Digital Commons Network^™

Material Consumption Of An 18th-Century Middling Urban Craftsman In Boston, Massachusetts, Lauryn E. Sharp

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis studies how Caleb Parker, a blacksmith and craftsman who lived in the early- to mid-18th century, viewed and utilized refinement and genteel behaviors using the glass and ceramic artifacts recovered from a privy at his home at 23 Unity Street in Boston’s North End. Background research explores the concept of “partible refinement,” which speaks to the notion that the “middling sorts'' at this time, including craftspeople like Caleb Parker, had the agency to selectively use different components of refined gentility according to their personal consumer choice and tastes. This resulted in middling sorts incorporating both traditional and modern …

“Provisioned, Produced, Procured,” And Purchased?: A Macrobotanical Study Of Enslaved Individuals’ Economic Engagement In The Shenandoah Valley, Linda A. Seminario

Graduate Masters Theses

This research investigates enslaved peoples’ economic engagement in the Shenandoah Valley during the first half of the 19th century. In 2017, archaeologists excavated two features at the Belle Grove enslaved quarters in Middletown, Virginia— a root cellar and subfloor pit that were filled in when a log cabin burned down. The preservation of the macrobotanicals has allowed for an in-depth analysis of the plants with which enslaved individuals engaged and the relationship between plant acquisition and enslaved people’s regional formal economic involvement at a 19th-century plantation in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. These data sets have also allowed for an …

Perspectives Of Hispanic/Latina Women Ages 60 And Over On The Impact Of Single Motherhood And Their Long-Term Financial Well-Being, Tess Juno Anselm

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Unmarried women over the age of 60 continue to experience disproportionate rates of adult poverty in the United States, while families headed by single mothers experience the highest poverty rates. This study explores the long-term impact of single motherhood on financial wellness through the perspective of Hispanic/Latina women ages 60 and over who have experienced single motherhood in Massachusetts. A transdisciplinary study, it utilizes intersectionality as a theoretical framework, employs feminist standpoint informed inquiry methods to document lived experiences through in-depth interviews, and engages diffraction as a mode of praxis as it intra-acts with narratives and explores the systems and …

The Black Box Of Enrollment Management: The Influence Of Academic Capitalism And Values Of The Public Good, Kamala C. Kiem

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The study addresses the widening income and racial access gap in higher education resulting from enrollment management teams’ operationalization of academic capitalism. The study focuses on the local, micro level, emphasizing how enrollment management leadership teams make sense of enrollment management, recognizing that enrollment management and the work of enrollment management stakeholders exist within an organizational space encompassing the values of both public good and academic capitalism. Using a case study methodology and critical sensemaking theory, the research explored how academic capitalism and values of the public good shaped enrollment management leadership teams’ sensemaking and sensegiving as they enacted decisions, …

Addressing Health Crises Through Courts? Climate Litigation In Latin America, The Right To Health And Vulnerable Populations, Thalia Viveros Uehara

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

As Latin America faces increasing climate-related health crises that disproportionately affect populations experiencing poverty and social exclusion, it becomes increasingly urgent to realize the most vulnerable's right to health. While the region's new constitutionalism (NLAC) has made progress in protecting this right, it has only recently begun to intersect with climate change law through rights-based climate litigation. This dissertation takes a transdisciplinary multi-methods research approach to answer the following question: How do health crises emerge within, and how are they addressed by courts through, domestic climate litigation in Latin America? Specifically, it examines how health concerns for vulnerable populations are …

Sartorial Practices And Daily Life: Examining Black Womanhood In Nineteenth-Century Boston, Erica A. Lang

Graduate Masters Theses

During the nineteenth century, the northern slope of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood was home to a free African American community. Central to the Beacon Hill neighborhood was the African Meeting House, which operated as a Baptist church, home, school, and meeting space for Black community members. Archaeological investigations have revealed the story of not just the African Meeting House, but the surrounding vicinity and larger community. The African Meeting House collection provides a case study to understand the ways racism, sexism, and classism impacted the quotidian lives of Black women in freedom. Using Black feminism as a theoretical framework, this …

No Injustice So Peace: The Interaction Between Race-Related Stress, Colorblind Racial Attitudes, And Resistance And Empowerment Against Racism, Kaela A. Yamini

Graduate Masters Theses

Past research has indicated that Black people are subjected to overt and covert forms of racism that can have a range of effects on emotional and psychological wellbeing. The current study sought to explore the how race-related stress and colorblind racial ideology impact Black people’s engagement in resistance and empowerment against racism. I hypothesized that higher endorsement of colorblind racial ideology would be associated with lower engagement in resistance and empowerment against racism. Additionally, I hypothesized that moderate levels of race-related stress would be associated with higher endorsement of resistance and empowerment against racism while low and high levels of …

Implementation Of Tuning In To Kids Social-Emotional Learning Program In The Kyrgyz Republic, Anasatsiia Iun

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

To date, no research on the influence of social-emotional learning (SEL) instruction on school violence and academic performance in the Kyrgyz Republic has been published. However, the current levels of school violence and poor academic performance in Kyrgyz schools warrant action. According to the UNICEF report (2012), 83% of students reported witnessing or experiencing instances of violence at school. Research has shown positive results of SEL instruction on reducing school violence in various countries (Taylor et al., 2017). Therefore, the goal of this study was to pilot the implementation of a Russian translation of the Tuning in to Kids program, …

The Impact Of Historical Trauma, Self-Compassion, And Resistance Against Racism Among African Americans, Darrick Scott

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

For African Americans, historical trauma is described as collective psychological, emotional and cognitive distress, producing an intergenerational impact through repeated experiences of oppression that both stems from slavery and continues into the present day through patterned experiences of racism (Williams-Washington & Mills, 2018). The current study explored the association between historical racial trauma, resistance and empowerment against racism, self-compassion, and internalized racism, and symptoms of depression in a sample of 100 African American adults. Due to low internal reliability of the measure, self-compassion in the context of historical trauma could not be examined. The study included exploration of simple correlations, …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Brookline, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Brookline is a town of 63,191 residents, of whom 4,272, or 6.8%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents constitute 12.6% of the total population. In Brookline, the largest population is White (65.3%), followed by Asians (19.1%). Blacks account for 3.1% of the town’s residents.

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, Brookline experienced 7.6% population growth, slightly higher than the state's 7.4% growth. During this time, the White population of Brookline declined by 4.2% while the Latino population increased by more than 44.1% (higher than their statewide rate of 41.4%), the Asian …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Cambridge, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Cambridge is a city of 116,892 residents, of whom 10.0%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents contribute 12.6% of the total population. In Cambridge, the largest resident population is White (60.9%). The Asian population is the second largest group in the city, making up 21.0%, followed by the Black population, which accounts for 11.2% of city residents.

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, Cambridge experienced 12.6% population growth, and all major ethnic-racial groups had increasing shares. Asians and Latinos grew by more than 30%, while the Black and White populations grew …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Chicopee, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Chicopee has a population of 55,560, of whom 13,027 identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. The majority of the city identifies as non- Latino White, while Latinos are the second largest population, comprising 23.4% of the population. Latinos' share of the city’s population is almost twice as high as in the Massachusetts overall population, which is only 12.6% Latino. Black, Asian, and “other” populations make up 9.8% of the city’s population.

Chicopee underwent significant population shifts between 2010 and 2020, even though its population increased by only 0.5%, much slower than the statewide increase of …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Fitchburg, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Fitchburg is a city of 41,946 residents, including 12,608 (30.1%) who identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents contribute 12.6% of the total population. In Fitchburg, Whites make up the majority (54.6%) of the city, while Blacks and Asians account for 6.1% and 3.6% of the population, respectively.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Latino population grew by 44.5% and was only outpaced by Blacks (59.8%). With these two populations outpacing Fitchburg's 4.0% population growth during the decade, the White population experienced a 16.7% decrease. By comparison, the White population in Massachusetts declined by …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Haverhill, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

The city of Haverhill, Massachusetts, has 67,787 residents, of whom 15,998 identify as Latino, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. The city is majority non-Latino White (66.3%), with Latinos making up the second largest ethnic-racial group (23.6%). Latinos are a higher proportion of Haverhill’s population than of the statewide population, of which they account for 12.6%. Black, Asian, and “other” populations collectively make up only 10.1% of Haverhill’s population.

Between 2010 and 2020, Haverhill’s population increased by 11.2%, faster than the statewide increase of 7.4%. The Latino population’s 81.2% increase accounted for much of the city's growth. The statewide Latino …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Peabody, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Peabody is a town of 54,481 residents, of whom 5,414, or 9.9%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents constitute 12.6% of the total population. In Peabody, more than three-fourths of the residents (77.3%) are White with Latinos making up the second largest group. Blacks (3.3%) and Asians (2.4%) trail, while the “other” populations make up 7.0% of the population. This last figure includes the 1,662 foreign-born Brazilians who live in Peabody, as the Census classifies Brazilians in the “other” category.

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, Peabody experienced 6.3% population growth, …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Pittsfield, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Pittsfield has a population of 43,927, of whom 3,539 identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. The majority of the city identifies as non- Latino White, while Latinos are the second largest population, comprising 8.1% of the population. Latinos are a lower proportion of Pittsfield’s population than the statewide population, which is 12.6% Latino. The Black population has a similar share (6.5%), while Asian and “other” populations make up 7.6% of the city’s population.

Pittsfield underwent significant population shifts between 2010 and 2020, somewhat due to its population decline of 1.8%. Massachusetts experienced a population increase …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Quincy, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Quincy is a city of 101,636 residents, of whom 5,214, or 5.1%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. (Statewide, Latino residents constitute 12.6% of the total population.) In Quincy, the largest resident population is Whites (54.2%), followed by Asians (30.7%) and Blacks (5.4%).

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, Quincy experienced 10.1% population growth, slightly higher than the state’s 7.4% growth. Latinos, however, increased by a much higher percentage in Quincy (68.8%) than statewide (41.4%). The Asian population grew by 41.0%, and the Black population increased by 36.3%. Similar to many other cities and …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Southbridge, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Southbridge is a town of 17,673 residents, of whom 6,012, or 36.1%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents contribute 12.6% of the total population. In addition, there are slightly more than 10,000 White residents, making up 56.7% of Southbridge’s population, while Black, Asian, and other residents collectively account for only 7.2% of the town’s population.

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, the Latino population increased by 44.0%, while the White population decreased by 12.3%. The smaller Black population increased by 43.2%, while the Asian population increased by 6.1%. The increase in …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Westfield, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Westfield has a population of 40,834, of whom 3,942 identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. The majority of the city identifies as non- Latino White (82.1%), while Latinos 9.7% are the second largest population; Black, Asian, and “other” populations make up the remaining 8.2%. The Latino share of Westfield’s population is lower than the statewide Latino share, which is 12.6%.

Westfield underwent significant population shifts between 2010 and 2020. The city’s population decreased by 0.6%, while the statewide population increased by 7.4%. The Latino population increase of 27.3% is lower than the statewide Latino population …

The Growing Latino Population Of Massachusetts: A Demographic And Economic Portrait, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

This report highlights the increasing number of Latinos and their growing diversity in Massachusetts. In the state, as well as nationally, Latinos’ share of the population continues to increase, while the non-Latino White population declines. The Latino population is young, with a higher rate of dependent children and a lower rate of dependent elders. Its workforce composition has not changed significantly: Latinos continue to be over-represented in blue-collar and service-sector jobs and under- represented in white-collar jobs. Across all occupational sectors (including white- collar jobs), Latino workers earn less on average than those of other ethnic-racial groups. Latinos also lag …

Living Below The Line: Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Economic Security Among Older Americans, 2022, Jan Mutchler, Yan-Jhu Su, Nidya Velasco Roldán

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates based on the 2022 Elder IndexTM show that the risk of economic insecurity in later life is especially high for people of color. Comparing household incomes to the Elder Index, we calculate the percentage of independent older adults with incomes that fall short of what is required to support economic security. National averages suggest that among older people living alone, 43% who are White, 59% of those who are Asian, 61% of those who are Black, and 67% of those who are Latino have annual incomes below the Elder Index. The risk of economic insecurity is lower among …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Randolph, Phillip Granberry, Victor Luis Martins, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

Randolph is a town of 34,984 residents, of whom 3,798, or 10.9%, identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to the 2020 Decennial Census. Statewide, Latino residents contribute 12.6% of the total population. In Randolph, the largest resident population is Black (41.9%), followed by White (26.6%), Asian (12.9%), and Latino (10.9%) populations. The 'other' populations make up 7.8% of the population in Randolph.

Between the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Censuses, Randolph experienced a population growth of 8.9%, slightly higher than the state's 7.4% growth rate. The Black population increased by more than 23.0%, surpassing the statewide rate of 16.7%. The Latino …

American Community Survey (2021), John Shepard, Jean Winsor, John Butterworth, Alberto Migliore, Daria Domin, Agnes Zalewska

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This Data Note summarizes employment and poverty rates across the US in 2021. These data are compared for people with no disability, people with any disability, and people with a cognitive disability, which indicate that people with disabilities continue to have less success in the labor market, and a greater likelihood of being underemployed, compared to individuals without a disability.

Aging In Berlin: A Community Needs Assessment, Mary Krebs, Caitlin Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Berlin. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Berlin residents age 18 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the Social Services alongside the Council on Aging’s objectives to serve the needs of all Berlin citizens 60 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Berlin, the Berlin …

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

The articles in this issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy primarily interrogate the challenges facing democracy and democratic peacebuilding in divided societies.

Peacemaking And Peacebuilding In A Divided Society: South Africa’S National Peace Accord In The Transition From Apartheid To Democracy, Liz Carmichael

New England Journal of Public Policy

South Africa’s complex history is outlined, providing an explanatory background to the two chief conflicts that existed in 1990 as the apartheid era drew to a close: the divide between the government with its security forces and the majority of the population, and grassroots violence between African National Congress supporters and the conservative Inkatha movement. During the 1990s, as South Africa accomplished its transition, a series of structures were created to manage the process. The best remembered is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was the final transitional structure, holding its hearings in 1996–98. The first was the National Peace …

Referendum Metrics: The Numbers Game, Chapter Five From Perils And Prospects Of A United Ireland, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article is an extract from Perils and Prospects of a United Ireland, published by Lilliput Press, Dublin, Ireland in March 2023. The book draws on extensive interviews with ninety-seven senior politicians across the ethno-national divide, a range of academics and political commentators, and religious leaders.

The context for the chapter is the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement (B/GFA), which ended thirty years of violent conflict between Irish republicans, mostly Catholic, who wanted Northern Ireland to become reunified with the rest of Ireland, and unionists, mostly Protestants supported by British security forces, who wanted to maintain the union of Northern Ireland …

Reset Or Revolution? Contemporary Problems Of Political Stability And Some Ancient Solutions, Dariusz Karłowicz

New England Journal of Public Policy

In this article I take a critical look into the challenges faced by the contemporary social, political, and economic scene in Europe and the United States after nearly eighty years of political stability. I question the sources of the anger, frustration, and distrust toward national and supranational institutions that are visible both on the streets and in the light of numerous public opinion polls. I argue that political and legal stability—the driving force and most desirable product of Western democracies—is becoming a problem. Through the tendency to permanent, often hereditary, marginalization of large groups of the population, a stable political …

Toward A New Political Project: Resetting By Reconceptualizing, Scherto Gill

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article starts by pointing out that existing proposals to confront the failures of democracy tend to be limited to tackling the symptoms of the current dysfunctional system rather than offering meaningful alternatives to transform the system. It then suggests that a total reset is required and offers an innovative theoretical framework, to conceptualize the new political project, that can transcend the existing impasses. It further argues that such a framework ought to consist in four fundamental, interdependent, and mutually reinforcing principles: (1) equal primary, non-derivative value of all persons; (2) non-instrumentalization of persons; (3) well-being of all as a …

The Art And Artifacts Of Solidarity, Yasmin Merali

New England Journal of Public Policy

In Complex Adaptive Systems in a Contentious World I showed how viewing social systems as Complex Adaptive Systems exposes the systemic mechanisms that underpin their resilience and sustainability. In this article I show the utility of that approach for elucidating the role of art and artists in the evolution of resilient social movements. I do this by exploring the way in which art and artifacts were implicated in the evolution of the Polish Solidarność movement.