El olvido : Análisis temático de la novela De amor y de sombra

La novela realista De amor y de sombra, por la autora Isabel Allende, describe como dos jóvenes luchan contra la “injusticia legalizada” en un lugar ficticio que alude a Chile bajo la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet. Un tema subyacente pero crucial en la obra es el olvido – individual, colectivo e impuesto. Por consiguiente demostraremos en este análisis cómo se presenta el olvido en la novela De amor y de sombra. La hipótesis que dirige nuestro estudio es que el olvido tiene un propósito mayor – destacar la importancia de recordar el pasado. Haciendo un análisis hermenéutico, nos apoyaremos en tres teorías sobre el olvido y el olvido social, resaltando ejemplos de personajes y acontecimientos de la novela. Por ende, en la conclusión se afirma la hipótesis y que la obra de Isabel Allende hace un llamamiento a recordar el pasado.

Motstånd och stöd : en studie av svenska muslimska församlingar

Opposition and Support: A Study of Swedish Muslim Congregations Anti-Islamic attitudes are deeply rooted in Western Europe, and Muslims have, especially in the post-September 11 context, experienced discrimination and demonization. But how do anti-Islamic attitudes affect practicing Muslims and their congregations? The aim of this study, the first of its kind in Europe, is to present a statistically representative view of how Muslim congregations in Sweden experienced the reactions from the surrounding community. The results of the survey carried out show that according to the representatives of the local congregations (n=105) half of the congregations have experienced opposition from the local community and in 40 percent of the congregations criminal offences have been committed against active Muslims or their places of worship.  This opposition is closely connected with two types of situations: either international occurrences (i.e. terrorist bombings in, for example, London, Madrid) or local events that have emphasized the presence of Islam in the public sphere. A multivariate analysis of the results of the study shows that the strongest opposition has taken place in small municipalities with a large proportion of immigrants. However, opposition does not preclude support. On the contrary, opposition appears to have a mobilizing effect on those who support the right of Muslims to exercise freedom of religion. However, neither opposition nor support are the key factors affecting whether congregations see themselves as established in the local community. The degree of anchorage depends on the demographic composition of the congregation and on the degree of contact that the members have with the surrounding community.

The use of the pronouns we, us, and our in political speeches : A comparative study of the inaugural addresses of Bush and Obama

Pronouns carry considerable importance in language. The speaker’s identity and connection to the audience emerges through the consistent use of certain pronouns (De Fina, 1995). This research is about the use of we, us, and our in political discourse. Specifically, their use will be examined in the inaugural addresses of George W. Bush in 2005 and Barack Obama in 2009. The aim of this research is to examine the frequencies and the co-occurrences of these pronouns and then compare their use in these two speeches. More specifically, how do the pronouns examined affect the message and enhance hearer credibility. This is done by applying (a) a quantitative corpus linguistics analysis and (b) qualitative analysis of the context of use. The results show that there is a difference in frequency of pronoun use; however, the usage of pronouns is rather similar in the two speeches