<p>Jag vill i den här uppsatsen beskriva hur sexualitet och genus konstrueras, befästs och utmanas i Margareta av Navarras verk <em>Heptameron</em>. Jag utgår från Judith Butlers och Thomas Laqueurs queerteoretiska perspektiv och visar hur de olika maktdiskurserna kristendom, aristokrati, patriarkalism och nyplatonism påverkar och påtvingar olika konstruktioner av sexualitet<strong> </strong>och genus, och kan konstatera att alla dessa diskurser bygger på<strong> </strong>en normerande och<strong> </strong>normaliserad heterosexualitet som ständigt för tillbaka avvikelserna från denna norm, hos såväl devisanterna som i de två noveller jag studerat, till en binär könskategorisering. Huvudfokus ligger på tvetydigheten hos begrepp som man, kvinna, och fullkomlig kärlek. Jag menar att just avsaknaden av slutgiltiga definitioner av sådana begrepp i verket visar på att det inte går att finna något essentiellt ursprung eller någon slutgiltig definition av dem. Det är just därför den heterosexuella normen måste iscensättas gång på gång.</p><p>Jag menar dock att man kan konstatera att det finns en skillnad i fråga om de bakomliggande diskursernas gestaltning i ramberättelse där de slås fast och i novellerna där de problematiseras, vilket också påpekats av Bernard. Det finns med andra ord ett större utrymme för avvikande från sexualitets- och genusnormer i <em>Heptamerons </em>noveller, medan ramberättelsens funktion tycks vara att föra dem tillbaka till ordningen. Likväl sker en ständig upprepning av den heterosexuella normen både hos devisanterna och i novellerna, en upprepning som tyder på att heterosexualiteten inte är vare sig given eller naturlig utan iscensatt.</p> / <p>In this study I am analyzing how categories of sexuality and gender are represented in Marguerite de Navarre’s <em>Heptameron</em>. I have narrowed the object of study down to two of the seventy-two novellas; number forty-seven and forty-three, and to four of the ten devisants; Oisille, Parlamente, Hircan and Dagoucin. The theoretical frame<strong> </strong>is taken from Judith Butlers <em>Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity</em> (1990) and <em>Undoing Gender</em> (2004) and from Thomas Laqueurs <em>Making Sex. Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud</em> (1990). Butler’s aim is to deconstruct terms such as feminine and masculine, which function as imagined normalization categories due to power relations. In <em>Undoing Gender </em>she asks: “If I am a certain gender, will I still be regarded as part of the human? Will the ‘human’ expand to include me in its reach? If I desire in certain ways, will I be able to live?” These questions are of great importance for my study, which presents how the categories of sexuality and gender can be negotiated in the equalized frame Marguerite de Navarre creates for her ten devisants and novellas. At the same time I assess how every attempt to go beyond the boundaries of norms fails due to a norm of heterosexuality, which constrains the binary categories of man and woman.</p><p>There are four main discourses by which the heterosexual norm is internalized by the devisants in <em>Heptameron</em>: the Christian, the aristocratic, the patriarchal and the neo-platonic. I suggest that each of the four devisants that I have studied represents one of these discourses. Since there are no definitive lines or definitive conclusions reached in the discussions among them it would be more correct to say that all the discourses effect all of the devisants to some extent, but<strong> </strong>that all the devisants act through a main discourse when he/she express his/her individual opinions.</p><p>When the devisants in the frame leave it to the reader to come to a conclusion about right or wrong behavior for men and women, they are still rather set in their own opinions and, also, quite unforgiving. It is my contention that the novellas create more room for negotiations of the sexual and gender roles than the frame. In novella forty-three a woman acts within the role of the active, hence masculine, part of a love affair, and novella forty-seven tells the story of a <em>parfaicte</em> <em>amytié</em> between two men. But it is also obvious that these attempts to stress and break the norms of sexuality and gender are unsuccessful, once again due to the fixed norm of heterosexuality which constrain the binary categories of man and woman. In the novellas these very failures put the norms under stress, since they point out the very problem with the determination of sexual and gender categories which were prevalent during the Renaissance.</p><p>I conclude my results by returning to Butler’s question above; “If I desire in certain ways, will I be able to live?” In <em>Heptameron </em>one can always find a chance to try a different way, but in the end only the heterosexual desire in which man and woman are in dichotomy survives.</p>

Jag vill i den här uppsatsen beskriva hur sexualitet och genus konstrueras, befästs och utmanas i Margareta av Navarras verk Heptameron. Jag utgår från Judith Butlers och Thomas Laqueurs queerteoretiska perspektiv och visar hur de olika maktdiskurserna kristendom, aristokrati, patriarkalism och nyplatonism påverkar och påtvingar olika konstruktioner av sexualitet och genus, och kan konstatera att alla dessa diskurser bygger på en normerande och normaliserad heterosexualitet som ständigt för tillbaka avvikelserna från denna norm, hos såväl devisanterna som i de två noveller jag studerat, till en binär könskategorisering. Huvudfokus ligger på tvetydigheten hos begrepp som man, kvinna, och fullkomlig kärlek. Jag menar att just avsaknaden av slutgiltiga definitioner av sådana begrepp i verket visar på att det inte går att finna något essentiellt ursprung eller någon slutgiltig definition av dem. Det är just därför den heterosexuella normen måste iscensättas gång på gång. Jag menar dock att man kan konstatera att det finns en skillnad i fråga om de bakomliggande diskursernas gestaltning i ramberättelse där de slås fast och i novellerna där de problematiseras, vilket också påpekats av Bernard. Det finns med andra ord ett större utrymme för avvikande från sexualitets- och genusnormer i Heptamerons noveller, medan ramberättelsens funktion tycks vara att föra dem tillbaka till ordningen. Likväl sker en ständig upprepning av den heterosexuella normen både hos devisanterna och i novellerna, en upprepning som tyder på att heterosexualiteten inte är vare sig given eller naturlig utan iscensatt. / In this study I am analyzing how categories of sexuality and gender are represented in Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron. I have narrowed the object of study down to two of the seventy-two novellas; number forty-seven and forty-three, and to four of the ten devisants; Oisille, Parlamente, Hircan and Dagoucin. The theoretical frame is taken from Judith Butlers Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990) and Undoing Gender (2004) and from Thomas Laqueurs Making Sex. Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud (1990). Butler’s aim is to deconstruct terms such as feminine and masculine, which function as imagined normalization categories due to power relations. In Undoing Gender she asks: “If I am a certain gender, will I still be regarded as part of the human? Will the ‘human’ expand to include me in its reach? If I desire in certain ways, will I be able to live?” These questions are of great importance for my study, which presents how the categories of sexuality and gender can be negotiated in the equalized frame Marguerite de Navarre creates for her ten devisants and novellas. At the same time I assess how every attempt to go beyond the boundaries of norms fails due to a norm of heterosexuality, which constrains the binary categories of man and woman. There are four main discourses by which the heterosexual norm is internalized by the devisants in Heptameron: the Christian, the aristocratic, the patriarchal and the neo-platonic. I suggest that each of the four devisants that I have studied represents one of these discourses. Since there are no definitive lines or definitive conclusions reached in the discussions among them it would be more correct to say that all the discourses effect all of the devisants to some extent, but that all the devisants act through a main discourse when he/she express his/her individual opinions. When the devisants in the frame leave it to the reader to come to a conclusion about right or wrong behavior for men and women, they are still rather set in their own opinions and, also, quite unforgiving. It is my contention that the novellas create more room for negotiations of the sexual and gender roles than the frame. In novella forty-three a woman acts within the role of the active, hence masculine, part of a love affair, and novella forty-seven tells the story of a parfaicte amytié between two men. But it is also obvious that these attempts to stress and break the norms of sexuality and gender are unsuccessful, once again due to the fixed norm of heterosexuality which constrain the binary categories of man and woman. In the novellas these very failures put the norms under stress, since they point out the very problem with the determination of sexual and gender categories which were prevalent during the Renaissance. I conclude my results by returning to Butler’s question above; “If I desire in certain ways, will I be able to live?” In Heptameron one can always find a chance to try a different way, but in the end only the heterosexual desire in which man and woman are in dichotomy survives.

Text in Afrikaans / I wanted to investigate the way people experienced confessional pastoral therapy by conducting a qualitative research study. The role of the pastor were examined as well as the effect of discourses of power and ethics in pastoral counseling. I interviewed clients who were counseled by pastors of the AFM Church (Apostolic Faith Mission). The research supposes that knowledge and power discourses have a major influence in pastoral counseling which is often not accounted for. I wanted to see how clients experienced the effects of these discourses of power and ethics. I furthermore wanted to see how these power discourses could result in clients feeling subordinate to the pastor and his knowledge and the effect that these feelings might have on them. The purpose of this study was not to generalize the experiences of the participants, but rather to set a contextual background of the experiences of power in confessional pastoral counseling. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Pastorale Terapie)

Coetzee's own experience of living in apartheid South Africa provides the backdrop for novels infused with sardonic irony and rich metaphoric systems. In modes of metafiction that emphasize the destructive and violent nature of language, he optimizes his unique oeuvre to interrogate global, national and domestic power relations. This dissertation relies on psychoanalytical theories that examine microstructures of power within the individual, and in his domestic domain. Each of Coetzee's chief protagonists carries a secret related to a dysfunctional mother/son relationship. This hampers their psychosocial dynamics, their masculinity and sexuality. As they respectively strive toward an elusive new life they confront patriarchal power structures that speak on behalf of individuals, '[whose] descent into powerlessness [is] voluntary' (Coetzee 2007: 4-5). Coetzee's constructed white males perform their several identity roles in milieux that span divergent phases of colonial history. His critique points to white patriarchal hegemonic ideological discourses that bespeak the self/other dichotomy in a postcolonial world where the language of dominance supports an oppressive status quo. / English Studies / M.A. (English)

This research project arose from my journeys with Protestant Christian women who were living in sexually unhappy marriages. In South African Protestant faith communities there is the expectation that Christian marriages will experience sexual fulfilment. For many Christian women however, sexual unhappiness becomes their reality. Sexuality is cocooned in silence not only within the church, but also in many Christian marriages. This leaves many Christian women (and men) with little or no recourse to address sexually unhappy marriages. My research journey briefly explored the social construction of sexuality within the history of Christianity to see which discourses underpin current constructions of White Christian female sexuality. This participatory feminist action research journey centralised the voices of present-day contexts: Protestant Christian women, as well as clergy, were invited to share their understandings and interpretations of matrimony and sexual practices in relation to their faith. With the help of narrative therapeutic practices, some of the dominant social and religious discourses that constitute White Christian female sexuality were explored, deconstructed and challenged. This research journey aimed to penetrate this silence and to invite Christian women, who are living in sexually unhappy marriages, to share their experiences. This exploration included the faith predicaments and relational complexities, challenges and dilemmas Protestant Christian women experience when living in sexually unhappy marriages. This feminist-grounded action research explored the effects and consequences which living in sexually unhappy marriages held for the cosearchers. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

Patriarchal discourse has lead to the marginalisation of women, children and teenagers. The aims of this research were to deconstruct patriarchal discourse; to empower teenagers to speak out for themselves; to facilitate teenagers' identifying, questioning and 'interviewing' of important problems in their lives, and to let teenagers' voices be heard by adults. Post-modern social construction discourse, post-modern and feminist theologies were used to challenge patriarchal discourse. A narrative, pastoral approach was used to assist teenagers to accomplish these aims. Using externalisation, three problems (Depression; Drugs and Alcohol; Verbal, Physical and Sexual Abuse) were exposed for what they really are, and how they influence many teenagers' lives. Alternative stories of how teenagers stand up against these problems were told. The teenagers decided to inform parents and teachers of their lived experiences in three letters. These three interesting, innovative letters are included in this dissertation. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

Women have been abused from the beginning of time and it would appear that a patriarchal system has facilitated this abuse. Churches, in general, and Seventh-Day Adventists, in particular, have been silent on the issue of Abuse. It is my thesis that a predominantly confessional Seventh-Day Adventist's view and use of Scripture are foundational to this silence on human rights issues. Adventist eschatology is predominantly apocalyptic in nature, focussing on end-time events, thus, the present is viewed secondary. Human rights issues are marginalised with the focus on evangelism. Thus, relationships are secondary and abused women have not been accommodated within the Seventh-Day Adventist framework of worship and caring. / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Towards the end of the 19th century, Wilde produced the three comedies that I will focus on in this essay. These plays, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband, are all comedies of manners: intelligent dramatic comedies satirising contemporary fashionable circles of society and its manners, as well as social expectations. This type of comedy is often represented by stereotypical characters, such as the fallen woman, the good woman and the young innocent maiden, all three of which I will investigate in this essay.

The title of this paper is "Two generations of African writers: Women who conform to norms, and women who make noise. Mariama Bâ and Calixthe Beyala”. In this study we analyze two novels, Une si longue lettre by Mariama Bâ (1979) and Assèze l’Africaine by Calixthe Beyala (1994). We examine the similarities and differences in expression, style and themes. Our objective is to determine whether Bâ and Beyala are representing two different groups of African female writers. We have combined a postcolonial approach with a comparative method. Our hypothesis is that the two novels stand in contrast to each other through differences in themes and styles. In order to test this hypothesis we use previous research. Our analysis shows that the work of Bâ has a sober and refined style of writing. Bâ is raising awareness of the situation of women, without deviating from social norms, choosing themes such as polygamy, sisterhood and the value of education. In the work of Beyala we see a more pronounced political criticism, in a bolder and more agitating style of writing. Our conclusion is that the two novels are strongly differentiated through themes and styles. Bâ and Beyala belong to two different generations of female French-speaking African authors.

Cette thèse analyse les causes profondes du sous-développement et des inégalités de genre en Afrique Sub-Saharienne. Le premier chapitre teste empiriquement l’hypothèse de Engels (1884) selon laquelle l’origine des inégalités de genre en Afrique serait la domestication historique des bovins. Pour résoudre les problèmes de biais d’endogenéités dans le choix de la domestication des bovins, j’adopte la stratégie des variables instrumentales en exploitant les facteurs géo-climatiques qui prédisent les terres les plus adaptées pour l’élevage des bovins. Les résultats des analyses montrent que les sociétés qui ont historiquement domestiquées les bovins ont eu plus d’inégalités de genre qui persistent jusqu’aujourd’hui. Le deuxième chapitre est co-écrit avec Raphael Godefroy et Joshua Lewis. Dans ce chapitre, nous analysons les effets de court et long termes de la grande peste bovine survenue en Afrique dans les années 1890. Nous utilisons la méthode des doubles différences combinant les différences entre les terres favorables pour l’élevage des bovins et les conditions climatiques contemporaines. Notre étude montre que les sociétés les plus touchées par la peste bovine sont moins peuplés et ont moins de bovins, de plus les descendants de ces sociétés sont aujourd’hui les plus pauvres. Le dernier chapitre analyse comment le genre des frères et sœurs influence l’âge au mariage des femmes. Les analyses basées sur le sexe du deuxième enfant révèlent que les femmes qui ont une petite sœur se marient plus tôt, ont plus d’enfants et sont moins éduquées. Les effets sont plus accentués dans les groupes ethniques qui utilisent la dot comme norme culturelle du mariage. / This dissertation investigates the deep roots of differences in gender roles and development across societies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chapter 1 examines the deep origins of differences in gender roles in Africa. I test empirically Engels (1884) hypothesis, that the origin of differences in gender roles in Africa was the historical domestication of cattle. To address potential endogeneity in historical cattle adoption, I adopt an instrumental variables approach that leverages geo-climatic factors affecting the suitability of lands for cattle-raising. I find empirical support for Engels (1884) hypothesis. Further, the results show that these differences in gender roles have persisted to present day. In chapter 2, which is co-authored with Raphael Godefroy and Joshua Lewis, we study the short- and long-run consequences of the 1890s African Rinderpest Epizoodic. We adopt a difference-in-differences strategy that combines differences across ethnic homelands in cattle-suitability with contemporaneous local drought conditions to identify ethnic groups that were more or less exposed to the outbreak. We find that the societies exposed to rinderpest experienced relative decreases in cattle-ownership in the decades after the outbreak. We uncover large relative long-run decreases in wealth among descendants of affected ethnic groups. These persistent economic losses appear to be partially driven by distressed migration. In chapter 3, I investigate how sibling gender composition affects women’s transition to first marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. To address potential endogeneity in the final sibling gender composition, I exploit the random assignment of the second child’s gender in household with at least two children. I find that female with a younger sister get married younger, with negative consequences for her education and literacy. The effects are stronger within countries that traditionally pay bride price at marriage.