A weaving program initiated in 1981 by the National Welfare Organization to support the women with low educational background living in a Slavic-speaking area of the mountainous borderlands of Northern Greece, and continued for thirty years until its suspension in 2010. This research aims to shed light on factors that are experienced as important by participants in handcrafted employability projects. By uncovering socio-political factors that led to the suspension of the program, and its consequences on the women, insights about better understanding and dealing with similar conditions could be beneficial for future programs. An open-ended research strategy using individual semi-structured interviews, under the scope of the biographical narrative approach, was followed. According to the research results, the existence of the workshop improved the working conditions of the local women. The positive impact of its operation is reflected on the economic and social life of the village too. However, the sudden decision for suspension left no room for reactions, thus resulting to various economic and social consequences on personal and community levels. In conclusion, the power of structural forces started and ended the program. Despite the restrictions and intentions of the program, the people of this small community managed to create beautiful artefacts and a balanced social atmosphere, as well as to enrich the social life of the village.

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This diploma thesis is focused on a phenomenon of interpersonal communication, and on problematic communication in particular, which is present in case of nine Czech proses published between 2011 and 2021. The ultimate goal of the thesis is to examine the usage of such communication in contemporary Czech prose from a theme-motive perspective, and to analyse how it has been constructed in narrative ways. The arrangement of the case-studies is as follows: Nejlepší pro všechny by Petra Soukupová, Tiché roky by Alena Mornštajnová, Do vnitrozemí by Vladimíra Valová, Chirurg by Petra Dvořáková, Místa ve tmě by Lidmila Kábrtová, Nonstop Eufrat by Veronika Bendová, Český ráj by Jaroslav Rudiš, Hry bez hranic by Michal Kašpárek and Logoz by David Zábranský.

No description available.

Religious and cultural discourses shape relationships/marriages. The constructed nature of relationships/marriages opens the possibility for alternative relational realities. Positioning relationships/marriages in alternative discourses assisted the couples to construct a preferred relationship narrative. Three couples embarked on this feminist participatory action research journey - a couple from the Jehovah's Witnesses tradition,' a couple from the Dutch Reformed Church and a couple from a Gay Refonned Church. Conversations with the participating couples deconstructed their relationships. It also enabled the couples to co-author alternative, preferred realities of their relationships/marriages and to provide rich descriptions of these. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

As sometime course facilitator of the Marriage Preparation Course of my faith community, an Anglican Church of Southern Africa, I had become curious as to what meaning the couples had constructed of their participation in these courses, particularly relating to both the content and style of facilitating the Course. The research finding determined that the main value of the Course had been that the group discussions enabled couples to explore their personal positions on a number of issues related to marriage. The adoption of participative action research as a broad model for the Course is recommended to encourage the engagement between premarital couples and the course facilitator to create/find knowledges and practices that will prepare them for marriage. Furthermore, the course facilitator should adopt a not-knowing, curious stance toward the elements of marriage under discussion, employing the narrative tools of externalisation and deconstructive questioning to facilitate the couples' meaning-making. / Practical Theology / M.Th.(Specialization in Pastoral Therapy)

For over four decades, segregation, as the master narrative in South Africa, favoured the development of whites as mental health workers and empowered them to research and write about the lives of people of colour, thus becoming the experts on their lives. In this project I do something in reverse by being an Indian pastoral therapist to white counsellees. The project describes a postmodern narrative approach and social construction epistemology and the application of these towards culturally sensitive and respectful ways of doing pastoral therapy. Important feedback from white counsellees on race, culture and spirituality enabled me to reflect on culturally sensitive ways of doing pastoral therapy in a multicultural post Apartheid South Africa. A narrative perspective also provided me with a voice to tell my own story in a way that was healing to me. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology (Pastoral Therapy))

Text in English / This research investigated the ability of employees to survive experiences of major career changes and how they managed to build career resilience during the process. Adopting an action research approach, it continues to research the role the church can play in this process, suggesting ways in which the exponents of practical theology, and more specifically, pastoral ministries can extend their role into non- or de-institutionalised areas, becoming industrial or organisational pastoral professionals in their own right. The second research question investigated ways in which career resilience can improve agency in upholding values in the face of the employee exploitation onslaught? A narrative approach was used and discourses of ethics and power were discussed. It was indicated how these could be subjected to a process of deconstruction to create alternative and preferred career stories. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology - with specialisation in Pastoral Theraphy)

Religious and cultural discourses shape relationships/marriages. The constructed nature of relationships/marriages opens the possibility for alternative relational realities. Positioning relationships/marriages in alternative discourses assisted the couples to construct a preferred relationship narrative. Three couples embarked on this feminist participatory action research journey - a couple from the Jehovah's Witnesses tradition,' a couple from the Dutch Reformed Church and a couple from a Gay Refonned Church. Conversations with the participating couples deconstructed their relationships. It also enabled the couples to co-author alternative, preferred realities of their relationships/marriages and to provide rich descriptions of these. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

As sometime course facilitator of the Marriage Preparation Course of my faith community, an Anglican Church of Southern Africa, I had become curious as to what meaning the couples had constructed of their participation in these courses, particularly relating to both the content and style of facilitating the Course. The research finding determined that the main value of the Course had been that the group discussions enabled couples to explore their personal positions on a number of issues related to marriage. The adoption of participative action research as a broad model for the Course is recommended to encourage the engagement between premarital couples and the course facilitator to create/find knowledges and practices that will prepare them for marriage. Furthermore, the course facilitator should adopt a not-knowing, curious stance toward the elements of marriage under discussion, employing the narrative tools of externalisation and deconstructive questioning to facilitate the couples' meaning-making. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th.(Specialization in Pastoral Therapy)