Dr. Alexis F. Lange is living forever in this chosen field, not in a mosaic of marble, but in the lives and actions of men and women today, who came in personal contact with his warm congenial personality and the inspiration of his spirit and ideals. It was largely through his efforts in establishing the junior high schools and the junior colleges, that the school children of today are able to live in situations better adapted to their educational needs.

In the decade of the 1830's, Alexis de Tocqueville published a perceptive analysis of America in the Jacksonian era, which focused upon the customs, manners and intellectual habits of its citizens, and their social condition as seen through its political institutions. He advanced the proposition--a paradox of democracy--that equality of condition was as compatible with tyranny as with freedom. The social consensus, which stemmed from the wide acceptance of doctrine of equality and common wants and interests, when brought to bear upon legislator and judge, public official, juryman, and the non-conforming individual, he termed the "tyranny of the majority."

No description available.

Cette thèse poursuit trois objectifs : premièrement, montrer que le Réalisme Merveilleux est une théorie esthétique et neuroesthétique étroitement liée à l'avènement d'une identité littéraire en Amérique; deuxièmement, énoncer une éthique à partir des romans de Jacques Stephen Alexis que sont Compère Général Soleil, Les arbres musiciens et L'espace d'un cillement; et troisièmement, inscrire cette esthétique dans la tradition d'une pensée critique haïtienne. Cette triple approche élargit le cadre du débat exégétique sur le Réalisme Merveilleux qui est trop souvent réduit au réalisme socialiste et à l'indigénisme. Interrogeant le statut des concepts tels l'individualité et la collectivité, la beauté et la laideur, le rationnel et l'irrationnel, l'imaginaire et le réel, la mémoire et l'oubli, la présente recherche met principalement en exergue une esthétique de l'unité « qui s'enracine dans le réel et la vie » (Alexis). À la lumière de la phénoménologie de Michel Henry, nous définissons cette esthétique comme une épreuve de soi ou réalité vivante. La place que prend ici le soi n'exclut aucunement la figure de l'autre. C'est au contact de l'inédit, de l'altérité ou du merveilleux que le soi acquiert son caractère propre. Il en ressort d'une part une éthique de la participation qui constitue le fondement du Réalisme Merveilleux et, d'autre part, une critique de l'essentialisme dans la pensée, qu'elle soit poétique, philosophique ou ethnologique. Si cette thèse se propose de dresser le portrait philosophique de la pensée alexisienne dans une perspective multidisciplinaire, elle montre également les problèmes que soulève son apparition au regard des contextes idéologiques de l'époque qui sont d'ordre nationaliste, régionaliste et internationaliste. / This thesis has three objectives: first, demonstrate that "Realisme Merveilleux" is an aesthetic and an neuroaesthetic closely linked to the emergence of a literary identity in America, and secondly, conceptualize an ethical thinking from the three novels of Jacques Stephen Alexis that are Compère Général Soleil, Les arbres musiciens and L'espace d'un cillement, and thirdly, locate Jacques Stephen Alexis's aesthetics in the tradition of critical thinking in Haiti. Through these three approaches, I propose a plural reading of "Realisme Merveilleux" too often reduced only to Socialist realism and Haitian indigenism. This thesis queries the status of concepts such as individuality and community, beauty and ugliness, rational and irrational, imaginary and real, memory and forgetting. It emphasizes on Jacques Stephen Alexis's aesthetic unity that "rooted in reality and the life "(Alexis). In light of the phenomenology of Michel Henry, Alexis's aesthetic definition is experience of the self or living reality. The self also raises the question of other. The self acquires its own character with novel, otherness or "merveilleux". Accordingly, this research demonstrates that ethics of self and the other is the foundation of "Realisme Merveilleux". Jacques Stephen Alexis's ethics is a critique of essentialism in thought, whether poetic, philosophical or anthropological. If this thesis seeks to provide a philosophical portrait of Jacques Stephen Alexis's thinking from a multidisciplinary perspective, it also shows the problems raised by its appearance under the ideological context of the time that order are nationalist, regionalist and internationalist.

Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-07T18:55:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 000416581-Texto+Completo-0.pdf: 626223 bytes, checksum: 7fea76adca3066a3de5bc7de0f03b330 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / As democracias ocidentais contemporâneas caracterizam-se pelo consenso a respeito da defesa dos direitos individuais fundamentais. O princípio da igualdade, tanto em sua formulação jurídica quanto em sua expressão social, tem por objetivo fazer com que fatores como poder econômico, influência política, origem familiar e preferências pessoais não possam promover desigualdades que não possuem justificativa moral. O princípio da liberdade tem por objetivo garantir espaço para a autonomia e a livre expressão individual. O conflito entre esses dois princípios, como se sabe, define o contexto tanto das conquistas e dos impasses dos regimes democráticos quanto o contexto do debate filosófico a respeito da fundamentação da democracia. Minha tese é a de que a instauração do individualismo nas democracias ocidentais é o resultado de um longo processo de desenvolvimento histórico que estabeleceu a igualdade – e não a liberdade – como o princípio organizador fundamental da ordem social democrática. Essa reavaliação permite superar os impasses gerados por teorias que colocam a autonomia e a racionalidade como fundamento das sociedades democráticas, inflacionando, assim, o conceito de liberdade, restringindo a política a processos de deliberação que deveriam se aproximar de condições idealizadas que não encontram correspondência na prática social e, quase sempre, pressupondo definições para o que seria a natureza humana, a escolha racional ou uma verdadeira autenticidade ou esclarecimento que permitiria escapar de todos os tipos de determinações heterônomas. Para indicar em que sentido proponho essa reavaliação, inicio retomando a obra de Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). Proveniente de uma família aristocrata em plena época pós-revolucionária na França, Tocqueville analisa a formação dos Estados Unidos da América mostrando que, na instauração da democracia americana, o ideal de igualdade ocupa um lugar anterior ao ideal de liberdade não só historicamente, mas também na justificação e na prática do sistema democrático. Subverte-se, assim, tanto a leitura da modernidade enquanto tentativa de efetivar conjuntamente os ideais de igualdade e liberdade, quanto a leitura de que o traço essencial da modernidade seria a instauração de uma racionalidade que acabou tornando-se instrumental ou técnica. Na primeira metade do século XIX, com uma interpretação que evita o unilateralismo, Tocqueville constata que a característica principal das democracias é o fato de que os homens, colocados em situação de igualdade, isolados e entregues a si mesmos, são indivíduos frágeis que, desprovidos de tradições, só possuem a razão para tentar justificar as leis que devem se auto-impor. Essa leitura tocquevilleana negativa da democracia moderna permite compreender fenômenos contemporâneos aparentemente tão incompatíveis quanto, por exemplo, o isolamento social e o amplo consenso em relação aos direitos humanos ou as instituições jurídicas como instância última de mediação dos conflitos sociais e a falência praticamente completa da lei e de quaisquer instrumentos de poder para lidar com questões humanas e, mais recentemente, tecnológicas.O individualismo democrático é, fundamentalmente, a consequência da efetivação cada vez maior do ideal moderno de igualdade. A filosofia política precisa levar a sério o fato de que, ao mesmo tempo em que corrói o ideal de uma racionalidade autofundante, essa condição democrática abre espaço, como nunca antes na história humana, para a responsabilidade individual. Essa responsabilidade é que nos permite, enquanto seres limitados e contingentes, chegar mais perto do ideal moderno de autonomia e autodeterminação.

No description available.

Can states formally recognize cultural diversity and, at the same time, preserve their political and social unity and provide the main public goods of modern citizenship? Is such conciliation feasible? Is it morally desirable? In the current context of unprecedented expression and politicization of cultural identities, especially in democratic countries, such questions are more and more crucial. To answer these questions, the present study considers the contribution of the modern federal tradition. Within this tradition, I analyze four federal responses to the unity-diversity dilemma. The first two---the Belgian and Canadian federations---are practical. Each embodies one of the two dominant contemporary models of federalism: classical liberal individualist, and multinational. I study the experience of each country over the past thirty years to compare the effects of the two models on citizenship. The potential of the modern federal tradition is further assessed through an examination of two theoretical and normative reflections, those of Tocqueville and Proudhon. / The central thesis is twofold. First, I contend that in a context of increasing cultural diversity, unity and diversity have an equal value and are both essential to citizenship. This is true both from a moral and from a practical point of view. Second, I argue that the dominant conceptions of federalism are unable to satisfactorily conciliate unity and diversity. Such task requires the development of what I call an intercultural federalism, one centered on the good of identity pluralization or complexitication. From a strictly practical point of view, only an intercultural federalism can prevent identity fragmentation and the political and social fragmentation which come with it. From a moral perspective, intercultural federalism promises not only to protect, but also to maximize the primary goods which are the most affected by identity fragmentation---political liberty and social solidarity---while also promoting individual liberty. Intercultural federalism rests on three principles which summarize the teachings of the modern federal tradition with regard to the establishment of just citizenship institutions in a context of diversity. Such institutions are just in that they protect and maximize the primary goods of citizenship for all citizens. The three principles are: (1) mutual recognition; (2) intercultural dialogue; (3) multi-varied asymmetrical institutionalization.

Past research suggests that social organisation in Australian rodent species is determined by the predictability of resources in the environment (Happold 1976a). Notomys alexis (the spinifex hopping mouse or tarrkawarra) is widely distributed throughout the Australian arid-zone (Breed 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Large groups of animals have been found sharing burrows in the wild and laboratory observations suggest that the species is highly social (Happold 1976a; Stanley 1971). A closely related species, Notomys mitchelli (Mitchell’s hopping mouse or pankot) is relatively common throughout the southern semi-arid zone (Watts 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Much less is known about N. mitchelli; field studies have been subject to low recapture rates and few laboratory studies have involved this species (Baverstock 1979; Cockburn 1981a; Crichton 1974). Following Happold (1976a), it was hypothesised that the socio-ecology of N. mitchelli will be qualitatively different to that of N. alexis. Studying wild populations of Notomys mitchelli in the Middleback Ranges, South Australia and N. alexis outside the desert township of Roxby Downs, S.A., this research aimed to describe the socio-ecology of these species, with reference to the predictability of their environments. Uniquely, bioclimatic modelling of the species’ known distributions was also conducted to confirm that the study’s underlying assumption that the two rodents inhabit essentially different environments was correct. These studies were complemented by the observation of captive groups of N. alexis. This work confirmed that the habitats of Notomys mitchelli and N. alexis are distinct; the more arid habitat of N. alexis is subject to greater environmental fluctuations than that of the semi-arid dwelling N. mitchelli. Contrary to expectations, however, observation of free-living animals characterised N. mitchelli social groups as highly unstable; while particular individuals remained in the population for long periods, many animals appeared to be transients. Further, burrow groups appeared to be much smaller than predicted by Happold (1976a), and based on loose aggregations of male animals rather than small groups of females. While decidedly social in the laboratory, free-living N. alexis lived in groups no bigger than N. mitchelli and these groups were equally ephemeral in constitution. Moreover, free-living N. alexis appeared to utilise activity areas that were no larger than those used by N. mitchelli, despite occupying a more unpredictable and apparently less well-resourced habitat. As a whole, this research represents a comprehensive examination of the principal behavioural theory commonly applied to Australian native rodent species, untested since its publication three decades ago. From the data collected during this work, it cannot be said that the environmental predictability hypothesis for native rodent social organisations as proposed by Happold (1976a) is adequate to differentiate the social behaviour of these semi-arid and arid-dwelling species. Instead, it is suggested that, while both N. mitchelli and N. alexis are undoubtedly socially tolerant, predation and/or parasite load, driving burrowing behaviour, has a greater influence on the social behaviour of free-living rodent populations than habitat predictability. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1373743 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Past research suggests that social organisation in Australian rodent species is determined by the predictability of resources in the environment (Happold 1976a). Notomys alexis (the spinifex hopping mouse or tarrkawarra) is widely distributed throughout the Australian arid-zone (Breed 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Large groups of animals have been found sharing burrows in the wild and laboratory observations suggest that the species is highly social (Happold 1976a; Stanley 1971). A closely related species, Notomys mitchelli (Mitchell’s hopping mouse or pankot) is relatively common throughout the southern semi-arid zone (Watts 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Much less is known about N. mitchelli; field studies have been subject to low recapture rates and few laboratory studies have involved this species (Baverstock 1979; Cockburn 1981a; Crichton 1974). Following Happold (1976a), it was hypothesised that the socio-ecology of N. mitchelli will be qualitatively different to that of N. alexis. Studying wild populations of Notomys mitchelli in the Middleback Ranges, South Australia and N. alexis outside the desert township of Roxby Downs, S.A., this research aimed to describe the socio-ecology of these species, with reference to the predictability of their environments. Uniquely, bioclimatic modelling of the species’ known distributions was also conducted to confirm that the study’s underlying assumption that the two rodents inhabit essentially different environments was correct. These studies were complemented by the observation of captive groups of N. alexis. This work confirmed that the habitats of Notomys mitchelli and N. alexis are distinct; the more arid habitat of N. alexis is subject to greater environmental fluctuations than that of the semi-arid dwelling N. mitchelli. Contrary to expectations, however, observation of free-living animals characterised N. mitchelli social groups as highly unstable; while particular individuals remained in the population for long periods, many animals appeared to be transients. Further, burrow groups appeared to be much smaller than predicted by Happold (1976a), and based on loose aggregations of male animals rather than small groups of females. While decidedly social in the laboratory, free-living N. alexis lived in groups no bigger than N. mitchelli and these groups were equally ephemeral in constitution. Moreover, free-living N. alexis appeared to utilise activity areas that were no larger than those used by N. mitchelli, despite occupying a more unpredictable and apparently less well-resourced habitat. As a whole, this research represents a comprehensive examination of the principal behavioural theory commonly applied to Australian native rodent species, untested since its publication three decades ago. From the data collected during this work, it cannot be said that the environmental predictability hypothesis for native rodent social organisations as proposed by Happold (1976a) is adequate to differentiate the social behaviour of these semi-arid and arid-dwelling species. Instead, it is suggested that, while both N. mitchelli and N. alexis are undoubtedly socially tolerant, predation and/or parasite load, driving burrowing behaviour, has a greater influence on the social behaviour of free-living rodent populations than habitat predictability. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1373743 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request