Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:12:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009 - Josemara Salles Lima.pdf: 1015956 bytes, checksum: 5b047d8b28edf705eab8abfec0acd42b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-09-17 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This dissertation has analyzed texts, paper documents, from the beginning of the 19th century until the 1970s, and the records of the concerned thinking related to the preservation of the brazilwood/pau-brasil tree (Caesalpinia echinata) which social and political developments were also the object itself. The study aimed to understand the meaning (or meanings) of these concerns and the importance of preserving and maintaining that species of the Atlantic Coastal Forest. Source text that dealt exclusively with species like that tree in the forest has been analyzed. For three centuries of exploitation, the brazilwood was significant and commercially feasible, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, the wood was so rare that it got considered an extinct species. Its main usability and commercial application was dyeing, even so, the wood of the brazilwood got devalued by the application of artificial dyes on that. This tree had already guaranteed place in the history books, public spaces and, in the 1970s, occupied the post of national tree. The preliminary hypotheses were that in the 19th century, the brazilwood would be seen as just an item of exploration and trade, so that its conservation met with purely economic interests. In the speeches of the early twentieth century, the tree would be considered virtually extinct but it is now seen as a material that needs protection and preservation in public spaces for prosecuting the national memory. The governmental measures from the 1950s to 1970 would not have as the main argument the environment preservation. The brazilwood met a representative role of national wealth and it was historically important for Brazil. The speech analysis took into account the historical and symbolic evolution of the pau-brasil (Caesalpinia echinata) in different social contexts in which attempts to place its maintenance / Neste trabalho foram analisadas fontes de documenta??o textuais com discursos produzidos desde o in?cio do s?culo XIX at? a d?cada de 1970. O objeto de estudo foram os discursos que denotam preocupa??o de uma ?rvore na natureza. O estudo teve como objetivo saber qual o sentido (ou os sentidos) dessa preocupa??o. Por que era importante manter aquela esp?cie vegetal? Dessa maneira, fontes que trataram exclusivamente da quest?o da sua presen?a na mata foram analisadas. Durante tr?s s?culos de explora??o, o pau-brasil foi importante e vi?vel comercialmente, mas no in?cio do XX era t?o raro que foi considerado extinto e sua principal utilidade tinha sido superada pela inven??o dos corantes artificiais. Mas a ?rvore j? tinha lugar garantido nos livros did?ticos de hist?ria, em lugares p?blicos e, na d?cada de 1970, foi declarada ?rvore nacional. As hip?teses preliminares eram que no s?culo XIX, o pau-brasil seria visto como apenas mais um item de explora??o e com?rcio, cuja conserva??o atendia interesses puramente econ?micos. Nos discursos do in?cio do s?culo XX, a ?rvore seria considerada praticamente extinta na natureza e vista como um elemento que deveria ser mantido materialmente em espa?os p?blicos como exerc?cio de mem?ria. As medidas governamentais tomadas em rela??o ? ?rvore nas d?cadas de 1950 a 1970, n?o possuiriam como argumento principal a preserva??o ambiental, a ?rvore era vista como um elemento representativo das riquezas nacionais e importante para a hist?ria do pa?s.

This thesis is an attempt to explore the Jordanian community of today with its multi-ethnic fusion and its social practices that often appear rooted in the past. It is an examination of what possible series of symbols could be formed from a collective view of the diverse ethnicity in Jordan and that could be culturally relevant to the seven-pointed star of the Jordanian flag. This has been an investigation structured around Design Thinking processes using a mixture of qualitative methods integrated with a social science methodology. The qualitative data collection methods involved close contact between the research participants and the author in such a way that emergent topics could be explored. Accordingly, the first major practical contribution of the research provided a series of prototypes that established ‘terminologies’ that were discovered, evaluated and reflected upon through design processes and supporting documentation. This was followed by a testing stage designed to show the cultural diversity and acceptability of both the symbols/ and the final artefacts. Three main tests were conducted in 2016: 1. Semi-structured interviews with participants selected at random from seven different ethnic groups according to country of origin. 2. Public exhibitions in Jordan and Plymouth with audiences from diverse research backgrounds (e.g. users or consumers of designs). 3. A workshop with Jordanian designers (students and practitioners). The methodology adopted during each test included the sharing of the author’s work and personal experiences and invited feedback that could be used to validate and build on the Research Question. The stories and discourse produced a wide array of social patterns that are referred to as ‘findings’. The results emphasised a relationship between social communal values and the historic stories related by the participants. It was hoped that by having the opportunity to involve users throughout the process and by discussing open-ended questions, that the most objective valuations possible would be achieved. However, a deficiency occurred during the process of testing prototypes, which had the effect of decreasing the reliability of the test. It also emerged that correlating all the data proved more difficult to produce answers as accurately and consistently as possible. Subsequently the author is proposing a number of follow-on design research methodologies, investigating and exploring further the significant values embodied in the Jordanian flag. Namely: Faith in one God Humanity Humility National spirit Virtue Social justice Aspiration Despite these difficulties, however, this research-based activity proved to be an invaluable achievement in terms of personal practice and recorded data as a result of testing the open ended-questions and demonstrated the ability to produce design documentation with its own unique features.