elle montre également comment au fil des siècles ce critère s’est imposé en droit privé et comment le fait d’en faire un facteur de protection de la personne humaine s’est progressivement consacré grâce à l’internationalisation du droit. Elle met en évidence la prise en considération du critère de l’âge légal ou réel dans les dispositions législatives relatives à la protection des mineurs et des personnes âgées et elle examine les conséquences de cette protection relative à l’âge, à travers deux illustrations essentielles : l’incidence de l’âge de la responsabilité sur l’autonomie du mineur et l’incidence de l’âge sur l’autonomie des personnes âgées. Elle montre également la participation du juge dans l’appréciation de ce critère en tant que facteur de protection des personnes / This thesis focuses on the influence of the age of physical persons in private law. The goal is to demonstrate how its use makes it a humanizing factor of private law. Age is widespread in private law, being both a criterion that the legislator uses to organize the protection of vulnerable physical persons and also a criterion taken into consideration by the judge to estimate this protection. This protection is measured through the influence of this criterion on the legal position of the minor but also that of people of advanced age where age is a factor of vulnerability. This thesis shows the relationship between age concepts, childhood and old age as these are the two ends of the age spectrum relevant to private law. Likewise, it shows how over the centuries this criterion has been imposed in private law and how the fact of making it a protection of the human person has gradually been achieved through the internationalization of law. This thesis not only highlights the consideration of the criterion of legal or actual age in legislation concerning the protection of both minors and the elderly, but it also examines the consequences of this protection through two essential illustrations : the impact of the age of responsibility on the autonomy of the minor and the impact of age on the independence of the elderly

Si les héros peuplant la mythologie grecque sont particulièrement connus, les héros historiques, eux, le sont beaucoup moins. Pourtant le phénomène dit d'héroïsation concerna de nombreux personnages. Cette étude propose de se pencher sur ces personnages à l'existence historique avérée, qui se virent reconnaître le statut de héros et qui accédant ainsi à la sphère divine bénéficièrent d'honneurs mais également de cultes. Cette étude se propose également de comprendre l'ensemble de ces rites en rapport avec les héros et l'héroïsation. Elle présente aussi l'évolution que connu ce phénomène pendant toute la période allant de l'époque archaïque au IIIe siècle ap. J. -C. mais également met en lumière les différences et les points communs entre les différentes régions et cités qui composèrent l'ensemble du monde grec. Cette étude tente également d'en apprendre plus sur l'identité de ces personnages qui pour nombre d'entre eux restent inconnus de la « grande Histoire ». Pourtant ces personnages méritent une attention toute particulière car leur étude éclaire singulièrement et permet une bien meilleure compréhension de la vie religieuse des Grecs de l'Antiquité. / If the heroes of Greek mythology are particularly well known historical figures themselves, are much less. Yet the phenomenon known as heroization concerned many characters. This study proposes to examine these characters for whom the historical existence is proven, and who had been assigned the status of heroes and thus accessing to the divine sphere benefited honors but also cults. This study also aims to understand all of these rites in connection with the hero and heroization. It also presents the evolution knew by this phenomenon during the period from the Archaic period to the third century AD. But also highlights the differences and similarities between the different regions and cities that composed the entire Greek world. This study also tries to learn more about the identity of these characters, who, for many of them remain unknown of the "great history." Yet these characters deserve special attention because their study singularly clarifies and provides a much better understanding of the religious life of the ancient Greeks.

The aim of this thesis is to examine and analyze different components of the Civil Society in Argentina. Predominantly, two components are at focus: the monitoring process and the vitalization of democracy through the Civil Society. The method conducted to fulfill the purpose of this thesis has been a qualitative approach. Furthermore, primary and secondary sources are used. Primary sources were established through the field study conducted in Argentina, where in-depth interviews with several of NGOs were assembled. Secondary sources were used in order to establish the theoretical approach but also to complement the primary sources in the analytical part. The conclusion in this study is that the component regarding the monitoring process conducted by Civil Society organizations are partially functional, however with several incapacities. Factors explaining the incapacities are due to lack of leverage and resources. The component regarding the vitalization process through the Civil Society has been significant throughout the history of Argentina, and distributing democratic values are essential for the Civil Society. Factors as high degree of polarization amongst citizens and institutions and the extension of governmental authority are however threatening attributes such as moderation, tolerance, compromises, and hence jeopardizing the consolidation phase of democracy.

La RDC a hérité de la Belgique d’un système tutélaire cristallisé par le décret de 1950 sur l’enfance délinquante à qui l’on a reproché une inadéquation aux réalités sociétales locales. Ce texte est, toutefois, resté en application jusqu’en 2009, année à laquelle le pays s’est afin doté d’une loi sur la protection de l’enfant (LPE). Ce nouveau texte aura le mérite d’aborder la quasi-totalité des questions juridiques relatives à l’enfant ; mais sa principale faille reste le manque de clarté, de cohérence et de vision globale. Cette loi entretient, en effet, un imbroglio juridique qui ressort tant au niveau de la criminalisation primaire que secondaire. Si son intitulé laisse croire à la continuité du modèle tutélaire, son contenu dévoile un alignement sur le code malien de protection de l’enfant de 2002 qui, sur le plan pénal, est influencé par le système français d’obédience « répressionnelle ». Pendant que certains auteurs continuent à soutenir une irresponsabilité pénale absolue du mineur, la LPE fait appel à certains concepts qui remettent en question cette approche. Ainsi, la présente étude a proposé, à partir du droit coutumier et du droit comparé (français et belge), une lecture pénale et critique de la LPE basée sur une approche systémique, cohérente et contextuelle de la situation pénale du mineur-délinquant. Elle démontre, in fine, l’autonomie du droit pénal congolais des mineurs / The Republic democratic of Congo has inherited from Belgium a guardianship children’s system crystallized by the decree of 1950 on delinquent childhood, which was criticized for being inadequate to the Congolese societal realities. However, this text remained in force until 2009, when the country adopted a juvenal protection act (JPA). This text will have the merit of addressing almost all legal issues relating to children; but its main weakness remains the lack of clarity, coherence, and global vision. This law has indeed a legal imbroglio which emerges both at the level of primary and secondary criminalization. While its title suggests the continuity of the tutelary model, its content reveals an alignment with the Malian children’s protection act of 2002, which, on the criminal level, is influenced by the French system more oriented towards repression. While some authors continue to support an absolute criminal irresponsibility of the minor, the JPA uses some concepts which contradicts this approach. Therefore, the present study has proposed a criminal and critical reading based on a systemic, coherent and contextual approach to the juvenile offender while referring to both customary and comparative law (French and Belgian). This study demonstrates the autonomy of Congolese criminal law on minors

The aim of this study was to compare different indicators used on quality control to access the feed mixture uniformity, and were made correlation analysis between the analytical methods used to measure de indicators employed. On a following step, it was evaluated the effect of lack of feed mixture homogeneity on performance of broilers. In the first step, after the analysis of feed mixer efficiency, nine indicators of dry mixture efficiency and two for wet mixture were compared. On the mixer efficiency tests were observed inconstant values of coefficient of variation (CV) after the time needed to achieve CV below 5%. On the comparison of the indicators of dry mixture, five of them presented mean coefficients of variation (CVs) less than 5%, and on the wet mixture indicators comparison test one indicator presented this result. On the correlation analysis, no expressive results were observed, and then the use of alternative methods on the analysis of the indicators can t be justified by this means. On the second step, broilers were reared in four productive phases, with diets with CVs between 5.35 e 49.48%, and were evaluated performance and uniformity of weights of these animals. The obtained results showed that the diets with CVs up to 22.63% cause no effects on the performance of broilers with age above than 12 days. The lack of uniformity of the diets with CV up to 49.48%, don t affect the uniformity of weights of broilers during the rearing period and at slaughter. Concluding the study, it was developed a computer system to guide evaluations of mixture efficiency on industrial equipment of feed production. / Objetivou-se comparar diferentes indicadores utilizados no controle de qualidade para a determinação da eficiência de mistura de rações, e realizaram-se análises de correlações entre os métodos analíticos utilizados na mensuração dos indicadores empregados. Em etapa complementar, avaliou-se o efeito da falta de homogeneidade de mistura das rações sobre o desempenho de frangos de corte. Na primeira etapa, após análise da eficiência do equipamento de mistura foram comparados nove indicadores de eficiência de mistura seca e dois de mistura úmida. Nos testes de eficiência de mistura constataram-se valores inconstantes do coeficiente de variação (CV) após o tempo necessário para atingir CV inferior a 5%. Na comparação de indicadores de mistura seca, cinco destes apresentaram coeficientes de variação (CVs) médios menores do que 5% e no teste comparação de indicadores de mistura úmida, com um dos indicadores obteve-se este resultado. Nas análises de correlações não se observaram valores expressivos que justifiquem o emprego de métodos alternativos de análises dos indicadores. Na segunda etapa, frangos de corte foram criados em quatro fases produtivas, com rações com CVs entre 5,35 e 49,48%, e foram avaliados o desempenho zootécnico e a uniformidade dos pesos destes animais. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que rações com CVs até 22,63%, não causam efeitos sobre o desempenho zootécnico dos frangos de corte com idade superior a 12 dias. A falta de uniformidade das rações, com CV até 49,48%, não afeta a uniformidade dos pesos dos frangos de corte durante o crescimento e no momento do abate. Concluindo o estudo, foi desenvolvido um sistema computacional orientativo para avaliações de eficiência de mistura em equipamentos industriais de produção de rações.

Informed consent presents interesting legal and ethical challenges that have been widely discussed both in Czech and foreign literature. Significant portion of the literature is concerned with a relationship between doctors and their patients and with the historical development of this relationship or with the principle of autonomy as one of the fundamental principles in the area of healthcare provision. Issues related to informed consent of minors or persons with limited legal capacity are often given only small amount of scholarly attention. It is for this reason that this diploma thesis deals solely with the issues related to the health care provided to minors and persons with limited legal capacity. The aim of this thesis is to create an integrated overview of the law regulating informed consent of these persons, to introduce the most important changes that have been made in recent years by the Act on Health Services and Conditions of Their Provision and by the Civil Code, and finally to add some of my reflections on selected issues which I find particularly problematic. The sixth chapter of the thesis focuses on a comparison between the Czech law and the English common law regulating informed consent of minors and persons with limited legal capacity. The issues of informed consent is an...

Les cités antiques d’Asie Mineure comprennent à leurs périphéries de vastes ensembles funéraires dont seulsl’épigraphie et les monuments, pour la plupart pillés anciennement, sont généralement étudiés. Les modalités de dépôts et degestion de ces tombes, a priori collectives, n’ont jusqu’alors pas ou très peu été analysés. La découverte d’une chambresouterraine (tombe 163d) non pillée dans la « Nécropole nord » de Hiérapolis (ancienne province de Phrygie dans le sud-ouestde la Turquie), a été l’occasion de mettre en oeuvre une analyse archéo-anthropologique afin d’aborder le fonctionnement de cetype de tombe. Cette investigation a impliqué de reprendre et d’achever la fouille initiée en 2003, nécessitant quatrecampagnes (2010-2013) au cours desquelles une stratégie d’intervention adaptée aux contraintes de temps imposées a étéélaborée dans le cadre de la Mission Archéologique Italienne de Hiérapolis. Après avoir défini le cadre chronologique del’utilisation de la tombe, notre travail s’est attaché à comprendre les modalités de dépôts des défunts (traitement du corps,milieu de décomposition, mode d’inhumation) mais également les gestes témoignant de la gestion et de la dynamique del’espace funéraire. L’analyse stratigraphique des dépôts a démontré que la tombe avait été utilisée entre la périodeaugustéenne et le début du VIIe siècle, afin d’accueillir les restes de 293 individus. Au IIIe siècle, une famille juive la rachète,comme l’indiquent les inscriptions gravées sur le monument. L’étude taphonomique des squelettes empilés en connexionanatomique a révélé que la majorité des dépôts avait été réalisée dans des cercueils. Il est apparu, d’une part, que la famillejuive a laissé une partie des os des premiers occupants en place, conformément aux lois romaines définissant le sepulchrumcomme locus religiosus, et, d’autre part, que la gestion des os disloqués reposait davantage sur des considérations pratiquesliées au volume des os que sur le souci de conserver l’individualité des sujets inhumés. Ces conclusions permettent d’apporterde nouveaux éléments de discussion sur les relations entre les différents groupes religieux vivant à Hiérapolis à traversl’organisation des espaces funéraires et, plus largement, sur les pratiques funéraires pendant l’antiquité romaine et la périodeprotobyzantine en Asie Mineure. / The roman cities of Asia Minor are surrounded by vast necropolises, amongst which funerary complexes are mostoften plundered. While monuments and inscriptions have been studied in great detail in the past, the depositional context andfunerary treatment of the dead and the management of collective burials have not been submitted to detailed analysis. Thediscovery of Tomb 163d, a subterranean funerary chamber not plundered in the North Necropolis of Hierapolis (ancientprovince of Phrygia, in the South-West of Turkey) provided a unique opportunity to apply archeo-anthropological analysis inorder to understand funerary treatment and burial practices. This study reinvestigated the excavations which took place in2003, to complement another four campaigns (2010-2013). For these excavation campaigns a specific intervention strategywas developed as part of the Archeological Italian Mission of Hierapolis. After discussing the chronological framework, thisstudy analyses funerary treatment (modes of inhumation, body treatment, depositional context) as well as the burialmanagement to the management within the dynamic of the funeral space. The stratigraphic analysis demonstrated that thegrave was utilized from the Augustan period to the 7th century and contained 293 individuals. During the 3rd century, a Jewishfamily rebought the tomb for further use, as indicated by the inscriptions engraved on the monument. The taphonomic study ofthe articulated skeletons revealed that the majority of the deceased were buried in wooden coffins. It appeared that the Jewishfamily left some skeletal remains from the first occupiers in situ, in accordance with the Roman law defining the sepulchrum asa locus religious. However, the management of human remains was more related to practical considerations, linked to thevolume of the remains, than to the concern of respecting the deceased. By analyzing and interpreting the organization offuneral spaces, the conclusions of this study provide new evidence on relationships between different religious groups living inHierapolis, and on aspects of burial practices during Roman Antiquity and Proto-Byzantine period.

In hierdie ondersoek is daar gepoog om die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeiding te bevorder deur die egskeidingsevalueringsproses waarvolgens die belange van die kind bepaal word, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die sisteemteoretiese benadering, wat op holisme as uitgangspunt gebaseer is, is gedefinieer en beskryf ten einde die sistemiese perspektief op die gesin-in-egskeiding uit te klaar. Voorts is egskeiding as internasionale fenomeen en die implikasies van egskeidingsdispute vir die minderjarige kind ondersoek en in terme van die juridiese en maatskaplike implikasies asook die beginsel van die “beste belang” van die kind beskryf en verduidelik. Navorser het `n selfontwikkelde praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering ontwikkel en geëvalueer met die doel om die vasstel van die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeiding te bevorder. Dit is gevolg deur die empiriese resultate, `n algemene opsomming, gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings. Die volgende navorsingsvraag is geformuleer om die ondersoekende en beskrywende gedeelte van die empiriese navorsing te rig: Wat is die aard en inhoud van die egskeidingsevalueringsproses wat in die praktyk deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat toegepas word ten einde die belange van die minderjarige kind te bevorder? Gelei deur die navorsingsvraag is die volgende hipotese geformuleer: Indien die sisteemteoretiese praktykmodel tydens egskeidingsdispute toegepas word, sal die beste belang van die minderjarige kind bevorder word. Vir hierdie ondersoek, waar twee evalueringsprosesse met mekaar vergelyk is, was die kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering die aangewese keuse. Intervensienavorsing as tipe navorsing is volgens die Ontwerp- en Ontwikkelingsmodel toegepas. Die kwantitatief-beskrywende opname navorsingsontwerp is benut ten einde die doel van die studie te bereik, naamlik: <ul>Om `n praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering te ontwikkel en empiries te evalueer ten einde die beste belang van die minderjarige kind te bevorder.</li></ul> Voortspruitend uit die doel is die volgende doelwitte geformuleer: <ul> <li>Om vanuit `n sisteemteoretiese perspektief egskeiding as maatskaplike verskynsel, die gesin as maatskaplike sisteem en die belange van die minderjarige kind, teoreties te konseptualiseer.</li> <li>Om die huidige egskeidingsevalueringsproses, soos deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat toegepas, te ondersoek en te beskryf.</li> <li>Om `n praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering vanuit `n sisteemteoretiese perspektief, wat die belange van die minderjarige kind bevorder, te ontwikkel.</li> <li>Om die effektiwiteit van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel vir egskeidingsevaluering empiries te evalueer.</li> <li>Om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die praktykbenutting van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel om die belange van die minderjarige kind in egskeidingsevaluering te bevorder.</li></ul> Ten einde die heersende evalueringsproses wat deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat in egskeidingsdispute toegepas word met die evalueringsproses soos deur die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel toegepas is, te kon vergelyk, het navorser `n vraelys ontwerp vir evaluering van beide prosesse. Die vraelys het uit die volgende drie afdeling bestaan: (1) die professionele profiel van die deskundige (gesinsraadgewer/navorser); (2) profiel van die gesinsisteem in egskeiding wat geëvalueer is; en (3) die aard en inhoud van die evalueringsproses vir egskeidingsdispute. Voltooiing van die vraelys deur die deskundiges wat die twee egskeidingsevalueringsprosesse toegepas het, het meegebring dat die data vergelykbaar was. Daarvolgens kon die twee evalueringsprosesse dus vergelyk word en die effektiwiteit van die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel empiries geëvalueer word. Die empiriese resultate ten opsigte van die toepassing van die twee egskeidingsevalueringsprosesse in die praktyk, het `n wesenlike onderskeid in die aard en inhoud van die twee prosesse met betrekking tot die beste belang van die minderjarige kind aangetoon. Dit het geblyk dat in die toepassing van die egskeidingsevalueringsproses deur die Kantoor van die Gesinsadvokaat die assessering van die behoeftes, wense, ontwikkelingsvlak, verhoudings asook sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind nie prioriteit geniet nie. Tydsbesteding aan konsultasies met die minderjarige kind is baie beperk en is slegs op `n ad hoc basis uitgevoer. Kollaterale bronne is ook op `n ad hoc basis betrek sodat dit nie moontlik was om die sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind te eksploreer nie. Die evalueringsproses soos deur die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel toegepas is, bepaal as `n standaard prosedure individuele konsultasies vir assesseringsdoeleindes met die minderjarige kind ten einde die wense, behoeftes, ontwikkelingsvlak, verhoudings en sistemiese verbintenisse te kan bepaal met die oog op die vasstelling van die beste belang van die minderjarige kind vir die post-egskeidingsfase. Voldoende tydsbesteding aan die assessering van die minderjarige kind het hoë prioriteit volgens die praktykmodel geniet. Die evalueringsproses volgens die nuut ontwikkelde praktykmodel het kollaterale bronne as `n standaard prosedure betrek sodat die sistemiese verbintenisse van die minderjarige kind volledig geëksploreer kon word. Dit het dus uit die empiriese resultate geblyk dat die hipotese wat vir die studie gestel was, bevestig is. ENGLISH The aim of this study was to promote the interests of the minor child in a divorce situation, through an investigation into the process of assessment and evaluation whereby the best interests of the minor child in divorce disputes are determined. The systems theory approach, which sees holism as basic principle, was defined and described to explain the systems perspective of the family system in a divorce situation. Divorce as an international phenomenon and the implications of divorce disputes on the minor child were investigated, described and explained according to the legal and social implications as well as the principle of “the best interests” of the child. The researcher presented a self-developed practice model for divorce evaluation with the aim to promote the best interests of the minor child in divorce disputes. The study was concluded with the empirical results, a general summation, conclusions and recommendations. One research question was formulated to guide the investigative and descriptive part of the study, namely: What is the nature and content of the process of evaluation in divorce disputes to determine the best interests of the minor child which is administered by the Office of the Family Advocate? The following hypothesis was formulated according to the research question: If the practice model in divorce evaluation, based on systems theory, is administered in divorce disputes, the best interests of the minor child will be promoted. The quantitative research approach was selected in this investigation where two processes of evaluation were to be compared and the type of research was identified as Intervention Design and Development. The quantitative-descriptive survey design was selected to achieve the following goal of the study, namely: <ul> <li> To develop a practice model for evaluation in divorce and to evaluate the practice model empirical to promote the best interests of the minor child</li></ul> In order to obtain the goal of the study the following objectives were formulated: <ul> <li>To conceptualise theoretically divorce as social phenomenon, the family as social system and the interests of the minor child from a systems perspective.</li> <li>To investigate and describe the current process of evaluation in divorce disputes as it is administered by the Office of the Family Advocate.</li> <li>To develop a practice model for evaluation in divorce disputes from a systems perspective to promote the interests of the minor child.</li> <li>To evaluate empirically the effectiveness of the newly developed practice model for evaluation in divorce disputes.</li> <li>To make recommendations regarding the implementation of the newly developed practice model to promote the interests of the minor child in divorce disputes.</li></ul> A questionnaire was developed by the researcher to enable the comparison of the two processes of evaluation in divorce disputes. The questionnaire had three sections, namely: (1) the professional profile of the expert investigator (family counsellor/researcher); (2) profile of the family system who was evaluated; and (3) the nature and content of the process of evaluation. Data from the questionnaires completed by the expert investigators was compared to enable researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed practice model to promote the interests of the minor child. The empirical results from the two evaluation processes confirmed a distinct difference in the nature and content of the two processes. The evaluation process in divorce as done by the Office of the Family Advocate did not put emphasis on the assessment of the needs, wishes, developmental status, relationships or systemic bonds of the minor child in a divorce situation. The time allocated to assessment of the minor child is extremely limited and consultations with the minor child was only done on an ad hoc basis. Consultations with collateral sources were also done on an ad hoc basis. It was thus not possible for family counsellors to explore in-depth the systemic relationships of the minor child in a divorce situation. The evaluation process according to the new practice model recognised the importance of individual consultations with the minor child. Individual assessment of the minor child was done as a regular procedure to establish the needs, wishes, developmental status, relationships as well as the systemic associations of the minor child in a divorce situation. The practice model recognised the need for adequate time allocation for assessment of the minor child. Exploring collateral sources was done as a standard procedure according to the practice model to allow opportunity for assessment of the systemic bonds of the minor child. The empirical results confirmed the hypothesis which was developed for this study. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

L’élaboration de portraits féminins reflète la fascination de Hawthorne pour cette créature complexe, un attrait nourri par l’omniprésence des femmes dans son entourage. L’influence de ces dernières est indéniable, et semble être à l’origine du féminisme ambigu de l’écrivain, partagé entre, d’un côté, l’héritage puritain des Manning et Hawthorne, et, de l’autre, les convictions féministes émergentes de sa belle-famille, les Peabody. Les portraits de femmes de la fiction hawthornienne se caractérisent donc par un binarisme essentialisme-différentialisme qui émane de la vision étroite des protagonistes masculins, et que l’auteur tente de dépasser. Les concepts deleuziens du « mineur » et du « devenir-femme » nous seront d’une grande utilité pour comprendre comment la femme essentialisée des Puritains, ce que nous pouvons aussi appeler la femme-image, au sens lacanien du terme, est en réalité une femme minorée car amputée de son esprit et de son rôle social. Hawthorne témoigne ainsi d’un féminisme équivoque, une voix qu’il a du mal, par moments, à assumer et affirmer complètement. / Female portraits are abundant in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fiction, short stories and novels alike. The influence of the women evolving in his private sphere may be at the origin of his ambiguous feminist vision, as his allegiance was divided between his Puritan inheritance (both the Mannings and the Hawthornes) on the one hand, and, on the other, the emerging feminist convictions of his in-laws (the Peabodys). Hawthorne’s female portraits are thus characterized by a tendency to binarism as they pit an essentialist view of women against a differentialist one. This binarist perspective reflects the narrow-mindedness of the patriarcal system which the male heroes try to defend and maintain. Deleuze and Guatarri’s concepts of “minor literature” and “becoming-woman” will help us understand how the woman-image of the Puritans is a minored woman in the realm both of the social order and the symbolic order. Hawthorne’s feminist voice is an equivocal one as his text is undergoing a subterranean process of “becoming-woman.”

Plants and insects are some of the most biodiverse groups in the world and are constantly interacting. One unique interaction that has been observed occurs between carnivorous plants and insects; some plant species are capable of capturing and digesting insects for nutrients. Despite preying on these insects, there are cases where such interactions can been viewed as mutualistic. For instance, a nectar reward is produced by the plant to attract insects, and during visitation insects may fall prey to these plants. Additionally, carnivorous myrmecophytic plants may receive an added indirect benefit in the form of reduced herbivory, since ants have the ability to indirectly protect and drive off herbivores from the plant. However, this type of indirect defensive benefit has been rarely observed in carnivorous plants. To determine the nature of the relationship between carnivorous plants and ants, a predator-exclusion experiment was performed in situ using a natural population of the hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia minor. The presence of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, was manipulated in the pitcher plant population to determine if the presence of this non-native ant affects the survival and growth of this carnivorous pitcher plant. From June-November 2014 mean pitcher height and width, number of pitchers, and proportion of pitchers with herbivory present was recorded monthly. Results indicated that pitcher width (p = .042) and the number of pitchers (p = .038) was significantly lower when the presence of S. invicta was reduced. Specifically, the limited presence of S. invicta led to a 21% reduction in mean number of pitchers and a 2.2% reduction in mean pitcher width. This indicated that this non-native ant does provide a direct nutritional benefit for the plant. However, the presence of the ant had no effect on pitcher height and the proportion of pitchers with herbivory present. But, when the proportion of pitchers with herbivory present was compared to a previous native ant study, herbivory proportions where similar or lower when taking the number of ants present into account. This suggests that this non-native ant and native ants equally provide defensive benefits for this native threatened species. Overall, this studied illustrated that carnivorous plants may exhibit similar multiple benefits from a single interaction with a non-native insect that is both prey and provides defense against herbivores.