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This dissertation deals with the American Catholic theologian and social thinker Michael Novak, as well as his work, which is a principal and influential contribution to Catholic social teaching. Novak is the main representative of American Catholic Neoconservatism, a stream in Catholic thought, which springs from the specific context of the experience of the American political, economical and cultural arrangement and which started to develop in the USA in connection with the American conservative revolution. Catholic Neoconservatism aims to connect Christian and liberal traditions, and it also tries to rehabilitate the system of Democratic Capitalism newly based on Christian values. Its goal is to influence all areas of Catholic social thought, which, according to Novak, needs to be developed and enriched by non-Europeans, especially from the American experience. He claims that Catholic social thought is inspired too much by Socialism and the one-hundredyear-old tradition of Papal Encyclicas has been significantly marked by a limited Eurocontinental horizon. This dissertation aims to contribute, at least partly, to the Catholic historical revision of values of classical liberalism in light of this American experience. Also Novak´s usage of theological doctrines on behalf of the democratic capitalism is interesting and not forgetable experiment in the area of the theology of terrestrial realities, despite some of its exceptions. Novak is not a great theologian, but he is especially a political scientist and economist. Therefore his theology of Democratic Capitalism should be further developed and enriched by other theologians.

The thesis deals with the picture of woman in the Croatian prose and its transformations from realism to present times. The main aim of the thesis is to map out characteristics of the female subject primarily within discourses of feminist critique in the context of social aspects of the Croatian milieu. Thesis focuses on analysis of female characters that firstly embodies the social hierarchy, secondly represents the mythological concept of femininity and thirdly works towards confrontation of feminine identity with the patriachal phallogocentric discourse. It also focuses on the analysis of femininity, sensibility and sexuality. The main part of the thesis comprises the analyses of nine selected texts written by Croatian authors, namely Goldsmith's gold by August Šenoa, In the Registrar's Office by Antun Kovačić, Diary by Dragojla Jarnević, Melita by J. E. Tomić, The Last of the Stipančićs by Vjenceslav Novak, The Return of Philip Latinowicz by Miroslav Krleža, Marina; or, About Biography by Irena Vrkljan, Divine Hunger by Slavenka Drakulić and Ministry of Pain by Dubravka Ugrešić. The thesis shows the transformation of female characters by the influence of intellectual concepts and specific cultural situation in patriarchal society. Texts are chosen for typological diversity, which aims to cover...

This thesis is an investigation of the complex processes and relationships between the physical human performer and the technologically manufactured cyber-human counterpart. I acted as both researcher and the physical human performer, deeply engaged in the moment-to-moment creation of events unfolding within a shared virtual reality environment. As the primary instigator and activator of the cyber-human partner, I maintained a balance between the live and technological performance elements, prioritizing the production of content and meaning. By way of using practice as research, this thesis argues that in considering interactions between cyber-human and human performers, it is crucial to move beyond discussions of technology when considering interactions between cyber-humans and human performers to an analysis of emotional content, the powers of poetic imagery, the trust that is developed through sensory perception and the evocation of complex relationships. A theoretical model is constructed to describe the relationship between a cyber-human and a human performer in the five works created specifically for this thesis, which is not substantially different from that between human performers. Technological exploration allows for the observation and analysis of various relationships, furthering an expanded understanding of ‘movement as content’ beyond the electronic connection. Each of the works created for this research used new and innovative technologies, including virtual reality, multiple interactive systems, six generations of wearable computers, motion capture technology, high-end digital lighting projectors, various projection screens, smart electronically charged fabrics, multiple sensory sensitive devices and intelligent sensory charged alternative performance spaces. They were most often collaboratively created in order to augment all aspects of the performance and create the sense of community found in digital live dance performances/events. These works are identified as one continuous line of energy and discovery, each representing a slight variation on the premise that a working, caring, visceral and poetic content occurs beyond the technological tools. Consequently, a shift in the physical human’s psyche overwhelms the act of performance. Scholarship and reflection on the works have been integral to my creative process throughout. The goals of this thesis, the works created and the resulting methodologies are to investigate performance to heighten the multiple ways we experience and interact with the world. This maximizes connection and results in a highly interactive, improvisational, dynamic, non-linear, immediate, accessible, agential, reciprocal, emotional, visceral and transformative experience without boundaries between the virtual and physical for physical humans, cyborgs and cyber-humans alike.