The Roman festival of the Lupercalia is one of the most discussed issues in the field of pre-Christian Roman religion. Hardly a year goes by without an article on the subject appearing in a major Classics journal. But the festival presents a range of issues that individual articles cannot address. This thesis is an attempt to present a modern analysis of the phenomenon of the Lupercalia as a whole, including literary, archaeological and historical evidence on the subject. The first section presents the ancient sources on the Lupercalia, and is divided into five chapters, each analysing a particular aspect of the festival: fertility, purification, the importance of the wolf and the foundation myth, the mythology of Arcadian origins, and Caesar's involvement with the Lupercalia of 44 BC. The second section places the Lupercalia in a wider context, discussing the festival's topography and the course of the running Luperci, its relationship to other lustration rituals, and its position in the Roman calendar, ending with an appraisal of the changes it underwent in late Antiquity. The third section employs methods from linguistics, anthropology and comparative religion to show that the Lupercalia involved a ritual of initiation, which was also reflected in the Roman foundation myth. The central chapter of this section discusses the methodology used in comparative Indo-European mythology, and offers a case study that parallels the god of the festival (Faunus) with Rudra of Vedic Hinduism. The last chapter considers other parallels with Indian religion, especially the relationship between flamen and brahmin. The thesis challenges a number of established theories on the subject and offers new evidence to show that the festival has Indo-European origins, but also that it played an important role throughout Roman history.

This dissertation is about Norwegian school journeys to former death and concentration camps in Poland and Germany. The thesis follows a 10th grade class from the preparations for such a journey, on the journey itself and finally during the reflective work of the pupils upon returning to school. The journey is viewed as a memory process and the thesis discusses how the collective memory of Holocaust is constituted and how the Holocaust memory is staged and performed by the pupils. This kind of travel praxis balances among the inner processes of acknowledgement connected to the pilgrimage, the hedonism of tourism and the school journey’s play with the limits of the teacher’s tolerance. How the pupils handle the tension among these three forms of travelling genres is ritually scripted. Also, the way the pupils express their impressions of the journey is strictly ritually scripted. The journey is thus a monological organised memory praxis which makes it difficult for the pupils to express themselves in ways other than the scripted ones. / Denne avhandlingen handler om norske skoleturer til tidligere døds- og konsentrasjonsleirer i Polen og Tyskland. Avhandlingen følger en tiendeklasse fra Oslo gjennom forberedelsene til reisen, underveis på turen og i bearbeidelsen av inntrykkene etter at elevene har kommet hjem. Reisene studeres i et erindringsperspektiv med fokus på hvordan erindringen om annen verdenskrigs konsentrasjonsleirsystem konstitueres, fortelles og iscenesettes. Konkret undersøker avhandlingen hvordan konsentrasjonsleirene og Holocaust presenteres for elevene, hvordan elevene selv italesetter sin fortidsfortolkning og hvordan holocausterindring iscenesettes gjennom en slik reise. Denne formen for reisepraksis balanserer mellom pilegrimsreisens indre erkjennelsesprosess, turistreisens hedonisme og skoleturens lek med grensene for lærerens toleranse. Hvordan elevene skal manøvrere seg innenfor spenningsfeltet mellom disse tre formene for reisegenre er i stor grad styrt av et rituelt script. Det samme kan sies om elevenes ytringsmuligheter i etterkant av turen. Reisen kan derfor sies å være en form for monologisk organisert erindringspraksis som gir elevene få muligheter til å uttrykke seg på andre måter enn de rituelt foreskrevne.

This thesis investigates the concept of leadership in four comedies of Aristophanes. In the first chapter (Lysistrata) I focus on the relationship of the female leadership with religious rituals and medical pathology, and I show that the power of women lies in their important biological role and their ability to conceive and (re)produce life in the context of marriage. In chapter two (Knights) I examine the operation of leadership through the alimentary and sacrificial codes of the play. I argue that the Sausage-seller gradually manifests himself as the sacrificial cook Agorakritos who sacrifices Demos. In this way he puts an end to the politics of savage, raw consumption as they were employed by Paphlagon (and, occasionally, by Demos himself), and saves the day by inaugurating a new era of political practice. In chapter three (Birds) I focus on the political competition between the former leader of the Birds, Tereus, and the newcomer Peisetairos. I argue that Peisetairos captivates his audience through the abuse of rhetoric and sophistry, and gradually adopts more brutal ways, by perverting the ritual of hospitality, committing cannibalism, and becoming sexually aggressive. In this respect, Peisetairos is assimilated to the tragic Tereus of the Sophoclean tragedy, but finally emerges as a more successful version of both the comic and the tragic Tereus. In the fourth and last chapter (Ecclesiazusae) I discuss the women’s disruption and overturn of the normal social order by focusing on the practice of cross-dressing and on love-magic rituals: the exchange of costume between the two sexes, as well as the control of magic practices by the women over men, empower women and, by contrast, disempower and ridicule men, who are finally reduced to a state of impotence, infertility and almost death.

Le phénomène de la mort a été et sera toujours présent au sein des sociétés. Bien que la mort soit une étape triste et pénible à vivre, elle n’en demeure pas moins un événement inévitable et bien réel. Cependant, il existe des moyens, comme la pratique des rites, permettant d’atténuer la souffrance causée par un décès. Malgré tout, il n’est pas rare de constater l’absence ou le peu de temps consacré aux rites lors d’un décès en milieu hospitalier (O’Gorman, 1998; Lemieux, 1991; Leonetti, 2004; Hamonet, 1992; Piquet, 1999; Hanus, 1999; Vachon, 2007; Hasendhal, 1998). Les raisons susceptibles d’être à l’origine de cette situation peuvent découler du fait que les progrès de la médecine et des technologies amènent à croire que l’être humain est invulnérable face à la mort et que celle-ci représente un échec vis-à-vis la maladie. Le manque de formation des soignants par rapport à la mort (Leonetti, 2004; Goopy, 2005; Blum, 2006) est aussi à considérer. Finalement, la tendance de certaines sociétés occidentales qui occultent et nient la mort (O’Gorman, 1998; Piquet, 1999; Matzo et al., 2001; MSSS, 2004; Leonetti, 2004; SFAP, 2005; Goopy, 2005) constitue une autre possibilité. Pourtant, offrir la possibilité aux familles de réaliser leurs rites en signe d’amour pour le défunt fait partie de la composante du soin spirituel lequel, est intégré dans les soins infirmiers. À notre connaissance, peu d’études ont exploré les rites dans un contexte de décès en milieu hospitalier, d’où la pertinence de s’y attarder. Ainsi, le but de la recherche consistait à décrire et à comprendre la signification des rites associés au décès de la personne soignée, pour des infirmières œuvrant en milieu hospitalier. Pour ce faire, l’étudiante-chercheuse a réalisé auprès de neufs infirmières, une étude qualitative de type phénoménologique, ayant comme perspective disciplinaire, la philosophie du caring de Watson (1979, 1988, 2006, 2008). L’analyse des verbatim, réalisée selon la méthodologie de Giorgi (1997), a permis d’obtenir 28 sous-thèmes émergeant des six thèmes suivant soit : a) accompagnement empreint de caring; b) respect incontesté de la dignité humaine et du caractère sacré des rites; c) réconfort spirituel des personnes, des familles et du personnel; d) conciliation des croyances culturelles et religieuses; e) mort comme phénomène existentiel; f) barrières face aux rites. Par la suite, a émergé de ces thèmes, l’essence de la signification des rites associés au décès de la personne soignée, pour des infirmières œuvrant en milieu hospitalier. L’essence correspond à : un hommage essentiel envers le défunt et sa famille, en dépit des nombreuses barrières qui freinent sa pratique. Plusieurs thèmes et sous-thèmes corroborent les résultats de quelques études et les propos théoriques de différents auteurs. Toutefois, le caractère inédit de quelques unes de nos conclusions révèle la nature novatrice de la présente recherche. Par conséquent, les résultats de cette étude peuvent sensibiliser les infirmières à comprendre les rites en milieu hospitalier et offrir des pistes d’interventions pouvant contribuer au renouvellement des pratiques de soins offerts en fin de vie. Enfin, accompagner les familles dans leur pratique des rites concourt certainement à promouvoir l’humanisation des soins. / Death has been and will always be a present phenomenon within society. Although a sad and difficult stage, it remains an unavoidable and very real event. The practices of certain rituals are known to ease the suffering caused by death. However, it is not unusual to see very little or no time devoted to rituals for deaths occurring in hospitals (O’Gorman, 1998; Lemieux, 1991; Leonetti, 2004; Hamonet, 1992; Piquet, 1999; Hanus, 1999; Vachon, 2007; Hasendhal, 1998). The possible reasons might originate from the fact that progress in medicine and technology lead us to think that human beings are impervious to death and that death represents a failure in the face of disease. Lack of training in nurses on the subject of death is also to be considered (Leonetti, 2004; Goopy, 2005; Blum, 2006). Finally, another possibility is the tendency in some western societies to hide and deny death (O’Gorman, 1998; Piquet, 1999; Matzo et al., 2001; MSSS, 2004; Leonetti, 2004; SFAP, 2005; Goopy, 2005). Therefore, offering families the possibility of practicing their rituals as a sign of love for their departed is an element of the spiritual care included in nursing care. To our knowledge, few studies have explored death rituals in a hospital environment, hence the relevance of this subject. The purpose of this study is to describe and understand the meaning of rituals associated to the death of a cared-for person, for nurses working in a hospital environment. To achieve this, the student-researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study, with nine nurses, with Watson’s caring philosophy as the disciplinary perspective of the study (1979, 1988, 2006, 2008). The analysis of verbatim reports using Giorgi’s methodology (1997) has allowed us to uncover 28 sub-themes emerging from the following six themes: a) being-with the person cared-for charged with the responsibility of caring; b) undisputed respect for human dignity and the sacred nature of rites; c) spiritual solace for cared-for persons, their families and staff; d) reconciliation of cultural and religious beliefs; e) death as an existential phenomenon; f) barriers against rituals. Subsequently, the essence of the meaning of rituals associated to the death of the cared-for person, for nurses working within a hospital environment, emerged from these themes. Thus, the essence of the meaning is an essential tribute to the deceased and their family, despite the numerous barriers that refrain their practice. Many themes and subthemes confirm the results of various studies and the view of different authors. Nevertheless, the fact that some of our conclusions have never been published is a sign of the innovative nature of this study. Consequently, the results of the present research can raise nurses’ awareness to understanding the rituals in a hospital environment and open some new avenues for interventions that could contribute to the renewal of end-of-life care. Finally, being-with families in their practice of rituals certainly contributes to promote a more humane way of care.

The aim of this thesis is to analyse certain aspects connecting religion and narration (which is understood here as a common human faculty to think and express oneself in the form of narratives). The first part of the thesis is concerned with methodology; first of all, the issues of defining narrative are introduced and a more elaborate definition is presented. A complete methodology is then formulated with a help of several authors (mainly James W. Pennebaker and Mary Douglas) in order to distinguish particularities and functions of creating narratives in religious contexts. Two main points are stressed here: that the content of the narratives is often concerned with problematic aspects of experience and that the expression of these narratives is beneficial for their creators. The second part focuses on several religious institutions concerned with creation of narratives which are interpreted with the outlined methodology. In this manner, the act of confession in Catholicism, prayer in Christianity and certain healing rituals are described and interpreted. Conclusions of this thesis should help the reader get a basic idea of the way created narratives in religious contexts affect their authors.

My diploma thesis is called The Palliative Care of Dying People with Intellectual Disabilities in Sheltered Housing. The purpose of the text is to create an overview study of palliative care about dying people with mental disabilities. The reason why I have decided to focus on such a relevant issue is a wide shortage of information in Czech Republic compared to other countries. People with mental disabilities nowadays tend to live longer and the question of palliative care for them is crucial. My thesis is divided into six main sections. In the first section I talk about the ethics dilemma of palliative care. By ethics dilemma I mean problems that are needed to be dealt with in palliative care. One of them is the decision if it is adequate to die in an institution or in a home environment. In this section for instance it is described if it is necessarily to tell the truth the patients about their health conditions. The text is also referring to the medical advances comparing to quality of life of dying people. I also describe what the quality of life means to people and how to reach the highest level of quality of life in palliative care. In the second part of my thesis I describe the social, health and other services which are suitable for dying people and their relatives. Most of the named...

The topic of this thesis is "Child and childhood in Vietnam". It focuses on the prenatal and the early period of childhood. The thesis uses a cultural anthropological point of view which emphasizes superstitious or taboo behaviour associated with the time of birth - pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium and child care. For the purposes of the thesis, the research was conducted in the north-east urban areas of Northern Vietnam. Since the myths, taboos and rituals tends to change, develop or even perish, it was necessary to limit the topic in terms of time. Therefore the work studies only three generations of Vietnamese women over a sixty-year period. The thesis is based not only on relevant literature but also on the field research conducted in Vietnam. The interviews and unobtrusive observation carried out among involved women extend the information gained from literature and also provide the women's personal point of view on childbirth and early childcare issues. The main objective is to answer how much the so-called "child's world" has changed in the three-generation period and to what extent the rituals, myths and taboos are still relevant to current issues in contemporary Vietnam. Key words: Vietnam, children, childhood, Vietnamese family, birth, child care, taboo, rituals, superstitions.

Intresset för emotionellt arbete har ökat i linje med att normer om att servicepersonal alltid skall vara trevlig och glad har ökat. Forskare på området har uppvisat såväl negativa konsekvenser i form av utbrändhet som positiva i form av en ökad förståelse för andra människor. Syftet med den här undersökningen var att skapa en förståelse för hur ett antal tågvärdar upplever sitt arbete i förhållande till de känslor, roller och relationer som omger dem. Undersökningen bygger på fyra kvalitativa intervjuer som analyserats med hjälp av emotions- och interaktionsinriktade teorier. Resultatet visar bland annat att användandet av känslor är centralt i yrket och intervjupersonerna för undersökningen upplever sig spela en roll i arbetet vilken de anpassar efter kundens förväntningar. Dessa förväntningar kan ibland krocka med yrkesrollen där vikten av att värna om de egna känslorna samt att bli respekterad väger mer än anpassningen efter kundens förväntningar. Här visar det sig finnas olika strategier, öppna och dolda, att förhålla sig till vilka går ut på att på olika sätt markera kundens beteende för denne. Resultatet visar också hur möjligheten till att få ventilera besvärliga kundmöten med kollegorna är en viktig faktor när det gäller att förhålla sig till det emotionella arbetet. Sammantaget finns det således utrymme att påverka det emotionella arbetet vilket visat sig vara fördelaktigt för trivseln. / The interest in emotional labor has increased due to the development of norms that service workers always should be nice and fond have increased. Research in this area exhibit both negative consequences in form of burnouts and positive in form of an increased understanding in other people. The aim of the study was to create an understanding of how a couple of train conductors experience their work in relation to the feelings, roles and relationships that surround them. The study is based on four qualitative interviews that have been analysed with emotion and interaction oriented theories. The results show that the use of emotions was common in the profession and the respondents of the study claim to act a role which they adapt to the customers’ expectations. These expectations can sometimes end up in a conflict between the professional role and the private role where the own feelings and respect weights more than the adaption to the customers’ expectations. The respondents in the study were found to have created different strategies, open and hidden, that can be used in order to get the customer to be notified of their behavior as well as it works to manage the emotional labor. The results also show how the colleagues and the opportunity to go away and discuss difficult customer meetings are important factors when it comes to relate to the emotional labor. Overall, there is room to affect the emotional labor which also been proven to be beneficial for the job satisfaction.

This thesis deals mainly with the Middle Neolithic period (ca. 3200-2300 BC) on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The aim is to deepen the understanding of how the islanders related to their surroundings, to the landscape, to places, to objects, to animals and to humans, both living and dead. The archaeological material is studied downwards and up with a focus on practices, especially the handling and deposition of materials and objects in graves, within sites and in the landscape. The study is comparative and the Middle Neolithic is described in relation to the Early Neolithic and the Mesolithic period on the island. From a long term perspective the island is presented as a region where strong continuity can be identified, regarding both way of life and economy. In contrast, substantial changes did occur through time regarding the islander’s conceptions of the world and of social relations. This in turn affected the way they looked upon the landscape, different sites and animals, as well as other human beings. During the Mesolithic, the islanders first saw it as possible to create their world, their micro-cosmos, wherever they were, and they saw themselves as living in symbiosis with seals. With time, though, they started to relate, to connect and to identify themselves with the island, its landscape and its material, with axe sites and a growing group identity as results. The growing group identity culminated during the Early Neolithic with a dualistic conception of the world and with ritualised depositions in border zones. The Middle Neolithic is presented as a period when earlier boundaries were dissolved. This concerned, for example, boundaries towards the world around the islanders and they were no longer keeping themselves to their own sphere. At the same time individuals became socially important. It became accepted and also vital to give expression to personal identity, which was done through objects, materials and animals. Despite this, group identity continued to be an important part in their lives. This is most evident through the specific Pitted Ware sites, where the dead were also treated and buried. These places were sites for ritual and social practices, situated in visible, central and easy accessible locations, like gates in and out of the islands’ different areas. The dead were very important for the islanders. In the beginning of MN B they started to adopt aspects from the Battle Axe culture, but they never embraced Battle Axe grave customs. Instead they held on to the Pitted Ware way of dealing with the dead and buried, and to the Pitted Ware sites, through the whole period, with large burial grounds as a result.

I denna kvalitativa studie var syftet dels att undersöka om förskollärare upplever att barn med språkligsårbarhet blir uteslutna ur leken och dels att undersöka vilka tillträdesstrategier barn med språkligsårbarhet använder sig av för att få tillträde till leken. Jag genomförde intervjuer med två förskollärarepå en förskola.Resultatet visar att de inte upplever att språksårbara barn med svenska som modersmål blir uteslutna urden fria leken. De upplever däremot att barn med annat förstaspråk än svenska blir uteslutna i störreutsträckning. De upplever även att dessa barn inte heller söker sig till fri lek i samma utsträckning sombarnen med svenska som modersmål. Resultatet visar även att barn oavsett språklig förmåga användersig av liknande icke-verbala strategier när de söker tillträde till leken. Variationen beror på barnens olikapersonligheter och beroende på sin personlighet väljer man olika sätt att söka tillträde i leken. Barnenanvänder sig av kroppsspråket i form av blickar, kroppskontakt och även TAKK förekommer i vissasituationer när de söker tillträde till lek. Språkstarka barn använder sig av kroppsspråket när de sökertillträde samtidigt som de förlitar sig på sitt verbala språk. / This qualitative study examines preschool teachers’ experience concerning if children with languageimpairment suffer from exclusion from play with other children. The study also examines theirexperience about what kind of access rituals children with language impairment use to gain access inother children’s free play. Interviews were conducted with two preschool teachers.The result shows that according to preschool teachers’ experience, exclusion can depend on the child’snative language. They notice more exclusion among the children with other native language thanSwedish. They also experience that these children don’t search access to play in the same extent aschildren with Swedish as mother tongue. The result shows that children, no matter speech competence,use the same kind of non-verbal access rituals when they search access to play. The variation of ritualsdepends on the child’s personality, not on language competence. Children use their body language inthe shape of eye contact, body contact and also sign language is used in some situations. Children withdeveloped language use the body language when they want access but they also rely on their speechwhen they search for access.