This thesis investigates the narrated experiences of a number of individuals that migrated to Argentina from Russia and Ukraine in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. The over-arching aim of this thesis is to study the ways in which these migrants navigated the social reality in Argentina, with regards to available physical, material, and socioeconomic positions as well as with regards to their narrated self-understandings and identifications. The empirical data consists of ethnographic in-depth interviews and participatory observation from Buenos Aires between the years 2011 and 2014. Through the theoretical frameworks of political discourse theory, critical race studies, auto-ethnography, and theories on coloniality, the author examines questions of migration, mobility, race, class, and gender in the processes of re-establishing a life in a new context. The interviewees were not only directly affected by the collapse of the USSR in the sense that it drastically changed their terrain of possible futures as well as retroactive understandings of their pasts, but they also began their lives in Argentina during the turmoil of the economic crisis that culminated in 2001. Central to this thesis is how these dislocatory events impacted the interviewees’ possibilities and limitations for living the life they had expected, and thus how discursive structures affect subject positions and identifications, and thereby create specific conditions for different relocatory trajectories. By focusing on how these individuals narrate their reasons for migration and their integration into Argentine labor and housing markets, the author demonstrates the role Argentine and East European history, as well as the neoliberal restructuring of the postsocialist region and Argentina in the 1990’s, had for self-understandings, subject positions, identities, and mobility. Various intersections of power, and particularly the making of race and whiteness, are important for the way that the interviewees negotiated subject positions and identifications. The author addresses how affect and hope played a part in these processes and how downward mobility was articulated and made meaningful. She also examines how participants’ ideas about a “good life” were related to understandings of the past, questions of race, social inequality, and a logic of coloniality. / Den här avhandlingen undersöker hur ett antal individer som migrerade från Ryssland och Ukraina till Argentina efter Sovjetunionens fall berättar om sin erfarenhet. Det övergripande syftet är att studera hur dessa migranter navigerade i den sociala verkligheten i Argentina, särskilt vad det gäller kroppsliga, materiella och socioekonomiska positioner, såväl som hur detta påverkat deras berättade självförståelse och identifikationer. Det empiriska materialet består av etnografiska djupintervjuer och deltagande observationer gjorda i Buenos Aires mellan åren 2011 och 2014. Författaren använder sig av ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av politisk diskursteori, kritiska ras- och vithetsstudier, autoetnografi och teorier om kolonialitet för att undersöka frågor om migration, mobilitet, rasialisering, klass och kön i en kontext av återetablering av ett liv i ett nytt samhälle. De som intervjuas i denna avhandling påverkades inte bara av Sovjetunionens kollaps, på så sätt att det påverkade deras förståelse av möjlig framtid samt deras retroaktiva förståelser av det förflutna, utan de påbörjade även sina nya liv i Argentina under den ekonomiska krisen som kulminerade år 2001. Centralt i avhandlingen är hur dessa dislokatoriska händelser inverkade på de intervjuades möjligheter och begränsningar för att kunna leva det liv som de hade förväntat sig, och därmed hur diskursiva strukturer påverkar subjektspositioner och identifikationer och därmed skapar specifika villkor för olika vägar för återetablering. Genom fokus på hur dessa individer berättar om sina anledningar för migrationen och om deras väg in i den argentinska arbets- och bostadsmarknaden visar författaren vilken roll argentinsk och östeuropeisk historia, såväl som 1990-talets nyliberala omstrukturering av den postsovjetiska regionen och Argentina, hade för deras självförståelse, subjektspositioner, identitet och mobilitet. Viktigt för hur de intervjuade förhandlade om olika subjektspositioner och identifikationer är intersektionella maktordningar och särskilt skapandet av ras och vithet. Författaren analyserar hur affekt och hopp spelade en roll i dessa processer och hur social deklassering artikulerades och gjordes meningsfull. Här undersöks även hur de intervjuades idéer om möjligheten att leva ett ”gott liv” var sammanflätade med förståelser av det förflutna, rasialisering, social ojämlikhet och en logik som präglades av kolonialitet. / Тема этой диссертации – это личный опыт ряда индивидуумов, переехавших в Аргентину вскоре после распада Советского Союза, на основе их собственных повествований. Основная цель работы заключается в исследовании того, как мигранты-участники вписывались в общественную реальность Аргентины на фоне её превалирующих физических,  материальных и социо-экономических позиций, а также по отношению к тому, как согласно их рассказам, эти люди сами себя воспринимали и идентифицировали. Эмпирическая компонента диссертации включает в себя комплекс углубленных этнографических интервью и включенного наблюдения, проводимых в Буэнос Айрес в 2011 -2014 гг. Автор изучает вопросы миграции, класса, социальной мобильности, расы и гендера в процессе переустановки жизни в новых условиях, руководствуясь теоретическими посылами теорий политического дискурса, критических расовых исследований (critical race studies), автоэтнографии и теорий колониальности. В дополнение к тому факту, что на интервьюируемых оказал непосредственное влияние распад Советского Союза, который кардинальным образом изменил как возможные сценарии их будущего, так и ретроактивные интерпретации их прошлого, эти люди начали свою новую жизнь в Аргентине сразу после сумятицы экономического кризиса, достигшего кульминации в 2001 г. Центральным аспектом диссертации является изучение воздействия, которое имели эти дислоцирующие обстоятельства на спектр естественных возможностей и преград на пути реализации жизненного проекта участников исследования, как они себе его представляли, а также какое влияние оказывают соответствующие дискурсивные структуры на позиции и идентификации субъектов, обуславливая определенные условия реализации различных траекторий их жизни в эмиграции. Фокусируя внимание на том, как эти индивидуумы повествуют о том, что побудило их к эмиграции в Аргентину и интеграции в местные рынки труда и жилья, автор подчеркивает ту роль, которую сыграли в этом особенности как аргентинской, так и восточноевропейской истории, наряду с более поздними структурными изменениями 90х гг., происходившими как на постсоветском, так и аргентинском пространствах в эпоху неолиберализма. Это касается в равной степени аспектов самовосприятия, позиций субъектов, а также вопросов их идентификации и мобильности. Важной составляющей того, каким образом интервьюируемые устанавливали рамки своей субъективной идентификации и позиции, являлись различные грани концепции власти; в частности того, как возникают понятия расы и ‘белизны’ (whiteness). Автор обращается к вопросу, какую роль в этих процессах сыграли аффект и надежда, и как субъекты исследования артикулировали и находили смысл в своей нисходящей мобильности. Параллельно автор анализирует то, как представления участников о "хорошей жизни" ставились ими в зависимость от их собственной интерпретации прошлого, наряду с вопросами расы, общественного неравенства и колониальной логики. / Esta tesis investiga las experiencias narradas por una serie de individuos que emigraron a Argentina desde Rusia y Ucrania a raíz de la caída de la Unión Soviética. Su objetivo general es estudiar el modo en que estos inmigrantes transitaron la realidad social argentina en lo que se refiere a las posiciones físicas, materiales y socioeconómicas disponibles, así como también a su auto-comprensión y a las identidades construidas desde sus narraciones. La autora examina cuestiones de migración, movilidad, raza, clase y género en los procesos de restablecimiento de la vida de estos sujetos a través del marco de la teoría política del discurso, los estudios críticos de la raza, la auto-etnografía y teorías sobre la colonialidad. Los datos empíricos consisten en entrevistas etnográficas en profundidad y observación participante realizadas en Buenos Aires entre los años 2011 y 2014. Los entrevistados no sólo se vieron directamente afectados por el colapso de la URSS en el sentido de que éste cambió drásticamente su terreno de futuros posibles y la comprensión retroactiva de su pasado, sino que también comenzaron sus vidas en Argentina durante las turbulencias de la crisis económica que estalló en el año 2001. En esta tesis, es central la indagación sobre cómo estos eventos dislocatorios impactaron en las posibilidades y limitaciones de los entrevistados para vivir la vida que esperaban y cómo las estructuras discursivas afectan las posiciones y las identificaciones de los sujetos, creando condiciones específicas para diferentes trayectorias de reubicación. Al enfocarse en cómo estos individuos narran sus razones para la migración y su integración en los mercados laborales y de la vivienda en Argentina, la autora demuestra el papel que tienen en las auto-comprensiones, posiciones de sujeto, identidades y movilidad, tanto la historia argentina y de Europa del Este, así como también la reestructuración neoliberal de la región postsocialista y de la Argentina en los años 90. Diversas intersecciones de poder, y particularmente la raza y la blancura son importantes para la manera en que los entrevistados negociaron posiciones subjetivas e identificaciones. La autora aborda cómo el afecto y la esperanza desempeñaron un papel en estos procesos y cómo la movilidad descendente se articuló y se hizo significativa. También examina cómo las ideas de los participantes acerca de una "buena vida" se relacionan con la comprensión del pasado, las cuestiones de raza, desigualdad social y una lógica colonial.

Montréal est une Métropole où des populations de toutes origines, de tous niveaux de vie et d’éducation cohabitent. En tant qu’acteur de santé publique notre objectif est de faire en sorte que chacun ait droit à l’égalité des chances aussi bien sociales que sanitaires. Dans la Métropole, il est possible d’observer des inégalités dans différents domaines, tels : l’éducation, le travail, le logement, l’alimentation et bien d’autres encore. Ce mémoire est une étude de Cas portant sur le plaidoyer de la Coalition Montréalaise des Tables de Quartier (CMTQ) entre le 1er janvier 2011 et le 1er juin 2016 en faveur de la lutte contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale et ayant pour but d’explorer comment est exercé cedit plaidoyer par les acteurs de la CMTQ. La CMTQ qui est un Organisme à But Non Lucratif (OBNL) positionne la population au centre de ses préoccupations, milite de sorte que Montréal soit une métropole juste et égalitaire et place la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale dans ces objectifs sur lesquels il est important d’agir pour le bien-être de la communauté. L’Initiative Montréalaise de Soutien au Développement social local (IM) qui est un programme de la Direction de Santé Publique (DSP), de Centraide du Grand Montréal et de la CMTQ, permet d’offrir un soutien financier à des institutions telles que les Tables de concertation locales dans le but d’améliorer la qualité et les conditions de vie des Montréalais. La CMTQ agit en partenariat avec les tables de quartier en travaillant sur des enjeux soulevés par le développement social local, l’amélioration de la qualité et des conditions de vie des citoyens et la lutte contre la pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale. Cette étude a utilisé des données majoritairement qualitatives issues d’analyses de contenus d’entretiens semi-dirigés, de prises de position, de mémoires, d’apparitions dans les médias traditionnels (La Presse) ainsi qu’une analyse de contenus quantitatifs des réseaux sociaux, plus particulièrement Twitter. Les résultats de cette recherche ont permis d’identifier les porte-parole de la CMTQ sur la place publique et mettent en lumière les stratégies et les moyens utilisés par la CMTQ pour exercer leur plaidoyer ainsi que les messages contenus dans ces stratégies et la façon dont les acteurs s’y prennent. / Montreal is a metropolis where people of all origins, socio-economic background and education live. As public health advocates, our goal is to ensure that each person is afforded equal rights to both social opportunities and the benefits which make for a healthy life. In Montreal, it is possible to observe inequalities in areas such as education, work, housing, and food security, amongst many others. This thesis is a case study of CMTQ’s advocacy methods between january 1st 2011 and june 1st 2016 as well as their approach to fighting poverty and social exclusion (in the public debate). In addition this thesis will specifically explores how CMTQ activists apply their methods of advocacy in order to eliminate poverty and social exclusion. The Montreal Coalition of Neighborhood Round Tables (CMTQ) is a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) that places the population at the center of its campaigns and works to ensure that Montreal is a fair and egalitarian city that prioritizes issues of poverty and social exclusion. The Montreal Initiative of Support for Local Social Development (IM), a program of the Montreal Public Health Department (DSP), the Centraide of Greater Montreal and of the CMTQ, provides financial support to institutions such as local round tables with the purpose of improving the quality and living conditions of Montrealers. The CMTQ works in partnership with neighbourhood councils by working on issues raised by local social development and also by working on ways to eradicate poverty and social exclusion in order to better the quality and living conditions of citizens. This study uses primarily qualitative data derived from the analysis of semi-structured interviews, the examination of official positions held by the organizations, thesis publications and discussions in traditional media (The Press), as well as a quantitative content analysis found on social medias especially Twitter. The results of this research permitted the identification of the CMTQ’s advocates and also shed light on the strategies and tools used by the CMTQ as well as the contents of theses strategies and message and the way activists apply these tools.

Public trust in the social system and media is falling. Media transformation, new media and social networks point to developments in postmodern societies which have accelerated trust erosion. Fragmentarization and social inequality fundamentally influence the order of today's world, even through the media. I focus in this work on how the trust or distrust in media and media discourse is constructed, what the relationship is between media and trust, how they intertwine and interact with each other. I describe the trust concept from its past history to the present, its meaning and principles of construction in media discourse. I highlight in a case study a concrete mediation of (dis)trust and its construction in the media coverage of the Czech alternative website Parlamentí listy as well as the topic of disinformation in the mainstream media. Based on this analysis, I also describe which social products the mistrust mediation brings and what the future development looks like. I also focus on social inequality as a significant cause of trust erosion, confidence in the media and also ontological security.

OBJETIVOS: Determinar la desigualdad de la prevalencia de desnutrición crónica infantil en función a algunos determinantes sociales en países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC)  MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio ecológico con los indicadores de desarrollo de la base de datos del Banco Mundial. Se analizaron los indicadores de 19 países (acceso a electricidad y servicios básicos de agua en población rural, PBI per cápita, gasto en salud per cápita). La desigualdad absoluta y relativa se determinó mediante el Índice de Kuznets absoluto, y relativo, la gradiente de la desigualdad a través de índice de las gradientes de la desigualdad, y para la desigualdad proporcional se usó el (índice de concentración de salud) ICS y la curva de concentración. RESULTADOS: la brecha de las desigualdades en la prevalencia de desnutrición crónica infantil entre los países de ALC se mantuvo prácticamente sin cambios significativos a lo largo del periodo estudiado. El 20% de los países con mayor desventaja concentran el 40% de la prevalencia de desnutrición crónica mientras que el 20% de los países con mayor ventaja solo el 7-8%, medido a través del ICS. CONCLUSIONES: A pesar de que en los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio se encontraban eliminar la desnutrición, ésta permanece. La brecha de desigualdad ha disminuido respecto a la gradiente de desigualdad (desigualdad absoluta), sin embargo, la desigualdad proporcional se ha mantenido igual. Para eliminar esta brecha en ALC se deben generar políticas para distribuir de forma más eficiente y equitativa los recursos destinados al gasto en salud y los sectores relacionados, para de esa forma enfocarse en los determinantes sociales debidos. / OBJECTIVES: determinate the inequality of the prevalence of chronic childhood malnutrition according to some social stratifiers in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) METHODS: An ecological study was carried out at the country level with the development indicators of the World Bank database. The indicators of 19 countries will be analyzed (access to electricity and basic water services in rural areas, GDP per capita, health expenditure per capita). The absolute and relative inequality was determined by the absolute and relative Kuznets index, gradient of the inequality through the graduation index of the inequality, in addition, the proportional inequality was calculated through the index of concentration in health and the curve of concentration. RESULTS: the gap of inequalities in the prevalence of chronic child malnutrition in the LAC countries, remained practically without significant changes throughout the period studied. In addition, 20% of the countries with the greatest disadvantage accounted for 40% of the prevalence of chronic malnutrition compared to 20% of the countries with the greatest advantage, which presented 7-8% of the prevalence through the index of concentration on health. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Millennium Development Goals were to eliminate malnutrition, it was not possible to do so. However, the inequality gap has partially decreased. To eliminate it In LAC, wealth should be distributed more efficiently, and equitable resources allocated to health spending and related sectors. As well as generating Policies to address inequalities in and between countries. / Tesis

Cette thèse porte sur les inégalités dans le vécu de l’allaitement maternel. Elle vise à : 1) étudier où se situent les aspirations prénatales d’allaitement des mères et leurs réalités postnatales; 2) explorer la manière dont les différences sociales peuvent façonner le vécu de l’allaitement maternel ; 3) saisir leur articulation. Dans le cadre de cette recherche, la collecte des données s’est déroulée en quatre volets : un suivi longitudinal du prénatal au postnatal avec 20 femmes primipares; la tenue de journaux de bord par les mères ; des entretiens semi-dirigés avec 21 professionnelles de l’allaitement ; de l’observation lors de cours prénataux et de soutien à l’allaitement. Comme l’échantillon est composé de mères qui expérimentaient l’allaitement pour la première fois, les écarts entre l’imaginaire et le réel ont entraîné des désillusions pour la totalité des participantes, et ce, à différents niveaux : 1) entre les aspirations initiales et les recommandations de la santé publique (allaitement exclusif jusqu’à six mois et poursuite jusqu’à deux ans et plus) ; 2) entre les aspirations des mères et les réalités d’allaitement ; 3) entre la conception normée d’un allaitement dit « réussi » selon les recommandations de la santé publique et cette même conception telle que vécue par les femmes. Ensemble, le vécu des mères et l’expérience des professionnelles permettent de montrer qu’en réalité, ce sont les interactions constituant la positionnalité des femmes qui « contraignent » l’allaitement. Ils contraignent dans les deux sens du terme : pour le limiter ou au contraire pour le rendre moralement obligatoire. L’analyse du discours des participantes rend compte du fait que ces contraintes à l’allaitement sont inégalement distribuées et se basent principalement sur des rapports sociaux de sexe/genre, d’ethnicité, de classe, d’immigration et de « race ». Finalement, une tendance émerge parmi les professionnelles de l’allaitement rencontrées, la majorité estimant qu’elles font varier leurs pratiques en fonction de la clientèle, que cette différenciation est nécessaire et que d’y arriver est un motif de fierté. Si les catégorisations ont tendance à exagérer l’homogénéité des groupes et à produire des stéréotypes, elles ont également des effets concrets sur les services. Cette thèse permet de mieux comprendre l’ambivalence au cœur de l’expérience de l’allaitement ainsi que les rapports complexes qu’ont les mères avec les recommandations de la santé publique, la promotion de l’allaitement et les professionnelles de l’allaitement. / This thesis examines diversity and inequalities in breastfeeding experiences. It seeks to: 1) understand how mothers’ initial breastfeeding aspirations compare with their post-birth realities; 2) explore how inequalities related to gender, “race”, class, and immigrant status influence breastfeeding experiences from the perspective of both mothers and breastfeeding professionals; and 3) capture how mothers articulate and make sense of their diverse experiences . In this study, four data collection techniques were used: longitudinal semi-structured interviews with 20 first-time mothers conducted when they were pregnant and then approximately six months after the birth of their child; documentary analysis of maternal diaries; semi-structured interviews of 21 breastfeeding professionals; and observation during prenatal classes and breastfeeding support sessions. As the sample is composed of women attempting breastfeeding for the first time, many women felt disillusioned by three types of discrepancies they felt between what they imagined breastfeeding would be and the reality of their experiences: 1) between the initial aspirations and recommendations of public health and medical literature; 2) between their own expectations and their lived realities of breastfeeding; and 3) between the standardized conceptions of successful breastfeeding experiences according to public health recommendations and the concept of success as experienced by the women. Further, the data from both mothers and breastfeeding professionals demonstrate that constraints on breastfeeding are unevenly distributed and founded mainly on social relations such as sex, gender, ethnicity, class, immigration, and race. This study also discovered a tendency among breastfeeding professionals to pride themselves on their ability to differentiate between their clientele on the basis of these categories. While sometimes appropriate, these classifications tend to exaggerate the homogeneity of subgroups, relying on and reproducing stereotypes. An important implication of this is that such practices lead to substantial differences in the services rendered by these professionals. Overall, this thesis provides a better understanding of the ambivalence at the center of the breastfeeding experience and the complex relationships mothers undertake with public health recommendations, the promotion or encouragement of the act of breastfeeding and breastfeeding professionals.

Introducción La anemia en mujeres en edad fértil sigue siendo un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Las intervenciones con enfoque biomédico no son suficientes para solucionar dicho problema, ya que también está ligada a los determinantes sociales. Objetivo Determinar la desigualdad en la distribución en prevalencia de anemia en mujeres en edad fértil a nivel mundial en los años 2000, 2005, 2010 y 2015. Métodos Se realizó un estudio ecológico a nivel mundial. Se utilizó la base de datos del Banco Mundial para los años 2000, 2005, 2010 y 2015; de donde se obtuvo la prevalencia de anemia en mujeres en edad fértil y los indicadores sociales gasto en salud per cápita y expectativa de vida al nacer. Se calcularon las métricas estándar de brecha y gradiente de desigualdad social en la prevalencia de anemia. Resultados La distribución en la prevalencia de anemia en mujeres en edad fértil a nivel mundial es desigual. La prevalencia es mayor en los países con menor expectativa de vida al nacer y gasto en salud. El 20% de países con menor expectativa de vida al nacer y gasto en salud per cápita concentran el 30% de la prevalencia de anemia en mujeres en edad fértil. Conclusiones La desigualdad en la prevalencia de anemia ha disminuido a nivel mundial. Es importante considerar los determinantes sociales, para seguir disminuyendo la desigualdad y por ende la prevalencia de anemia. Es importante mejorar las estrategias que se están tomando actualmente. / Introduction Anemia in women of childbearing age continues to be a public health problem worldwide. Interventions with a biomedical approach are not enough to solve this problem since it is also linked to social determinants. Objective To determine the inequality in the distribution in the prevalence of anemia in women of childbearing age worldwide in the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Methods A worldwide ecological study was carried out. The World Bank database was used for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015; from which the prevalence of anemia in women of childbearing age and the social indicators for health expenditure per capita and life expectancy at birth were obtained. The standard metrics of gap and gradient of social inequality in the prevalence of anemia were calculated. Results The distribution in the prevalence of anemia in women of childbearing age is unequal worldwide. The prevalence is higher in countries with lower life expectancy at birth and health spending. The 20% of countries with the lowest life expectancy at birth and health spending per capita account for 30% of the prevalence of anemia in women of childbearing age. Conclusions Inequality in the prevalence of anemia has decreased worldwide. It is important to consider social determinants, to continue reducing inequality and therefore the prevalence of anemia. It is important to improve the strategies that are currently being taken. / Tesis

Großstädte in Deutschland und Europa befinden sich im Zuge des Strukturwandels von der Industriegesellschaft zur Dienstleistungsgesellschaft in einem tiefgreifenden ökonomischen, sozialen und politischen Wandlungsprozess, der zu einer schärferen Segregation der Städte führt. Die sozialräumliche Konzentration von Arbeitslosigkeit, Armut und sozialer Ausgrenzung in benachteiligten Großstadtgebieten entfernt solche Stadtgebiete in ihren sozialen Standards und Lebenschancen immer weiter vom urbanen Leben der Mehrheit. Dies wirft die Frage nach der sozialen und politischen Integration der Städte auf. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich einem Teilaspekt der Frage nach der Integration in den Städten und fokussiert die Wahrnehmungen und Einstellungen ihrer Bürgerinnen und Bürger. Anlass dazu geben rückläufige Wahlbeteiligungen und eine zunehmende „Politikverdrossenheit“ in benachteiligten Stadträumen, die die Enttäuschung und Resignation benachteiligter Gruppen gegenüber der Politik signalisieren, sowie Entsolidarisierungstendenzen in privilegierten Gebieten. Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den lokalen politischen Einstellungen und vergleicht diese in sozialstrukturell benachteiligten und privilegierten Stadtquartieren in vier Großstädten: Berlin, Köln, Leipzig und Mannheim. Unter politischen Einstellungen werden das lokale politische Vertrauen, die Wahrnehmung der lokalen Politik und die politische Partizipation sowie die Solidaritätsbereitschaft, das soziale Vertrauen und das bürgerschaftliche Engagement verstanden. Insgesamt wurden 3200, d.h. in jedem untersuchten Stadtgebiet 400 standardisierte Telefoninterviews durchgeführt und statistisch ausgewertet. / In the course of structural change from an industrial society to a service society large cities in Germany and Europe undergo a profound economic, social and political process of change, which leads to a sharper segregation in the cities. The social spatial concentration of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion in underprivileged city areas removes such areas in their social standards and life chances far from the urban life of the majority. This raises the question of urban social and political integration. The doctoral thesis is dedicated to one aspect of the question regarding integration of cities. It focuses on the political perceptions and attitudes of their citizens. A noticeable declining of turnouts of voters and an increasing “disenchantment with politics”, which signal the disappointment and resignation of disadvantaged groups toward policy, and a tendency towards desolidarization in privileged areas give reason to analyze political attitudes in cities. Therefore, the doctoral thesis deals with local political attitudes in privileged and underprivileged city areas in four cities: Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig and Mannheim. Political attitudes are operationalized as political trust, the perception of responsivity of local policy, political participation as well as solidarity, social confidence and social commitment. A telephone poll was carried out with 400 standardized interviews in each of four privileged and four underprivileged quarters. In total, 3200 interviews were conducted and included in the statistical analysis.

Mit dem Begriff der Intersektionalität wird die Verschränkung verschiedener Ungleichheit generierender Strukturkategorien, wie Geschlecht, Ethnizität, Klasse, Nationalität, Sexualität, Alter etc. erfasst. Er soll aufzeigen, dass keine dieser Kategorien alleine steht, sondern sowohl für sich als auch im Zusammenspiel mit den anderen einen die gesellschaftlichen Machtverhältnisse mitkonstituierenden Effekt hat. Die historischen Wurzeln liegen im 19. Jahrhundert und gehen auf die Erfahrungen Schwarzer Frauen und Lesben zurück, die sich im Feminismus westlicher weißer Mittelschichtsfrauen nicht wiederfanden. Leslie McCall unterscheidet drei methodologische Zugänge: den anti-kategorialen Ansatz, den intra-kategorialen Ansatz und den inter-kategorialen Ansatz.

The research problem of this thesis is to explore the effects of top-down, bureaucratic definitions of belonging and social identity on urban social relations. More specifically, the thesis analyses the ways in which the nativist categorisations of indigeneity in Kano and autochtonie in Amsterdam can help to understand the tensions between ethnic groups in these two cities. Methodologically, the study is designed as a least-similar, comparative exploration and uses mixed qualitative and quantitative methods in its case studies of Kano and Amsterdam. Theoretically, this study uses identity cleavages and identification as the mediators between policy categories and social relations. It combines social-psychological, historical, and institutional theories to link bureaucratic nativism to ethnic identities and, finally, to conflictual (or ‘destructive’) interethnic relations. The resulting theoretical argument of the thesis is that nativist policy categorisations are likely conducive to antagonism, avoidance, and conflict between groups defined as ‘natives’ and ‘settlers’. The central finding of the thesis is that both in Kano and in Amsterdam, indigeneity and autochtonie have entrenched a primordial and competitive (or ‘exclusionary’) notion of ethnic identities and have thus been conducive to interethnic antagonism, avoidance, and conflict. Introduced at a time of rapid immigration, social change, and persistent horizontal inequalities, the two top-down policy categories came to redefine urban belonging in Kano and Amsterdam. As a result, previously apolitical ethnic boundaries between ‘natives’ and ‘settlers’ became politicised, connected to exclusionary definitions of religion and class, and ranked on the basis of their claim to a primordial ‘native’ status - that is, their status as historical ‘first-comers’ in their place of residence. The categorisation and group positioning effects of nativism have, therefore, intensified the urban struggle to belong in Kano and Amsterdam. At the same time, however, the thesis underlines that ethnic conflict in Kano and Amsterdam is limited, partly because nativist forms of belonging are continuously challenged by, for example, inclusive multiculturalism in Kano and urban citizenship in Amsterdam.

The aim of this thesis is to explore how livelihoods are recovering in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and the social networks approach—methods of inquiry that have gained considerable impetus in livelihoods research. The study is conducted with reference to two tsunami-affected fisher villages in the Hambantota District, Southern Province. It employs a qualitative ethnographic methodology that examines narratives emerging from households, local officials of government and non-government organizations, office bearers of community-based organizations, local politicians, village leaders, and key informants. Focus is on evaluating how particular roles, activities, and behaviour are given importance by these groups in specific post-tsunami contexts and how these aspects relate to broader conceptualizations of social networks, informal politics, social inequality, and ethnographic research in South Asia. The findings support four major contributions to the literature. First, social networks are significant as an object of study and a method of inquiry in understanding livelihoods post-disaster. Second, paying heed to varied forms of informal politics is critical in post-disaster analyses. Third, the concept of intersectionality can extend and improve upon prevailing approaches to social inequality in disaster recovery. Fourth, ethnographic research is valuable for understanding everyday networks, informal politics, and change in South Asia. Collectively, these findings present a human geography of post-tsunami livelihoods in Sri Lanka, where networks, politics, and inequalities, which form an essential part of everyday livelihoods, have been reproduced in disaster recovery. The thesis constitutes a means of offering expertise in the sphere of development practice, highlighting internal differentiation in access to aid as a key issue that needs to be identified and systematically addressed by policymakers and practitioners.