Using the contemporary example of same-sex marriage, the author uses his first-hand experience as a Member of Parliament to examine the "dialogue" theory of Charter of Rights and Freedoms politics and decision-making role of legislators. The dialogue between courts, legislatures and Canadians is robust and having a significant impact on public policy in Canada. However, many of those in the legislature are either unaware or uninterested in this changing fact of Canadian policy making. This is particularly troubling given the power MPs have when voting in the House of Commons on an issue of equality rights in the House of Commons in a free vote - as was the case in the issue at the centre of this thesis, the issue of same-sex marriage.

Using the contemporary example of same-sex marriage, the author uses his first-hand experience as a Member of Parliament to examine the "dialogue" theory of Charter of Rights and Freedoms politics and decision-making role of legislators. The dialogue between courts, legislatures and Canadians is robust and having a significant impact on public policy in Canada. However, many of those in the legislature are either unaware or uninterested in this changing fact of Canadian policy making. This is particularly troubling given the power MPs have when voting in the House of Commons on an issue of equality rights in the House of Commons in a free vote - as was the case in the issue at the centre of this thesis, the issue of same-sex marriage.

In this essay the authors have searched to get an understanding of howthe situation where for a person being handicapped and of sámi heritage in Swedenduring the 1800´s to the beginning of 1900´s. In this qualitative study, church booksand local governmental records from the time has been the sources for data. Findingsregarding sámi and disability first of all shows that the sámi didn´t produce any ownwritten records, this means we had to use records produced by Swedish authorities.These are the only records available from the time. Records that gave us theauthorities point of view. When working with historical documents it is the contextwere they were produced in and their implied readership that is of great importance.Using this method gives the possibility to tell the story by the perspective of theexposed, in our case sámi people with disabilities. Understanding history makes usbetter equipped understanding today, thereof the relevance of this study. / C-uppsats

Prior research focused upon the intersection of race, ethnicity, citizenship and identity produced as a result of the Census Schedule. In this dissertation, I focus on the Census, as an instrument of the state, to capture the process of inclusion and exclusion as it relates specifically to the intersection of sexualities and family formation. Using Sewell’s (1992) concept of dual structures, that is, cultural schemas and resources, I argue that sexuality is structural. Using mixed-methodology and three different data sources, I produce five different indices to determine settlement patterns of same-sex households in various geographic areas. Secondly, drawing on variables operationalized as cultural schema and resources, I identify characteristics of metropolitan areas that have arguably been related to levels of gay and lesbian concentration. In the multivariate context, the variables that are most influential in predicting levels of gay and lesbian concentration are physical temperature index, poverty rate, and heterosexual cohabitation rate. Variables focusing on characteristics of the metropolitan areas of relevance mainly to gays and lesbians such as those dealing with sodomy laws and anti-discrimination laws pertaining to sexual orientation, as well as the presence of political and religious conservatism are either not statistically important predictors or exhibited minimal influences. Through the Internet survey and thirty interviews, I examine how gay and lesbian couples answered the Census Schedule. The highest percentage of individuals marked single on the Census Schedule, suggesting that partnered homosexuals are being underenumerated by the Census Bureau. Furthermore, in regards to the Census and the state, two underlying ideas influence individuals’ enactments of agency: legal consciousness and statistical consciousness. Legal consciousness refers to people’s lay understandings of the law, while statistical consciousness refers to everyday knowledge of statistics. In both cases the production of legal interpretation and statistics by authoritative sources is then variously understood, consumed, and employed by ordinary citizens for their distinct purposes. This understanding takes on forms of generally unquestioned folk knowledge, despite being socially constructed in specific historical-cultural contexts. The production and consumption of statistics serve as a pivotal point of contestation of power and resistance, especially for these interviewees.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University (Canada), 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Northeastern University, 2008. / Title from title page (viewed March 23, 2008). Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Law, Policy and Society Program. Includes bibliographical references (p. 306-324).

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 272-289) Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Northeastern University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 306-324). Also available online.

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-86). Also available online.