The African studies course of the Instituto de Estudos Superiores Militares. An analysis of the correlations and conflictive character inside the triangle - Development, environment and security - in Africa’s Nigeria

Relatório de Estágio de Mestrado em Ciência Política e Relações Internacionais Globalização e Ambiente

ENERGÍA EÓLICA Y PAISAJES PROTEGIDOS: CONTROVERSIAS EN EL PARQUE NATURAL DE MONTESINHO

As one of the case studies developed under the international project “Eoliennes et paysage” we could follow the controversial issue of wind power and protected areas in the Montesinho Natural Park, Northeast Portugal, where the local populations demand the setting up of a wind farm in unproductive communal lands, aspiring to benefi t economically from it, while the preservationist claims against wind power within the protected area are sensed by them as an external and illegitimate interference in the communitarian management of a local heritage. Although wind power installation in Montesinho mountains is yet only a virtual possibility (facing hard administrative and technical barriers), this case study contributed to shed light into the kind of negotiations that are being promoted at local and regional levels, and how the present banning of wind power in the region due to conservation restrictions is reactivating ancient antagonisms.

Travestis brasileiras em Portugal : percursos, identidades e ambiguidades

Os séculos XX e XXI corresponderam ao agudizar de processos globalizantes potenciados pelas novas tecnologias, quer no âmbito comunicacional, quer industrial, sublinhando dinâmicas de desruralização e de construção de tecidos urbanos densos onde o anonimato se tornou possível na vivência de experiências, outrora reconduzidas ao silêncio do sujeito socialmente isolado. A diferença, enquanto experiência vivida, tornou-se comunitariamente possível, surgindo grupos que delimitam geograficamente determinadas áreas urbanas a que correspondem afinidades eróticas ou de práticas sexuais, inicialmente de gays e lésbicas. Quebra-se na prática a uni-direccionalidade entre sexo e género, entre sexo e sexualidade, questionando-se esquemas de relações assimétricas e modelos de pensamento enraizados (heterossexualidade, patriarcado, machismo, etc.). Rubin (1975 in Lewin 2006, in Vance, 1984) propõe a existência de dois sistemas diferenciados de sexo e género que tornam plausível, sob o ponto de vista analítico, a não correspondência entre sexo, género e sexualidade. O paradigma máximo desta autonomia sistémica alcança-se na construção de uma identidade travesti. Esta identidade mutante, mutável e instável parece acompanhar um mundo de fluxos intensos e interdependências múltiplas. É na sociedade global que as travestis encontram espaço para a vivência comunitária da sua experiência, constituindo-se como um grupo com práticas transnacionais, marcado pela mobilidade de género e geográfica, primeiramente dentro das fronteiras brasileiras e depois para a Europa. Cidade, prostituição e migração surgem como factores chave da disseminação geográfica e identitária desta comunidade. Este projecto tomado sob uma perspectiva global mantêm ou reinventa relações com a estrutura, que aparentemente as apaga enquanto actores sociais e da qual, aparentemente, se auto-excluem.

The Greying Church: The Impact of Life Expectancy on Religiosity

Many churches are concerned about older and dwindling congregations. We develop a theoretical framework to explain not only the downward trend in church attendance, but also the increase in the proportion of older people in the congregations. Religiosity depends positively on the expected social and spiritual benefits attached to religious adherence, as well as the probability of entering heaven in the afterlife. While otherworldly compensation in terms of salvation and spiritual benefits motivates religiosity, the costs of formal religion in terms of time allocated to communal activities and foregone income work in the opposite direction. We show that higher life expectancy discounts expected benefits in the afterlife and is hence likely to lead to postponement of religiosity. For this reason, religious organizations should be prepared to attract older members to their congregations, while emphasizing contemporaneous religious benefits to increase overall church attendance.

Self-Confidence, Overconfidence and Prenatal Testosterone Exposure: Evidence from the Lab

This paper examines whether the degree of confidence and overconfidence in one's ability is determined biologically. In articular, we study whether foetal testosterone exposure correlates with an incentive-compatible measure of confidence within an experimental setting. We find that men (rather than women) who were exposed to high testosterone levels in their mother's womb are less likely to overestimate their actual performance, which in turn helps them to gain higher monetary rewards. Men exposed to low prenatal testosterone levels, instead, set unrealistically high expectations which results in self-defeating behaviour. These results from the lab are able to reconcile hitherto disconnected evidence from the field, by providing a link between traders'overconfidence bias, long-term financial returns and prenatal testosterone exposure.

Collective victimisation and collective guilt in the former Yugoslavia : the interplay between individual, local and societal levels

The thesis examines the impact of collective war victimization on individuals' readiness to accept or assign collective guilt for past war atrocities. As a complement to previous studies, its aim is to articulate an integrated approach to collective victimization, which distinguishes between individual-, communal-, and societal-level consequences of warfare. Building on a social representation approach, it is guided by the assumption that individuals form beliefs about a conflict through their personal experiences of victimization, communal experiences of warfare that occur in their proximal surrounding, and the mass- mediatised narratives that circulate in a society's public sphere. Four empirical studies test the hypothesis that individuals' beliefs about the conflict depend on the level and type of war experiences to which they have been exposed, that is, on informative and normative micro and macro contexts in which they are embedded. The studies have been conducted in the context of the Yugoslav wars that attended the breakup of Yugoslavia, a series of wars fought between 1991 and 2001 during which numerous war atrocities were perpetrated causing a massive victimisation of population. To examine the content and impact of war experiences at each level of analysis, the empirical studies employed various methodological strategies, from quantitative analyses of a representative public opinion survey, to qualitative analyses of media content and political speeches. Study 1 examines the impact of individual- and communal- level war experiences on individuals' acceptance and assignment of collective guilt. It further examines the impact of the type of communal level victimization: exposure to symmetric (i.e., violence that similarly affects members of different ethnic groups, including adversaries) and asymmetric violence. The main goal of Study 2 is to examine the structural and political circumstances that enhance collective guilt assignment. While the previous studies emphasize the role of past victimisation, Study 2 tests the assumption that the political demobilisation strategy employed by elites facing public discontent in the collective system-threatening circumstances can fuel out-group blame. Studies 3 and 4 have been conducted predominantly in the context of Croatia and examine rhetoric construction of the dominant politicized narrative of war in a public sphere (Study 3) and its maintenance through public delegitimization of alternative (critical) representations (Study 4). Study 4 further examines the likelihood that highly identified group members adhere to publicly delegitimized critical stances on war. - Cette thèse étudie l'impact de la victimisation collective de guerre sur la capacité des individus à accepter ou à attribuer une culpabilité collective liée à des atrocités commises en temps de guerre. En compléments aux recherches existantes, le but de ce travail est de définir une approche intégrative de la victimisation collective, qui distingue les conséquences de la guerre aux niveaux individuel, régional et sociétal. En partant de l'approche des représentations sociales, cette thèse repose sur le postulat que les individus forment des croyances sur un conflit au travers de leurs expériences personnelles de victimisation, de leurs expériences de guerre lorsque celle-ci se déroule près d'eux, ainsi qu'au travers des récits relayés par les mass media. Quatre études testent l'hypothèse que les croyances des individus dépendent des niveaux et des types d'expériences de guerre auxquels ils ont été exposés, c'est-à-dire, des contextes informatifs et normatifs, micro et macro dans lesquels ils sont insérés. Ces études ont été réalisées dans le contexte des guerres qui, entre 1991 et 2001, ont suivi la dissolution de la Yougoslavie et durant lesquelles de nombreuses atrocités de guerre ont été commises, causant une victimisation massive de la population. Afin d'étudier le contenu et l'impact des expériences de guerre sur chaque niveau d'analyse, différentes stratégies méthodologiques ont été utilisées, des analyses quantitatives sur une enquête représentative d'opinion publique aux analyses qualitatives de contenu de médias et de discours politiques. L'étude 1 étudie l'impact des expériences de guerre individuelles et régionales sur l'acceptation et l'attribution de la culpabilité collective par les individus. Elle examine aussi l'impact du type de victimisation régionale : exposition à la violence symétrique (i.e., violence qui touche les membres de différents groupes ethniques, y compris les adversaires) et asymétrique. L'étude 2 se penche sur les circonstances structurelles et politiques qui augmentent l'attribution de culpabilité collective. Alors que les recherches précédentes ont mis l'accent sur le rôle de la victimisation passée, l'étude 2 teste l'hypothèse que la stratégie de démobilisation politique utilisée par les élites pour faire face à l'insatisfaction publique peut encourager l'attribution de la culpabilité à l'exogroupe. Les études 3 et 4 étudient, principalement dans le contexte croate, la construction rhétorique du récit de guerre politisé dominant (étude 3) et son entretien à travers la délégitimation publique des représentations alternatives (critiques] (étude 4). L'étude 4 examine aussi la probabilité qu'ont les membres de groupe fortement identifiés d'adhérer à des points de vue sur la guerre critiques et publiquement délégitimés.

A Five Year Tobacco Action Plan (PDF 188KB)

Smoking claims between 2,700 and 3,000 lives here each year. It is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and avoidable illness. It also harms people who do not smoke and babies in the womb. Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, strokes and other diseases of the circulatory system, which kill two in every five men and women here. These diseases are also important causes of disability. A lifetime non-smoker is 60% less likely than a current smoker to have coronary heart disease and 30% less likely to suffer a stroke. åÊ

Garden to Plate

North Tipperary Food Partnership aims to improve access to healthy food and build community and skills through food growing initiatives. `The Garden to Plate` project was set up as part of Nenagh Community Allotments, a voluntary group who lease a site privately containing up to 20 allotments and a communal green house. The North Tipperary VEC Community Education and Back to Education Initiative Projects rent two allotments from NCA offering a certified learning opportunity and generating a space for the wider benefits of learning. The adults engaged are mainly men both recently and long term unemployed with a range of skills and experiences. A small study has been conducted with participants to identify feedback on skills and knowledge gained including those related to health and nutrition. A report is available. North Tipperary Leader Services, VEC Initiative Type Community Food Growing Projects Location Tipperary Funding North Tipperary Leader Services, VEC Partner Agencies NTLS/VEC/HSE/NCA/Council

Cloughmills Incredible Edibles Project

Cloughmills Incredible Edibles Project aims to reconnect people with each other, their community and the natural world by developing a sustainable, fair and healthy food system in Cloughmills. They aim to teach people where food comes from, appreciate seasonal diversity and environmental impacts of food, be confident in cooking and celebrate the role of food in our lives. They will improve diet related health, reduce impacts of food poverty, make their community more resilient, increase choices available to and skills within their community, maximise the impacts of every pound spent locally and develop a shared food vision.   Food growing skills, communal and domestic using containers and permaculture/organic techniques; Foodscape the community – grow food in public spaces; Recruit ‘Fruit and Veg’ champions to support growing at home; ‘Share the Surplus’ – encourage and connect people with surplus produce to share. Cookery classes for all ages; Shared learning events on food skills & techniques; ‘Bake Your Lawn’ in schools – growing, harvesting, milling and baking breads; Develop mushroom growing project as a social enterprise for young people; Teaching lost skills related to food; Host pizza & movie nights where all ages make their own pizzas; promote a lovefoodhatewaste campaign with community and businesses. Totally Local campaign promoting local/seasonal produce; mystery market stall every month showcasing local produce, cooking tips; facilitate development of more food businesses; establish food hub. Part of theCFI Programme 2013-2015 Initiative Type Community Food Growing Projects Nutrition Education and Training Programmes Location Antrim Partner Agencies safefood

The Swiss Willensnation at Risk: Teachers in the Cultural Gap during the First World War

As a neutral and multilingual country, Switzerland struggled with major domestic political conflicts during the First World War due to the two cultures of the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of the country. The divided cultural loyalties ('fossé moral', 'Röstigraben'), consisting of Swiss-Germans supporting Germany and Swiss-French supporting France, were discussed intensively in both of the main teachers' journals in Switzerland. Teachers felt the need to react and to promote unity from the beginning of the war. Despite the fact that the cantons are responsible for public education and, therefore, for the education of their students, teachers considered themselves called to educate their students to be national citizens rather than to be members of a language group. This threefold citizenship - communal, cantonal and national - was not scrutinised, but national unity became crucial due to the critical political circumstances. How did teachers promote and constitute citizenship for themselves and for their students in a nation united by free will during the First World War, a time of severe internal political conflicts?

Leading Double Lives: The History of the Double House in Des Moines, 2005

How people choose to live depends on a variety of social and economic circumstances. Single family dwellings, extended family compounds, and communal apartment blocks are all forms of residential architecture that have ancient roots and occur in every culture. Each form both reflects and affects the living styles of the people who reside there. The double house, which shelters two families in units separated by a wall or floor, balances the convenience of an apartment with the psychological comforts of a home. During the mid to late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States, the double house was hugely popular in some cities, such as Minneapolis and Milwaukee, but only a minimal presence in Des Moines

Social organization and mating system of free-ranging, greater white-toothed shrews, Crocidura russula

Indirect evidence from trapping suggests that Crocidura russula is less solitary and territorial than other shrews. To study the social organization and mating system, free-ranging adult and juvenile C. russula were tracked simultaneously throughout the year using a radioactive tracking technique. Coincident rest, coincident activity and home range overlap were measured. During winter, all individuals used the same communal nest and spent on average 84% of their total rest in coincident rest. This led to a large home range overlap (52% on average). Coincident activity was low (2% on average). At the onset of the reproductive season the females became, territorial and shared their nest with only one male. During pair formation, coincident activity and home range overlap were significantly greater between than within sexes. The social organization of C. russula appeared to be strongly influenced by season and differed in this respect from the other species in the genus Sorex which are territorial throughout the year.

The molecular basis of social behavior: models, methods and advances.

Elucidating the molecular and neural basis of complex social behaviors such as communal living, division of labor and warfare requires model organisms that exhibit these multi-faceted behavioral phenotypes. Social insects, such as ants, bees, wasps and termites, are attractive models to address this problem, with rich ecological and ethological foundations. However, their atypical systems of reproduction have hindered application of classical genetic approaches. In this review, we discuss how recent advances in social insect genomics, transcriptomics, and functional manipulations have enhanced our ability to observe and perturb gene expression, physiology and behavior in these species. Such developments begin to provide an integrated view of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of complex social behavior.

Diet and breeding success of long-eared owls in a semi-arid environment

Only a few studies, and mostly in temperate climates in Europe, have examined the breeding and diet of long-eared owls (Asia otus) compared to studies of cavity-breeding owls, possibly because of the difficulties in reaching the nests of the former. Here we studied a population of long-eared owls, monitoring the diet of breeding owls and that of owls at a communal roost, every two to three months during 2006 -2009, in a semi-arid region in Israel. It was found that the studied owls produced more young than in most countries in Europe. Diet was not associated with breeding parameters of the owls, whereas laying date was negatively correlated with both clutch size and number of nestlings. We found that more social voles (Microtus socialis) and fewer birds and house mice (Mus musculus) made up the diet at nests than that of adults at the roosts. The diet and breeding of long-eared owls in Israel differ from that in Europe, with birds and mice comprising an important part of the diet, in addition to voles.

Cohesió social, alimentació i immigració

El projecte té com a objectiu general descriure accions comunitàries relacionades amb el menjar i la cohesió social. L’objectiu específic del projecte és recollir bones pràctiques d’entitats de Barcelona que treballin sobre la cohesió social i els espais alimentaris amb l’objectiu de dinamitzar l’intercanvi d’elements culturals, entre d’altres. La metodologia emprada en aquest treball ha estat un estudi descriptiu transversal de tipus qualitatiu, tenint en compte les tècniques emprades: anàlisi documental, observació participant i entrevistes a professionals. Les experiències analitzades per a la realització del treball resulten experiències d’èxit que basen la seva activitat en la utilització de l’alimentació com a eina per treballar la cohesió social, a partir de la creació d’espais comunitaris que permeten l’intercanvi d’elements culturals entre els participants