Cette thèse doctorale étudie la pratique des « artistes-développeurs » œuvrant dans le développement de jeux vidéo en industrie. Elle propose d’aborder cette pratique comme un phénomène complexe, au carrefour du développement de jeu vidéo, de l’agir professionnel et de la pensée des designers. Le développement de jeu vidéo se caractérise par le travail créatif, collaboratif et interdisciplinaire entre design, art, programmation et gestion. En raison de la complexification et de la rationalisation des produits et des processus vidéoludiques depuis les années 1990, des exigences considérables sont apparues pour les artistes, en termes d’adaptation, de spécialisation, de créativité et de productivité. Au cours de la phase de préproduction, des artistes expérimentés collaborent en équipe multidisciplinaire et contribuent à la conception et au prototypage des premières versions fonctionnelles des jeux. Alors que les industries canadienne et québécoise du jeu vidéo se sont rapidement développées au cours des vingt-cinq dernières années, les connaissances sur la pratique des artistes-développeurs demeurent limitées, en dehors de nous informer de l’expertise technique. Les studios développeurs exigent des besoins constants en main-d’œuvre compétente et en alignement des formations ; ils recherchent des compétences particulières (par ex. collaboratives, transversales, polyvalence), tel que constaté chez les petits et moyens studios émergents québécois. En tant qu’enseignant, artiste et chercheur, nous avons voulu développer une compréhension fine et contextuelle dans le but d’informer et guider la formation universitaire des futures artistes et la pratique en industrie. Des explorations pré-terrain au moyen d’entretiens et d’observations auprès d’artistes séniors ont servi à construire la problématique de l’étude, en fournissant une première compréhension de la pratique des artistes-développeurs. Notamment, cette pratique implique des activités individuelles et collaboratives de conception, ainsi que des habiletés réflexives intrinsèques. Ceci a conduit à apparenter leur pratique à celle du designer au sens large. Les va-et-vient entre les premières explorations et la littérature ont enrichi le questionnement pour l’étude jusqu’à conduire à un premier objectif : explorer la pratique réflexive « designlike » des artistes-développeurs expérimentés, durant la phase de préproduction et dans les petits et moyens studios québécois. Un second objectif vise à concevoir un modèle de pratique permettant de saisir la pratique professionnelle compétente des artistes-développeurs. Sur le plan théorique, l’étude se réfère aux théories constructivistes et pragmatistes de l’agir professionnel de la pensée des designers. Le cadre théorique permet d’élaborer une construction théorique avec laquelle il devient possible d’étudier un ensemble de dimensions structurant la démarche réflexive de design, à travers des cas situés et incarnés de pratique. Sur le plan méthodologique, l’enquête qualitative inspirée de l’ethnographie et du « shadowing » explore à travers trois cas de pratique (chaque cas = un artiste dans un petit studio). L’analyse interprétative vise à construire des catégories et à identifier des patterns réplicables d’un cas à l’autre. Chaque cas est analysé et interprété individuellement ; une synthèse transversale des trois cas permet de décrire un modèle provisoire de pratique, lequel est validé auprès des trois participants en entretien individuel. Nous proposons un modèle transférable et enseignable de pratique professionnelle compétent de l’artiste-développeur, en termes de situations et de compétences. Nous soulevons les besoins d’accompagner les artistes à mieux conceptualiser et expliciter leur pratique. Nous montrons comment la préproduction de jeu vidéo constitue un vecteur d’activités collaboratives de design et de prototypage. Nous concluons en proposant des recommandations à la formation des futurs artistes-développeurs, en revenant sur la démarche méthodologique utilisée et en proposant des pistes de recherches futures. / This doctoral thesis studies the practice of “artist-developers” working in video game development. It proposes to examine this practice as a complex phenomenon, at the intersection of video game development, professional practice and design thinking. Video game development is characterized by creative, collaborative and interdisciplinary work between design, art, programming and management. Due to the increasing complexity and rationalization of video game products and processes since the 1990s, considerable demands have been placed on artists in terms of adaptation, specialization, creativity and productivity. During the preproduction phase, experienced artists collaborate in multidisciplinary teams and contribute to the design and prototyping of the early functional versions of games. While the Canadian and Quebec video game industries have grown rapidly over the past twenty-five years, knowledge about the artist-developers’ practice remains limited, except in terms of technical expertise. Development studios have a constant need for qualified practitioners and well-adapted training; they are looking for specific skills (e.g. collaborative, cross-disciplinary, versatility), as seen in small and medium-sized emerging studios in Quebec. As a teacher, artist and researcher, we wanted to develop a fine-grained and contextual understanding in order to inform and guide the academic training of future artists and industry practice. Pre-field investigations based on interviews and observations with senior artists served to frame the study, providing an initial understanding of artist-developers’ practice. This was built on individual and collaborative design activities as well as intrinsic reflective skills. Through the pre-field study we have noticed some similarities between artists’ and designers’ practices. The back and forth between the first explorations and the literature enriched the questioning so to lead to a first objective: to explore the “designlike” reflective practice of experienced artist-developers, in the preproduction phase and in small and medium-sized Quebec studios. A second objective is to develop a model of practice to capture the competent professional practice of artist-developers. The theoretical approach refers to constructivist and pragmatist theories of professional practice and of design thinking. The theoretical framework allows to elaborate a theoretical construction with which we can study a set of dimensions that structures the reflective process of design, through which we can study situated and embodied cases of practice. The methodological approach draws on qualitative research and refers to ethnography and shadowing to explore through three cases of practice (each case = an artist in a small studio). Interpretive analysis is used to construct categories and identify patterns that can be replicated across cases. Each case is analyzed and interpreted individually; a cross-case synthesis is used to describe a provisional model of practice, which is then validated by the three participants during an individual interview. Based on the findings, the study proposes a transferable and teachable model of professional practice of the artist-developer, in terms of situations and skills. In addition, we raise the need to support artists in conceptualizing and making explicit their practice. We also show how the preproduction of video games can be considered as a vector for collaborative design and prototyping activities. In our conclusions, we make several recommendations for the pedagogical training of future artist-developers. We discuss the theoretical and methodological approaches used and suggest various avenues for future research.

台灣唱片工業在1997年達到前所未有的高峰，唱片總銷售金額達新台幣123億元。可是從1998年開始，台灣唱片工業景氣急轉直下，每年的成長率至少都在-10％以上，到了2007年，整體唱片銷售總額已掉到新台幣19億元，幾乎已是十年前的六分之一。很多唱片業界的人士都怪罪數位音樂的流通，導致盜版橫行，沒有消費者願意花錢支持正版專輯，使得主流唱片市場一落千丈，可是反觀國內以獨立音樂為號召的三大音樂祭，每年參與人數皆逐年上升，尤其是野台開唱去年一舉將票價提升近一倍，但人數不減反增，三天的活動累計突破十二萬人次，雖無直接的證據證實以往聆聽主流音樂的消費者漸漸轉向獨立音樂的陣營，可是強調「真誠」與「創新」的獨立音樂，逐漸擄獲消費者的心卻是不爭的事實。 Simon Frith認為：「音樂已經變成一種商品，想要賺錢得不斷適應新的科技，這兩樣事情形塑了通俗音樂產業的面貌。」，此話明確指出，唱片工業除了得面對科技的進步，音樂的本質也相當重要。但台灣主流唱片公司一昧卸責怪罪mp3所造成的衝擊，卻忽略除了科技以外的問題。因此唯有透過完整性的產業分析，將國內主流與獨立音樂分別比較探討，才能真正的釐清國內唱片工業問題之所在。 時至今日，跨國唱片公司以裁員、縮編因應市場的轉變，許多本土中小型的主流唱片公司應運而生紛紛轉向大陸市場，獨立音樂透過網路社群的集結，蓄積龐大的力量，正逐漸解構跨國唱片公司所建構的市場規則。台灣唱片工業將會再起，網路霈然莫之能禦的力量，將使台灣富有生命力的「新音樂」推向市場。 / The Taiwan popular music industry reached the high peak in 1997 without precedent history that the total output value was NT dollar twelve billion. But from 1998, the Taiwan popular music industry had a quick and decisive turn of events for the worse. Until 2007 the total output value was about NT dollar two billion that is almost the one sixth of ten years ago. Many people in this industry have blamed the digital music for the sluggish market. But, by contrast, there are more and more people joining the three most famous indie-music festivals, especially Formoz Festival 2007. Although It raised the ticket price to two times, the total entrance people reached one hundred-twenty thousand. Even though there is no direct evidence that the most of customers listening pop music turn to indie music, in fact, the indie music that highlights “honest” and “innovative” gradually attract many customers. Simon Frith said: “pop music as we know it now has been shaped by the problems of making music a commodity and the challenges of adapting money-making practices to changing technologies.” This paragraph indicates that technology is very important to music industry. Besides, the innate character of music is also more important. Therefore, I think that if we want to understand what the problems with, we must take the macroscopic method to analysis this industry. However, the international recording companies have been in droves to lay off employees in order to the sluggish market coming. There are many small or medium major recording companies being formed and turning to China market. And then, many indie music companies use internet to cluster together for store up strength to deconstruct the rule that the international recording companies formulated. The application of internet will improve the “new music” to the market, and the Taiwan popular music industries will revival.

Le travail a consisté à réaliser l’édition commentée de l’Itinerario de Vartema (Rome,1510), compte-rendu écrit par Vartema à l’issue de son voyage, qui le mena de Venise aux Indes en passant par l’Arabie (1503-08). Bien que ce texte ait donné lieu à plusieurs éditions dans plusieurs langues européennes, il n’a en effet jamais fait l’objet d‘une édition critique. Le voyage eut lieu au moment où les grandes découvertes bouleversèrent l’image du monde: il s’agissait du premier voyage par voie de terre effectué par un occidental au moment où les Portugais créèrent la route commerciale maritime des épices. Vartema est un homme fascinant qui a endossé avec aisance des rôles très éloignés de la mentalité occidentale, nous laissant un document unique dans sa manière de reformuler son expérience. L’objet de la recherche se situe au carrefour de plusieurs disciplines: l’histoire littéraire, la philologie, la littérature de voyage, l’histoire de la géographie, du livre et des sciences. / The aim of this research is the preparation of an annotated critical edition of the de Ludovico de Vartema bolognese of Bologna (1st ed. Rome, 1510). This is a record written by Vartema on his way back from a journey which took him from Venice to the East Indies and through Arabia between 1503 and 1508. It gives an account of the first journey made by a western man after the Portuguese created their commercial empire. Although in the sixteenth century several editions of this work in many languages were issued, it has never before been the subject of a critical edition. Vartema’s Itinerario is the account of a charming man who was able to get inside the minds of people distant from the western mentality. He has left us a unique document since the way his experiences have been told is poised among many disciplines including: political philology, language history, text analysis, history and geography, science book history, travel literature. / Copo del presente lavoro di ricerca è stata la realizzazione dell’edizione critica commentata dell’Itinerario de Ludovico de Vartema bolognese (Roma,1510). Si tratta del resoconto scritto da Vartema al ritorno dal suo viaggio, che lo portò da Venezia alle Indie orientali, passando per l’Arabia, tra il 1503 e il 1508. Si tratta del primo viaggio effettuato da un occidentale nel momento in cui i Portoghesi crearono il loro impero commerciale. Sebbene nel sedicesimo secolo questo testo abbia visto numerose edizioni in molte lingue, non è mai stato oggetto di un’edizione critica. Lo studio dell’Itinerario di Vartema - uomo affascinante che si cala facilmente in ruoli molto lontano dalla mentalità occidentale e che ci lascia un documento unico per il modo in cui l’esperienza vi è raccontata - si situa al centro degli sguardi incrociati di molte discipline: filologia politica, storia della lingua, analisi del testo, storia e geografia, storia del libro delle scienze, letteratura di viaggio.

The thesis deals with four plays written by French dramatist and theorist of feminism Hélène Cixous for the Parisian Théâtre du Soleil under the directorial guidance of Ariane Mnouchkine. The analysis focuses on three different perspectives - firstly on écriture feminine, defined in the 1970s by Cixous herself, secondly on exile studies, a field of literary criticism concerned with the writings of exiled authors and exile as a fundamental category of human existence, and lastly on the concept of orientalism developed in the 1970s by American literary historian of Palestinian origin Edward Said.

Work "Short exotic stories in work of Julius Zeyer" deals with five selected Zeyer's works that are set in the exotic land of India and Far East. One prose is associated with India, the other four with China and Japan. The works are a result of careful collecting, translating and creative work of Julius Zeyer. The present diploma thesis outlined in brief the life of Julius Zeyer and its role in the contemporary literature. It characterized Zeyer's interest in the exotic motives and way he followed them. The diploma thesis also considered form of the Zeyer's prose. The present work examined characteristics of plot and main characters and as well as the representation of the exotic places. It showed that the narrative places take part in creating the atmosphere that corresponds to the current experience of the characters. The nature of the characters is revealed against the background of the plot. Zeyer elaborated mutual connection between the characters and areas. Part of the interpretation was in each case devoted to the overall Zeyer's evocation of India, China and Japan and its artistic depth.

Dans les années 1990 et 2000, la scène musicale underground taiwanaise a vu naître successivement le Taik – ou Rock Taike 台客搖滾 taike yaogun – puis le Taiwan Traditional Rap, ou 台灣味唸歌 Taiwan wei niange. Ces courants « trans-musicaux » se rejoignent sur de nombreux points tels que la revendication de « traditions » populaires locales, accompagnée cependant d'une forte complaisance au métissage culturel, et par-dessus tout d'un besoin de se définir – de s'identifier – en dehors des clichés aliénants du bon-goût, dictés de manière hégémonique par la culture « dominante » centrée depuis la fin des années 1940 sur le modèle de la République de Chine. Appuyée par un travail de terrain réalisé entre 2005 et 2010 selon les principes de l'observation participante, et pensée à la lumière des cultural studies et d'ouvrages d'auteurs tels que Dick Hebdige et Stuart Hall, cette thèse propose une approche « sensible » d'une sous-culture particulière, tempérée d'autre part par une critique des théories développées par Pierre Bourdieu dans La Distinction, Critique sociale du jugement. Elle tente ainsi – au travers du prisme trans-musical – de définir la place occupée par la sous-culture locale « Taike » dans l'histoire globale d'autres sous-cultures comparables, et s'impose alors en contexte tel un trait d'union entre Taiwan et le reste du monde. / In the 1990's and 2000's, the underground music scene in Taiwan successively gave birth to the Taik – also called Taike Rock 台客搖滾 taike yaogun – then to Taiwan Traditional Rap 台灣味唸歌 Taiwan wei niange. These "trans-musical" currents are similar in many issues such as the claim to local folk traditions, accompanied however by accomodating a strong cultural mix and by a need to define – to identify – themselves outside the alienating good taste, so dictated since the late 1940's by the hegemonic "dominant" culture focused along the lines of the Republic of China. This thesis proposes a ''sensitive'' approach to a particular subculture, furthermore tempered by a critique of theories developed by Pierre Bourdieu in Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. It has been backed up by field studies conducted between 2005 and 2010 according to the principles of the participant-observer and trends of thought enlightened by cultural studies and works of authors such as Dick Hebdige and Stuart Hall. It attempts also – through the prism of trans-musicality – to define the place of the local "Taike" subculture in the global history of other comparable subcultures, as an essentiel link between Taiwan and the rest of the world.

The main objective of this diploma thesis is to analyze the nature of obstacles to the regional approach to Afghanistan through the lens of the Regional Security Complex Theory. I will focus on studying security dynamics within and among three security complexes surrounding Afghanistan, to see how these dynamics affect their interaction with the latter. Prospects of any regional cooperation on Afghanistan are hampered by security dynamics within these complexes whereby primary traditional political-military threats are perceived by the complex states as more threatening than the mostly transnational threats stemming from unstable Afghanitan. Particularly the Indo-Pakistani rivalry and to a lesser extent the Saudi-Iranian rivalry represent major obstacles as it is reflected also in their engagement in Afghanistan. On the other hand, weak Central Asia states are linked to Afghanistan security dynamics by mostly transnational threats and ethnic affinities but are generally too weak to extend their security dynamics beyond their respective complex. The thesis also seeks to analyze the possibility of Afghanistan's external transformation in terms of its inclusion into the South Asia complex and based on now stronger security interdependence among the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India triangle. This assumption could...

CHINA IN GLOBAL AND REGIONAL POLITICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY - GEOPOLITICAL CLASH WITH JAPAN, INDIA, USA, RUSSIA AND EUROPE Mgr. Martin Petrtýl Supervisor: Doc. Dr. Bořivoj Hnízdo, PhD. Institute of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences This dissertation discusses the current and future role of China in the 21st century. I worked with the idea to prepare a systematically detailed analytical study of the country in relation to its surroundings as well as its internal environment for more than 8 years, including many interruptions. I, above all, contemplated about the way how to truly scientifically, i.e. credibly, it means in the maximum possible the limits of verifiability, develop a full work that could hold up to the colleagues from the scientific community and myself. It is logical it was and is my attempt to allow minimal possibility of any criticism of this work for its formal, content, or other deficiencies. First, I decided to analyse in some detail the currently known theoretical approaches and methods of study, not only in political sciences, especially those used by political geographers, but also in other related fields, especially in the field of study of international relations, sociology, political science or general security studies. I did not want to study the issue is the...