The thesis introduces the problems facing Arab novels written by women from the Arabian Peninsula, taking into account the socio-cultural aspects of the region. The thesis closely reads and analyzes selected novels by writers from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman, in order to find common perspectives among authors on key issues affecting the status of women in society. By using the themes and characters as source for analysis, the thesis tries to answer the question about whether the female Arab writers tend to confirm the patriarchal order, or on the contrary they reject it. At the same time, the thesis analyzes the attitudes of women novelists towards the traditional values of their own society, in contrast with modern values. The thesis takes into account the major social, cultural and economic changes rapidly transforming this region in a very short period of time. These transformations have inevitably brought about substantial intergenerational conflicts within traditional families.

Le district de Litsa est une région de la Péninsule de Kola particulièrement prometteuse pour la métallogénie de l'uranium. Présentant toutes les caractéristiques d'une province métallifère, ce district a enregistré une histoire géologique complexe avec des enrichissements successifs en uranium. Trente anomalies uranifères y sont observées, estimées à 102 000 tonnes (IAEA nomenclature), pour une teneur moyenne de 0,01%. Elles sont encaissées dans différentes formations de niveau structural et d'âge différents, depuis l'Archéen jusqu'au Calédonien. La minéralisation présentant les teneurs en uranium les plus économiques sont des veines de pechblende observées autour du complexe granitique de Litsa-Araguba, où sont présents des protolites, des structures et des phénomènes épigénétiques favorables / The Litsa district is one of the most interesting areas of the Kola Peninsula with respect to uranium metallogenesis. Presenting all the features of uraniferous province, it endured a protracted geological history with several successive uranium enrichments. There are over 30 uranium occurrences and manifestations, totally estimated at 102,000 tons in Speculative Resources (IAEA nomenclature), with an average grade of Uranium 0.01%. They occur at different stratigraphic levels of the geological succession in the district: Archean, Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic and Paleozoic. Uranium content in the geological formations gradually increases during the geological evolution of the Litsa district from Archean to Paleozoic. The most abundant and probably prospective for the economic-grade uranium mineralization is Paleozoic pitchblende vein type, located around the Litsa-Araguba granitoid complex, where favorable protoliths, structures and epigenetic processes are encountered

Claudius Ptolemy composed his Geography in the city of Alexandria, one of the most prominent intellectual centres of the Roman Empire. His work offers a comprehensive description of the known world as well as insight into the practice of scholarly geography during the second century CE. Ptolemy’s most important innovation in this field was his use of geographical coordinates to create maps of the world, and his catalogue, with its latitudes and longitudes of thousands of localities, is one of our most valuable sources on the antique oikoumenē. Very little is known, however, about the sources and working methods that Ptolemy employed to produce his Geography. This book focuses on Ptolemy’s description of the Iberian peninsula and examines two problematic and interlinked topics relating to the origins of the catalogue of localities: Ptolemy’s sources and scientific methods on the one hand, and the textual transmission of the Geography, from Ptolemy to the extant manuscripts, on the other.

Este trabalho tem como objeto de estudo a análise de textos e imagens extraídos dos meios de comunicação e produção escrita de alunos aprendizes de espanhol, e as diferentes representações que aparecem nesses documentos acerca da América Latina e da Espanha. / This paper has texts and images analysis taken from communication media and texts written by Spanish learners, and different representation about Latin America and Spain that appears on them as study object.

O domínio muçulmano na Península Ibérica, durante a Idade Média, fez dessa região um lugar com um modo de vida singular, em virtude da coexistência de cristãos, muçulmanos e judeus. Nos oito séculos desse domínio, múltiplas influências e intercâmbios se processaram nesse âmbito geográfico e no tempo histórico entre as três religiões monoteístas, deixando marcas profundas de sua cultura no imaginário europeu. A América portuguesa não ficaria imune a essa influência. A discussão do espaço geográfico da Península Ibérica no Ensino de História do Brasil é pertinente, uma vez que Portugal e Espanha tiveram relevantes contribuições na História da América Latina. Crenças, valores, ética e religiosidade que imperam no país têm suas raízes na Península Ibérica Medieval. Estudos sobre a diversidade cultural, étnica e religiosa desse período poderão trazer uma contribuição de grande relevância para a compreensão da formação cultural do Brasil. Nessa perspectiva, considerou-se importante problematizar o livro didático com a finalidade de se analisar como a História da Península Ibérica Medieval foi abordada em seu conteúdo e indagar sobre a forma como essa temática está sendo tratada nas salas de aula. A pesquisa foi organizada em duas etapas que se complementaram: a primeira etapa se caracterizou por uma pesquisa documental, problematizando o livro didático como instrumento de apoio para a construção de propostas de ensino de História Ibérica. Foram analisados ainda, nessa fase, os documentos referentes à política de adoção do livro didático, quando se buscou entender a relevância no processo de escolha desse recurso. A segunda etapa constituiu-se de um estudo de caso e foi desenvolvida a partir de entrevistas com os supervisores e professores da área de História, de escolas públicas em Minas Gerais, com a finalidade da compreensão do espaço que as minorias étnicas do medievo ibérico ocupam nas salas de aula. Os livros analisados denotam uma expressiva abertura no que se referem às discussões historiográficas contemporâneas quando dispõem de um espaço significativo ao período medieval, buscando desconstruir mitos e estereótipos. Entretanto, no que se referem aos conteúdos sobre a Península Ibérica notou-se uma abordagem simplificada e correlacionada com o processo histórico de outras regiões da Europa como: a França, a Inglaterra e a Alemanha. Especificamente, sobre a diversidade cultural e religiosa, fruto das relações entre cristãos, muçulmanos e judeus no medievo ibérico, a menção se deu de maneira pontual no contexto da expansão islâmica. As entrevistas possibilitaram evidenciar que, para os profissionais investigados, as formações acadêmica e profissional constituem fatores preponderantes para o desenvolvimento de uma prática docente comprometida com a diversidade. Ao adotarem o livro didático de História, nem sempre seguem integralmente os conteúdos propostos: quando há visões reducionistas, recorrem a outras fontes e outros recursos para problematizá-las; no que se refere às questões sobre intolerância racial e religiosa, são trabalhadas a partir dos conflitos que surgem no ambiente da sala de aula e da contextualização dos conteúdos dos manuais. As referências à Península Ibérica são ainda problemáticas, pois incluem vários estereótipos genéricos sobre o medievo, deixando de ressaltar essa região. / The Muslim power in the Iberian Peninsula, during the Middle Ages, made this region a place of singular life, due to the coexistence of Christians, Muslims and Jews. In eight centuries of this power, multiple influences and exchanges happened in this Geographic context and in the historical time among the three monotheist religions, leaving deep marks of its culture in the European imaginary. Portuguese America would not be immune to this influence. The discussion about Geographic space of the Iberian Peninsula in History teaching in Brazil is relevant, once Portugal and Spain had relevant contributions in the History of Latin America. Beliefs, values, ethics and religiosity that rule the country have their roots in the Medieval Iberian Peninsula. Studies about the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of this period will be able to bring a contribution of great relevance to the understanding of Brazil‘s cultural formation. In this perspective, it was considered important to bring it to question the textbook aiming to analyze how the History of Medieval Iberian Peninsula was approached in its content and inquiring the way this theme is being treated in classrooms. The research happened in two stages that complemented themselves: the first stage was characterized for a documentary inquiry, questioning the text book as instrument of support for the construction of proposals of Iberian‘s History teaching. Also were analyzed, in this stage, the documents referring to the politics of use of this textbook, when it was sought to understand the relevance in the process of choice of this resource. The second stage was a case study that was developed from interviews with the supervisors and teachers of History, at public schools in Minas Gerais, trying to understand the space that the ethnic minorities of the Iberian medieval period occupy in the classrooms. The analyzed books show an expressive opening in referring to contemporary historiographic discussions when they dispose of a significant space to the medieval period, seeking to disconnect myths and stereotypes. Though, on what refers to the contents about Iberian Peninsula, it was noticed a simplified approach and correlated to the historical process of other regions from Europe as: France, England and Germany. Specifically, about the cultural and religious diversity, result of the relation among Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Iberian medieval period, the mention happened in punctual way in the context of the Islamic expansion. The interviews made possible to show that for the investigated professionals, the academic and professional Education constitute of predominant factors for the development of the teaching practice committed to the diversity. Using the text book of History, they do not always follow integrally the proposed contents: when there are reductionist visions, they go for other sources and other resources for bringing them to questioning; in what refers to questions on racial and religious intolerance are worked and they start from the conflicts that occur in the classroom environment and of the contextualization of the manual contents. The Iberian Peninsula is still problematic, because they include several generic stereotypes on the medieval period, forgetting to emphasize this region.

The main focus of this study is to examine the modernization of the Ottoman navy during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz, exploring naval administration, education, and technology. Giving a summary of the transformation of shipbuilding technologies and bureaucratic institutions of the Ottoman naval forces between 1808 and 1861, it analyses the structure of the Ottoman navy, its level of development in comparison to previous periods of time, and the condition of the vessels making up the naval fleet from 1861 to 1876. It also intends to evaluate the character of existing administrative structures at the outset of Abdülaziz’s reign in 1861 and the nature of subsequent changes, including structural reorganization of the Imperial Naval Arsenal, the Ministry of Marine, and the Naval Academy, as well as advancements in military training and seafaring; all within the context of the impact of these changes on the military, political, and economic condition of the Empire during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz.

My Ph.D. dissertation examines the history and archaeology of the monastic institutions of Thrace between the tenth and the late fourteenth centuries. Primarily concerned with the fundamental aspects of monastic life and its modes of interaction with lay society, I sought to investigate the life-cycle, topography and spatial composition of monastic communities in the western hinterland of the imperial capital of Byzantium, the city of Constantinople. My second objective was the investigation of the cultural, economic, and social aspects of the relationship between Thrace and Constantinople as evidenced in the surviving material culture, which consists mainly of architecture and decorative programmes. I followed an interdisciplinary methodology that brings together the systematic analysis of a large corpus of texts associated with monastic institutions -namely wills, monastic foundation documents, monastic archives, letters and imperial laws- with the results of three seasons of archaeological fieldwork. I conducted extensive surveys and recorded remains of monastic complexes including churches and refectories on Mount Ganos (Turkey), on the southern Rhodope Mountains (Greece) and in the cities of Sozopolis and Mesembria (Bulgaria), and explored the cultural ties with Constantinople and other meaningful centers of the Byzantine world.

As rochas do Grupo Península Trinity e das unidadesequivalentes abrangem arenito, argilito e conglomerado, além de seus correspondentes metamórficos, e cuja formação é atribuída a correntes de turbidez. Afloram na parte norte da Península Antártica e arquipélagos adjacentes. Amostras de arenito, arcósio e conglomerado dessas unidades foram analisadas com intuito de traçar sua proveniência. A partir da análise petrográfica de arenito foi constatada a similaridade entre as rochas das formações do Grupo Península Trinity, Formação Grauvaca-Folhelho e Formação Miers Bluff. As rochas apresentam composição quartzo-feldspática, com baixa porcentagem de fragmentos líticos de composição plutônica, vulcânica e metamórfica. Diferenças composicionais ocorrem na Formação View Point, na qual também ocorre subarcóseo; e na Formação Miers Bluff, arcóseo lítico. As idades U-Pb de grãos detríticos de zircão para as rochas do Grupo Península Trinity da região de Botany Bay são concordantes e a mais jovem é 324 ± 8 Ma, ainda com quantidade expressiva de grãos com idades de 512 a 541Ma e 1001 a 1091Ma. Valores de ?Nd para rocha total, calculados para 220 Ma estão entre -5 e -8, indicando influência de fontes crustais recicladas ou de razoável residência crustal. A extensa gama de idades para a área-fonte indica reciclagem sedimentar de fonte diversa, com idades carboníferas, cambrianas e pré-cambrianas. O ?Hf calculado para as idades de U-Pb dos grãos de zircão detríticos mais jovens variade -1,2 a -5,7, também indicam extensa residência crustal. A amostra da Formação Legoupil, que complementa os dados de idades U-Pb em grãos detríticos de zircão para oGrupo Península Trinity, apresenta idade mais jovem de 265 ± 2, restringindo a idade máxima de sedimentação ao Permiano. Para as amostras da Formação Grauvaca-Folhelho as idades U-Pb em grãos detríticos de zircão apresentam duas concentrações bem definidas, permo-triássica e cambriana, com idade concordante mais jovem de 216 ± 2 Ma e mais antiga de 1,8 ± 0,13 Ga. Essas idades são condizentes com as dos grãos detríticos de zircão do Grupo Península Trinity. A partir dos dados de idades de grãos detríticos dezircão pode-se definir como a idade máxima para deposição para as formações Legoupil e Grauvaca-Folhelho sendo permo-triássica, assim como para as rochas do GrupoPenínsula Trinity em Botany Bay. Idades essas que levam a sugerir como fonte a Patagônia, no maciço Norte-patagônico, e Antártica Ocidental, na Terra de Mary Byrd. Estascondizem tanto em idade como em tipo de fonte, ígnea e metamórfica, com contribuição sedimentar. / The rocks of the Trinity Peninsula Group and equivalent units comprise sandstone, mudstone and conglomerate, as wel as their corresponding metamorphic rocks, whose formation is attributed to turbidity currents. They crop out in the northern Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. Samples of sandstone, arkose and conglomerate of these units were analyzed in order to trace their provenance. From the petrographic analysis of sandstone was found similarity between the rocks of the Trinity Peninsula Group, Greywacke-Shale Formation and Miers Bluff Formation. The rocks have quartz-feldspathic composition, low percentage of lithic fragments of plutonic, volcanic and metamorphic rocks. Compositional differences occur in View Point Formation, which also occurs subarkose, and Miers Bluff Formation, lithic arcóseo. The U-Pb ages dates of detrital zircon grains in the rocks of the Trinity Peninsula Group region of Botany Bay are concordant and the youngest is 324 ± 8 Ma, but concentrations around 512-541Ma and 1001-1091Ma are common. Values of ?Nd calculated for 220 Ma are between -5 and -8, indicating influence of recycled crustal sources or with reasonable crustal residence. With extensive range of ages for the source area, indicating sediment recycling of diverse source areas, with ages spread from Carboniferous to Cambrian and Precambrian. The ?Hf calculated for dates U-Pb of younger detrital zircon ranges from -1.2 to -5.7, also indicate extensive crustal residence. The sample of Legoupil Formation, which complements the U-Pb dates for detrital zircon grains of the Trinity Peninsula Group, presents younger date of 265 ± 2, restricting the maximum age of the sedimentation asPermian. For samples of Greywacke-Shale Formation the U-Pb dates for detrital zircon grains exhibit two well-defined concentrations, permo-triassic and cambrian, with younger concordant date of 216 ± 2 Ma and older of 1.8 ± 0,13 Ga. These dates are consistent with those of detrital zircon grains from the Peninsula Group Trinity. From the data on detrital zircon grains can be defined as the maximum age for deposition for Legoupil and Greywacke-Shale formations being permo-triassic, as well as the rocks of the Trinity Peninsula Group in Botany Bay. Dates that suggest as a source area Patagonia, in Northern Patagonian massif and West Antarctica, in the Mary Byrd Land. These areas are consistent with both in age and rock types, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, as the source area.

This thesis examines Malay identity construction by focusing on the complex processes of self-identification among queer-identified Malays living in Malaysia and beyond. By analysing representations of queer Malays in the works of contemporary Malaysian Malay writers, scholars, and filmmakers, as well as queer Malays on the internet and in the diaspora, the thesis demonstrates how self-identifying gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Malays create and express their identities, and the ways in which hegemonic Malay culture, religion, and the state affect their creation and expression. This is especially true when queer-identified Malays are officially conflated with being “un-Malay” and “un-Islamic” because queer sexualities contravene Malay cultural and religious values. This thesis begins by discussing the politics of Malay identity, particularly the tension between “authority-defined” and “everyday-defined” notions of being Malay that opens up a space for queer-identified Malays to formulate narratives of Malayness marked by sexual difference. The thesis then discusses how queer-identified Malays specifically construct their identities via various strategies, including strategic renegotiations of ethnicity, religiosity, and queer sexuality, and selective reappropriations of local and western forms of queerness. The ways in which “gay Melayu” identity is a hybrid cultural construction, produced through transnational and transcultural interactions between local and western forms of gayness under current conditions of globalization is also examined, as well as the material articulation of queer narratives of Malayness and its diverse implications on queer-identified Malays' everyday lives and sense of belonging. The thesis concludes with a critical reflection on the possibilities and limitations of queerness in the context of queer Malay identity creation. Such reflection is crucial in thinking about the future directions for research on queerness and the politics of queer Malay identity. It is hoped that this study will show that queer-identified Malays reshape and transform received ideas about “Malayness” and “queerness” through their own invention of new and more nuanced ways of being “queer” and “Malay.” This study also fills up the lacunae in the scholarship on Malay identity and queer Malays by addressing the productions of Malay ethnicity and sexual identity among queer-identified Malays within and beyond Malaysia's borders.

This dissertation is concerned with the role material culture played in transformation and/or retention of Maya authority, just prior to and after Spanish contact (A.D. 1100-1800s). The primary research data used to discuss this transition was derived from the author's analysis of precolumbian and colonial artifacts from the Ciudadela Structure (YUC 2) in Tíhoo/Mérida, Yucatán-an assemblage originally collected by John Goggin in 1956 and 1957 and currently housed at the University of Florida-Florida Museum of Natural History. As one of the last standing structures in the Maya site of Tíhoo, now buried beneath the Spanish capital city Mérida, the Ciudadela collection represents a rare glimpse into a significant, yet understudied, Type 1 archaeological site. Included in this project are a general examination of Maya studies in the Northwestern Yucatán Corridor and the results of my preliminary classification and viii discussion of materials represented in the YUC 2 assemblage. I t is important to note that as a part of this project, I created the first comprehensive catalogs for the YUC 2 Ciudadela collection, entitled FMNH YUC 2: Catalog of Artifacts, FMNH YUC 2: Ceramic Stylistic Catalog and FMNH YUC 2: Non-Ceramic Catalog. Results of the archaeological component of this study illustrated that there was little change in production of indigenous pottery after the fall of Mayapan (ca. A.D. 1441-1461), as inhabitants of precolumbian Tâihoo continued to use preexisting wares from their former capital, particularly those within the Mayapan Red Ware and Mayapan Unslipped Ware classifications, well into the Colonial period. In the Post-Colonial period, a significant change in wares occurred as native inhabitants incorporated foreign ceramic types into their society. / Ceramics from Spain, Italy, and England, and porcelains from China and Japan, combined with colonial Mexican Majolica and preexisting Mayapan wares, illustrate the interaction of native inhabitants with European immigrants and their import goods. Although the YUC 2 collection supported the transformation of material culture after Spanish contact, the Maya, through religious practices, militaristic resistance, and oral/written traditions, were able to retain significant aspects of their precolumbian power into the colonial era and beyond. / by Rhianna C. Rogers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.