The present study is the result of research collaboration where participating teachers and a researcher have jointly analyzed and reflected over experiences from professional training and professional work in order to develop an understanding of skills and knowledge that are relevant to the professional development and professional lives of teachers. The focus is on four female primary school teachers’ stories. Certain things run through these stories. They are (i) a quest for professional development, (ii) a strong commitment to teaching and (iii) an ongoing identity-building process. The overall purpose of the thesis is to identify and describe these processes and thus contribute meaningful knowledge to the debate on teacher professional development within the Swedish educational landscape. Two questions have been particularly important. These are: – What individual and structural conditions and processes appear to be important for professional development and career choice? – Which key events and turning points can be identified in teachers’ lives and work, focusing on the early years of the occupation and how can these be understood? The professional life stories have a chronological structure and they have been organized around three time periods. One of these is The Road to the profession, including teachers’ stories about their background, school experiences, past professional life and what has influenced them to take the step to become a teacher, and experience from their education. The second is the first years in the profession. This is the period covering the first three years of working life after teacher education. It depicted a diversity of experience and the experience of strenuous and stressful work situations in which new teachers, with high aspirations, confronted at times unanticipated work assignments and challenging conditions for which they did not always feel fully prepared. However, as well as these tensions of development there also appears to be a period of intense and stimulating knowledge development in which the teachers experienced opportunities to put their ideas about education, development, cooperation and educational projects to the test. Through this they say that they developed professionally in a way that strengthened their professional identity. The continuing work history period is the third period. It includes experience from the three year period following the first years in the profession. Here the teachers describe a process of establishment at each workplace, where the teachers’ continuing quest for educational development and change is in the fore, as is an aim toward further professional development and greater stability in the professional role. / <p>Disputationen sker fredagen den 17 december 2010, kl 13.15, Hörsal D203, Högskolan i Borås, Allegatan 1</p>

With the growing popularity of the ability to customize your characters in video games, cosmetic items are becoming a big part of the gaming experience; games let players pick and choose what to equip on characters and what colors to use. In this study, skilled Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 players were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the players’ experiences with the cosmetic items in their respective games. The games were chosen based on their well established system for cosmetic items and the authors’ previous knowledge of the games. The result yielded individual answers from ten different experienced players and were reviewed and divided into categories based on the patterns seen in the answers. From what could be seen from the results, the skilled players have a positive outlook on cosmetic items and believe that they have more than an aesthetic meaning, like for example that they can be a way to gauge player skill. / I takt med att förmågan att kunna skräddarsy karaktärer i spel har blivit populär, håller så kallade cosmetics på att bli en stor del av spelupplevelsen; spel låter spelare välja utrustning och färger i stor utsträckning. I den här studien blev erfarna Team Fortress 2- och Dota 2-spelare intervjuade för att ge en djupare förståelse för dessa spelares syn på kosmetiska förmål. Spelen valdes ut på grund av deras väletablerade system för kosmetiska föremål och författarnas tidigare kunskap om spelen. Alla de individuella svar som samlades in från de tio erfarna spelarna lästes igenom och delades upp i kategorier utifrån mönster som kunde utgöras från svaren. Från vad som kunde tydas har de erfarna spelarna en positiv syn på cosmetic items och antyder även att de har mer än en estetisk betydelse, till exempel att de kan vara ett sätt att tyda spelares kunskaper.

Le terme identité est utilisé depuis le milieu des années 2000 par les autorités nationales, en particulier juridictionnelles, dans le but de protéger le droit interne du droit de l'Union européenne. En réponse, la question de l'existence d'une identité de l'Union européenne peut être posée. Le contenu de l'identité revendiquée est imprécis. Les autorités nationales qui l'invoquent n'en définissent pas la substance et la doctrine juridique peine à déterminer ce qu'elle recouvre. Cela ne saurait étonner. L'identité est le processus de construction d’un soi cohérent dans le temps et dans l’espace social. Substantiellement, une identité est donc en constante évolution. L'identité de l'UE ne doit pas tant être recherchée dans un ensemble figé de valeurs plutôt que dans un discours véhiculant des valeurs identitaires européennes. Or en tant que vecteur privilégié d'édification de l'Union, le droit constitue un médium de choix pour étudier le discours identitaire de l'Union européenne. / The use of the term « identity » has been growing amongst national authorities, especially judges, since the mid-2000. The national identity is invoked to protect national law from European Law. In that context, the development of a European identity in response of the national identity can be contemplated.The substance of the national identity is neither strictly defined by the Courts, nor by the legal literature. But the substantial uncertainty of the identity is not surprising. An identity is the process of self-definition throughout time and changing social context. It is therefore in constant evolution. EU's identity shall not be sought within a fixed ensemble of values, but rather through the use of those values in a discourse aiming at asserting the European identity. Law represents a preferred mean of analysis of the European identity discourse, as it is a preferred mean of construction of the European Union.

This thesis aims to analyze the identity building dimension of the process of European integration and to examine how the Community cultural policy has been constructed by investigating the general discourse produced by the Community institutions since the 1970s in order to inculcate a sense of belonging among European citizens, to give an emotional aspect to the integration process, and to overcome the legitimacy problem. The themes of &ldquo / unity&rdquo / and &ldquo / diversity,&rdquo / enshrined in the official motto of &ldquo / unity in diversity&rdquo / of the European Commission, constitute the cornerstone of the Community cultural policy. This thesis analyzes the embodiment of European identity in the Community cultural policy with a special focus on three selected areas: audiovisual, educational and language policies. In conclusion, this thesis maintains that the mild, abstract and ambiguous notion of &ldquo / unity in diversity&rdquo / that accommodates heterogeneous European cultures and characteristics in conformity with the multi-layered EU polity is the most plausible and desirable mode of European cultural identity for the EU bureaucratic elites. However, this identity building strategy has limitations stemming from the intrinsic nature of the EU and the absence of a coherent definition of European identity.

This thesis investigates the diverse ways in which social agents construct the relationship between past, present and future through a study of historical consciousness and its role in the negotiation of identity and shifting power relations in the border region of Southwest Serbia. The focus of the research falls on ethnic relations between Serbs and Bosniaks, who predominantly inhabit the area, and the boundaries that they imagine surround the world they live in. The goal has been to trace the life of these ethnic boundaries, and with it the relationships between those who imagine them by following their transformations in history, as well as to inquire into elements of social patterns that may be discernable within a contextualized and historicized analysis of the region. In order to achieve this, I have analysed the diverse pasts and futures that coalesce in the many 'time spaces' that Southwest Serbia's social actors inhabit in any present moment and from which they (re)construct these boundaries and their identities. The research has been situated within the wider anthropological discussion about the relation of culture (memory) and history and draws on insights made by relevant studies and ethnographies conducted on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The data presented demonstrates that ethnicity and nationality are not fully crystalized as concepts in Southwest Serbia, their contents are imagined in inconsistent ways in and between social groups, while ethno-national identities and histories are not on the whole felt to be crucial to one's personal sense of self, but are perceived and put to use as malleable political resources. As a result, the most dominant allegiance in Southwest Serbia is to one's family, the only group whose 'essence' escapes political malleability and whose members share a common cross-temporal vision.

Ethno-linguistic diversities and the rights to enjoy and maintain indigenous languages and identities has been a central issue in the socio-political agenda of Turkey since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. The Lazi have taken their part in the discussions concerning minority rights through the discourses of a group of Lazi activists since the early 1990s.This study aims to examine the discursive construction of Lazi identity with close attention to its various actors and the context in which the process is carried out. To this end, selected texts by the social actors who are involved in the Lazi identity building process are studied in terms of various functions of language contributing to the communicative production of discourses. The content of written and oral commentaries by various social actors who are influential in the Lazi identity building process is studied using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).The study concludes that the construction of Lazi identity is an on-going process which is developed by influential social actors. The discourses of Lazi activists display a dilemma between the commitment to establish or re-establish a distinct Lazi identity with emphasis on a distinct language and culture rooted in ancient history and a determination to remain a component of the Republic of Turkey.

« Identité » est un terme qui a fait irruption dans les sciences sociales dans les années 70 puis, à partir des années1990, dans les politiques de développement européenne et française comme dans les recommandations de l’UNESCO. « Identité » devient alors un sésame des subventions, élément incontournable des politiques publiques, indispensable à tout dirigeant local en quête de reconnaissance. Ce marqueur de visibilité sur un marché touristique de plus en plus concurrentiel fait naître à Nice l’urgence de se doter d’une « identité », alors même que la ville traverse une crise de son économie touristique et sort tout juste d’un important marasme politique.Relayées par des associations culturelles, les sept années de politique municipale des « Etats généraux de l’identité niçoise » font naître le “Comté de Nice”. Conceptualisé à partir d’un acte fondateur – la Dédition de Nice à la Savoie – ce « Comté de Nice » sert d’alibi à une demande de recomposition territoriale dont les principaux moteurs sont la volonté récurrente de se défaire de la tutelle de Marseille et la revendication d’une place privilégiée dans les négociations en cours sur la répartition des rôles dans les nouveaux territoires européens.L’offre croissante de biens culturels et matériels à référence identitaire contribue à leur diffusion et rend leur usage de plus en plus naturel, ce qui aboutit à la création d’une communauté imaginée de Niçois source d’un communautarisme revendicatif, dans une ville dont le cosmopolitisme avait jusque-là contribué à la renommée. / Identity” is a term that first appeared in social sciences in the seventies, and in European and French developmentpolicies, as well as in the UNESCO Recommendations, in the nineties. “Identity” then became a means to acquiresubsidies, a key component to public policies and an essential aspect for any leader seeking recognition. Thismarker of visibility in an increasingly competitive tourism market created the urgency for Nice to adopt an“Identity”, although the town was going through a tourism economy crisis and just pulling out of a significantpolitical slump. Relayed by cultural associations, the seven years municipal policy of the “Etats généraux del’identité niçoise” gave rise to the “County of Nice”. Conceptualised from a founding act – the Dédition of Nice toSavoie – this “County of Nice” has been used as an alibi for a territorial recombining request, whose main driversDépôt de thèseDonnéescomplémentairesare the willingness to separate from the administrative supervision of Marseilles and the call for an advantageousposition in the current negotiations regarding the role distribution in the new European territories. The increasingsupply of identity-related cultural and material goods contributes to their dissemination and makes them evenmore mainstream, which has led to the creation of an imagined community from Nice as the source of a protestingcommunitarianism in a town where cosmopolitanism had been a contributing factor of fame.

In today's competitive educational landscape, schools face the challenge of attracting students who align with their organizational identity. With extensive organizational changes in the Swedish school system, expressing organizational identity has become crucial for demonstrating categorical belonging. The category of elite schools signifies high academic and social standing, which attracts motivated students. However, entering a market with established schools and identities poses challenges. Through a single case study, we investigate how ProCivitas built an elite identity in Uppsala’s secondary upper school market. We uncover seven factors contributing to building the identity–Articulating Values and Vision, Creating Unique Characteristics, Creating Sensemaking among Members, Communicating the Identity, Living the Identity, Applying a Competitive Mindset, and Gaining Legitimizing Feedback. Our findings further expand the understanding of identity building and the importance of striking a balance between being distinctive and legitimate in its local market.

In the field of sociology there is an established idea that risk has importance for identity-building, and existing research shows that risk is a part of transitioning into adulthood. The Covid-19 pandemic has, on the one hand, introduced new risks for young people to consider, and on the other restrictions aiming to prevent the spread of infection. The restrictions have to a varying degree, limited us in everyday life, and constructed new norms which may have influenced youth’s identity-building. This qualitative study aims to examine young people's experience of risk and how those and other experiences during pandemic have affected their identity-building. The results show that youths' understanding of risk was informed by their unique context. Further, the study establishes that young people’s disciplinary attitudes and actions reflected those on the institutional level, whilst other risk behaviour was dependent on the context of the action. Young people have also revealed a level of flexibility and adaptation which enabled them to maintain social practices important for identity-building. Through the integration of feelings of loss and gratitude, establishment of a new everyday life, and wider perspectives on life, young people maintained the feeling of ontological security. Further research should examine how experiences of risk during the pandemic may have long term effects on identity-building, and the possible need for supportive interventions. / Betydelse av risk för identitetsskapande har under lång tid varit ett etablerat forskningsfält där tidigare studier fastslår att risk är en viktig del i ungas vuxenblivande. Coronapandemin introducerade dels en ny risk för unga att förhålla sig till, dels olika former av restriktioner för att minska smittspridning. Dessa begränsade oss i det vardagliga livet samt etablerade nya normer som möjligtvis påverkat människors identitetsskapande, inte minst de ungas. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att genom semistrukturerade intervjuer undersöka ungas upplevelser i förhållande till risk och hur dessa och andra upplevelser under pandemin har påverkat ungas identitetsskapande. Resultatet visar att de ungas förhållande till risk präglades av deras unika situation och kontext. Disciplinering mot sig själv och andra speglade de institutionella riskuppfattningarna, däremot kunde riskbeteendet vara kontextdrivet. När det gäller ungas identitetsskapande visar resultatet på en anpassningsbarhet som till viss del möjliggjort för unga att fortsätta utöva för dem viktiga sociala praktiker. De skapade också ontologisk trygghet genom att integrera upplevelser av både förlust och tacksamhet, skapa en ny vardag och sätta in sin egen livsberättelse i ett större narrativ. Vidare forskning kan med fördel undersöka hur ungas upplevelser i förhållande till risk under pandemin har påverkat deras identitetsskapande på längre sikt för att upptäcka eventuella behov av stödinsatser.

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