NCube/papyrus huggingface dataset:
L’entrepreneur hacker. L’ethos de travail des entrepreneurs web

This thesis focuses on the work ethos of web entrepreneurs. In the era of immaterial labor, a new approach towards work is emerging. The business leaders’ anti-bureaucratic attitude puts forward the tension between the hacker ethic and the spirit of capitalism by considering work as leisure. A new kind of entrepreneur is taking shape: the hacker entrepreneur. Analyzing the values and motivations of eight Montreal-based entrepreneurs, this research reframes the desire for profit, demonstrates how the hacker ethic is performed within the workplace and takes a critical look at the reconfiguration of labor in the cognitive capitalism context. It appears that the values of the hacker ethic are taken back by the logic of capitalism as a new justification system. Labor thus interferes with all areas of the web entrepreneur’s life as he invests both his human and financial capital.

Keyphrases: entrepreneur, web, motivations, hacker ethic, cognitive capitalism, entrepreneur, web, spirit of capitalism, work, work ethos, self-entrepreneurship, motivations, values
Transformations sociales chez les Cherokees, 1794-1827

Demographic shifts, pressures to assimilate, military disasters, and territorial rivalries : this thesis studies how Cherokee society was transformed by these forces during the «long 18th century» that began with the intensification of contacts with European settlers in the early 1700s and that ended with the Cherokees’ removal to the Indian Territory (located in today’s Oklahoma) in the late 1830s. It focuses on the centralisation of political institutions, the transformation of the rules governing tribal membership and acceptance, and the changing roles of men and women in the family and in the Cherokee economy, primarily between the signing of the 1794 peace treaty with the United States and the adoption of a Constitutional government by the Cherokee Nation in 1827.

Keyphrases: Cherokee, XIXe siècle, History, Native Americans, Native American history, 18th century, 19th century, United States, Gender studies, Political history, Identity
Under the roof and the pen of Elizabeth Willing Powel.
Material culture, sociability, and letters in revolutionary and early republican Philadelphia

Set in late eighteenth-century Philadelphia, covering the American revolutionary and the early republican eras, this thesis explores three major and interrelated themes: material culture, sociability, and female agency. It focuses on Elizabeth Willing Powel, a privileged and educated woman of Philadelphia, and on the ways she projected herself to society through the material environment of her house –Powel House - and through her correspondence. Elizabeth Powel was renown for her intellect, her conversations and her hostess qualities. This project explores the interaction between an elite woman and her material environment during the eventful revolutionary and post-revolutionary era, and how material culture conveyed a social, cultural and political stance. By a careful analysis of Elizabeth Powel's correspondence - with a particular attention to her discourse on women's social role, female education, politics, and goods - this thesis observes Elizabeth's social interactions and self-presentation to society.  It also explores how material culture and epistolary activities provided Elizabeth with means of agency, and ways to participate to late eighteenth-century American society, then undergoing crucial transformations.

Keyphrases: Powel House, Elizabeth Willing Powel, sociability, material culture, George Washington, epistolary writing, elite, Philadelphia, feminine agency, eighteenth-century
Résister à l'exploitation : une histoire de l'opposition péruvienne aux transnationales minières de 1901 à nos jours

Throughout the twentieth century, the Peruvian mining industry has undergone a series of transformations that have had profound economical, social and political impact on the nation and its citizens. These changes, however, were not without opposition. In fact, studying recent Peruvian history from a resistance point of view, three different periods come to the foreground. From 1901 to 1930, workers were mostly Andean peasants coerced to work in mines by means of a debt-peonage system called enganche. Their means of resistance, having no union at this time, were mostly individual and short-termed, such as leaving their workplace without completing their contract. One non-governmental organization (NGO) concerned about miners' working conditions was the Asociación Pro-Indígena, composed of progressive Peruvian intellectuals such as Dora Mayer, who studied the practice and impact of the enganche system. The second – spanning from 1930 to 1980 – is both the longest and most important period for studying the transformation of the mining industry and its impact. It is during this period that unions were created and expanded, despite facing serious state oppression. In 1969, the Federación Nacional de los Trabajadores Mineros y Metalúrgicos del Perú (FNTMMP) was created and was the first successful attempt to unite all mining industry workers into one organization. This federation was a prominent actor in the social movement of the seventies, and was one of the organizations that contributed to General Bermúdez's resignation and the presidential elections of 1980 which signaled Peru’s return to democracy after over a decade of military rule. Parallel to this return to representative democracy was the launching of Sendero Luminoso's armed struggle, and the subsequent civil war. This period affected greatly unions of all sectors, who were caught between Sendero Luminoso's purges and the Army's repression. The third period begins with Alberto Fujimori's presidential election in 1990. This president is known for his victory against Sendero Luminoso and the neoliberal reforms he pushed forward by way of quasi-authoritarian practices (such as the suspension of congress in 1992). These reforms mainly consisted in the government changing legislation in order to help foreign companies, such as mining firms, to benefit from Peru's primary resources. Resisting this new paradigm are the communities organized through the Confederación Nacional de las Comunidades Afectadas por la Minería (CONACAMI). Finally, although each period demonstrates distinct means to battle against transnational mining companies and to circumscribe and seek repair for abuses committed, there is a continuity across them:  the subalterns' will to be heard.

Keyphrases: Peruvian history, Twentieth century, Mining industry, Labor movement, Social conflicts
Modélisation procédurale de mondes virtuels par pavage d'occultation

This thesis deals with procedural modeling applied to extended worlds for computer graphics.We study visibility applied to tiling patterns, aiming at two distinct objectives : (1) providing artists with efficient tools to generate 3D content for very extended virtual scenes, and (2) guaranteeing that this content improves performance of subsequent renderings, during its construction. We propose several methods for 2D and 3D visibility determination, in order to achieve interactive or real-time evaluation of potentially visible sets (PVS). They are based on the concepts of separating and supporting lines/planes, as well as objects hierarchies over tiles. Our first 2D method guarantees full occlusion of the visual field (view frustum) beyond a fixed distance, regardless of the observer’s location on a tiling. The second method enables fast estimation and localization of visible tiles, and builds up a virtual world accordingly. We also extend this method to 3D. Finally, we present two methods to optimize objects locations on tiles, and show how to improve rendering performance for scenes generated on the fly.

Keyphrases: Occlusion Culling, Visibility, Procedural Modeling, Tiling, PVS, CHC++
El español de los inmigrantes de los Andes bolivianos en el Norte Grande de Chile : convergencias y divergencias dialectales en el marco de una situación de contacto

Within the framework of the communication accommodation theory, the present study evaluates the extent to which Spanish-speaking migrants from the Bolivian Andes to San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) accommodate their speech to Chilean Spanish, using a comparative sociolinguistics methodology. Four distinctive grammatical features of Andean Spanish were selected for the analysis: the use of the double possessive adjectives (e.g. He ido a su casa de mi marido), the use of adverbs of place as adjuncts of the Spanish preposition en (e.g. Entonces he vivido en allá así como diez años), the preference for the present perfect over the simple past to express the perfective aspect (e.g. El año pasado he ido a visitar a mi madre), and the exclusive use of standard verbal forms to express the second person singular (e.g. Tú puedes estar comiendo tu hamburguesa). Results were obtained from a statistical analysis of variation in the empirical data, which were collected through interviews, and compared with a non-migrant Bolivian control group. The data reveal that, while these migrants maintain a practically unaltered use of both the double possessive adjectives and the adverbs of place as adjuncts of the Spanish preposition en (this is understood as “divergence”), they gradually develop a preference for the present perfect over the simple past to express the perfective aspect by a predilection for the simple past over the present perfect (e.g. Esta mañana fui a la playa), and they progressively adopt an alternation between standard forms and vernacular ones (i.e. voseo) to express the second person singular (e.g. Cuando tu flotái… y no te sumerges hacia adentro), as occurs in Chilean Spanish (this is understood as “convergence”). In other words, the migrants have incorporated new linguistic resources into their speech, while they have simultaneously maintained others without any significant change. The dialect contact situation caused by migrants from the Bolivian Andes to Chile, therefore, has undeniable linguistic consequences, which bring out the dynamic character of the language. Indeed, the fact that these migrants integrate new linguistic resources into their speech while simultaneously maintaining others without serious changes highlights that the processes of dialectal convergence and divergence are not exclusive, but rather inclusive. That is, they can occur simultaneously within the same linguistic community. In conclusion, the fact that these migrants henceforth speak a dialect that is equivalent neither to their original dialect nor to the host dialect supports the claim that they speak a kind of new dialect.

Keyphrases: Bolivian Andean Spanish, Chilean Spanish, Dialect contact, Dialectal convergence and divergence, Communication accommodation, Language variation and change, New dialect, Comparative Sociolinguistics
L’implication du syndicat dans la gestion de la prestation des services municipaux : une comparaison Québec-Écosse

In order to become more flexible, the public sector has opened the way to new principles inspired by the private sector: the marketisation of services (Fairbrother et Poynter, 2001). Our research aims to better understand the factors which affect the participation of trade unions when marketisation is introduced in the delivery of local government services. To do so, we have decided to compare local government case studies in two different countries, Québec City and Edinburgh in Scotland, to help us better understand the interactions between local and national influences. Our hypothesis is that local trade union power resources and the employer’s strategy will influence trade union participation in the management of local government service delivery, regardless of the national context. The main findings of our research suggest that power resources and employer stategy both directly affect local trade union involvement in the management of local government service delivery. While power resources help to bolster the trade union’s power, the employer strategy can either encourage or impare trade union participation. Our results also raised differences relating to the national contexts of the UK and Québec which affected local trade union participation : « Best Value » legislation in the UK and « Code du Travail » legislation which frame collective agreements and industrial relations in Québec. We consider that future research on the subject is necessary in order to verify the current models on national industrial relations and to develop new comparative theories.

Keyphrases: positions syndicales, marketisation, outsourcing, trade union power ressources, trade union strategies, trade union participation, employer strategy, local government services, institutional context
Stratégie syndicale et fermeture d'usine en contexte de mondialisation : le cas Paccar inc., usine Kenworth de Sainte-Thérèse

This thesis illustrates the evolution of the strategy used by the TCA-Québec Union, local unit 728 representing the employees of Kenworth in Sainte-Thérèse, from the plant shutdown in 1996 to its reopening in 1999.  The literature shows that the economic market globalisation has forced the trade unions to reconsider their strategic approach in the collective bargaining process. In some cases, their survival depends on it.  The case study presented in this work identifies five key events when strategic adjustments were made by the trade union during this highly mediatised conflict:  the collective bargaining, the failure of these negotiations which led to a general strike, the plant shutdown, the announcement of the plant’s reopening as well as its actual reopening.    The results presented in correlation to the David Weil Model (1994) detail the strategic planning of these five key events using an integrated process which is composed of three major steps: formulating, implementing and evaluating the strategy. The facts are assembled chronologically while exposing the modifications to the local union`s strategy using indicators developed with Weil’s model external factors (1994) such as the technological, legal and social environments, the member-led priorities, the distribution of the union’s resources as well as the cost-benefit advantages.

Keyphrases: Paccar, TCA, FTQ, Kenworth, Case study, Collective bargaining, Trade union strategy, Globalisation, Plant shutdown, Plant reopening
Dynamiques de constitution de la communauté antiautoritaire au Québec, 2000-2010

This thesis by articles is a case study of the development process of the anti-authoritarian social movement community in Quebec between the years 2000 and 2010. The study questions the factors that have contributed to the evolution of this political actor during this period and allowed for its heterogeneous character to be unveiled by the end of the decade. While the anti-authoritarian community’s components encompassed numerous issues of struggle, there was convergence around the adoption of political positions, action strategies and organizational methods that form a contemporary anti-authoritarian ideal-type. Although the overall political environment of the anti-authoritarian community in Quebec did have an influence on its development, this thesis by articles demonstrates that it was the movement’s internal dynamics that ensured its survival by allowing for the accommodation of the diversity expressed within the movement during that period. Understanding the anti-authoritarian movement through the conceptual lens of the social movement community allows us to observe and analyse the development of this political actor well beyond its public interactions with authorities. In doing so, this approach also highlights the role of the internal factors that have contributed to its development.   In line with previous work on social movements that put forth a synthetic theoretical perspective linking structural and cultural aspects, this analysis of the anti-authoritarian community in Quebec highlights the role of organizational and identity factors, while contributing to this perspective by applying a mechanistic approach.  By doing so, the thesis highlights, on the one hand, the interaction of these dimensions in the development of the antiauthoritarian community and, on the other, the dynamics that are inherent to them. The gradual transition towards a social movement community structure was noted first as a process of organizational development that interacted with the process of boundary formation within the movement. On another hand, the anti-authoritarian community was able to sustain itself between 2000 and 2010 due to the identity work undertaken by its activists, through a process of identity reconciliation. These processes have contributed to the formation of a collective identity built around the struggle against various forms of oppression, simultaneously expressed in the political discourse and practices of anti-authoritarian activists.  The findings proposed in this thesis rely on a participative action research methodology and combine participant observation, the analysis of interviews and the study of documentary sources. The empirical interpretation of the anti-authoritarian community is based on a project carried out with the Research Collective on Collective Autonomy (CRAC) at Concordia University in Montreal.

Keyphrases: Social movements, Social movement community, Anarchism, Anti-authoritarian, Political process, Collective identity
Representación de las homosexualidades en el teatro de Rafael Mendizábal y de Michel Marc Bouchard

Based on a descriptive and comparative study of Michel Marc Bouchard’s Les Feluettes (1987) and Les Muses orphelines (1988) from Quebec, along with Rafael Mendizábal’s Feliz cumpleaños, señor ministro (1922) and Madre amantísima (2003) from Spain, this study deals with the representation of homosexualities in theatre through love and family relationships, gender subversions, homophobia, as well as the AIDS pandemic and its literary and theatrical impact. The methodological framework borrows from queer and gender studies. This study concludes that homoerotic love relationships are defined by the paradoxical valorisation of the frames of classical romantic love, between liberation and homonormativity, and a representation of sexuality articulated on polarized roles. For their part, family relationships are organized around the father-figure linked in different shades to the dominant, heterosexist discourse, alongside the figure of the absent and uncompromised father. Likewise, the maternal figures are mainly absent or self-effacing, even though this statement is reversed by an especially strong maternal figure. In all cases, mother-figures remain idealized. Gender identities are studied from the angle of lesbian dichotomous identities and effemination as subversions of dominant norms of gender, and also considering the sexist articulation of homophobia, strengthened by the taboo of homoerotism and its weight in the theatrical discourse.

Keyphrases: Michel Marc Bouchard, Rafael Mendizábal, Homosexuality in literature, Homosexuality in theatre, Spanish theatre, Quebec theatre, Gender studies, Queer studies
Caractérisation de l’interaction entre la protéine Lin28 et le précurseur du microARN let-7g

The regulation of gene expression is what allows our cells to adapt to their environment, to fight infections or, more generally, to express the appropriate level of proteins to meet a specific need. The microRNAs (miRNAs) are among the most important players in the regulation of gene expression. These small RNAs of 22 nucleotides are present in most multicellular species and are responsible for the direct control of more than 30% of protein-expressing genes in vertebrates. The miRNA lethal-7 (let-7) family consist of some of the most studied miRNAs and plays crucial roles in the cell. The appropriate regulation of the let-7 miRNAs level is essential for proper cellular development. The biogenesis of these miRNAs, from the primary transcript to their mature form is mainly regulated by Lin28, a highly-conserved pluripotent protein. This protein is composed of a cold shock domain (CSD) and two zinc-binding domains. These RNA-binding domains allow Lin28 to bind and inhibit the maturation of the let-7 miRNA. The objective of this thesis is to characterize the interaction between the Lin28 protein and the let-7g miRNA precursor to better understand the role of this protein in the inhibition of miARN biogenesis. Using biochemical and biophysical techniques, we first identified the main determinants of the interaction between Lin28 and the terminal loop of the precursor miRNA let-7g (TL-let-7g). We concluded that the C-terminal domain of Lin28, composed of a lysine-rich and arginine-rich motif in addition to two zinc-binding motifs, is sufficient to bind with high affinity a conserved guanine-rich bulge located on the TL-let-7g. In addition, because the sequence and RNA-binding specificity of this C-terminal domain are similar to those of the HIV protein NCp7, we defined this region as the NCp7-like domain of Lin28. Subsequently, we characterized the multimerization of three Lin28 proteins on the terminal loop of pre-let-7g. This study helped to reconcile apparent contradictions found in the current literature regarding the Lin28-binding sites on miRNA precursors. We identified three high-affinity binding sites on TL-let-7g that are bound in a stepwise manner by the three Lin28 proteins. As part of the formation of the multimeric complex, both RNA-binding domains of Lin28 play an important role. The CSD destabilizes the RNA and this exposes several binding sites, whereas the NCp7-like domain allows an orderly protein assembly and facilitates the initial binding of the protein. These results lead us to propose a new model for the interaction between Lin28 and pre-let-7g. In conclusion, these studies provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of an important family of miRNAs and will help guide future projects in the expanding research area of miRNA biogenesis.

Keyphrases: Lin28, let-7, microRNA, post-transcriptional regulation, protein-RNA interaction, macromolecular complex formation, native gels