Le choix de la Bretagne peut surprendre lorsqu'il s'agit de traiter des migrations italiennes. Les étrangers ont toujours constitué dans la région un groupe relativement minoritaire, les Italiens y compris. Pourtant on observe dès la seconde moitié du 19e siècle sur l'ensemble du territoire breton, la constitution de réseaux migratoires durables, toujours perceptibles aujourd'hui. Quelles raisons ont poussé ces migrants transalpins à poser leurs valises si loin des importantes communautés italiennes établies dans le Sud-Est de la France ou l'Est parisien ? Au-delà d'une réflexion sur les modalités de l'implantation d'une population italienne dans le département, il s'agira se s'interroger sur les parcours des migrants et plus particulièrement sur les stratégies mises en oeuvre pour « s'intégrer » aux microcosmes locaux. Au travers des récits mémoriels recueillis auprès des familles issues de l'immigration italienne, nous chercherons à comprendre de quelle manière l'acte migratoire de l'ancêtre impacte les recompositions identitaires des descendants. / The choice of the Brittany can be a surprise when it is a question of treating Italian migrations. The foreigners always formed in the region a relatively minority group, theItalians including. Nevertheless we observe from the second half of the 19th century on the whole Breton territory, the constitution of long-lasting migrant networks, always perceptible today. What reasons urged these transalpine migrants to put down their suitcases if far from the important Italian communities established in the Southeast of France or the Parisian East? Beyond a reflection on the modalities of the setting-up of an Italian population in the department, it will be a question of wondering about the career of the migrants and more particularly about the strategies implemented to "become integrated" into the local microcosms. Through the memory narratives collected with families stemming from the Italian immigration, we shall try to understand how the migratory act of the ancestor impact on the identical reorganizations of the descendants.

Mbà lehilahy, « Sois un homme » : cette phrase pouvant paraître anodine mais non moins lourde de sens est une remarque courante adressée aux hommes à Madagascar. Elle implique que la masculinité n’est pas si naturelle et qu’on ne naît pas homme mais qu’on le devient. Cette identité du genre n’est pas définie par l’être lui-même, mais est façonnée au fur et à mesure par son environnement. La thèse porte sur la démonstration des différentes manières dont se fait la construction de l’identité masculine à Madagascar, plus particulièrement sur les hautes terres, en Imerina, à travers son environnement social, politique et économique. Cette perspective constructiviste part du point de vue de ce que devrait être l’idéal masculin dans la psychologie populaire : les valeurs normatives dictées dans la littérature orale, les images et représentations culturelles et des modèles de conduite sociale. Ensuite, elle développe l’image et la construction de l’homme dans la vie réelle à travers les différents statuts sociaux qu’il endosse dans le système de parenté, en tant que fils, père, oncle, gendre… depuis l’époque royale jusqu’à la révolution culturelle malgache de 1972. / Mbà lehilahy, “Be a man”: this phrase may seem trivial but no less meaningful is a common remark addressed to men in Madagascar. It seems to mean that to be a man is not so easy and that Masculinity concept is not a natural one and one is not born, but rather becomes a male. This gender identity is not defined by the individual himself but is built step by step by his environment.The thesis focuses on the demonstration on different ways in which the construction of the male identity in Madagascar, particularly in the Highlands, in Imerina, is done through the social, political an economical environment. This constructivist approach is based on the point of view that what the male ideal should be in the popular mind: normative values dictated in the oral literature, in image and cultural representation and the sample in terms of social behavior, then develops the image and construction of male identity in real life through the different social status in kinship system as a son, a father, an uncle… in the environment and the era where he is evolving, from the royal period to the cultural revolution in 1972.

Driven by the overarching objective of promoting reconciliation through education, this thesis strives to unpack the first national goal of education set out by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education, which involves nation building and the establishment of a Sri Lankan identity through the promotion of social cohesion and the recognition of cultural diversity in Sri Lanka's plural society. Within education, history teaching in secondary school acts as the main focus of the research, due to the relevance of this goal to the subject of history as well as the ability of history to shape the attitudes and perceptions of youth. As such, the original contribution of this thesis is the development of an understanding of how the goal of nation building is being carried out through the Sri Lankan education system by focusing on the subject of history, which in turn facilitates an analysis of the identity politics of teaching history in a multicultural post-war society. With the intention of developing such an understanding, the study aims to answer three research questions: 1) What type of nation is being built through history education in Sri Lanka?; 2) How is the ethnic and religious diversity which characterises the Sri Lankan nation being dealt with through history education?; and 3) How are Sri Lankan youth being aided in understanding the sensitive matters which impeded the nation building exercise in the recent past and resulted in the break out of the ethnic conflict? The thesis draws on an inductive approach, using qualitative research and secondary literature. Findings are generated from field work and textbook analysis. Conducted in four different districts around the country chosen based on their ethnic and religious compositions, field work involves the conducting of interviews with youth, history teachers, curriculum developers, textbook writers and other academics. This thesis argues that an ambiguity regarding the composition of the 'Sri Lankan nation' is being created through history education, with it sometimes being characterised as a purely Sinhalese-Buddhist nation instead of a multicultural one. This is most likely because the prominent players involved in the development of the curriculum themselves appear to be conflicted about the monoethnic versus polyethnic nature of the nation, with their views filtering through to the educational materials they produce. It is evident that the history curriculum predominantly contains Sinhalese-Buddhist history, with little information being conveyed about the history of the minority groups. Tamils and Muslims are portrayed as invaders and outsiders since the national story is narrated through the perspective of the Sinhalese-Buddhist community who play the role of the protagonist. With respect to stakeholder reactions, there appears to be a contrast in the attitudes of Tamil and Muslim youth regarding the portrayal of minority history, with Tamils being vocal about their anger towards the perceived bias, but Muslims being reluctant to discuss ethnic matters, preferring to sweep them under the rug. Finally, in terms of the ethnically sensitive matters in recent history, while some are completely omitted from the history lessons, others are narrated through a majoritarian perspective or glossed over by leaving out key pieces of information. Youth are therefore largely unaware of the contentious matters that led to the breakdown of ethnic relations in the country, despite having lived through a brutal ethnic conflict. These findings indicate the failings of the nation building exercise being carried out through history education. Instead of building a strong Sri Lankan identity, this type of education is creating confusion regarding the composition of the nation and adversely affecting the sense of belonging of minority youth. It is also creating a younger generation who are unaware of their country's past troubles. The recent spate of ethnic and religious violence that shook the nation highlight the need to address these weaknesses in a timely manner, with a view to promoting reconciliation through education.