This thesis examines the phenomenon of civil violence in Genoa (1160-1220). Genoese civil conflicts in the period are victim to a historiographical paradox. While their importance for the survival of communal institutions has been frequently underlined, they have often been misrepresented in the historiography. Our current understanding of civil conflicts in Genoa is in need of a reassessment if we want to deepen our comprehension of the history of a city that is considered a key centre and fundamental building bloc in the rise of the European continent to economic prominence. This thesis studies civil violence from a perspective that takes into account the shifting form of Genoese conflicts and their protagonists. The civil conflicts in Genoa saw constant development in their intricacy, nature and participants (Chapter one). I distance myself from the issue of motives and causation, a pursuit which has misled scholars. Instead I focus my attention on the underlying patterns that made conflicts in Genoa possible -- the web of relationships among the families of the Genoese elite – in order to study how the individuals and families that were involved in civil violence made their decisions (Chapter two). The understanding of these links and of the development of conflict in Genoa is an important thread to follow in order to reassess several aspects of the political history of the city between the twelfth and the thirteenth century (Chapter three). In light of my findings, the institutional transition of the city from a commune led by consuls to one led by a foreign podestà (Chapter four) and the Genoese involvement in the Mediterranean scenario (Conclusion), appear shaped by the maturing phenomenon of civil violence. This thesis aims to fill the current gap in academic studies on civil conflict in Genoa and to turn the phenomenon from a footnote to the current historiography into a rich vein of historical understanding of the fundamental dynamics of the city and its development.

Introduction It is widely reported that people with schizophrenia have social cognition deficits. In addition to their negative impact on functioning and quality of life, these deficits may also contribute to the use of violence. It has recently been established that social cognitive interventions (SCIs) can ameliorate deficits in facial affect recognition (FAR). This project aimed to systematically review whether SCIs can also improve theory of mind (ToM) abilities in people with schizophrenia. The empirical study aimed to explore whether the extent of the deficits in FAR and ToM in people with schizophrenia differed between those with and without a substantial history of violence. Method A systematic review was undertaken to identify studies where SCIs were provided to adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Key findings were highlighted with the quality of the studies’ methodology and reporting assessed. A quantitative research study was also undertaken involving 22 men aged 18-64 with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, comparing those with and without a substantial history of violence (SHV) on measures of FAR and ToM. Results The majority of the 13 studies included in the systematic review found that the provision of SCIs led to significant improvements in ToM. However, all studies demonstrated a potential for bias and were limited by inadequate sample size. In the empirical study, less than half of participants scored within the normal range for overall FAR ability, with no difference identified between the SHV and no-SHV group. However, the SHV group were poorer at recognising sadness and showed a tendency to perform better at the detection of faux pas, compared to the no-SHV group. Conclusions The systematic review identified that a wide range of SCIs can improve ToM abilities in people with schizophrenia. Its findings highlight that stringent, adequately powered studies should be undertaken, utilising standardised assessments of a range of levels of ToM ability, to enable identification of the most effective intervention. The findings of the empirical study are limited by a small and imbalanced sample size between groups and so must be interpreted with caution. However, patterns observed in the results highlight areas for further exploration. The strengths of this study’s design and recruitment challenges are discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:30:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5079.pdf: 842176 bytes, checksum: 7fac5c1550ebe0c0bdde383433a833e7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-07 / Alcohol consumption among College students has been a main concern among different sectors of society around the world. Risk factors associated to this behavior are not clear and more research is needed. The objective of this research is to verify if a history of intrafamilial violence is associated to higher alcohol consumption during College years. Furthermore, analyze if religion has an association with the consumption among this group as well. A review of the literature points out that history of violence is associated with higher alcohol consumption, however few researches were made analyzing polyvictimization and future alcohol consumption. The consequences for children that suffered different forms of victimization are not yet known in full extension. This research tries to fill some of those blanks, for that purpose it used the AUDIT questionnaire adapted with 1452 participants. In that sample alcohol consumption in life had a percent of 93.51% to woman and 93.10% to men. While, the consumption in the last 3 month was 82.04% and 83,74% respectively. The most frequent form of violence was physical (40.99%), the second was exposure to domestic violence (30.60%). A linear regression model was performed and was found and association between having a history of violence and a higher score in alcohol consumption. That association was verified to all forms of violence, including polyvictimization. About religion, results shown that 30.16% of the College students reported do not have a Religion, a higher percentage than that found by the National Census. Participants that do not have a religion present a higher chance to consume alcohol and binge drink. Having a religion may be a protection factor to binge drinking, especially, among evangelical participants. / O consumo de álcool entre universitários tem gerado preocupação de diversos setores da sociedade ao redor do mundo. Os fatores de risco associados a este consumo ainda não são claros e necessitam de maiores pesquisas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se um histórico de violência intrafamiliar está relacionado com um maior consumo de álcool durante os anos universitários. Adicionalmente, verificar se a religião possui alguma associação com o consumo entre este grupo. A revisão da literatura aponta que um histórico de violência estaria relacionado com um consumo maior, contudo poucas pesquisas analisaram a relação entre múltiplas vitimizações e o consumo de álcool futuro. As consequências durante a vida para crianças que sofreram diferentes formas de vitimização não foram estudadas a contento. A presente pesquisa busca preencher algumas dessas lacunas. Para tal, foram realizados dois pilotos do questionário aplicado baseado no instrumento AUDIT e 1452 participantes responderam as questões. Os dados obtidos para o consumo de álcool na vida foi de 93,51% para mulheres e 93,10% para homens, enquanto o consumo nos últimos 3 meses foi de 82,04% e 83,74% respectivamente. A forma de violência mais frequente foi a física (40,99%) e a segunda a exposição à violência conjugal dos pais (30,60%). Um modelo de regressão linear foi executado entre as formas de violência e a pontuação média do consumo de álcool e encontrada uma associação entre maior pontuação e histórico de violência. Essa associação foi verificada para todas as formas de violência, inclusive para casos de múltiplas vitimizações. Em relação à religião, os resultados mostram 30,16% dos universitários afirmando não possuir religião, taxa mais alta que a encontrada pelo Censo Demográfico nacional. Os participantes que não possuem religião apresentavam maiores chances de consumirem álcool e em binge. Possuir uma religião foi um fator de proteção para o consumo em binge, especialmente, para os participantes evangélicos.

Les femmes sont-elles violentes ? Simple question qui appelle a priori une réponse évidente mais qui dans les faits semble avoir quelques difficultés à retrouver une réponse. Vision biaisée, regards troublés, les lectures du rapport des femmes à la violence tendent à réduire, à minimiser ou à réfuter l'exercice quotidien d'une violence féminine renvoyée à l'exceptionnel et à l'anormalité. Les femmes seraient par définition moins violentes que les hommes. Mais quels sont les fondements de pareil postulat ? Afin d'y réfléchir ont été investies dans le cadre de cette thèse les archives du tribunal de la sénéchaussée de Marseille afin de questionner les formes, les occasions et les expériences de la violence ordinaire auxquelles les femmes étaient confrontées. Se défaisant de l'idée d'un phénomène jugé mineur et ponctuel, les sources exploitées ont permis d'appréhender l'ordinaire des violences marseillaises, resituant aux sexes la part respective qui leur revient en la matière et permettant de nuancer l'idée d'une faible participation féminine aux actes violents ainsi qu'une réflexion sur les formes et manifestations des violences. Les femmes tout à tour actrices et victimes de ces usages tiennent une place fondamentale au sein de la société des voisins qu'elles envahissent, modèlent et contrôlent en partie. La litigiosité féminine a constitué l'angle d'approche retenu pur considérer au travers du regard judiciaire et de ses imperfections, le quotidien ordinaire d'une ville importante d'Ancien Régime : Marseille. La violence est processeur d'une dynamique sociale à laquelle les femmes prennent activement part, qu'elle la subissent ou qu'elles l'exercent. / Are Women violent? The answer to this simple question would seem a priori obvious, but in fact it is difficult to offer a convincing explanation. Statistics and data on female violence tend to reduce, minimize or disprove the idea that female violence might take place on a daily basis, suggesting rather that it is the exception, or at the very least an abnormal occurrence. Apparently, women are inherently less violent than men. But what is the basis for such a premise? In order to answer this question, we have studied the records of the Seneschal of Marseilles' court. These judicial archives allow us to understand the forms, opportunities and experience of everyday violence that women faced. Setting aside the idea that this was a minor and irregular phenomenon, these sources provide evidence of violence in the everyday life of Marseilles' inhabitants and attribute to each sex their proper place in this behavior, while enabling a nuanced analysis of the idea that women were less inclined to violence and providing insight into the forms and manifestations of such violence. Women, both actresses and victims of these practices, were key players within the society in their ability to enter, shape and partially control their neighbourhood. By studying cases presented to the courts by women, it is possible to adopt the judge's perspective, with its insight and imperfections, of daily life of a major city under the Old Regime: Marseilles. Violence was a social dynamic process in which women were actively involved, whether as victims or aggressors. By comparing analytical tools and approaches of sources, it is possible to study both the working and the elite classes.

This thesis is a micro-historical study of the role of honour in interpersonal conflicts in the Danish-Norwegian crown colony of Greenland between 1728 and 1731. In the two settlements that constituted the colony, the highest-ranking officials, including the governor, were all oath-sworn royal servants; they were also almost constantly embroiled in personal quarrels. The thesis asks why and how this strife arose, how it developed over time, and what its consequence was for the short- lived crown colony. The argument is that the strife was due to a volatile combination of cramped living quarters in an inhospitable milieu, an ambiguously defined leadership structure, the remoteness of the colony, and, above all, the royal servants’ tendency to view their charge as being closely linked to their personal honour. Furthermore, there was not a sufficiently developed legal system in the colony to handle the strife and attempts by the colonial council to do so made the conflicts worse instead of settling them. The ongoing strife divided the colonists between those loyal to the governor and those loyal to his enemies, but over time the governor became increasingly politically isolated in the face of a united colony council. Ultimately, the thesis argues that, as a final consequence of the antagonism, a sort of silent coup was carried out against the governor. This, in turn, contributed to the termination of the Greenland crown colony. Honour was not the main cause of conflict, but it helped the conflict to grow from technical disagreements into bitter grudges and anxieties, and finally into an attack on the integrity of the colonial leadership structure itself. / Activating Arctic Heritage, National Museum of Denmark

The research examines the interface of history and fiction. It predominantly focuses on historical fiction on the Zimbabwean liberation war written in Shona, Ndebele and English and published after the attainment of political independence in 1980. Historical fiction on the liberation war is both biographical and autobiographical. Consequently, the study comes to the conclusion that historical fiction is a veritable stakeholder in the history issue in Zimbabwe. It becomes another type or source of history that cannot be papered over when dealing with the nation’s history. In a nation where liberation war history is not only taken seriously, but is also a vigorously contested terrain, historical fiction becomes part of those discursive contestations, particularly on nation and nationalism. It is in this regard that the study problematises the interface of history and fiction by reasoning that historical fiction published in the early 1980s largely advances a state-centered perspective which views history, nation and nationalism in positive terms. This discourse uses history in order to argue for a single nation that derives its identity from the heroic and symbolic guerrilla characters. Nationalism is exclusively presented as humanising and as being the sole legitimate political brand capable of leading the nation. On the other hand, historical fiction written in English and published in the late 1980s onwards represents alternative historical truths that contest nationalism and debunk official definitions of nation. This discourse leads to the pluralisation of perspectives on nation and nationalism. The focus on historical fiction published in three languages used in Zimbabwe is a conscious attempt to transcend ethnicity in critical scholarship. Discussing novels in Shona, Ndebele and English, which are the three main languages in Zimbabwe, makes it possible for the study to draw reasoned conclusions on the bearing of time, language, region and background among others on historical representation. This undertaking brings to the fore how literature responding to similar historical processes appears moderately conjunctive and principally disjunctive. Correspondingly, it also shows various trends in the development of liberation war fiction in Zimbabwe. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The research examines the interface of history and fiction. It predominantly focuses on historical fiction on the Zimbabwean liberation war written in Shona, Ndebele and English and published after the attainment of political independence in 1980. Historical fiction on the liberation war is both biographical and autobiographical. Consequently, the study comes to the conclusion that historical fiction is a veritable stakeholder in the history issue in Zimbabwe. It becomes another type or source of history that cannot be papered over when dealing with the nation’s history. In a nation where liberation war history is not only taken seriously, but is also a vigorously contested terrain, historical fiction becomes part of those discursive contestations, particularly on nation and nationalism. It is in this regard that the study problematises the interface of history and fiction by reasoning that historical fiction published in the early 1980s largely advances a state-centered perspective which views history, nation and nationalism in positive terms. This discourse uses history in order to argue for a single nation that derives its identity from the heroic and symbolic guerrilla characters. Nationalism is exclusively presented as humanising and as being the sole legitimate political brand capable of leading the nation. On the other hand, historical fiction written in English and published in the late 1980s onwards represents alternative historical truths that contest nationalism and debunk official definitions of nation. This discourse leads to the pluralisation of perspectives on nation and nationalism. The focus on historical fiction published in three languages used in Zimbabwe is a conscious attempt to transcend ethnicity in critical scholarship. Discussing novels in Shona, Ndebele and English, which are the three main languages in Zimbabwe, makes it possible for the study to draw reasoned conclusions on the bearing of time, language, region and background among others on historical representation. This undertaking brings to the fore how literature responding to similar historical processes appears moderately conjunctive and principally disjunctive. Correspondingly, it also shows various trends in the development of liberation war fiction in Zimbabwe. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)