Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-04-17T19:16:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Idelma Novaisseg.pdf: 2997492 bytes, checksum: d92aa3c62e186842b56455a771d496d1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Meirelles(rodrigomei@ufba.br) on 2013-05-24T11:51:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Idelma Novaisseg.pdf: 2997492 bytes, checksum: d92aa3c62e186842b56455a771d496d1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-24T11:51:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Idelma Novaisseg.pdf: 2997492 bytes, checksum: d92aa3c62e186842b56455a771d496d1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a dinâmica econômica mercantil da Imperial Vila da Vitória (atual Vitória da Conquista), no período de 1840 a 1888, destacando a atuação dos fazendeiros nas atividades agrícolas, na pecuária e no comércio delas decorrentes e a inserção do Sertão da Ressaca no mercado interno. As fazendas de gado situadas no Sertão da Ressaca foram responsáveis pela agricultura de subsistência, como também pela produção destinada ao mercado regional no século XIX, e para isso foi utilizada tanto a mão-de-obra escrava como a livre. As famílias proprietárias participavam do mercado interno suprido pela produção local com possibilidade de gerar acumulações endógenas com ritmo econômico próprio. As rotas terrestres formadas através do comércio de gado e da prática do tropeirismo, como também a abertura de novas estradas que possibilitassem o escoamento e troca de mercadorias com outras regiões. Verificaremos também a importância do Rio Pardo e do Rio das Contas como rotas fluviais, que proporcionava o transporte de produtos do Sertão da Ressaca com outras localidades da Província baiana. Tanto pelas rotas terrestres como fluviais a Imperial Vila da Vitória mantinha relações comerciais com Nazaré, Canavieiras, Valença, Ilhéus, região do Rio São Francisco e também com a Província de Minas Gerais. Assim, as rotas comerciais foram importantes vias que possibilitaram o abastecimento do Sertão da Ressaca, o escoamento de mercadorias locais para outras localidades, o comércio e comunicação entre Sertão e Litoral. / Salvador

In this paper, I consider how Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers (1959) and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1985) allegorically treat U.S. Cold War fears of invasion by the Soviet Union. Given the texts' historical relationship to the Vietnam War and their use of very similar science fiction tropes (namely, invasion by communistic, insect-like aliens), I argue that Orson Scott Card reimagines the binary Cold War conflict, softening the rhetoric of Starship Troopers and allowing for a more qualified understanding of the relationship between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. Through this analysis, I also consider how science fiction is a useful tool of cultural criticism in that it posits future worlds so as to reflect contemporary social concerns.

Democracy and democratic values have stagnated and are under attack. Current criticism of democracy points towards problems with efficiency, leniency towards undemocratic elements, collective problem-solving, and a suspension of the rule of law for public good. One solution to these problems could be to focus on teaching democratic values through literature in school. A suitable novel for this endeavor is the science-fiction novel Starship Troopers, written by Robert A. Heinlein in 1959, since it functions as fictional criticism and an alternative to democracy. However, most of the previous research conducted on Starship Troopers have focused on aspects regarding militarism and fascism. This research paper differs because it focuses specifically on how democracy is critiqued in the novel and how this critique could be used to teach democratic values. Teaching democratic values should be conducted since democracy and democratic values are arguably the most essential aspects of the fundamental values of the Swedish school system. Still, the relevant school policy documents do not define how these fundamental values are connected to the system of democracy and how they could be taught in a classroom. In order to fill that gap, this paper aims to use the theories and methods of didactic potential, Socratic pedagogy, and the politics of advocacy, attack, and assent to help students become more self-aware of their fundamental democratic values. The analysis demonstrates that Starship Troopers criticizes essential elements of democracy and complements those elements with its own alternative fundamental elements and values. The analysis also demonstrates how this critique can be used as a complement in a philosophical discussion that helps students become more self-aware of their fundamental democratic values.

Does the individual really matter in the post-modern world, brimming with countless signs and signifiers? My main objective in this writing is to demonstrate how this happens in Verhoeven's films, exploring his central themes and subtext and doing what science fiction does: hold a mirror up to the contemporary world and critique it, asking whether our species' current trajectory is beneficial or hazardous.; Dutch director Paul Verhoeven is a polarizing figure. Although many of his American made films have received considerable praise and financial success, he has been lambasted on countless occasions for his gratuitous use of sex, violence, and contentious symbolism--1995s Showgirls was overwhelmingly dubbed the worst film of all time and 1997s Starship Troopers earned him a reputation as a fascist. Regardless of the controversy surrounding him, his science fiction films are a move beyond the conventions of the big blockbuster science fiction films of the 1980s (E.T. and the Star Wars trilogy are prime examples), revealing a deeper exploration of both sociopolitical issues and the human condition. Much like the novels of Philip K. Dick (and Verhoeven's 1990 film Total Recall--an adaptation of a Dick short story), Verhoeven's science fiction work explores worlds where paranoia is a constant and determining whether an individual maintains any liberty is regularly questionable. In this thesis I am basically exploring issues regarding power. Although I barely bring up the term power in it, I feel it is central. Power is an ambiguous term; are we discussing physical power, state power, objective power, subjective power, or any of the other possible manifestations of the word? The original Anglo-French version of power means "to be able," asking whether it is possible for one to do something. In relation to Verhoeven's science fiction work each demonstrates the limitations placed upon an individual's autonomy, asking are the protagonists capable of independent agency or rather just environmental constructs reflecting the myriad influences surrounding them.