Human trafficking for sexual exploitation, as the most documented type of trafficking both internationally and in South Africa, was the focus of this study as it poses significant challenges to response efforts whilst remaining a crime of vast impunity. At the centre of this study was the researcher’s curiosity-infused endeavour to understand the lived experiences of multipronged stakeholders who have first-hand experience of the investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A qualitative approach and the use of hermeneutic phenomenology within a broader postmodernist and constructivist positioning served as the catalyst for generating novel insights. Numerous formal and informal conversations over the 5-year research period, site visits to multiple sex trade locations around South Africa and 91 in-depth and unstructured interviews with participants from 15 different vantage points were conducted. Five themes were identified from participants’ lived experiences as they related to the investigation of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. These were Theme 1: Sex Trade, Human Trafficking and Organised Crime; Theme 2: Combating Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation; Theme 3: Victims of Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation; Theme 4: Corruption and Compromise; and Theme 5: The Social Context and Scope of the Problem. A rich and in-depth presentation of participants’ lived experiences from an emic point of view was made. Knowledge generated include the revelation of problematic claims by preservationists around the nature of the sex trade in South Africa, insights into complexities intrinsic to human trafficking for sexual exploitation and multi-layered challenges associated with investigations into the crime. At the apex of the study was the deconstruction of complex systems theory and its application to the phenomenological essence of participants’ lived experiences. A proposed application of the theory was suggested for a more agile, robust and effective multipronged investigation strategy to combat human trafficking for sexual exploitation. A strong argument is made for a ‘whole’ and non-reductionist approach to investigations that continuously considers both the complexity of the crime and the day-to-day realities of the stakeholders who contribute to the multipronged investigation into human trafficking for sexual exploitation. / Ukurhweba ngabantu ngeenjongo zokubaxhaphaza ngokwesondo, lolona didi lorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ekubhalwe ngalo kakhulu kwihlabathi jikelele nakuMzantsi Afrika. Esi sifundo sigxile kolu rhwebo njengoko lucela umngeni kwimizamo yokusabela lo gama ilulwaphulo mthetho olungalawulekiyo. Esizikithini sesi sifundo yayingumdla womphandi ukuqonda ngamava abo bathatha inxaxheba ekuphandeni ngorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngokwesondo. Kukhethwe ufundo oluqwalasela umgangatho nokusetyenziswa kwesimbo sokutolika iimeko ezikhoyo kwilizwe elisemva kwelale mihla siphila kuyo njengeyona nqobo eya kuveza iimbono ezingaqhelekanga. Kwabanjwa inqwaba yeencoko ezisesikweni nezingekho sikweni ezenziwe kwisithuba seminyaka yophando engaphaya kwemihlanu, kwatyelelwa kwiindawo zorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngokwesondlo ezikhoyo eMzantsi Afrika, kwabanjwa nodliwano ndlebe olunzulu lungaqingqwanga olungama-91 nabantu abakwiindawo zomdla ezili-15. Kwabonakala imixholo emihlanu esuka kumava abathathi nxaxheba malunga nophando ngorhwebo lokuxhaphaza ngesondo. Le mixholo yile: Umxholo woku-1: Urhwebo Lwesondo, Urhwebo Lokuxhaphaza Abantu, Nolwaphulo Mthetho Olucwangcisiweyo; Umxholo wesi-2: Ukulwa Urhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu Ngenjongo Yesondo; Umxholo wesi-3: Amaxhoba Orhwebo Lokuxhaphaza Abantu Ngenjongo Yesondo; Umxholo wesi-4: Ubuqhophololo Nokunikezela; kunye noMxholo wesi-5: Imeko Yezentlalo Nomthamo Wengxaki. Kwenziwa inkcazelo enzulu netyebileyo yamava abathathi nxaxheba evelelwa ngokwendlela abantu bendawo abacinga nabazibona ngayo izinto. Ulwazi olufunyenweyo luquka izimvo eziyingxaki zabantu abakhuthaza ukugcinwa kwezinto zinjengoko zinjalo, malunga nohlolo olululo lorhwebo ngesondo eMzantsi Afrika, izimvo ngobunzima obubuthume kurhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo kunye nemingeni emininzi eyayanyaniswa nophando lolwaphulo mthetho. Encochoyini yesi sifundo kukuhlakaza ingcingane exhakaxhaka yeenkqubo nokusetyenziswa kwayo kwiimeko ezikhoyo kumava abathathi nxaxheba. Kwacetyiswa indlela yokusebenzisa le ngcingane ekwenzeni icebo elinamandla nelisebenzayo lokulwa urhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo. Kuthethelwa indlela yokusebenza ‘epheleleyo’ nengacuthi nto ekuqhubeni uphando v olusoloko luthathela ingqalelo ubuxhakaxhaka bolwaphulo mthetho namava emihla ngemihla abathathi nxaxheba abafaka isandla kuphando oluvelela iinkalo ezininzi kurhwebo lokuxhaphaza abantu ngenjongo yesondo. / Ukushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi, njengohlobo lokushushumbisa oluqoshwe phansi ngokudlula zonke ezinye izinhlobo emhlabeni wonke kanye naseNingizimu Afrika, yikona okugxilwe kukho kakhulu kulolu cwaningo njengoba kuyikona okungadala izingqinamba ezinkulu emizamweni yokubhekana nakho kube futhi kuyilona hlobo lobugebengu olungajeziswa kangako. Okunguwona mgomo walolu cwaningo yimizamo yomcwaningi egqugquzelwa ngukufuna kwakhe ukwazi ukuze aqonde lokho okubonwe ngababandakanyekayo abahlukahlukene abebebhekene ngqo nokuphenywa kodaba lokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Kusetshenziswe indlela yokwenza ephathelene nokuqoqwa kwemininingwane engamaqiniso nokusetshenziswa kohlobo locwaningo olwahlukile kulolo olubheka ukwenzeka kwezinto ngokwemvelo maqondana nokuhleleka kwezinto ngokwesikhathi esilandela esezinto zesimanjemanje, nangendlela elandela umumo othize, njengegqugquzela ubukhona bokuqonda okuhlaba umxhwele ngokungajwayelekile. Kube khona izingxoxo eziningi ezihleliwe nezingahlelwanga ezenzeke esikhathini esiyiminyaka emihlanu yocwaningo, kwavakashelwa izizinda eziningi ezindaweni okuhwetshelwana kuzo ngocansi eziseNingizimu Afrika, kwaphinde kwaba nezingxoxo ezingama-91 ezijulile ngokuphonsa imibuzo engahleliwe ngokusemthethweni kubabambiqhaza abavela ezindaweni eziyi-15 ezilungele lolu cwaningo. Kuhlonzwe izingqikithi ezinhlanu eziqhamuke kulokho okubonwe ngababambiqhaza ngokuhlobana kwabo nophenyo lokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Yilezi, Ingqikithi 1: Ukuhweba Ngocansi, Ukushushumbiswa Kwabantu Nobugebengu Obuhleliwe; Ingqikithi 2: Ukulwisana Nokushushumbiswa Kwabantu Ukuze Baxhashazwe Ngokocansi; Ingqikithi 3: Izisulu Zokushushumbiswa Ukuze Zixhashazwe Ngokocansi; Ingqikithi 4: Inkohlakalo Nokwenza Okungahambisani Nawe; neNgqikithi 5: Indikimba Kwezenhlalo Nobubanzi Benkinga. Kube sekwethulwa ngokucebile nangokujulile okubonwe ngababambiqhaza ngokwencazelo ehambisana nohlobo lwesifundo. Ulwazi olutholakele lubandakanya ukuvela kwalokho okuyinkinga okushiwo yilabo abalwela ubukhona bohwebo lwezocansi eNingizimu Afrika, ukuqondwa kwalokho okungekho lula ukukuqonda okuphathelene vii nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi kanye nezingqinamba ezishiyana ngokwezigaba ezihambisana nophenyo lwalobu bugebengu. Ekujuleni kocwaningo kube khona ukuhlaziya okubanzi ngokuhlakaza izinhlelo zezinzululwazi okungekho lula ukuziqonda nokusetshenziswa kwazo kulokho okusemqoka okubonwe ngababambiqhaza. Kuhlongozwe ukuba kusetshenziswe isu elisheshayo, elishubile nelizosebenza ngempumelelo elihlukene izigaba eziningi ezibheka konke elizolwisana nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. Ukudingida kabanzi ngendlela 'ephelele' nengancike ndawo okumele ilandelwe uma kuphenywa nezobheka kokubili ukungabi lula kobugebengu okubhekenwe nabo kanye nokubonwa imihla ngemihla ngababambiqhaza abasiza ngokuthile ophenyweni olubheka okuningi okwahlukahlukene maqondana nokushushumbiswa kwabantu ukuze baxhashazwe ngokocansi. / Criminology and Security Science

The aim of this study was to explore human resources (HR) practitioners’ experiences of engagement interventions within a financial institution. A qualitative research approach was followed which was informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were used. The findings indicated that HR practitioners play a critical role in enhancing engagement in organisations through the implementation of effective engagement interventions. The HR practitioners often thought of themselves as the ‘heart’, ‘the core’, ‘facilitator’, ‘business partner’ or ‘middle man’ when implementing engagement interventions. The majority of the HR practitioners did understand engagement, their role in the implementation of engagement interventions and the tools used to assess engagement. However, the findings did indicate that some of the HR practitioners within this study had limited knowledge of engagement, engagement interventions and the tools used to implement engagement. The findings also indicated that the implementation of an engagement intervention should be a collaborative process between employer and employee, with the support of top management to ensure the success of the engagement intervention. Engagement interventions were considered to be predominantly positive and successful by most of the participants. However, it was noted by participants that if there is no follow-through on the implementation of the engagement interventions it can become negative. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:29:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1396792 bytes, checksum: 96a74de82c204a584ae025cf7a4cd71a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-06 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / The Coletivo Educador de São Carlos, Araraquara, Jaboticabal e Região (CESCAR), a environmental educators´s group, is guided by the precepts of Programa Nacional de Formação em EA (ProFEA) a Brazilian environmental education program that adopts the methodology of participatory-action-research proposed by the team of Board of Environmental Education of the Ministry of Environment (MMA). The proposal adopts environmental education (EE) emancipatory, transformative and criticism, fostering networking who values the local and regional initiatives. In order to understand the process of construction of CESCAR, we chose to analyse the phenomenon "educators spaces" by the experience of people who experienced this practice. We use the Hermeneutical methodology in association with Phenomenology, as strands of qualitative research. "Educators spaces" is a recent concept that in the Programa Municípios Educadores Sustentáveis a educational program that involve sustainable cities, offered by the same team of MMA, is defined as one that stimulates collective in improving their training and in the search for viable alternatives to sustainability. We take the research on "educator spaces" as a challenge because it is a concept still under development that requires discussion and build on this theoretical issue. We have established through similarities and oppositions, a framework about some of the spaces experienced by the group of environmental educators, through the analysis of twenty-four monographs. This angle allowed a glimpse of the mosaic of images assigned to the various "worlds lived" as well as to investigate the concept in a symbolic and existential perspective. / O Coletivo Educador de São Carlos, Araraquara, Jaboticabal e Região (CESCAR) constitui-se orientado pelos preceitos do Programa Nacional de Formação em Educação Ambiental (ProFEA) um programa brasileiro de Educação Ambiental que adota a metodologia da pesquisa-ação-participante - proposto pela equipe da Diretoria de Educação Ambiental do Ministério do Meio Ambiente (MMA). A proposta adota a Educação Ambiental (EA) emancipatória, transformadora e crítica, fomentando o trabalho em rede que valoriza as iniciativas locais e regionais. A fim de desvelar e compreender o processo de construção do CESCAR, optamos por analisar o fenômeno espaços educadores pela experiência dos sujeitos que vivenciaram essa prática. Para tanto, utilizamos a metodologia Hermenêutica aliada à Fenomenologia, como vertentes da pesquisa qualitativa. Espaços educadores é um conceito recente que no Programa Municípios Educadores Sustentáveis, proposto pela mesma equipe do MMA, define-se como aquele que estimula o coletivo no aprimoramento de sua formação e na busca de alternativas viáveis para a sustentabilidade. Tomamos como desafio a pesquisa sobre espaços educadores por se tratar de um conceito ainda em elaboração que carece de discussão e acúmulo teórico sobre esse tema. Estabelecemos por meio de aproximações e oposições, um quadro sobre alguns dos espaços vividos pelo coletivo educador, por meio da análise de vinte e quatro monografias. Esse recorte possibilitou vislumbrar o mosaico de imagens atribuído aos vários mundos vividos , além de investigar o conceito numa perspectiva simbólica e existencial.

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-12T13:37:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseVGI.pdf: 2492645 bytes, checksum: 0b3636c31d0d24b4c876c651f2d76046 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-12T18:31:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseVGI.pdf: 2492645 bytes, checksum: 0b3636c31d0d24b4c876c651f2d76046 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-12T18:32:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseVGI.pdf: 2492645 bytes, checksum: 0b3636c31d0d24b4c876c651f2d76046 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-12T18:32:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseVGI.pdf: 2492645 bytes, checksum: 0b3636c31d0d24b4c876c651f2d76046 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-26 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Our world views are based on principles, feelings, emotions that go through a dimension of human life which involve ethical and aesthetic values. However, the formation of values is a less explicit dimension of environmental education compared to the appropriation of knowledge. Some studies confirm the relative silence of aesthetic considerations in the literature and curriculum, so this topic has the potential to be further explored in research and in environmental education practice. Based on an interpretative perspective, we assume as aesthetic experience the possibility of our bodies engaged in the world to realize and create meanings of all forms of existence. From this, this study aims to understand the nature of aesthetic experience in the Cerrado, due to its history of occupation and degradation. In this research, we transition between the modern and post-modern paradigm in order to deeply understand the meaning of aesthetic experience. This transition is the result of our study pathway which was willing to seek for approaches and methods to answer the research question. Therefore, our data collection was carried out using two techniques: 17 semistructured interviews (understood in a modern paradigm, but interpreted together with the research participants) and a walking ethnography in the Cerrado (located as a post- modern methodology), which 08 participants who had already been interviewed were present, and 04 out of 08 were part of the data collection The participants were invited following the criteria of a life story related to the Cerrado, reflecting on a love involvement regarding this environment.The results indicated that the informal and spontaneous experiences in nature, moments of conflict and dialogue were significant for the development of an affective bond and an ethical stance towards the Cerrado. The walking ethnography put the prospect of analyzing the aesthetic experience of the participants moving in the Cerrado and the researcher was also engaged in the aesthetic experience of the Cerrado along with the participants. Instead of being a dialogical and verbal action, this activity is embodied and the focus is the multisensorial experience which involves multi-dimensions of corporality and connections with the materialities of the more than human world. The data that emerged during the walk in the Cerrado supplemented the interviews. In addition, we identified that the participants of this study had an ethical position in relation to the Cerrado, which we attributed to be from the dialogue among participants and family, friends, coworkers and text readings. However, this relationship can not be considered the same in other groups of people, situations and contexts. Therefore, new research questions that continue investigating the relations between aesthetic experience and ethics are necessary. / Nossas concepções de mundo são pautadas em princípios, sentimentos, emoções que perpassam uma dimensão da vida humana que envolvem os valores éticos e estéticos. No entanto, a formação de valores representa uma dimensão menos explícita da educação ambiental, quando comparada à apropriação de conhecimentos. Da mesma maneira, estudos apontam que as questões estéticas têm potencial para serem mais exploradas na pesquisa e na prática em educação ambiental. Baseadas em uma perspectiva interpretativa, assumimos como experiência estética a possibilidade do nosso corpo engajado no mundo para perceber e (re)significar todas as formas de existência. Partindo do que foi colocado, o presente estudo objetiva compreender a natureza da experiência estética no Cerrado, devido ao seu histórico de ocupação e degradação. Nessa pesquisa, transitamos entre o paradigma moderno e pós-moderno a fim de buscar compreender, em profundidade, o significado da experiência estética. Essa transição é resultado da nossa trajetória de estudo que se propôs a conhecer abordagens e métodos que respondessem à questão de pesquisa. Portanto, nossa coleta de dados se deu por meio de duas técnicas: 17 entrevistas semi-estruturadas (compreendida em uma paradigma moderno, mas interpretadas junto com as/os participantes da pesquisa) e uma caminhada em movimento no Cerrado (situada como uma metodologia pós-moderna), na qual 08 participantes que já haviam sido entrevistados estavam presentes, sendo que desses 08, apenas 04 fizeram parte da coleta de dados. As/os participantes dessa pesquisa foram convidadas/os seguindo o critério de uma uma história de vida relacionada ao Cerrado, refletindo-se em um envolvimento amoroso com esse ambiente. Os resultados indicaram que a vivência informal e espontânea na natureza e momentos de conflito e diálogo foram significativos para o desenvolvimento de um vínculo afetivo e uma postura ética para com o Cerrado. A caminhada em movimento trouxe a perspectiva de analisar a experiência estética das/os participantes em movimento no Cerrado sendo que a pesquisadora também estava imersa na experiência. Ao invés de ser uma ação dialógica e verbal, esta atividade é corporal e o foco é a experiência multisensorial que envolve múltiplas dimensões da corporalidade e conexões com as materialidades do mundo mais do que humano. Nesse sentido, consideramos que a limitação dessa coleta de dados reside em não "acessarmos" as dimensões políticas e éticas das/os participantes da pesquisa, enquanto que, nas entrevistas houve essa possibilidade. Logo, percebemos que as coletas de dados se complementaram. Identificamos que as/os participantes dessa pesquisa tinham um posicionamento ético em relação ao Cerrado, o que consideramos sido construído a partir do diálogo entre as/os participantes e familiares, amigas/os, colegas de trabalho, leituras e estudos de texto. No entanto, essa relação não pode ser considerada a mesma em outros grupos, situações e contextos. Assim, novas questões de pesquisa que continuem a investigar a relação entre experiência estética e ética se fazem necessárias.

Parent-child interaction interventions, guided by the aim of promoting child development, have developed in Sweden during the last three decades. The aim of this thesis was to describe families taking part in such interventions and examine short term and long term changes in their problem loads. Praticular interest was directed towards the parents' experiences, both with respect to the treatment they had taken part in at either of four centres for parent-child interaction interventions presented in this thesis and to other persons and/or contexts the parents considered had played an important and beneficial role for the child or the family. The results show that the centres have reached both mothers, fathers and children beset by considerable difficulties in relation to interaction, offering them a treatment which an overwhelming majority of the families have chosen to follow through and which has made a difference to the families. This thesis highlights the significance of beneficial relationships, not only within the intervention but also in other professional contexts, for the enhancing of children's development.

ABSTRACT The law regulating what non-industrial private forest owners (NIPF's) can and cannot do within their forest holdings is an outline law. Thus the NIPF's have great opportunity to shape the landscape inside their holdings by their own will. Their perceptions of their holdings can thus be of great interest. This because information about their perceptions can predict change, and also bring about more understanding of the group as a whole. The aim of this essay is therefore to explore the NIPF's relationship to their forest holdings by describing their mindscapes. The data necessary to fulfil the aim was acquired from semi-structured interviews, done with five NIPF's in Västerbotten. The data was then analysed using thematic analysis, with the term mindscape as a frame. All of the NIPF's were living in the same municipality as their forest holdings. Seven themes in the mindscapes of the NIPF's were found: Everyday knowledge, human presence, the balance between human- and natural processes, change, feelings, the forest holding inside the rural landscape and to be more than one. Previous research was used to triangulate, and to better understand the mindscape of the respondents. The respondents could be divided into two of Ingemarsons (2004) typologies; Traditionalists and multiobjective owners. Where the mindscape of the multiobjective owners contained the most change.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrea Braga Cazerta de Souza.pdf: 3909458 bytes, checksum: 899c8984e82cba4507a93c5e9622e217 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-10 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The objective of this research is to describe and interpret the phenomenon the practice of an English teacher/course designer in two courses for the hotel market, searching for subsidies to better understand it. In this study, the theoretical principles of complexity (Morin, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010; Mariotti, 2002, 2007; Moraes, 2008,2010) are articulated with the theoretical bases provided by: English for Specific Purposes (Hutchinson & Waters,1987; Dudley-Evans & St John,1998); the design of specific courses (Graves, 2000); teacher education (Pineau, 1988; Pineau & Michéle, 1983; Freire, 2009); experiences and reflective thought (Dewey,193); and reflective practice (Schön, 1992). The hermeneutic-phenomenological approach (van Manen, 1990; Freire,1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, forthcoming) also establishes a steady dialogue with complexity, thus offering support to this research. The interpretation of the two courses investigated is made from the perspective of the researcher/teacher/course designer, considering the texts produced by all participants of this study. The articulation between my reflections and the participants texts make it possible for me to reflect upon and understand the phenomenon. The two lived experiences are described and interpreted separately to be articulated subsequently. Although the experiences are distinct, in both courses, the texts reveal three themes: necessity, difficulty and satisfaction, which are related to learning, change, balance, motivation, security, maintenance, interaction, overcoming, achievements and involvement ─ described in details in this study. The experiences lived in both courses have main points in common; nevertheless, each context has its own peculiarities which generate the gradual (trans)formation of my practice and promote my self-hetero-ecoformation (Freire, 2009) in a specific context / O objetivo desta dissertação é descrever e interpretar o fenômeno a prática docente de um professor de inglês/course designer em dois cursos para a área da hotelaria, buscando subsídios para melhor compreendê-la. Neste trabalho, os operadores da complexidade (Morin, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010; Mariotti, 2002, 2007; Moraes, 2008,2010) são articulados ao embasamento teórico do estudo: o ensino de inglês para fins específicos (Hutchinson & Waters,1987; Dudley-Evans & St John,1998); o design de cursos (Graves, 2000), a formação de professores (Pineau, 1988; Pineau & Michéle, 1983; Freire, 2009), as experiências e o pensamento reflexivo (Dewey,1938), e prática reflexiva (Schön, 1992). A abordagem hermenêutico-fenomenológica (van Manen, 1990; Freire,1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, no prelo), também estabelece interlocução com a complexidade, oferecendo suporte metodológico à pesquisa. A interpretação da vivência em dois cursos foi feita sob a ótica da pesquisadora, professora/course designer, por meio da utilização de instrumentos de registro textual, produzidos por mim e pelos demais participantes, meus alunos. A articulação entre minhas reflexões e a fala dos participantes me possibilitou refletir e compreender minha experiência. As duas vivências do fenômeno foram descritas e interpretadas separadamente para serem então articuladas, revelando três temas: necessidade, dificuldade e satisfação. Estes, por sua vez, estão relacionados à aprendizagem, mudança, equilíbrio, motivação, segurança, manutenção, interação, superação, conquistas e envolvimento ─ desdobramentos descritos e interpretados neste trabalho. A vivência nos dois cursos possui diversos pontos de interlocução; contudo cada contexto possui suas particularidades que geram a (trans)formação de minha prática e promovem a minha auto-heteroecoformação (Freire, 2009) docente em um contexto específico

At present, in Adansi and Daboase, two rural communities in Western Ghana, changes are both internally and externally driven. Combined with ongoing negotiations of authority, landownership, history, tradition and culture, the interconnectedness of these areas shapes the realities of these communities. This thesis investigates these land-related conflicts and authority negotiations from a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Inspired by action-oriented research, the lives of local residents are investigated and attempted to be understood through their own explanations.  Four months of internship with an oil palm and rubber plantation company, focus groups and semi-structured interviews in two local communities to the plantation, lay the foundation of this thesis. It shows an intimate connection between landownership and resource rights, and history, heritage and traditional authority.Land is key to power or a secured future for one’s family, which makes it an inflamed topic. Landownership and the underlying negotiations are crucial to the understanding of what occupies many local residents in a setting of globalised markets. The thesis points to gaps of understanding and varying interests in-between government, external actors, chieftaincy and community members. Thorough consultation process procedures prior to projects in rural communities are proposed. The project adds to a larger discussion on sustainability, corporate social responsibility, local knowledge and experiences on land conflicts, and post-colonial settings in Ghana.

As a relatively recent phenomenon, the increasing overrepresentation of Aboriginal persons in both the child welfare and criminal justice systems is of critical importance to the field of social work. As social control systems, how do social workers contribute to or mitigate against overrepresentation as contemporary colonialism? What can social work professionals who themselves have been through these systems add to our social work discourse? A sample of fifteen Aboriginal social workers who had as youth been in either one or both of these systems were interviewed with respect to: what they found was helpful or unhelpful in their interactions as youth with social workers, why they subsequently chose social work as a career, the supports and barriers they encountered along their career path, and the difference their experiences had for their own professional practice. Using structural social work theory, overrepresentation as a contemporary colonializing process was re-conceptualised as structural violence. Institutional Ethnography (IE) and Hermeneutic Phenomenology were used to explore how these neo-liberal ruling relations are produced, maintained, and potentially deconstructed. The findings from this unique population have implications for decolonizing social work practice, education, and research.