Le projet de cette thèse est double. Le premier concerne l’extension des résultats précédents sur les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité pour des problèmes avec contraintes d’état, dans le cadre du contrôle optimal ainsi que dans le cadre de calcul des variations. Le deuxième objectif consiste à travailler sur deux nouveaux aspects de recherche : dériver des résultats de viabilité pour une classe de systèmes de contrôle avec des contraintes d’état dans lesquels les conditions dites ‘standard inward pointing conditions’ sont violées; et établir les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité pour des problèmes de minimisation de coût moyen éventuellement perturbés par des paramètres inconnus.Dans la première partie, nous examinons les conditions nécessaires d’optimalité qui jouent un rôle important dans la recherche de candidats pour être des solutions optimales parmi toutes les solutions admissibles. Cependant, dans les problèmes d’optimisation dynamique avec contraintes d’état, certaines situations pathologiques pourraient survenir. Par exemple, il se peut que le multiplicateur associé à la fonction objective (à minimiser) disparaisse. Dans ce cas, la fonction objective à minimiser n’intervient pas dans les conditions nécessaires de premier ordre: il s’agit du cas dit anormal. Un phénomène pire, appelé le cas dégénéré montre que, dans certaines circonstances, l’ensemble des trajectoires admissibles coïncide avec l’ensemble des candidats minimiseurs. Par conséquent, les conditions nécessaires ne donnent aucune information sur les minimiseurs possibles.Pour surmonter ces difficultés, de nouvelles hypothèses supplémentaires doivent être imposées, appelées les qualifications de la contrainte. Nous étudions ces deux problèmes (normalité et non dégénérescence) pour des problèmes de contrôle optimal impliquant des contraintes dynamiques exprimées en termes d’inclusion différentielle, lorsque le minimiseur a son point de départ dans une région où la contrainte d’état est non lisse. Nous prouvons que sous une information supplémentaire impliquant principalement le cône tangent de Clarke, les conditions nécessaires sous la forme dite ‘Extended Euler-Lagrange condition’ sont satisfaites en forme normale et non dégénérée pour deux classes de problèmes de contrôle optimal avec contrainte d’état. Le résultat sur la normalité est également appliqué pour le problème de calcul des variations avec contrainte d’état.Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, nous considérons d’abord une classe de systèmes de contrôle avec contrainte d’état pour lesquels les qualifications de la contrainte standard du ‘premier ordre’ ne sont pas satisfaites, mais une qualification de la contrainte d’ordre supérieure (ordre 2) est satisfaite.Nous proposons une nouvelle construction des trajectoires admissibles (dit un résultat de viabilité) et nous étudions des exemples (tels que l’intégrateur non holonomique de Brockett) fournissant en plus un résultat d’estimation non linéaire. L’autre sujet de la deuxième partie de la thèse concerne l’étude d’une classe de problèmes de contrôle optimal dans lesquels des incertitudes apparaissent dans les données en termes de paramètres inconnus. En tenant compte d’un critère de performance sous la forme de coût moyen, une question cruciale est clairement de pouvoir caractériser les contrôles optimaux indépendamment de l’action du paramètre inconnu: cela permet de trouver une sorte de ‘meilleur compromis’ parmi toutes les réalisations possibles du système de contrôle tant que le paramètre varie. Pour ce type de problèmes, nous obtenons des conditions nécessaires d’optimalité sous la forme du Principe du Maximum (éventuellement pour le cas non lisse). / The project of this thesis is twofold. The first concerns the extension of previous results on necessary optimality conditions for state constrained problems in optimal control and in calculus of variations. The second aim consists in working along two new research lines: derive viability results for a class of control systems with state constraints in which ‘standard inward pointing conditions’ are violated; and establish necessary optimality conditions for average cost minimization problems possibly perturbed by unknown parameters.In the first part, we examine necessary optimality conditions which play an important role in finding candidates to be optimal solutions among all admissible solutions. However, in dynamic optimization problems with state constraints, some pathological situations might arise. For instance, it might occur that the multiplier associated with the objective function (to minimize) vanishes. In this case, the objective function to minimize does not intervene in first order necessary conditions: this is referred to as the abnormal case. A worse phenomenon, called the degenerate case shows that in some circumstances the set of admissible trajectories coincides with the set of candidates to be minimizers. Therefore the necessary conditions give no information on the possible minimizers.To overcome these difficulties, new additional hypotheses have to be imposed, known as constraint qualifications. We investigate these two issues (normality and non-degeneracy) for optimal control problems involving state constraints and dynamics expressed as a differential inclusion, when the minimizer has its left end-point in a region where the state constraint set in nonsmooth. We prove that under an additional information involving mainly the Clarke tangent cone, necessary conditions in the form of the Extended Euler-Lagrange condition are derived in the normal and non-degenerate form for two different classes of state constrained optimal control problems. Application of the normality result is shown also for the calculus of variations problem subject to a state constraint.In the second part of the thesis, we consider first a class of state constrained control systems for which standard ‘first order’ constraint qualifications are not satisfied, but a higher (second) order constraint qualification is satisfied. We propose a new construction for feasible trajectories (a viability result) and we investigate examples (such as the Brockett nonholonomic integrator) providing in addition a non-linear stimate result. The other topic of the second part of the thesis concerns the study of a class of optimal control problems in which uncertainties appear in the data in terms of unknown parameters. Taking into consideration an average cost criterion, a crucial issue is clearly to be able to characterize optimal controls independently of the unknown parameter action: this allows to find a sort of ‘best compromise’ among all the possible realizations of the control system as the parameter varies. For this type of problems, we derive necessary optimality conditions in the form of Maximum Principle (possibly nonsmooth).

This work represents the initial steps in a wider project that aims to map out the sensitive areas in fuel injectors and combustion chambers. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) using a Low-Mach-number formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations is used to calculate direct-linear and adjoint global modes for axisymmetric low-density jets and lifted jet diffusion flames. The adjoint global modes provide a map of the most sensitive locations to open-loop external forcing and heating. For the jet flows considered here, the most sensitive region is at the inlet of the domain. The sensitivity of the global-mode eigenvalues to force feedback and to heat and drag from a hot-wire is found using a general structural sensitivity framework. Force feedback can occur from a sensor-actuator in the flow or as a mechanism that drives global instability. For the lifted flames, the most sensitive areas lie between the inlet and flame base. In this region the jet is absolutely unstable, but the close proximity of the flame suppresses the global instability seen in the non-reacting case. The lifted flame is therefore particularly sensitive to outside disturbances in the non-reacting zone. The DNS results are compared to a local analysis. The most absolutely unstable region for all the flows considered is at the inlet, with the wavemaker slightly downstream of the inlet. For lifted flames, the region of largest sensitivity to force feedback is near to the location of the wavemaker, but for the non-reacting jet this region is downstream of the wavemaker and outside of the pocket of absolute instability near the inlet. Analysing the sensitivity of reacting and non-reacting variable-density shear flows using the low-Mach-number approximation has up until now not been done. By including reaction, a large forward step has been taken in applying these techniques to real fuel injectors.

This essay is about my experience of planning and implementing two separate parent-teacher conferences. In these two parent-teacher conferences I am faced with various options which I perceive as difficult to assess. What is difficult to assess is how I maintain and develop a strong relationship with the parents without contradicting with other parts of my duty.    The purpose of the essay is to examine what the parent-teacher conferences mean and what its content should or can be. Questions treated in the essay are: What is the purpose of the parent-teacher conferences and how can we talk about the child in the parent-teacher conferences? How can the power relationship appear between the teacher and parents in the parent-teacher conferences? How can we understand the content of the parent-teacher conference in relation to the view on norms?    Reflection and writing is used in this essay as method to examine these questions. Important theoretical concepts for the essay are development, assessment, documentation, power, discourse, norms and rules, which are concepts that I go into dialogue with in order to understand my experiences in new ways. Through writing the essay I have discovered that different understandings of the concept development can influence what parents and educators believe that the parent-teacher conference should be about. I have also discovered how I can discuss children's development and learning in a way that is consistent with the regulation of the Swedish pre-school, that both teachers and parents have the power of controlling the content of the parent-teacher conferences and that teachers’ and parents' different views on rules can create different views regarding the children. / Denna vetenskapliga essä handlar om mina erfarenheter av att planera och genomföra två skilda utvecklingssamtal. I dessa två utvecklingssamtal står jag inför olika alternativ vilka jag upplever som svårbedömda. Vad som blir svårbedömt är hur jag bevarar och utvecklar en stark relation till föräldrarna utan att samtidigt strida mot andra delar av mitt uppdrag.    Syftet med essän är att undersöka vad utvecklingssamtalen innebär och vad innehållet bör och kan vara. Frågor som behandlas i essän är: Vad är syftet med utvecklingssamtalen och hur kan vi samtala om barnet i utvecklingssamtalen? Hur kan maktrelationen se ut mellan pedagog och föräldrar i utvecklingssamtalen? Hur kan vi förstå utvecklingssamtalets innehåll i relation till synen på normer?    Reflektion och skrivandet används i denna essä som metod för att undersöka dessa frågor. Viktiga teoretiska begrepp för essän är utveckling, bedömning, dokumentation, makt, diskurs, normer och regler, vilka är begrepp som jag går i dialog med för att förstå mina erfarenheter på nya sätt. Genom essäskrivandet har jag upptäckt att olika förståelser av begreppet utveckling kan påverka vad föräldrar och pedagoger anser att utvecklingssamtalet ska handla om. Jag har också upptäckt hur jag kan samtala om barns utveckling och lärande på ett sätt som är förenligt med regleringen för svensk förskola, att både pedagoger och föräldrar har makt i att styra innehållet i utvecklingssamtalen samt att pedagogers och föräldrars olika syn på regler kan skapa olika syn på barnen.

Antalet neuropsykiatriska diagnoser och antal personer som diagnostiseras har ökat de senaste året. Diagnostiseringen kan dock ha djupare betydelse och bidra till stigmatisering och utanförskap, men samtidigt medföra stöd och ge identitet och samhörighet. En förhållandevis ny och omdebatterad diagnos är Asperger syndrom (hädanefter refereras som AS). Diagnosen ströks 2003 och ingår numera i autismspektrumsyndrom. AS-begreppet används dock ändå och alltfler personer växer upp och/eller identifierar sig med diagnosen. Jämförelsevis få studier söker fånga individers upplevelser och därför försöker denna studie undersöka hur personer med AS-diagnos själv beskriver sin upplevelse. Syftet med denna studie var således att beskriva upplevelsen av att ha en AS-diagnos i relation till identitet och självbild kopplat till normalitet/avvikelse. Ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt, baserat på semistrukturerad intervjuer, har använts. Fem personer med AS-diagnos över 18 år i södra Sverige intervjuades; resultaten analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Fyra huvudkategorier identifierades: (1) Att få och att ha AS (upplevelser, känslor och vad AS betyder för individen); (2) att kamouflera, passera och framträda (informanternas upplevelse av sin skillnad, de svårigheter som AS kan medföra samt de ansträngningar de gör för att övervinna dessa); (3) mötet med okunskapen – att leva i fördomarnas paradis (den betydelse okunskapen om AS-diagnosen har för informanterna och hur detta kommer till uttryck och får för konsekvenser för identitet/självbild i form av att samhället betraktar personer med AS-diagnos som annorlunda och avvikande); och (4) att leva i en slags marginal av normalitet, i gränslandet mellan avvikande och normal (informanternas upplevelse av att inte riktigt passa in i vare sig normalitetsmallen eller funktionshindermallen). Att ha en AS-diagnos är alltså komplext och mångfacetterat. / The number of neuropsychiatric diagnoses and the number of persons being diagnosed have increased during recent years. To receive a diagnosis may, however, have a deeper meaning, e.g. stigmatisation and alienation, but also increased societal support, and an identity and a sense of belonging. One such diagnosis is Asperger’s Syndrome (henceforth referred to as AS). However, both the diagnosis per se, and diagnostics, have remained highly debated, and since 2003 AS has been omitted, instead included in the overall Autism Spectrum Syndrome. The AS concept is, however, still in use, and an increasing number of persons are growing up and identify with having AS. But, the question remains what it actually means for a person to have AS. Comparatively few studies have focused the individual experience of AS, fewer yet concerning self-image/identity, normality/deviation in relation to AS. Hence, the aim of this study was to describe the experience of having AS concerning identity and self-image in terms of normality/deviation. A qualitative method was used; data gathered with semi-structured interviews with five persons with AS, and over 18 years of age, living in southern Sweden. Results were analysed thematically, and fell into four main categories: (1) Getting AS (or to receive, and have AS), including reaction upon learning of the diagnosis, and experiences and emotions connected to the individual meaning of the diagnosis); (2) camouflaging, passing and showing, i.e. the ways in which the individual deal with self-consciousness surrounding questions of being different, but also worries of what difficulties they can experience, and how to overcome these issues; (3) meeting ignorance, i.e. how the general state of ignorance and preconceptions concerning Asperger syndrome affects the individual, how such aspects manifest, and how they may affect self-image and identity; and (4) living on the margins of normalcy, to live in on the border between abnormal and normal, and to not fit in, neither with societal norms of normality, nor concepts of disability. Hence, based on the overall results of the study, it was concluded that having AS is a multi-faceted and complex experience.

Denna uppsats undersöker vilken påverkan som olika maktaspekter har på förskolebarnet. Studiens syfte är att ur fyra av förskolans policydokument utröna hur förskolebarnet konstrueras. Det teoretiska perspektiv som har använts är en verktygslåda som är inspirerad av Foucaults tankar angående makt: disciplinär makt, biomakt, diskurs och genealogi. Det är fyra olika policydokument som har undersökts: Barnstugeutredningen (del 1), Pedagogiskt program för förskolan, Lpfö 98 och Lpfö 18. För att visa hur det normala och patologiska barnet konstrueras i förskolan har dokumenten analyserats med ett diskursanalytiskt förhållningssätt som tydligt involverar Foucaults maktperspektiv. Diskursanalysen visar vilka egenskaper som anses vara önskvärda för förskolebarnen att internalisera, vilka diskurser som är synliga och vilken påverkan olika historiska händelser har på konstruktionen av barnet. Analysens resultat visar att det inträffar olika diskursförskjutningar beroende på hur samhällsstrukturen ser ut i det givna sammanhanget, vilket också har en påverkan på hur barnet konstrueras. Det normala barnet konstrueras efter de normer och värderingar som förespråkas i den rådande diskursen. Det patologiska barnet anses framför allt vara barn med annan kulturell bakgrund som inte lever upp till de förespråkade normerna. En reflektion av resultaten visar att den allt snabbare samhällsutvecklingen, där de sociala klyftorna ökar, bidrar till en situation i förskolan som är svårhanterlig och komplex. En slutsats som dras är att det är av vikt för barnen att förskolan är likvärdig, och för att förskolan ska bli likvärdig bör vissa punkter i läroplanen revideras. / <p>Examinator har godkänt att fulltexten byts ut på grund av en smärre justering som inte påverkar uppsatsens innehåll. Gävle 12 augusti 2020.</p>

Dans cette thèse, nous considérons le modèle de régression avec plusieurs unités expérimentales, où les erreurs forment un processus d'autocovariance dans un cadre générale, c'est-à-dire, un processus du second ordre (stationnaire ou non stationnaire) avec une autocovariance non différentiable le long de la diagonale. Nous sommes intéressés, entre autres, à l'estimation non paramétrique de la fonction de régression de ce modèle.Premièrement, nous considérons l'estimateur classique proposé par Gasser et Müller. Nous étudions ses performances asymptotiques quand le nombre d'unités expérimentales et le nombre d'observations tendent vers l'infini. Pour un échantillonnage régulier, nous améliorons les vitesses de convergence d'ordre supérieur de son biais et de sa variance. Nous montrons aussi sa normalité asymptotique dans le cas des erreurs corrélées.Deuxièmement, nous proposons un nouvel estimateur à noyau pour la fonction de régression, basé sur une propriété de projection. Cet estimateur est construit à travers la fonction d'autocovariance des erreurs et une fonction particulière appartenant à l'Espace de Hilbert à Noyau Autoreproduisant (RKHS) associé à la fonction d'autocovariance. Nous étudions les performances asymptotiques de l'estimateur en utilisant les propriétés de RKHS. Ces propriétés nous permettent d'obtenir la vitesse optimale de convergence de la variance de cet estimateur. Nous prouvons sa normalité asymptotique, et montrons que sa variance est asymptotiquement plus petite que celle de l'estimateur de Gasser et Müller. Nous conduisons une étude de simulation pour confirmer nos résultats théoriques.Troisièmement, nous proposons un nouvel estimateur à noyau pour la fonction de régression. Cet estimateur est construit en utilisant la règle numérique des trapèzes, pour approximer l'estimateur basé sur des données continues. Nous étudions aussi sa performance asymptotique et nous montrons sa normalité asymptotique. En outre, cet estimateur permet d'obtenir le plan d'échantillonnage optimal pour l'estimation de la fonction de régression. Une étude de simulation est conduite afin de tester le comportement de cet estimateur dans un plan d'échantillonnage de taille finie, en terme d'erreur en moyenne quadratique intégrée (IMSE). De plus, nous montrons la réduction dans l'IMSE en utilisant le plan d'échantillonnage optimal au lieu de l'échantillonnage uniforme.Finalement, nous considérons une application de la régression non paramétrique dans le domaine pharmacocinétique. Nous proposons l'utilisation de l'estimateur non paramétrique à noyau pour l'estimation de la fonction de concentration. Nous vérifions son bon comportement par des simulations et une analyse de données réelles. Nous investiguons aussi le problème de l'estimation de l'Aire Sous la Courbe de concentration (AUC), pour lequel nous proposons un nouvel estimateur à noyau, obtenu par l'intégration de l'estimateur à noyau de la fonction de régression. Nous montrons, par une étude de simulation, que le nouvel estimateur est meilleur que l'estimateur classique en terme d'erreur en moyenne quadratique. Le problème crucial de l'obtention d'un plan d'échantillonnage optimale pour l'estimation de l'AUC est discuté en utilisant l'algorithme de recuit simulé généralisé. / In this thesis, we consider the fixed design regression model with repeated measurements, where the errors form a process with general autocovariance function, i.e. a second order process (stationary or nonstationary), with a non-differentiable covariance function along the diagonal. We are interested, among other problems, in the nonparametric estimation of the regression function of this model.We first consider the well-known kernel regression estimator proposed by Gasser and Müller. We study its asymptotic performance when the number of experimental units and the number of observations tend to infinity. For a regular sequence of designs, we improve the higher rates of convergence of the variance and the bias. We also prove the asymptotic normality of this estimator in the case of correlated errors.Second, we propose a new kernel estimator of the regression function based on a projection property. This estimator is constructed through the autocovariance function of the errors, and a specific function belonging to the Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) associated to the autocovariance function. We study its asymptotic performance using the RKHS properties. These properties allow to obtain the optimal convergence rate of the variance. We also prove its asymptotic normality. We show that this new estimator has a smaller asymptotic variance then the one of Gasser and Müller. A simulation study is conducted to confirm this theoretical result.Third, we propose a new kernel estimator for the regression function. This estimator is constructed through the trapezoidal numerical approximation of the kernel regression estimator based on continuous observations. We study its asymptotic performance, and we prove its asymptotic normality. Moreover, this estimator allow to obtain the asymptotic optimal sampling design for the estimation of the regression function. We run a simulation study to test the performance of the proposed estimator in a finite sample set, where we see its good performance, in terms of Integrated Mean Squared Error (IMSE). In addition, we show the reduction of the IMSE using the optimal sampling design instead of the uniform design in a finite sample set.Finally, we consider an application of the regression function estimation in pharmacokinetics problems. We propose to use the nonparametric kernel methods, for the concentration-time curve estimation, instead of the classical parametric ones. We prove its good performance via simulation study and real data analysis. We also investigate the problem of estimating the Area Under the concentration Curve (AUC), where we introduce a new kernel estimator, obtained by the integration of the regression function estimator. We prove, using a simulation study, that the proposed estimators outperform the classical one in terms of Mean Squared Error. The crucial problem of finding the optimal sampling design for the AUC estimation is investigated using the Generalized Simulating Annealing algorithm.

in English Dissertation deals with the freak show culture in Prague and the Czech lands in a broader context of the modern discourses of dis/ability and the imaginations of the collective body of the Czech nation. Exhibitions of "Lilliputians", "Giants", "Siamese twins" and other "extraordinary" bodies are analyzed here as a part of the history of an international entertainment culture in the 19th-century Europe. The emphasis lays on the turn of the century, the decade that witnessed rash development both of the capitalist entertainment industry and the expert disciplines that dealt with the "ab/normal". I claim, that the popularity of freak shows in this period rested in their ability to articulate fears and ambitions of their visitors, both in their individual embodied experience and their imaginative belonging, notably their belonging to the collective body of the Czech nation. In four case studies, I focus on individual freak figures and analyze how the intersections of different axes of difference - ethnicity, gender, class - within the representation of "the extraordinary", coproduced certain notion of social order and power hierarchies that were closely intertwined with the imagined collective body of nation.

Familj har historiskt sett konstruerats och framställts som mamma, pappa, barn, vilket har standardiserat en samhällsnorm om den ideala familjen. Det finns normer och föreställningar om vad som är ett bra föräldraskap och vilka förmågor en förälder ska ha. En kärnuppgift för socialsekreterare i barnutredningar är att göra riskbedömningar och bedöma föräldraförmåga. En kartläggning från 2021 visade att det fanns brister i två tredjedelar av ärendena gällande barn. Syftet med denna studie är att få en fördjupad förståelse för socialsekreterares tolkningar av det goda, det bristande och det ”tillräckligt bra” föräldraskapet i barnutredningar. För att besvara studiens frågeställningar har sex socialsekreterare fått ta del av en vinjett att resonera kring i enskilda intervjuer. Datamaterialet har sedan analyserats i relation till tidigare forskning och med socialkonstruktivism som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Resultatet visade att bedömningar av föräldraförmåga är ett komplext arbete. Deltagarna lyfter svårigheterna med att applicera begreppet ”tillräckligt bra” i praktiken. Det arbete som görs då föräldraförmåga bedöms kategoriseras som ett socialt hantverk. Resultatet belyste även en organisatorisk komplexitet som innebär att utredningar görs av socialsekreterare men fastställande om ingripande insatser beslutas av annan part baserat på socialsekreterarnas subjektiva utredningar. / Historically family has been constructed and presented as mother, father, child, which has standardized a societal norm as the ideal family. There are norms and perceptions of what constitutes good parenting and what abilities a good parent should have. A core task for social workers in child investigations is to make risk-assessments and assess parenting ability. A mapping from 2021 showed that there were shortcomings in two thirds of cases concerning children. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of social workers' interpretations of the good, the deficient and the "good enough" parenting in child investigations. To answer the questions of the study, six social workers were given a vignette to resonate about in individual interviews. The collected material was analyzed along with previous research and social constructivism as a theoretical perspective. The results showed that assessing parental abilities is a complex work. The participants highlight the difficulties of practically applying “good enough” in their work. Assessing parental abilities is categorized as a social craft. The results also highlighted an organizational complexity, as assessments are performed by social workers whereas decisions about interventions are decided by another part, however based on their subjective investigations.

The objective of this study is to examine security measures in cities hosting sports mega events. Using International political sociology as a theoretical background, I argue that city spaces undergo what I refer to as dual securitization. I identify four principal characteristics of security measures which have become globally standardized and which I consider illiberal: exceptionalism, surveillance, militarization and urban restrictions. In the case studies, I explore how these measures were justified and employed during the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup in Beijing, South Africa, London and Rio de Janeiro. Despite some differences which are due to local realities, I argue that the approaches of the principal stakeholders in the four cities are very much alike. Regardless of the type of political regime or the degree of socio-economic development, exceptionality of mega events serves as an impetus for wide-scale and profound surveillance and militarization of contemporary cities. In the process, securing public spaces and urbanites comes at the expense of individual liberties.

in English Dissertation deals with the freak show culture in Prague and the Czech lands in a broader context of the modern discourses of dis/ability and the imaginations of the collective body of the Czech nation. Exhibitions of "Lilliputians", "Giants", "Siamese twins" and other "extraordinary" bodies are analyzed here as a part of the history of an international entertainment culture in the 19th-century Europe. The emphasis lays on the turn of the century, the decade that witnessed rash development both of the capitalist entertainment industry and the expert disciplines that dealt with the "ab/normal". I claim, that the popularity of freak shows in this period rested in their ability to articulate fears and ambitions of their visitors, both in their individual embodied experience and their imaginative belonging, notably their belonging to the collective body of the Czech nation. In four case studies, I focus on individual freak figures and analyze how the intersections of different axes of difference - ethnicity, gender, class - within the representation of "the extraordinary", coproduced certain notion of social order and power hierarchies that were closely intertwined with the imagined collective body of nation.