Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:54:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Final Igor Jose.pdf: 981537 bytes, checksum: a1a54ed3936793ba5546a654989500c8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-28 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas / The territorial ordainment characterized as a manifestation of social aspects in order to maintain the functionality of their own reality. In the current thinking is a place for nature and one for human society. Some areas are organized to live, while other chosen to be protected. In some places the accesses are allowed for one group while in other places there is an impediment. From this social order established for the area, this study proposed to examine the social uses of young people living in the suburb of Manaus in a surrounding area of the Reserva Ducke forest provide these young people and how such use taking into account the frequency, the attachment and belonging to place. This research took into account the daily life of young people in places of social e family formation, leisure and sports, and wandering places. Hundred and thirty youngster took part of this study. The results showed that the places relating to personal and social formation are important spaces for those young people, which as a rule, pointed high indices of frequency and satisfaction and stand out as a reference for educational and citizenship dimensions. It was also evident that those young people develop different activities with different intensities in places for leisure and sport and the wandering places. However, these places are considered as space of socialization relations (where to interact with their peers friendship opportunities) than necessarily specific activities that these places offer. Even though the places presented are not frequented by most of these youngsters, those who attend show high levels of satisfaction, which suggests the formation of juvenile territorialities. These places are thus suitable for young people who give strong evidence of attachment, where the places of personal and social education are highlighted, followed by leisure and sport seats and finally, the wandering places. The findings of this study tell us that these young people, even with restrictions of opportunities, create territorialities from such those very few possibilities they receive and turn to see their social needs met. / O ordenamento territorial caracteriza-se como uma manifestação dos aspectos sociais, de modo a manter a funcionalidade de sua própria realidade. No pensamento vigente há um lugar para a natureza e outro para a sociedade humana. Algumas áreas são organizadas para morar, enquanto outras áreas são escolhidas para serem protegidas. Em alguns lugares os acessos são permitidos para um grupo enquanto que, noutros lugares há um impedimento. A partir dessa ordem social instituída para o espaço, este estudo se propôs a analisar os usos sociais de jovens que vivem no subúrbio de Manaus numa área de entorno da Reserva Florestal Ducke e como esses jovens estabelecem tal uso levando em consideração a freqüência, o apego e pertencimento aos lugares. Essa investigação levou em conta o cotidiano dos jovens em lugares de formação pessoal e familiar, lazer e esportes e errância. Participaram desse estudo 130 jovens de ambos os sexos. Os resultados apontaram que os lugares referentes à formação pessoal e social são espaços importantes na vida dos jovens entrevistados, os quais via de regra, possuem índices de freqüência e satisfação muito elevados e se destacam como ambientes de referência para atividades educacionais e de cidadania. Constatou-se ainda que os jovens desenvolvem atividades diversas e com intensidades também distintas nos lugares destinados ao lazer e esporte e de errância. Entretanto, esses lugares são considerados mais ambientes de socialização (lugares de interação com outros jovens fazer amigos) do que necessariamente atividades específicas que o lugar oferece. Estes lugares não são freqüentados pela maioria dos jovens, mas os que os freqüentam mostram índices elevados de satisfação, o que nos indica a formação de territorialidades juvenis a partir dessa identificação em cada ambiente. Tais lugares são assim apropriados pelos jovens os quais atribuem fortes evidências de apego, onde os lugares de formação pessoal e social se destacam, seguidos pelos lugares lazer e esporte e por fim, os lugares de errância. As constatações desse estudo nos informam que esses jovens, mesmo tendo restrições de possibilidades, criam territorialidades com o pouco que lhes é oferecido e os transformam para verem suas necessidades socioambientais supridas.

Whilst it is realised that children's attitudes are established in the early years there has been a dearth of studies into the socio-cultural factors affecting young children's perceptions of physical activity. It has been recognised that there is an urgent need for investigators to try and develop insights into how these children interpret the messages they receive from significant others. Grounded theory has become accepted as a valuable approach to gathering and interpreting qualitative data. It encourages the researcher to make sense of the social world by providing a framework which allows theories to emerge from data collected in contrast to traditional research methodologies where the emphasis is on testing set hypotheses. This study reviews the status of the grounded theory literature and assesses the potential use of this approach in developing substantive and formal theories accounting for behavioural phenomena amongst young children. There exist two almost contrasting approaches to using grounded theory, the Glaserian and Straussian, both of which are complex and difficult to understand; if however the researcher is to make an informed choice about which approach is most suitable it is necessary to evaluate and consequently choose one of these two approaches. Fifty four children, seven to nine years of age, were studied over a four year period, using interview and observational data collection techniques to establish their activity choices and attitudes towards physical activity. Peers were found to have a strong influence, particularly in the later years spent in primary school. The grounded theory analysis produced a core category subsequently labelled, 'Interpreting Myself - The Identity Profile Continuum' and composed of three axes. There were also three mediating categories which, together with the core category serve to account for behavioural phenomena amongst the sample. Children were found to create an identity for themselves based around the way that they interpret messages from parents and peers. Identities can change in different social contexts and over time. As they become older. however, children begin to accept their identity which contours their behaviour and attitudes towards both organised sport, physical education and playground activities.

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Since housing choice and strategy are the result of both an individual’s financial capability in a particular life stage, as well as overall political-economic circumstances, the study of housing behavior has been used to emphasize processes of urban development and social change. However, housing behavior in the Chinese context has not attracted much research attention. Although many studies have been done on various topics surrounding China’s housing reform, only several quantitative studies have touched upon the topic of individual housing behavior. All of the existing literature is based on statistics before 1998 when work-unit housing distribution was officially repealed. This thesis offers an update of qualitative information on how young white-collar workers approach homeownership after 1998. Ten young homeowners from Beijing, together with some practitioners in the housing market and two governmental officials were interviewed. Based on the information offered by the interviewees, this thesis examines how state policies, market situations, family structure, and special characteristics of Beijing as a capital city impact the housing choices and strategies of young homeowners. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Background: Obesity has been identified as a global epidemic and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although obesity has been widely recognized for its consequences on physical health, its psychological burden in the adult populations remains unclear. Objectives: Our purpose was to address the relationship between Obesity status and psychological health within the adult young population in the Middle East and particularly in Lebanon (first aim). In addition, we intended to develop and validate a screening tool for the assessment of psychological distress (PD) in the obese young adult populations (second aim). Methods: To achieve the first aim, three studies were conducted. The first study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that investigate the association between obesity and depression among adult populations in Middle Eastern countries. The second study was a cross sectional that aimed to explore the relationship between obesity and PD among the Lebanese University Students. The third study was conducted to examine the effects of actual body weight and body image on PD using a convenient sample of obese Lebanese young adults. The second aim was accomplished by conducting a fourth study to develop and validate a measure of PD related to obesity using three different samples of obese young adults. Results: The systematic review identified eight observational studies from six countries of the Middle East. Meta-analysis showed a significant positive association between obesity and depression (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.11–1.44) particularly in women (Study1). Among the Lebanese university students, no evidence of a positive association was found between obesity and PD for both genders (Study 2). This result was confirmed in our third study in which body image dissatisfaction rather than obesity per se was associated with greater risk for PD. Finally, the “Obesity Specific Distress scale” (OSD) developed to measure distress in the obese young adult population demonstrated good psychometric properties regarding internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity (Study 4). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggests a positive association between obesity and depression among adult population in the Middle East which appeared to be more marked among women. This is of public health significance and provides a framework for establishing policy interventions to diagnose and treat depression in obese adults. In Lebanon, young obese adults who suffer from body image dissatisfaction are at increased risk of PD. Public health interventions targeting PD at the population level may need to promote healthy attitudes towards body weight, body shape and self-acceptance, regardless of weight status. Finally, the developed instrument used to assess young obese persons with high risk of PD can help promote a better understanding of the association between PD and obesity. This might improve the outcome and provide the patients with more efficient treatment. / Doctorat en Santé Publique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This thesis investigates how sport is employed in the new media age as mediated sport goes through the liminal phase of new media. Set against the contextual background of recurrent ‘moral panics’ that accompanied each new wave of media innovation, this study aimed to chart young people’s involvement in sport via the use of new media technology. The thesis concentrated on three research issues: access to, uses of, and the displacement effect of new media. Four major forms of new media were included in the study – digital television, the Internet, mobile telephony and video games. The study used a mixed method design of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The data collection was conducted in two phases: survey methods were first used to examine the audience experience of new media sports, and follow-up interviews of young people were then conducted to investigate motives for media choice and the perceived gratifications of new media sport. ‘Uses and Gratifications’ theory was utilised as the theoretical basis for examining user motives. Eight hundred valid responses were obtained from the questionnaire-based survey [a response rate of 94%] and follow-up interviews were conducted with 12 young people [selected purposively among volunteers from the pool of questionnaire respondents]. A key conclusion drawn from this thesis is that the Internet did not displace televised sport. The findings also suggest that the use of new media sport can have positive effects on sport and physical activities participation. Conversely, there was no support for the popular perception that media users participate in sport and physical activities less; many of them were in fact active in the pursuit of sport and physical activities.

M.A. / Using the concept of resilience, this study investigates mechanisms and strategies used by young men in Zola, Soweto to cope in adverse circumstances. The study breaks with the preoccupation of social science research with 'youth as trouble' issues and resonates with the United Nations' objective to drive forward notions of human development which aim at sustaining support and collaboration in assisting people to develop their full potential. In specific, the study asks the question “What are the mechanisms and strategies that young men in Soweto use to cope in adverse circumstances?” The study, contrary to most resilience studies worldwide, employed a qualitative methodology and relies strongly on data collected in 2007 through in-depth interviews and participant observation among young men of 18-24 years of age in Zola, Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg. The findings highlight how notions of masculinity contribute to the legitimisation of crime and the high uptake of criminal responses to adversity in a context of poverty and inequality – a process I discuss in light of Michael Ungar's notion of 'hidden resilience'. The project's contributions to research are threefold: Firstly, the study contributes to the international body of resilience literature by providing a context-specific account of risk and adaptation among young men in an urban township environment in South Africa. Secondly, it adds to recent discussions on the appropriateness of different methods in studying resilience by reflecting on some of the most common approaches to researching resilience among children and youths. Lastly, the project takes a glance at potential fields of interest for policy and programme development that emanate from the study's innovative perspective on 'youth at risk' in Zola.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Menstruation is a quintessential phenomenon unique to females which prepares the body for reproductive functioning. Although this phenomenon is a natural biological process of development, social institutions such as science, socio-cultural factors, religion and the media impact young women’s perceptions of menstruation. Media, in particular advertising has been instrumental in conveying specific versions of reality that mirrors Western capitalist and patriarchal ideologies of women and their bodily processes. Media representations of menstruation portrays it as a ‘hygiene crisis’, rational and in need of symptomatic treatment. Media portrayal of women’s bodies highlights the importance of identifying ways in which advertising contributes to young women’s perceptions of menstruation. The aims of this study are twofold; firstly this study aims to understand how young women’s perceptions of menstruation are constructed. Secondly, this study also aims to explore young women’s perceptions of menstrual product advertising in print media. Literature shows that the media often portrays menstruation as a ‘hygiene crisis’ instead of a maturation process. Improved hygiene seems to be the rationale and modern answer of ‘treating’ symptoms. Literature also identifies advertising as a pervasive form of media, which is often unconsciously acknowledged, and it is thought to convey specific versions of reality in order to mirror Western capitalist and patriarchal ideology. Taking these factors into consideration shows the importance of identifying ways in which advertising contributes to young women’s perceptions of menstruation. Positioned within a social constructionist framework, specifically on macro social constructionism the emphasis is on unpacking power relations and how this exercises social control over women. The use of social constructionism strengthens the study with focusing on the importance of how perceptions are constructed through interactions with our environments. This study utilized a qualitative approach using focus groups as the data collection method. The sample comprised of 16 participants recruited from the female population aged 18-23 years from a University in the Western Cape. Foucauldian discourse analysis was employed to analyse the data collected. All ethical requirements as stipulated by the University were strictly adhered to. This study will therefore contribute to the dearth of literature in the South African context as literature in this area is very limited and inaccessible. This study in particular contributes to the South African body of knowledge by furthering the understanding of how societal messaging influences and perpetuates power relations and the social control of women.

This thesis explores the lived experience of race as told through narratives of the city. It draws on photo diaries, observations and qualitative interviews with 32 people aged between 20 and 30 years old in three areas of Manchester. It examines how discourses, which construct UK cities as tolerant and multicultural spaces, are reproduced by the respondents and yet are contradicted by their everyday experiences. It argues that narratives that actively silence race, for example through notions of tolerance and colour-blindness, obscure the ways that people are differentially positioned and makes it difficult to name difference and name racism. The thesis explores a series of dilemmas that form part of the struggle to reconcile multiple and often contradictory levels of experience and situates these within the broader political context. The thesis engages with discussions around what have been broadly defined as ideas of ‘post-race’. It argues that the city becomes a useful avenue through which to direct this discussion, because it acts as a location in which race is imagined in conflicting ways; simultaneously as a site of segregation and conflict and cosmopolitanism and ‘mixing’.The thesis explores how people talk race through their representations of different spaces of the city. It argues that people’s stories about their relationship to place help make perceptible the different ways that they deal with difference. Race is silenced in narratives of place, emerging primarily through coded references to class and criminality, except when it is articulated with exotic and ‘sympathetic’ representations of the ‘ethnic’ or ‘migrant’ neighbourhood, or with a white underclass. It also examines how, within these narratives, people talk about knowing others that they emphasise are racially or ethnically different. Notions of tolerance and colour-blindness are invoked throughout these narratives and used to suggest that they are emblematic of a new generation. The thesis argues that the respondents' narratives resonate with national discourses of multiculture that imagine liberal spaces of cosmopolitanism and, simultaneously, silence inequalities and exclusion. The central problem is that these discourses and processes of silencing do not take account of the meanings of race and how people are differentially positioned. Consequently, they disable questions about the significance and the effects of race. This has implications for how racism can(not) then be named. People subjected to racism are, instead, under pressure to assimilate and conform to the behavioural norm. The thesis argues that respondents’ narratives of the everyday can, therefore, be interpreted as a form of orientalism (Puwar 2004). They are indicative of the kind of multiculturalism that ‘tolerates’ and ‘bestows rights’ on the racialised Other, but does nothing to demythologise the Other, or engage with the needs of minorities (Amin, 2010). The façade of ‘racial etiquette’ when it is constructed as such, thus implies a ‘refusal to understand’ (Foucault 1978), because to do so would necessitate confronting the currency of racism and the fact of white privilege.

In this thesis project I explore economically disadvantaged young women's responses to notions of ideal and deviant femininity circulating within contemporary mass media. Specifically, I examine six young women's expressed accounts and critiques of particular forms of femininity in relation to their own experiences of social exclusion. Additionally, and drawing upon an experimental adaptation of Walter Benjamin's montage method, I assess the symbolic links between mass media representations of femininity and exclusion along classed and gendered lines. I use this adaptation of Benjamin's technique to historicize and contextualize dominant notions of ideal (deviant) femininity circulating in the contemporary moment and to engage in a "reflexive" (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992) analysis of my own entanglement with the norms and values which proliferate within mass media. The foundational thinking which directs my aims throughout this thesis explores the analytical possibilities of joining the complementary theoretical work of Hannah Arendt and Pierre Bourdieu within an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate