Operating under the rubric of sport-for-development, nongovernmental organizations have mobilized sport activities as a tool for international development. Along with these initiatives, a scholarly analysis of the phenomenon has emerged. However, this body of research has not included analysis from a critical occupational perspective. This is a conspicuous shortcoming since, in the language of occupational science, sport-for-development initiatives are occupation-based programs. This study explored sport-for-development using a critical occupational approach to research I constructed, wherein the central site of knowledge production was occupations used in sport-for-development programs. Through five case studies with sport-for-development organizations in Lusaka, Zambia, I describe how staff and youth participants spoke about and understood the use of sport occupations in sport-for-development programs and the sport-for-development ideologies and practices in Zambia and how these shaped the participation of youth. Data generation included observing program activities, interviewing participants, and analyzing organization documents. The findings drew attention to the form, function, and meaning of the sport occupations used in sport-for-development, and illuminate that football, which is a heavily gendered and segregated sport, was constructed as the preferential activity for programs. This prioritization of football, in conjunction with a hierarchical, authoritative approach to decision making, and focus on the development of youths’ sports skills, led to athletic, non-disabled boys living in urban areas being the primary beneficiaries of the programs. I argue that the ideological beliefs that re/produced these understandings contributed to occupational injustices by (1) contributing to the practice of sport being used uncritically as an activity for all youth, (2) perpetuating what were considered acceptable activities for boys and girls in the local context to do, and (3) defining boys in opposition to girls, rural youth, poor youth, and youth with disabilities from both genders. Finally, I propose directions for institutionally-orientated actions to address occupational injustices and consideration of the wider uses and implications of a critical occupational approach within health and social research.

This thesis is about many things, not least of all the September 4th 2010 and February 22nd 2011 earthquakes that shook Christchurch, New Zealand. A city was shaken, events which worked to lay open the normally invisible yet vital objects, processes and technologies which are the focus of inquiry: the sewers, pipes, pumps, the digital technologies, the land and politics which constitute the Christchurch wastewater networks. The thesis is an eclectic mix drawing together methods and concepts from Bruno Latour, John Law, Giles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, Nigel Thrift, Donna Haraway and Patrick Joyce. It is an exploration of how the technologies and objects of sanitation perform the city, and how such things which are normally hidden and obscured, are made visible. The question of visibility is also turned toward the research itself: how does one observe, and describe? How are sociological visibilities constructed? Through the research, the encountering of objects in the field, the processes of method, the pedagogy of concepts, and the construction of risk, the thesis comes to be understood as a particular kind of social scientific artefact which assembles four different accounts: the first regards the construction of visibility; the second explores Christchurch city from the control room where the urban sanitary infrastructures are monitored; the third chapter looks at the formatted and embodied practices which emerge with the correlation of the city and sanitation; the fourth looks at the changing politics of a city grappling with severely damaged essential services, land and structures. The final chapter considers how the differences between romantic and baroque sensibilities mean that these four accounts elicit knowing not through smoothness or uniformity, but in partiality and non-coherence. This thesis is about pipes, pump stations, and treatment plants; about the effluent of a city; about the messiness of social science when confronted by the equally messy world of wastewater.

Operating under the rubric of sport-for-development, nongovernmental organizations have mobilized sport activities as a tool for international development. Along with these initiatives, a scholarly analysis of the phenomenon has emerged. However, this body of research has not included analysis from a critical occupational perspective. This is a conspicuous shortcoming since, in the language of occupational science, sport-for-development initiatives are occupation-based programs. This study explored sport-for-development using a critical occupational approach to research I constructed, wherein the central site of knowledge production was occupations used in sport-for-development programs. Through five case studies with sport-for-development organizations in Lusaka, Zambia, I describe how staff and youth participants spoke about and understood the use of sport occupations in sport-for-development programs and the sport-for-development ideologies and practices in Zambia and how these shaped the participation of youth. Data generation included observing program activities, interviewing participants, and analyzing organization documents. The findings drew attention to the form, function, and meaning of the sport occupations used in sport-for-development, and illuminate that football, which is a heavily gendered and segregated sport, was constructed as the preferential activity for programs. This prioritization of football, in conjunction with a hierarchical, authoritative approach to decision making, and focus on the development of youths’ sports skills, led to athletic, non-disabled boys living in urban areas being the primary beneficiaries of the programs. I argue that the ideological beliefs that re/produced these understandings contributed to occupational injustices by (1) contributing to the practice of sport being used uncritically as an activity for all youth, (2) perpetuating what were considered acceptable activities for boys and girls in the local context to do, and (3) defining boys in opposition to girls, rural youth, poor youth, and youth with disabilities from both genders. Finally, I propose directions for institutionally-orientated actions to address occupational injustices and consideration of the wider uses and implications of a critical occupational approach within health and social research.

The aim of this dissertation is to compare German and Swedish textbooks in socialscience focused on how democracy takes form in the text. What kind ofrepresentations appears through texts and illustrations? What is said and how is itsaid? What is emphasized? What is excluded? How does the text present differentconcepts and relate them to democracy? The study also focuses on how knowledgeand learning is described and to whom the text is addressed.This dissertation has a semiotic-didactic perspective based on the dialogicalprinciple that emanates from Bakhtin’s theoretical perspective and Bakhtin’sthoughts of how to analyze texts.The empirical material consists of textbooks in social science, published since 1950.The study is restricted to books written for upper secondary school and books havebeen selected to achieve variation in the descriptions of democracy.The analysis has focused on themes and concepts appearing in the textbooks.Different themes appearing in the text are the basis for the creation of a time-line.Four different periods have been found in each country, but the division of time isslightly different.The dominant themes in German textbooks are “the good and the evil”, “thegood and bad democracy”, “action groups – to be or not to be” and “unity oreminance”. There is more than one theme in Swedish textbooks, but the mostdominant themes are “governing and obedience”, “governing and autonomy”, “theautonomous citizen”, and “governing or empowerment”.There are many representations of democracy in the textbooks and most of therepresentations are vague and full of contradictions. Some of the images evencontradict the official image of democracy. Citizens in German textbooks aredescribed as active, autonomous and responsible, but the only way to influencepoliticians is through participation in elections. Citizens described in Swedishtextbooks are portrayed as passive, ignorant and irresponsible, except when voting.The dominant view of knowledge and learning is reproductive. Knowledge isportrayed as monological and the students are expected to learn some basics facts,without being able to reflect and deliberate on issues. However, texts can be openand create opportunities for students to reflect and take a stance on their own. Anopen and dialogical text is more common in German textbooks than in Swedishtextbooks.

This thesis explores the reasons for religious change to Pentecostal Christianity in urban Java during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It investigates the conversion trend to Pentecostal forms of Christianity that has taken place in recent decades in the cities of Java. Why some of Java’s Muslim urbanites, particularly young traditionalist Javanese Muslims of lower and middle class status, have converted to this ecstatic expression of Christianity since 1980 is the focus of this study. The thesis considers the utility of current social science theories that emphasise social, cultural, political and selected religious factors, to understanding this conversion trend in urban Muslim Java. Socio-political factors, particularly political and social crises, rapid urbanisation, and state support for monotheistic religions; and selected religious factors, mainly delimited religious pluralism and reaction to Islamic extremism, produced a climate in urban Java conducive to conversion to this indigenous, moderately strict, this-worldly focussed and modern Christian movement. While this thesis demonstrates the utility of current social science explanations, it argues that these explanations, which rely solely on socio-political and some religious factors external to the converts, do not fully explain why some of the Muslim inhabitants of the cities of Java have converted to Pentecostal Christianity over other religions, and over other forms of Christianity. I argue that existing social science theory be extended to be more inclusive of specialised aspects of the Pentecostal movement. These specific characteristics are considered under the schema of ‘religious experiences and movement specificities’ (REMS), and are particularly concerned with the role of Pentecostal worldview, religious experiences, community and institutional aspects in conversion. This thesis demonstrates the value of an integrated approach to the scientific study of the reasons for religious conversion, one that considers the contribution of external socio-political forces and inner subjective religious experiences, personal faith aspects and specificities of movements.

This thesis explores the reasons for religious change to Pentecostal Christianity in urban Java during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It investigates the conversion trend to Pentecostal forms of Christianity that has taken place in recent decades in the cities of Java. Why some of Java’s Muslim urbanites, particularly young traditionalist Javanese Muslims of lower and middle class status, have converted to this ecstatic expression of Christianity since 1980 is the focus of this study. The thesis considers the utility of current social science theories that emphasise social, cultural, political and selected religious factors, to understanding this conversion trend in urban Muslim Java. Socio-political factors, particularly political and social crises, rapid urbanisation, and state support for monotheistic religions; and selected religious factors, mainly delimited religious pluralism and reaction to Islamic extremism, produced a climate in urban Java conducive to conversion to this indigenous, moderately strict, this-worldly focussed and modern Christian movement. While this thesis demonstrates the utility of current social science explanations, it argues that these explanations, which rely solely on socio-political and some religious factors external to the converts, do not fully explain why some of the Muslim inhabitants of the cities of Java have converted to Pentecostal Christianity over other religions, and over other forms of Christianity. I argue that existing social science theory be extended to be more inclusive of specialised aspects of the Pentecostal movement. These specific characteristics are considered under the schema of ‘religious experiences and movement specificities’ (REMS), and are particularly concerned with the role of Pentecostal worldview, religious experiences, community and institutional aspects in conversion. This thesis demonstrates the value of an integrated approach to the scientific study of the reasons for religious conversion, one that considers the contribution of external socio-political forces and inner subjective religious experiences, personal faith aspects and specificities of movements.

This study seeks to determine the reasons for the departure of New Zealand-born Samoans from a South Auckland traditional Samoan Seventh-day Adventist church. The concept of SURVIVAL: Exposure, Exit, and Reinvestment Model is used to explain the two factors instrumental in these young people's decisions to depart from the church. The first factor, which is a push factor, is the atmosphere at church, or what I refer to in this study as exposure. The second factor, which is a pull factor, involves the benefits of reinvesting their time and talents in other churches or in other non-church related activities. The results of this study strongly indicate that the church atmosphere was neither conducive nor promising, but very antagonistic to developing New Zealand-born Samoan young people's spiritual and social journeys. Consequently, the situation at church made these young people look elsewhere for social and spiritual survival. An analysis of the data suggests that the church can reverse the problem of departure by putting in place an active and effective system whereby the concerns and ideas of New Zealand-born Samoans as well as other youths are shared, heard, and rightly understood by the elders and the leadership of the church.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-159) and index.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-185).

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 166-194). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.