Title of the Master's Thesis: Creation of protagonists in selected novels by Rómulo Gallegos Abstract: The goal of the thesis is a detailed analysis of the main characters of the novels Doňa Barbara and La Trepadora written by Rómulo Gallegos, one of the frontmen of "regionalism". Based on several expert essays, an original theoretical scheme of character analysis is formulated. It follows character indicators in the text, relationship to other compounds of the novels, typology determination, and reader's construct of the character in the story including the role of perception. The thesis also studies an analysis of acting forces and seeks common features of both novels, the prime one being the conflict of dual value systems.

The thesis focuses on theoretical and empirical analysis of the New Regionalism trends that are further applied to the case of the European Union. Aim of the thesis is to explain the substance and features of New Regionalism in the world economy and confront them with the current state of integration in the European Union. The matter is whether the European Union, which has belonged to the most successful examples of regional integration, is strong and flexible tool of its member states to cope with changing conditions of the globalized world economy and whether it can aspire for a more substantial role in regional and global governance.

Over time, the position of the regions within the European integration process was gaining on significance. The emancipation processes of the 1970s and 1980s set off by advancing decentralization on one hand, and a wave of new regionalism on the other later evolved into a debate about a "Europe of the regions". Although it is obvious that this concept does not have a broad support any more, the regional level was able to seize the opportunity and secure itself a better position in the integration process -- not only as an object and instrument of EU policies, but also as another actor in the decision-making process. The aim of the thesis was to analyze the position of the regions in the European integration process as well as to deal with the topic in a broader theoretical perspective (regionalism, multi-level governance, paradiplomacy). To fulfill this aim the thesis answered following research questions: "What incited the debate about the Europe of the regions and what were the imminent outcomes of the debate?" "Which structures can the regions use to access the European policy level and what influences their efficiency?" and "To what extent are these structures used by Czech regions? Methods used to answer these research questions included analysis of available sources and literature, historical analysis and a survey.

Regionalism in Central Asia is often identified with the dominance of tribal affiliations in politics. This classification, however, is problematic because it neglects the extent of social change under the Soviet rule. In Soviet Turkmenistan state structures were relatively strong. However, personal relations within the Communist party had preserved patrimonial elements within the state. The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to a stronger patrimonialization of authority relations. In Turkmenistan, this process led to an extreme form of a neo-patrimonial state due to the personal and arbitrary rule of its president Nijazov.

Zugl.: Hamburg, Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Bochum, Univ., Diss., 2009

Zugl.: Wien, Univ., Diss., 2007

Zugl.: Darmstadt, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2007

Univ., Diss.--Hamburg, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. 295 - 328. - Text überw. dt. teilw. engl.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University. / The Justin Winsor Prize of the American Historical Association was awarded for this essay. From the Annual report of the American Historical Association, 1900, vol. I, p. 237-463, 3 pl. "List of references": p. 461-463.