Abstract not available.

Mainstream approaches usually follow standard economic principles which have been developed in order to better understand the behaviour of modern western consumers in a capitalist context. In time, we have come to understand that these same principles are profoundly inadequate in explaining third world consumption and even more inappropriate when attempting to expound its qualitative effects on living standards, family relations, community dynamics and cultural changes in developing regions. To make sense of this problematic, the problem will be outlined in broad terms and the present research's objectives clarified, along with its theoretical inclination, analytical framework and methodology. Then, to better understand the need for such a project, popular discourses on consumption in economics, development, globalization processes and cultural change will be reviewed. Then, a brief explanation as to why Peru was chosen as the site for this project's case studies will be presented, as well as a critique of Peruvian and Andean politico-economics. Finally, research findings and conclusions will be presented and discussed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Neoliberalism and globalization have contributed to an environment of economic uncertainty in rural Canada, raising concern for the social well-being of its residents. Despite immense challenges, many rural communities possess positive elements of social cohesion that can be used by the community in the pursuit of their communal objectives. This thesis uses social cohesion as a theoretical framework to examine this rural social environment, its relationship with sport tourism and sport's ability to foster social cohesion. Using Plaster Rock, New Brunswick and the World Pond Hockey Championships (WPHC) as a case study, this thesis broadens social cohesion research to include tourists and other visitors to rural regions. In doing so, this thesis demonstrates how the social potential of sport creates a community around the event with its own social cohesion. The residents of the host community participate in the event's activities, which contribute to the achievement the common goals of all stakeholders, local and visiting. This research begins to examine the unique social environment which exists in many rural communities, as well contributes to a better understanding of sport and sport tourism's ability to foster social cohesion in these communities.

Max Weber argued that traditional values impede the development of capitalism in Confucian societies. Korea is an economic success, yet is also known as the most Confucian of East Asian countries. This thesis seeks to explain the marriage between a thriving consumer-based economy and a traditional Confucian value system. Broadly, it was found that Koreans are committed to uniquely adapted values that while faithful to their Confucian origins, are also products of contemporary Korean history. What results are core values that appear to be staid in traditional terms, but are in effect driving forces for economic growth and national unity. Within these findings, it is revealed that (1) Confucian ideals of family relationships, rank and essential virtues are at the forefront of the Korean imaginary; (2) it is possible to harmonize the terms modern and traditional, (3) that capitalism is culturally constructed and therefore not fully subject to Weberian limitations.

In the past few decades, Aboriginals in Canada have undergone a steep urban transition. The challenges associated with the city, such as racism, poverty, feelings of dislocation, coping and thriving within the broader Canadian society, and negotiating identity, are all issues which led to the creation of urban cultural centres and organizations. Within the context of these organizations, the communities that are formed are multicultural in the sense of bringing together all Aboriginal peoples from a variety of First Nations, Metis and Inuit backgrounds. On one hand, Aboriginal cultural centres are faced with the challenge of respectfully acknowledging the diverse cultures of Aboriginal peoples, while on the other, identifying, and celebrating the common cultural values shared by all Aboriginals. Cultural centres have also stepped up to offer support for Aboriginal people(s) in the ongoing negotiation with modernity and the healing through the process of cultural reclamation. This study, which is exploratory in nature, examines identity at an urban Aboriginal cultural centre, from both individual, and community perspectives. In true postmodern fashion, this work melts away disciplinary boundaries by taking on theoretical approaches from sociology, anthropology, and political philosophy.

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate the connection between the institution of the French educational system and its effects on the new French population (predominately children of Algerian immigrants). This thesis makes the connection between the high school or lycee and the social barriers its "minority" students experience within the school system. By focusing on two broad dimensions of the French school system; its structure and values, this thesis argues that the system produces inequalities amongst its students primarily because of its failure to recognise the multiethnic classroom. By contextualising colonial France in Algeria, this thesis shows the connection between France's unique history and its educational institution as it relates to present day French culture. This thesis shows that the French educational system is so well established in its secular traditions that it no longer meets the needs of its students and consequently produces and reproduces exclusion and otherness.

"'A Restraint of Their Debauchery': Poverty, Power, and Social Policy in Augustan England, 1688-1723" examines the connections between ideas and definitions of poverty created by both elites and the poor, and social policy legislation and disbursement of relief. Specifically, Mackworth's failed 1704 omnibus reform bill, and Knatchbull's successful 1723 Workhouse Test Act are considered. Successive chapters are dedicated to historiography and methodology, the contemporary pamphlet debates over poverty, pauper self-definition in petitions to the state, and politics and policy during the early eighteenth century. Often this analysis focuses on individuals. Notable subjects include: John Locke, Matthew Hale, Bernard Mandeville, John Bellers, Daniel Defoe, Richard Cocks, Humphrey Mackworth, and Edward Knatchbull. Several observations about the character of contemporary perceptions of poverty are made, and their connection to the resulting legislative and published efforts is explained.

Résumé Cette thèse vise à déceler les attitudes des membres des minorités visibles à l'égard du multiculturalisme d'une part, et d'autre part, à découvrir les déterminants attitudinaux. Se plaçant dans le cadre de l'approche des capabilités de Amartya Sen, cette recherche qualitative veut démontrer que non seulement l'identification au groupe ethnoculturel n'est pas le seul déterminant de l'attitude individuelle à l'égard du multiculturalisme, mais également que l'évaluation de l'impact de ce dernier sur les opportunités et les contraintes individuelles particularise et fragmente les attitudes. Au terme de la recherche qualitative par entrevue semi-dirigée sur un petit nombre de cas, il est apparu que pour les personnes qui considèrent le multiculturalisme en terme d'actions publiques pourvoyeuses de service et d'opportunités dans certains domaines de la vie, la perception de la présence ou de l'absence d'impact du multiculturalisme sur les opportunités et les contraintes de réalisation de certains aspects de la vie (de même que la nature de cet impact) influe sur l'attitude individuelle à l'égard du multiculturalisme, créant ainsi une certaine variation, et ce, même chez les personnes ayant le même degré d'identification.

This study examines the ways in which residents of a Canadian gated community in southern Ontario, Canada socially construct the meaning of both "community" and "safety". In particular, the study examines whether the assumptions and findings on community safety found in the literature on American gated communities apply to similar communities in Canada. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants to explore the underlying assumptions and stereotypes that participants used in the discussions of community safety. Participants defined a safe community as one that is: homogeneous; excludes strangers and 'others'; provides both physical and social security; built on a sense of community life; and governed by rules and regulations. This study found empirical evidence that helps to validate many of the assumptions in the existing literature: the restriction of access helps residents feel safe; physical infrastructure is needed in order to feel safe; the ability to recognize who is a member of the community makes residents feel safe; and gated communities are viewed by their residents as nostalgic neighborhoods.

Cette thèse est la rencontre des résultats d'une enquête portant sur l'intégration des jeunes à la société québécoise et l'approche fonctionnaliste des divers acteurs sociaux facilitant cette intégration. Au cours de la dernière année, nous avons travaille des données quantitatives recueillies auprès de 200 jeunes de Montréal-Nord ainsi que différentes théories sociologiques afin de déterminer comment les jeunes réussissaient à s'intégrer à la société québécoise. Nous cherchions d'une part, à savoir quels types d'institutions venaient en aide aux jeunes lors de leurs processus d'intégration. Est-ce des institutions traditionnelles telles que la famille, ou au contraire, des institutions modernes telles que l'école et les groupes de pairs? Nous cherchions d'abord à déterminer quel était le rôle exact de la famille, ainsi que le rôle de l'éducation et des groupes de pairs dans l'intégration des jeunes. Bien que les valeurs défendues par la famille entrent souvent en conflit avec les valeurs promues par la sous-culture de la jeunesse, nos recherches ont démontré que de telles rivalités étaient nécessaires à l'intégration et à la formation de l'identité du jeune. Ainsi, la famille et les groupes de pairs ne sont pas des institutions rivales, mais bien complémentaires et fondamentales pour la socialisation du jeune. Cette question a été posée à 3 groupes de jeunes, à savoir les immigrants, les immigrants de deuxième génération et les québécois de souche. Nos résultats nous ont démontré qu'il n'y avait pas de différence dans le processus d'intégration de nos trois groupes. Ainsi, il serait faux d'affirmer que les jeunes immigrants ont plus de difficulté à s'adapter et s'intégrer à la société québécoise que leur camarade de classe québécois.