In this paper, I consider historical periods, linguistic categories, and social theories in relation to Hindi in order to trace out the character and trajectory of the language. From sixteenth-century courtly contexts, to the adoption of the Devanagari script in the twentieth century by nationalists, Hindi has a polyvalent and yet specific history. I discuss these contexts in which social contact led to linguistic change and in which Hindi acquired many of the lexical, syntactical, and phonological characteristics by which it is recognized today. I conclude with a section that considers the motif of language and power, and I suggest that the production of knowledge and power in language use, offers both the means of distinction and expression or, in another sense, of hierarchy and communitas. A thread that runs throughout the paper is attention to the contexts in which language use enables elaboration and in which elaboration is eschewed in order to attain social unity. Pursuing a descriptive historical-linguistic project, I neither affirm nor deny the politics of such language use, but rather I indicate the ways in which actors and agents use Hindi to help articulate their agency. / text

<p>This investigation contributes to the existing scholarship on Britain and the First World War by examining the war's impact on the county of Devon in southwest England. More specifically, this study pays particular attention to how communities, families, and individuals responded to the pressures of war and to what extent social unity was achieved at the county level. By exploring the relationship between the state and its citizens, this dissertation questions the extent to which Devonians were passive and accepting of the sacrifices and hardships that the government required from them, how their experiences were informed, and to what extent class, gender, and religious differences limited public support for the war? While this dissertation argues that Devonians were generally supportive of British participation in the war, that support was provisional and based on the perception of 'equality of sacrifice' - the expectation that the burdens of war would be shared equally throughout the county and across all segments of society. This study reveals that the inequalities of sacrifice and inconsistencies of government policies burdened some groups more than others and led to social disaffection. Rather than promoting solidarity, the war often exacerbated rural/urban tensions, highlighted the social and economic divisions that characterized relations between the communities of northern and southern Devon, and led to frequent and public criticisms of the government's management of the war.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study has aimed to examine how Arjeplog recovered during a five-year period after the Spanish flu using a post-crisis theoretic model and method. Arjeplog is of interest due to the lack of previous studies on the subject despite having the highest mortality rate in Sweden. The post-crisis model present four challenges for Arjeplog after the Spanish flu which this study has examined. The means of handling four challenges was the reconstruction of healthcare, the importance of crisis heroes, the management of orphaned children and the minimization of mental illness. These factors have shown to have both long- and short-term consequences for its citizens and for Arjeplog to transform from a crisis to a post-crisis society. This paper concludes that the reconstruction of healthcare was not only necessary for the future wellbeing of Arjeplog’s citizens but also helped minimize mental illness due to the decreased risk for future widespread pandemics. The study could also conclude that crisis-heroes symbolized the solidarity the citizens displayed during the Spanish flue as well as strengthened existing social ties between families and neighbors. Management of orphaned children due to the Spanish flu was a new issue for Arjeplog where new institutions needed to be established as a result. The children’s and their parents’ perspectives showed the complicated implications regarding both the foster home and the newly established orphanage. The study concluded that the memory of the Spanish flu during the period was very prevalent and showed how crises can affect its victims despite life in general moving on.

本文羅爾斯社會整合理論研究旨在探索羅爾斯整合理論之穩定性及其 整合性格的問題,全文分為社會聯結(social union)與社會整合(social unity)二個場域討論,在縱剖面上,以穩定性的問題為中心貫穿二個場域; 在橫剖面上,以對的優先性(the priority of theright)為支架吸納所欲 討論的子題. 就穩定性的問題來說,在社會聯結中羅爾斯訴諸於道德人的 自律與完序社會的正義感來確保正義制度的穩定性;在社會整合中羅爾斯 修正以各種整全性學說所形成的交疊共識(overlapping consensus)來保 障穩定性的達成 .最重要的是,筆者認為包含式公共理性(inclusive public reason)為促使交疊共識與穩定性達成的最主要力量.而就整合性 格來說,社會聯結純粹是為了避免成為私有社會(private society)的設 計;至於社會整合,筆者認為是羅爾斯面對當代多元主義事實下所欲完成的 政治哲學任務.而筆者特別要強調,雖然羅爾斯一再否認其學說為目的論式 的主張,然而筆者認為其社會聯結與社會整合的設計是有著公共善(public good)的概念,筆者認為羅爾斯的公共善就是一個正義社會的達成,此不僅 僅是公民們所分享的終極目標,亦是羅爾斯社會藍圖的終極理想.