Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

This study explores the human-object relationship through the design of a flowerpot that amplifies object/ human communication. Humans frequently anthropomorphize artifacts in their environment, attributing feelings and features to artifacts, so transforming them into companions. For example people commonly name and ascribe gender to their favorite vehicles. Recent advances in digital and interface design have afforded new possibilities for shaping future human/ object interaction. I have chosen to focus my investigations on possible feedback loops that connect human emotionally to the plant. The Morphological chart was the method used in order to generate a broad range of the concepts. The method provides a structure for a less predictable and more experimental form of ideation. The concepts generated focused on defining new roles for, and ways of seeing houseplants and potential routes for interaction and communication between human and plant. The designs focused on attributing human values and features to both the form of the plant pot and communication system used. / text

God expresses Himself with emotions. This is well attested in Scripture, with statements of love (1Jn 4:8), anger (Ex 4:14), and delight (Isa 62:4). But the real question is not whether God has emotions, but what is the source of those emotions. If God emotes in the context of our suffering, and our suffering is not abated, does this mean that God is impotent or indifferent? Both possibilities yield a frightening conclusion. Rightly understanding the character and nature of God in this regard is paramount. For the past two thousand years, the prevailing doctrine was that God was in some way impassible, in that He is without passions or emotions with respect to his creation. This means that God does not change his feelings or thoughts about events on the earth. Even though certain passages called the “divine repentance” passages in the Old Testament (Ge 6:6-7; Ex 32:12-14; 1Sa 15:11, 35; Nu 23:19) appeared to contradict God’s impassibility, this was solved through the idea of anthropopathism, that is, the belief that God describes Himself with emotional terms. Prior to 1930, most of the English Bible renderings of the divine repentance passages preferred the word “repent,” because the prevailing theology was rooted in the impassibility of God, and these passages were deemed to be anthropopathic. But with the doctrine of God’s impassibility now in question, English Bible translations began to reflect the view that God actually reacts to our suffering with strong emotion. Words such as “sorry,” “grief,” “regret,” and even “changed his mind” were now used to describe the reaction of God whenever God appeared to be disappointed with his creation, or worse, if He was disappointed with his own plan. The purpose of this study is to provide an exegetical solution to the problem of God’s response in the divine repentance passages in four Old Testament historical texts. These passages are labelled as such because of the use of the Hebrew verb ~xn which describe God as “sorry” or “repenting.” For those who hold to God’s full immutability, the preferred view through the ages was that the Hebrew ~xn was to be taken as anthropopathically. This study will want to explore the possibilities of an alternative view for the Hebrew ~xn in the divine repentance passages which allow for God’s passibility while holding to his full immutability. Specifically, this study not only strives to answer the question “Does God repent?”, but through a sound methodology also wants to answer the larger question of the source of God’s emotion when his judgment or grace is in view. The methodology followed in this study is two-fold. First, it is biblical-theological, meaning that it utilises a whole-Bible theology, and following the work of Walter Kaiser and James Hamilton, posits that the Old Testament contains a theme or centre of grace within judgment. At the Fall in Ge 3, God simultaneously introduced judgment and grace into the world. That judgment and grace has never left. As one looks through the Bible, these are the two unbroken strands that weave their way through every chapter and every book. In addition, this study is also an exegetical study, and follows the grammaticalhistorical- lexical-syntactical methodology of Walter Kaiser. God disclosed Himself objectively through the words of a book. This book records actual historical events, as well as specific declarations and commands from God Himself. It is necessary that the words of this book be correctly understood in their context so that a correct understanding of God will result. Using this methodology, this study will explore the meaning of God’s ~xn in each divine repentance passage. The lexical study will be combined with the biblical-theological approach of a theme or centre of “grace within judgment” that flows through the Old Testament. Because of this, is it possible that God, who is fully immutable, provide us everything that we need to navigate a world of sin, suffering and uncertainty? The answer could very well be in the understanding of God’s ~xn in light of our suffering and sin. / PhD (Old Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Anthropomorphic portrayals of insects in popular culture reflect ongoing debates and uncertainties about the nature of human beings and their place within the environment. This thesis examines anthropomorphic portrayals of insects in popular media from the early nineteenth century to the present day. It shows how the codes of anthropomorphic representation that developed in conjunction with popular microscopy during the nineteenth century have continued to shape the portrayal of insects in popular culture. Nineteenth-century books about insects refined a literary style conducive to the description of settings and events existing outside the normal perceptual parameters of the reader. The popularity and descriptive limits of this style, along with advances in printing methods and photography, led to an increase in production and distribution of insect imagery. The public fascination with insect imagery inspired many cinematic portrayals of insects that, continuing into the twentieth century, advanced the codes of anthropomorphism already established by preceding texts. Central to these anthropomorphic portrayals is the ‘otherworldly’ status of the insect, a status ensured by its location in the so-called ‘insect world.’ Hence, insects have come to inspire a range of otherworldly beings, from the nineteenth-century fairy to contemporary representations of extraterrestrial beings. The popularity of these figures, in turn, has shaped conceptions of insects themselves. Studying these figures provides an opportunity to better understand how human-insect relations are shaped by culture, and thus to interrogate how human identity itself arises from, and is guided by, cultural practices that seek to engage with the natural world. By foregrounding the ways in which the insect has come to represent the otherworldly and the imaginal, it becomes possible to begin to alleviate psychological barriers to ecological realities, and in particular, the ecological reality of the insect’s place as the most biologically prolific species on Earth.

Anthropomorphic portrayals of insects in popular culture reflect ongoing debates and uncertainties about the nature of human beings and their place within the environment. This thesis examines anthropomorphic portrayals of insects in popular media from the early nineteenth century to the present day. It shows how the codes of anthropomorphic representation that developed in conjunction with popular microscopy during the nineteenth century have continued to shape the portrayal of insects in popular culture. Nineteenth-century books about insects refined a literary style conducive to the description of settings and events existing outside the normal perceptual parameters of the reader. The popularity and descriptive limits of this style, along with advances in printing methods and photography, led to an increase in production and distribution of insect imagery. The public fascination with insect imagery inspired many cinematic portrayals of insects that, continuing into the twentieth century, advanced the codes of anthropomorphism already established by preceding texts. Central to these anthropomorphic portrayals is the ‘otherworldly’ status of the insect, a status ensured by its location in the so-called ‘insect world.’ Hence, insects have come to inspire a range of otherworldly beings, from the nineteenth-century fairy to contemporary representations of extraterrestrial beings. The popularity of these figures, in turn, has shaped conceptions of insects themselves. Studying these figures provides an opportunity to better understand how human-insect relations are shaped by culture, and thus to interrogate how human identity itself arises from, and is guided by, cultural practices that seek to engage with the natural world. By foregrounding the ways in which the insect has come to represent the otherworldly and the imaginal, it becomes possible to begin to alleviate psychological barriers to ecological realities, and in particular, the ecological reality of the insect’s place as the most biologically prolific species on Earth.

A literatura infantil contemporânea abarca diferentes mecanismos de apresentação com a intenção de atingir o universo do leitor. Deste modo, crianças não alfabetizadas ou em fase inicial de alfabetização podem ter o prazer da leitura alcançado com ou sem o auxílio de um adulto. São dois os caminhos de funcionalidade o entretenimento e a educação, que não podem se dissociar, visto que a literatura infantil no formato que conhecemos hoje não consegue entreter sem transformar educacionalmente o indivíduo, em alguma medida. Por ser um material historicamente vinculado com a alfabetização, o livro infantil está presente com frequência na sala de aula e no cotidiano das crianças. Levando em conta o caráter formador do livro, esta pesquisa analisa obras de literatura infantil baseando-se na investigação da representação figurativa e temática dada aos personagens animais das histórias, com o objetivo de explorar seu potencial para o ensino de ciências. Para determinar a metodologia de análise nos apoiamos no referencial fornecido pelo percurso gerativo do sentido da semiótica greimasiana na perspectiva da linguagem. As personagens animais escolhidas para este estudo foram galinhas e joaninhas encontrados em seis livros disponíveis em bibliotecas e salas de leituras de escolas públicas da rede municipal de Guarulhos/SP. Para ampliar o enfoque e, ao mesmo tempo, como resultado de nossas análises, discutimos algumas experiências de intervenções aplicadas em salas de aula elaboradas dentro do Projeto JOANINHA Jogar, Observar, Aprender, Narrar: Investigando Natureza, História e Arte na pré-escola realizado na mesma rede municipal de ensino em que os livros foram coletados. As intervenções foram realizadas em duas turmas de crianças em fase de alfabetização com idade entre 5 e 7 anos, e organizadas pelo grupo de pesquisa Interfaces do qual este trabalho faz parte. Os resultados alcançados apontam que o livro infantil traz consigo figuras e temas sobre as personagens animais que carregam valores historicamente produzidos pela sociedade e refletem na formação leitora da criança. Tais figurativizações são predominantes em detrimento de outras e, por isso, permitem a articulação com os temas relacionados aos fenômenos científicos. Ao mesmo tempo, mascaram determinadas características e comportamentos destes animais e de nossas relações com eles, e, assim, necessitam do olhar atento ao levar o livro para o âmbito da educação em Ciências. / Contemporary children\'s literature includes different presentation mechanisms with the intention of reaching the universe of the reader, therefore, illiterate children or early literacy phase may have the pleasure of reading achieved with or without help of an adult. There are two useful paths, entertainment and education, which can not be dissociated since children\'s literature in the form we know today do not get to entertain without educationally turning a bit the individual. As it is a material historically linked with literacy, the children\'s book is often present in the classroom and daily life of child. Taking account the former character of the book, this research analyzes children\'s literature based on the investigation of figurative and thematic representation given to the animal characters of the stories in order to explore their potential for science teaching. To determine the analytical methodology we support the framework provided by generative trajectory of the greimasian semiotics from the perspective of language. Animal characters chosen for this study were chickens and ladybugs found in six books available in libraries and reading rooms of municipal public schools from Guarulhos / São Paulo. To extend and at the same time as a result of our analyzes, we discuss some interventions experiences applied in classrooms elaborates within JOANINHA Project Play, Observe, Learn, Narrate: Investigating Nature, History and Art in Preschool accomplished in the same municipal schools where the books were collected. The interventions were conducted in two groups of children in literacy stage aged 5 and 7 years, and organizes by Interfaces research group wich this paper is part. The results achieved indicate that children\'s book brings figures and themes about animal characters has values historically produced by society and it reflect the children\'s learning. These figurative ideas are predominate when compared the others, that\'s why it allows articulation with the themes related to scientific phenomena. At the same time, they mask certain characteristics and behaviors of the animals and our relationships with them, thus, they require the watchful eye to take the book to the realm of science education.

Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza básica, de estrutura transversal e de desenho quasi-experimental cujo objeto foi o conceito Deus em uma amostra de crianças de três confissões cristãs. Objetivou-se explorar se o uso deste conceito é consistente com a doutrina teológica por elas professas ou se se incorre em uma antropomorfização não intencional. Ainda, é explorada a relação entre o uso de imagens e adornos religiosos e distintos níveis de antropomorfização. Esses objetivos foram exploramos através da formulação e testagem de nove hipóteses. Foi constituída uma amostra de conveniência composta por noventa participantes. Essa amostra foi dividida em quatro grupos de interesse: no primeiro houve uma distribuição equitativa (n=30) quanto às confissões religiosas (Catolicismo Romano, Espiritismo Kardecista e Assembleia de Deus); três grupos quanto à idade, variando de 9 a 11 anos (M=10.31, DP=0.80); dois quanto ao gênero, sendo que quarenta e três respondentes eram do sexo masculino (47%) e; dois grupos quanto ao tipo de escola, sendo que cinquenta e três participantes pertenciam à escola particular (58%). Foram utilizados como instrumental de pesquisa uma tarefa de compreensão de narrativa, um questionário de exposição às imagens religiosas e um questionário sobre as características de Deus para testar as hipóteses aventadas. Esses instrumentos passaram por sistemática tradução e adaptação cultural, além de haver sido calculado o índice de validade de conteúdo, de maneira a averiguar sua exatidão semântica para o uso tanto no contexto brasileiro quanto para a população-alvo. Como resultado, o instrumento mostrou-se adequado para uso. Também encontramos que os participantes usuários de imagens religiosas, majoritariamente os católicos e espíritas, sustentam maiores níveis de antropomorfismo religioso em seus conceitos teológicos, conforme aferido pelo Questionário de Deus. No entanto, o grupo que apresentou maiores níveis de antropomorfismo na tarefa de compreensão de narrativa foi o evangélico. Face a este dado aparentemente contraditório, discutimos possíveis - 9 relações entre a dinâmica do mercado religioso brasileiro, contextualizando o uso da imagem religiosa, e a representação mental do conceito Deus para essa amostra. Os resultados também sugerem que, para os quatro grupos de interesse, o antropomorfismo religioso atua mais intensamente em crianças do que em adultos na a tarefa de compreensão de narrativas, em que são utilizados conceitos básicos. Quanto ao uso dos conceitos teológicos, os grupos de interesse também apresentaram uma leve rejeição ao antropomorfismo religioso. Sugere-se que para o conceito Deus existam múltiplos níveis de representação, sendo que o contexto e a tarefa influem sobre a representação a ser empregada, variando entre conceitos básicos e teológicos em um certo continuum. Ainda, face aos resultados encontrados e amparados pela visão teórica dos conceitos, apresenta-se uma possível explicação fundada na mudança conceitual sobre como os usos do conceito Deus podem mudar ao longo do desenvolvimento, de maneira a afetar toda uma rede relacional teórica-explicativa / This basic, transversal, quasi-experimental research has as object Gods concept in a children sample of different Christian beliefs. We aimed to explore if the use of this concept is coherent with their professed theology or if they unintentionally anthropomorphize this agent. Also, we explore how religious images and objects relate to distinct levels of anthropomorphization. We explored these objectives through nine hypotheses. We had a convenience sample of ninety individuals. Such sample was divided in four groups: the first one was equally distributed in three religious groups (n=30) (Roman Catholics, Assembly of God and Kardecism Spiritism); the second one divided in three groups related to age, varying from 9 to 11 (M=10.31, DP=0.80); third group divided in two related to gender, being fourty-three males (47%) and finally; the fourth group related to type of school, being fifty-three participants studying in private school (58%). We used three psychologic instruments in our research: a narrative comprehension task, a survey of exposure to religious images and a survey of characteristics of God. These instruments were translated and culturally adapted for scientific usage, we also calculated the content validity index, to be sure about its semantic validity both for the Brazilian context and for the target-population. Thus, we found that the image users, mostly Catholics and Spirits, hold greater levels of religious anthropomorphism in their theological concepts, as we can measure through the Gods Survey Questionnaire. The group that showed greater levels of anthropomorphism in the narrative comprehension task was the evangelic. On that, we present some possible relations between the dynamics of Brazilian religious market, specially related to religious image usage, and God´s mental representation related to this sample. Also, as a result, our sample suggest that, for the four groups created, religious anthropomorphism is more intense in children in a narrative comprehension task than in adults. On the theological concepts, the groups also revealed tiny rejection to religious anthropomorphism, but when analyzed all items, we could notice certain heterogeneity in the attribution of anthropomorphism for this agent, varying from a lot - 11 to little, when compared to an adult sample, whose rejection was absolute. These results suggest, in conformity with theory theory of concepts, that God´s concepts go through conceptual change throughout the human development, affecting all theoretical-explicative conceptual network

For many of us living in the West, wildlife films may be the primary source to watch and learn about the lives of animals like lions, monkeys, and other” far of reach” animals. But how much of what we see in wildlife films is really true? Does wildlife film fall under documentary or does it fall under the category fiction? And how is the answer to this question relevant for gender studies as a scientific field? The purpose of this essay is to investigate the way in which gender is being represented in wildlife films from a constructivist perspective. The essay is based on two wildlife films from different production companies: BBC and National Geographic. With the support of previous research by Hillevi Ganetz and Malin Ah-King, I conclude that the way animals are being represented in wildlife films shows connections to the Victorian age regarding ideas of gender, and even Darwinism when it comes to sexual reproduction.The result of the study indicates that the way in which animals are being represented in wildlife films is very relevant for how we understand gender and sexuality in modern society.

AbstractBrand love has become an increasingly interesting area of research for academics and marketing practitioners alike, as it has shown to drive consumer behaviours such as brand loyalty, positive word-of-mouth and negative information resistance (Batra et al., 2012). However, the focus has primarily been on brand love as a concept and how it drives consumer behaviour from a company perspective, and to a lesser extent on the antecedent pathways that lead to it from a consumer perspective. Based on extant research concerning brand love and its antecedents, this study tries to shed more light on the pathways that lead to brand love out of a consumer perspective. This study builds on extant research in brand love by connecting a brand love prototype model (ibid.), with anthropomorphism as an additional antecedent (Rauschnabel & Ahuvia, 2014), and attempts to extend earlier findings regarding the antecedents of brand love by describing how the antecedents form a pathway to brand love as seen out of a consumer’s point of view. The research was carried out by the use of a deductive, qualitative approach and thematical analysis. The data collection was done through the use of unstructured interviews. This study finds that the pathways to brand love can vary and be triggered from different angles, but that the key factors to brand love are anthropomorphism of the brand and integration of the brand into the self. This research is limited by the fact that the pathways are described through the use of a thematical analysis and that the respondents were selected as a result of a convenience selection. It would therefore be prudent to test the findings with a quantitative method and also to extend the number of respondents. This study is the first to qualitatively investigate the pathways between the antecedents of brand love out of a consumer perspective and will contribute to brand love literature by providing new insight into the antecedent pathways of brand love.

Raggare is a unique and rather understudied subculture within Scandinavia that emerged in the 1950s and has been vibrant since. They are noted for their affection towards 1950s American aesthetics and, most importantly, American vintage cars. In Sweden, these cars are known as raggarbilar, and I contend these vehicles are central to how social interactions occur between raggare. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how cars create social bonds by looking at raggarbilar through the lens of raggare and in this way investigating how and why the cars fascinate people. I use sensory methodology to examine how cars are approached and embraced by raggare, arguing that sensuous experiences are fundamental to the perception of the materiality of cars. Theoretically, I use materiality and material culture as guidelines for how objects enforce cultural and social significance. More specifically, Alfred Gell’s notion of the technology of enchantment is utilized to understand the effects and social agency of artefacts and I develop this notion further with what I call the sensory enchantment of materiality. During ten weeks of ethnographic fieldwork that took place in different garages in Västernorrland county, along with semi-structured interviews and the usage of visual instruments, I explored the interconnectedness between cars, people, and environment to investigate how cars are objects capable of enchantment and persuasion to raggare. Overall, raggarbilar are multi-sensory objects that are perceived as different from other cars and create certain phenomenological experiences that are shared between raggare, and thus, bring the subculture together.