This thesis will focus on the changes that modernization, especially during the transition period from communism to capitalism, brought to the use of the terms “domn” (sir) and “doamna” (lady) in Romania. The main question of the research will be whether these terms are still used and if they are used with the same meaning as they were before: in short, what does it mean to be ‘lady” or “sir” in modern Romania? The thesis will try to examine the way modern life lessened the differences between country side/rural life and town/urban life and between people with different educational levels. In Romania little research has been done examining how modernization affects everyday life and how individuals view and understand the world. Modernization is a key word in almost every field in Romania today, but the human dimension especially that of everyday life has not received much attention. The thesis will try to give a perspective on how the recent social transformations have changed the way people view themselves and the opportunities that developed as a result. Romania is an East European country in transition. This means that among other things that for Romanians things seem to change rapidly and sometimes abruptly in very short time, often without much sense or logic. The result is that Romanians have had to learn how to adapt very quickly and to learn new social and material skills almost every day. Romania and her passage from socialism to capitalism can be a laboratory for anthropological research on some of the disciplines central and emerging themes. Among these is how the elite is self constructed and self selected over time. Another is the role that shifts in elites can play in a country’s and a culture’s economic and cultural transitions. This research will also add to the literature on Romania because while elite’s effects, both positive and negative have received much media attention, the scholarly literature is almost silent in how elites are defined and emerged since 1989. The study of the elites will also bring a better understanding of the way people in Romania behave, understand and accept each other. It will also help us to understand their goals and how these got defined in this transition period in Romania’s history. Looking at how Romanians think about (categorize) each other will also help the rest of the world understand Romanian culture and society. This is important - especially for those inside and outside the country who have a stake in Romania’s future. / Romania, past and present : a historical and social background of status in Romania -- Status in Romania 2011 : fieldwork results -- Ideas over how status is perceived in present Romania. / Department of Anthropology

The health of adolescent boys is complex and surprisingly little is known about how adolescent boys perceive, conceptualise and experience their health. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis was to explore adolescent boys’ perceptions and experiences of health, emotions, masculinity and subjective social status (SSS). This thesis consists of a qualitative, a quantitative and a mixed methods study. The qualitative study aimed to explore how adolescent boys understand the concept of health and what they find important for its achievement. Furthermore, the adolescent boys’ views of masculinity, emotion management and their potential effects on wellbeing were explored. For this purpose, individual interviews were conducted with 33 adolescent boys aged 16-17 years. The quantitative study aimed to investigate the associations between pride, shame and health in adolescence. Data were collected through a cross-sectional postal survey with 705 adolescents. The purpose of the mixed methods study was to investigate associations between SSS in school, socioeconomic status (SES) and self-rated health (SRH), and to explore the concept of SSS in school. Cross-sectional data were combined with interview data in which the meaning of SSS was further explored. Individual interviews with 35 adolescents aged 17-18 years were conducted. In the qualitative study, data were analysed using Grounded Theory. In the quantitative study, statistical analyses (e.g., chi-square test and uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses) were performed. In the mixed method study, a combination of statistical analyses and thematic network analysis was applied. The results showed that there was a complexity in how the adolescent boys viewed, experienced, dealt with and valued health. On a conceptual level, they perceived health as holistic but when dealing with difficult emotions, they were prone to separate the body from the mind. Thus, the adolescent boys experienced a difference between health as a concept and health as an experience (paper I). Concerning emotional orientation in masculinity, two main categories of masculine conceptions were identified: a gender-normative masculinity and a non-gender-normative masculinity (paper II). Gender-normative masculinity comprised two seemingly opposite emotional masculinity orientations, one towards toughness and the other towards sensitivity, both of which were highly influenced by contextual and situational group norms and demands, despite that their expressions are in contrast to each other. Non-gender-normative masculinity included an orientation towards sincerity, emphasising the personal values of the boys. Emotions were expressed more independently of peer group norms. The findings suggest that different masculinities and the expression of emotions are intricately intertwined and that managing emotions is vital for wellbeing. The present findings also showed that both shame and pride were significantly associated with SRH, and furthermore, that there seems to be a protective effect of experiencing pride for health (paper III). The results also demonstrated that SSS is strongly related to SRH, and high SRH is related to high SSS, and further that the positioning was done in a gendered space (paper IV). Results from all studies suggest that the emotional and relational aspects, as well as perceived SSS, were strongly related to SRH. Positive emotions, trustful relationships and having a sense of belonging were important factors for health and pride was an important emotion protecting health. Physical health, on the other hand, had a more subordinated value, but the body was experienced as an important tool to achieve health. Even though health was mainly perceived in a holistic manner by the boys, there were boys who were prone to dichotomise the health experience into a mind-body dualism when having to deal with difficult emotions. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that young, masculine health is largely experienced through emotions and relationships between individuals and their contexts affected by gendered practices. Health is to feel and function well in mind and body and to have trusting relationships. The results support theories on health as a social construction of interconnected processes. Having confidence in self-esteem, access to trustful relationships and the courage to resist traditional masculine norms while still reinforcing and maintaining social status are all conducive to good health. Researchers as well as professionals need to consider the complexity of adolescent boys’ health in which norms, values, relationships and gender form its social determinants. Those working with young boys should encourage them to integrate physical, social and emotional aspects of health into an interconnected and holistic experience.

The thesis deals with the theme of social groups of individuals, historically known as "disreputable people", among whom the executioners, knackers and bailiffs belonged. The main aim is to capture the social status of these people, who are historiographically considered as the individuals standing on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Detailed analysis of the sources of urban provenance is to show both the interaction of this group and its individuals with the rest of the urban community, especially with individuals considered as honorable, and also the everyday life of disreputable people in the urban environment. The thesis is divided into three parts, which are further thematically divided. The first part shows the theoretical and methodological level with an emphasis on previous studies dealing with the phenomenon of honor and also issues of discreditable people and of capital punishment. The following two parts contain an analysis of the situation of dishonourable people in the East Bohemian town of Pardubice in 17th century and because of the necessary comparison of regional differences, there was also the research of analogous conditions of another East Bohemian town Náchod included. Inside the urban society the professional functions of these individuals, their property background,...

Esta tese versa sobre o processo de transformação do status social dos pardos livres da América ibérica ocorrido ao longo do período compreendido entre a segunda metade do século XVIII e o ano de 1808. Trata-se de uma abordagem comparada que analisa a América portuguesa e o Caribe espanhol considerando-se, no interior deste, especificamente o Vice-Reino de Nova Granada, a Capitania Geral da Venezuela e a Capitania Geral de Cuba como unidades históricas conectadas por processos comuns, cujos desdobramentos variaram de acordo com condicionamentos específicos de cada espaço. Em decorrência do passado escravo, os pardos livres eram estigmatizados e considerados juridicamente inabilitados ao exercício de funções sociais específicas nos âmbitos político, civil, eclesiástico e militar. A tese analisa, por um lado, os fundamentos dos estigmas associados aos pardos e, por outro lado, as pressões exercidas pelos próprios pardos com o objetivo de superar as restrições legais. A documentação que sustenta a análise é constituída principalmente de petições e requerimentos enviados por eles visando à obtenção de privilégios e honras que garantiam prestígio social. Por meio deles, percebe-se a articulação de um discurso comum baseado em representações positivadas acerca do grupo que originou e alimentou um movimento de positivação da identidade parda no mundo iberoamericano. Examinam-se igualmente os posicionamentos de autoridades metropolitanas, coloniais e das elites locais frente às pretensões dos pardos, o que permite evidenciar a existência de um campo de tensões envolvendo diretamente o problema da inserção social e política desse segmento social. As reformas promovidas pelas monarquias ibéricas após o fim da Guerra dos Sete Anos (1756-1763) aprofundaram significativamente essas tensões, pois ampliaram o papel exercido pelos pardos na manutenção dos espaços coloniais, garantindo-lhes maiores parcelas de poder. Destaca-se particularmente o impacto das reformas militares, entendendo-se que elas transformaram as milícias em nichos de politização decisivos para a atuação dos pardos como um grupo de pressão, pois suas demandas por honras e privilégios passaram a ser dotadas de legitimidade institucional. Defende-se que em fins do século XVIII, sobretudo ao longo da década de 1790, houve uma ampliação das expectativas manifestadas pelos pardos, que passaram a vislumbrar a superação dos entraves legais e a consolidação de um novo status sociojurídico sintetizado pela ideia de habilitação plena. Em 1808, ano decisivo para a definição do futuro político das possessões americanas, as tensões que envolviam a elevação do status social dos pardos seguiam como um traço importante da crise que atingia as monarquias ibéricas. / This study approaches in the transformation process of the Free Pardo people status which occurred in Iberian America during the period between the second half of the eighteenth century and the year 1808. This is a comparative approach that analyzes Portuguese America and the Spanish Caribbean specifically the Viceroyalty of New Granada, the General Captaincy of Venezuela and the General Captaincy of Cuba as historical units connected by common processes, whose developments varied according to specific conditions of each space. As a result of the slave past, Free Pardo were stigmatized and considered legally unfit for the exercise of social functions as well the political, civil, ecclesiastical and military instances. This study analyzes, on the one hand, the foundations of the stigmas associated with the Pardo and, on the other hand, the pressures exerted by the Pardo themselves in order to overcome legal restrictions. The documentation that supports the analysis consists mainly of petitions and requests sent by them seeking to obtain privileges and honors that guaranteed social prestige. Through them, the articulation of a common discourse based on positive representations about the group that originated and fed a movement of affirmations of Free Pardo identity, in the Ibero-American, can be perceived. The positions of metropolitan, colonial and local elites are also examined according to Free Pardo people pretensions, which allows us to show the existence of a field of tensions directly involving the social problem and political insertion in this social segment. The reforms promoted by the Iberian monarchies, after the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), significantly deepened these tensions, as they increased the role played by the Pardo in maintaining colonial spaces, granting them greater spheres of power. The impact of military reforms is particularly noteworthy, since they have transformed the militias into niches of politicization. This process was decisive for the Pardo as a pressure group, since their demands for honors and privileges have been endowed with institutional legitimacy. This study also support that at the end of the 18th century, especially during the 1790s, there was an increase in the expectations expressed by the Pardo, who began to see the overcoming of legal obstacles and the consolidation of a new socio-juridical status synthesized by the idea of full habilitation. In 1808, the decisive year for the definition of the political future of the American possessions, the tensions that involved the elevation of the Pardo social status followed as an important trace of the crisis that reached the Iberian monarchies.

Lee Man Fai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-37). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Propositions --- p.v / List of Appendices --- p.vi / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2. --- Literature Review --- p.3 / Chapter 3. --- Money-in-the-Utility Function Models --- p.9 / Chapter 3.1 --- Simple Sidrauski Model --- p.11 / Chapter 3.2 --- Augmented Sidrauski Model --- p.12 / Chapter 4. --- Cash-in-Advance Models --- p.14 / Chapter 4.1 --- Separable Utility Functions --- p.15 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- The Clower-Lucas CIA Model --- p.15 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- The Stockman CIA Model --- p.17 / Chapter 4.2 --- Non-Separable Utility Functions --- p.20 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- The Clower-Lucas CIA Model --- p.21 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- The Stockman CIA Model --- p.22 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Special Case --- p.24 / Chapter 5. --- Conclusion --- p.27 / Chapter 6. --- Appendices --- p.29 / Chapter 7. --- References --- p.34

Tidigare forskning inom etniskt entreprenörskap har visat hur viktigt sociala kontakter och nätverk är för att kvinnor från minoritetsgrupper ska kunna förändra sin individuella sociala status genom att som entreprenörer inkluderas i det nya samhället. Denna studies syfte har varit att undersöka vilka specifika strategier några invandrarkvinnor i Sverige använt sig av för att genom entreprenörskap förändra sina egna sociala kontexter. För att tolka hur kvinnorna använt sig av sitt sociala kapital samt den verkan detta haft på deras entreprenörskap, grundades analysen på tidigare forskning om minoriteter och entreprenörskap med fokus på minoritetskvinnor. Uppsatsens resultat grundades på personliga intervjuer med fem framgångsrika kvinnliga entreprenörer med invandrarbakgrund, vilka verkat inom Stockholms område i Sverige. Den gemensamma variabeln för dessa kvinnor har varit att de alla blivit entreprenörer genom sin motivation, men också av användningen av sina sociala resurser. Informanterna i studien påtalade att när man väl bestämt sig för att starta ett eget företag måste man våga ta stöd av både det inre kontaktnätet, det vill säga etniska landsmän som blivit etablerade entreprenörer, men även från yttre sociala kapital, vilka innebär de möjligheter som det svenska samhället erbjuder. På så sätt utnyttjade invandrarkvinnorna sina möjligheter till utbildning – först och främst inom det svenska språket – men även inom olika yrkesutbildningar. Avgörande faktorer för kvinnornas väg till entreprenörskap har varit deras individuella sociala resurser som påverkats av deras etniska bakgrund, deras drivkraft, som fungerade som en motvikt till deras traditionella bakgrund. Andra viktiga avgörande faktorer för informanterna bestod av de informella samt formella sociala kontakterna i det svenska samhället, som majoriteten av informanterna menade gynnade och underlättade deras entreprenörskap i Sverige.

O objetivo da presente tese foi investigar o efeito do nível de dificuldade do adversário nas respostas hormonais, comportamentais e de desempenho de jovens jogadores de basquetebol. Para tanto, 29 atletas de basquetebol do sexo masculino, das categorias sub-15, sub-16 e sub-17 de um mesmo clube (15,3 ± 1,1 anos; 85,5 ± 15,0 kg; 189,0 ± 7,9 cm) foram avaliados na primeira fase do Campeonato Paulista em três partidas com diferentes níveis de dificuldade do adversário (Difícil, Médio e Fácil) para cada uma das três categorias, somando um total de nove partidas. As concentrações salivares de cortisol (C) e testosterona (T) pré e pós-partida, a ansiedade pré-competitiva, o desempenho técnico através do número de envolvimentos técnico-táticos com bola de cada jogador, a percepção subjetiva de esforço da sessão (PSE da sessão) e o desempenho percebido, foram consideradas em cada partida. A comparação de T e C, e o desempenho técnico foi realizada com uma análise de modelos mistos de um (nível de dificuldade) ou dois fatores (nível de dificuldade e momento), com medidas repetidas. Por sua vez, a comparação das variáveis ansiedade pré-competitiva, PSE da sessão e desempenho percebido foi realizada pelo teste de Friedman, seguido do teste de Wilcoxon, quando necessário. Em ambas as análises foi utilizado o post hoc de Bonferroni. Além disso, a associação entre as repostas normalizadas pelo score Z da variação de T com o desempenho percebido e técnico foi verificada por meio da correlação de Pearson. Em todas as análises foi adotado o nível de significância de 5%. Foi verificado aumento de T do pré para o pós nas partidas contra adversários de nível de dificuldade Fácil (p = 0,0064) e Médio (p = 0,0375). A C pós-partida foi superior aos valores pré (p < 0,0001), independentemente do nível de dificuldade; e C no nível Fácil foi inferior ao nível Médio (p = 0,0351) e Difícil (p = 0,0035). A ansiedade cognitiva foi maior no nível Difícil em relação ao nível Fácil (p < 0.01). A ansiedade somática, por sua vez, foi maior no nível Difícil em relação aos níveis Fácil (p<0,001) e Médio (p = 0,01), e maior no nível Médio em relação ao nível Fácil (p = 0,004). A PSE da sessão foi maior no nível Difícil em relação aos níveis Fácil (p = 0,003) e Médio (p = 0,003). Não foi observado efeito do nível de dificuldade para autoconfiança (p = 0,118), desempenho técnico (p = 0,728) e desempenho percebido (p = 0,113). Além disso, não foi verificada correlação significante entre as variáveis desempenho técnico e percebido com a variação da concentração de T (r < 0,35 e p > 0,07 para todas as comparações). Os resultados da presente tese indicam que quanto maior o nível de dificuldade do adversário maior a ansiedade pré-competitiva e a PSE da sessão. A concentração de C aumentou independente do nível do adversário. Já a T aumentou nos jogos de menor dificuldade, mas não no jogo Difícil. Esse aumento da T não se correlacionou significativamente com o desempenho técnico ou percebido. Não houve influência do nível do adversário no desempenho técnico ou percebido / The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of the adversary difficulty level on hormonal and behavioral responses, technical performance and perceived performance in young basketball players. Thereunto, 29 male young basketball players, from under-15, under-16 and under-17 categories from the same club (15.3 ± 1.1 years, 85.5 ± 15.0 kg, 189.0 ± 7.9 cm) were evaluated in the first phase of the Paulista Championship in three matches with different opponent difficulty levels (Hard, Medium and Easy) for each of the three categories, totaling nine matches. Salivary concentrations of cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) pre and post-match, pre-competitive anxiety, technical performance through individual technical-tactical ball involvements, session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) and perceived performance were considered in each match. The comparisons of T and C, and technical performance were performed with a mixed model analysis with one (difficulty level) or two factors (difficulty level and moment), with repeated measures. On the other hand, the comparisons of pre-competitive anxiety, session-RPE and perceived performance were performed by the Friedman test, followed by the Wilcoxon test, when it was necessary. In both analyses, Bonferroni post hoc was used. Moreover, the association between the responses normalized by the Z score of T variation with the perceived and technical performance was verified through the Pearson correlation. A significance level of 5% was adopted for all analyzes. It was verified an increase in T from pre- to post-match against Easy (p = 0,0064) and Medium (p = 0,0375) opponent levels. C level increased from pre- to post-match, regardless of the difficulty level; and C in the Easy level was lower than the Medium (p = 0.0351) and Hard (p = 0.0035) difficulty levels. Cognitive anxiety was higher in the Hard level compared to the Easy one (p <0.01). Somatic anxiety, on the other hand, was higher in the Hard level compared to the Easy (p <0.001) and Medium (p = 0.01) levels and was higher in the Medium level compared to the Easy one (p = 0.004). Session-RPE was higher in the Hard level compared to the Easy (p = 0.003) and Medium (p = 0.003) levels. No effect of difficulty level for self-confidence (p = 0.118), technical performance (p = 0.728) and perceived performance (p = 0.113) was observed. In addition, no significant correlation was observed between the technical and perceived performance with T variation (r <0.35 and p> 0.07 for all comparisons). The results of this thesis indicate that the higher the opponent difficulty level, the greater the pre-competitive anxiety and the session-RPE. C increased independently of the opponent level. T increased in less difficult matches, but not in the Hard one. This increase in T did not correlate significantly with the technical or perceived performance. There was no influence of the opponent\'s level on technical or perceived performance

Social context, which includes both the direct social experience of individuals as well as the characteristics of their social network as a whole, has been shown to be an important modulator of behavior across species. However, relatively little is known about the role of social context in regulating the complex relationships between neurobiology, neuroendocrine response, and behavior in mammals. Historically, the neurobiology of social behavior has been studied at the dyadic level, looking at brief social interactions between pairs of individuals. Given that all social species live in groups, rather than pairs, it is essential that we begin to understand the role social context at the group level plays in regulating physiology. Throughout this thesis, I use a novel behavioral housing system to study how the characteristics of stable social groups and how instances of social opportunity, when individuals are ascending up a social hierarchy, are associated with differential brain gene expression, neuroendocrine output, and behavior. I first extensively analyze the social dynamics of male dominance hierarchies, showing that they are both consistent, in that males reliably form significantly linear dominance hierarchies, and unique, in that the characteristics of these hierarchies vary from group to group. I further prove that mice living in these social hierarchies are extremely socially competent, displaying the ability to respond appropriately to individuals of varying social status. I demonstrate that females are capable of forming dominance hierarchies as well, but that their hierarchies differ from those of males. I then use this foundational knowledge to investigate how these different hierarchy characteristics can lead to differences in physiology, how one’s social status is associated with brain gene expression and neuroendocrine response, and how disruption of a hierarchy through removal of the alpha male leads to robust behavioral as well as physiological consequences. Finally, I use the insights gained from this immediate early gene work to demonstrate the crucial role of the infralimbic/prelimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex in regulating socially competent response to changing social contexts. Taken together, this work establishes the broad role social context plays in regulating the complex relationships between behavior, brain gene expression, neural activation, and neuroendocrine output.

This dissertation broadly focuses on how to improve equity in education. The first chapter focuses on education at the primary level and analyzes whether progressive vouchers in education can serve as a tool to decrease socioeconomic stratification at the school level and increase educational outcomes for low-income students. I use the Chilean setting, where a universal voucher system has been in place for over three decades, and analyze the impact of a major reform were voucher amounts were increased by 50 percent for students in the lowest 40 percent of the income distribution. Progressive vouchers were implemented in Chile to help low-income students benefit from school choice; increasing the revenues that schools receive for serving low-income students and lowering the relative prices of private voucher schools for eligible parents. I use a national dataset to implement a regression discontinuity design exploiting that eligibility is a discontinuous function of a socioeconomic ranking. Results reject that eligible students chose schools with higher test scores or average SES, and that they are doing better than non-eligible students in math and language test scores. Findings, I argue, are partly a consequence of the multiple barriers that low-income students face when choosing a school, including lack of information, the complexity associated with evaluating a substantial number of options, and issues of social belonging that prevent them from attending better performing schools. The second chapter focuses on education at the tertiary level and analyses whether loans for higher education can help to increase tertiary education for low-income low-performing students. I use data from Chile and exploit the fact that access to loans for universities and technical institutions is a discontinuous function of students’ academic performance. The latter allows me to implement a regression discontinuity design to look at the causal impact of different types of loans on higher education access, persistence and graduation. Results show that loans for universities induce low-performing students away from technical institutions and towards higher quality university alternatives, where they have little chances of succeeding. This increases the total amount of time and money that students spend without substantially increasing, or even decreasing, their graduation rates and expected incomes. Loans for technical institutions are better in that they keep students away from alternatives that are too expensive or academically demanding. Results point to the unintended costs of offering university loans to low-performing students, steaming from a potential mismatch between low-performing students and higher quality university alternatives. The third chapter, joint with Juan Matta, analyzes the role of social interaction in higher education choices. In particular, we analyze spillovers from older to younger siblings in the choice of college and major. We use data from Chile and exploit discontinuous admission rules generated by Chile’s centralized system of admission to postsecondary education. Our findings reveal strong sibling spillovers in the choice of major/institutions. Having an older sibling enrolling in a given major within an institution, as opposed to just applying, increases by 87% the likelihood of enrolling in that same major/institution combination, and it increases by 51% the probability of enrolling in any major within that same institution. An analysis of potential mechanisms suggests that spillovers are present even when siblings are far apart in age and are unlikely to attend college together, and even in cases where they are likely to be well informed about the program. Results provide an explanation as to why low-income students may be underrepresented in some high quality educational alternatives.

Esta tese versa sobre o processo de transformação do status social dos pardos livres da América ibérica ocorrido ao longo do período compreendido entre a segunda metade do século XVIII e o ano de 1808. Trata-se de uma abordagem comparada que analisa a América portuguesa e o Caribe espanhol considerando-se, no interior deste, especificamente o Vice-Reino de Nova Granada, a Capitania Geral da Venezuela e a Capitania Geral de Cuba como unidades históricas conectadas por processos comuns, cujos desdobramentos variaram de acordo com condicionamentos específicos de cada espaço. Em decorrência do passado escravo, os pardos livres eram estigmatizados e considerados juridicamente inabilitados ao exercício de funções sociais específicas nos âmbitos político, civil, eclesiástico e militar. A tese analisa, por um lado, os fundamentos dos estigmas associados aos pardos e, por outro lado, as pressões exercidas pelos próprios pardos com o objetivo de superar as restrições legais. A documentação que sustenta a análise é constituída principalmente de petições e requerimentos enviados por eles visando à obtenção de privilégios e honras que garantiam prestígio social. Por meio deles, percebe-se a articulação de um discurso comum baseado em representações positivadas acerca do grupo que originou e alimentou um movimento de positivação da identidade parda no mundo iberoamericano. Examinam-se igualmente os posicionamentos de autoridades metropolitanas, coloniais e das elites locais frente às pretensões dos pardos, o que permite evidenciar a existência de um campo de tensões envolvendo diretamente o problema da inserção social e política desse segmento social. As reformas promovidas pelas monarquias ibéricas após o fim da Guerra dos Sete Anos (1756-1763) aprofundaram significativamente essas tensões, pois ampliaram o papel exercido pelos pardos na manutenção dos espaços coloniais, garantindo-lhes maiores parcelas de poder. Destaca-se particularmente o impacto das reformas militares, entendendo-se que elas transformaram as milícias em nichos de politização decisivos para a atuação dos pardos como um grupo de pressão, pois suas demandas por honras e privilégios passaram a ser dotadas de legitimidade institucional. Defende-se que em fins do século XVIII, sobretudo ao longo da década de 1790, houve uma ampliação das expectativas manifestadas pelos pardos, que passaram a vislumbrar a superação dos entraves legais e a consolidação de um novo status sociojurídico sintetizado pela ideia de habilitação plena. Em 1808, ano decisivo para a definição do futuro político das possessões americanas, as tensões que envolviam a elevação do status social dos pardos seguiam como um traço importante da crise que atingia as monarquias ibéricas. / This study approaches in the transformation process of the Free Pardo people status which occurred in Iberian America during the period between the second half of the eighteenth century and the year 1808. This is a comparative approach that analyzes Portuguese America and the Spanish Caribbean specifically the Viceroyalty of New Granada, the General Captaincy of Venezuela and the General Captaincy of Cuba as historical units connected by common processes, whose developments varied according to specific conditions of each space. As a result of the slave past, Free Pardo were stigmatized and considered legally unfit for the exercise of social functions as well the political, civil, ecclesiastical and military instances. This study analyzes, on the one hand, the foundations of the stigmas associated with the Pardo and, on the other hand, the pressures exerted by the Pardo themselves in order to overcome legal restrictions. The documentation that supports the analysis consists mainly of petitions and requests sent by them seeking to obtain privileges and honors that guaranteed social prestige. Through them, the articulation of a common discourse based on positive representations about the group that originated and fed a movement of affirmations of Free Pardo identity, in the Ibero-American, can be perceived. The positions of metropolitan, colonial and local elites are also examined according to Free Pardo people pretensions, which allows us to show the existence of a field of tensions directly involving the social problem and political insertion in this social segment. The reforms promoted by the Iberian monarchies, after the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), significantly deepened these tensions, as they increased the role played by the Pardo in maintaining colonial spaces, granting them greater spheres of power. The impact of military reforms is particularly noteworthy, since they have transformed the militias into niches of politicization. This process was decisive for the Pardo as a pressure group, since their demands for honors and privileges have been endowed with institutional legitimacy. This study also support that at the end of the 18th century, especially during the 1790s, there was an increase in the expectations expressed by the Pardo, who began to see the overcoming of legal obstacles and the consolidation of a new socio-juridical status synthesized by the idea of full habilitation. In 1808, the decisive year for the definition of the political future of the American possessions, the tensions that involved the elevation of the Pardo social status followed as an important trace of the crisis that reached the Iberian monarchies.