This research is interested in unpacking the injustice that dalit groups, men and women, identify as structuring their lives, as well as the strategies deployed to resist, disrupt and subvert the violence. It is also interested in elucidating the tensions in accounting for caste relations, as well as a gendered conception of dalit relations in Bangalore. The dalit women question has received increasing scholarly as well as political attention in the last couple of decades. However, there is very little literature that seeks to locate the conditions of dalit women’s lives in the context of urban spaces. Understanding gendered caste relations in the space of the city has been no easy process. This is not only because of the conceptual and historical disjunction between caste and class, but also because of the disjunction between caste and conceptions of the space of the city. The over-determination of the centrality of ‘the village’ in the literature on caste does not easily allow for a conception of caste relations in the city. Moreover, the space of the city as a space of freedom in the dalit imagination makes it difficult to locate a critical conception of urban spaces for a dalit politics. In relation to a gendered dalit politics, the need for an internal critique of the patriarchy of dalit politics whilst over-determined, has not produced a robust critique of intra-caste relations. This is also because in demarcating the specific conditions of dalit women’s lives, a gendered dalit politics tends to get caught up in a ‘politics of difference’. Based on primary research with three dalit groups in the city of Bangalore and secondary material, this thesis locates the politics around the naming of identity and the ways in which ‘dalit’ identity has been avowed, disavowed, contested and sometimes not confronted at all, by the groups, and what this means for a dalit politics as well as a dalit feminist politics in Bangalore. It also analyses the politics of naming the injustice of untouchability and the strategies deployed by the respondents to contend with the violence. It provides a gendered account of untouchability and an analysis of untouchability in relation to the city.

This study addresses the relationship between the veil and the constitution of what I have tenned the Muslim female subject in the field of visual and popular culture, with a special emphasis on film. My case-studies range from European historical texts to contemporary visual culture and social practices with reference to the Middle East. The study draws on postcolonial and feminist literature to explore the productions of the Muslim female subject within the discourses of (post)colonialism, nationalism and Islamic patriarchy. It examines the Muslim female subject in relation to the paradigms of veiling and unveiling in a cross-cultural yet context-specific differentiated analysis. The aim is to interrogate the mobility of the veil and the manner in which it can be evaded, substituted or transferred without transgressing the codes of Islamic female modesty. It identifies different manifestations of the veil's mobility, which I contend challenge Islamic hegemonic discourses whilst simultaneously transcending the colonialist paradigm of unveiling. The material I discuss ranges from (de-)colonial cinematic texts, Iranian cinema and advertising for Saudi Arabian Television. I look at canonical texts such as Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Abbas Kiarostami's 10 (2002) in view of their significance in scholarship relating to the Muslim female subject within film studies. I also examine manifestations of the veil in the field of fashion and make extensive reference to paradigmatic representations of the Muslim female subject in contemporary art and curatorial projects.

This is a study of the social and legal consequences of family breakdown in Nigeria as a whole but with specific reference to Borno State. It examines the effects of family breakdown on the husband and wife or wives and their children under the General Laws, Customary Law and Islamic Law of the people of Maidugurij Biu, and Gwoza areas of Borno State. The study covers the post-Independence period-i. e from 1960 to today. The aim of the study is to show how the social and economic changes in society affect the family at divorce. Although social change is part of any society, this study shows that the formal law on family breakdown and its consequences have not kept pace with social change, and that the dichotomy between state law and customary or Islamic law on family breakdown exists only in court. Thus the authority of the extended family, and within it, the dominance of men over womens, has not been specifically disturbed by the increasing Westernisation and rural-urban migration that has taken place since Independence. It is under this situation that the rights of women, property settlement on divorce, maintenances, and custody of children, as the main indicators of the consequences of family breakdown in any society has to be gauged. The role of the law and the state is also discussed. We argue that all the post-Colonial governments in the Federation were responsible for the present deplorable condition of victims of family breakdown not only in Borno State but throughout the country. Thus there has been no state-provided Social welfare to cater for deserted wivest children, and destitutes despite the ever increasing needs of such persons in a society that is rapidly changing. It is within this context that the effect of family breakdown on the people of Borno State is examined. The study argues that the various state authorities in Nigeria tend to abandon their responsibility to the family to the traditional customary institutions, such as the extended familyf which are now incapable of meeting the needs of victims of family breakdown. Moreoveri, the traditional family based economic system does not help women on divorce because it is predicated on the traditional power structure within the home which is in favour of men. on divorce, women are invariably left high and dry# and with few alternatives than to return home to their parents or other extended family members for support.

This thesis takes a grounded theory approach to researching the lives of 15 couples from the East London borough of Barking and Dagenham: new migrants and UK-born second generation couples, all of whom had recently become parents. The couples were interviewed between 3 − 12 months postpartum, and the interviews transcribed and coded. Themes surrounding the parents’ experiences of childbirth were explored, as were their feelings about their place in the local community, issues of social cohesion and personal identity. As the data were being transcribed, theoretical concepts then began to emerge: a loss of personal control within the health care system; the use of the internet as a resource for new families and also to create family cohesion across continents; becoming a new family and the responsibility which that entailed; geographical transitions; isolation; issues of social cohesion and multiculturalism; and concepts of place, home and personal identity. Findings were viewed through a Ecological Systems theoretical framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The study is relevant to providers of community and health care services, local authority and national policy makers who have a responsibility for developing such services and regenerating post-industrial areas.

Under a socio-cultural backdrop where death and loss is heavily stigmatized and community resources for the dying and the bereaved are lacking, Hong Kong requires a public health approach for empowering its people to become active participants in the governance of mortality. “Health-promoting palliative care” (HPPC) translates the hospice ideals of total person care into much broader public health languages and practices, focusing not only on palliation but also prevention, harm reduction, community action, policy advocacy, and most importantly, education and research. Despite their significance, life and death education and Thanatology research has received little attention in Hong Kong. The recent General Education (GE) reform for tertiary institutions, which aims to nurture students’ creativity and civility through the liberal arts, provides a timely opportunity to actualize HPPC. The current study provides a formative account of the development and implementation of a new thanatology course, “The Last Dance: Understanding Death and Dying” offered by the University of Hong Kong, and critically examines its efficacy for reducing negative death perceptions and enhancing positive life attitudes among a group of undergraduate students. Adopting a mixed methods research design and a holistic approach to education evaluation, it utilizes: 1) a quantitative pretest-posttest survey to assess course effectiveness with the standardized tools of Death Attitude Profile-Revised, Meaning-in-Life Scale and Spirituality Scale, as well as a series of ad hoc items on traditional death taboos and death preparedness behaviors; and 2) a qualitative analysis of 100 randomly selected students’ reflective writings for identifying factors that facilitate effective learning. Results from paired-sample t-test with 85 students who have successfully completed the pretest-posttest survey provide robust evidence that The Last Dance was effective in significantly reducing students’ fear of death, death avoidance tendency, and taboo beliefs that oppress death, while promoting active participation in the governance of mortality through increased death preparedness behaviors. Moreover, The Last Dance was found to be effective in enhancing students’ sense of meaning in life, spirituality and interconnectedness. Framework analysis of Students’ reflective writing revealed 12 themes that illuminate the specific learning contents, pedagogy activities, key attitudinal and behavioral changes, as well as significant learning outcomes which supported the quantitative results. These 12 themes were organized into four categories: 1) “Mortality Matters”, which includes Consideration of Palliative Care and Euthanasia, Expression of Death via Arts and Media, and Exploration of Death Rituals and Spirituality; 2) “Teachable Moments” which includes Multi-Media Lectures, Funeral Home Visitation, and Examination of life; 3) “Shifting Perspectives”, which encompasses Cultivating Insights, Renewing Meaning, and Applying Knowledge; and 4) “Ego Awakening” which encompasses Normalization of death, Appreciation of Life, and Recognition of Common Humanity. These 4 categories and their respective 12 themes together form a “Thanatology Pathway to Transformative Growth”, highlighting the vital significance of carefully integrating stimulating learning contents with engaging pedagogical activities for developing an effective and holistic thanatology curriculum; one that focuses not only on skills and knowledge transfer, but also on cultivating life appreciation and compassionate living through an enhanced understanding of death, dying and bereavement.

Zimmermannová, V. Depiction of Women in Contemporary Czech Art. /Graduation Thesis/ Prague 2010. Charles University in Prague. Faculty of Education. Department of Fine Art Education. Supervisor J. Bláha. This graduation thesis aims to describe and reflect on the views relating to the depiction of women, female corporality, identity, sexuality and other elements related to the topic of women in contemporary Czech art. The thesis tries to explore characteristic methods of expression and topical schemes that connect contemporary works of art, and at the same time puts them into the context of art history, sociocultural theories of sex and gender, and current media production. Furthermore, it presents a variety of ways to apply this theme in fine art education lessons at secondary and special art school. key words women, art, depiction, corporality, body, identity, sexuality, gender, meaning, stereotype

Diploma thesis "The Position of Woman in Judaism and Islam with Respect to Human Rights" deals with the status of woman in traditional religious communities. It points out the disparity between the status of woman and man, often inadequate concept of universal human rights. The work focuses on human rights itself, from the perspective of religion and from the perspective of the West. It shows their similarities and differences. Part of the work is devoted to the status of woman from ancient times until the present. A large part is devoted to the status of woman in traditional family and her obligations towards man. Mainly discusses marriage and divorce. Does not forget to even mention the current state of women's status in Israel and Saudi Arabia, as the dominant religious leaders. In this work are interpreted true testimony of women about their status. We will meet both responses, the positive and the negative.

The goal of this study was to find out how TV series from the normalization era written by Jaroslav Dietl showed women and their issues. I focused on the 70's and 80's TV series, whose stories take place at the time when they were made. First, I set ten model situations based on the professional literature. Then I applied them on selected female characters from the chosen series and determined whether these model situations were used (heroine was not displayed stereotypically) or not (heroine was displayed stereotypically). I applied a similar system on ten films from the normalization era to compare the characters with each other, to compare Dietl's TV series with each other and to compare his work with other works. I found out that Jaroslav Dietl fulfilled the stereotypes about women at that time, but only to some extent. Ratio of female characters beyond stereotypes to stereotype characters was 26:34 (rounded 0.76). He also used very often a character of a submisive woman who is usually displayed in her home with her family. Another finding is that Dietl's work offers several distinctive heroines, namely Alžběta Čeňková, Dana Králová (both from TV series Nemocnice na kraji města) and Ivana Pešková (TV series Inženýrská odysea). Nemocnice na kraji města is also the only case which displays more...

This thesis deals with veiling of Czech women who convert to Islam, those who were born here, were brought up here and have a full Czech sociocultural background. The thesis focuses on the reasons for veiling in the Czech milieu, the real possibility of veiling in the Czech Republic, the emotional side of those women and the change in their visual appearance itself. It also discusses the changes in the acceptance of conversion to Islam in informants' families after they began to veil themselves. The thesis focuses on problems of the employment and the possibility of veiling being contraproductive in the western society. The whole thesis is based on a qualitative research and supported by the personal testimonies and life stories of eleven key informants and testimonies of secondary respondents. Their statements have been linked with theories that deals with veiling and clothing from different scientific perspectives and are compared with studies among female converts in other European countries, USA and Canada. Keywords: religion, Islam, conversion, hijab, veiled women, Czech, Muslim

Les femmes rencontrent certains obstacles pour s’insérer dans le monde du travail. Elles souhaitent avoir leur place et veulent pouvoir négocier des modalités de leur inclusion dans les espaces publics, qui peuvent être culturellement différents, tout en conservant leur propre identité. Ainsi, la structuration et la dynamique identitaires sont sous l’influence de facteurs socioculturels, économiques et familiaux, eux-mêmes combinés avec l’intentionnalité des acteurs. Il s’agit donc d’étudier quelle est l’influence de la culture dans les choix professionnels, et de vie, des jeunes femmes en France et en Algérie. Nous verrons que le choix du projet professionnel impose aux jeunes femmes la construction de stratégies identitaires afin de concilier vie professionnelle et vie familiale, et les représentations sociales de la culture d’origine orientent les décisions des jeunes femmes quant à leur projet de vie.L’essor de l’activité féminine, autant en France qu’en Algérie, correspond autant aux impératifs socio-économiques qu’aux évolutions des mentalités des différentes sociétés, ainsi que des aspirations et des revendications des femmes elles-mêmes. En effet, les cultures dites traditionnelles progressent plus doucement que les cultures dites modernes où la libération de la femme s’est faite depuis déjà plusieurs années. Mais malgré toutes les embûches pouvant subvenir sur le chemin de ces jeunes femmes, elles restent très motivées pour changer leur destin et améliorer leurs conditions de vie. Le travail peut ainsi leur apporter une certaine autonomie financière. Par conséquent, les femmes gagnent de plus en plus leur indépendance face aux hommes. / The women meet certain obstacles to fit into the world of the work. They wish to have their place and want to be able to negotiate modalities of their inclusion in public places, which can be culturally different, while preserving their own identity. So, the identical structuralization and the dynamics are under the influence of sociocultural, economic and family factors, themselves were organized with the intentionnalité of the actors.It is thus a question of studying what is the influence of the culture in the professional choices, and the life, the young women in France and in Algeria. We shall see that the choice of the professional project imposes to the young women the construction of identical strategies to reconcile professional life and family life, and the social representations of the culture of origin direct the decisions of the young women as for their life plan.The development of the feminine activity, as much in France as in Algeria, corresponds as much to the socioeconomic imperatives as to the evolutions of the mentalities of the various societies, as well as the aspiration and the demands of the very women. Indeed, the traditional said cultures progress more slowly than the modern said cultures where the Women's Liberation was made for already several years. But in spite of all the pitfalls which could meet on the road of these young women, they remain very motivated to change their fate and improve their living conditions. The work can so bring them a certain financial autonomy. Consequently, the women win more and more their independence in front of men.