The portrayal of collective identity of Muslim populations in Europe presents an increasingly important issue within identity politics. While European Muslims represent a diverse population that has experienced longstanding socio-political concerns, they are also increasingly portrayed in light of wider global perceptions of Islam in a post-9/11 era. Consequently, there is growing concern over a confusing of such pre-existing domestic issues and larger international problems of radical fundamentalism and Islamic terrorism. The misrepresentation of European Muslims as linked to such issues in turn often exacerbates domestic problems and contributes to an evolving sense of oppositional Muslim identity in Europe. In light of these concerns over inaccurate depictions of Muslims and their harmful effects, many of which will be expounded upon below, a more critical and deliberate approach is necessary in scholarly assessments of Muslim populations. This thesis examines the situation of European Muslims amidst such portrayals of commonality and international influence. After discussing some facets of political identities and critiquing other approaches to this issue, the study focuses on the case of Muslims in France. Using the lens of universalism, I examine the context of Muslims in France and evaluate the accuracy of assertions of common identity. After illustrating the diversity of French Muslims, the study then turns to the situation of Muslims in Europe, comparing the French case with those of Great Britain and Germany. Finally, it returns to the recent French national identity debate for concluding remarks. The study demonstrates that, while portrayals of Muslims as a uniform threat to European identity are at present inaccurate and misleading, such assertions also carry potentially harmful effects in stigmatizing Muslims and contributing to oppositional identity formation.

This thesis inquires into the factors behind Hollywood's depiction of the Middle East. That depiction is not static, but is modified in response to changes in political events and US government foreign policy. Although the events of 9/11 seemed to justify the traditional negative stereotype of Arabs, the image has been partially and rationally re-interpreted. This was due to the rise in prominence of the ideas of a minority of radical and free-thinking members of the Hollywood community who embraced a more intellectual approach, which advocated that the popular Western view of the Arab world was unjustified and based on a fallacious fabrication for Western political advantage. The research further shows that these activists did not owe allegiance to the Hollywood-US government propaganda machine. They were able to fracture this traditional alliance and provide the opportunity for the appearance of films of a radical nature, which were critical of US Middle Eastern policy and projected the Arab world in a new light. The study analyzes a selection of films that represent the Middle East in terms of their philosophy and cinematic structure, which enables them to act as vectors to raise public awareness of the issues and to promote reconciliation and co-existence between East and West.

This paper will answer which factors are important for the business relation between a small Swedish import company and a Chinese contractor. The problem is based partly in theories that points to cultural and organizational differences between Sweden and China, and partly in current examples from Swedish companies. The relevant data has been collected by interviews with three small Swedish companies that are currently using Chinese contractors. The result is that the differences between the countries and organizations exist, but that they do not interfere with the inter-company relations. The conclusion is that our result contradicts the established theories in the field, and that a more comprehensive investigation is warranted. / Denna uppsats skall svara på vilka faktorer som är viktiga för en handelsrelation mellan ett litet svenskt importföretag och en kinesisk leverantör. Problemet grundar sig dels i teorier som visar på kulturella och organisatoriska skillnader mellan Sverige och Kina och dels aktuella exempel från svenska företag. För att få fram relevant data har vi intervjuat tre svenska småföretag som använder sig av leverantörer i Kina. Resultatet är att skillnaderna mellan länderna och organisationerna finns, men att det inte stör relationen företagen emellan. Slutsatsen blir därför att vårt resultat motsäger dom etablerade teorierna i ämnet, och att en mer omfattande undersökning är befogad.

Högskolan i Gävle har på senare år påbörjat ett samarbete med utländska universitet och en stor andel utbytesstudenter vid högskolan kommer från Kina (Högskolan i Gävle, 2007). Att lyckas akademiskt är till viss del beroende av individens förmåga att anpassa sig till den akademiska kulturen och de rådande normerna. Studenter utbildade i konfucianistisk kultur har ofta annan syn på läraren än studerande i västerländsk kultur då man inom konfucianismen anser att läraren är en person med hög auktoritet och forskning visar att stressnivån för nyanlända utbytesstudenter är stark i början av deras akademiska utbildning i ett främmande land (Brown, 2008). Syftet med vår uppsats var att undersöka de kinesiska utbytesstudenternas kulturella upplevelser av att studera på Högskolan i Gävle och se hur dessa påverkar dem. En kvalitativ metod genomfördes med inspiration av ett fenomenologiskt förhållningssätt. Detta skedde i form av en semistrukturerad fokusgruppsintervju med sex stycken utbytesstudenter från Kina som studerat minst två år på Högskolan i Gävle. Resultatet visade att respondenterna upplevt kulturskillnader som de fått anpassa sig till under sin tid som utbytesstudenter. De största kulturkrockarna skedde i att anpassa sig efter den svenska undervisningen och ett främmande språk. Språkliga brister var troligen den största faktorn till att de inte hade kontakt med svenska studenter. Dock verkade respondenterna inte uppleva kulturchock i så stor utsträckning. Störst stress upplevde de i början av en ny kurs då de var tvungna att anpassa sig efter främmande ord på engelska och inför tentamenstillfällen. I början av respondenternas vistelse som utbytesstudent upplevde de dock hemlängtan och svårigheter att följa med i undervisningen vilket kunde upplevas som stressande. Detta verkade dock ha avtagit med tiden och utbytesstudenterna upplevde situationen vara tillfredställande trots en annorlunda kultur. / The University of Gävle has in recent years started a relation with foreign universities and a large share of exchange students come from China (Högskolan i Gävle 2007). To succeed academically is to some extent dependent on the individual´s ability to adapt to the prevailing standards in the academic culture. Students educated in a konfucianistic culture have often a different view of the teacher than students in Western culture when in Confucianism believe that the teacher is a person of high standing and research shows that stress levels for newly arrived exchange students are strong in the beginning of their academic training in a foreign country (Brown, 2008). The purpose of our study was to get an insight into the Chinese exchange student’s cultural experiences of studying at the University of Gävle and to see how this can affect them. A qualitative method with inspiration of the phenomenogical approach was carried out. This took the form of a semistructrued focus group interview with six exchange student´s from China who has studied at least two years at the University of Gävle. The result implied that the respondents experienced differences in culture that they had to adapt to during their time as exchange students. The largest clash of cultures came when they were trying to adapt to the Swedish education and a foreign language. Linguistic deficiencies were probably the largest factor to affect the lack of contact with Swedish students. However, the respondents didn't seem to experience culture chock at a large extent. They experienced most stress at the beginning of a new course when they were forced to adapt to unfamiliar words in English and for examinations. At the beginning of the respondents sojourn however, they experienced homesickness and difficulties in keeping up with the tutoring which could be experienced as stressful. However, this seems to have declined by time and the exchange students experienced the situation as satisfying despite a different culture.

No description available.

In this thesis I address the topic Islam and democracy. I argue that rather than asking whether Islam and democracy are compatible, Western theorists should be seeking out how Muslims practice democracy. The ultimate aim of this thesis is to present a groundwork for meaningful and inclusive cross-cultural democratic dialogue to use as a basis for a global discourse on democracy. My main argument is that the Islam and the West paradigm has occluded dialogue by miring the topic Islam and democracy in debate over whether the two are compatible. Accordingly, the contents of this work are dedicated to (1) deconstructing the Islam and the West paradigm and demonstrating its inadequacy as a viable approach to the topic Islam and democracy, and (2) presenting arguments for, and exploring sites of, Muslim democracy and post-Islamism as starting points for cross-cultural dialogue between Muslim and Western societies and theorists.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and University of California, Irvine, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 285-297).

Les cisterciens se sont implantés dans de nombreux diocèses au cours des XIIe et XIIIe siècles. Celui de Bourges se singularise de ceux qui l'environnent par la quantité et la précocité de ses fondations. La première explication à ce phénomène se trouve dans l'évidente piété de l'époque, relayée, voire amplifiée, par des archevêques entretenant des relations importantes avec Bernard de Clairvaux. Mais il existe également une véritable "politique" d'implantations, certes gérée par ces derniers, mais sous-tendue par les luttes d'influences auxquelles se livrent les différentes "factions" qui se partagent ce territoire. Il apparaît ainsi nettement que les établissements tiennent un rôle politique aussi bien que religieux. C'est dans ce contexte que le diocèse de Bourges accueille quatorze établissements. Leur étude individuelle a fait surgir de l'ombre certains d'entre eux, totalement ignorés des chercheurs ou en grande partie méconnus. Ainsi, d'un point de vue historique, il a été possible d'affiner les dates de fondation et parfois de préciser l'identité des fondateurs ainsi que leurs motivations. L'étude architecturale, pour sa part, a engendré la restitution des plans des édifices ou tout au moins une hypothèse raisonnable de ceux-ci. Elle a également servi à recadrer les périodes de construction et à identifier l'introduction et l'utilisation de techniques nouvelles. Il en résulte un ensemble cohérent au sein duquel se transmettent les avancées des techniques architecturales et derrière lequel transparaît une influence de l'ordre, cette dernière étant plutôt structurelle que formelle. / The Cistercians settled in numerous dioceses throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. The diocese of Bourges stands alone amongst those around il for the quantity and earliness of its foundations. The first explanation to this phenomenon can be found in the obvious piety during this era, transmitted, if not amplified, by archbishops maintaining links to Bernard de Clairvaux. There also exists, however, a true settlement "policy", managed, it is true, by the archbishops, but intensified by the struggle for influence between the various "factions" sharing this territory. It is therefore clearly apparent that these institutions hold a role as much political as religious. It is in this context that the diocese of Bourges hosts fourteen institutions. Individual study has shed light on some of them, which had been totally ignored by scholars, or had at best been unrecognised. Thus, from a historical point of view, it has been possible to pinpoint the founding dates and at times to reveal the identity of the founding members, as well as what motivated them. For it part, architectural study was the point of origin of the rediscovery of the buildings' plans, or at least a reasonable hypothesis for them. It also helped to establish new time brackets for the construction and to identify the dates of introduction and use of new techniques. A coherent whole therefore emerges, at the heart of which advances in architectural techniques are shared and behind which transpires the influence of the order, more structural than formal.

The report is a degree project for the bachelor's level in Mechanical Engineering atUppsala University. The thesis was carried out at Scienta Omicron AB in Uppsala,Sweden and it is provided a basis determining rules for a vacuum chamberconfigurator that will be used by Scienta Omicron AB.Scienta Omicron AB wants to automate its vacuum chamber design to increasecompany productivity and profitability within this product line. This degree projectdescribes a basis for a configurator that will be used by the company later.This degree project begins by interviewing Scienta Omicron's R&D manager and theDesign Team to understand the company's needs and the reasons behind the desireto change the company's current process. After discussion with the company, aproject plan for the thesis is established to ensure that all parts of the thesis areperformed in time with good quality.The report presents briefly the theory of vacuum technology, especially regardingultra-high vacuum that is used by Scienta Omicron and several methods are used toachieve the project. The report ends with recommendations for Scienta Omicronwith the intention of continuously improving the result of this thesis i.e. implementingthe new process.An intensive study of vacuum chambers manufactured by the company is carried outby reviewing the company's email conversation between the design department andcustomers as well as chamber drawings in order to understand the design conceptand its limitations.As a part of the project, a requirement specification of the thesis has beendetermined and concept generating performed, resulting in two concepts," clashmodels" and" matrix". These enable the design and implementation of a vacuumchamber configurator by an external company specializing in customer productconfiguration.The chosen concept is clash models because it facilitates the implementation of theconfigurator later. A third-party company, Animech, which will implement the rulesdetermined in this thesis when constructing the configurator which will be used bySOAB. The configurator will be a tool that replaces the design team and gives themtime resources to develop new solutions and products.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 mercuri_do_dr_franca.pdf: 2801231 bytes, checksum: fe07bef5b93bf7544b6c31ae5503884d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-01 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A composição de alguns tratados em defesa das mulheres durante o reinado de Juan II (1405- 1454) de Castela é representativa de um anseio que parece ter-se tornado comum entre os letrados desse reino a partir da primeira metade do século XV: não só impedir que as memórias e os feitos das nobres mulheres caíssem no esquecimento, mas sobretudo coibir que, acerca delas, se pronunciasse unicamente a aviltante palavra. Para percorrer tal caminho, esses nobres não puderam se eximir de travar um embate contra aqueles que, desde longa data, ou mesmo contemporaneamente a eles, insistiam em relegá-las ao esquecimento ou ao vitupério. Mas não apenas essas formas de arrazoado em favor delas trouxeram-nas à luz neste momento, os jogos de poder colocaram-lhes igualmente na mira das discussões promovidas pelos letrados, pois a crise sucessória que assolou o reino castelhano, na segunda metade do século XV, dividindo-o entre duas possíveis herdeiras da coroa – D. Juana (suposta filha de Enrique IV e neta de Juan II) e D. Isabel (irmã de Enrique IV e filha de Juan II) –, bem como a ascensão ao trono castelhano por D. Isabel (1474), vieram a reforçar, ainda que sob outra dimensão, o interesse dos castelhanos de dedicar-lhes comentários, ou mesmo de prestar-lhes serviços e preparar-lhes algumas orientações de conduta. Nesta pesquisa, propomo-nos indagar sobre os sentidos atribuídos à defesa e à educação das mulheres pelos letrados deste reino peninsular, a partir de algumas questões centrais, a saber: por que elas passaram a ser, de uma maneira mais regular, o mote e as destinatárias dos textos confeccionados pelos nobres castelhanos; que tipos de prescrições e recomendações estes homens prepararam para elas; quais fatores contribuíram para que algumas delas, especialmente as rainhas, fossem as principais interlocutoras e/ou demandantes destes textos e em que medida os debates estabelecidos entre alguns homens e as inquietações de algumas mulheres tornaram-se eixo das prescrições a elas dirigidas. / La composición de algunos tratados en defensa de las mujeres durante el reinado de Juan II (1405-1454) de Castilla es representativa de un fuerte deseo que parece haberse tornado común entre los letrados de ese reino a partir de la mitad del siglo XV: no solo impedir que las memorias y los hechos de las nobles mujeres cayeran en el olvido, pero sobretodo, cohibir que, sobre ellas, se pronunciara únicamente la menospreciante palabra. Para recoger tal camino, esos nobles no pudieron eximir de trabar un embate en contra aquellos que, desde larga fecha, o mismo contemporáneamente a ellos, insistían en relegarlas al olvido o al vituperio. Pero no solo esas maneras de planteamientos en su favor las trajeron a luz en este momento, los juegos de poder la pusieron igualmente en la mira de discusiones promovidas por los letrados, pues la crisis sucesoria que asoló el reino castellano, en la segunda mitad del siglo XV, dividiéndolo entre dos posibles herederas de la corona - doña Juana (supuesta hija de Enrique IV y nieta de Juan II) y doña Isabel (hermana de Enrique IV e hija de Juan II) -, bien como la ascensión al trueno castellano por doña Isabel (1474), vinieron a reforzar, aunque bajo otra dimensión, el interés de los castellanos de dedicarles comentarios, o mismo prestarles servicios o prepararles algunas orientaciones de conducta. En esta pesquisa, nos proponemos a indagar sobre los sentidos atribuidos a la defensa y a la educación de las mujeres por los letrados de este reino peninsular, a partir de algunas cuestiones centrales, a saber: por qué ellas pasaron a ser, de una manera más regular, el tema y las destinatarias de los textos confeccionados por los nobles castellanos; qué tipos de prescripciones y recomendaciones estos hombres les preparaban; cuáles factores contribuyeron para que algunas de ellas, especialmente las reinas, fueran las principales interlocutoras y/o demandantes de estos textos y en qué medida los debates establecidos entre algunos hombres y los disturbios de algunas mujeres se tornaron el eje de las prescripciones a ellas dirigidas. / The composition of some treaties in defense of women during the reign of Juan II (1405-1454) of Castile is representative of a longing that seems to have become common among the lettered of that kingdom from the first half of the fifteenth century: not only to prevent the memories and deeds of noble women from falling into oblivion, but rather repress that, about them, only the shameful word was pronounced. To go through this path, these nobles could not avoid to wage a fight against those that, for a long time, or even contemporary to them, insist on exile them to oblivion or vituperation. But not only these forms of reasoning in favor of women brought them to light at this time, the power games put them also in the sights of the discussions held by the lettered, as the succession crisis hit the Spanish kingdom in the second half of the fifteenth century, dividing it between two possible heirs to the crown - Lady Juana (supposed daughter of Enrique IV and Juan II granddaughter) and Isabel (sister of Enrique IV and daughter of Juan II) - and the ascension to the Spanish throne by Isabel (1474), which came to strengthen, even if in another dimension, the interest of the Castilians to dedicate them comments, or even to provide them with services and prepare them some guidelines of conduct. In this research, we propose to inquire about the meaning attributed to the defense and education of women by scholars of this peninsular kingdom, from some central questions, to know: the reason they came to be, in a more regular way, the motto and the recipient of the texts written by the Castilian nobles; what type of prescriptions and recommendations these men prepared them; which factors contributed for some of them, specially queens, to be the main interlocutors and / or claimants of these texts and to what extent the debates established between some men and the concerns of some women became axis of the requirements addressed to them. / FAPESP: 2012/22746-1 / CAPES/ PDSE: 1876/13-9