Why does civil conflict spread from country to country? Existing research relies primarily on explanations of rebel mobilization tied to geographic proximity to explain this phenomenon. However, this approach is unable to explain why civil conflict appears to spread across great geographic distances, and also neglects the government’s role in conflict. To explain this phenomenon, this dissertation formulates an informational theory in which individuals contemplating rebellion against their government, or “proto-rebels,” observe the success and failure of rebels throughout the international system. In doing so, proto-rebels and governments learn whether rebellion will be fruitful, which is then manifested in the timing of rebellion and repression. The core of the dissertation is composed of three essays. The first exhorts scholars of the international spread of civil violence to directly measure proto-rebel mobilization. I show that such mobilization is associated with conflicts across the entire international system, while the escalation to actual armed conflict is associated with regional conflicts. The second chapter theorizes that proto-rebels learn from successful rebellions across the international system. This relationship applies globally, although it is attenuated by cultural and regime-type similarity. Finally, the third chapter theorizes that governments are aware of this process and engage in repression in order to thwart it. I further argue that this repression is, in part, a function of the threat posed by those regimes founded by rebels.

A thesis describes the life of the premonstratensians in Nová Říše and the life of its members from 1948 until 1968. Special attention is paid to events in 1950, when the brothers were arrested and taken away from the monastery in the framework of the liquidation of orders. Keywords norbertines, Nová Říše, communism, persecution, church, "Akce K"

This thesis deals with the life story of Augustin Komanec, dean of Slaný, a man standing among many other anonymous priests who were persecuted for their firm human and Christian attitudes towards the Church and its bishops in the early 1950's. Augustin Komanec was one of those tried by the totalitarian communist regime in fabricated trials. He was not sentenced to death, nevertheless the stiffness of the punishment led to the ultimate sacrifice. He died soon after he had been sent to the communist prison in Mírov. Based on documents available, the work presents Komanec's both civil and clerical life from 1885 to 1948 and then from the communist coup to his death in 1953. The aim of the work is to present the destiny of this brave person, who refused to give in to the totalitarian power and who represented the real enemy of this power: the Church, courageous and free.

This dissertation describes the life story of Věra Skálová Selnerová, a Czech actress who was born in 1921 in Prague. She grew up in Ústí nad Labem but in 1993, she and her family had to flee back to Prague. There she commenced her career as an actress - she worked with Andula Sedláčková and later on with Vlasta Burian. She also starred in several movies (Advokát chudých, Muži nestárnou, etc.). After the war she suspended her acting career and married General Jaroslav Selner, who fought on the Western and the Eastern Front. After February 1948, she and her husband were persecuted and together they left Prague. She worked as a clerk and a teacher. In the sixties, they returned to Prague and she began to work for Pragokoncert, but she had to leave this job in 1968 because of her political beliefs. Her husband died in 1973. After 1989, they were both rehabilitated. This thesis uses oral-history interviews, archival materials, scholarly literature and memoirs. Keywords: Věra Skálová Selnerová, theater, film, Protectorate, communism, persecution, everyday life. Abstract This dissertation describes the life story of Věra Skálová Selnerová, a Czech actress who was born in 1921 in Prague. She grew up in Ústí nad Labem but in 1993, she and her family had to flee back to Prague. There she commenced her...

In recent years, focus has been on asylum policies in the context of the growing numbers of asylum seekers arriving to Denmark but not much attention has been paid to the individual situations of women seeking asylum in Denmark. This thesis presents a case study on the Danish asylum system that has been analyzed using a comparative legal analysis, examining what international legal norms Denmark has implemented into the asylum system in practice. Using critical frame analysis, dominant frames and underlying narratives were identified in asylum practices, demonstrating the negative consequences female asylum seekers experience as a result. Although, great improvements have been made by Denmark, the analysis proved that there still exists gaps in the protection of women seeking asylum. This includes the recognition of gender-related grounds for asylum, gender-sensitive procedures in application assessment, and the gender responsive reception circumstances. Furthermore, this study concludes that Denmark still has steps to take to fully adopt gender-guidelines into practice, and that (non-) application of gender-guidelines and gender-sensitive approaches has negative consequences for women seeking asylum in Denmark.

This research attempted to gain insight into the perspectives of Orthodox, Jewish women regarding the abuse of women in heterosexual relationships, in their community. Feminist theory and social constructionism were utilised in order to facilitate in greater insight into the roles of women in Judaism and the manner in which Jewish doctrine and ideology influences women who are abused by their husbands. The research focused on specific principles that are intrinsic to Jewish faith and identity. It also explored Jewish persecution and its influence on the formation and perpetuation of many of the Jewish customs and traditions as a means of preserving or upholding Jewish faith. The sample comprised of nine women who fell within an age range of 25-35 years. Jewish women from Orthodox backgrounds were utilised. A qualitative paradigm was applied in order to gain access to information thereby ensuring that the content obtained was of a more personal nature involving the private perceptions of this study’s participants. The following themes were identified from the data and formed the basis upon which the analysis and discussion took place. The themes include: Jewish men treat women according to what men are taught, marriage precipitates acknowledgement of women and the Jewish community is not immune to social ills. The results of the research support the argument that Jewish religious and cultural values appear to influence women’s choices in abusive relationships. Furthermore, the roles that women typically assume in Jewish society seemingly perpetuate existing gender stereotypes in relation to women.

Although international human rights declarations exist, violations of human rights are still sad but also common facts around the world. But for repressive regimes, it becomes more and more difficult to hide committed human rights violations, since society entered the "Information Revolution." This study argues that the volume of international information exchanged influences a country's human rights record. A pooled cross sectional time series regression model with a lagged endogenous variable and a standard robust error technique is used to test several hypotheses. The findings of this study indicate that the flow of information can be related to a country's human rights index. The study also suggests that more empirical work on this topic will be necessary.

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The tiger (Panthera tigris) was once abundant in many of Asia’s forests. The entire species now hovers dangerously close to extinction. Population declines within the last two centuries are blamed largely on loss of habitat, reductions in prey species, poaching, and human-tiger conflict. Modern tiger conservation efforts focus on reintroducing formerly captive tigers to designated protected wild areas. Re-wilding and reintroduction programs teach survival skills to tiger cubs raised in zoo collections. Merging in situ and ex situ research collaborations is the twenty-first century’s interdisciplinary answer to the tiger’s plight in the wild. The zoo is viewed in terms of its role as an institution that represents societal values that shift in concurrence with shifting paradigms. This thesis studies the human-tiger relationship and analyzes three defining periods that occurred between 1800 and the present. The first period occurred during the nineteenth century, the second took place from the early through the late twentieth century and the third picked up where the second left off and is the one we are presently engaged in. The tiger is investigated in two different ways throughout — for its importance in human history and culture conceptually, and in the biological sense in terms of its importance as umbrella species within its own ecosystem. / Master of Science

This study is a literary and ethnographic examination of The Vision of Theophilus, a fourth century Coptic narrative, as influential counter-narrative and source of counterdiscourse against the narrative created by the historically dominant Egyptian Arab Muslim state. It shows that The Vision has provided the Copts with the means to articulate their identity as different from their oppressors through its function as a repository of Coptic ideology, history and knowledge. Specifically, it has helped them resist the erosion of those aspects of their cultural identity targeted by colonial practices through its promotion of the Coptic language, pride in Coptic history, and Christianization of the landscape. This study also suggests that The Vision tradition has helped alleviate the conditions of material and economic oppression of Copts. Drawing upon theories of Foucauldian genealogy and postcolonialism my research examines the development of Coptic identity and subjectivity in relation to assimilation practices. Using oral studies and ethnopoetics, this study traces the process of composition, transmission, stabilization and systemization of The Vision over sixteen hundred years and its dispersion over a wide geographic region from Egypt to Ethiopia, Syria, and the US. My research suggests that the resilience and effectiveness of The Vision as oral tradition lies in the stability of its core message and its ability to absorb and adapt peripheral changes to the needs of each given historical period. Close analysis of this core message as gleaned through comparative manuscript study also supports important revisions to its datation, and enables us to claim its Coptic authenticity. Previously, the only academic scholarly work concerning The Vision centered on its diffused Syrian and Ethiopian variants while its Coptic manuscript history remained largely unknown. / This study, which emphasizes the specifically Coptic origins, history and significance of The Vision of Theophilus, therefore fills a vital scholarly gap: Locating cultural resistance and agency in orality, this study shows how The Vision has historically acted (and still acts today) as a repository of Coptic history and culture enabling Copts to articulate a separate identity over long periods of time, and amidst a wide range of historical and socio-economic factors. / by Fatin Morris Guirguis. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.