The world has become more and more religiously plural. It is therefore essential to acknowledge the meaningful aspects in the essence of all religions, including African Religion. The dissertation seeks to highlight the concept, ”continuity of life” in African Religion. Special emphasis is placed on the Zulus due to the vastness of the African continent. Three areas are investigated to show that there is the belief in life after death in African Religion, as it is the case with all great world religions, such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity. These are the sacredness of life, marriage with the gift of children as a blessing from the ancestors, as well as rites and ceremonies associated with death which show that the dead are still alive in a mysterious form. The conclusion is therefore that African Religion has a world status and should be included amongst the great world religions. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. Th. (Biblical Studies)

Discontent with preaching as mode of communication is the problem statement of this study. The authoritative nature of deductive preaching is mirrored by the exploratory, "discovery nature" of inductive models, emphasizing how dialogical preaching is enhanced by incorporating inductive elements into preaching. Meaning production and levels of meaning were studied, and a hermeneutical model for Pentecostal churches were proposed. Dialogical preaching as attitude and principle as well as method was looked at, and the role of interactive participative communication in the dialogic process was described. Special emphasis was placed on the Parable, the metaphor and narrative preaching as models for inductive preaching, and the development and phases of the "plot" was examined. Bridging models between inductive and deductive styles were explored, while two dialogical tools for preparation of sermons were designed. / Practical Theology / Th.M. (Practical theology)

Summary in English / Romanticism as a broad movement of thought developed as a reaction against rationalism and empiricism in the period of Enlightenment. In his critical evaluation of Getman literature Eichendorff as a historian exammes the excessiveness of esoteric theories in the work of the young intellectuals of the early romantic period in Getmany. The romanticists' idealist celebration of the self, and their tendency to overestimate the power of the imagination and the supreme value of art led to self-adulation and subjectivism which was unacceptable to Eichendorff s understanding of art and religion. The "romantic" attempt at creating a new mythology usmg art as a new kind of religion and thereby making the poet an omnipotent creator could only be rejected by Eichendorff whose moral convictions were strongly based on Christian Catholic beliefs. The young romanticists replaced ethics with aesthetics. Eichendorffs judgement of this development is devastating. He describes the early romantic movement as a "premature abortion". / Classics and Modern European Languages / M.A. (German)

This thesis is the first extensive study devoted to the generic originality of Iurii Tynianov’s representation of Pushkin in his two historical novels, Pushkin (1935-1943) and the abandoned The Gannibals (1932). Chapter 1 contextualises Tynianov’s contribution to the current debates on the novel’s demise, ‘large’ form and the worthy protagonist. The conditions giving rise to contemporary interest in the genres of biography and the historical novel are delineated and the critical issues surrounding these are examined; Tynianov’s concern to secularise the rigid monolith of an all but sanctified ‘state-sponsored Pushkin’ and the difficulties of the task are also reviewed. Chapter 2 shifts the examination of Pushkin as a historical novel to its study within the generic framework of the Bildungs, Erziehungs and Künstlerromane with their particular problematics which allowed Tynianov to grapple with a cluster of moral, philosophical and educational issues, and to explore the formative influences on the protagonist’s identity as a poet. Chapter 3 explores the concept of history underlying Tynianov’s interpretation of the characters and events and the historiographical practices he employed in his analyses of the factors that shaped Pushkin’s own historical thinking. Chapter 4 investigates Tynianov’s scepticism about Abram Gannibal’s and A. Pushkin’s mythopoeia which reveals itself in Tynianov’s subversively ironical and playful use of myth in both novels. The Conclusion assesses Tynianov’s contribution to the 20th century fictional Pushkiniana and reflects on his innovative transgeneric historical novel which broke the normative restrictions of the genre, elevated it to the level of ‘serious’ literature and made it conducive to stylistic experimentation.

Employing Cornish Cultures for Community Resilience. Can cultural distinctiveness be used to strengthen community bonds, boost morale and equip and motivate people socially and economically? Using the witness of people in Cornwall and comparative experiences, this discussion combines a review of how cultures are commodified and portrayed with reflections on well-being and ‘emotional prosperity’. Cornwall is a relatively poor European region with a cultural identity that inspires an established ethno-cultural movement and is the symbolic basis of community awareness and aspiration, as well as the subject of contested identities and representations. At the heart of this is an array of cultures that is identified as Cornish, including a distinct post-industrial inheritance, the Cornish Language and Celtic Revivalism. Cultural difference has long been a resource for cultural industries and tourism and discussion of using culture for regeneration has accordingly concentrated almost exclusively on these sectors but an emergent ‘regional distinctiveness agenda’ is beginning to present Cornish cultures as an asset for use in branding and marketing other sectors. All of these uses ultimately involve commodification but culture potentially has a far wider role to play in fostering economic, social, cultural and environmental resilience. This research therefore uses multidisciplinary approaches to broaden the discussion to include culture’s primary emotional and social uses. It explores the possibility that enhancing these uses could help to tackle economic and social disadvantage and to build more cohesive communities. The discussion centres on four linked themes: multiple forms of capital; discourse, narrative and myth; human need, emotion and well-being; representation and intervention. Cultural, social, symbolic and human capital are related to collective status and well-being through consideration of cultural practices, repertoires and knowledge. These are explored with discussion of accompanying representations and discourses and their social, emotional and economic implications so as to allow tentative suggestions for intervention in policy and representation. A key conclusion is that culture may be used proactively to increase ‘emotional capital’.

Le présent mémoire a comme sujet l'analyse et la caractérisation de la pensée de Paul sur la parousie (la deuxième venue du Seigneur) et l'étude de l'interprétation de cette pensée dans la théologie contemporaine,telle que représentée par Rudolf Bultmann, tenant de la démythologisation, et les théologiens de la libération Ignacio Ellacuria et Jon Sobrino. Les éléments clés de la parousie sont décrits principalement en Matthieu 25,31-46, 1 Cor 15,20-28, 1 Thess 4,13-18, 2 Thess 2,1-12. D'après Paul, « Le Seigneur, au signal donné, à la voix de l'archange et au son de la trompette de Dieu, descendra du ciel ». La principale question du mémoire porte sur cette vision paulinienne: Est-ce que la deuxième venue du Seigneur d'après la description paulinienne est encore crédible pour l'homme contemporain ou est-ce qu'il s'agit d'un élément mythologique non essentiel à la foi chrétienne? Bultmann considère que la parousie est un mythe : à ce jour, la parousie ne s'est pas produite, et elle ne se produira jamais. Le kérygme est le seul élément que Bultmann considère comme valide. « The kerygma is the proclamation of the decisive act of God in Christ ». Par contraste, Ellacuria est d'avis que l'élément eschatologique est essentiel pour comprendre l'histoire, car cette dernière est orientèe vers la fin. De manière analogue, Sobrino présente le Royaume de Dieu comme étant un élément clé de l'eschatologie. La théologie de la libération présente également la parousie comme un élément à venir qui représente l'implantation intégrale du Royaume de Dieu et qui devrait se comprendre comme une perspective eschatologique au-delà de l'imagerie de la parousie. / The subject of this thesis is the analysis and the characterization of Paul's doctrine on the parousia (the second coming) of Jesus, and the study of the interpretation of the parousia by the contemporary theologians, such as Rudolf Bultmann, the representative of the demythologization and the theologians of the liberation, Ignacio Ellacuria and Jon Sobrino. The key elements of the New Testament's doctrine of the parousia are described in Matthew 25,31-46, 1 Cor 15,20-28,1 Thess 4, 13-18 and 2 Thess 2,1-12. According to Paul, « There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven ».The key question is: What do the contemporary men and women think of this doctrine? Is the second coming of Jesus according to Paul's description still believable to contemporary persons or is it rather a mythical element non essential to the Christian faith? Bultmann sees the parousia as a mythical issue. The parousia has not happened until now, and it will never occur. The only element that Bultmann proposes as valid is the kerygma. « The kerygma is the proclamation of the decisive act of God in Christ ». Ellacuria on the contrary, believes that the eschatological element is essential to understand history, which itself is oriented towards the end of time. Sobrino in a similar way, proposes the Kingdom of God as a key element of the eschatology. The theology of liberation presents as well the parousia like a future event, representing the integral implementation of the Kingdom of God, which should be understood as an eschatological perspective going further than the imagery of the parousia.

Au Québec, la mémoire de la Grande Guerre renvoie automatiquement à une vision douloureuse de l’événement. Créée et alimentée par des souvenirs à forte charge émotive tels la crise de la conscription, les émeutes de Pâques et l’inhospitalité de l’Armée canadienne envers les combattants canadiens-français, cette mémoire est non seulement négative, mais également victimisante. Dans leur récit du conflit, les Québécois ont pris pour vérité une version qui les dépeint comme boucs émissaires des Canadiens anglais. Acceptée et intégrée autant dans l’historiographie que dans la croyance collective, cette thèse du Canadien français opprimé n’a jamais été questionnée. Ce mémoire entend donc revisiter cette version en la confrontant aux sources laissées par les contemporains. En utilisant la presse anglophone et les témoignages de combattants, il lève le voile sur le regard anglo-saxon envers les Canadiens français et dans une plus large mesure, sur les relations interethniques pendant la guerre. Il témoigne de la réalité du front intérieur comme de celle du champ de bataille pour ainsi proposer une réinterprétation de cette victimisation si profondément ancrée dans le souvenir québécois. / The First World War inevitably brings back painful memories in the province of Quebec. Quebeckers have a negative recollection of the war, viewing themselves as victims. Events related to the Great War such as the conscription crisis, the Easter riots and the inhospitality expressed by the Canadian Forces towards French Canadians are emotionally-charged memories that have nurtured this conception. When writing about the war, Quebeckers depict themselves as the scapegoats of English Canadians and present this notion as a truth. Integrated in both the historiography and popular beliefs, the idea of the oppressed French Canadian has never been questioned. This thesis aims at re-examining this idea by surveying contemporary sources: the Anglophone press and testimonies from soldiers. Its objective is to reassess the attitude and perception of Canadian Anglophones towards French Canadians, and more broadly the nature of interethnic relationships in the army during World War I, both on the home front and on the battlefield. It presents a reinterpretation of the victimisation that is deeply ingrained in the remembrance Quebeckers have of the conflict.

This diploma thesis mainly deals with the relationships between the poetic manifestations of socialist realism and so called total realism in the early fifties. The first part focuses on general issues; within it I try to describe characteristic features of both poetics, for total realism it is done mostly in the background of comparison with like-minded concepts (Hrabal's poems from the fifties, the works of former members of Group 42). In other chapters of the text I am thinking about a total realism from two aspects: first, as an alternative form of realism, which defines itself against the official art, as well as a program that is dependent on the official art to some extent by paraphrasing or using some of its means and resources.

La philosophie ricœurienne indique qu’il n’est pas de compréhension de soi qui ne soit médiatisée par des signes, des symboles, des textes ; elle peut donc être interprétée comme une chance pour la philosophie africaine. En effet, si on estime que le champ éthique s’étend à tous les domaines de la vie, si on admet avec Ricœur que l’existence est synonyme d’action, à savoir que « dire ‘’je suis’’, c’est dire ‘’je veux, je meus, je fais’’ », alors l’Africain traditionnel qui n’a pas une pensée systématique comme l’exige la philosophie grecque, mais a plutôt développé une pensée de ce qu’il fait, peut apporter au discours éthique sa modeste contribution. En effet, ses mythes, ses contes et même quelquefois ses chants, contiennent un enseignement à la fois pratique, symbolique et philosophique, à caractère universel. Entrer à l’intérieur d’un conte, c’est comme entrer à l’intérieur de soi-même. / Ricoeur’s philosophy shows us that there is not any comprehension of self without it being mediated by signs, symbols and texts; it can be, therefore, interpreted as a chance given to the African philosophy. In fact, if we estimate that the ethical field extends to all human domains and if we admit, like Ricoeur does, the synonymy between action and existence – “to say I am, means I want, I move, I do” – thus the traditional African, who hasn’t a systematical thinking as required by the Greek philosophy, but instead has developed a thinking of what he can do, can bring into the ethical discourse his modest contribution. In reality, his myths, his tales and sometimes his chants, all contain a message that is at the same time: practical, symbolical and philosophical, with a universal character. To enter into a tail is like entering inside one’s self.

Dans le cadre d’une étude comparatiste, ce travail vise à analyser, en les rapprochant pour la première fois, les univers créatifs de l’écrivain italien Dino Buzzati (1906 – 1972) et de son confrère français Claude Louis-Combet (1932 –), selon la dualité chair et âme, qui est une constante de leur oeuvre respective. Les deux auteurs, par le biais de l’autobiographie romancée, de la réélaboration mythique, comme d’une vision originale de l’art figuratif, ont exprimé une sensibilité et un imaginaire étonnamment proches. Ils auront été accompagnés par des figures légendaires et des amis artistes, afin de guider le lecteur vers la dimension fantasmatique et mystique de son inconscient. / As part of a comparative study, this work aims to analyze, by bringing them together for the first time, the creative worlds of the Italian writer Dino Buzzati (1906 – 1972) and his French colleague Claude Louis-Combet (1932 –), according to the flesh and soul duality, which is a constant in their works. Both authors, through the fictionalized autobiography, the mythology reworking, as an original vision of figurative art, expressed sensitivity and imagination surprisingly close. They have been accompanied by legendary figures and fellow artists, to guide the reader into the mystical and fantasy dimension of his unconscious.