Democracry and the Individual

The main question informing this paper is whether it is possible to extend democracy beyond its liberal forms. The paper reflects upon this question with regard to its implications for the individual. For the radicalization of democracy implies a need for self-transformation, if the everyday egoism of contemporary citizens is not to thwart reasonable discussion and participation. Theorists such as Richard Rorty argue that the philosophical resources required to guide such self-transformation can be made available only by sacrificing the political freedom and cultural diversity liberalism has been able to precariously establish. Other theorists insist that the thresholds of pluralism and tolerance that existing liberal democracies are struggling to maintain actually require an extension of democracy. The paper evaluates two different theoretical strategies that aim to identify potentials for democratization without falling prey to the dilemma identified by Rorty: a ‘ deliberative’ strategy explicated with reference to Jürgen Habermas and an ‘existential’ approach represented here by William Connolly.

Effects of soil water availability on water use efficiency of Eucalyptus cloeziana and Eucalyptus argophloia plants

Effects of soil water availability on transpiration efficiency (WUET), instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEi) and carbon isotope composition (delta(13)C) were investigated in 7-month-old plants of humid coastal (Gympie) and dry inland ( Hungry Hills) provenances of Eucalyptus cloeziana F. Muell. and in a dry inland provenance of E. argophloia Blakely (Chinchilla), supplied with 100 (W-100), 70 (W-70) and 50% (W-50) of their water requirements. At W-100, WUET of the three provenances were not significantly different but as available soil moisture decreased, E. argophloia produced greater biomass and demonstrated significantly higher WUET than either E. cloeziana provenance. Midday WUEi was not significantly affected by watering regime within each provenance but was lowest in E. argophloia. A decrease in soil water availability caused a consistent increase in delta(13)C values in all three provenances; however, delta(13)C values of E. argophloia in all three water regimes were significantly lower than those of E. cloeziana provenances, which did not differ significantly from each other. For all three provenances, delta(13)C was not correlated with WUEi but height and root collar diameter were negatively correlated to delta(13)C. There was little evidence of differences in delta(13)C, WUET and WUEi between E. cloeziana provenances but clear differences between E. cloeziana and E. argophloia. The high WUET, low WUEi and low delta(13)C for E. argophloia may have implications in the selection of Eucalyptus provenances for commercial forestry in low-rainfall regions.

Ácidos húmicos extraídos do lodo de esgoto sanitário e seus efeitos em plantas

O lodo de esgoto possui alto teor de matéria orgânica porém, também estão presentes diferentes poluentes e patógenos. Desta forma, neste trabalho foi extraído ácido húmico (AH) o qual é um composto resultante do fracionamento de substâncias húmicas que compreendem um grupo de compostos de carbono gerados na decomposição de resíduos orgânicos que sofrem ressíntese formando o húmus. O ácido húmico promove diversos benefícios nos vegetais, como crescimento, elongação celular, tolerância a estresses e aumento da permeabilidade da membrana plasmática. Com base nestas características, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos citogenéticos (ensaio Allium cepa), fisiológicos, anatômicos e bioquímicos do ácido húmico do lodo de esgoto sanitário. Foi realizada caracterização elementar do material para a definição das doses. Após 20 dias de tratamento, foram realizadas coletas do material e, posteriormente, analisadas. A caracterização química do AH indicou-o como bom condicionador para culturas apresentando elevadas taxas de C, H e N. Não foi observado efeito de toxicidade, citotoxicidade, genotoxicidade e mutagenicidade do AH. Foi verificado aumento expressivo de todos os pigmentos fotossintéticos vegetais nas concentrações mais altas (2 mM C L-1 e 4 mM C L-1). Houve aumento da expressão da ATPAse em todos os tratamentos e das enzimas do estresse oxidativo (CAT, SOD, APX, GST) em diferentes concentrações. A integração destas análises permitiu concluir que o ácido húmico do lodo de esgoto pode ser utilizado como adubo orgânico, pois foi observado benefícios no vegetal tais como maior crescimento vegetal e aumento da atividade nas enzimas do estresse oxidativo.

Efeito da jabuticaba (Myrciaria caulifora), do fruto da palmeira juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius) e do jambolão (Syzugium cumini) sobre o perfil lipídico, a glicemia e a endotoxemia em camundongos submetidos à dieta de cafeteria

O excesso de gordura corporal induz a um quadro inflamatório associado à endotoxemia metabólica e aumento da resistência à insulina, bem como altera o perfil lipídico que resulta em prejuízos a função hepática e renal. Estudos sugerem que a ingestão de alimentos antioxidantes, como os polifenóis, proporcionam efeitos benéficos sobre os metabolismos glicídico e lipídico. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito da casca de jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora), da polpa do açaí juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius) e do jambolão (Syzygium cumini) sobre o perfil lipídico, a glicemia e a endotoxemia em camundongos Swiss submetidos à dieta de cafeteria. Inicialmente, os frutos foram liofilizados e submetidos à avaliação da composição centesimal. O ensaio biológico contou com 50 camundongos machos adultos da raça Swiss distribuídos em 5 grupos (n=10/grupo), a saber: grupo tratado com dieta comercial padrão (controle negativo), grupo tratado com dieta de cafeteria (controle positivo) e grupos teste que receberam por 14 semanas a dieta de cafeteria suplementada com 2% de casca de jabuticaba, ou polpa do jambolão ou polpa do açaí juçara liofilizados. Na 13ª e 14ª semana foram determinadas a tolerância à insulina e à glicose dos animais. Ao final do período experimental, avaliaram-se o ganho de peso, os parâmetros bioquímicos sanguíneos, histopatológicos e endotoxemia. Os parâmetros bioquímicos avaliados foram: colesterol total (CT) e as frações HDL-c, LDL-c, triacilgliceróis (TAG), bem como proteína C reativa (PCR), aspartato aminotransferase (AST) e alanina aminotransferase (ALT). Na histopatologia foram avaliados os efeitos da dieta hipercalórica sobre a área dos adipócitos, esteatose hepática e função renal a partir do número e área dos glomérulos. A endotoxemia foi avaliada pela concentração de lipopolissacarídeos (LPS) no soro dos animais. Aplicou-se o teste t para comparação dos resultados entre os grupos controle e ANOVA, complementada com teste de Tukey (α=5%), para comparação dos grupos suplementados com os frutos e o controle positivo. A suplementação com 2% de jambolão à dieta de cafeteria resultou em redução significativa (p<0,05) do conteúdo de CT, LDL-c, TAG, da razão CT/HDL, bem como diminuição da área dos adipócitos dos animais tratados com os frutos. A suplementação com açaí juçara também foi capaz de reduzir o conteúdo de CT, TAG e a área dos adipócitos, além de elevar a tolerância à glicose. Por outro lado, a jabuticaba não foi eficaz na melhoria dos parâmetros relacionados ao metabolismo lipídico, ao metabolismo da glicose e dos aspectos histopatológicos. A suplementação com 2% dos frutos liofilizados não promoveu efeitos positivos na redução do ganho de peso, resistência à insulina e endotoxemia provocada pela ingestão da dieta de cafeteria. Além disso, os frutos também não foram eficientes na preservação da histologia renal e infiltração lipídica no fígado. Conclui-se que a inclusão do jambolão e do açaí juçara na dieta pode apresentar efeitos positivos sobre danos causados por dietas hiperlipídicas, especialmente no que se refere à dislipidemia, à tolerância à glicose e à hipertrofia dos adipócitos.

Como reagimos e interpretamos os latidos dos cães de acordo com a variação acústica?

Os cães dividem o ambiente com os humanos há milhares de anos e essa relação se torna cada vez mais estreita. Estudos mostram que há comunicação intraespecífica entre os cães e interespecífica entre os cães e os humanos, tanto vocal quanto não-vocal. Os latidos se apresentam hipertrofiados nos cães e acredita-se que isso se deva ao processo de domesticação. Neste estudo, investigamos como os humanos percebem o conteúdo emocional dos latidos e como respondem aos latidos quanto ao grau de irritação percebido, em função das características acústicas de cada chamado. Sessenta participantes, divididos de acordo com a experiência com cães e com o sexo, ouviram 27 sequências de latidos gravadas anteriormente. As sequências de latidos foram montadas artificialmente e categorizadas de acordo com a frequência fundamental, harmonicidade e intervalo entre latidos. Os resultados confirmaram o pressuposto de que tais parâmetros acústicos são importantes para a percepção humana de um conteúdo emocional na vocalização de cães e que causam um impacto emocional em nós, a irritação. Os resultados também foram consistentes com as regras de estrutura-motivação de Morton (1977). Quanto mais baixa a frequência fundamental, maior a agressividade percebida e sons mais agudos e tonais estão relacionados ao medo e ao desespero; quanto mais baixa a harmonicidade, ou seja, quanto mais áspero ou rouco, maior a motivação agressiva. O intervalo entre latidos se mostrou significativo apenas na atribuição da agressividade, quanto mais curtos os intervalos, maior a agressividade percebida. A correlação entre o grau de irritação causado pelos latidos e a percepção das emoções mostrou que quanto maior a percepção de agressividade, medo e desespero, maior o grau de irritação e quanto maior a percepção de brincadeira e felicidade, menor o grau de irritação causado pelos latidos. Esses resultados sugerem que a irritação gerada pelos latidos dos cães está associada a emoções negativas. Quanto ao sexo, os homens obtiveram valores médios significativamente maiores do que as mulheres na avaliação da irritação, o que sugere que os homens possam ter uma menor tolerância com os chamados caninos. Os resultados deste estudo nos levam a concluir que os humanos são capazes de identificar os estados emocionais dos cães através de emissões sonoras. Isto sugere que há uma comunicação interespecífica entre estas espécies e que ambas dividem as mesmas regras acústicas de motivação-estrutural de Morton.

Variability in leaf rust susceptibility among peach cultivars

The aim of this work was to estimate the susceptibility of thirty-six peach cultivars to leaf rust caused by Tranzschelia discolor f. sp. persica. The incidence and severity of the disease as well as defoliation in peach trees of an experimental orchard of Parana Federal University of Technology, Campus Dois Vizinhos were evaluated on the growing seasons 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. Immunity to this disease was not observed in the studied cultivars. There was difference in leaf rust intensity depending on the growing season conditions. Cultivars 'Pilcha', 'Sinuelo', 'Chirua', 'Sulina', 'Eldorado' and 'Pampeano' showed tolerance to leaf rust, whereas cultivars 'Vila Nova', 'Fla 1372', 'Coral 2', 'Chimarrita', 'Della Nona', 'BR-1 ' and 'Guaiaca' showed high susceptibility.

Vinte anos: parabéns IPCA!

art. 73º da Constituição quanto aos fins do conhecimento: “2. O Estado promove a democratização da educação e as demais condições para que a educação, realizada através da escola e de outros meios formativos, contribua para a igualdade de oportunidades, a superação das desigualdades económicas, sociais e culturais, o desenvolvimento da personalidade e do espírito de tolerância, de compreensão mútua, de solidariedade e de responsabilidade, para o progresso social e para a participação democrática na vida colectiva.” § Abstract: art. 73 of the Constitution as to the purposes of knowledge: "2. The State shall promote the democratization of education and the other conditions that enable education, both at school and elsewhere, to contribute to equality of opportunities, overcoming the economic, social and cultural inequalities, the development of personality and spirit tolerance, mutual understanding, solidarity and responsibility, to social progress and to democratic participation in public life. ".

Selection of full-sib families of Panicum maximum Jacq under low light conditions

The silvopastoral system is a viable technological alternative to extensive cattle grazing, however, for it to be successful, forage grass genotypes adapted to reduced light need to be identified. The objective of this study was to select progenies of Panicum maximum tolerant to low light conditions for use in breeding programs and to study the genetic control and performance of some traits associated with shade tolerance. Six full-sib progenies were evaluated in full sun, 50% and 70% of light reduction in pots and subjected to cuttings. Progeny genotypic values ​​(GV) increased with light reduction in relation to plant height (H) and specific leaf area (SLA). The traits total dry mass accumulation (DM) and leaf dry mass accumulation (LDM) had GV higher in 50% shade and intermediate in 70% shade. The GV of tiller number (TIL) and root dry mass accumulation (RDM) decreased with light reduction. The highest positive correlations were obtained for the traits H and RDM with SLA and DM; the highest negative correlations were between TIL and SLA and RDM, and H and LDM. The progenies showed higher tolerance to 50% light reduction and, among them, two stood out and will be used in breeding programs. It was also found that it is not necessary to evaluate some traits under all light conditions. All traits had high broad sense heritability and high genotypic correlation between progenies in all light intensities. There is genetic difference among the progenies regarding the response to different light intensities, which will allow selection for shade tolerance

Reported Use of Anabolic Steroids and Ergogenic Substances in Gym/Health Club Settings: Associations with Psychosocial and Exercise Behavior Factors

The industry of ergogenic supplements is increasing rapidly (Cole et al., 2003). Supplements may constitute an important aid for some vigourous exercise routines, but they may also be used as a hypothetical mean to achieve increases in muscular mass. This supposed effect of suplements can lead to its use by individuals who have high levels of drive for muscularity, a condition that is known to be associated with muscular dismorphy (or as it has been called recently vigorexia, Pope et al., 1997). Another psychological factor which can influence supplement consumption is exercise dependence, a borderline problem, as most studies present a prevalence of less than 10% in regular exercisers (Palmeira & Matos, 2006). Symptoms like tolerance or continuity could lead to the use of ergogenic aids to maintain the exercise levels. Also of interest for the understanding of the use of suplements are exercise frequency, volume and intensity, which could explain the ratesof consumption on a more physicological level.

Cursing the Parents, Cursing the Past

Não se avança amaldiçoando o passado! Gastam-se muitas energias em atribuir a responsabolidade dos infortúnios das nossas incompetências aos antepassados e aos políticos do passado. Nota-se isto até hoje em Goa e em Portugal. As democracias e a tolerância política são ainda muito jovens! Em Santa Comba Dão há quem admire o seu "filho" Salazar, e isto causa muita irritação nos pretensos defensores da liberdade política! Em Goa, um delegado da Fundação Oriente diz numa entrevista que os protestos de uns 70 "ex-combatentes" da liberdade não contam muito. Esquece-se que na democracia eleitoral até 1 voto conta! São reacções sintomáticas de democracia ainda mal digerida.

On righteousness and dignity : two challenging issues since early modern times

Concepts such as righteousness, equality, tolerance and freedom are nowadays considered fundamental issues that should prevail in any society. Balance and righteousness thrive however on a very thin layer. We are, in fact, living in an era of duality and antithetical paradigms. This essay approaches two Renaissance authors who dealt with the same matters in their works, at a very different time and through different ways of reflection: Thomas More and Sir Walter Raleigh.

As representações sociais das mulheres migrantes brasileiras vítimas de violência doméstica

O tema a que se refere este estudo foi escolhido dada a atualidade e a pertinência da temática da violência doméstica na nossa sociedade, sendo reconhecida e assumida como um crime público e uma forma grave de violação dos direitos humanos. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar, identificar e compreender as representações sociais de um grupo de mulheres migrantes brasileiras vítimas de violência doméstica. Do ponto de vista metodológico o estudo é qualitativo recorrendo aos testemunhos pessoais através de uma amostra de 10 participantes no qual foi aplicada a técnica de recolha de dados, a entrevista. Os conteúdos das entrevistas foram analisados através dos softwares Textstat 2.9 e do Freemind 1.1. Os resultados demonstraram que o tipo de violência doméstica preponderante é a violência física e as causas da violência doméstica foram, essencialmente, o álcool e as drogas. O agressor foi representado pelas mulheres através de objetivações negativas e afetivas, sendo que a maioria das mulheres acreditam na mudança do comportamento violento do agressor. No que tange às representações acerca do futuro, observaram-se representações ancoradas na resiliência e na falta de perspetivas de futuro. Os resultados são indicadores que as representações sociais que as mulheres brasileiras têm dos brasileiros são positivas e dos portugueses negativas, sendo o suporte social sustentado na família, nos amigos e nas instituições de apoio à vítima. Os resultados demonstram que as mulheres possuem a representação de que os portugueses e os brasileiros são ambos violentos, e constatou-se que as representações sociais que as mulheres possuem em relação à tolerância são objetivações positivas. Verificou-se também que a violência contra a mulher reflete um fenómeno complexo e multifacetado.

Sistemas de informação: message integration bus

O trabalho apresentado por este documento aborda os problemas que advêm da necessidade de integração de aplicações, desenvolvidas em diferentes instantes no tempo, por diferentes equipas de trabalho, que para enriquecer os processos de negócio necessitam de comunicar entre si. A integração das aplicações tem de ser feita de forma opaca para estas, sendo disponibilizada por uma peça de software genérica, robusta e sem custos para as equipas desenvolvimento, na altura da integração. Esta integração tem de permitir que as aplicações comuniquem utilizando os protocolos que desejarem. Este trabalho propõe um middleware orientado a mensagens como solução para o problema identificado. A solução apresentada por este trabalho disponibiliza a comunicação entre aplicações que utilizam diferentes protocolos, permite ainda o desacoplamento temporal, espacial e de sincronismo na comunicação das aplicações. A implementação da solução tem base num sistema publish/subscribe orientado ao conteúdo e tem de lidar com as maiores exigências computacionais que este tipo de sistema acarta, sendo que a utilização deste se justifica com o enriquecimento da semântica de subscrição de eventos. Esta implementação utiliza uma arquitectura semi-distribuída, com o objectivo de aumentar a escalabilidade do sistema. A utilização da arquitectura semi-distribuída implica que a implementação da solução tem de lidar com o encaminhamento de eventos e divulgação das subscrições, pelos vários servidores de eventos. A implementação da solução disponibiliza garantias de persistência, processamento transaccional e tolerância a falhas, assim como transformação de eventos entre os diversos protocolos. A extensibilidade da solução é conseguida à custa de um sistema de pluggins que permite a adição de suporte a novos protocolos de comunicação. Os protocolos suportados pela implementação final do trabalho são RestMS e TCP.

Optimização dos protocolos de reconstrução em imagens TC de AVC isquémico agudo: projecto

Mestrado de Radiações aplicadas às Tecnologias da Saúde. Área de especialização: Imagem Digital com Radiação X.

Eastwards / westwards: which direction for gender studies in the 21st century?

Eastwards / Westwards: Which Direction for Gender Studies in the XXIst Century? is a collection of essays which focus on themes and methods that characterize current research into gender in Asian countries in general. In this collection, ideas derived from Gender Studies elsewhere in the world have been subjected to scrutiny for their utility in helping to describe and understand regional phenomena. But the concepts of Local and Global – with their discoursive productions – have not functioned as a binary opposition: localism and globalism are mutually constitutive and researchers have interrogated those spaces of interaction between the ‘self’ and the ‘other’, bearing in mind their own embeddedness in social and cultural structures and their own historical memory. Contributors to this collection provided a critical transnational perspective on some of the complex effects of the dynamics of cultural globalization, by exploring the relation between gender and development, language, historiography, education and culture. We have also given attention to the ideological and rhetorical processes through which gender identity is constructed, by comparing textual grids and patterns of expectation. Likewise, we have discussed the role of ethnography, anthropology, historiography, sociology, fiction, popular culture and colonial and post-colonial sources in (re)inventing old/new male/female identities, their conversion into concepts and circulation through time and space. This multicultural and trans-disciplinary selection of essays is totally written in English, fully edited and revised, therefore, it has a good potential for an immediate international circulation. This project may trace new paths and issues for discussion on what concerns the life, practices and narratives by and about women in Asia, as well as elsewhere in the present day global experience. Academic readership: Researchers, scholars, educators, graduate and post-graduate students, doctoral students and general non-fiction readers, with a special interest in Gender Studies, Asia, Colonial and Post-Colonial Literature, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, History, Historiography, Politics, Race, Feminism, Language, Linguistics, Power, Political and Feminist Agendas, Popular Culture, Education, Women’s Writing, Religion, Multiculturalism, Globalisation, Migration. Chapter summary: 1. “Social Gender Stereotypes and their Implication in Hindi”, Anjali Pande, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. This essay looks at the subtle ways in which gender identities are constructed and reinforced in India through social norms of language use. Language itself becomes a medium for perpetuating gender stereotypes, forcing its speakers to confirm to socially defined gender roles. Using examples from a classroom discussion about a film, this essay will highlight the underlying rigid male-female stereotypes in Indian society with their more obvious expressions in language. For the urban woman in India globalisation meant increased economic equality and exposure to changed lifestyles. On an individual level it also meant redefining gender relations and changing the hierarchy in man-­woman relationships. With the economic independence there is a heightened sense of liberation in all spheres of social life, a confidence to fuzz the rigid boundaries of gender roles. With the new films and media celebrating this liberated woman, who is ready to assert her sexual needs, who is ready to explode those long held notions of morality, one would expect that the changes are not just superficial. But as it soon became obvious in the course of a classroom discussion about relationships and stereotypes related to age, the surface changes can not become part of the common vocabulary, for the obvious reason that there is still a vast gap between the screen image of this new woman and the ground reality. Social considerations define the limits of this assertiveness of women, whereas men are happy to be liberal within the larger frame of social sanctions. The educated urban woman in India speaks in favour of change and the educated urban male supports her, but one just needs to scratch the surface to see the time tested formulae of gender roles firmly in place. The way the urban woman happily balances this emerging promise of independence with her gendered social identity, makes it necessary to rethink some aspects of looking at gender in a gradually changing, traditional society like India. 2. “The Linguistic Dimension of Gender Equality”, Alissa Tolstokorova, Kiev Centre for Gender Information and Education, Ukraine. The subject-matter of this essay is gender justice in language which, as I argue, may be achieved through the development of a gender-related approach to linguistic human rights. The last decades of the 20th century, globally marked by a “gender shift” in attitudes to language policy, gave impetus to the social movement for promoting linguistic gender equality. It was initiated in Western Europe and nowadays is moving eastwards, as ideas of gender democracy progress into developing countries. But, while in western societies gender discrimination through language, or linguistic sexism, was an issue of concern for over three decades, in developing countries efforts to promote gender justice in language are only in their infancy. My argument is that to promote gender justice in language internationally it is necessary to acknowledge the rights of women and men to equal representation of their gender in language and speech and, therefore, raise a question of linguistic rights of the sexes. My understanding is that the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights in 1996 provided this opportunity to address the problem of gender justice in language as a human rights issue, specifically as a gender dimension of linguistic human rights. 3. “The Rebirth of an Old Language: Issues of Gender Equality in Kazakhstan”, Maria Helena Guimarães, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal. The existing language situation in Kazakhstan, while peaceful, is not without some tension. We propose to analyze here some questions we consider relevant in the frame of cultural globalization and gender equality, such as: free from Russian imperialism, could Kazakhstan become an easy prey of Turkey’s “imperialist dream”? Could these traditionally Muslim people be soon facing the end of religious tolerance and gender equality, becoming this new old language an easy instrument for the infiltration in the country of fundamentalism (it has already crossed the boarders of Uzbekistan), leading to a gradual deterioration of its rich multicultural relations? The present structure of the language is still very fragile: there are three main dialects and many academics defend the re-introduction of the Latin alphabet, thus enlarging the possibility of cultural “contamination” by making the transmission of fundamentalist ideas still easier through neighbour countries like Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (their languages belong to the same sub-group of Common Turkic), where the Latin alphabet is already in use, and where the ground for such ideas shown itself very fruitful. 4. “Construction of Womanhood in the Bengali Language of Bangladesh”, Raasheed Mahmood; University of New South Wales, Sydney. The present essay attempts to explore the role of gender-based language differences and of certain markers that reveal the status accorded to women in Bangladesh. Discrimination against women, in its various forms, is endemic in communities and countries around the world, cutting across class, race, age, and religious and national boundaries. One cannot understand the problems of gender discrimination solely by referring to the relationship of power or authority between men and women. Rather one needs to consider the problem by relating it to the specific social formation in which the image of masculinity and femininity is constructed and reconstructed. Following such line of reasoning this essay will examine the nature of gender bias in the Bengali language of Bangladesh, holding the conviction that as a product of social reality language reflects the socio-cultural behaviour of the community who speaks it. This essay will also attempt to shed some light on the processes through which gender based language differences produce actual consequences for women, who become exposed to low self-esteem, depression and systematic exclusion from public discourse. 5. “Marriage in China as an expression of a changing society”, Elisabetta Rosado David, University of Porto, Portugal, and Università Ca’Foscari, Venezia, Italy. In 29 April 2001, the new Marriage Law was promulgated in China. The first law on marriage was proclaimed in 1950 with the objective of freeing women from the feudal matrimonial system. With the second law, in 1981, values and conditions that had been distorted by the Cultural Revolution were recovered. Twenty years later, a new reform was started, intending to update marriage in the view of the social and cultural changes that occurred with Deng Xiaoping’s “open policy”. But the legal reform is only the starting point for this case-study. The rituals that are followed in the wedding ceremony are often hard to understand and very difficult to standardize, especially because China is a vast country, densely populated and characterized by several ethnic minorities. Two key words emerge from this issue: syncretism and continuity. On this basis, we can understand tradition in a better way, and analyse whether or not marriage, as every social manifestation, has evolved in harmony with Chinese culture. 6. “The Other Woman in the Portuguese Colonial Empire: The Case of Portuguese India”, Maria de Deus Manso, University of Évora, Portugal. This essay researches the social, cultural and symbolic history of local women in the Portuguese Indian colonial enclaves. The normative Portuguese overseas history has not paid any attention to the “indigenous” female populations in colonial Portuguese territories, albeit the large social importance of these social segments largely used in matrimonial and even catholic missionary strategies. The first attempt to open fresh windows in the history of this new field was the publication of Charles Boxer’s referential study about Women in lberian Overseas Expansion, edited in Portugal only after the Revolution of 1975. After this research we can only quote some other fragmentary efforts. In fact, research about the social, cultural, religious, political and symbolic situation of women in the Portuguese colonial territories, from the XVI to the XX century, is still a minor historiographic field. In this essay we discuss this problem and we study colonial representations of women in the Portuguese Indian enclaves, mainly in the territory of Goa, using case studies methodologies. 7. “Heading East this Time: Critical Readings on Gender in Southeast Asia”, Clara Sarmento, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal. This essay intends to discuss some critical readings of fictional and theoretical texts on gender condition in Southeast Asian countries. Nowadays, many texts about women in Southeast Asia apply concepts of power in unusual areas. Traditional forms of gender hegemony have been replaced by other powerful, if somewhat more covert, forms. We will discuss some universal values concerning conventional female roles as well as the strategies used to recognize women in political fields traditionally characterized by male dominance. Female empowerment will mean different things at different times in history, as a result of culture, local geography and individual circumstances. Empowerment needs to be perceived as an individual attitude, but it also has to be facilitated at the macro­level by society and the State. Gender is very much at the heart of all these dynamics, strongly related to specificities of historical, cultural, ethnic and class situatedness, requiring an interdisciplinary transnational approach.