The story of the Tardigrada Symposia began 35years ago in Pallanza, Italy. It was an idea of Professor Livia Tonolli, who wanted to honour Professor Giuseppe Ramazzotti, at that time the authority in that scientific field and her friend. Considering that tardigrades are a neglected group of metazoans (still to date), this particular event could be finished with that occasion, but it has not been so. With some gaps, the meetings have been proceeded till now, promoting scientific exchange among the researchers and improving the research quality. Following these 35years and the topics of the symposia, we can understand the changing in the scientific approach. Taxonomy and faunal studies were the predominant topics of the first symposium, but also ultrastructural morphology, ecology, physiology, cytotaxonomy and reproductive biology were represented. Furthermore, the studies by SEM moved their first steps in that occasion. Faunal and taxonomic studies represented often the main topic during the years, but also other kinds of researches involving phylogeny, physiology, ultrastructure of organs and cells always accompanied it. From these points of view, often tardigrades were compared with other animal groups, giving a wider sense to the research. Molecular aspects were already considered in the third symposium (1980, Tennessee), but reconsidered only in the symposium in Cambridge (1994) and developed from the symposium in Denmark (2000). The last symposia showed an increased number of participants and scientific contributions. In line with the increasingly international nature of publications, the quality of the proceedings has also increased, always using in the last 10years qualified international journals with peer review and impact factor, as now required by young scientists to further their careers.

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The aim of this thesis is to study how cannabis is constructed in contemporary Sweden, which policy responses are promoted as rational, and how international cannabis trends are received in this context. The four papers are the result of analyzing empirical material from three different sub-studies: 1) a qualitative study of online discussions about cannabis and drug policy, 2) a qualitative and comparative study of print media articles from 2002 and 2012, and 3) a qualitative study of oral presentations from cannabis information symposia. All papers are based on a social constructionist approach. A point of departure is that attitudes and regulations on cannabis have changed in large parts of the Western world. In Sweden, however, strict prohibition of cannabis is still central in the national drug laws. Some of the main findings can thus be gathered in discussions on continuity and change. In Swedish online discussions, there seems to be a strong desire to change the national cannabis policy in line with international developments. This discussion propagates alternative views on cannabis, in which comparisons to alcohol become vital and more liberal cannabis policies become logical. These discussions are also characterized by continuity, as many arguments for liberal cannabis policies seem to be based on traditional social democratic values and prohibitionist “scaremongering” arguments. Continuity is also what seems to characterize traditional print media, where cannabis is generally portrayed as a potent and illegal drug producing social problems. However, this arena also shows signs of change, as the material from 2012 includes stories on cannabis as an economic asset as well as a recreational substance. Both traditional print media and cannabis information symposia focus on youth consumers, who are seen as particularly vulnerable to cannabis effects. Such constructions seem important for protecting prohibition from international influences and for a continuous discourse centered on the dangers of cannabis. It is concluded that cannabis appears to be able to represent almost anything. As such it can be “used” for any purpose to promote a whole set of ideas related to policy often based on what is considered as scientific evidence. Depending on the context, it thus seems possible that cannabis is medicinal, recreational, harmful, and addictive. If so, and if all of these constructions are in some way “real,” then it is suggested that cannabis necessitates a much more tailored and nuanced response than that which prohibition can offer.

Le δεῖπνον et le συμπόσιον ne constituent pas le simple cadre formel des Banquets littéraires. Leur déroulement et les conventions morales qui s’y expriment sont des éléments structurants de la narration, dont ils assurent la progression. Surtout, ils deviennent l’objet même de la discussion des convives. Le récit s’attache plus particulièrement à contextualiser le déroulement du δεῖπνον et du συμπόσιον, pour en faire ressortir un élément qui, par son incongruité ou par son obscurité initiale, ébranle l’opinion première et crée les conditions de la ζήτησις. Il existe donc un type de προϐλήματα spécifique aux Banquets littéraires, où l’on ne parle que de ce qu’on a sous la main. Cette proximité conduit chacun à proposer un développement personnel qui, loin de tout exposé dogmatique, lui permet de mettre en avant son acribie et son esprit d’à-propos sur des objets qui, le plus souvent, échappent au champ de la philosophie. Ce faisant, les Banquets littéraires mettent les philosophes à l’épreuve de la table et du vin et définissent la nature véritable du savoir en faisant tomber, dans la bonne humeur, le masque des imposteurs. Partant, le δεῖπνον et le συμπόσιον ne sont jamais refusés, mais permettent de créer un rapport d’identité entre le philosophe idéal et le parfait convive au sein d’œuvres qui sont toutes caractérisées, malgré leur irréductible diversité formelle, par leur ambition propédeutique. Ce ne sont donc ni la référence à un modèle initial ni le respect d’éventuelles conventions régulatrices qui assurent l’unité du corpus des Banquets littéraires, mais le partage d’une même intention programmatique. / Δεῖπνα and συμπόσια are not merely formal settings in literary symposia. Their organization and the moral conventions that they entail are part and parcel of the narrative structure. Above all, they become the very topic of the participants’ conversation. These narratives make use of the context of δεῖπνον and συμπόσιον in order to emphasize one item whose oddity or whose initial obscurity challenges common wisdom and paves the way for ζήτησις. Thus, there is a type of προϐλήματα that is specific to literary symposia, which consists in only discussing matters immediately at hand. Far from leading to dogmatic discourses, this allows every dinner guest to offer their personal views, displaying their acumen and wit on topics that are often outside the realm of philosophy. In these literary symposia, the philosophers are put to the test of good meals and good wine, and define the true nature of knowledge, while cheerfully unmasking impostors. By no means are δεῖπνον and συμπόσιον rejected, but on the contrary they create a link between the ideal philosopher and the perfect dinner guest in literary works that, in spite of their inevitable formal variety, all share propaedeutic ambitions. Literary symposia, therefore, are not defined as a genre by references to one initial model nor by normative conventions, but by the intentions that they share.

The essay draws on Angela Standhartingers article ”Frauen in Mahlgemeinschaften. Diskurs und Wirklichkeit einer antiken, frühjüdischen und frühchristlichen Mahlpraxis” which examines the representation of women in the ancient tradition of symposia. This thesis studies how Luke and Paul represent women at The Last Supper τὸ πάσχα and the Lord’s Supper κυριακὸν δεῖπνον, and therefore focusses on the pericopes Luke 22:7-30 as well as 1 Cor. 11. Even though these biblical texts are written by men from an androcentric perspective, they show spaces - gaps which are opposed to what the texts seem to convey. Thus, it is possible to break through the patriarchal discourse to render women visible in the texts.   I argue that Luke and Paul represent women in their roles and positions both out of their personal experiences and social ideology. Yet, reflecting on a Christan social order, there can be noticed an earthly approach, relating to the cultural order, in Luke 22:7-30 in distinction from a cosmic approach in 1 Cor. 11.

Continuous Curatorial Conversations is a practice-led exploration of conversation, both as a medium and as a tool for capturing supplementary histories of the curatorial. The primary question of this research project is how the medium of conversation can be explored to write supplementary histories of the curatorial which thus far have been omitted from extant publications on the subject. Three important sub questions guide this exploration. First, what is and has been the role of conversation within the curatorial? What are the possibilities and limitations within the medium of conversation? What roles do conviviality and hospitality play within the process of conversation? This thesis reflects upon a series of curated projects that explore the sp/pl/ace for curatorial conversation and also reviews a collection of one-to-one recorded conversations conducted by the author, including conversations with Alfredo Cramerotti, Hedwig Fijen, Mel Gooding, William Furlong and Sarah Lowndes. Sites of fieldwork include: the 54th Venice Biennale; Manifesta 8, The European Biennial of Contemporary Art; and Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2012. Through these projects and related recordings it unpicks the norms and possibilities of what and when one can record on the subject of the curatorial. The hypothesis of this study is that a great deal of curatorial activity is locked up in conversation, yet a disproportion makes it to the pages of the history of the field. Furthermore, in its clean transcribed form it misrepresents the fragility and nuance of the original exchange. The theoretical context of this research looks at Nicolas Bourriaud’s notion of Relational Aesthetics, the writing of Maria Lind and Paul O’Neill, with a focus on Audio Arts. A new methodology relating to curatorial conversation and its recording has therefore been identified as ‘critical conviviality’. The writing relating to Continuous Curatorial Conversations research takes the form of four books. The book ‘An Introduction’ comprises the PhD thesis and sits next to a bespoke online platform www.continuous-curatorial-conversations.org which hosts a selection of audio recordings collated during the research process. The books ‘Continuous’, ‘Curatorial’, and ‘Conversations’ unpack the lineage and context of Alexandra C.M. Ross’s practice and projects conducted during her research and are to be read in no strict order. The new knowledge resulting from this thesis and relating practice is the attention to the subtleties of conversation and its capture as it relates to the instigation, recording and presentation of semi-private matters in semi-public contexts.