The examination of the traditional femininity and women’s lives in ancient China

This thesis explores the evolution of the concept of traditional Chinese femininity in relation to women’s lives in ancient China (221 BCE – A.D.1840). It proposes that the traditional Chinese femininity had been trying to seek a balance between the permanent principles and contingency plans for the stability and development of the society, which caused women’s humiliation and freedom. In reality, politicians and thinkers in ancient China had been transforming the concept of femininity itself to make it more adaptable to the social conditions of that time. This may be discussed in terms of three aspects. Firstly, the traditional concept of Chinese human relationships, including the ethical order, always emphasised the influence of individual behaviour on others and the overall stability and linked development of family, society and nation. Thus, both men and women, must be placed within this interrelated, interacting and cooperating relationship. Secondly, the association of family and country created an overlap of family and public affairs, which, objectively, facilitated the movement of women from the inner to the public arena. Thirdly, the notions of political and ethical morality and of men’s virtues and women’s virtues were integrated because of the union of family and nation. Therefore, typically virtuous women could be a source of encouragement for men and, furthermore, men formulated their virtues in the public space by formulating women’s virtues in the private space. The shaping of the gender image and concept of women in ancient China reflected the country’s changing cultural and gender norms. Chinese femininity and lifestyles, like Chinese history, were a continuous presence in the society but were also constantly changing. Through this study, it could be noted that Chinese women were not hidden and that their subjectivity and the concepts motivating them were not merely devised by a male-dominated society and culture.

‘‘An old quarrel between us that will never be at an end": Middleton’s Women Beware Women and Late Jacobean Religious Politics

In this article, I examine Thomas Middleton's Women Beware Women as a response to the particular religio-political context in the years surrounding 1621. The onset of the Thirty Years War in 1618 and the subsequent humiliation of James' son-in-law Frederick, Elector of Palatine, the vexed question of a possible Catholic marriage for Charles, Prince of Wales, the ever present difficulty of Anglo-Catholic relations, particularly with Spain, as well as growing religious factionalism within the Church of England between Calvinists and Arminians: all contributed towards a culturally febrile atmosphere, one to which, as I will argue, Middleton was well placed to respond. Given Middleton's Calvinistic beliefs, I suggest that Women Beware Women offers an acerbic examination of contemporary debates concerning human will, especially women's will, as well as promoting a sceptically apocalyptic anti-Catholic agenda throughout. I also examine the religious language and imagery used to construct Bianca as the whore of Babylon, and argue that her emergence and fall offer a political commentary on the precarious position of the English Church around 1621.

"The pride of noise": drums and their repercussions in early modern England

This article draws on a wide range of literary and archival sources in order to explore the cultural resonances of drumming in England during the 16th and 17th centuries. It concentrates not on instrument design and playing techniques but on the varied meanings that contemporaries attached to the ubiquitous sound of the drum. The discussion begins and ends with the unmistakable military associations of drumming. In between, consideration is also given to a range of interconnected but sometimes contradictory resonances that appear to have endowed drums with considerable cultural significance. Drums spoke, for example, of authority and they worked hard to impose order in urban streets. They also played their part in the contemporary culture of punishment, and many miscreants were subjected to the humiliation of public percussion. Beyond this, drums were particularly potent in their ability to express masculinity, and female drummers were rare and remarkable. The primal potency of the instrument also rendered it valuable to the insubordinate, and rioters—like soldiers— were regularly called together 'by the drum'. Lastly, the sound of the drum was sometimes intensely festive and could also be used to publicize special events such as dramatic performances and the display of curiosities. The repercussions of drumming were thus varied, and confusion sometimes resulted when the different possibilities became entangled.

Women Speaking of National Security: The Case of Checkpoint Watch

The production of reports and the distribution of information have become integral to the operation of many non-governmental organizations. In this regard, the fact that the all-women organization of Checkpoint Watch publishes reports about the Israeli checkpoints in the occupied West Bank seems to comply with current trends. However, the reports—most of which are short repetitive descriptions of the banality and everydayness of the military checkpoints, counting the number of people and cars waiting, commenting on the manner in which the checks are performed and meticulously documenting what mostly amounts to minor incidents of humiliation and distress—do not seem to abide by any convention of reporting. This work analyzes the reporting praxis of the organization and claims that it should be understood as a form of activism in and of itself. Tracking the ways in which the reports address the Israeli public through the concept of parrhesia, the work suggests that this form of reporting enables the women activists to use their gendered marginality to make their way into the highly masculinized and militarized Israeli security discourse.

«Comment continuer de chanter l'Amérique?» : appartenance des Afro-Américains à la nation américaine et victoire de l'intégrationnisme de Martin Luther King

Comment comprendre la volonté d'appartenir à la nation américaine des Afro-Américains en dépit d'une mémoire faite d'humiliation et d'une accumulation de revers? À plusieurs reprises durant l'histoire américaine, des élites ont proposé à la communauté noire des solutions dites « radicales » qui remettent en question le paradigme dominant de l'intégration à la nation américaine. Ce mémoire tente d'identifier les raisons qui expliquent pourquoi, au cours du mouvement pour les droits civiques, les Noirs font le choix de l'intégration défendu par Martin Luther King et rejettent le séparatisme défendu par Malcolm X. La spécificité du mémoire réside dans l'utilisation de la littérature sur la formation des nations qui me permet d'étudier le choix des Afro-Américains. La nation est vue comme le produit d'une construction qui fait interagir les élites et les masses. J'étudie « par le haut » la façon dont les entrepreneurs ethniques, King et Malcolm X, redéfinissent l'américanité. J'étudie également « par le bas » comment les masses reçoivent les discours de ces élites. Ma première hypothèse se consacre à la formation de l'alliance stratégique entre King et l'exécutif américain qui permet à King de définir l'agenda législatif et d'appuyer son discours sur les gains qu'il réalise. La deuxième hypothèse se penche sur la structure des opportunités s'offrant aux Afro-Américains qui orientent le choix qu'ils font.

Les vidéos de gay bashing : des agresseurs à YouTube

La recherche portera sur la montée des vidéos de gay bashing depuis 2013. Par vidéo de gay bashing, nous entendons des vidéos documentant l’abus physique ou verbal d’individus perçus par les agresseurs comme étant gais, lesbiennes, bisexuels, transgenres ou queer, mais nous nous concentrerons spécifiquement sur des vidéos montrant des agressions envers des hommes. Ces vidéos peuvent être enregistrées par les agresseurs eux-mêmes ou par des témoins de la scène. Il s’agira de situer cette montée dans un contexte politique de retour de lois et sentiments anti-LGBT dans les pays d’où proviennent certaines des vidéos étudiées et par rapport aux différentes théories anthropologiques et socio-historiques concernant les sources et motivations derrière les actes de violence homophobe. Le corpus se composera de trois vidéos venant de Russie («Putin’s Crackdown on LGBT Teens un Russia»), de Lybie («Gay torture and violent in Lybia») et des États-Unis («Attack at gay pride event in Detroit»). L’analyse du corpus se fera en trois temps : d’abord l’analyse de la forme et du contenu des vidéos en tant que tels, ensuite, l’analyse de leur circulation et des différents utilisateurs qui distribuent les vidéos en ligne, et, finalement, l’analyse de la réception des vidéos en portant attention aux commentaires des utilisateurs. Il s’agira de montrer comment les vidéos de gay-bashing effectuent une rupture par rapport à une vision de YouTube, et autres médias sociaux, comme libérateurs et comme lieux d’expression de soi (particulièrement pour les membres des communautés LGBT) et les transforment en lieux d’une humiliation triplée par l’enregistrement de l’humiliation physique et sa diffusion sur le web. Il s’agira ensuite de voir comment la circulation et la redistribution de ces vidéos par différents groupes et utilisateurs les instrumentalisent selon différents agendas politiques et idéologiques, pour finalement se questionner, en s’inspirant du triangle de l’humiliation de Donald Klein, sur le rôle ambivalent du témoin (physique ou virtuel) dont la présence est nécessaire pour qu’il y ait humiliation. Finalement, nous nous intéresserons aux vidéos de témoignages de gay-bashing, vidéos faites par les victimes elles-mêmes, racontant leur traumatisme à la caméra, renouant ainsi avec les vidéos de coming out sous la forme de l’aveu et de la spectacularisation du soi. La présente recherche sera également l’occasion de développer des outils théoriques et méthodologiques propres aux nouveaux médias et aux nouvelles formes et contenus qui s’y développent.

Estratégias de resolução de conflitos em adolescentes angolanos e portugueses

Pretendemos estudar situações de conflito interpessoal e sócio-moral e comparar as estratégias de resolução que são escolhidas por adolescentes de contextos culturais diferentes. Participaram no estudo 89 adolescentes, 44 portugueses e 45 angolanos, com idades compreendidas entre os 14 e os 16 anos, distribuídos de forma equivalente pelos dois géneros. Foram construídos quatro dilemas que configuram situações de conflito interpessoal e moral habituais entre adolescentes (humilhação, inveja, rivalidade entre grupos e traição amorosa) e foram utilizadas quatro medidas, atribuição de comportamento e de emoção, perceção de ganhos e antecipação de custos. Os resultados revelaram que a escolha de estratégias de resolução de conflitos interpessoais (agressão física, agressão verbal, indiferença, negociação e outras) é insensível ao género, mas varia inter-medidas nas histórias de inveja e de traição, varia com o conteúdo sócio-moral das situações, sobretudo entre a história de traição amorosa e as outras histórias, e varia inter-culturas também para a história de traição, onde se verificam diferenças estatísticas nas três medidas. Os resultados mostram ainda que os adolescentes têm dificuldade em antecipar os custos associados às estratégias de resolução de conflitos interpessoais, pois optam maioritariamente por não responder a esta questão.

Gestão de pessoas na perícia criminal de Minas Gerais: condições motivacionais, relações interpessoais, liderança, qualidade no trabalho e na vida

O perito criminal é o profissional que se utiliza de conhecimentos técnicos e específicos na análise dos vestígios de um crime, a fim de descobrir a forma como este se deu e, também, sua autoria. O trabalho pericial pode contribuir com a absolvição ou a condenação de um acusado e, assim, atender aos anseios de justiça da sociedade. Apesar da importância dessa atividade, os métodos e instrumentos de trabalho disponíveis para os peritos pouco evoluíram desde a criação da carreira no estado de Minas Gerais, que convivem, ainda, com locais de trabalho inadequados e, também, com a escassez de recursos materiais e humanos, somados à carência de comunicação e de autonomia na tomada de decisões das chefias; os resultados também apontaram para a interferência de outros agentes públicos, no local do crime, antes do início do trabalho pericial e, ainda, que a comunicação ineficiente traz problemas às relações interpessoais no trabalho. A nova gestão pública determinou metas que devem ser cumpridas, pressionando o profissional a otimizar os resultados do trabalho, sem ter, em contrapartida, melhorias nas suas condições. Além do exposto, o contato direto e frequente com vítimas de violência, ou com o material a elas relacionado, possibilita impacto negativo sobre as emoções do perito criminal, na falta de apoio especializado para lidar com tais situações. Esse contexto alerta para a necessidade da preservação da integridade emocional do perito criminal e, também, para emprego de estímulo à motivação da categoria. A fim de compreender as condições emocionais do perito criminal de Minas Gerais, de como impactam sua qualidade da vida e de trabalho, foi utilizado o método qualitativo de pesquisa, iniciando-se com uma etapa de pesquisa exploratória, na qual vinte e dois profissionais responderam a um questionário semiestruturado. Posteriormente, duzentos e quarenta e oito peritos criminais responderam a questionários semiestruturados; conversas e entrevistas semiabertas foram gravadas com outros dez peritos aposentados ou aguardando a publicação oficial da aposentadoria. As questões foram descritivas, aproximando-se da atitude fenomenológica, buscando compreensão, quando, diante de depoimentos e questionários, a análise de conteúdo e do discurso desempenharam o papel de apoio metodológico. Os sentimentos recorrentes entre os peritos são os negativos, relacionados a medo, apreensão, humilhação, frustração, injustiça, angústia e revolta. Porém, sentimentos positivos também apareceram, esses relacionados à esperança de melhoria de condições laborais, ao entendimento da necessidade da cooperação e da confiança nos pares e, também, do empenho na contribuição social. As conclusões indicam que é necessário a promoção sistemática da comunicação interna e externa, além da intensificação da interação e da cooperação, a fim de favorecer a liderança e o reconhecimento do trabalho pericial, apoiando o envolvimento do profissional com a carreira. A complexidade encontrada nas questões relacionais apreendidas, e os indícios de implicações com a problemática da autonomia na Perícia Criminal, sugere retomada investigativa futura.

Tramas do impedimento: os sentidos da desistência entre Alfabetizandos da EJA

For young people and adults that have not yet conquered reading and writing, being literate is the most important thing in life , a dream . Scholarly learning for them is like hegemonic knowledge in contemporary literate society. Thus, for them to get into school is to be able to have such knowledge and, through it, feel inserted into this society. However, along this process of learning, they start to drop out, little by little, statistically increasing the number of people who give up on young people and adult education Eja, as well as slowly reducing the contingent of illiteracy in the country. With this reality as a starting point, we question the concrete and symbolic reasons or motives that lead to a dropping out of the literacy classes at Eja. To do so, we have established, as the object of our study, the feelings of giving up among those involved in young people and adult literacy training. To understand such feelings is our purpose in this investigation. The theory of Social Representations (MOSCOVICI, 1978, 2004) was the theoretical-methodological option for subsidizing data search, analyses and interpretation, making us perceive the significance of the object of this study for these individuals. The gathering of such symbolic content involved the use of semi-structured interviews with eleven drop-outs and ten students who had repeated this modality of teaching in public schools in Natal, RN, during the 2006 school year. From the thematic and categorical analyses (BARDIN, 1977), we identified elements that gave support to some themes. Later, these themes led to three categories, suggesting that feelings associated with dropping out were based on the following: learning difficulties because they did not understand the contents; having their lack of knowledge exposed, thus bringing forth feelings of shame, humiliation, and embarrassment for not knowing how to read and write at a mature age; work, tiredness and sickness. The students who manage to remain in school are those who force themselves to live with the feelings of maladaptation and those who develop a sense of adaptation the other way round to the institution, that is, acceptance of institutional failures and omissions

As condições e o sentido do trabalho doméstico realizado por adolescentes que residem no local de emprego

The house work is a reality for girls of humble class and one of the most found forms of work among adolescent workers. Moreover, it is a mean of work which reproduces poverty and gender relations within the society. The purpose of this essay in to understand the house work in the life of adolescent workers, emphasizing the meaning produced by these teenagers concerning the job they perform. In order to achieve such goal, questionnaires were applied to 332 adolescents, under 18 years old from public schools (from EJA-supletivo) in Natal, with the purpose of mapping the registration of this activity among young students. Next, 14 adolescents were interviewed in order to recognize the meaning of this work and its repercussions over the teenagery, such as school education, socialization, relations with employers and adolescent s self-image. Later we have noticed most workers among the students from public schools are housemaids. Furthermore, this work is used as a form of social ascension and it contributes for the search for better opportunities in the state capital for adolescents who leave the countryside trying to agree to education and remuneration. This work plays an important role, which is to reproduce gender relations, as a woman works to maintain the private space as a female space and maintains the man out of this relation. Besides it reproduces class relations, ethny and generation conflicts, in which the employer replaces the control the parents have in the adolescent s life. Summing up, this study about house work have negative aspects, related to exploitation, humiliation and mistreat, as well as positive ones, for it permits the adolescent to improve his life conditions. The most important thing is to look for a mean of work in which human and workers rights are respected

A ousadia como horizonte: religando vida e ideias na formação em enfermagem

A proposal of formation in health/nursing built on classic science, on reducing thought and flexnerian paradigm is insufficient to comprehend and intervening with an amplified way on health needs of population, given that it is produced by fragmentation of knowledge, rationalization of thought, mechanizing and biological attitudes. It is necessary that formation in health/nursing allows the construction of effectiveness of principles and guidelines of Unique System of Health (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). In this context of emergency of a complex formation in health/nursing, life trajectories and formation of the nurses: Abigail Moura, Francisca Valda and Raimunda Germano are examples of transgressor and successful experiences which allow inquietude, changing and transforming formation patterns and self-formation. The present study is built from the comprehension of method as strategy , defended by Morin and complexity sciences. Has as objects building biographies of formation of these three nurses who express a formation model more totalizing and humanitarian, analyzing and discussing starting from the three biographic fragments guiding principles for the current process of formation in health/nursing. From the biographies, the courage and humbleness emerge as landmarking principles of their experiences. Humbleness neither as self-depreciation nor humiliation but as consciousness of our uncompleted and unfinished essence, acceptance of boundaries and potential and reduction of intellectual vanity. Courage, for its part, is the human pulsing, uncertain for nature, which brings us to act, to face and persevere on moments of fear and difficulties. A formation in health and nursing based on courage and humbleness allows the subjects to be taken away from indifference, arrogance, inertia, pragmatism: bets on ethic and political subjects capable of minimizing unequal, inhumane and excluding processes. Na intellectual and Professional attitude which politizes the thought and science is what must be expected from a complex formation in health field, in latu mode on nursing, in particular

Giving up reporting the aggressor: reports of female victims of domestic violence

The goal of this study is to describe the experience of female victims of domestic violence, who forfeited the lawsuits against their aggressors. The interviews were oriented by the question: What was your experience of forfeiting the denunciation of your aggressor? Three themes emerged from the convergence of the testimonies: time passed from the aggression to the denunciation and then to the forfeiting; the partner, the family, the women's precinct; reflecting about the experience, which described the studied phenomenon. The women expressed ambiguous feelings for their aggressor: affection, anger, humiliation and fear. They recognize that they are dominated and humiliated, but notions of justice and equality between spouses do not appear in the testimonies. Forfeiting can be understood in the context of the reproduction of the traditional family structure, conditioned to economic and social factors. Results highlight implications about the role of the Women's Precinct and the healthcare institutions in the care for women who were victims of domestic violence.

Desistindo da denúncia ao agressor: relato de mulheres vítimas de violência doméstica

O objetivo do estudo é descrever a experiência de mulheres, vítimas da violência doméstica, que desistiram do processo contra seu agressor. As entrevistas foram orientadas pela questão: Como foi sua experiência de desistir da denúncia contra seu agressor? Das convergências dos depoimentos emergiram três temas: o tempo vivido da agressão até a denúncia e desistência; o companheiro, a família, a delegacia da mulher; refletindo sobre a experiência vivida, que descrevem o fenômeno estudado. As participantes expressam sentimentos ambíguos em relação ao agressor: afetividade, raiva, humilhação e medo. Reconhecem que são dominadas e humilhadas. Porém, noções de justiça e igualdade entre os cônjuges não aparecem nos depoimentos. A desistência do processo pode ser compreendida na concepção da reprodução da estrutura familiar, condicionada a fatores econômicos e sociais. Os resultados remetem à reflexão sobre o papel da Delegacia da Mulher e das instituições de saúde na assistência à mulher vítima da violência doméstica.