This study examines the history and ethnic identity of Turks living in Bor&ccedil / ali (Kvemo-Kartli) region of Georgia. It focuses on the mechanisms that led to the formation and strengthening of their ethnic identity and the impact of the shifts in political borders on ethnic identification. Characteristics of the region and the people are provided and socio-political developments are analyzed with an historical perspective. Different dimensions of the concepts of ethnicity and ethnic identity are discussed with an interdisciplinary approach.

The present thesis aims to recount the current situation of the Alevi community in the urban Turkish setting. The data were collected during eight months of ethnographic field research from February 2009 to October 2009 in a complex preferred to be called as the Dikmen Alevi Community Center, in Ankara. I present different ways adopted by various groups while explaining what Alevism is and I stress the fact that there is a certain degree of fragmentalization within the community due to such diverse descriptions. Thenceforth, I emphasize the reasons behind the existence of divergent classifications and analyze Alevis&rsquo / migration from rural to urban areas during 1970s and 1980s as it relates to the changes in the institutions. After offering an evaluation of the changes accompanying migration, I accentuate the competitive sharing of the city as a religious space between Alevis and Sunnis concentrating on Alevis&rsquo / perception of religious space and providing a comparison between Sunni and Alevi perceptions regarding the places of worship. Subsequently, I attempt to show that there is a competitive sharing relationship present within the community giving the example of Dikmen Alevi Community Center after the establishment of the Alevi Institute for Research, Documentation and Application. I conclude that this kind of a relationship and the current state of affairs are the results of the struggle to adapt to a changing environment, which in turn alters the individuals themselves.

Alienation is a one of the central concepts in Marx&rsquo / s philosophy. It has positive and negative implications regarding man&rsquo / s self realization in nature. It is also about discussion on ontology of work. Moreover, it has led Marx to design new society models for human beings. Alienation in Marx is analyzed together with political economy and its concepts. Baudrilliard&rsquo / s alienation discourses in contemporary age include arguments in terms of consumerism and technology in today&rsquo / s developed world. While Marx&rsquo / s theory of alienation considers the relation of subject and object in political economic conditions, Baudrilliard&rsquo / s discourses discuss it in social and cultural bases. Baudrilliard rather argues that reality and meaning in contemporary world is lost, we live in a &ldquo / hyperreal&rdquo / and &ldquo / simulacrum&rdquo / world.

Thesis (M.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Masteropgave. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alberta, 2010. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on February 17, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

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Cooperation is pervasive in nature but paradoxically also provides opportunity to cheaters. My dissertation involves the study of both cooperation and conflict in two species of Megalopta bees. Megalopta is a Neotropical genus of halictid bees whose biology is characterized by complex life cycles that can range from solitary to eusocial. These bees nest in dead wood and forage under dim light conditions. Megalopta’s nests are inhabited by an extensive array of organisms and each nest therefore constitutes a miniature ecosystem providing opportunities for cooperation and conflict, both within and between species. I first delineate the social structure of M. genalis and M. ecuadoria nests in several Panamanian populations and integrate the factors that play a role in the behavioral decisions of females when joining a social group or not. Within a kin-selection framework, I discuss how genetic relatedness plays a role in the formation of social nests. Second, I investigate the conflict between host bees and a congener social parasite, and I elucidate reproductive structures that are relevant for understanding the evolution of parasitism. Finally, I describe a cleaning mutualism between Megalopta bees and their mite associates. Bee-mite associations encompass a broad spectrum of interspecific interactions. Some bee-mites are thought to perform cleaning services for their hosts in exchange for suitable environments for reproduction and dispersal. Field observations and experimental manipulation reveal a significant correlation between the presence of mites and the absence of fungi inside the brood cells, as well as between the absence of mites and increased bee mortality. This study therefore provides evidence of the sanitary effect of mites in nests of Megalopta bees. This bee-mite association constitutes one of the few examples of terrestrial cleaning mutualisms. / text