En ce début du XXIème siècle, un nombre d’auteurs sans cesse plus important développe un véritable enthousiasme pour des thématiques féminines. Plus précisément, il s’agit pour eux de mettre en exergue la quête identitaire des femmes dans notre société. Cette littérature révèle une omniprésence du corps et de la sexualité en lien étroit avec la société et les schémas culturels imposés tenant ainsi un discours novateur sur les femmes. Le but de cette recherche est de montrer comment un discours littéraire, en reprenant les discours socioculturels, féministes et psychanalystes du moment, conçoit la question de la femme et quelle représentation de la femme il produit. Face à cette réflexion sur la question de la femme et son identité, cette thèse centre son étude sur les romans de trois auteurs, Virginie Despentes, écrivain français, Lucía Etxebarria, écrivain espagnol et Maïssa Bey, écrivain algérien francophone. L’être femme est représenté dans un rapport avec la violence masculine mais aussi avec sa propre violence, dans son rapport au corps et à la sexualité, par des relations humaines conflictuelles ainsi que par une aliénation sociale et culturelle. Le personnage féminin est un personnage seul, enfermé dans une identité dans laquelle il ne se reconnaît plus et qu’il rejette. La quête de soi et de la reconnaissance de soi laisse apparaître leurs aspirations, en contradictions avec leurs attributions. A la fin de chaque roman, l’individualisation de la femme est envisagée par la reprise de parole. La reconstruction de soi ne peut être permise que par la maîtrise de la parole sur soi, et la quête d’individualisation doit se poursuivre / In our early 21th century, an increasingly number of writers gets a real enthusiasm for woman-related themes. More precisely, their purpose is to underline the identity quest of women in our society. This kind of literature uncovers a constant involvement of body and sexuality closely linked to society and to cultural schemes that society imposes - thus leading these authors to hold an innovative discourse about women. Our research aims to show how a literary discourse, drawing from actual sociocultural, feminist and psychoanalytic discourses, conceives the Woman issue and which representation of woman it can create. At the hands of this reflection about the Woman issue and her identity, the study focuses on three female authors’ novels, Virginie Despentes, a french writer, Lucia Extebarría, a spanish writer and Maïssa Bey, an algerian French-speaking writer. The woman being is portrayed in her relations with male violence but also with her own violence linked to her relation to body and sexuality, and through human struggles and a social and cultural alienation. The female character is lonely, confined to an identity in which she does not recognize herself anymore and that she rejects. The quest for self-knowledge and for self-recognition lets its longings emerge, in contradiction with their remit. In the end of each novel, woman’s individualization is imaged through a takeover of speech. Self-reconstruction can only be possible thanks to a control of speech about oneself and the individuation quest has to keep going

This thesis is focusing on the major trends in the tax reform in the European Union. The direction of development from direct to indirect taxes is analyzed and it attempts to find some consistent trends in taxation between selected countries within groups of new and old member states of the European Union in 1995 - 2011. Firstly the text gives the reader an introduction to tax theory and the optimal design of tax system is presented. Thesis also focuses on the issue of tax policy in the European Union. It describes the main tax policy challenges and possible design of efficiency-enhancing tax reforms. The global macroeconomic model QUEST III is being introduced. This model is widely used by international institutions for the quantitative evaluation of the potential impacts of tax policies. Furthermore, the development and structure of the tax mix is analyzed as well as the overall tax burden and labour taxation in new and old member states of the European Union. In conclusion there is commentary to stated hypothesis that in recent years there has been increasing emphasis on indirect taxes, while the direct taxes were being reduced.

The aim of the present study is to account for the significance of mobility in American culture and its reflection in literature. In order to reach this goal, the thesis observes the role of mobility in the history of the United States, its transformation in the twentieth century, and the manifestation of this motif in the works of Jack Kerouac. Through the analysis of his novels, including On the Road, The Dharma Bums, Desolation Angels, Lonesome Traveler, and Big Sur, the thesis identifies some of the recurrent themes associated with the motif of journey and further interprets them in the context of postwar America. With the support of an array of secondary literature, this research approaches mobility as a constitutive part of the American identity and Jack Kerouac as one of its most ardent advocates. The introduction probes the contemporary preoccupation with space and the necessity of interrogating its intersection with time. While incorporating both of these dimensions, movement is identified as a manifestation of this intersection and it is distinguished from mobility as lacking the meaning acquired through culture. In order to explain this process of acquiring meaning, the link between mobility and narrative is established and its presence in literature observed. It is subsequently argued...

My inquiry, centered on the applied practice of teaching, confronts the detachment that often disassociates the intellectual study of music theory from the physical experience of music. This pedagogical detachment, perceived as a split between opposing views of knowledge, privileges positivist science over interpretive art (Aróstegui, 2003), producing written competencies that have little or no musical meaning (Rogers, 2004). Endeavouring to re-attach music theory and the music it was initially intended to explain (Dirié, 2014), I constructed four Listening Guides to align with the intermediate-level theory curriculum of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Their construction incorporates elements of design research along with an underlying framework derived from the Kodály Method’s four-step instructional process. Given my multi-faceted personal/professional interactions with music theory, my research project is presented in the form of a quest narrative that weaves together my story and the stories of participant teachers who established the Listening Guides’ potential usefulness through reviewing and implementing interactions. This narrative, as a creative representation of arts-based research practices (Leavy, 2015), is derived from the blurring of specific cognitive findings and less definable aesthetic knowings (Greenwood, 2012). My data, both the prototypical data I designed and the empirical data I collected from focus group discussions with my participants, are filtered through an a/r/tographic lens that acknowledges the coexistence of my artist/researcher/teacher identities. The analysis of our aggregate narrative, as an exploration of music theory pedagogy with, about, in, and through music, relies on the evaluative tools of educational criticism (Eisner, 1991). Unfolding in a mostly linear climb, my quest for a fully integrated music/theory (art/science) pedagogy reaches its apex in the understanding that a music-logic organization confounds the subject-logic of traditional teaching approaches. Thus, my inquiry challenges the customary practices of scientific knowledge-building with a model for artistic “ways-of-knowing” in music theory pedagogy.

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The most popular paradigm for Jesus is 'Jesus as the Divine Saviour'. This image is inadequate for understanding the historical Jesus, because it is also inaccurate as an image for the Christian life. Marcus J Borg claims that the Christian life is about a relationship with God that involves us in a journey of transformation. In advocating the 'Third Quest', Borg develops an alternative image of 'Jesus as Jewish mystic ', contrary to the idea of 'Jesus as Jewish/Christian Messiah '. The image of Borg involves five universal religious personality types. The paradigm shift from 'Jesus as the Divine Saviour' to that of 'Jesus as Jewish mystic' is investigated as well as the relevance and consequences of this, for everyday religion and the conventional church. A plea for a positive assessment of the issue of the historical Jesus is presented. This could have existential implications for South African society as a whole. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (New Testament)

This thesis seeks to interpret the cinematic representations of Hong Kongers’ identity quest during a transitional state/stage related to the sovereignty transfer. The Handover transition considered is an ideological one, rather than the overnight polity change on the Handover day. This research approaches contemporary Hong Kong cinema on two fronts and the thesis is structured accordingly: Upon an initial review of the existing Hong Kong film scholarship in the Introduction, and its 1997-related allegorical readings, Part I sees new angles (previously undeveloped or underdeveloped) for researching Hong Kong films made during 1982-2002. Arguments are built along the ideas of Hong Kongers’ situational, diasporic consciousness, and transformed ‘Chineseness’ because Hong Kong has lacked a cultural/national centrality. This part of research is informed by the ideas of Jacques Derrida, Homi Bhabha and Stuart Hall, and the diasporic experiences of Ien Ang, Rey Chow and Ackbar Abbas. With these new research angles and references to the circumstances, Part II reads critically the text of eight Hong Kong films made during the Handover transition. In chronological order, they are Boat People (Hui, 1982), Song of the Exile (Hui, 1990), Days of Being Wild (Wong, 1990), Happy Together (Wong, 1997), Made in Hong Kong (Chan, 1997), Ordinary Heroes (Hui, 1999), Durian Durian (Chan, 2000), and Hollywood Hong Kong (Chan, 2002). They meet several criteria related to the undeveloped / underdeveloped areas in the existing Hong Kong film scholarship. Hamid Naficy’s ‘accented cinema’ paradigm gives the guidelines to the film analysis in Part II. This part shows that Hong Kongers’ self-transformation during transition is alterable, indeterminate, and interminable, due to the people’s situational, diasporic consciousness, and transformed ‘Chineseness’. This thesis thus contributes to Hong Kong cinema scholarship in interpreting films with new research angles, and generating new insights into this cinematic tradition and its wider context.

Cette thèse propose d’interroger les conditions locales d’insertion d’un modèle de gestion autonome de la maladie chronique dans le contexte d’émergence du diabète comme problème de santé publique au Burkina Faso. La réflexion prend appui sur un corpus ethnographique qui croise des récits d’expérience de la maladie, l’observation d’activités médicales et de pratiques de soins, ainsi que l’expérience singulière de l’anthropologue impliqué dans la quête thérapeutique de son logeur. Une approche socio-ethnologique d’un village bwa permet de caractériser un espace social alimentaire local et d’identifier les dimensions culturelles et sociales de la santé et de la maladie. Des éclairages historiques et politiques sont convoqués pour penser le rapport des patients au système de soins local. Les savoirs ordinaires sur le diabète sont interrogés dans leurs modalités de construction et leurs finalités pratiques. Les itinéraires thérapeutiques des patients révèlent la perception de risques sociaux liés à une individualisation des comportements alimentaires. Une logique de la “débrouillardise“ permet de “contenir“ le diabète dans un contexte d’incertitudes que majore le coût rédhibitoire des traitements. Les limites actuelles d’une médicalisation du diabète sont analysées en regard de la qualité de vie des patients. Cette approche du contexte laisse penser que l’application locale du projet global d’autonomisation des patients fait émerger de nouveaux enjeux au cœur même de la relation de soins. La thèse ouvre sur une réflexion concernant l’articulation des pratiques locales, du modèle global, et du paradigme du care dans la perspective d’une amélioration du quotidien des patients. / This PhD dissertation proposes to examine local conditions of the insertion of a model of self-management of chronic disease in the context of the emergence of diabetes as a public health problem in Burkina Faso. The reflection is based on an ethnographic corpus that includes stories of illness experience, observation of medical activities and care practices, as well as the singular experience of the anthropologist involved in a therapeutic quest for his host. A socio-anthropological approach of a bwa village (Dédougou area) characterizes the local food social space and identifies the cultural and social dimensions of health and disease. Historical and political insights are invited to think about the relationship between patients and the local health system. The modalities of construction and practical purposes of lay knowledge about diabetes are questioned. Therapeutic itineraries of patients reveal the perception of social risks related to individualized eating behaviors. A logic of "resourcefulness" can "manage" diabetes in a context of uncertainty that increases the prohibitive cost of treatment. The current limits of medicalization of diabetes are analyzed with respect to patients’ quality of life. This contextualisation suggests that the local application of the global project to empower patients produces the emergence of new issues at the heart of care relationship. The thesis opens a reflection on the articulation between local practices, global model, and the paradigm of care, understood in the perspective of improving patients’ lives.

Dans cette thèse est analysé le deuxième et dernier livre Beribilez (En voiture) de Jean Etchepare (1877-1935). Le but de la recherche est d’établir l'idéologie de l'auteur à l’âge adulte et l’image qu’il donne tout au long de ce récit de voyage, fait en voiture à travers le Pays Basque. On a utilisé deux méthodologies principalement : la sémiotique (Philippe Hamon) et l´imagologie (Daniel-Henri Pageaux). On a relu les critiques portant sur l´œuvre de cet auteur pour les comparer avec nos intuitions. Nous avons sondé la formation intellectuelle de Jean Etchepare, et nous avons vu qu'au Pays Basque du Nord, il était confronté à la pensée traditionnelle, dominante à cette époque. Durant la confrontation entre l'État et l'Église autour de la laïcisation, Etchepare a choisi une voie indépendante inspirée souvent par la philosophie allemande. Dans le domaine de la pensée esthétique, la vision du paysage basque est plutôt économiciste, l'appréciation des terres rurales se combine avec un mysticisme poétique. Au sein des beaux-arts, il critique l'enthousiasme théâtral du luxe religieux baroque qu'il voit dans le Sanctuaire de Loyola; dans l´aspect du savoir-vivre il s'éloigne modérément de l'ascétisme confessionnel traditionnel, donnant dans le texte une place inhabituelle jusqu’alors, aux petits plaisirs des sens (gastronomie, danse…). Dans le domaine de l'éthique, il critique la croissance urbaine de Saint-Sébastien : il proclame la spiritualité laïque contre le matérialisme et la dégénérescence de la haute bourgeoisie. Il prophétisa la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui s´approchait, parce qu'il voyait les êtres humains sans respect mutuel. En tant que positiviste, il critique aussi toute croyance irrationnelle. Enfin, il indique qu'à l'âge adulte il s'est aligné sur la philosophie grecque de la mesure. A propos du Pays Basque, il entend promouvoir la solidarité entre les deux versants basques des Pyrénées, en réinterprétant les avatars de l'Histoire de manière diplomatique. L'attitude envers le Sud-est de filia (Pageaux). En conclusion, on peut dire que l'écrivain dans ce livre a modélisé soigneusement l´expression de sa pensée, car il ne voulait pas que l´ouvrage soit rejeté, comme ce fut le cas avec le premier (Glanes, 1910). / The second book ((original Basque title) Beribilez; (engl.) By car) by Jean Etxepare (1877-1935) is analysed in this doctoral thesis. The aim of this research is to define the author’s ideology/ in his intellectual maturity and his image of the Basque Country, along the journey made by car through the Southern Provinces. Semiotic Methodology (Philippe Hamon) and Imagology (Daniel-Henri Pageaux) have been used as a study method. We have looked at the academic training of Jean Etxepare, and we have seen that in the Northern Basque Country he was confronted with the hegemonic traditional catholic way of thinking. During the years of dissent between the State and the Church, Etxepare chose the free-thinking path, inspired by German philosophy. In the area of aesthetics, his view of the Basque landscape is mostly economicist. His perspective of the appreciation of rural lands combines with a poetic mysticism. He considers the display of Baroque religious luxury that he sees in the Sanctuary of Loyola, spiritually deficient; we can see that, on the one hand, we are dealing with an intellectual author of petit bourgeois standing and sound artistic judgement... On the other hand, even if he proves to be a knowledgeable person, he is very capable of enjoying the small pleasures of life as gastronomy, wines, dances and eroticism in a harmonious and measured way. He moves moderately away from traditional confessional asceticism, giving in his book to the pleasures of the body an unusual and enlightening place unknown to the catholic dominant literature. In the field of ethics, he criticizes the urban growth of San Sebastian: he proclaims secular spirituality against the materialism and degeneration of the high bourgeoisie. He prophesied that there would be the Second World War, because he saw the human beings lacking mutual respect. As a positivist, he criticizes any irrational belief. Finally, he indicates that in adulthood he has been aligned with the Greek philosophy of measure, in spite of his non-conformist youth. About the Basque Country, he intends to promote solidarity between the two sides of the frontier, reinterpreting the history passages in a diplomatic way. His attitude towards the South is of a philia one (Pageaux). As a conclusion, we can say that the writer measured the expression of his dissident way of thinking, because he did not want his second book to be rejected as had been the case with the first one (Buruxkak, 1910).