Sexualité et maternité occupent un espace prépondérant dans l’oeuvre de Zola. Cet écrivain honni ou adulé du 19ème siècle semble avoir été très influencé par son entourage et son époque. Il était entouré de trois femmes qui l’ont beaucoup influencé à différentes étapes de sa vie : sa mère, sa femme et sa maîtresse. Mais on ne peut réduire cette influence à son milieu familial ! En effet, plusieurs littéraires ont forgé ses idées sur la maternité et la sexualité : Balzac, Michelet, Stendhal… A la lecture de ses écrits, nous constatons qu’il voit en la maternité un acte sacré. En revanche, l’avis de l’auteur naturaliste sur la sexualité est plus ambigu. En effet, il donne l’air de la dédaigner, d’avoir en horreur ceux qui ne jurent que par le vice. Mais paradoxalement, Zola fait de la sexualité un de ses thèmes de prédilection. Si bien qu’il se verra affublé de l’étiquette de pornographe. Zola a-t-il finalement horreur de la sexualité, comme il le prétend ? Ou est-il au contraire un obsédé sexuel ? / Maternity and sexuality are among the main themes of the work of Emile Zola. Despised as well as admired, this author of the nineteenth century seems to have been much influenced by his life experiences and his epoch. It seems that the fact that he has been living mainly among women Ŕ his mother, maternal grand-mother, wife and mistress Ŕ has greatly influenced his perceptions about maternity and sexuality. However, we should not obliterate that the fact that his readings of some authors have also contributed to his ideas about these two themes, mainly Balzac, Michelet and Stendhal. Zola has got a fixed idea about maternity : it’s a sacred act whose purity should be preserved. He firmly believes that a mother should make all sorts of sacrifices for her child, including her sexual life. It becomes however more difficult for us to determine how Zola perceives sexuality. He surely pretends to dislike any sexual activity but on the other hand, he writes profusely about sexuality in his work. Quite ambiguous… / Classics and World Languages / M. A. (French)

Le mariage, l’un des sacrements orthodoxes, préfigure l’Église qui accueille, nourrit et véhicule la communion de foi de ses fidèles. La foi est don de Dieu et réponse de celui qui la reçoit, trait d’union entre grâce divine et liberté humaine. Mais, l’unité de foi implique aussi l’unité sacramentelle, surtout dans le mariage. Dans ce sens, les mariages mixtes peuvent engendrer des problèmes conceptuels, juridiques et sociologiques. Pourtant, ils sont toujours célébrés. Cette thèse pose un certain nombre de questions. Faut-il mettre en garde les couples mixtes ? Sont-ils moins bien considérés que les « vrais » couples orthodoxes ? Les diverses positions orthodoxes liées aux mariages mixtes sont-elles vraiment conformes à l’esprit de l’Église universelle / Mysticum corpus Christi ? Pour l’Église orthodoxe, le mariage mixte est « incomplet » car il ne porte aucune unité de foi et n’est pas scellé par l’eucharistie, même s’il a les mêmes effets juridiques que le mariage ecclésial. Cette pratique ne risque-t-elle pas de porter atteinte à la liberté humaine ou de pousser certains fidèles à s’engager, malgré eux, dans une double appartenance confessionnelle ? C’est entre autres à ces questions que cette thèse tente de répondre. L’Église orthodoxe doit, à notre avis, s’interroger sur certains aspects pragmatiques des mariages mixtes. L’hétérogénéité du couple n’a au final pas grande importance par rapport à la miséricorde divine et l’amour des conjoints. Nous pensons que les couples mixtes sont parfois capables de réaliser leur unité dans le Christ, en instaurant un véritable dialogue œcuménique, basé sur l´expérience antiochienne de l’économie : oikonomia. / The marriage is one of the orthodox sacraments; being so, it prefigures the church that welcomes, nourishes and conveys the faith communion of its supporters. The faith is a grant from God and an answer to the one that receives it, and a link between divine grace and human liberty. But, the unity of faith also implies the sacramental unity, especially in the marriage. In this sense, the mixed marriages can generate conceptual, legal and sociological problems. Yet, they continue to be celebrated. This thesis asks some questions. Is it necessary to put in guard the mixed couples? Are they less well considered than the "true" orthodox couples? The distinct orthodox positions relative to the mixed marriages are really in conformity with the spirit of the universal church / Mysterious body of the Christ? The Orthodox Church considers the mixed marriage as "incomplete" because it doesn't concern a unity of faith and the Eucharist does not seal it. Yet, it carries the same legal effects that the ecclesiastic marriage. Doesn't this practice risk to undermine the human liberty or to push some supporters to enter, without wanting, into a double confessional adherence? This is one of those questions that this thesis tempts to answer. The Orthodox Church has, in our view, to reconsider some pragmatic aspects of mixed marriages.The heterogeneity of the couple doesn't have big importance compared to the God's mercy and love between spouses. Therefore, we think that the mixed couples are sometimes capable to achieve their unity in Christ, while instituting between them a real ecumenical dialogue, based on the Antiochian experience of economy: oikonomia

La famille constitue la cellule d’une société, elle évolue selon plusieurs facteurs. Cette physionomie complexe de la famille conduit directement la loi sur ce sujet à devenir importante et changeant tant en Chine qu’en France. Nous avons réalisé une étude comparative pour analyser les régimes du droit de la famille dans ces deux pays. Parmi de multiples questions au sein du droit de la famille, nous examinons deux points essentiels pour approfondir et comparer : la vie de couple et la filiation. S’agissant de la vie de couple, nous nous interrogeons tant sur la formation des différentes modalités de l’union que sur leur dissolution. Nous nous apercevons que les diverses dispositions sur chaque union ont amené un régime plus complet en France qu’en Chine. Quant à la filiation, nous distinguons notamment la filiation liée par le sang de la filiation adoptive. L’ignorance du mode d’établissement de la filiation devient une grande lacune au sein du droit chinois. Par ailleurs, comment adopter un enfant ? Quelles sont les conditions à respecter et les procédures à achever ? Quels sont les effets issus de l’adoption ? Telles sont des questions à résoudre et à comparer dans cette thèse. À part certains points principaux sur le droit de la famille, nous nous posons des questions sur des problématiques provoquées en vue de connaître l’aptitude des législateurs dans les deux pays comme la maternité pour autrui, les mariages fictifs, etc. Enfin, nous tenterons d’expliquer pourquoi les régimes juridiques diffèrent en France et en Chine concernant les questions traitées dans cette thèse. / The concept of “Family” as an integral unit of the society has evolved over the years due to several reasons. This changing and complex face of “family” has had many implications on the laws both in China and in France. Hence, we conduct a comparative study to analyze the system of family laws in both these countries. The various questions we address in order to deepen our understanding of family laws can be broadly classified into: the couple and the filiation. As for the couple, we address many questions related not only to the formation of the various modalities of the union but also about their dissolution. We find that the diverse articles on each union brought a system which is more complete in France than in China. With respect to filiation, we distinguish in particular between the filiation bound by blood and that bound by adoption. The ignorance of the mode of establishment of the filiation results in a big gap in the Chinese law. Besides, the basic question of how to adopt a child, the conditions to be respected and the procedures to be finished, the effects stemming from the adoption are also the questions we explore, compare and attempt to solve in this thesis. Besides the several principal points on the family law, we also try to compare and understand the different views/perspectives of these two countries by looking into some other related issues such as the maternity for others, the fictive marriages, etc., as well as how the two countries deal with such matters. Finally, we try to explain why the legal system differs in France and in China and discuss the directions for future research.

La méthode de sélection de l'ovocyte pour l'insémination, dans le cadre de l'assistance médicale à la procréation chez l'homme, ne garantie pas un taux de réussite satisfaisant. Plusieurs études académiques ont été menées dans le but de compéter cette méthode par d'autres plus objectives. Nous nous sommes intéressés à la caractérisation mécanique qui exige un dispositif approprié. Dans ce contexte, nous avons effectué des travaux de conception et de fabrication pour développer une plateforme permettant la caractérisation mécanique des ovocytes humains. Le composant principal de cette plateforme est le capteur de nano-force. Ce dernier, qui emploie un principe de ressorts magnétiques passifs, est constitué d'un indenteur venant solliciter l'ovocyte. Dans cette configuration, l'indenteur est stable suivant deux directions. La troisième direction, initialement instable, est stabilisée par la réaction de l'ovocyte à caractériser. L'originalité de ce capteur réside dans l'exploitation de la direction instable pour la mesure de force. En parallèle, un travail de modélisation du comportement mécanique des ovocytes a été réalisé dans le but d'identifier d'éventuels paramètres mécaniques pertinents pour la qualification des ovocytes. Ce travail a permis, d'une part, d'effectuer une étude critique sur les modèles existants dans la littérature et d'autre part, de développer un modèle basé sur une approche plus physique qui prend en compte la structuration tridimensionnelle complexe de l'ovocyte. / The oocyte selection method for insemination, in the context of medically assisted procreation for humans, does not guarantee a good rate of success. Several academic studies have been conducted in order to complete this method by other more objective. We are interested in the mechanical characterization which requires an appropriate device. In this context, we carried out a design and a manufacturing work to develop a platform for the mechanical characterization of human oocytes. The main component of this platform is the nano-force sensor. This sensor, which uses a principle of passive magnetic springs, is composed of an indenter which compresses the oocyte. In this configuration, the indenter is stable along two directions. The third direction, initially unstable is stabilized by the reaction of the oocyte that has to be characterized. The originality of this sensor is the exploitation of the unstable direction for the force measurment. In parallel, a modeling work of the oocytes mechanical behavior was performed in order to identify some relevant mechanical parameters for their qualification. This work allowed us, first, to make a critical study of existing models in the literature, and secondly, to develop a model, based on a physical approach, which takes into account the oocyte complex three-dimensional structure.

This study details the Medically Assisted Procreation regulations in thirty-five nation-states, and explores the influence of national identity, social cultural and demographic differences on these regulations. Detailed data were gathered from ministries of health, offices of prime ministers, embassy staff, and others on regulations for each nation. These data were used to categorize the nations in regard to MAP legislation status and regulatory policy regarding marital or age restrictions; posthumous conception; sperm, ovum, or embryo donation, surrogacy; and policy on handling donors. Possible associations between national identity, social cultural, and demographic data for each nation and their regulations were explained. The thirty-five nations were treated as a population with common geographical and political ties. PRE methods, and eta coefficients were used to assess the associations. Sixteen nations have adopted MAP legislation, eight nations have either alternative regulatory guidelines or partial structures, four nations have legislation pending and possibly some laws, and seven nations are unregulated. Based upon statistical analysis, language group emerges as an important indicator for differences in MAP regulations. For example knowing a nation's language group enabled percent improved prediction of that nation's regulatory handling of embryo donation. The percent GDP spent on health care was found to have a substantial or moderate association with most regulations. The findings of this study indicate that the cultural roots associated with national identity as well as economic circumstances such as health care budgets impact the policy making process responsible for the regulation of MAP in Europe. Among other mediating circumstances, MAP related family law cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights create an accumulation of judge-made law, which help create a common European standard. This study of the European region provides a baseline for further research and a reference for cross cultural comparisons.

L’infertilité est une problématique importante, puisqu’elle a un impact considérable sur le couple. L’infertilité ainsi que ses traitements peuvent induire un stress important chez les deux partenaires, pouvant ainsi générer de l’insécurité conjugale. Plusieurs chercheurs ont montré que l’infertilité peut réduire la qualité de vie des deux membres du couple. Puisque les conjoints représentent la principale source de soutien pour chacun dans cette épreuve, il apparaît pertinent de considérer le soutien conjugal comme facteur de protection potentiel pour ces couples. L’objectif de l’étude consistait à examiner le lien entre le soutien conjugal (Échelle de soutien dans les relations amoureuses) et la qualité de vie liée aux problèmes de fertilité (FertiQoL) évaluée trois mois plus tard chez les deux partenaires de 83 couples ayant recours à la procréation médicalement assistée. Les partenaires ont complété les questionnaires au temps 1 et au temps 2 (3 mois plus tard). Des analyses acheminatoires basées sur le modèle interdépendance acteur-partenaire ont révélé que la perception de soutien conjugal émotionnel, informationnel et tangible d’une personne est positivement liée à sa propre qualité de vie émotionnelle et relationnelle trois mois plus tard. La perception de soutien physique chez la femme est aussi positivement associée à la qualité de vie relationnelle de son partenaire. Cette étude apporte une contribution significative dans le domaine de l’infertilité par son devis dyadique et longitudinal. Des interventions ciblant le soutien conjugal pourraient permettre de réduire les effets néfastes de l’infertilité et de ses traitements sur la qualité de vie des partenaires. / Infertility is an important problem that has a considerable impact on the couple. Infertility and its treatments can place significant stress on both partners, which can lead to relationship insecurity. Several researchers have shown that infertility can reduce quality of life for both members in the relationship. Since the partners represent the main source of support for each other in this challenge, it appears relevant to consider partner support as a potential protective factor for these couples. The objective of this study was to examine the association between partner support (Support in Intimate Relationship Rating Scale) and infertility-related quality of life (FertiQoL) assessed 3 months later among 83 couples using medically assisted reproduction. The partners completed the questionnaires at two time points (baseline and 3 months later). Path analyses using the actor-partner interdependence model revealed that a person’s perception of emotional, informational, and tangible partner support is positively linked to their own emotional and relational quality of life three months later. Women’s perception of physical support is also positively associated with their partner’s relational quality of life. This study makes a significant contribution to the infertility research’s field through its dyadic and longitudinal design. Interventions targeting partner support could reduce the negative effects of infertility and its treatments on the infertile couples’ quality of life.

Les évolutions sociétales - émancipation de la femme, maîtrise de la fécondité, acceptation del’homosexualité, multiplication des formes de conjugalité, nouveaux modèles familiaux, médicalisation de laprocréation - ont bouleversé le rapport entre maternité de fait et maternité juridique.La femme qui revendique le statut de mère n’est plus nécessairement celle qui a porté et mis au mondel’enfant. Les techniques d’assistance médicale à la procréation ont ouvert le champ des possibles enpermettant à la femme de réaliser son désir d’enfant, indépendamment des contraintes temporelles oubiologiques. Pourtant, la mère gestationnelle apparaît, aujourd’hui encore, comme la figure certaine de lamaternité. Elle a vu ses droits accrus par un mouvement d’harmonisation du droit de la filiation, jusqu’àdevenir l’égale de l’homme. Elle a cessé d’être identifiée par son statut conjugal, et est désormais définie parréférence au fait biologique maternel de l’accouchement. L’enfantement marque alors la singularité de lamaternité en tant que figure de rattachement, car elle est le seul vecteur d’identification spatio-temporelle del’enfant. Un ordre public fort en la matière est donc de rigueur : l’accouchement, qui détermine l’état civil del’enfant, ne devrait pas pouvoir être dissimulé. En revanche, la fonction maternelle de parenté devraitdavantage être soumise à la volonté de la femme qui se revendique mère. La mère gestationnelle, qui devraittoujours pouvoir établir un lien de filiation, devrait également pouvoir refuser l’établissement d’un tel lien,au profit d’une autre figure maternelle plus incertaine car reposant sur la volonté d’être mère, volontééventuellement corroborée par un lien génétique. Autrement dit, la filiation maternelle de l’enfant devraitpouvoir être transférée afin d’être en concordance avec la réalité sociologique.La multiplication des figures de la maternité conduit ainsi à une rénovation de la conception traditionnelle dela maternité, par un rééquilibrage du rôle joué par les éléments objectifs et subjectifs / A number of developments in society - the emancipation of women, birth control, the acceptanceof homosexuality, the diversification of couple arrangements, new family models, the increasingly medicalapproach to procreation - have shaken up the link between motherhood in fact and motherhood in law.The woman claiming the title of mother is no longer necessarily the one who bore the child and brought itinto the world. Assisted reproductive technology has opened up possibilities by allowing women who want achild to have one, regardless of restrictions related to time or biology. However, the “gestation mother”remains to this day the definite mother figure. Her rights have increased through the harmonisation of thelaws of filiation, eventually making her the man’s equal. She is no longer identified by her marital status andis now defined in relation to the biological process of giving birth. Giving birth hence highlights thespecificity of motherhood as an attachment figure, being the only means of identification in space and timefor the child. A strong public policy is therefore required in this area: giving birth should not be concealable,since it determines the child’s status in law. On the other hand, the maternal parenting role should dependmore on the will of the woman who claims the title of mother. The gestation mother, who should always beable to ascertain the filiation, should also be able to refuse such filiation, in favour of another mother figurenot as firmly ascertained, since her status is dependent on the will to be the mother, a will possiblycorroborated by filiation. The child’s maternal filiation should be transferrable in order to reflect the socialreality.The multiplication of mother figures has thus led to an overhaul of the traditional conception of motherhood,by rebalancing the role played by objective and subjective elements.

Vatican II provided the Catholic Church with an opportunity for deep reflection and to align its theological teachings with modern times. This reflection resulted in a resurgence of the importance of Christian marriage and family living. Beyond Vatican II, the Christian family has been described as a ‘domestic’ church. This description defines the family founded on marriage as a cornerstone for the church and society. The Church has realised that if she has to succeed in her mission of evangelisation, she needs to strengthen the families founded on the sacrament of marriage and also to take care of broken families. The theme of a ‘domestic church’ was further explored and discussed in the 1994 Special Synod for the Bishops of Africa. This synod strongly used the image of the family as an effective tool for evangelisation in Africa. The rationale for this emphasis was that the institution of the family founded on marriage is held in high esteem in Africa and it is one of the most important custodians of cultural values. This institution, the bishops argued, can now be used as a custodian for Christian values. Hence, the family founded on marriage will become a school where these values are cherished and taught to offspring. The family founded on marriage is celebrated across the global cultural spectrum. It is through the family that the age old wisdom of ancestors is propagated. This ensures the survival and the development of the different communities. Communities develop because they are built upon strong ethical, religious and cultural values which are safeguarded by the institution of the family founded on marriage. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is the custodian of life. Marriage is about life. Hence, the respect of human life is safeguarded by the family. The collapse of such a pivotal institution has serious implications for the community. The institution of the family founded on marriage is presented in this thesis as a turn around strategy to the challenge of moral permissiveness in our country. It is a commonly accepted theory that development can only take place where there is stability. The lack of infrastructural development in most African countries is due to lack of political stability. Instability often results in chaos and anarchy. Marriage promises stability which is rooted in the self giving of the couples. Such an environment becomes conducive for human life to be propagated, nurtured and developed. It further creates a sense of being loved and belonging to the child. These qualities are essential for proper and integral human development. Furthermore, marriage ties together the goals of parenting, namely, procreation and parenthood and they are inseparable. They prepare children for social integration.The purpose of this research is to demonstrate how the institution of the family founded on marriage can help us develop a coherent moral vision in South Africa. This turn around strategy is proposed by systematically analysing the causes and consequences of family breakdown. The thesis establishes that the institution of the family founded on marriage is undergoing a crisis. This crisis manifests itself through single-parenthood, high rate of divorce, fatherlessness, etc. The consequences of this crisis are not favourable for individuals and the society. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theological ethics)

This dissertation deals with a theological-ethical evaluation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996 on the area of abortion on demand. It aims at empowering women and also solving the problem of backstreet abortion. Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996. Chapter two gives a historical background of abortion and the factors tbat eventually led to the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996. Chapter three focuses mainly on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on abortion. Issues relating to the value of human life are discussed in this chapter. Is~~es relating to the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996 and their theologicalethical in.Jplications are discussed in this chapter, i.e. chapter four. Empowering of women, sex education, instilling good moral values to the youth and also changing the pastoral attitude of churches towards sexuality can help to alleviate the problem of unwanted pregnancy. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Theological Ethics)

Cette thèse de caractère pluridisciplinaire traite des progrès de la biologie de la reproduction dans le domaine de l’infertilité face à la Convention internationale des droits de l’enfant (CIDE) des Nation-unies. La première partie montre que, en France, il y a conciliation entre l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant et l’assistance médicale à la procréation, encadrée par le triptyque des lois de bioéthique de 1994. La deuxième partie traite des dérives de ces techniques pratiquées à des fins sociétales et non médicales. Des parents intentionnels désireux d’un « enfant à tout prix », puisque la loi n° 2013-404 du 17 mai 2013 ouvrant le mariage aux couples de même sexe n’a pas « ouvert » le droit à l’accès de ces techniques de reproduction assistée, se rendent au cours d’un « tourisme procréatif » dans un pays où la maternité de substitution ou gestation pour autrui (GPA) est licite et ont un enfant grâce à une mère de substitution, qui assure la gestation de l’embryon, puis du foetus via une fécondation in vitro. Mais lors du retour en France de l’enfant, eu égard aux articles 16-7 et 16-9 du code civil, se pose le problème de la filiation de l’enfant sans compter sur les risques de la maternité de substitution, d’où l’incompatibilité des techniques de reproduction assistée à des fins sociétales avec la Convention internationale des droits de l’enfant, l’adage latin "mater semper certa est" étant la garantie de l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant. / This thesis has a plurisdisciplinary approach and deals with the improvements of biology of reproduction in the field of infertility regarding the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of the United Nations (ICRCUN). The first part shows, that in France, there is conciliation between the best interests of the child and the medical assistance to procreation, legalised by the triptych of the bioethics law of 1994. The second part deals with the drifts of those practices used for societal ends and not medical. Intended parents willing to have “a child at all costs”, as the law n° 2013-404 of May 17, 2013 allowing the marriage to couples of the same sex has not “allowed” the right to have access to thoses technics of assisted reproduction, do “procreative tourism” and go to a country in which the surrogate maternity or gestational surrogacy (GS) is legal and have a child thanks to surrogate mother who ensures the gestation of the embryo, and the foetus through an in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, back to France, according to articles 16-7 and 16-9 of the Civil Code, the issue of the filiation of the child arises, without counting on the risks of the surrogate maternity, hence the incompatibility of the methods of assisted reproduction to societal purposes with the International on Rights of the child, the Latin proverb "mater semper certa est" being the guarantee of the best interest of the child.