An Analysis of the Construction of the Multiple Spaces in The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the classic writers of American romanticism, wrote many classic works throughout his life, including The Scarlet Letter, the representative of romantic novels and his outstanding masterpiece. Extensive attention has paid on it since it was published. Many literary critics use different theories to explain this work, many of which explore the theme including good and evil, love and hate, and culture under the influence of Puritanism. However, previous researches have paid less attention on the space feature of The Scarlet Letter, and in the traditional narratological research, the space factor has also been ignored for a long time. In this thesis, the author will take space as the starting point based on the relevant spatial theory and spatial narrative research results, and interpret the multiple space construction in The Scarlet Letter in detail, further analyzing the narrative strategy adopted by Hawthorne in order to explore the cultural connotation of the multiple spaces constructed in his works.

‘Community’: A Q study exploring perspectives in community governance settings in Taranaki, New Zealand

<p>Attend any public meeting in Taranaki and, more often than not, one will hear the word ‘community’ used to bolster a policy proposal, or oppose it. But when that happens, what exactly is meant by ‘community’? Taking advantage of her position as an embedded participant, the author of this thesis set out to understand what ‘community’ means to those who occupy roles of influence in decision-making settings in Taranaki, Aotearoa- New Zealand. To the study’s informants and participants, a deceptively simple question was put: ‘what do you understand by ‘community’?’ The set of techniques used to elicit responses to this question was William Stephenson’s Q Methodology. Data collection began with 29 informant interviews from which 45 statements representative of what is understood by ‘community’ were extracted. Those statements were rank-ordered by 35 participants generating 47 Q sorts (the mechanism by which each viewpoint was captured). Using PQMethod 2.35, a three-factor solution generated through principal components analysis and subjected to a varimax rotation was selected for further analysis. The interpretation of the results substantiated three somewhat highly correlated, yet nuanced perspectives where ‘community’ is: ▪ ‘Everyone and we’re all in this together’ (Factor 1), ▪ ‘Well... it depends’ given the multiplicity of interests (Factor 2), and ▪ ‘It’s everything’ (Factor 3). The primacy of relationships and expectations to contribute to where one lives provide the basis for consensus. The nuance is in the scope and reach in terms of who counts, what matters and why it is important at a given point in time. The subsequent discussion noted there is still no agreement on a definition of ‘community’ and its malleability in meaning makes ‘community’ useful for furthering political interests. Its use in the community governance settings of this study reflects the pragmatism of everyday life. ‘Community’ is affirmed as a concept that frames policy discourse. This study also identifies ‘community’ as a practice and as a way of governing that frames policy responses where the basis for ‘community’ is as: ▪ A preference for face-to-face interaction and usually over a cup of tea (Factor 1), ▪ A strategy of enabling that is realistic and pragmatic (Factor 2), and ▪ An account of the integrated connections to places, with people and to events across time and space (Factor 3). The study opens up new ground as the collection, analysis and interpretation of first- person, vested responses from those ‘doing’ ‘community’ in community governance settings is missing from the scholarly and practitioner literature. This study forms a bridge in an identified gap between those who theorise in the political philosophy of ‘community’ and those who advocate in the political practice of ‘community’. Furthermore, the three perspectives identified and discussed in this study also lead to a proposition that the phrase ‘governing communities’ would be a more apt and authentic alternative to ‘community governance’. Such a development is positioned as the next step in the evolution of the theory surrounding local decision-making and local government in New Zealand and as a normative model for political practice.</p>

‘Community’: A Q study exploring perspectives in community governance settings in Taranaki, New Zealand

<p>Attend any public meeting in Taranaki and, more often than not, one will hear the word ‘community’ used to bolster a policy proposal, or oppose it. But when that happens, what exactly is meant by ‘community’? Taking advantage of her position as an embedded participant, the author of this thesis set out to understand what ‘community’ means to those who occupy roles of influence in decision-making settings in Taranaki, Aotearoa- New Zealand. To the study’s informants and participants, a deceptively simple question was put: ‘what do you understand by ‘community’?’ The set of techniques used to elicit responses to this question was William Stephenson’s Q Methodology. Data collection began with 29 informant interviews from which 45 statements representative of what is understood by ‘community’ were extracted. Those statements were rank-ordered by 35 participants generating 47 Q sorts (the mechanism by which each viewpoint was captured). Using PQMethod 2.35, a three-factor solution generated through principal components analysis and subjected to a varimax rotation was selected for further analysis. The interpretation of the results substantiated three somewhat highly correlated, yet nuanced perspectives where ‘community’ is: ▪ ‘Everyone and we’re all in this together’ (Factor 1), ▪ ‘Well... it depends’ given the multiplicity of interests (Factor 2), and ▪ ‘It’s everything’ (Factor 3). The primacy of relationships and expectations to contribute to where one lives provide the basis for consensus. The nuance is in the scope and reach in terms of who counts, what matters and why it is important at a given point in time. The subsequent discussion noted there is still no agreement on a definition of ‘community’ and its malleability in meaning makes ‘community’ useful for furthering political interests. Its use in the community governance settings of this study reflects the pragmatism of everyday life. ‘Community’ is affirmed as a concept that frames policy discourse. This study also identifies ‘community’ as a practice and as a way of governing that frames policy responses where the basis for ‘community’ is as: ▪ A preference for face-to-face interaction and usually over a cup of tea (Factor 1), ▪ A strategy of enabling that is realistic and pragmatic (Factor 2), and ▪ An account of the integrated connections to places, with people and to events across time and space (Factor 3). The study opens up new ground as the collection, analysis and interpretation of first- person, vested responses from those ‘doing’ ‘community’ in community governance settings is missing from the scholarly and practitioner literature. This study forms a bridge in an identified gap between those who theorise in the political philosophy of ‘community’ and those who advocate in the political practice of ‘community’. Furthermore, the three perspectives identified and discussed in this study also lead to a proposition that the phrase ‘governing communities’ would be a more apt and authentic alternative to ‘community governance’. Such a development is positioned as the next step in the evolution of the theory surrounding local decision-making and local government in New Zealand and as a normative model for political practice.</p>

Sustainability as a Function of an Area: Application of Multi-Criteria Evaluation in Assessing the Effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions

One of the essential factors influencing the overall urban experience is the presence of biologically active surfaces. Despite widespread awareness of the beneficial effects of such spaces, the natural tissue in cities is still being significantly limited by the priority given to functionality and the economy. The aim of this article is to assess the potential of using a hybrid infrastructure in the grey–green–blue system (GGB) on a public site. In order to assess the efficiency of the implemented solutions, a multi-criteria method was developed, thereby recognising this research aspect as necessary in the process of designing urban built-up spaces. The assessment compared indicators of biological activity in the area using the biotope area factor and green space factor scales. The rainwater retention potential was estimated using a quantitative method. The change in the site’s thermal conditions was analysed by conducting numerous experiments with the use of micrometeorogical computational fluid dynamics models ENVI-met. The demonstrated improvement in the proportion of the biologically active area, water retention, and thermal conditions, ranging from a few to a dozen percent compared to the initial state, confirms the legitimacy of using grey–green–blue infrastructure systems as a method of shaping a sustainable and climate-responsive urban design.

The Moderating Role of Geographical Diversification among the Nexus of Institutional, Power and Space Factor on Economic Geography

The present paper aims to explore the relationships among the institutional factor, power factor, space factor and economic geography in Poland. The goal of the study also consists of the examination of the moderating role of geographical diversification among the nexus of institutional factor, power factor, space factor and economic geography in Poland. The data has been gathered by using primary data collection methods and used survey questionnaires for data collection along with simple random sampling to select the respondents and PLS-SEM for data analysis. The results revealed that institutional factor, power factor, space factor have a positive association with economic geography in Poland. The outcomes also concluded that the geographical diversification is moderating among the nexus of institutional factor, power factor, space factor and economic geography in Poland. These findings are suitable for the regulators that they should focus on institutional power and space factor that would improve the economic geography in Poland.

An Introductory Study of Manuscripts of Khwāja Obāidullah Multani

Research in manuscripts is an essential and inevitable part of Islamic Sciences. Scholastic and historical essence of beliefs and commandments including social values lie in manuscripts. Manuscripts not only introduce new generation with predecessors but also provide principles leading towards future destination. Manuscripts enable one to recognize human being and it becomes possible to look through embrasure of the past. These reflect one's familiarity with evolutionary phases as well as dogmatic thoughts. When printing press was not invented and access of scholastic community to this printing press was beyond their limits, people formulated manuscripts to save their memories. Here is presented a brief introduction of repository of manuscripts on Islamic jurisprudence compiled by a well known personality of 13th century hijrī, Mufti Khwāja Ubāidullah Multani. This Paper provides a brief introduction o the fourteen manuscripts of Khwāja Ubāidullah Multani on Islamic jurisprudence .Methodology of these manuscripts is analyzed and explained by quotations. The writer had surely considered the time and space factor in analyzing jurisprudential issues. In all his Persian, Arabic and Urdu manuscripts Islamic laws and their details has been discussed in ordinary terms for the better understanding of general public.

TECHNOLOGICAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE: A RESEARCH ON DIGITAL MOBBING

The rapid development of technology has deeply affected labour relationships. With the increasing technological developments, traditional mobbing, which is an important problem in labour relations, has started to leave its place to digital mobbing practices today. The biggest difference of digital mobbing from traditional mobbing is that the electronic devices used, eliminate the time and space factor. In this study, the effects of digital mobbing practices applied to employees in workplaces were examined through the example of private school teachers. The reason for choosing private school teachers is that the education sector is the sector where mobbing is encountered intensely. Teachers working in private schools in Elazig province constituted the population of the study. Semi-structured interview form, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. Interview forms were evaluated with content analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that digital mobbing practices occur in private schools in a multidimensional way and negatively affect labour relationships.