Confronté à un projet de traduction de manuels d’histoire du français à l’anglais, destinés aux écoles publiques anglophones au Québec, Michael Varga définit une méthode qui ne s’appuie pas sur les théories de traduction classiques reliées aux structures binaires, mais qui s’inspire plutôt du modèle de la narratologie (narrative theory) prôné par Mona Baker. Varga reconnaît la légitimité d’une pluralité de narrations en compétition entre elles qui se manifestent parmi les différents groupes socioculturels faisant partie d’une même société (le Québec). Il identifie des passages en provenance du texte d’origine qui mettent en relief des conflits reliés à l’accommodation culturelle. Il traite la façon dont ces conflits échouent à communiquer adéquatement des réalités culturelles appropriées, lesquelles seront en concert avec les normes et valeurs propres à la société québécoise. Il propose des traductions, apte au domaine pédagogique, qui désamorceront ces conflits et les accommoderont tout en respectant la pluralité des réalités culturelles en évidence dans la société québécoise. / Faced with the task of translating history textbooks from French to English for use in Québec’s English-language public school system, Michael Varga outlines a translation approach that circumvents classical translation theories based on binary constructs in favour of a model inspired by narrative theory as proposed by Mona Baker. Acknowledging the legitimacy of multiple parallel narratives as they pertain to different socio-cultural groups within the same society (Québec), he identifies source text sections that expose conflicts related to intercultural harmony. He discusses how these conflicts may fall short of communicating appropriate cultural realities that conform to the norms and values that govern Québec society. With a focus on the educational context, he proposes translations that defuse these conflicts in a spirit of harmonization and respect for the pluralist cultural realities in evidence in Québec society.

This research is an enquiry to find an electoral formula that conforms to Canadian constitutional values. Three core values that are pertinent to the issue of electoral systems are identified: democracy, diversity, and efficiency. Each of these core values is divided into different aspects. These aspects will form the backbone of the evaluation of different electoral systems in this work. I will begin with an evaluation of the plurality model of elections, which is currently used in Canada. I will demonstrate that many of the attributes of the current system are not in tune with Canadian constitutional values, in particular with the progressive interpretation that the Supreme Court of Canada has given to the right to vote as enshrined in Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Although the interpretation of the right to vote will be the main thrust of the constitutional scrutiny in this work, attention will also be given to other pertinent rights such as equality rights, minority rights, and the freedom of expression. Next, I will examine provincial electoral reform initiatives that were initiated in five Canadian provinces. All of these initiatives - three of which were put to referenda and eventually defeated - proposed adopting a variant of proportional representation. Accordingly, I will evaluate proportional systems according to the intended values. I will conclude that these systems have problems of their own and they also cannot strike a fine balance between competing values. In the final stage, I will make a new proposal for elections to the Canadian Parliament. First, I will demonstrate that majority systems are better candidates to attain the envisioned values. Then I will introduce a new variant of the majority model, which I call a majority-preferential two-round variant. I will demonstrate that this new variant will outperform the other variants in the attainment of values if adopted for elections to the House of Commons. Finally, I will argue that the combination of a House of Commons elected through the majority-preferential formula and a proportionally elected Senate will result in a more balanced approach to the relevant constitutional values.

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The Phd thesis titled Boundaries of the labyrinth and subtitled Literary space in the Italian postmodern novels strives for specification and closer definition of the genre of post-modern novel through the analysis of literary space. Formally, the thesis is divided into three parts. The first part aims to provide a theoretical introduction into the problems of three areas related to the given topic, namely the definition of postmodernity and postmodernism, the genre of the novel itself and last but not least the study of space in literature. The content of the second part is the actual literary and scientific analysis of the selected novels (Città invisibili and Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore by Italo Calvino, Notturno indiano by Antonio Tabucchi, Comici spaventati guerrieri by Stefano Benni and Oceano mare and City by Alessandro Baricco) which follows three basic and most frequent spacial topoi occurring in these novels, namely the topos of the city, the house-hotel and the road. The third and final section sums up the observed aspects and characteristics and strives to use them as a basis for determining a certain and generalizing spacial and temporal principle which would facilitate at least a partial characterization of the postmodern novel as an independent genre.

The text of this work is primarily based on the works of Wolfgang Brezinka, focusing on the philosophy of education and on many sociological works by Zygmunt Bauman, which are cited for better orientation in the philosophical-educational context of the chapter focusing on the philosophy of education used in the antiquity The aim was to present the reader with at least a brief awareness of the individual aspects of the philosophy of education as presented by Brezinka and to supplement it with the possible aspects that can be taken from Bauman, who primarily focuses on exploring the socio-cultural phenomena of the modern society. Gradually, the essential characteristics, features, and characteristics that accompanied the upbringing in antiquity are presented, just as the educational aims and beliefs in relation to the upbringing that is presented by Brezinka. Furthermore, there are discussed and examined the pitfalls of modernism and postmodernism in relation to personality, culture, society and philosophical-educational possibilities as pointed out by Bauman. The amount of works on the philosophy of education is insufficient and even here, of course, it has not been possible to cover all the philosophical aspects of education which are available to the authors dealing with the philosophy of education, yet...

Text in German / Taking the plurality of methods in Biblical studies as starting point this dissertation shows a way to coherent interpretation message. An analysis of the current state and its long history identifies characteristics preventing clear interpretation results as well as ways to work out coherent interpretation messages. It is accompanied by five interpretations of Luke 10:25-37. An interdisciplinary excursus examines the legal interpretation with its claim of clarity. Three levels of interpretation are considered as essential for an adequate process of interpretation: 1. Clarification of the literal meaning on the basis of a historical exegesis. The author calls for the interdisciplinary cooperation of the methods and introduces a synthesis of methods. 2. Consideration of the reception history of texts. Special attention is given to the authority of interpretation in the Roman Catholic Church. The author regards "interpretive communities" as an alternative option. 3. The Holy Spirit's influence on the process of interpretation. Also in post-modern times interpreters need to "inhabit" the biblical texts. / Biblical and Ancient studies / M.Th. (New Testament)

The study examines cognitive rationality as to()l for problemsolving within the context of a movement from determinism and monolithic universal Reason towards indeterminism and plurality. It is contended that theories of literature do not provide an adequate conceptual framework, and therefore, extensive use is made of pluralist fallibilism (Popper, Helmut Spinner) and chaos theory. The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche is viewed as a decisive influence in the shift towards plurality and scepticism. In chapter 2, Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, a novel by Agatha Christie and Gaston Leroux's Le mystere de Ia chambre jaune are discussed as examples of optimistic rationalism. Chapter 3 indicates that Eco's II nome della rosa emphasizes the conjectural nature of truth and objective knowledge, underpinned by a 'soft' rationalism which amounts to monopolistic pluralism. Chapter 4 analyses the defeat of cognitive rationality by the complex interaction of a multiplicity of independent causal series. The detectives' relationship with the feminine exemplifies the interpenetration of rationality and the instinctual, while the mystery of the feminine is a metaphor for impenetrable complexity. Chapter 5 shows that hypotheses concerning random complex systems remain inconclusive. However, as the trajectory of a complex system can be regulated, so reason can be viewed as the underlying regulative pattern (strange attractorl for an infinite proliferation of hypotheses. Thus, despite .shifting conceptions of rationality and order, all the detectives in the study accept objective truth as regulative principle and are involved in a search for objective knowledge / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D.Litt. et Phil. (Theory of literature)

Religion as Part of School Education in Various European Countries The thesis in its first part describes the state of religious situation in Europe, it deals with the history of gradual secularisation of Europe, and it goes through the current state of the society as it regards the religion in social terms. The first part of the thesis is concluded by a summary of the theoretical knowledge on religious situation in Europe as far as the teaching of religion is concerned. The second part of the thesis concentrates on teaching religion in individual European states. It is based on an empirical study conducted in sixteen European states by H.G. Ziebertz called: "How Teachers in Europe Teach Religion". The thesis presents the results of the study and concludes them into general conclusions. It analyses the current state of teaching religion in the Czech Republic in more details with respect to general social climate there.

The thesis analyzes and compares the approaches of two authors dealing with phenomena in contemporary society. It focuses mainly on issues of lifestyle and values. The thesis asks questions related to socialization and individualization of society. The thesis is divided into four parts. The first part is about definition of the basic terms (postmodernism, lifestyle, values). The second part is devoted to the concept of Gilles Lipovetsky. The third part focuses on the concept of Michel Maffesoli. In the fourth section, there is a comparison of these two concepts, where we are primarily focused on tracing argumentation clashes and controversies. In the final part, there is the presentation of the main questions and ideas, that come out on the basis of this comparison.

Ce travail vise à faire ressortir les enjeux de la diversité culturelle et de la pluralité linguistique face à la volonté d’émergence des pays francophones du Sud, exprimée au lendemain des années 2000. La déconstruction et la reconstruction des concepts d’émergence, de diversité culturelle, de pluralité linguistique, de solidarité, de développement et de gouvernance mondiale, sous les différents angles de la littérature politique, de l’économie politique, de la philosophie politique et des Relations internationales ont été nécessaires. Cette étape nous permet de mieux cerner le comportement de la Francophonie, ainsi que celui des pays francophones du Sud au sein de la mondialisation au cours de ces dernières décennies. Une évaluation comparative a été réalisée dans un contexte de recherche-action, et suivant une approche pluridisciplinaire, et a finalement permis de constater le niveau de retard enregistré et présent au sein de ces pays francophones du Sud dans les environnements politique, économique, social et culturel. Ce retard se caractérise par un modèle de gouvernance sociétale incorrecte, un modèle de financement de l’économie du développement basé sur de mauvais fondements, une absence de politique linguistique adaptée, une présence de textes constitutionnels en déphasage total avec l’avancée de la mondialisation, et au bout de l’histoire, une véritable réponse de la Francophonie toujours attendue. Quelles sont les conditions nécessaires aujourd’hui et demain pour rattraper effectivement ce retard enregistré au sein des pays francophones du Sud ? Comment pourrait réagir la Francophonie face à cette situation délicate ? Quelques propositions sont présentées au terme de cette recherche qui se propose d’aller au-delà des enjeux de la diversité culturelle et de la pluralité linguistique, pour poser des bases d’une redistribution équitable des cartes au sein de la mondialisation actuelle et future, au nom du respect du principe de diversité, de la solidarité effective, de l’universalisme pratique et de l’humanisme opérationnel. / This work aims to highlight the challenges of cultural diversity and linguistic plurality, facing the willingness emergence of the Southern Francophone countries, expressed after year 2000. Deconstruction and reconstruction of the concepts of emergence, cultural diversity, linguistic plurality, solidarity, development and global governance, under the different views of political literature, political economy, political philosophy and international relations were necessary. A step to better apprehend the behavior of the Francophonie within globalization, as well as Southern francophone countries over recent decades. A comparative evaluation was conducted in a context of action-research and following a multidisciplinary approach, which ultimately shows the level of the political, economic, social and cultural environments delays which are present in these southern Francophone countries. This delay which is characterized by an incorrect societal governance model, a financing of the economic development model based on poor foundations, lack of suitable language policy, and a presence of constitutional texts on complete phase shift with the advance of globalization. Thus, at the end of the story, a real feedback for the Francophonie is still awaited. What are today’s and tomorrow’s conditions in order to actually catch up the delay recorded in the Southern French-speaking countries? How could Francophonie react in front of this intricate situation? Some proposals are presented at the end of this research, which intends to go beyond issues of cultural diversity and linguistic plurality, as a way to lay the foundations of fair cards redistribution in the current and future of globalization, on behalf of the diversity principles, effective solidarity, practical universalism and operational humanism.