Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Violence in South Africa is a serious problem and young men have been and still are the driving force behind the high levels of violence in South Africa. Although young men commit the most violence researchers have largely neglected the critical examination of young men and their association with violence. This study set out to examine this phenomenon by conducting focus group and group interviews with 23 adolescent boys between the ages of 14-16. The boys were selected from two schools in the Cape region. Two focus groups and one group interview was conducted in order to gain insight from the participants on what they thought were the motivations for young mens‟ tendencies to enact violence. As a result, various themes emerged from the participants responses. The participants provided rich descriptions about what they thought motivated men to enact violence. Overwhelmingly all the themes highlighted that men and boys who endorse traditional dominant ideals of masculinity that encourage toughness, dominance and willingness to resort to violence were more likely to enact violence. However, what was apparent was that for most boys violence played an integral part in the construction of their masculinity. It was defining characteristic of what it meant to be a man. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geweld in Suid-Afrika is 'n ernstige probleem en jong mans was en is nog steeds die dryfkrag agter die hoë vlakke van geweld in Suid-Afrika. Ten spyte van jong mans se beeld as oortreders van geweld is jong mans se geweld deur navorsers geïgnoreer. Hierdie studie het 'n ondersoek gedoen om uit te vind wat die motivering is wat sommige jong mans na geweld toe dryf. As gevolg, het hierdie studie 23 adolessente jong mans tussen die ouderdom van 14 tot 16 'n onderhoud met hulle waargeneem. Die seuns is gekies uit twee skole in die Kaapse streek. Twee fokusgroepe en een groep onderhoud is uitgevoer met die adolessente seuns om 'n begrip te kry van hierdie fenoneem. Verskeie temas is uit die deelnemers antwoorde geneem. In al die temas kon ek aflei dat mans en seuns wat die tradisionele dominerende ideale van manlikheid omhels is meer geneig om geweld uitgevoer. Wat egter duidelik is vir die meeste seuns is dat geweld 'n integrale deel is in die konstruksie van hul manlikheid. Dit is 'n kenmerk van wat dit beteken om 'n man te wees.

The intention of this project is to examine whether or not; Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair, experienced any belief changes or learning, during the period he was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), a period which lasted 10 years commencing 1997 until 2007. Our analysis will cover a timeline beginning from 1999 a point in time when the UK participated in NATO’s Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War until 2006 when Britain took on the reins of the EU presidency for a six-month period. An exploration, of the beliefs behind a leader’s decision making logic, should always be considered a prudent undertaking especially when it comes to foreign policy studies. This is because, it is only through such activity scholars can comprehend the distinction between decisions and actions. Thus, understanding when and how; an individual leaders’ belief system changes, is of central importance in furthering our ability in explaining not only state behaviour, but, also the relationship between ‘self’ and ‘other’. The main purpose of an operational code analysis is to enable political scientists and policy makers alike, to deduce from a particular leader’s verbal content, what that actor's beliefs are and the premises they take in relation to their decision-making process. The first of our two part hypotheses seeks to determine whether Tony Blair exhibited changes in his beliefs at various stages of his premiership. These stages were signified by events which were also crucial in defining his political legacy. The events are divided into three categories, Post Kosovo – Pre Iraq, Pre 9/11 – Post 9/11 and Pre EU – Post EU. On completion of our VICS and SPSS analysis on Tony Blair’s operational code belief we discovered that there were no statistically significant changes in any of his operational indices. So, due to the lack of statistically significant changes in Blair’s Philosophical and Instrumental indices we could not classify the events selected for this analysis as having produced any influence on his belief system. Thus we rejected our null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis.

This master’s thesis has the intent of showing that the tattoo can be regarded as an individuals document according to prevailing notions in archival science. Suzanne Briets definition of the concept of document is used in this thesis as a widening definition, a document does not have to presented in a defined form, it is only required to represent an object or intellectual phenomenon and to be informative. Tattoos are presented in this thesis as informative with regard to the status and position of russian/soviet convicts and as such presenting an individuals identity within a specific context. As documents they also provide the individual with the essential evidence of his or her endeavours in a criminal environment. Also, they have the ability to function as an individuals memories of relationships, hardships and comradeships. Memory, evidence and identity are concepts upon which archival theorists are reworking the role of archives and documents in society and culture. The method presented in this thesis is image analysis applied to a selected number of photographs and drawings owned and published by a design and publishing company in London. The image analysis has as its focus the tattoos visible upon individuals bodies, these tattoos are interpreted and made relevant with regard to historical circumstances and the prison environment. The image analysis in this thesis is complemented by litterature studies. The thesis also provides a recapitulation regarding previous research concerning tattoos within the human and social studies. The conclusion this thesis presents is that it is possible to view the tattoo as a document, bound to an individual, which mirrors the society and culture in which the individual finds himself. It is also possible to view the tattoo as mirroring indivudals possibilities, wishes and memories. Finally, the tattoo presents itself, in this context, as a document that may represent a critique of a dominant society or simply the voice of the alienated.

Le but de cette étude est de tirer profit de la contribution de Ludwig Wittgenstein à la question de la fonction éthico-thérapeutique du discours philosophique à la lumière du modèle de la vie philosophique de Pierre Hadot, dont le modèle stoïcien nous sert de cas de figure, et au sein duquel cette fonction occupe une place centrale. L’ensemble de l’étude est composé de quatre chapitres. Le premier chapitre vise à faire ressortir et analyser les cinq composantes fondamentales de la conception hellénistique et romaine de la vie philosophique tirée de l’interprétation de Hadot qui serviront par la suite de lignes directrices pour l’exploration de ces thèmes chez Wittgenstein : la subordination du discours philosophique au mode de vie éthique, la conversion philosophique comme transformation individuelle, l’askesis comme méthode de conversion philosophique, l’idéal de sagesse comme visée éthique de la conversion philosophique et le modèle analogique de la thérapeutique philosophique. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous examinons comment Wittgenstein peut nous aider à penser la question de la subordination du discours philosophique au mode de vie éthique. En premier lieu, il apparaît que le discours philosophique peut avoir la fonction éthique d’exprimer un certain vouloir. Plus précisément, les valeurs fondamentales, en relation avec un contre-vouloir (besoins, tendances, désirs, sentiments) à la base de préconceptions cristallisées dans des images captivantes, forment un caractère philosophique particulier et orientent implicitement les différentes conceptions que le philosophe, par l’usage de sa volonté, fait le choix d’exprimer par le biais du discours philosophique. En second lieu, le discours philosophique peut avoir la fonction éthique de générer de bonnes habitudes de vie, c’est-à-dire de produire un effet éthique sur les comportements que nous adoptons et les actions que nous posons de façon répétée. En effet, certains arrangements conceptuels, s’ils sont en accord avec l’éthique telle qu’elle est vécue dans les pratiques effectives de la forme de vie humaine, jettent un éclairage sur notre mode de vie éthique, en fonction de la conception du bonheur que nous valorisons, de façon à ce que nous puissions orienter nos actions habituelles en ce sens. Le troisième chapitre vise à mettre à profit la contribution de Wittgenstein à la question du discours philosophique comme outil de transformation individuelle conçue selon le modèle de la conversion philosophique. En premier lieu, il semble que le discours philosophique peut opérer une conversion de la volonté, synonyme d’une conversion à soi, et qui désigne l’arrachement à l’égard d’un certain vouloir inauthentique, indissociable d’un contre-vouloir au fondement de la pensée exprimée par le langage, pour revenir à un vouloir authentique qui coïncide avec le domaine qui est propre au sujet éthique que nous sommes. En second lieu, la fonction éthique du discours philosophique peut également s’exprimer à travers la visée éthique de la conversion qui peut être conçue comme un idéal asymptotique et philosophique de bonheur au sens de paix ou d’absence de trouble fondé sur une éthique de la finitude, de la liberté et de l’authenticité comportant une dimension transpersonnelle. Le quatrième chapitre aborde la conception wittgensteinienne de la méthode philosophique à partir de la question du discours philosophique comme askesis. En premier lieu, le discours philosophique peut avoir ici une fonction éthique lorsqu’il est utilisé pour opérationnaliser une méthode de conversion consistant en un ensemble de techniques discursives pratiquées de façon répétée en vue d’adopter une attitude éthique. En second lieu, cette fonction peut être thérapeutique dans la mesure où la méthode de conversion peut être conçue à partir du modèle analogique de la thérapeutique philosophique, c’est-à-dire à partir d’une conception implicite ou explicite de la maladie, de la thérapie et de la santé philosophiques telle qu’en témoigne la thérapeutique holistique du langage qu’il semble possible de tirer de la pensée du second Wittgenstein. / The purpose of this study is to examine Ludwig Wittgenstein’s contribution to the issue of the ethical and therapeutic function of philosophical discourse in the light of the model of philosophical life of Pierre Hadot, exemplified by the Stoic model, and in which this function is central. The whole study consists of four chapters. The first chapter aims to highlight and analyze the five basic components of the Hellenistic and Roman conception of philosophical life drawn from the interpretation of Hadot which will then serve as guidelines for the exploration of these themes in Wittgenstein’s thought : the subordination of philosophical discourse to the ethical way of life, philosophical conversion as personal transformation, askesis as a method of philosophical conversion, the ideal of wisdom as ethical aim of philosophical conversion and the analogic model of philosophical therapy. In the second chapter, we examine how Wittgenstein can help elucidate the issue of subordination of philosophical discourse to the ethical way of life. First, it appears that philosophical discourse can have the ethical function to express a certain will. Specifically, core values, in connection with a counter-will (needs, tendencies, desires, feelings) underlying preconceptions crystallized in captivating images, form a particular philosophical character and implicitly determine the different conceptions that the philosopher, by the use of his will, makes the choice to express through philosophical discourse. Second, philosophical discourse can have an ethical function to generate good habits, that is to say, to produce an ethical impact on the behaviors that we adopt and the actions that we take repeatedly. Indeed, some conceptual arrangements, if they are in agreement with the effective practices of the human form of life, shed light on our ethical way of life, according to the conception of happiness that we value, so that we can orientate our habitual actions consequently. The third chapter aims to build on Wittgenstein's contribution to the question of philosophical discourse as a tool for personal transformation based on the model of philosophical conversion. First, it seems that philosophical discourse can give rise to a conversion of the will, synonymous with a conversion of the self to itself, which refer to the tearing away from a certain inauthentic will, inseparable from a counter-will at the foundation of thought expressed through language, to return to an authentic will that coincides with the domain that is specific to the ethical subject that we are. Second, the ethical function of philosophical discourse can also be expressed through the ethical aim of conversion that can be seen as an asymptotic and philosophical ideal of happiness as peace or absence of disturbance based on an ethics of finitude, freedom and authenticity with a transpersonal dimension. The fourth chapter discusses Wittgenstein's conception of philosophical method through the question of philosophical discourse as askesis. First, philosophical discourse here can have an ethical function when used to operationalize a conversion method consisting of a set of discursive techniques used repeatedly in order to adopt an ethical attitude. Second, this function can be therapeutic in that the conversion method can be elaborated through the analogic model of philosophical therapy, that is to say, as an implicit or explicit conception of disease, of therapy and philosophical health as evidenced by the holistic therapy of language it seems possible to draw from the second period of Wittgenstein’s thought. / Réalisé en cotutelle avec L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales de Paris

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The need for Registered Nurses (RNs) in the long-term care of older people is being questioned, particularly in the context of nursing shortages, while suggestions for 'professionalising' Care Assistant (CA) roles are emerging. Despite ongoing debates about the importance of their work, research has so far been unable to provide an evidence-base for the outcomes of the work of either RNs or CAs in UK care homes. Using a multi-method interpretive approach, adopting a structure-process-outcome framework and grounded in the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer, this qualitative research sought to illuminate the distinct contributions made by RNs and CAs to outcomes for older people in care homes. RNs and CAs from around the UK contributed 'significant' examples of their work for Phase 1 of the study and Phase 2 comprised researcher fieldwork (observation, interviews and documentary analysis) in three care homes around England. Participants included RNs, CAs, older residents, relatives, home managers and professionals working in the homes. The findings offer a rich and detailed analysis of the realities of the work, much of which takes place 'behind closed doors' and has been described to a limited extent in the literature. They suggest that the CAs' daily support helps residents to function and to feel valued, and that close, reciprocal, family-type relationships develop. The health knowledge and clinical expertise of good RNs is critical in determining residents' health outcomes, particularly in the long-term, and RNs' 24-hour 'perceptual presence' can make life or death differences in acute or emergency situations. RNs also influence the environment, atmosphere and quality of care in the home. In the context of the literature, the findings offer new insights into the role and contribution of RNs and CAs, the outcomes of their work and the priorities of residents. The study produced new models of RN and CA roles in care homes, encompassing dimensions not previously acknowledged in the literature or their job descriptions, and a new framework within which the outcomes of care for older people could be evaluated. The research offers a positive image of work with older people in independent sector care homes.

Over the past decade, engaging student voice has emerged as an approach to increasing meaningful student involvement in schools towards meeting adolescents' developmental needs for agency, efficacy, and sense of belonging. Central to student voice work is the re-creation of student-teacher and student-organization relationships, generating student identity roles that are fundamentally different from the roles traditionally allocated to students. Conventional concepts of student roles by both adults and youth can act as barriers to increasing student voice. The goal of this study was to develop a better understanding of student role identity. Applying a critical ethnography approach in the context of participatory action research, a situated description of the student role within the organizational context of a rural high school was developed from the perspectives of students and teachers through the use of an online software platform. Keeping with student voice values and participatory action research protocols, students took a central role in developing and piloting survey questions, interpreting and organizing responses, reviewing the results, and presenting them to the school community. The data revealed both the aspirations and limitations of the student and teacher conceptions of the student role. Conventional notions of student identity dominated the role descriptions, and were generally consistent across student and teacher responses. Significant areas of divergence between student and teacher constructs included the explicit temporal orientation toward the future exclusive to the student responses, the engagement in academics that dominated the teacher submissions and rankings, and the conception of the student as a citizen/community member that was found only in the teacher responses. The results suggested an inclination on the part of both students and teachers to increase opportunities for students to inform and influence policies and practices at all levels of the school organization. Presentations of the study results to the school community by the student researchers have induced some systemic reform toward promoting student voice.

This dissertation explores the role and significance of the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus in Western philosophy from Antiquity to today. Paying particular attention to its moral and existential meanings, an analysis of this in-depth investigation produces an overview of the exceptional array of the myth’s functions and themes. It demonstrates that the most significant functions of the Prometheus myth are its social, epistemic, ontological and moral functions and that the myth’s most significant themes are fire, rebellion, creation, human nature and ambiguity. The dissertation argues that this analysis brings to light meaningful information on two sides of a reference to the Prometheus myth: it reveals the nature, functions, themes and connotations of the myth, while information about these functions and themes provides access to fundamental meanings, moral statements and ontological concepts of the studied author. Based on its findings this work claims that, as in history, first, the Prometheus myth will still be meaningful in philosophy today; and second, that the analysis of the myth’s functions and themes will provide access to essential ideas underlying contemporary references to the myth. To prove the validity of these claims this thesis examines the contemporary debate on ‘human enhancement’. Advocates as well as opponents of enhancement make use of the Prometheus myth in order to support their arguments. Employing the acquired knowledge about the myth’s functions and themes, the dissertation analyses the references encountered. The results of this analysis confirm that the Prometheus myth still has a significant role in a contemporary philosophical context. They improve our understanding of the philosophical argument, ontological framework and ethics of the debate’s participants; and thus demonstrate that the information about the Prometheus myth acquired in this thesis is a useful means to reveal fundamental ideas and conceptualisations underlying contemporary (and possibly future) references to the myth.

Des nombreuses lectures possibles de l’œuvre de Marx, celles de Michel Henry et de Serge Cantin ont l'avantage, lorsque mises côte-à-côte, de faire ressortir les différentes tensions qui existent entre le pôle libertaire et communautaire de la pensée de Marx. D'un côté, Michel Henry met l'accent sur l'aspect individualiste de l'ontologie marxienne. Cantin quant à lui montre de quelle manière Marx tend à nier cette individualité au profit d'un processus objectif qui sous-tend cette individualité, à savoir la vie elle-même. L'objectif de ce mémoire est d'exposer ces deux conceptions aux antipodes, puis de les faire dialoguer entre elles afin de voir dans quelle mesure, malgré leur apparente opposition, une réconciliation est possible. Or, il s'avère que malgré les quelques points communs dégagés en conclusion, nous ne soyons pas parvenus outre mesure à opérer de rapprochement significatif entre ces deux lectures. / Of the many possible readings of Marx's work, those of Michel Henry and Serge Cantin have the advantage, when compared side by side, to bring out certain tensions that exist between the communitarian and libertarian dimensions of Marx's thought. On the one hand, Michel Henry emphasizes the individualistic aspect of Marxian ontology. Cantin, on the other hand, shows how Marx tends to deny this individuality in favor of an objective process that underlies this individuality, namely, that of life itself. The purpose of this thesis is to present these two opposing views individually and then to have them interact with each other. The guiding question is whether, despite their apparent opposition, some form of reconciliation is possible. It turns out that, apart from a few common point that are brought to light, these two readings do not lend themselves to any significant rapprochement.

Jean-Paul Sartre is not traditionally thought of as a philosopher of the body and, until very recently, little critical attention has been paid to this aspect of his work. Nevertheless, since 2005 a number of articles have begun to appear which suggest that Sartre‘s account of the body in L’Être et le Néant may be worthy of more consideration than it has thus far received – perhaps most notably Joseph Catalano‘s 2005 article suggesting that the chapter on the body is central to a proper understanding of Sartre‘s philosophy. Simone de Beauvoir is often criticised for her writing on the body in Le Deuxième Sexe, with much of the criticism suggesting that Beauvoir‘s use of existential philosophy is to blame for her failings. Yet Toril Moi argues that Beauvoir‘s claim that the body is a situation, a claim that arises from existential philosophy, is a valuable contribution to feminism. In light of these developments, it seems pertinent to look again at Sartre‘s chapter on the body in L’Être et le Néant and at Beauvoir‘s work to try to understand exactly what is meant by the body as a situation and how this concept relates to Sartre and Beauvoir‘s well-known ideas on freedom and responsibility. The aim of this thesis is to examine the importance of the chapter on the body in L’Être et le Néant and to demonstrate its relevance to Sartre‘s philosophy as a whole, to look at how Beauvoir has used Sartre‘s philosophy in her own writing and to consider the relevance of that philosophy to more contemporary writing on the body. The thesis will focus on L’Être et le Néant, Le Deuxième Sexe, and La Vieillesse with references also made to both authors‘ fictional works, to Beauvoir‘s autobiographical writings, and to more contemporary work on the body.