The pronounced constraints on ecosystem functioning and human livelihoods in drylands are frequently exacerbated by natural and socio-economic stresses, including weather extremes and inequitable trade conditions. Therefore, a better understanding of the relation between these stresses and the socio-ecological systems is important for advancing dryland development. The concept of vulnerability as applied in this dissertation describes this relation as encompassing the exposure to climate, market and other stresses as well as the sensitivity of the systems to these stresses and their capacity to adapt. With regard to the interest in improving environmental and living conditions in drylands, this dissertation aims at a meaningful generalisation of heterogeneous vulnerability situations. A pattern recognition approach based on clustering revealed typical vulnerability-creating mechanisms at global and local scales. One study presents the first analysis of dryland vulnerability with global coverage at a sub-national resolution. The cluster analysis resulted in seven typical patterns of vulnerability according to quantitative indication of poverty, water stress, soil degradation, natural agro-constraints and isolation. Independent case studies served to validate the identified patterns and to prove the transferability of vulnerability-reducing approaches. Due to their worldwide coverage, the global results allow the evaluation of a specific system’s vulnerability in its wider context, even in poorly-documented areas. Moreover, climate vulnerability of smallholders was investigated with regard to their food security in the Peruvian Altiplano. Four typical groups of households were identified in this local dryland context using indicators for harvest failure risk, agricultural resources, education and non-agricultural income. An elaborate validation relying on independently acquired information demonstrated the clear correlation between weather-related damages and the identified clusters. It also showed that household-specific causes of vulnerability were consistent with the mechanisms implied by the corresponding patterns. The synthesis of the local study provides valuable insights into the tailoring of interventions that reflect the heterogeneity within the social group of smallholders. The conditions necessary to identify typical vulnerability patterns were summarised in five methodological steps. They aim to motivate and to facilitate the application of the selected pattern recognition approach in future vulnerability analyses. The five steps outline the elicitation of relevant cause-effect hypotheses and the quantitative indication of mechanisms as well as an evaluation of robustness, a validation and a ranking of the identified patterns. The precise definition of the hypotheses is essential to appropriately quantify the basic processes as well as to consistently interpret, validate and rank the clusters. In particular, the five steps reflect scale-dependent opportunities, such as the outcome-oriented aspect of validation in the local study. Furthermore, the clusters identified in Northeast Brazil were assessed in the light of important endogenous processes in the smallholder systems which dominate this region. In order to capture these processes, a qualitative dynamic model was developed using generalised rules of labour allocation, yield extraction, budget constitution and the dynamics of natural and technological resources. The model resulted in a cyclic trajectory encompassing four states with differing degree of criticality. The joint assessment revealed aggravating conditions in major parts of the study region due to the overuse of natural resources and the potential for impoverishment. The changes in vulnerability-creating mechanisms identified in Northeast Brazil are well-suited to informing local adjustments to large-scale intervention programmes, such as “Avança Brasil”. Overall, the categorisation of a limited number of typical patterns and dynamics presents an efficient approach to improving our understanding of dryland vulnerability. Appropriate decision-making for sustainable dryland development through vulnerability reduction can be significantly enhanced by pattern-specific entry points combined with insights into changing hotspots of vulnerability and the transferability of successful adaptation strategies. / Die Grenzen ökologischer Funktionen und menschlicher Lebensweisen in Trockengebieten werden häufig durch natürlichen und sozio-ökonomischen Stress, wie extreme Wetterereignisse und ungerechte Handelsbedingungen, weiter verengt. Zur Förderung der Entwicklung in Trockengebieten ist es daher wichtig, die Beziehung zwischen den Stressfaktoren und den sozio-ökologischen Systemen besser zu verstehen. Das Konzept der Vulnerabilität, welches in der vorliegenden Dissertation angewandt wird, beschreibt dieses Verhältnis durch die Exposition, Sensitivität und Anpassungsfähigkeit von Systemen im Hinblick auf Klima-, Markt- und anderen Stress. Bezüglich des Interesses, die Umwelt- und Lebensbedingungen in Trockengebieten zu verbessern, zielt diese Dissertation darauf ab, die vielschichtigen Ursachen und Veränderungen von Vulnerabilität sinnvoll zu verallgemeinern. Eine clusterbasierte Mustererkennung zeigte typische Mechanismen auf, welche Vulnerabilität auf globaler und lokaler Ebene verursachen. Dabei stellt die globale Studie die erste flächendeckende Untersuchung von Vulnerabilität in Trockengebieten mit sub-nationaler Auflösung dar. Die Clusteranalyse identifizierte sieben typische Muster basierend auf der quantitativen Beschreibung von Armut, Wasserknappheit, Bodendegradation, natürlichen Produktionshemmnissen und Isolation. Die Gültigkeit der ermittelten Cluster und die Übertragbarkeit von Anpassungsmaßnahmen innerhalb ähnlicher Gebiete wurden anhand unabhängiger Fallstudien belegt. Die flächendeckende Erfassung erlaubt es, die Vulnerabilität eines Systems in seinem größeren Kontext zu bewerten, auch in weniger gut durch Fallstudien dokumentierten Gebieten. Weiterhin wurde die Klimavulnerabilität von Kleinbauern bezüglich ihrer Nahrungsmittelsicherung im peruanischen Altiplano untersucht. In diesem lokalen Kontext wurden vier Cluster von Haushalten gemäß ihrer Produktionsrisiken, landwirtschaftlichen Ressourcen, der Bildung und ihres nicht-landwirtschaftlichen Einkommens unterschieden. Eine erweiterte Gültigkeitsprüfung unter Nutzung unabhängig erhobener Informationen stellte heraus, dass wetterbedingte Schäden mit den ermittelten Clustern korrelieren und dass haushaltsspezifische Schadensursachen mit den durch die Muster angezeigten Mechanismen übereinstimmen. Die lokale Studie liefert wertvolle Hinweise auf bedarfsgerechte Eingriffe unter Beachtung der Heterogenität innerhalb der sozialen Gruppe der Kleinbauern. Die notwendigen Bedingungen zur Erkennung typischer Muster ergaben fünf methodische Schritte. Ihre Darlegung soll die Anwendung der gewählten Methode in zukünftigen Vulnerabilitätsstudien anregen und erleichtern. Die fünf Schritte umfassen die Ableitung relevanter Ursache-Wirkungs-Hypothesen, die Quantifizierung der Mechanismen, die Bewertung von Robustheit und Gültigkeit sowie die Ordnung der ermittelten Muster nach dem Grad der Vulnerabilität. Dabei ist die genaue Beschreibung der Hypothesen eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Quantifizierung der grundlegenden Prozesse sowie eine einheitliche Interpretation, Gültigkeitsprüfung und Ordnung der ermittelten Muster. Besondere Beachtung finden skalenbedingte Aspekte, wie beispielsweise die ergebnisorientierte Gültigkeitsprüfung in der lokalen Studie. Weiterhin wurden die in Nordostbrasilien ermittelten Cluster im Hinblick auf wichtige endogene Prozesse in den dort vorherrschenden kleinbäuerlichen Nutzungssystemen untersucht. Diese Prozesse umfassen die Aufteilung der Arbeitskraft, die landwirtschaftliche Produktion sowie Einkommens- und Ressourcendynamiken. Sie wurden in einem qualitativen dynamischen Modell erfasst, welches eine zyklische Trajektorie mit vier unterschiedlich problematischen Entwicklungszuständen ergab. Als besonders problematischer Aspekt verschärfte sich die Vulnerabilität in weiten Teilen des Untersuchungsgebietes durch die Übernutzung natürlicher Ressourcen und die Möglichkeit weiterer Verarmung. Die in Nordostbrasilien gezeigten Veränderungen sind dazu geeignet, groß angelegte Entwicklungsprogramme, wie zum Beispiel “Avança Brasil”, angemessen an lokale Gegebenheiten anzupassen. Insgesamt ermöglicht es die Kategorisierung einer begrenzten Anzahl typischer Muster und Veränderungen, die Vulnerabilität in Trockengebieten besser zu verstehen. Eine nachhaltige Entwicklung von Trockengebieten basierend auf der Minderung von Vulnerabilität kann durch musterspezifische Ansätze zusammen mit Hinweisen zu Veränderungen im Schweregrad und zur Übertragbarkeit erfolgreicher Anpassungsstrategien wirkungsvoll unterstützt werden.

This thesis aims to study and describe the evolution and transformations of female archetypes appearing in the production of symbolist art movement during the time period 1880 1914. It focuses on all used variants of symbols and personifications of womanhood, and it tries to present the complete iconographic overview. The main goal is to learn whether symbolists were using maily symbols of a destructive antiheroine or whether there was a wider spectrum of positive and honorable female icons. There are also examples used from the decadent literature which include those symbolic figures.

The author of this thesis Representation of the hero and the antihero in the British fantasy literature deals with the typology of characters within the genre. She focuses on the distinction between a hero and an antihero and discribes the characteristic features of their representation in the pieces written by British authors, including particularly the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, P. Pullman, N. Gaiman and T. Pratchett. The theoretical background is provided by the publication The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and a book titled The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Gained pieces of information are confronted with the texts named above.

This work focuses on the analysis of visual representation, behaviour and development of female characters in the video games series the Witcher, which consists of three games with consequential stories. The aim of this work is to analyse all female characters that appear in this three-part series, from main characters to supporting characters and female monsters. In the first part of this work, there is the theoretical clarification of the basic gaming terms and how the gender problematics are connected with video games - namely femininity, sexism and basic female archetypes, which are an inseparable part of games. Furthermore, the thesis introduces the origin of the Witcher world as well as its main hero, Geralt, and briefly introduces the plot of the series. In the second part of this work, the three main characters of the series are analysed in the terms of their visual representation, behaviour, motivation as well as their relationship with the main hero, their behaviour during fights and their relationships with other characters. Furthermore, this work analyses selected female characters, which are examined as individuals (for example sorceresses and warriors) or as groups (for example village women, town women and vampires), according to how significant they are. This thesis focuses on how...

The theme of this thesis is the transformation of a trickster figure in the Russian children's folklore. The first part is devoted to an analysis of trickster tale and trickster heroes. This section is primarily based on classic works of prominent ethnologists, anthropologists and folklorists - they are mainly the works of Claude Lévi-Strauss, Vladimir Propp, Jeleazar Meletinskij and many others. This section is concerned mainly on the systematization and analysis of the classic characteristics of a hero trickster for subsequent analysis and comparison of the current hero of the sadistic poems - the little boy. The second part is an introduction to the themes of the sadistic poems - it is dedicated to the history of their origin; historical, cultural and social factors that had an impact on their development; systemization of the sadistic poems by topics and trends. This part is based on the works of Russian anthropologists, folklorists and psychologists. The third part of my work is dedicated to an independent comparative analysis of the nature of the protagonist of the sadistic poems - the boy as a trickster figure. The analysis is based on the classic ethnographic studies devoted to trickster tales and also on the works on the phenomenon of the sadistic poems. During this analysis, where I...

The topic of this paper is the disenchantment of the world and a possible ontological status of "mystical beings" such as fairies or power animals. I deal with this topic in three areas, namely in the positivist hegemony, where the existence of such beings is absurd, in the depth psychology of Carl Gustav Jung, where they are identified as archetypal symbols, and in the urban shamanism, where the existence of these beings is presented as a matter of fact. At first, I use the method of Foucault and the analysis of Adorno and Horkheimer to trace the ontological prescription that made the existence of such beings unthinkable for us, and I identify it in the select theories of John Locke and Henri Bergson. Here I find the prescription of homogeneity to be the principal ontological condition which allows only one possible mode of being and all beings that do not fulfill this condition can exist only as psychological entities. I read then Jung's work and urban shamanism as answers that aim to justify the status of these beings on this ontological ground. Jung finds in them an articulation of deep psychological forces in his theory of collective unconscious, and thus guarantees their significance but does not deny their ultimate psychological status. However, shamanism postulates their existence in a...

This thesis constitutes the gender analysis of the Kateřina Tučková's work Žítkovské bohyně. The methodological and theoretical part defends feminist literary criticism as a legitimate approach to the text, represents a method of feminine writing and reading and examines the question of literary canon. Besides it analyses archetypes, which are demonstrated with using classical feminist texts, which depict typological attributes of characters as well as some model situations of the novel. The characters are related to archetype of witch, Demeter narrative and seductress, which all are interdependent. Except for archetypes, the thesis also discusses the issue of stereotypical display of feminity and masculinity, spirituality connected with women characters, interprets nature of myths and reflects mutual relationship among characters of the novel in the gender system. The proper analysis of female and male characters focuses on the main female characters, which are influenced by male partners and theme of the curse, which is the key for this analysis.

This thesis deals with the evolution of vampire as a literary character in contemporary production for young adults. Its aim is not to describe all existing works but to cover only the most interesting representations of a vampire in various epochs. The thesis describes the most influential works building the literary stereotype of a vampire and proposes an evolution line. The crucial works in this genre are: Vampire, Carmilla, Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Twilight, House of Night, Vampire Academy and Vampire Boardingschool. Based on them we create a typology according to the appearance, character and narrative role of a vampire. The thesis begins with an anthropological introduction, especially with the origin of the vampires in Easteuropean folk tradition. Farther more we deal with most common genres used to enrich the vampire literature and theory of a literary character as a narrative category. The analysis covers the evolution of a vampire character from its naturalistic appearance to its very civilized pole in the contemporary young adults fiction. We close with the chapter describing the character of a vampire as a literary symbol.

The work focuses on qualitative research of possibilities and limits of the use of picture cards symbols (including Tarot) that would serve the clients in coaching and therapy as a projective technique leading to their deeper self-knowledge and personal development. Respondents told their life story based on picture cards. We show here under what conditions this projective technique brought them new information and inspiration for their self- development, in what forms the method can be applied and what methodical procedures are most effective. The simple clients' description of the selected images did not bring them much substantially new. It began to be more inspirational for them when a consultant added targeted questions, his reflections and hypothetical interpretations, or even explained standard meanings of symbols. Then this technique started to speak to clients more and brought them new impulses. Even more inspiring for them it became, once an element of chance was incorporated - when they pulled out some cards at random. The thesis finally formulates detailed recommended general methodology for projective technique application for personal growth and discusses possibilities and limits of the use of projective methods in coaching, therapy and personal development seminars.

The perception of water as an inseparable part of human's life. Biological relations, social aspects, historical view of water which ranks top position among the main values. Easthetic and artistic perception of water, water as a part of the educational curriculum aimed at young learners and Art.