Breaking the Pattern and Creating New Paths – Feminist Mizrahi Women Artists in Israel

This article addresses the work of Mizrahi women artists, i.e., Israeli-Jewish women of Asian or African ethnic origin, using the artist Vered Nissim as a case study. Nissim seeks to affirm the politics of identity and recognition, as well as feminism in order to create a paradigm shift with regards to the local regime of cultural representations in the Israeli art scene. Endeavouring to find ways of undermining the rigid imbalances between different social groups, she calls for a comprehensive reform of the status quo through artistic activism. Nissim employs a style, content, and medium that disrupts the accepted social order, using humour and irony as unique weapons with which she takes liberties with conventional moral, social, and economic values. Placing issues of race, class and gender at the centre of her work, she seeks to undermine and problematize essentialist attitudes, highlighting the political intersections of different identity categories as the critical analysis of intersectionality unfolds.

Toxic substances in blood: an analysis of current recommendations under a Bayesian (decision) approach

This article extends existing discussion in literature on probabilistic inference and decision making with respect to continuous hypotheses that are prevalent in forensic toxicology. As a main aim, this research investigates the properties of a widely followed approach for quantifying the level of toxic substances in blood samples, and to compare this procedure with a Bayesian probabilistic approach. As an example, attention is confined to the presence of toxic substances, such as THC, in blood from car drivers. In this context, the interpretation of results from laboratory analyses needs to take into account legal requirements for establishing the 'presence' of target substances in blood. In a first part, the performance of the proposed Bayesian model for the estimation of an unknown parameter (here, the amount of a toxic substance) is illustrated and compared with the currently used method. The model is then used in a second part to approach-in a rational way-the decision component of the problem, that is judicial questions of the kind 'Is the quantity of THC measured in the blood over the legal threshold of 1.5 μg/l?'. This is pointed out through a practical example.

(Re)writing the other/self : autoethnography in the transcultural arena of representation

Abstract: In Imperial Eyes Mary Louise Pratt (1992: 7, emphasis original) defines autoethnography as "instances in which colonized subjects undertake to represent themselves in ways that engage with the colonizer's own terms ... in response to or in dialogue with . . . metropolitan representations." Although Pratt's conceptualization of autoethnography has much to offer post-colonial studies, it has received little attention in the field. In this thesis, I interrogate Pratt's notion of autoethnography as a theoretical tool for understanding the self-representations of subordinate peoples within transcultural terrains of signification. I argue that autoethnography is a concept that allows us to move beyond some theoretical dualisms, and to recognize the (necessary) coexistence of subordinate peoples' simultaneous accommodation of and resistance to dominant representations of themselves. I suggest that even when autoethnographic expressions seem to rely on or to reproduce dominant knowledges, their very existence as speech acts implicitly resists dominant discourses which objectify members of oppressed populations and re-create them as Native Informants. I use Pratt's concept to analyze two books by Islamic feminist sociologist Fatima Memissi. Memissi's Dreams ofTrespass and Scheherazade Goes West illustrate the simultaneity of accommodation and disruption evident in autoethnographic communication. Across the two books, Memissi shows herself renegotiating the discourses which discipline her (and her speech). She switches back and forth between the positions of reader and author, demonstrates the reciprocity of the disciplinary gaze (she looks back at her dominants, reading their own reading of her representation of her social group), and provides a model of autoethnographic dialogue.

The new woman, femininity and modernity in Margery Allingham's detective novels of the 1930s /

This thesis examines Death of a Ghost (1934), Flowers for the Judge (1935), Dancers in Mourning (1937), and The Fashion in Shrouds (1938), a group of detective novels by Margery Allingham that are differentiated from her other work by their generic hybridity. The thesis argues that the hybrid nature of this group of Campion novels enabled a highly skilled and insightful writer such as Allingham to negotiate the contradictory notions about the place of women that characterized the 1930s, and that in dOing so, she revealed the potential of one of the most popular and accessible genres, the detective novel of manners, to engage its readers in a serious cultural dialogue. The thesis also suggests that there is a connection between Allingham's exploration of modernity and femininity within these four novels and her personal circumstances. This argument is predicated upon the assumption that during the interwar period in England several social and cultural attitudes converged to challenge long-held beliefs about gender roles and class structure; that the real impact of this convergence was felt during the 1930s by the generation that had come of age in the previous decade-Margery Allingham's generation; and that that generation's ambivalence and confusion were reflected in the popular fiction of the decade. These attitudes were those of twentieth-century modernity--contradiction, discontinuity, fragmentation, contingency-and in the context of this study they are incorporated in a literary hybrid. Allingham uses this combination of the classical detective story and the novel of manners to examine the notion of femininity by juxtaposing the narrative of a longstanding patriarchal and hierarchical culture, embodied in the image of the Angel in the House, with that of the relatively recent rights and freedoms represented by the New Woman of the late nineteenth-century. Pierre Bourdieu's theory of social difference forms the theoretical foundation of the thesis's argument that through these conflicting narratives, as well as through the lives of her female characters, Allingham questioned the Hsocial myth" of the time, a prevailing view that, since the First World War, attitudes toward the appropriate role and sphere of women had changed.

Monstrum : the vampire in the detective story /

My approach to the vampire detective highlights its connections to the private detective's story and reveals the monstrous investigators' debt to early feminist forms of detection -specifically in their reformation of the' other' and of traditional forms of power and authority. Seen in this light the movement of horror's imaginary 'other' into the rational world of detection can be seen as not an abrupt breach of detection's realist conventions, but an almost seamless transition into symbolic spaces that point to the detective's primary function -- to make sense of the senseless. It is in this light that I explore the monster that is a detective as a symbol that is also a sense-maker, and a quintessential postmodern figure. I argue that the distinctions between monsters and 'others', and between popular narratives and postmodern religion have faded, culminating in a character that can not only model 'otherness' as an exemplary condition, but also provide strategies for modeling the form of active postmodern subjectivity that postmodern theorist Jim Collins' (1989) conceives of as heretical activity.

The shifting terrain of feminist theory and activism : university-based women's centres and third wave feminism

This thesis, based on the results of an organizational ethnography of a university-based feminist organization in Southern Ontario (the Centre), traces how third wave feminism is being constituted in the goals, initiatives, mandate, organizational structure, and overall culture of university-based feminist organizations. I argue that, from its inception, the meanings and goals of the Centre have been contested through internal critique, reflection, and discussion inspired by significant shifts in feminist theory that challenge the fundamental principles of second wave feminism. I identify a major shift in the development and direction of the Centre that occurs in two distinct phases. The first phase of the shift occurs with the emergence of an antioppression framework, which broadens the Centre's mandate beyond gender and sexism to consider multiple axes of identity and oppression that affect women's lives. The second phase of this shift is characterized by a focus on (trans) inclusion and accessibility and has involved changing the Centre's name so that it is no longer identified as a women's centre in order to reflect more accurately its focus on mUltiple axes of identity and oppression. Along with identifying two phases of a major shift in the direction of the Centre, I trace two discourses about its development. The dominant discourse of the Centre's development is one of progress and evolution. The dominant discourse characterizes the Centre as a dynamic feminist organization that consistently strives to be more inclusive and diverse. The reverse discourse undermines the dominant discourse by emphasizing that, despite the Centre's official attempts to be inclusive and to build diversity, little has actually changed, leaving women of colour marginalized in the Centre's dominant culture of whiteness. This research reveals that, while many of their strategies have unintended (negative) consequences, members of the Centre are working to build an inclusive politics of resistance that avoids the mistakes of earlier feminist movements and organizations. These members, along with other activists, actively constitute third wave feminism in a process that is challenging, contradictory, and often painful. A critical analysis of this process and the strategies it involves provides an opportunity for activists to reflect on their experiences and develop new strategies in an effort to further struggles for social justice and equity.

Will the "fight" ever end? : a critical reading of the metaphors and discourses that construct HIV/AIDS in an African context

In this thesis, I critically examine the discourses that inform how we conceptualise HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa as they are produced in a sample of Canadian news articles, two nonfiction texts - Stephanie Nolen's 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa and Jonathan Morgan and the Bambanani Women's Group's Long Life ... Positive HIV Stories - as well as two literary texts - John Le Carre's popular fiction novel The Constant Gardener and an anthology of stories and poems from Southern Africa titled Nobody Ever Said AIDS, compiled and edited by Nobantu Rasebotsa, Meg Samuelson and Kylie Thomas. Paying particular attention to the role of metaphor in discursive formation, I have found that military metaphors, usually used in conjunction with biomedical discourses, continue to dominate what is said about HIV/AIDS. However, the use of military metaphors to conceptualise HIV/AIDS contributes to stigma and limits the effectiveness of responses to the pandemic. I argue that accessing alternative metaphors and discourses, such as biopsychosocial discourse, can lead to a more layered - and more beneficial - conceptualisation of HIV/AIDS, encouraging a more active response to the pandemic.

Relationship between photoperiod, plasma concentration of ionic calcium and the histology of the prolactin-secreting cells of the rostral pars distalis of the pituitary gland, the corpuscles of stannius and the ultimobranchial gland in the goldfish, Carassius auratus L. /

The relationship between photoperiod, plasma concentration of ionic calcium and the histology of the prolactin-secreting cells of the rostral pars distalis of the pituitary gland, the Corpuscles of Stannius and the Ultimobranchial gland were investigated. Neither the plasma concentration of ionic calcium nor histologically apparent prolactin cell activity could be correlated with photoperiod. Some evidence of a photoperiodic effect on both the Corpuscles of Stannius and the Ultimobranchial gland was obtained. The expected reciprocal relationship between the activity of these glands was not obvious at the histological level . Quantitative and qualitative analysis at the light microscope level revealed, however, that the hormone prolactin-secreting eta cells of the rostral pars distalis and the hypocalcin-secreting cells of the Corpuscles of Stannius may be arranged in a lamellar pattern comprized of synchronous bands of cells in like-phase of a secretory cycle consisting of four stages - synthesis, storage, release and reorganization. Such synchronized cell cycles in these glands have not heretofore been described in literature. It is suggested that the maintenance of at least 255? of the cells in any one phase of the cycle ensures a supply of the required hormone at all times.

Wirklichkeit und Fiktion : Alfred Döblins „Tatsachenphantasie“ in seinem historischen Roman „November 1918“

Thèse réalisée en co-tutelle avec l'Université Libre de Berlin, Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie

Louise Bourgeois dans le réseau de ses interprétations

Pour respecter les droits d’auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Dramatizing whoredom : prostitution in the work of Tennessee Williams

Cette thèse explore le leitmotiv de la prostitution dans l’oeuvre de Tennessee Williams et soutient que la plupart des personnages de Williams sont engagés dans une forme de prostitution ou une autre. En effectuant une analyse formaliste des textes de Williams qui illustrent toute forme de prostitution, avec une attention particulière à quatre grandes pièces, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Suddenly Last Summer (1958) et Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), cette présente étude fait valoir que le dramaturge utilise un mode de fiction—le gothique—en lien avec une pratique transgressive—la prostitution—pour relier les classes sociales et troubler les catégories de prostitution. Ce faisant, Williams offre une vision plus représentative et nuancée de la prostitution. Théoriquement, cette thèse repose sur des oeuvres critiques portant sur le genre, la sexualité et l'histoire de Michel Foucault, David Savran, et Michael Paller afin de situer la dramaturgie de Williams dans le contexte historique et culturel des années 1940 et 1950. La première partie de cette thèse (chapitres un et deux) fournit de nombreuses informations autobiographiques et biographiques qui expliquent pourquoi la prostitution est devenue le thème de prédilection pour Williams. Cette section met l’accent sur sa préoccupation constante à l’égard de sa prostitution artistique (en prostituant son art pour le succès commercial) et sexuelle (en payant pour des prostitués). Cette partie présente également un inventaire détaillé des prostituté(e)s, que je divise en trois catégories: 1) la prostitution des enfants, 2) la prostitution masculine et 3) la prostitution féminine. La deuxième partie de cette étude, composée des chapitres trois et quatre, identifie les personnages de Williams qui s’engagent dans une forme de prostitution morale. Ce groupe comprend ceux qui tirent directement profit de la prostitution des autres ainsi que ceux qui se marient uniquement pour un gain financier ou une promotion sociale ou les deux. L’oeuvre de Williams résiste la représentation stéréotypée de la prostituée en littérature comme étant uniquement de sexe féminin ou provenant des classes sociales défavorisées ou les deux. La prostituée de Williams n’est ni une figure romantique ni une rebelle menaçant la société. Cette thèse conclut qu’en représentant des enfants prostitués, des femmes de rue, des prostitués de sexe masculin, des souteneurs, des proxénètes, des propriétaires de bordels, des leaders corrompus et des personnes qui se prostituent en concluant des mariages de convenance, Williams a effectivement et incontestablement dramatisé la prostitution sous toutes ses formes.

Évaluation de la fréquence des micronoyaux et du potentiel clastogène et/ou aneugène du benzo-a-pyrène suite à une exposition in vitro des lymphocytes humains

Le benzo-a-pyrène (BaP) est un cancérogène reconnu pour l'homme, contaminant présent dans notre environnement. Il cause des dommages à l'ADN que nous avons mesurés dans les lymphocytes exposés à de faibles concentrations de BaP, provenant de 20 jeunes volontaires non fumeurs et en santé. Suite à l’exposition, la fréquence des micronoyaux (MN) augmente significativement et décrit une courbe dose-réponse non linéaire, suggérant le déclenchement du processus de détoxification et la réparation de l’ADN. Des différences entre les individus et entre les sexes sont présentes dans la réponse génotoxique produite par le BaP. Le test des aberrations chromosomiques montre que le pourcentage de chromosomes cassés augmente significativement dans les cellules exposées au BaP. Combinés avec l'augmentation de la fréquence des MN, nos résultats confirment l'effet clastogène du BaP déjà rapporté dans la littérature. L’hybridation in situ en fluorescence (FISH) des MN avec une sonde pancentromérique est aussi utilisée pour établir leur mécanisme de formation. La FISH révèle que la majorité des MN formés après une exposition au BaP contient un centromère et plus, ce qui est significativement différent de la condition non exposée. Plus précisément, dans nos conditions expérimentales, les MN induits par le BaP contiennent surtout trois centromères et plus, indiquant également la présence d'un effet aneugène. L'effet clastogène du BaP est relié à son rôle d'initiateur dans la cancérogenèse, alors que l'effet aneugène le relierait à l'étape de progression. Ces résultats sont importants puisque l'exposition aux composés de la classe du BaP est de longue durée (cigarette, air pollué).

From cognition to action : a psychological investigation of action regulation in complex and uncertain social systems

Cette thèse présente une revue des réflexions récentes et plus traditionnelles provenant de la théorie des systèmes, de la créativité en emploi, des théories d’organisation du travail et de la motivation afin de proposer une perspective psychologique de la régulation des actions des individus au sein d’environnements de travail complexes et incertains. Des composantes de la Théorie de la Régulation de l’Action (Frese & Zapf, 1994) ainsi que de la Théorie de l’Auto-Détermination (Deci & Ryan, 2000) sont mises en relation afin d’évaluer un modèle définissant certains schémas cognitifs clés associés aux tâches individuelles et collectives en emploi. Nous proposons que ces schémas cognitifs, organisés de manière hiérarchique, jouent un rôle central dans la régulation d’une action efficace au sein d’un système social adaptatif. Nos mesures de ces schémas cognitifs sont basées sur des échelles de mesure proposées dans le cadre des recherches sur l’ambiguïté de rôle (eg. Sawyer, 1992; Breaugh & Colihan, 1994) et sont mis en relation avec des mesures de satisfaction des besoins psychologiques (Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens & Lens, 2009) et du bien-être psychologique (Goldberg, 1972). Des données provenant de 153 employés à temps plein d’une compagnie de jeu vidéo ont été récoltées à travers deux temps de mesure. Les résultats révèlent que différents types de schémas cognitifs associés aux tâches individuelles et collectives sont liés à la satisfaction de différents types de besoin psychologiques et que ces derniers sont eux-mêmes liés au bien-être psychologique. Les résultats supportent également l’hypothèse d’une organisation hiérarchique des schémas cognitifs sur la base de leur niveau d’abstraction et de leur proximité avec l’exécution concrète de l’action. Ces résultats permettent de fournir une explication initiale au processus par lequel les différents types de schémas cognitifs développés en emplois et influencé par l’environnement de travail sont associés à l’attitude des employés et à leur bien-être psychologique. Les implications pratiques et théoriques pour la motivation, l’apprentissage, l’habilitation, le bien-être psychologique et l’organisation du travail dans les environnements de travail complexes et incertains sont discutés.

Engendered Conversations: Gender Subversion Through Fictional Dialogue in Lawrence, Hemingway and Forster

This dissertation examines gendered fictional dialogue in popular works by D.H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway and E.M. Forster, including Howards End (1910), The Sun Also Rises (1926) and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928). I apply Judith Halberstam’s notion of female masculinity to direct speech, to explore how speech traits inform modernist literary aesthetics. My introduction frames this discussion in sociolinguistics, Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, M.M. Bakhtin’s discourse theory, and gender studies. It provides an opportunity to establish experimental dialogue techniques, and the manipulation of gendered talk, in transgressive texts including James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922), Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) and Radcyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (1928). The first chapter discusses taboos and dialect in D.H. Lawrence’s fictional dialogue. The second chapter establishes gender subversion as a crucial element in Ernest Hemingway’s dialogue style. The third chapter contrasts Forster’s latently gendered speech with his techniques of dialect emphasis and dialect suppression. Finally, my conclusion discusses gender identity in the poetry of Dorothy Parker and Baroness Elsa von Freytag Loringhoven, and the temporality of gender in “Time Passes” from Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse (1927). New Woman characters like Lady Brett Ashley typified a crucial moment in women’s liberation. They not only subverted stereotypes of womanhood through their dress or sexual freedom, they also adopted/adapted masculine idiom to shock, to rebel against and challenge male dominance. Different speech acts incited fashionable slang, became a political protest symbol or inspired psychoanalytic theory. The intriguing functions of women’s masculine speech in early twentieth century fiction establishes the need to examine additional connections between gender and talk in literary studies.

Impact of Self-generation of Priorities and Non-preemptive Service in Single/Multiserver Queues

In this thesis we have studied a few models involving self-generation of priorities. Priority queues have been extensively discussed in literature. However, these are situations involving priority assigned to (or possessed by) customers at the time of their arrival. Nevertheless, customers generating into priority is a common phenomena. Such situations especially arise at a physicians clinic, aircrafts hovering over airport running out of fuel but waiting for clearance to land and in several communication systems. Quantification of these are very little seen in literature except for those cited in some of the work indicated in the introduction. Our attempt is to quantify a few of such problems. In doing so, we have also generalized the classical priority queues by introducing priority generation ( going to higher priorities and during waiting). Systematically we have proceeded from single server queue to multi server queue. We also introduced customers with repeated attempts (retrial) generating priorities. All models that were analyzed in this thesis involve nonpreemptive service. Since the models are not analytically tractable, a large number of numerical illustrations were produced in each chapter to get a feel about the working of the systems.