www.researchportal.be - 27 Aug 2015 15:54:07 Research projects (1450-1500 of 3455) Search filter: Classifications: HUMANITIES (H) Performative Political Agency Between Governmentality and Empowerment Abstract: The proposed project focuses on the idea of representation with the goal of showing that politics, and therefore democracy, is possible only ina representative way. This raises the question of the meaning and impact of political participation: What can political participation be, insofar as it is necessarily inscribed in a representative logic? And, further: How can we couple together political participation and democratic representation? More specifically: What are the preconditions of political participation in the context of democratic representation?besides endorsing the inevitability and even desirability of representation for democratic participation, I argue that the latter has a peculiar character, insofar as it does not consist in any natural feature or in the independent capability of human beings to judge their representatives. Rather, every form of political participation thus, ultimately, politicalagency is always already inscribed in a broader web of power relatio Faculty of Theology and Religious Studie Antoon Braeckman Marta Resmini Performance Federalism in Australia Abstract: This project will adopt a case study method to provide in-depth analysisof critical factors in performance manage mentsystems in eachaustralian jurisdiction. The project is devising the newterm of performance federalism uniqueto the A ustralian contextwhere it is relevant since the performance management< br>his project will adopt a case study method to provide in-depth analysisof critical factors in performance manage mentsystems in eachaustralian jurisdiction. The project is devising the newterm of performance federalism uniqueto the A ustralian contextwhere it is relevant since the performance management< br>is project will adopt a case study method to provide in-depth analysisof critical factors in performance manage mentsystems in eachaustralian jurisdiction. The project is devising the newterm of performance federalism uniqueto the A ustralian contextwhere it is relevant since the performance management< br>s project will adopt a case study method to provide in-dep Public Governance Institute Geert Bouckaert Perception, Meaning and Consciousness. A Cognitive Science Synthesis Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: Perception, Meaning and Consciousness. A Cognitive Science Synthesis Abstract (max. 15 lines)this project concerns the cognitive science and artificial intelligence oriented philosophy of mind and language.the starting point is the theme of perception. In the field of perception, one does not only attest an explosive growth of data, but there are also remarkable conceptual developments.the recent emphasis on the acting body and the interactive environment has enormeous implications for the Mind/Body problem and for issues regarding the emergence of meaning and language. In this project, these developments will be approached from the position that the Mind/Body problem is rooted in a specific theory of perception, against which the recent conceptual developments can be brought to bear. Conscious perception, however, calls for an explanation in terms of internal content carrying representations -which goes against recent trends.the theoretical arguments that will be developed will include copious references to our own experiments with robots that discriminate and categorise colors.keywords (min. 3: free choice) Philosophy - Moral Sciences MARIA GOSSELIN Perception and Performance of Social Identity in the Nascent Urban Societies of the High Middle Ages Ghent University Abstract: This project aims to undertake a cultural historical approach to the perception and performance of social identity in the nascent urban societies of Northern France and the Southern Low Countries between the eleventh and early thirteenth centuries. Department of History Jeroen Deploige Perception and conception of the self in the early modern period: the proasic rhetorics of Coornhert and Charron Ghent University Abstract: The early-modern period, Michel Foucault has argued, is the cradle of 'governmentality'. In this project, Dirck Volckertsz. Coornherts Zedekunst dat is wellevenskunste (1586) and Pierre Charron's De La Sagesse (1601) are analysed rheotrically and conceptually in view of Foucault's argument. Departement of Dutch literature Jurgen Pieters Perception and agency. Helmholtz's psycho-physiological optics as a forerunner of the contemporary agentive/sensorimotor approach to human vision Ghent University Abstract: This project will examine the historical continuity between Hermann von Helmholtz's pchycophysiological optics and the contemporary sensorimotor/enactive approach to perception. On the basis of an analysis of (i) Helmholtz's conceptualisation of the problem of perception and (ii) the philosphical background of his optics (historical part), a critical perspective will be offered on the sensorimotor/enactive approach (comparative/systematic part). Departement of Philosophy and moral sciences
Gertrudis Van de Vijver Perception and Action Abstract: The aim of this research project is to argue that the vast majority of what goes on in our mind is very similar to the simple mental processes of animals. Our complex, sophisticated, rational and linguistic abilities could be described as the icing on the cake. The right methodology for philosophy of mind is to understand those simple mental capacities that we share with animals first and then explain those uniquely human, highly intellectual mental capacities that make the human mind so remarkable. My claim is that the human mind can be better understood if we consider what I call 'action-guiding perceptual representations' to be the basic units of our mental capacities. The human mind, like the mind of non-human animals, has been selected for allowing us to perform actions successfully. And the vast majority of our actions, like the actions of non-human animals, could not be performed without perceptual guidance. The mental state that mediates between perception and action is the basic building block of the human mind. I call mental states of this kind action-guiding perceptual representations. Action-guiding perceptual representations are the immediate mental antecedents of action. And they are also genuine perceptual states. They guide, and often monitor, our ongoing bodily activities and they are also bona fide perceptual states: they provide a direct mediation between perception and action. If we accept that the basic building blocks of the mind are action-guiding perceptual representations, then most classic questions in philosophy of perception and of action will look very different. The goal of this research project is to trace the various consequences of this way of thinking about the mind in a number of branches of philosophy as well as in other disciplines. Centre for Philosophical Psychology Bence Nanay Perception, Action and What's in between? Abstract: The aim of this research project is to argue that the vast majority of what goes on in our mind is very similar to the simple mental processes of animals. Our complex, sophisticated, rational and linguistic abilities could be described as the icing on the cake. The right methodology for philosophy of mind is to understand those simple mental capacities that we share with animals fust and then explain those uniquely human, highly intellectual mental capacities that make the human mind so remarkable. Centre for Philosophical Psychology Bence Nanay Perceiving the economic future in the past: analysis of European mercantile correspondence, 1400-1800 Abstract: This project will analyze perceptions and expectations of the future formulated in published and OCR-scanned letters of European merchants in the period 1400 to 1800. The research seeks insight in long-run developments and changes in thinking about the future by historical actors. In this sense, the project wants to add a new, cultural factor to the history of the development of capitalism: the temporal order of capitalism. Centre for Urban History Jeroen Puttevils Perceiving affordances in natural, social and moral environments. A study of the concept of affordance, and its explanatory value. Abstract: When a person stretches out her hand to me, I see it as an invitation to shake her hand. In other words, I see her hand as 'shake-able'. J.J. Gibson invented a word for this phenomenon. He called it an 'affordance'. The out-stretched hand 'affords' me to shake it. Likewise, a ball flying towards me 'affords' me to catch it, if I have the right kind of skills. It has the affordance 'catch-ability'. What, now, makes it the case that I see features of situations as 'Q-able'. Clearly, not only the physical properties of the situation or object matter. Characteristics of the perceiver are involved as well, cf. my ball catching skills. A person who's never played a ball game may not see a fast flying ball as catchable. How should this mode of perception be construed? Does the perceiver 'infer' the affordance from assembled information about himself and the situation? Or is the affordance perceived 'directly', without an inferential process? Gibson endorsed the latter, but his theory doesn't provide a clear story of how direct perception of affordances should be understood. The concept of affordance is attractive for applications in many domains such as social and moral perception, but has also received a lot of criticism for its vagueness and the uncertainty of its explanatory role. This project aims at elucidating what it means to perceive affordances in their wide physical, social and moral application, and at providing a solid basis for their explanatory role. Centre for Philosophical Psychology Willem Lemmens Erik Myin Jan Van Eemeren Penal ;policy in Flanders 1796-1940 : a sociological, criminological and historical approach. Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: This project concerns a long-term investigation of the penal policy and practice in Flanders (Belgium) from the end of the 18th C until the end of WOII. The research relies on a serial sample survey of the penitentiary archives for that same period. Three main questions lead this research : (1) which ideas are developed and underpin the penal punishment of criminals during this period. (2) who is the prisoner from a criminological point of view. (3) and who is he or she punished?
Criminology SONJA SNACKEN Peasants, farmers and the rise of rural commodity markets. Test-case: the 18th century Land van Waas Abstract: This research project tackles one central question: did rural societies with diverging household and production (income) strategies, also differed in consumptive behaviour? In Early Modern Europe, rural communities predominated by peasant smallholding and proto-industrial development coexisted with regions of specialised capitalist farming. The possibility for economic growth generated by both communities has long been debated in historiography, but mostly from the perspective of agricultural production, not consumption. Studies on urban consumptive behaviour reveal major changes in the material culture of almost all social groups in the course of the 18th century, but their impact on the countryside remains largely unknown. Through a comparative analysis of probate inventories, this research project sheds light on the divergent appropriation of changes in taste and demand in different rural communities. The Land van Waas in Flanders offers the ideal test-case for this research project. In the 18th century the region was internationally renowned for its peasant farming system and its specific proto-industrial development (clog-making etc.). However, it also encompassed an important 'polder' district where capitalist farming on large leasehold farms had emerged. By analysing consumption flows between town and countryside, between smallholders and larger farmers and between both communities, we will get a better appreciation of regional divergences in the occurrence of so-called 'consumer revolutions' in the 18th century countryside. Centre for Urban History Reinoud Vermoesen Peace and Reconciliation in the Roman Missal: A Liturgico-Theological Analysis with Concrete Pastoral Recommendations for the Church in Sri Lanka Abstract: 20th Century theological currents paved the way for a deeper integration between liturgy and life. The present study will inquire into a specific and existential question concerning peace and reconciliation as embodied in the Roman Missal and the post-war context in Sri Lanka. The methodology adopted for this research will be based on the previous work in liturgical hermeneutics by Renato De Zan, James Leachman and Daniel McCarthy in view of arriving at substantial theological insights on the basis of liturgical texts. The present study will attempt at a groundbreaking liturgico-theological work on the intersection where the Eucharist and the Church's socio-ethical relevance meet, applied to the post-war Sri Lankan context. The relationship between peace and reconciliation in The Roman Missal in an euchological context has not been sufficiently studied from the point of view of lexicology. The present study will also develop a synthetic view of peace and reconciliation. It is hoped tha Research Unit of Pastoral and Empirical Joris Geldhof Daniel Mc Carthy Peace and discipline. A study in political theory on peace education in international politics: the North-Atlantic region (1945-2007). Abstract: This research project seeks to reflect on the meaning of peace, and on the role of peace education in bringing about international peace. We will suggest an understanding of peace as 'disciplined order' as opposed to its conventional definition (in IR theory) as the 'absence of war.' Inspiration is drawn from classical political theory, strands of which have highlighted the role of education in shaping virtuous citizens, and consequently in bringing about a peaceful society. The empirical validity of the model will be tested in the case of the reigning North-Atlantic peace. International Politics Tom Sauer Jorg Kustermans Paul's Prophetic reconfiguration of his Diakonia in 2 Corinthans: reassessing the evidence in light of Second Temple Jewish perspectives on prophecy. Abstract: My project proposes to build upon an already existing research tradition of biblical studies on Pauls Corinthian correspondence at K.U.Leuven.In the First Letter to the Corinthians Paul was writing to a community divided by internal conflicts. However, within a relatively short periodof time, between one and two years (sometime in the 50s of the Common Era), Paul had himself become implicated in a conflict with members of the Corinthian community. The Second Letter to the Corinthians displays Paul on the defensive, polemically and apologetically defending his apostolic ministry and seeking to win back the Corinthian community onto his side from opponents who were critical of Paul. My proposal delves into the question of how Paul understood his apostolic ministry. The high incidence of reference to terms like ministers and ministry in the epistle indicates that Paul was in debate with rivals on precisely this issue. My research project proposes to break new and original ground by a Research Unit of Biblical Studies Reimund Bieringer Emmanuel Nathan 'Paul et Virginie' (Bernardin de Saint-Pierre). A study of 20th Century Brazilian translations and paratexts. Abstract: This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand CAPES. UA provides CAPES research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract. Study of the 20th Century translations of the French novel Paul et Virginie (Bernardin de Saint-Pierre). Study of the paratexts and retranslation into Brazilian Portuguese. Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies (TriCs)
Christiane Stallaert Patterns and alternant structures for future time referencein Gallo-Romance: functional-systemic challenges for agrammaticalization account. French, Italian and Comparative Linguist Pierre Mertens Claire Meul Pastoral theological research about power and power misuse in parent-child relations and in pastoral relations with children Research Unit of Pastoral and Empirical Annemie Dillen Machteld Reynaert Pastoral Counselling in the Ethiopian Catholic Community: Towards an Empirically Grounded Model Research Unit of Pastoral and Empirical Marcel Broesterhuizen Meaza Woldemichael Pastoral accompaniment for persons with an intellectual disability Abstract: The research project aims to develop a theological framework grounding pastoral accompaniment for persons with an intellectual disability. Thisresearch is important for two reasons: the need for adequate pastoral accompaniment to enhance the quality of life of persons with intellectualdisability, and the necessity of a person centred and a contextual framework for this pastoral accompaniment. The research uses two sources of knowledge and methodologies. First, a qualitative empirical research explores the current practices of pastoral accompaniment by an analysis andcomparison of structured interviews with persons with intellectual disability and pastoral companions. Secondly, a thorough theological study of literature provides ideas, key concepts, nuances, pitfalls and criticism towards a view on pastoral accompaniment for persons with intellectual disability. Consequently, a theologically open and adequate framework will be designed, based on the discussion of the outcome of both emp Research Unit of Pastoral and Empirical Axel Liegeois Dorien Veltens Pastoral Accompaniment for Patients with a Severe and Enduring Psychiatric Disorder: A Theologically grounded Framework Abstract: The research project aims to develop a theological framework grounding pastoral accompaniment for persons with a severe and enduring psychiatric disorder. This research is important for three reasons: 1) because it supports the persons in their proces of giving meaning to existential experiences, 2) there is a need for a more patient-centred, contextual andrefined framework 3) the group we study is vulnerable and struggles especially with existential questions. The outline of the research is as follows. First, a qualitative empirical research explores the current practices of pastoral accompaniment by an analysis and comparison of structured interviews with persons with a severe and enduring psychiatric disorder and with pastors. Secondly, a thorough theological study of literature provides ideas, key concepts, nuances, pitfalls and criticism towardsa view on pastoral accompaniment for persons with a severe and enduringpsychiatric disorder. Consequently, a theologically open and adequa Faculty of Theology and Religious Studie Axel Liegeois Passion, narrative, and social order in Spinoza and Hume. Abstract: This project aims to compare the social and political views of Spinoza and Hume. Both historically and conceptually, such a comparison can be valuable. A social order is always a fragile equilibrium, Spinoza and Hume agree, determined by historical constructs such as the political system and religion. Politics must operate and look for reform within these constructs, and not on the basis of abstract principles. I will argue that the reason for this shared socio-political outlook can be found in Hume's and Spinoza's views of human nature. They regard humans as tiny parts of an impersonal natural order. Our finitude makes us very dependent on our surroundings. Therefore, our thoughts and emotions cannot be understood without taking into account their interrelations with those of other people. Now a stable social order is only possible when there is a sufficient degree of emotional harmony among a people. For such harmony, the historical constructs mentioned are indispensable. A way of thinking of these constructs is as 'narratives', i.e. as consisting of both reality-based and fictitious components, which bring a people's hopes and fears together. In both Spinoza and Hume, I will finally argue, the religious narrative holds a peculiar place. Though it may have a perverting effect on the human passions, it may also, when stripped from superstition, stimulate a social disposition. Center for Ethics Willem Lemmens Rudmer Bijlsma
Passages Managers van Diversiteit University College Ghent Abstract: Abstract not yet available Faculty of Technology Faculty of Social Work and Welfare Studies Department of Languages Department of Social Sciences Charlotte De Kock Christian Van Kerckhove Eva Vens Stefanie Devloo PASCAL - Pattern Analysis, Statistical Modelling and Computational Learning. Abstract: Pattern Analysis, Statistical Modelling and Computational Learning. (PASCAL) The objective of this FP6 network of excellence is to build a Europe-wide Distributed Institute which will pioneer principled methods of pattern analysis, statistical modelling and computational learning as core enabling technologies for multimodal interfaces that are capable of natural and seamless interaction with and among human users. The role of CNTS in the network is the application of machine learning techniques to problems in natural language processing. Centre for Computational Linguistics and Psycholinguistics (CLiPS) Walter Daelemans Parts With(out) Wholes: Individual, Community and Nation in The Short Story Cycle in Ireland. Text and Interpretation, Leuven Elke D'hoker Partition, Change and Continuity in 17th century chorographies in the Netherlands. Abstract: The project analyses the development of different historiographical conventions in the writings of chorographies in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It discusses the different representations of the past in urban and regional chorographical studies in the light of the war and partition in a synchronic and diachronic way highlighting changes within different regions and towns as well as across the newly established border. Centre for Urban History Guido Marnef Raingard Esser Partikels in vertaald Nederlands University College Ghent Abstract: Abstract not yet available Faculty of Translation Studies Department of Language Technology Department of Dutch Willy Vandeweghe Participatory Citizenship: Towards a Reformulation of the Principle of Representation Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: I. Project 1. History. The article 42 of the Belgian Constitution states: "The members of the two Rooms represent the Nation, and not only those who have elected them." This article is traditionally interpreted as constituting the legal ground for the "principle of representation" proper to Belgian constitutional law (Velu, 1986). Following this traditional interpretation, which is taken from the French doctrine, the "principle of representation" is built upon four subsidiary principles (Carré de Malberg, 1921). - (1 ) The principle of national representation: the representative, whatever the source of his election is, represents the whole nation, and not only those who have elected him. - (2 ) The principle of irrevocability: the electors have no power of revocation, even if faults are committed by the representative. - (3 ) The principle of legal irresponsibility: the elections are the only possible sanction for the faults committed by the representative. - (4 ) The principle of the prohibition of the imperative mandate: the representative cannot be held liable for the desires expressed by his electors, even if he promised so. These four principles form together a whole conception of representation inherited from Otto von Gierke and Georg Jellinek: the organ theory of representation (Brunet, 2004). The organ theory has always been disputed. For a long time, the main source of this dispute has been the impossibility to apply this theory to another institutional body than the Parliament. It is why, in France, the question of the representativeness of the Président de la République has been raised, followed by the one of the representativeness of the constitutional judges (Hamon, Troper, 2005). But, in Belgium, the introduction of the organ theory by Oscar Orban in his Droit constitutionnel de la Belgique (Orban, 1906) has caused an almost exclusively theoretical discussion : nor the question of the representativeness of the King, nor the one of the members of the Arbitragehof has ever been considered. Moreover, the text of the law of August 8, 1980 (concerning the reform of the State) does not seem to foresee any disposition transposing to the level of the federated entities the principle applicable to the Federal State. The last mention, by a legal writer, of the disputed character of the organ theory and its consequences can be found in Pierre Wigny's Droit constitutionnel (Wigny, 1952). Since then, not only the content of the principle of representation, but also its domain of application have not been seriously analysed and discussed (Gilissen, 1958). The only attempt at launching such a discussion is a PhD in the making, by A.-E. Bourgaux (ULB). 2. Problem. The lack of interest, in Belgium, for the principle of representation is nevertheless put into question by some new events. These events concern the increasingly important - and heavily observed - development of claims concerning the participation of citizens to the political decision-making process (Ost, van de Kerchove, 2002; Chevallier, 2004). This development happens within two fields. - (1 ) From a positive perspective: the multiplication of instances intervening at the first stages of the
decision-making process. Example: the ViWTA at the Flemish Parliament in matters of scientific and technological innovation (De Sutter, 2006). - (2 ) From a negative perspective: the multiplication of critiques concerning the lack of consideration for the point of view of the citizens themselves in this process. Example: the development of the controversy caused by the authorisation to experiment the culture of genetically modified plants on the Belgian territory (De Sutter, 2006). This development of claims concerning the participation of citizens is based on a ever-growing stream of political theory and philosophy, and accompanied by an increasing amount of activist practices. Together, they are at the origin of the emergence of the theme of participatory citizenship, considered as the main political theme of the beginning of the 21st century (Sintomer, 2007; Crépon, Stiegler, 2007). From a legal point of view, the development of the participation of citizens has lead to the formulation of a double critique addressed to the principle of representation. - (1 ) First, it has lead to the theoretical formulation of a certain amount of claims ("doleances") concerning representation (Hardt, Negri, 2004). These claims are mainly targeting the principle of national representation which is its first aspect. Rather than to attach representation to an unified and abstract body such as the Nation, these claims intend to make compulsory the taking into account of the concrete diversity of those who are participating to it. - (2 ) Second, it has lead to the practical formulation of a set of reforms ("program") concerning representation (Latour, 2005). This set of reforms is mainly targeting the principle of prohibition of the imperative mandate. Contrarily to what the organ theory is stating, the development of new forms of participation by the citizens would have to produce room for the hypothesis, in the constitutional order, of some sort of ad hoc representative, who would not be designated by mere elections anymore. A comparison could be made with the evolution of the organ theory in administrative law, which happened in order to provide some answer to the limitations of the theory of the mandate (De Becker, 2006). Except if one refuses to assume that Belgium is a representative democracy, this double critique has now to be taken into account from a technical perspective, as it is the case in France or in The Netherlands (Hermitte et alii, 2003; Lindahl, 2000). 3. Hypothesis. How to hold together, from the point of view of law, the requirements of the article 42 of the Constitution, the social requirements of citizens, and the political requirements of both institutional and non institutional actors (i.e. activists)? This is the legal question asked by the questioning of the principle of representation by the participation of citizens: the question to know how law can succeed in producing coexistence between heterogeneous practices. Such a question, however, is not an abstract one (De Sutter, 2008). - (1 ) From the political philosophical perspective : I have been able to show, in my PhD thesis on the role of the ViWTA at the Flemish Parliament, that to ask the question of coexistence lead to concrete consequences concerning the legitimacy and the legal force of decisions taken by organisms that do not belong to the parliamentary institutions (De Sutter, 2006). - (2 ) From the legal philosophical perspective: during the postdoctoral grant that I have been awarded by the VUB for the year 2007, I try to show that this problem also lead to concrete consequences concerning the legal acceptability of the judiciary strategies developed by activist groups such as anti-gmo's associations (Berns, De Sutter, 2008). - (3 ) From the legal theoretical perspective, however, the work remain to be done: it is the goal of the present project. The hypothesis that I would like to follow in the framework of the present project is the following one. In order to find, in Belgium, an equilibrium between constitutional principle of representation, social demands of participation, political reception of these demands, and activism in favour of such a reception, it is necessary to reformulate this principle. At the level of the European Union, a similar concern has lead to the birth of an hybrid theory : the theory of interest representation (Greenwood, 2003; Giorgi, 2006). But this theory is not satisfactory, since it consists in the mere legalisation of the institutional situation (the monopoly of stakeholders) against which the social claims concerning the participation of citizens are precisely directed: it explicitly refuses to take into account the demands for participation expressed by the citizens. On the contrary, in order to produce a formulation of the principle of representation which can be able to produce the equilibrium that is at stake with the present project, a local and very determined access to the decision-making process should be rendered possible to new actors, such as the citizens. It is only in that case that the principle of representation could evolve in the direction of what one could name a principle of distributed representation. II. Objectives The objectives of the present project are as follows: A. To produce a complete analysis of the principle of representation in Belgian constitutional law B. To develop the complete legal analysis of the critiques which are addressed to this principle C. To draw the complete map of the problems of representation that are arising in Belgian constitutional law D. To examine the places where the transformation of the principle of representation is required by these problems E. To judge the legal necessity to adopt these transformations, compared to the political and social requirements which are formulated elsewhere F. To produce a credible formulation of the principle of representation which takes into account all these different elements Metajuridica Laurent DESUTTER SERGE GUTWIRTH Participation in the Life of Jesus: An Exegetical Study of 2 Cor 4:7-15. Abstract: The proposed doctoral project aims at a comprehensive understanding of one of the important themes in Pauline theology, namely, the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our main interest in this investigation is to understand the meaning and relevance of Paul's experience of suffering as well as power, as an apostle of Christ. Paul understands his call to be anapostle, rooted in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Paul describes his sufferings, there is a strong allusion to the experience of Jesus. Paul tells his readers that the sufferings he enduresare intimately related to Christ. His weaknesses and marks of sufferingare the matter of his boasting in Christ (2 Cor 1:5; 4:10-11:12:9-10; 13:4). Paul affirms that the power of his ministry comes fully from Godas his weak temporal life contributes very little to its efficacy. Paul#s apostolic ministry is an extension to others of the life of Christ who already lives in the apostle. The most important feature of Christ# Faculty of Theology and Religious Studie Reimund Bieringer Participation in science and technology: the construction of participation in a participatory Technology Assessment. Abstract: This study examines how actors in a Flemish participatory Technology Assessment project (pta) strategically negotiate the meaning of participation from often contending viewpoints, interests, and expectations, and what this implies for the theorization of participation in pta, given its conventional presentation of participation as a cooperative and collective endeavor that is conducive to social learning and results in better and more legitimate policy outcomes. Society and Environment Ilse Loots Lieve Goorden Michiel Van Oudheusden Participation in Science and Technology: Meaning construction of participation in an Interactive Technology Assessment. Abstract: This study examines how actors in a Flemish participatory Technology Assessment project (pta) strategically negotiate the meaning of participation from often contending viewpoints, interests, and expectations, and what this implies for the theorization of participation in pta, given its conventional presentation of participation as a cooperative and collective endeavor that is conducive to social learning and results in better and
more legitimate policy outcomes. Society and Environment Ilse Loots Michiel Van Oudheusden Participation at the "Beckett Digital Manuscript Project" (FWO Vis.Postdoc.Fel., Anthony CORDINGLEY, Australia, Univ.Rouen-France). Abstract: As part of the 'Beckett Digital Manuscript Project', this project builds on Edouard Magessa O'Reilly's work, to realize an electronic geneticcritical edition of Beckett's novel 'Comment c'est/how It Is', encoded in XML (extensible Markup Language), to reunite the 14 manuscript versions of Comment c'est (facsimiles and transcription) with their multiple English translations. The edition will offer transcriptions, facsimiles, and a critical apparatus to aid the reader in moving through the text and will be accompanied by a monograph analyzing the genesis of the text. Literature and Modernity Dirk Van Hulle Participation and Representation. A comparative study of linkage mechanisms between citizens and the political systems in contemporary democracies Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: The legitimacy and performance of democratic government is dependent on the quality of linkage mechanisms between citizens and the political system. These mechanisms allow for participation, representation, policy input and responsiveness. It is clear, however, that traditional linkage mechanisms like party membership, party identification and electoral turnout have come under pressure in liberal democracies (cfr. also the results of PartiRep-I). Structural social changes have made it increasingly difficult for political parties and politicians to play their intermediate role of linking citizens and politics. Members of parliament and governments face the challenge to try to come to terms with the input they receive from an ever more volatile electorate. It is however clear that citizens, intermediate organizations and elected politicians are in search of new modes of linkage that are more adapted to an institutional and societal environment that is thoroughly changing. Therefore, in PartiRep-II we aim to investigate the quality of traditional and new linkage mechanisms, building on the results of the previous phase with a renewed emphasis on the theoretical integration of these findings. Furthermore, our aim is to develop innovative quantitative and qualitative methods and experimental research designs to advance this research project. Just like in 2009, we will conduct a comprehensive voter survey at the occasion of the 2014 regional and European elections in Belgium. Political Science CHRISTIAN DESCHOUWER Paris. Faculty of Theology and Religious Studie OE ICRI / CIR Joseph Dumortier Parallel corpora for Dutch word sense disambiguation - Het gebruik van parallelle corpora voor automatische desambiguering van woordbetekenissen in het Nederlands University College Ghent Abstract: De informatie-explosie die we de laatste jaren meemaken op het World Wide Web en de vertaalexplosie die niet alleen een typisch Europees probleem is en ook o.a. samenhangt met de economische realiteit (zoals de kortere levenscyclus van producten en de globalisering van het aanbod), zorgen voor een groeiende vraag naar automatische vertaalsystemen. Ondanks de grote vooruitgang de laatste decennia heeft de performantie van taaltechnologische applicaties, zoals machinevertaling, heden ten dage nog sterk te lijden onder het niet of gebrekkig kunnen omgaan met ambiguïteit [Cabezas en Resnik 2005]. Die ambiguïteit strekt zich uit over alle geledingen van natuurlijke taal: van het niveau van de morfologie (het niveau van de woordopbouw) tot het niveau van een intermenselijke conversatie. Zo zal het automatisch vertaalsysteem Babelfish (Babelfish.altavista.com) Apple has doubled its profits in 2005. vertalen naar De appel heeft zijn winsten in 2005 verdubbeld. Hoewel appel inderdaad een correcte vertaling is voor Apple, is het de verkeerde vertaling in deze context. Ook andere taaltechnologische applicaties, zoals vraag-antwoordsystemen en informatie-retrieval-systemen, hebben te lijden onder het gebrek aan contextuele desambiguering van woordbetekenissen (word sense disambiguation, WSD). WSD staat bekend als één van de moeilijkste problemen binnen de taaltechnologie, aangezien het impliceert dat er een artificieel tekstbegrip opgebouwd wordt: op basis van de context van een woord moet het systeem de correcte woordbetekenis detecteren. Als er in een Engelse tekst sprake is van een bank en de tekst bevat verder ook contextuele verwijzingen naar water, river, boat, geese, etc. dan moet het systeem automatisch kunnen induceren dat het hier hoogstwaarschijnlijk gaat over een oever van een rivier en niet over een bank als financiële instelling. Maar ook hier zal Babelfish een zin als The geese were sleeping on the banks of the Thames verkeerdelijk vertalen door De ganzen sliepen op de banken van de Theems. Een gelijkaardig desambigueringsprobleem stelt zich als de gebruiker een ambigue term, zoals java ingeeft in een zoekmachine. Wil de gebruiker dan informatie over de programmeertaal, het Indonesisch eiland of misschien wel de koffie? Zoekrobotten zoals Google (www.google.com/suggest) en Yahoo! (search.yahoo.com) geven de voorkeur aan de meest populaire betekenis op basis van query logs (zie ook [Cui et al. 2002]), wat in het geval van java betekent dat vooral query verfijningen gesuggereerd worden met betrekking tot de programmeertaal. In dit project willen we een generiek automatisch WSD systeem ontwikkelen voor het Nederlands. Een dergelijk systeem detecteert woorden met meer dan één betekenis en kent er de contextueel correcte betekenis aan toe. Tot nu toe zijn de state-of-the-art WSD systemen (vooral voor het Engels, zie bijvoorbeeld [Hoste et al. 2002]) gebaseerd op gesuperviseerde leeralgoritmes die leren vanuit gelabelde data: geannoteerde corpora waarin de betekenissen van een woord manueel geannoteerd zijn. Aangezien dergelijke corpora voor het Nederlands nauwelijks voorhanden zijn, en het manueel annoteren van woordbetekenissen erg tijdsintensief en duur is, vertrekken we van parallelle corpora. De methode om van parallelle corpora automatisch woordbetekenissen af te leiden, is gebaseerd op de observatie dat een woord met meer dan 1 betekenis vaak een verschillende vertaling heeft voor deze verschillende betekenissen. Als we bijvoorbeeld op basis van een parallel Nederlands-Engels corpus kunnen achterhalen dat het woord blik overwegend als glance of als tin vertaald wordt, dan kunnen we afleiden dat blik tenminste twee
betekenissen heeft. Het gebruik van parallelle corpora voor WSD is in een reeks recente studies onderzocht voor o.a. het Engels en het Chinees en wordt beschouwd als een veelbelovende methode [Ng et al. 2003, Shao en Ng 2004, Li en Li 2004, etc]. In dit project willen we de techniek onderzoeken voor het Nederlands. Het gebruik van corpora biedt een bijkomend voordeel. Gezien het bepalen van de mogelijke betekenissen van een ambigu woord subjectief is [Kilgariff 1997], zullen veel woorden in verschillende woordenboeken ook een verschillende set van betekenissen krijgen. Bovendien stelt zich ook een probleem van granulariteit, wat betekent dat het vaak niet duidelijk is hoe gedetailleerd betekenisverschillen moeten weergegeven worden om bruikbaar te zijn in praktische applicaties (zie ook [Resnik en Yarowsky 1997]). Niet alle betekenisverschillen worden immers in alle talen gelexicaliseerd. Zo kan het Engelse head perfect vertaald worden door het Nederlandse hoofd, onafhankelijk van feit of het nu over een lichaamsdeel of een chef gaat. In dit project willen we volgende concrete onderzoeksvragen behandelen: In hoeverre is het mogelijk om op een ongesuperviseerde manier automatisch woordbetekenissen te detecteren op basis van parallelle corpora zonder daarbij gebruik te maken van voorkennis uit woordenboeken of andere lexicale bronnen? Enkele van de te onderzoeken onderliggende vragen hierbij zijn: Wat is de foutenlast van de automatisch woordalignatie van de parallelle corpora? Hoeveel syntactische voorkennis is er vereist voor een goede detectie van woordbetekenissen/vertalingen? Wat is de optimale variatie in de contrasterende talen om te komen tot een performante betekenisset? Wat is de optimale granulariteit om te komen tot een goede performantie? Welke verbetering in termen van precisie en recall, kan behaald worden door de integratie van een automatisch WSD systeem in een praktische applicatie? Faculty of Translation Studies Department of Language Technology Els Lefever Veronique Hoste Paperback Writer. A Comparative Study of Normative Poetics in American and French Handbooks for Writing Narrative Prose in the 21st Century. Literature and Culture, Leuven Dirk De Geest Anneleen Masschelein Paperback Writer. A Comparative Study of Normative Poetics in American and French Handbooks for Writing Narrative Prose in the 21st Century. Literature and Culture, Leuven Dirk De Geest Anneleen Masschelein Gert-Jan Meyntjens Panpsychism in the West Ghent University Abstract: REsearch visit of D. Skrbina. Research will be done in the domain of metaphysics and philosophy of mind, especially panpsychism. Departement of Philosophy and moral sciences Erik Weber Pannonian Martyrs of the Great Persecution and the Construction of Christian Identity in the Late 4th and Early 5th Century Middle Danube Area Abstract: My doctoral project is concentrating on the Pannonian saints martyred during the Great Persecution. I intend to elaborate a hagiographical dossier for every martyr, to edit (and translate) the extant acts and passions and to critically discuss them. I refer here to the hagiographical traditions surrounding the saints Demetrius of Sirmium (BHL 2122-2127) and the anonimous virgins executed with him; Montanus and Maxima; Anastasia (BHL 0404); Irenaeus of Sirmium (BHL 4466); Pollio of Cibalae (BHL 6869); the Four Crowned Martyrs (BHL 1966); Quirinus of Siscia (BHL 7035-7039); Donatus and his companions (BHL 2309); and Sinerotas (BHL 7595-7596). Currently these traditions do not have even remotely the place they should occupy in the scholarly attention. The research results, as far as I can anticipate them, will contribute to an urgently needed revision of the history of 4th and 5th century Pannonian Christianity. Emphasis will be placed on the critical analysis of the dossiers usin Research Unit of History of Church and T
Johan Leemans Hajnalka Tamas Painting themselves: A transnational approach to national selfportraiture Ghent University Abstract: This project proposes a transnational approach to the national selfportraits published in the 1840s in Europe. National self-portraits were collaborative anthologies that attempted to capture the essence of a nation through the repreesentation of its consitutive types or scenes. This project examines how the intertextualities and international dialoque among these collections shaped the definition of national identity in the 1840s. Departement of French Elizabeth Amann OZR backup mandate 'finishing doctoral project Vrije Universiteit Brussel Abstract: Between land and sea. Economy and identity of the early-medieval Flemish coastal regio in a North Sea Context. (500-1000 A.C.) Analysis of the social and economic identity of the inhabitants of the Flemish coastal region in the early medieval period. Art Sciences and Archaeology Dries TYS Overseas Korean Studies Incubation program. Abstract: Increasing demands for more courses on Korean language, society and politics are received at the in recent years. This tendency is the obvious result of a dynamic Korean cultural scene that has increased its presence in Europe in recent years but also it is the result of vigorous trade relations with Europe that have been stimulated by the Korea-EU FTA since July 2011. The Korea Society for the Promotion of Science (KSPS) offers the possibility to develop the Korean studies program at the (Research section of Japanese studies) for a period of three years. Promotor of the grant will be prof. Dr. D. Vanoverbeke Co-promotor is prof. dr. W. Vande Walle. They will collaborate with Dr. Ransook Kang and Drs. Nicholas Peeters to deepen the Korean language courses, develop a seminar on Korean society and political developments andstimulate research on Korea in a global and regional context. Japanese Studies, Leuven Willy Vande Walle Dimitri Vanoverbeke Over onrust en zelfbedrog Abstract: De interesse in Pascal#s gedachtegoed groeide de laatste decennia aanzienlijk, niet alleen in Franse, maar ook in Anglo-Amerikaanse studies. Defocus van deze recente studies ligt voornamelijk op zijn intrinsieke relaties met zijn tijdgenoten, waar zowel filosofen als theologen toe behoorden. Zo werden de Pensées onder meer opgevat als een onafgewerkte apologie (Parish: 2011), als een discussie met Descartes (Carraud: 1992) of als de uitdrukking van de Augustiniaanse idee van de #gevallen natuur# (Moriarty: 2003). In het bijzonder vormden thema#s zoals #le pari#, #le divertissement# (Guénancia: 2011), de menselijke #misère# de voornaamste interessevelden (Hammond: 2003). Vandaag laten deze wetenschappelijke benaderingen toe om de aandacht te richten op erg particuliere aspecten van Pascal#s gedachtegoed, bijvoorbeeld op zijn notie van onrust (#inquiétude#). Er is reeds onderzoek verricht naar de theologische en historische achtergrond van deze notie. In mijn onderzoek wens ik echter d Husserl-Archives: Centre for Phenomenolo Roland Breeur Hanna Vandenbussche Overhoused People / Underused Houses? Towards a Sustainable Reassemblingof the Post War Housing Stock in Suburban Flanders, Belgium Abstract: After the Second World War, the Flemish region was confronted with massive suburbanisation. The privately owned, detached single family house became the dominant building type located in residential subdivisions, ribbon developments or as piecemeal developments scattered through the landscape. This PhD dissertation focuses on the widespread phenomenon of residential underuse: houses inhabited by fewer people than the surface and number of bedrooms would allow for. Today, the concerns about the sustainability of the underused suburban housing stock are growing. The social concerns regard the maladjustment of these large dwellings located in low density residential environments for the ageing population. In addition, because of the high amount of underused houses inhabited by empty nesters, young families with children in search of an affordable housein a green setting cant get access to them. The environmental concernsregard the high ecological footprint of these underused houses: ou Architecture and Society Michael Ryckewaert Hildegarde Heynen Dominique Vanneste Wouter Bervoets Overforminghe as deification? The theme of deification in the work of John of Ruusbroec in light of the older mystical tradition of the Low Countries and the condemnation of Marguerite Porete. Abstract: The project will research the theme of transformation in love in the works of John of Ruusbroec, specifically Ruusbroecs critical reworking of the central theme in the work of Marguerite Porete, who was condemnedby the Inquisition in 1310. The investigation of this case study will shed
new light on the broader theme of deification in Christian thoughtin the Western Middle Ages. This theme occupied a central place in Patristic and Eastern Christian reflection, but very few studies have focused on its later development in the medieval West. The objective of the research is twofold. First, to investigate the development of the theme ofdeification in the tradition inherited by John of Ruusbroec (William ofsaint-thierry, Beatrice of Nazareth, (Pseudo-)Hadewijch and Marguerite Porete, among others), which had become problematic resulting from Poretes condemnation. Second, to investigate the extent to which Ruusbroec, influenced by Porete, with whose work he was undoubtedly familiar, re Research Unit of History of Church and T Robertus Faesen Overforminghe as deification? The theme of deification in the work of John of Ruusbroec in light of the older mystical tradition of the Low Countries and the condemnation of Marguerite Porete Abstract: The proposed project will research the theme of transformation in love in the works of John of Ruusbroec, specifically Ruusbroec#s critical reworking of the central theme in the work of Marguerite Porete, who was condemned by the Inquisition in 1310. The investigation of this case studywill shed new light on the broader theme of #deification# in Christian thought in the Western Middle Ages. This theme occupied a central place in Patristic and Eastern Christian reflection, but very few studieshave focused on its later development in the medieval West. The objective of the proposed research is twofold. First, to investigate the development of the theme of deification in the tradition inherited by John of Ruusbroec (William of Saint-Thierry, (Ps.-)Hadewijch and Marguerite Porete, among others), which had become problematic resulting from Porete#s condemnation. Second, to investigate the extent to which Ruusbroec, influenced by Porete, with whose work he was undoubtedly familiar, recognise Research Unit of History of Church and T Robertus Faesen John Arblaster Over de gewoonte: een onderzoek naar de natuur van de tweede natuur. Husserl-Archives: Centre for Phenomenolo Nicolas Fernando de Warren Overcoming the language proficiency gap: Can early second language learning be boosted by manipulating the learning environment? Centre for Language and Education, Leuve Kristiaan Van den Branden Koen Jaspaert Carolien Frijns Outsider literature in Belgium, 1968-2008. A polysystemic analysis. Abstract: The central question in this research project is the following: how wasliterature written by authors who are said to be mad outsider literature spoken about in the second half of the twentieth century in Dutch and French literary discourse? Which are the discursive conditions that enable the fact that we can speak (in a specific way) about outsider literature? With this research project, I attempt to analyze the attitude towards madness, as a biographic characteristic attributed to an author, and the way it evolved. How do literary critics write about authors saidto be mad? With what kind of terminology do literary scholars approach their texts? How do authors present themselves as mad? Discourse analysis, and more specifically Michel Foucaults archeology, is used as methodological perspective. Insights stemming from a broad range of literary and cultural theories are integrated into this framework. Because of the emphasis on discourse, literature and madness, the oeuvre o Literature and Culture, Leuven Dirk De Geest Arnout De Cleene Ottoman Diplomats to Belgium: An Online Digitalization Project of Diplomatic Sources Abstract: 'Ottoman Diplomats' offers online access to diplomatic reports from the Ottoman Legation in Brussels (1848-1914). They are made available here for the first time in high-quality photographic reproduction, together with key information on every dispatch (author, recipient, date, summary). The project mainly aims to: (1) stimulate new research on Ottoman diplomacy, and (2) encourage revisionist histories of Belgium that engage with Ottoman sources. Power in History - Centre for Political History Henk de Smaele