This thesis examines the feminist hypothesis that rape functions as a tool of social control through which women are kept in subordinate social positions (Brownmiller, 1975). In examining this hypothesis, the current thesis explores the role of benevolent and hostile sexism in accounting for people's responses to different types of rape (i.e. stranger vs. acquaintance rape). An examination of the literature suggests that there are general societal beliefs in the distinction between "good" and "bad" rape victims (Pollard, 1992). Interestingly, researchers have observed that benevolent sexism (BS) is related to the idealisation of women in traditional gender roles (i.e. "good" women; Glick et aI., 2000). It is, therefore, argued that individuals who idealise women in traditional roles (i.e. high BS individuals) are more likely to negatively evaluate rape victims who can be perceived as violating these norms. Nine empirical studies are presented in this thesis. Study 1 examines the potential role of BS in accounting for previously observed differences in the amount of blame attributed to stranger and acquaintance rape victims (e.g. Pollard, 1992). Studies 2 and 3 examine the psychological mechanisms that underlie the relationship between BS and victim blame in acquaintance rape situations. Studies 2 and 4 also explore the psychological mechanisms that underlie the relationship between hostile sexism (HS) and self-reported rape proclivity in acquaintance rape situations (c.f. Viki, 2000). In Study 5, the relationship between BS and paternalistic chivalry (attitudes that are simultaneously courteous and restrictive to women) is examined. Studies 6 and 7 examine the role of BS in accounting for participants' responses to stranger vs. acquaintance rape perpetrators. The last two studies (Studies 8 and 9) examine the potential role of legal verdicts in moderating the relationship between BS and victim blame in acquaintance rape cases. Taken together, the results support the argument that BS provides a psychological mechanism through which differences in the amount of blame attributed to stranger and acquaintance rape victims can be explained. In contrast, HS provides a mechanism for explaining differences in self-reported proclivity to commit stranger and acquaintance rape. The thesis concludes with a summary of the findings, a discussion of the methodological limitations of the studies and suggestions of directions for future research.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1961. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Vår grundläggande avsikt med studien är att få en större förståelse kring gestaltningen av genus på populärkultur. Det kommer vi att uppnå̊ med att analysera stereotypa representationer av kvinnor och män i tv-serien Stranger things. Vårt övergripande mål med studien är att tydliggöra hur olika normer och sociala strukturer samspelar i media. Vårt syfte med studien är att undersöka om porträtteringen är normbrytande eller om den förstärker rådande genusnormer. Uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk består av hegemoni som tillåter oss att undersöka genus och klass. De teoretiska begrepp som vi använder oss av är bland annat hegemonisk maskulinitet, normkritik och genus. Som metod har vi använt oss av gestaltningsteorin, och vi har vi tagit fram fyra återkommande ramar samt analyserat dem med hermeneutiska verktyg. Vi vill undersöka om det är möjligt att Stranger things är lika genusneutral som den framställts på olika medier eller om serien upprätthåller existerande genusstereotyper och normer. Vad som gör vår studie intressant och olik tidigare undersökningar som tittat på genusroller i media är att vi anser att Stranger things inte skildrar eller förstärker genusstereotyper vid första anblick. Det här gjorde oss intresserade att kritiskt analysera seriens innehåll för att se om det är möjligt för en serie som Stranger things att vara fri från genusstereotyper och normer. Studien avslutas med en diskussion kring porträtteringen av män och kvinnor i serien där vi fastställer att Stranger things påvisar många genusstereotypa karaktärer. Utifrån våra fyra ramar som är stereotyper, sexualisering, normbrytning och hegemonisk maskulinitet konstaterar vi att seriens karaktärer inte är så nyskapande som vi tidigare trodde.

Thesis advisor: John Sallis / Unlike the vast majority of the Platonic dialogues, which feature Socrates as the primary interlocutor, the conversation depicted in Plato's Sophist is led by a Stranger from Elea. While some scholars claim that Socrates' silence throughout the majority of the dialogue and Plato's replacement of Socrates with another philosophic protagonist imply an abandonment of Plato's "earlier," Socratic concerns, careful attention to the Sophist suggests otherwise. In fact, the Sophist appears to be one of the few places in the Platonic corpus where Plato chooses to have two mature philosophers (Socrates and the Eleatic Stranger) confront each other. Plato's dramatic chronology suggests that the conversation depicted in the Sophist takes place the day after Socrates has heard the indictment against him. Thus, the Sophist is part of the series of Platonic dialogues that portray the last days of Socrates--the days leading up to his trial and execution at the hands of the Athenian multitude. At the beginning of the Sophist, Socrates playfully describes the Eleatic Stranger as a cross-examining philosopher-deity who has come to evaluate and judge his philosophical logoi. Additionally, Socrates encourages the Eleatic Stranger to explain the relationship between the philosopher and the sophistic appearance that the philosopher takes on before the ignorant multitude. Socrates remarks imply that while the Athenian demos may not have genuinely understood him, a more accurate inquest can be made by a fellow philosopher. In fact, in the Sophist, the Eleatic Stranger indirectly interrogates the philosophical claims made by Socrates in a variety of other Platonic dialogues. However, the Eleatic Stranger does not simply valorize Socrates' approach to philosophy. While the Eleatic Stranger and Socrates often share similar interests, concerns and conclusions, the Eleatic Stranger is also highly critical of and offers alternatives to some of Socrates' characteristic logoi. In this way, Plato appears to stage a philosophical trial of Socrates in the Sophist--one that encourages his readers to think deeply about the true character of the philosophical life. This dissertation examines the similarities and the differences between Plato's Socrates and the Eleatic Stranger in order to shed light on Plato's own conception of the nature and limits of the philosophical life. It takes the form of a commentary on Plato's Sophist and highlights the conflicts between Socrates and the Eleatic Stranger. Special attention is paid to the Eleatic Stranger and Socrates' disagreements about philosophical methodology and philosophical ontology, both of which are highlighted by the Stranger's critical remarks about Socratic logoi. It is argued that Plato does not side either with the Eleatic Stranger or with Socrates. Instead of simply dismissing one of his philosophical protagonists, Plato encourages his readers to confront both and, thus, begin the investigation of the true nature of philosophy for themselves. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

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The political and economically based social system of neoliberalism fosters an individualistic perspective that informs people’s actions when confronted by a stranger in crisis. When a stranger is witnessed in crisis, the witness follows the lead of the neoliberal individualistic social structures that deny the plight of those in crisis. The stranger is feared and left to fend for herself in her plight. The creation of spectacles and imaginary notions of ‘stranger danger’ as combined with individuals having blasé attitudes reinforce an individualistic perspective. The mass media help in circulating an archive of images in which the stranger is dangerous, different and to be feared. Because these images are so available, and have become expected, compassion fatigue is set in motion when people are confronted with images of strangers in crisis; compassion fatigue is reinforced by the surrounding individualistic social structures.

The political and economically based social system of neoliberalism fosters an individualistic perspective that informs people’s actions when confronted by a stranger in crisis. When a stranger is witnessed in crisis, the witness follows the lead of the neoliberal individualistic social structures that deny the plight of those in crisis. The stranger is feared and left to fend for herself in her plight. The creation of spectacles and imaginary notions of ‘stranger danger’ as combined with individuals having blasé attitudes reinforce an individualistic perspective. The mass media help in circulating an archive of images in which the stranger is dangerous, different and to be feared. Because these images are so available, and have become expected, compassion fatigue is set in motion when people are confronted with images of strangers in crisis; compassion fatigue is reinforced by the surrounding individualistic social structures.

The third place of the corner café has historically served as a community living room, providing an essential setting for social interaction and flânerie within the built environment. With modern technology and communication methods, however, interaction that once required physical proximity can now occur virtually. So where does this leave the corner café in today’s society? Have our third places moved online into fourth places such as Facebook and Twitter? A gallery exhibition entitled #Community is discussed as a visual representation of this written thesis. Methods and frequency of interaction – with others in the physical space as well with those not present – are discussed, providing information which may inform design and provide insight into the relevancy of the built environment in the face of evolving technology.

This thesis explores the complex identities of the Hindu community of Lusaka, Zambia. It argues that current theories in migration and diaspora studies are not sufficient for understanding such groups in post-colonial Africa. The thesis proposes that we should revisit ‘forgotten’ literature, on immigrants as ‘stranger’ communities, that originates from Georg Simmel’s 1908 essay, ‘The Stranger’. Such work, which this thesis terms ‘stranger theory’, usefully contributes to more contemporary approaches by enabling a comprehensive assessment of a community’s position and how that position changes over time. Stranger theory is used in this thesis to situate Lusaka’s Hindus (and Zambian Hindus more generally) as ‘organic’ members of the nation, whose relationships with wider society are characterised by both ‘nearness’ and ‘remoteness’. The thesis first describes the emergence of a Zambian Hindu ethnic identity during colonial and immediate postcolonial (post-1964) periods focussing on migration and settlement patterns, immigrant networks and the emergence of cultural associations. A theme running throughout the thesis is that the ‘plural society’ of the colonial era (a society consisting of separate, racially-categorised groups with limited interaction) has persisted in Zambia in a postcolonial form, and that this is a useful way of understanding the position of the Hindu community in Zambia today. Following the historical discussion is an analysis of how the contemporary city of Lusaka is experienced by its Hindu residents, through mapping out spaces, social structures and practices that remain unique to Lusaka’s Hindus. Lusaka’s Hindu community is presented as both cohesive and fragmented; the thesis goes on to analyse the ways in which community identity itself is frequently broken down and reconfigured by its members. Zambia’s Hindus comprise diverse sets and subgroups of immigrants with uneven and ‘flexible’ approaches to, and experiences of, migration, citizenship and belonging, rather than embodying a single, quantifiable ‘diaspora’ entity. Yet, in local terms, Hindus in Lusaka are often treated as part of a general ‘Indian’ group; indeed, the thesis shows how Hindus’ relationships with other groups in Zambia emphasise the ‘stranger’ dimension of the community’s position in society. Finally, the thesis asserts that Zambian Hindu ‘twice migrants’—those who migrate onwards to new destinations—reinforce the existence and identities of the ‘home’ community in Zambia. Indeed, these twice migrants must be considered as African and Zambian transnational migrants as well as part of a South Asian ‘diaspora’. Methodologically, the thesis is driven by situational analysis, and brings two separate versions of this approach (from Sociology and Anthropology) together, drawing on data collected in Zambia between 2006 and 2008.