This thesis deals with the anthropological thinking of Nicholas of Cusa. The first part presents the fundamental metaphysical motifs that are the basis for this anthropology - above all, it concerns the conception of human as a mind (intellect). This conception is linked with the thinking of the first Principle (God) as the unity that is identical with itself. This unity/oneness of the One descends into the world through number that is one and multiple at the same time (all higher numbers consist of ones). The emphasis on unity of the One and on number as a mean of the creation is the reason, why Cusa's main concern, regarding the understanding of the world, aren't individual substances, but the relations between these substances. And for this kind of metaphysical thinking it is really important to develop also a strong notion of human intellect (mind), but the first philosophical texts to some extent fail to do so. The second part of this thesis deals with the proper anthropology that is developed in the dialogues with the idiota. It is shown what is the role of human mind in the dynamics of descent and ascent of unity of the One - it is the human mind and its intellectual return to its Beginning through which is all creation being made one and being brought to its true nature that is the One. The last...

Although historians have written extensively on both the early modern era and the development of an absolute monarchy, the history of Jewish communities in France and the role they played has been largely ignored. Beginning with the French Wars of Religion, this study analyzes to what extent France’s religious situation affected the growth of absolutism and how this in turn affected the Jews. Taking advantage of the fractured nature of the early French monarchy, Jews began settling in provinces along the border of both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Affected by economic jealousies and cultural perceptions of Jews, the treatment of these communities by local officials led to requests by Jews for royal intervention in these regions. Perceptions of Jews evolved through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as the French Enlightenment influenced the way Jewish characters were presented. This study then ties these perceptions of Jews to the political and economic reality of these communities in an attempt to create a unified history of France’s early modern Jewish population.

La traite des esclaves à Madagascar a provoqué de changements importants tout au long du XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, aussi bien sur le plan politique, qu’économique et social. Les Néerlandais et les Français, présents à la colonie du Cap et aux Mascareignes étaient des acteurs de taille dans ces interactions commerciales complexes et symboliques. Des transformations sont perceptibles dès les premiers contacts, non seulement au sein des grands royaumes sakalava et betsimisaraka mais également jusqu’aux régions les plus recluses. Pourtant, les relations commerciales se complexifient dans la longue durée. En effet, une certaine continuité est identifiable sur toute la période étudiée. Le commerce maritime qui jouait un rôle primordial dans ces développements, concernait riz, bétail et captifs échangés contre piastres, armes à feu et toiles. Il a bouleversé la balance des pouvoirs et l’économie de la Grande Île. Le volume de la traite, calculé à partir de centaines d’expéditions néerlandaise et française, était déjà très substantiel avant le milieu du XVIIIe siècle. / The slave trade on Madagascar provoked important changes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, both politically, economically and socially. The Dutch and the French, present on Cape Colony and the Mascarene Islands, were important players in these commercial, but complex and symbolic, interactions. The transformations are detectable from the first contact onwards, not only in the great kingdoms of Sakalava and Betsimisaraka but also in the most secluded areas. However, commercial relations complexified in the longue durée. Indeed, a certain continuity is identifiable during this entire period. The maritime commerce, which played a primary role in these developments, concerned rice, cattle and slaves bartered for Spanish dollars, firearms and textiles. The slave trade disturbed the balance of powers and the economy of the Big Island. The volume of the trade, calculated from hundreds expeditions done by the Dutch and the French, was already very substantial before the middle of the eighteenth century.

L’idée d’une thèse s’intéressant aux environs proches, au périurbain d’une ville vient d’une constatation : la plupart des études réalisées sur le phénomène urbain au Moyen Âge, que ce soient des monographies de villes, des études archéologiques…, traitent principalement de l’espace, de la topographie intra-muros. Ce travail a donc pour but d’étudier une ville dans un ensemble plus large, en examinant ce qui se trouve dans les environs proches de l’enceinte et en laissant de côté, pour une fois, l’intérieur des remparts. Dans cette optique, il étudie la composition, l’organisation géographique, et l’évolution topographique du périurbain de la ville durant une période allant de la fin du Moyen Âge à l’époque moderne. Il s’agit de se poser la question des rapports entre la ville et son périurbain, en voyant comment elle l’utilise et en quoi il lui est nécessaire. Afin de contourner l’écueil de la monographie, trop facilement susceptible de traiter d’un cas « exception », cette recherche met en comparaison trois villes de même nature, Reims, Metz et Strasbourg, toutes trois villes épiscopales, d’origine romaine et de plus de 10.000 habitants au cours de la période étudiée. / The idea of a PhD on the close vicinity, the ‘periurban’ area of a city, stems from an observation: most of the studies done on the urban phenomenon in the Middle Ages, whether cities monographs or archeological studies, focus mainly on the intramural space and topography. To the contrary, the current work aims to study a city in a broader whole, through the review of the close vicinity of the precinct, and ignoring, for once, which is inside the walls. In this regard, it studies the composition, the geographical organization and the topographic evolution of the ‘periurban’ area of the city, during a period from the end of the Middle Ages to the modern era. Its questioning focuses on the relationship between the city and its ‘periurban’, how it uses it, and how it needs it. In order to prevent the too common risk for monographs of addressing an ‘exception’, this research draws a comparison between three cities, Reims, Metz and Strasbourg, similar in that they all are Episcopal cities, of roman origin and counting more than 10.000 inhabitants during the period studied.

The diploma thesis deals with the issue of representations of Native Americans in Czech written sources from the 16th century which are related to the topic of european overseas exploration. Special emphasis is placed on the formation of representations of corporeality in the context of discourses present in the early modern literary production and on the representations of gender relations that discourses of the body help to produce in texts. Apart from other things, the textual representations were influenced by the europocentric interpretation of the world which emerging from christian discourse at that time. As well, the work shows how the practices of othering of American Indians and their societies are produced in analyzed sources. The othering was realized, beside other things, in the context of dichotomous discourses of civilization and barbarism, religious discourse and the discourse of power. Emphasis is also put on the changes and mutual similarities of discourses in the written sources. In order to analyze representations of American Indians, the work uses the method of Foucalt's discursive analysis. The work also uses the constructivist theory of representation and the theory of hegemonic gender configurations. Key words Native Americans, corporeality, gender, otherness, textual...

Text in Afrikaans / Sekere bevindings oor die positiewe en negatiewe invloed van musiek en die funksies wat dit met betrekking tot menswees vervul, is as 'n verwysingsraamwerk gebruik om historiese gegewens oar die konstruktiewe en destruktiewe aanwending van musiek in hoofsaaklik Duitsland en die V.S.A. te analiseer. Dit het aan die lig gekom dat musiek konstruktief aangewend is met betrekking tot: Intellektuele vorming: Intellektuele vaardighede en kennisverwerwing is deur musiek bevorder. Die leergebeure is veraangenaam en meer effektief gemaak. Estetiese vorming: Deur musiek is 'n estetiese waardesisteem en 'n goeie kunssmaak ontwikkel en die wording van volwaardige, gebalanseerde individue bevorder. Religieuse vorming: Musiek is aangewend om religieuse denke en gewaarwordinge uit te druk en om kennisoordrag, evangelisasie, sending en die belewing van 'n innige geloofsgemeenskap te bevorder. Etiese vorming: Etiese waarhede is met behulp van musiek herhaal en ingeoefen. 'n "Morele atmosfeer" en die vaslegging van 'n waardesisteem is daardeur bevorder. Politieke vorming: Politieke gevoelens en menings is deur musiek uitgedruk om mense te be1nvloed om bepaalde standpunte, partye, regerings of politieke stelsels te ondersteun. Nasionale vorming: Musiek is gebruik om patriotisme te verwoord, die kulture van volkere te weerspieel, volksfeeste op te luister en nasionale eenheid te bevorder. Sosiale vorming: Musiek is aangewend as 'n bran van vermaak en ontspanning en as 'n kommunikasiemiddel. Dit het gehelp om 'n groepsidentiteit te vestig, 'n gemeenskapsgevoel en sosialisering te bevorder en mense se gedragspatrone te be1nvloed. Affektiewe vorming: Deur middel van musiek is gepoog om die gevoelslewe te orden en te veredel en om positiewe veranderinge ten opsigte van affektiewe toestande teweeg te bring. Fisieke vorming: Verskeie liggaamsaktiwiteite en fisieke vaardighede, ontspanning en verfrissing is deur musiek bevorder en dit is as 'n terapie aangewend. Musiek is oak destruktief aangewend deurdat die Christelike kerk ondermyn, religieuse aanbidding benadeel, die jeug se emosionele beheer, selfstandigwording en etiese waardestelsels negatief be!nvloed, aggressiewe en opstandige gedrag, militarisme, politieke venyn en rassehaat bevorder, beswyming ge!nduseer, gehoorsintuie beskadig en regerings omvergewerp is. 'n Aantal aanbevelings en waarskuwings met betrekking tot die aanwending van musiek in formele, nieformele en informele onderwys- en opvoedingsituasies het uit die analise voortgevloei. / Certain findings concerning the positive and negative influences of music and the functions fulfilled by it in the life-world of man were used as a reference framework in order to analyse historical data on the constructive and destructive applications of music in mainly Germany and the U.S.A. It came to light that music was constructively applied with regard to: Intellectual shaping: Music was employed to enhance various intellectual skills, to improve the acquisition of knowledge and to render the learning process more pleasant and effective. Aesthetic shaping: An aesthetic value system and a good artistic taste were developed and the shaping of complete, balanced individuals was promoted through music. Religious shaping: Music was employed to express religious thoughts and perceptions and to promote close community of faith, knowledge transfer, evangelization and missionary effort. Ethical shaping: Ethical truths were reiterated and "practised" and a "moral atmosphere" and a value system established through music. Political shaping: Political feelings and opinions were expressed through music and people were influenced to support specific viewpoints, parties, governments or political systems. National shaping: Music was employed to express patriotism, to reflect the cultures of nations, to add lustre to national gatherings and to promote national unity. Social shaping: Music was a source of entertainment and recreation and a means of communication. Through music the establishment of a group identity, socialization and a communal sense were promoted and behavioural patterns affected. Affective shaping: Music was a means of ordering and ennobling inner life and of facilitating positive changes in affective conditions. Physical shaping: Relaxation, recreation, physical skills and activities were promoted through music which was utilized as a therapy. Music was also destructively employed by undermining the Christian church and harming religious worship, by negatively influencing youth's emotional selfcontrol, ethical value systems and the actualization of independence, by furthering aggressive and rebellious behaviour, inducing trances, causing physical damage to hearing organs and promoting militarism, political viciousness, racial hatred and the overthrow of governments. A number of recommendations and warnings concerning the employment of music in formal, non-formal and informal educational situations resulted from the analysis. / Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology / D. Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)

Objectifs : Dans les populations du passé, la recherche d'inégalités en termes d'accès à la santé (nourriture, stress, etc.) est régulièrement au cœur des débats. Toutefois, elle se heurte à des questions méthodologiques et de conservation. Nous avons abordé cette problématique via l'étude d'une population moderne en confrontant données biologiques et historiques afin d'approcher d'éventuelles concordances ou divergences et proposer une méthodologie. Matériel et Méthode : Une série d'Époque moderne issue du couvent des Jacobins de Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), pour laquelle il existe de nombreuses données contextuelles, a servi de cadre à cette recherche. En fonction de l'emplacement de leur tombe dans le couvent, les sujets peuvent être affectés à différentes communautés (nobles, religieux, Tiers-État). Après avoir distribué les sujets par phases chronologiques, selon une approche archéologique heuristique, des groupes ont été constitués sur la base de postulats socio-économiques. Des différences entre groupes ont alors été recherchées, tant sur le plan culturel (pratiques funéraires), que biologique. Nous avons ainsi réalisé une étude anthropologique et paléoépidémiologique large pour laquelle ont aussi été pris en compte des marqueurs isotopiques, certains novateurs. Résultats et discussion : Selon les paramètres utilisés, des différences significatives entre les groupes et entre les périodes peuvent être observées et mises en relation avec des événements historiques ou des inégalités sociales. Toutefois, pour beaucoup d'entre eux, on observe plus un gradient qu'une différence absolue. Cela pose la question d'une part de l'utilisation de ces marqueurs en l'absence de données historiques qui puissent orienter la discussion, d'autre part d'inégalités pas toujours flagrantes entre certains groupes de sujets durant l'Ancien Régime en Bretagne. Conclusion : Pour des populations pour lesquelles il n'existerait pas de données historiques, seule la formulation d'hypothèses robustes permettrait de tester certains marqueurs et de les exploiter en termes d'inégalités sinon sociales du moins d'accès à des paramètres intéressant la santé au sens large. / Objectives: Among the past populations, the search for health-related inequalities (food, stress, etc.) is customarily debated. Nonetheless, it is often limited by methodological and preservation issues. The present dissertation tackles this matter thanks to the study of a Modern population by comparing biological and historical data. The goal being to estimate likeness or divergence in the sample and to suggest a methodology. Material and methods: A Modern series from the Jacobins' convent in Rennes (Brittany) was used here, for which numerous contextual data were recorded. According to the location of their tomb in the convent, the subjects can be linked to various communities (aristocrats, clergymen, commoners). After spreading the subjects in different chronological phases following a heuristic archaeological approach, groups were reconstituted on the basis of socio-economical postulates. Cultural (funerary practices) as well as biological variations between the samples were sought for. A large anthropological and paleoepidemiological study was thus undergone, for which isotopic markers were also taken into account (some of them being innovative). Results and discussion: According to the settings that were used, significant disparities among the different groups and periods can be noticed and related to historical events or social inequalities. Nevertheless, for many markers, it is more a gradient than an absolute difference that can be observed. On the one hand, it tackles the issue of the use of those markers without any historical data which could orient the discussion. On the other hand, it questions sometimes not so visible inequalities between certain groups of subjects during the Ancien Régime in Brittany. Conclusion: For populations for which historical data would be lacking, the only solution to test specific markers would be to formulate strong hypotheses which would enable researchers to exploit them in terms of inequalities -if not social ones at least related to health disparities generally speaking.

Titre : Sfax à l'époque ottomane. Sa Topographie, Son Histoire Urbaine, Sociale et Commerciale et Ses waqfs Waqf, l'institution qui a joué un rôle primordial dans le développement urbain et l'organisation d'espace dans des villes d'époque d'Ottomane, souligne des relations entre les hommes et les femmes et l'environnement construit. Sfax est l'exemple étudié ici et le rôle de waqf dans intra et le développement urbain extramuros si les documents waqf représentent un champ bien documenté de nos jours, ce n'est pas le cas pour l'étude de la nature et de la typologie de ces documents, ni pour la terminologie et la diversité d'informations a trouvé en eux. Le doctorat se concentre sur l'impact de waqf sur le tissu urbain d'Ottoman Sfax de la fin du 16ème siècle à la colonisation française. Il étudie la vie urbaine organisée autour des endroits soutenus / Title: Sfax during the Ottoman Period. Its Topography, Its Urban, Social and Commercial History and Its WaqfsWaqf, the institution which played a primordial role in urban development and organisation of space in Ottoman-era cities, underlines relations between men and women and the built environment. Sfax is the example studied here and the role of waqf in intra and extramuros urban developmentIf the waqf documents represent a well-researched field nowadays, this is not the case for the study of the nature and typology of these documents nor for the terminology and diversity of information found within them.The PhD centers on the impact of waqf on the urban fabric of Ottoman Sfax from the end of the 16th century to the French colonisation. It studies urban life organised around places supported by waqf (mosques, zawiyas) as well as waqfs whose revenues supported society’s poor or the city infrastructure such as the maintenance of its walls.Furthermore, waqf participated in reinforcing the presence of European merchants and traders and the development of commercial life in Sfax.

Text in Afrikaans / Sekere bevindings oor die positiewe en negatiewe invloed van musiek en die funksies wat dit met betrekking tot menswees vervul, is as 'n verwysingsraamwerk gebruik om historiese gegewens oar die konstruktiewe en destruktiewe aanwending van musiek in hoofsaaklik Duitsland en die V.S.A. te analiseer. Dit het aan die lig gekom dat musiek konstruktief aangewend is met betrekking tot: Intellektuele vorming: Intellektuele vaardighede en kennisverwerwing is deur musiek bevorder. Die leergebeure is veraangenaam en meer effektief gemaak. Estetiese vorming: Deur musiek is 'n estetiese waardesisteem en 'n goeie kunssmaak ontwikkel en die wording van volwaardige, gebalanseerde individue bevorder. Religieuse vorming: Musiek is aangewend om religieuse denke en gewaarwordinge uit te druk en om kennisoordrag, evangelisasie, sending en die belewing van 'n innige geloofsgemeenskap te bevorder. Etiese vorming: Etiese waarhede is met behulp van musiek herhaal en ingeoefen. 'n "Morele atmosfeer" en die vaslegging van 'n waardesisteem is daardeur bevorder. Politieke vorming: Politieke gevoelens en menings is deur musiek uitgedruk om mense te be1nvloed om bepaalde standpunte, partye, regerings of politieke stelsels te ondersteun. Nasionale vorming: Musiek is gebruik om patriotisme te verwoord, die kulture van volkere te weerspieel, volksfeeste op te luister en nasionale eenheid te bevorder. Sosiale vorming: Musiek is aangewend as 'n bran van vermaak en ontspanning en as 'n kommunikasiemiddel. Dit het gehelp om 'n groepsidentiteit te vestig, 'n gemeenskapsgevoel en sosialisering te bevorder en mense se gedragspatrone te be1nvloed. Affektiewe vorming: Deur middel van musiek is gepoog om die gevoelslewe te orden en te veredel en om positiewe veranderinge ten opsigte van affektiewe toestande teweeg te bring. Fisieke vorming: Verskeie liggaamsaktiwiteite en fisieke vaardighede, ontspanning en verfrissing is deur musiek bevorder en dit is as 'n terapie aangewend. Musiek is oak destruktief aangewend deurdat die Christelike kerk ondermyn, religieuse aanbidding benadeel, die jeug se emosionele beheer, selfstandigwording en etiese waardestelsels negatief be!nvloed, aggressiewe en opstandige gedrag, militarisme, politieke venyn en rassehaat bevorder, beswyming ge!nduseer, gehoorsintuie beskadig en regerings omvergewerp is. 'n Aantal aanbevelings en waarskuwings met betrekking tot die aanwending van musiek in formele, nieformele en informele onderwys- en opvoedingsituasies het uit die analise voortgevloei. / Certain findings concerning the positive and negative influences of music and the functions fulfilled by it in the life-world of man were used as a reference framework in order to analyse historical data on the constructive and destructive applications of music in mainly Germany and the U.S.A. It came to light that music was constructively applied with regard to: Intellectual shaping: Music was employed to enhance various intellectual skills, to improve the acquisition of knowledge and to render the learning process more pleasant and effective. Aesthetic shaping: An aesthetic value system and a good artistic taste were developed and the shaping of complete, balanced individuals was promoted through music. Religious shaping: Music was employed to express religious thoughts and perceptions and to promote close community of faith, knowledge transfer, evangelization and missionary effort. Ethical shaping: Ethical truths were reiterated and "practised" and a "moral atmosphere" and a value system established through music. Political shaping: Political feelings and opinions were expressed through music and people were influenced to support specific viewpoints, parties, governments or political systems. National shaping: Music was employed to express patriotism, to reflect the cultures of nations, to add lustre to national gatherings and to promote national unity. Social shaping: Music was a source of entertainment and recreation and a means of communication. Through music the establishment of a group identity, socialization and a communal sense were promoted and behavioural patterns affected. Affective shaping: Music was a means of ordering and ennobling inner life and of facilitating positive changes in affective conditions. Physical shaping: Relaxation, recreation, physical skills and activities were promoted through music which was utilized as a therapy. Music was also destructively employed by undermining the Christian church and harming religious worship, by negatively influencing youth's emotional selfcontrol, ethical value systems and the actualization of independence, by furthering aggressive and rebellious behaviour, inducing trances, causing physical damage to hearing organs and promoting militarism, political viciousness, racial hatred and the overthrow of governments. A number of recommendations and warnings concerning the employment of music in formal, non-formal and informal educational situations resulted from the analysis. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / D. Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde)

Cette thèse a pour objet d’étude le choix du lieu d’implantation des élites rurales médiévales et modernes. Elle s’inscrit d’une part, dans la tendance actuelle de réexamen des estimateurs archéologiques de niveau social et, d’autre part, dans le « tournant spatial » des SHS qui invite à prendre en compte la dimension spatiale des sociétés. L’espace est ici appréhendé comme un produit culturel et social, ce qui amène à analyser le choix du site comme un objet archéologique à part entière, révélateur de pratiques sociales. L’approche archéogéographique conduit à recomposer l’espace des élites à l’aide de critères décrivant toutes les dimensions socio-environnementales de l’interaction élite/espace (milieu, paysage, territoire). L’objectif de cette thèse repose en effet sur l’expérimentation d’une grille d’analyse (critères) et d’une méthodologie fondée sur des variations d’échelles de temps (temps long / court) et d’espace (site / réseau de sites). Deux fenêtres d’étude situées dans le Bassin parisien ont été ouvertes : une dans la vallée de Touques, au coeur du Pays d’Auge (Calvados), avec un corpus de sites (manoirs) datant des XVe-XIXe siècles et une seconde, autour d’un site archéologique fouillé (La « Ferme du Colombier ») daté du début du XVIe siècle, dans la plaine confluente de la Seine et l’Yonne (Seine-et-Marne). Les modélisations révèlent la spatialité des élites rurales – tout particulièrement celles des XVe-XVIe siècles – et permettent finalement de discuter des pratiques de distinction enregistrées dans le choix du site, dans un contexte historique marqué par un profond renouvellement des élites / This PhD seeks to study the choice of location of medieval and modern rural elites. Fully in line with the current trend for reviewing archaeological estimators of social scale ; it also fits into the "spatial turn" of human and social sciences, inviting to take into account the spatial dimension of societies. Space, regarded as a cultural and social production, aims at analyzing the choice of location as a fully fledged archaeological object, revealing social practices.The archaeogeographical approach leads to reconstitute the space of elites with criteria describing all the social and environmental dimensions of interactions between space and elite (environment, landscape, territory). The purpose of the PhD relies on the experimentation of an evaluation grid and a methodology based on variations of time and space scales ( sites and networks of sites).Two observation windows located in the Paris Basin were picked: the first one, in the Touques Valley (Calvados), around a site corpus (manor houses) from the 15th-19th centuries, the second one around an archaeological site from the 16th century (La “Ferme du Colombier”) located in the confluent plain of the Seine and the Yonne rivers. Modelling reveals spatiality of rural elites, particularly those of the 15th-16th centuries, and eventually entitles to discuss the practices of social distinction recorded into the choice of location, in a historical context characterised by deep renewal process of elites