In contemporary philosophy about justice, a contrast between empirical and transcendental approaches can be identified. Hillel Steiner represents an empirical approach: he argues for building an account of justice-as-rights out of the minimal inductive material of psychological linguistic and moral intuitions. From this opening, he ultimately concludes that persons have original rights to self-ownership and to an initially equal share of natural resources. Emmanuel Levinas represents a transcendental approach: he argues that justice arises from a transcendent ethical relation of responsibility-for-the-Other. This relation underpins all subjective cognition, and makes rationality, reasoning, and rights possible. Analysis of each of these positions reveals certain problems. On the one hand, Steiner’s argument contains a number of latent methodological, conceptual, and structural presuppositions. These include the pretheoretical concepts of “person”, “equality”, and “consistency”. These presuppositions prefigure and condition the conclusions which Steiner reaches. On the other hand, Levinas fails to provide a convincing account of how the self comes to be an object of my own deliberations about morality and justice. This amounts to an annihilation of the subject which undermines his argument for the subject as a site of responsible action. As Steiner identifies, justice encompasses equal moral agents. Levinas’s hyperbolic description of the ethical relation’s asymmetry must therefore be revised. Nevertheless, what remains is the strength of Levinas’s argument for the priority of the ethical relation over thematization, rationality, and consciousness. The hidden presuppositions supporting Steiner’s work are evidence of Levinas’s plausibility in this respect. Steiner’s account of justice-as-rights requires a prior ethical relation in which we recognise one another as separate persons, each possessing an ethical status of their own; an attitude of justice motivates Steiner’s description of justice. This attitude is evident in language, which is communication before it is thought. In that individual rights can be conceived only on the basis of a relation of responsibility, rights are primordially the rights of the Other.

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar o projeto de Nancy Fraser de pacificar a chamada guerra de paradigmas na teoria feminista, ou seja, o confronto entre teorias feministas pós-modernas e modernas. Essa análise é feita a partir do debate entre Judith Butler, Seyla Benhabib e Nancy Fraser acerca dos problemas teóricos que emergem das exclusões no movimento feminista, ou seja, da dificuldade de o movimento representar as várias formas de viver a condição feminina, levando em conta as intersecções entre a identidade de gênero, racial, de classe, etc. A intenção de Nancy Fraser é combinar a concepção de sujeito moderno e pósmoderno a fim de somar a desconstrução do sujeito, ou seja, a desnaturalização da identidade feminina com as concepções de igualdade e autonomia que estão presentes no argumento de Benhabib. Essa discussão remete a três tensões conceituais: autonomia e contextualização do sujeito; identidade e reconhecimento da diferença e igualdade e pluralidade. Por fim, concluo que a conciliação entre modernidade e pós-modernidade é problemática porque a concepção de sujeito pós-moderno apresenta desafios teóricos profundos a uma autonomia suficientemente forte para justificar a crítica social. No entanto, isso não significa necessariamente ter de escolher entre poder e autonomia, entre sujeito abstrato e determinado pelo meio. Na concepção de self narrativo de Benhabib, que ela concebe sob a influência do modernismo relutante de Hannah Arendt, encontra-se um modelo de conciliação de poder e autonomia mais promissor para vencer a exclusão no feminismo sem abandonar a identidade coletiva no movimento feminsita. / The subject of this thesis is Nancy Frasers attempt to overcome the tension between post-modernism and modernism in the feminist political theory, known as the paradigm war. This attempt is analysed though her debate with Judith Butler and Seyla Benhabib about the theoretical consequences of dealing with the problem of exclusion within the feminist movement. Nancy Fraser intends to combine Judith Butlers conception of the subject with Benhabibs conception of equality. For her, this is the only way to integrate power and autonomy in feminist political theory. This discussion leads to three theoretical tensions: contextualization of the subject and autonomy; identity and recognition of difference, and equality and plurality. My conclusion is that this combination is not possible because the post modern subjet challenges any conception of autonomy that is strong enough to explain and motivate social criticsm. Nevertheless, in Benhabibs conception of self narrative, inspired in the reluctant modernism of Hannah Arendt, we can find a theoretical model that is more adequate to fight the exclusion in feminist movement without abandoning its colletive identity.

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Available literature reveals that most prevalently delinquency has been viewed from a modernist perspective. However, as cybernetic epistemology increased its stronghold within the field of psychology, explanations became increasingly systemic in nature. In this study a literature review is presented which articulates these approaches. This critique is followed by a comprehensive consideration of delinquency from a social constructionist stance as an alternative to modernist and early cybernetic perspectives. Examples are provided as to possible ways in which the label "delinquency" evolves within an interpersonal context, as well as the ways in which the meaning engendered is linked to broader cultural discourses. It has been acknowledged that this does not constitute the social constructionist perspective on delinquency, but represents some challenging ideas about how delinquency is co-created between people. Implications for therapy and research are also discussed. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This dissertation is an exploratory study of the ideas put forward by theorists of post-Development. This current of thought emerged as a radical critique of the Development discourse, proclaiming that no reformulation could change the essential character of it, that being the "Westernisation" of the world. As post-Development's definitions rely on their opposition to what Development represents, from a theoretical point of view as well as in the myriad of behaviours resulting from it, the starting point of the thesis is an analytical account of Development discourse through the various theories that have shaped it during the second half of the 20th century. Other theories that can be considered outside mainstream Development are also analysed as well as those conventionally classified as alternative Development. A whole chapter is then dedicated to thoroughly review the historical unfolding of the Development discourse. The following chapter deals with the ideas put forward by post-Development. It relies on a series of publications identified with this current of thought as well as with information provided by one of its most prominent authors, Dr. Wolfgang Sachs, in an interview conducted by the author of this thesis. It also uses an unpublished manuscript given to the author by Gustavo Esteva, also prominent in the constitution and dissemination of the ideas of post-Development. In an effort to identify whether post-Development has remained at the level of theoretical formulation or if it has informed practices on the ground, research about the activities and underlying beliefs of the Global Barter Network (in Uruguay and in Argentina) and the World Social Forum was undertaken. The field-study, which is presented in the 4th chapter of the thesis, aimed at researching these particular initiatives and draw conclusions with respect to the existence of coincidences with the ideas of post-Development. The dissertation concludes then with an analysis of post-Development's major contributions to the Development debate, of its relationship with already existing practices, of its distinctiveness from alternative Development. It analyses the originality of the post-Development discourse and makes proposals for further research. / Development Studies / D.Litt. et Phil.

See title file for abstract / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This dissertation reports on the lived experiences of four child psychiatric nurses. The territory of child psychiatric nursing is explored in this investigation through the punctuation of many voices within this field of study. The methodology of the investigation is descriptive phenomenology and Colaizzis’ steps in descriptive phenomenology (map) are used to discover and describe the different template theories (the territory) that are unique to each of the four child psychiatric nurses who were interviewed. Following this, a story is punctuated, which is referred to as the structural synthesis. It is the heartbeat of the investigation. The dissertation concludes by reflecting on the paradox of how the invisibility of the child psychiatric nurses allowed for the visibility of the dissertation and encourages the reader to ask pivotal questions about the important role of the child psychiatric nurse, working as part of a multidisciplinary team, in order to improve patient care. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical psychology)