Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Hunting In Maine, Elizabeth Tibbetts

Honors College

Hunting remains a common practice for many people in the state of Maine. While the stories and traditions held by hunters differ from person to person and family to family. There are commonalities that aid in building the sense of community between hunters in the state of Maine. This hunting community is strengthened through the sharing of stories and the common traditions shared by many. These communities remain strong even as the Maine landscape and hunting legislation changes over time. Here a number of questions regarding hunting are explored through the lens of one family spanning multiple generations through oral …

Stratigraphic Architecture Of Pozuelo Mounds As Revealed By Earth Resistivity Tomography, Caeli Connolly

Honors College

This study is a geoarchaeological analysis using earth resistance tomography (ERT) surveys of two of four mounds at Pozuelo (Formative Period, cal yr 3000 BP) in the Chincha Valley of coastal, southern Peru. Layers identified in the subsurface were to determine the presence or absence of regional continuity between the mounds. This effort is part of a larger investigation examining the paleoenvironmental setting of the site, and its influence on site location and use. Ten earth resistance tomography profiles were collected using an ABEM Terrameter LS2 and 81 pin array. These profiles were then topographically corrected using topographic survey data …

Environmental Justice Coalition Building In Virginia: The Fight Against The Acp, William White

Honors College

This qualitative study utilized snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews in order to understand environmental coalition building in Virginia during 2014-2020, a critical time during which activists came together to resist the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Grass-roots activism has proven to be one of the most important elements in efforts to resist fossil fuel infrastructure such as the ACP. Understanding how activists with different perspectives can come together in common cause to form a successful environmental justice coalition a will help future movements advance policies to limit the effects of climate change and promote the cause of environmental justice.

The Penobscot Nation, The State Of Maine, And The River Between Them, Jarred Haynes

Honors College

Since the arrival of Europeans in North America, Native Americans have been enticed into deceptive treaties and agreements that dispossessed them of their land, significantly alter their autonomy, and infringed on their sovereign rights. Sticking with this tradition, the State of Maine, today, is apprehensive to recognize Wabanaki sovereign rights, as guaranteed in federal Indian law. The rights and benefits that tribes have in other states, such as federal legislation regarding tribal healthcare, are withheld from Wabanaki Nations. This trepidation leaves Maine’s Native peoples vulnerable to political exploitation and environmental degradation. I endeavor to understand how Maine’s Land Claims Settlement …

The Defense Of American Exceptionalism: President Trump's Covid-19 Rhetoric, Sabrina Paetow

Honors College

This thesis uses grounded theory and content analysis to examine the political rhetoric President Donald Trump used in the Coronavirus Task Force press briefings during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. I collected 44 transcripts of these press briefings from when they began on February 26, 2020 until April 27, 2020. This time frame marks the period during which the press briefings happened with consistency and when Trump spoke at all of them. Through my research, I established that United States presidents have employed rhetorical tropes of American exceptionalism, including Trump. Trump invoked American exceptionalism in a three-pronged rhetorical …

Songs Of Myself: An Exploration Of Identity Through Composition, Megan Howell

Honors College

Songs of Myself is an Extended Play (EP) of original music that I recorded entirely on my own, depicting my personal exploration of identity. Inspired by Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, a poem that describes the importance of all beings and explores the idea of identity and self-worth, the EP is comprised of seven songs: “Sunrise”; “Dawn”; “Autumn”; “Overcast”; “Storm”; “Dusk”; and “Sunset”, each of which describes a different aspect of my life and identity. “Sunrise” begins the EP, establishing the main theme that returns throughout the rest of the tracks. “Dawn” depicts the important of my family and my …

Hip-Hop's Diversity And Misperceptions, Andrew Cashman

Honors College

The misperception that hip-hop is a single entity that glorifies wealth and the selling of drugs, and promotes misogynistic attitudes towards women, as well as advocating gang violence is one that supports a mainstream perspective towards the marginalized.1 The prevalence of drug dealing and drug use is not a picture of inherent actions of members in the hip-hop community, but a reflection of economic opportunities that those in poverty see as a means towards living well. Some artists may glorify that, but other artists either decry it or offer it as a tragic reality. In hip-hop trends build off of …

Other Fish In The Sea: Black Sea Bass (Centropristis Striata) And Evidence For Past Environmental Change In The Archaeological Record, Brianna Ballard

Honors College

This research examines archaeological fish remains from the Gulf of Maine as indicators of past climate change. Archaeological research has shown that between ca. 5,000 and 3,800 years ago, swordfish were present in coastal Maine waters indicating warmer ocean temperatures. To date, little research has explored the presence of other warm water fish species in the Gulf of Maine at that time. In this study, I examine archaeological samples from the Waterside Shell Midden (44-7) in Sorrento, Maine to identify Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) within the site’s faunal collection. My work complements Sky Heller’s doctoral research on the relationship …

Exploring The Intersection Of Climate Change And Cultural Heritage: The Case Of Croatia’S Eastern Adriatic Coast, Lilja Bernheim

Honors College

Over the latter half of the Holocene – approximately the past 5,000 years – along the Adriatic Coast, the climate regime has been relatively stable with mild temperatures and a low tidal range. Humans have adapted and interacted with their environments within this context, building settlements and expanding civilizations close to sea level. These anthropogenic legacies left behind and modified over the millennia constitute cultural heritage.

Croatia’s Central Dalmatian Coastline, extending between the modern-day cities of Zadar and Split along the Adriatic Sea, is a rich repository of both built and landscape cultural heritage. Croatia’s cultural heritage is and will …

Migrant Farm Work In The State Of Maine: Meeting The Community Needs Of Maine's Working Immigrant Population, Olivia Ruhlin

Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to create a greater awareness about the community of migrant farm workers who have either settled in Maine’s Downeast regions, or travel to Maine seasonally for work. I have aimed to focus my research on developing answers to the following questions: why do people choose to migrate? What do Maine’s agricultural industries have to offer for a migrant farm worker? What challenges do they face? What challenges do the community of immigrants who choose to stay in Maine face? Are these communities underprivileged, and if so, what organizations are working to facilitate better opportunities …

Beyond The Sugar Shack: How Non-Financial Forms Of Capital Are Conceptualized By Small- And Medium-Scale Maine Maple Syrup Producers, Skye Siladi

Honors College

Why do people farm? The answers are increasingly unclear given the heightened pressure of agricultural consolidation on small family farms. When profit margins are thin or even non-existent it is necessary to look at how other factors influence this group of people – particularly the social and cultural ties within and amongst communities that inspire people to remain in a profession which is not particularly lucrative This paper explores conceptualizations of social, cultural, and natural wealth as rationales for continuing in agricultural work, by focusing on maple syrup producers in Maine. At the small and medium-scale, maple syrup production cannot …

Barriers To Employment And Overcoming Economic Integration Challenges For Foreign-Born Workers In Maine, Cleo Barker

Honors College

With increasing globalization, more people are moving across borders and between countries than ever before. Immigrants often come to the United States to create better lives for themselves and take advantage of the opportunities available. Yet for skilled immigrants this is often an idealistic goal, since there are many barriers to employment that prevent these individuals from working in their professional fields. Through a mixed methods approach encompassing case studies from literature, original survey data, and insights drawn from interviews and discussions, this thesis investigates the different barriers to employment for foreign-born workers in Maine, and provides recommendations for addressing …

From Grey City To Metropolitan Icon: Basque Cultural Revival And Urban Redevelopment In Bilbao, Spain, Kaylie Gazura

Honors College

After decades of political oppression and industrial decline, the Basque people of Bilbao, Spain sought to incorporate cultural revival into their urban redevelopment. The redevelopment in Bilbao, Spain is recognized all over the world. Bilbao is an icon to those who hope to revitalize their post-industrial city. This paper looks to understand why this reurbanization was so successful and to determine how the Basque people implemented their culture, history, and identity into their new post-industrial and post-dictatorial space. I will be discussing the history of both the Basque Country and Bilbao to provide context for the redevelopment. Additionally, I will …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Porcupine Scavenging In An Experimental Forensic Context, Tamara Marie Labanowski

Honors College

Addressing the impact of scavengers is essential for a complete analysis of many forensic sites. Despite considerable research on canids and rodents on a broad taphonomic scale (Haglund 1992; Haglund et al. 1989; Haynes 1983), the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) has not been studied for its impact in forensic contexts. In order to address this research gap, I will explore the role of the porcupine in scavenging bone based on data collected during a recent experimental taphonomic study (Sorg 2013). Funded by the National Institute of Justice, this study included data from motion- and heat-sensitive cameras focused on domesticated …

The Legendary King: How The Figure Of King Arthur Shaped A National Identity And The Field Of Archaeology In Britain, Elizabeth Gaj Proctor

Honors College

The legend of King Arthur has spread throughout Western Culture to such an extent that he is a world-wide symbol of courtly chivalry, justice, and rightful kingship. The question of Arthur’s existence has captured public fascination and ignited scholarly debate. To understand this fascination, we need to look at the development of Arthurian legend by examining the historical context in which the nation of Great Britain was created through the overpowering of indigenous cultures and a consolidation of medieval kingdoms by outside groups. Drawing from archaeological evidence, historic, and current sources, we can understand King Arthur’s role as a symbol …

Cultural Appropriation In Contemporary Neopaganism And Witchcraft, Kathryn Gottlieb

Honors College

This thesis examines the discourse surrounding cultural appropriation in contemporary witchcraft and neopaganism, particularly online. The aim of this thesis is to look at how cultural appropriation became such a central topic in the witch and neopagan community and to see what can be learned about the community as a whole from this discourse. Definitions, neutralization techniques, and the development of alternative practices and terminologies are all discussed, as well as how cultural appropriation relates to the history of witchcraft as a whole. Seven witch/neopagan members of the popular blogging platform tumblr.com were interviewed for this study to examine how …

Katahdin Woods And Waters: Environmental Values And The Parks Problem, Kyle Lonabaugh

Honors College

This thesis studied the different values people hold towards nature and their relationships with national parks, with the goal of understanding why some people support national parks and why some are against them. It explored a variety of cultures and models as a background for the thesis. It looked at how the different values held by people affected their outlook on national parks, and how influential their culture was on their view of nature. Parks across the world have struggled to resolve the issues that people have with them. These include loss of access to land, economic disadvantages, and cultural …

Film: Oral Histories Of Women In The Maine Lobster Industry, Isabelle I. Vachon

Honors College

In the state of Maine, an average of 120 million pounds of lobsters are caught and
sold each year. The lobster fishing industry in Maine is a large economic system that
supports thousands of fishermen and helps attract over 32 million tourists to Maine every year. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, women hold only 4% of the approximate 4,200 commercial lobster fishing licenses in Maine. In the past, The University of Maine’s Lobster Institute has conducted interviews with Maine lobster fishermen and this project augments that work by collecting oral histories of women in Maine’s lobster industry. …

Themes Of Identity And Power In Contemporary Topical Song, Hilary Warner-Evans

Honors College

This thesis explores the role of identity and power in contemporary topical song using three case studies. The first of these deals with two songs written after the arrest of Maine’s North Pond Hermit in April 2013. It makes a case for the songs, in the context of other creative reactions to the hermit’s arrest, as being expressions of anxiety related to Maine identity. The second study is about new versions of the labor song “Which Side Are You On,” with a particular focus on one from Wisconsin one from Maine. It looks at the theme of solidarity through analysis …

“Persuading The Secret”: In Search Of Maine’S Hermits, Taylor Cunningham

Honors College

I have been working on this project for nearly three years now. The journey feels like a long one—with various roads, some yet to be traveled, detours, and dead ends. Largely, it has been a process of trial and error, as I learned to navigate the boundless, at times overwhelming, depths of research—within archives, old newspapers, photographs, poems, fiction, informal conversations and formal interviews—hoping to make some sense of what hermit characters mean to the state of Maine.

I found almost immediately that inconsistencies and gaps plagued—as I’m sure they do in any sort of oral history project—my attempts at …

Museum And Exhibition Curation Techniques In Nazi Germany: An Analysis Of Curation And Its Effects On Art, Artists, And The Public, Jennifer Cashin

Honors College

Museum development in Europe changed rapidly from the middle of the 19^th century through the end of World War II. This development included elements of exhibition design and curation techniques. The combination of these elements created a space for the changing public to acquire new opinions and knowledge of artworks. With the addition of governmental powers influencing the museum design, museums became buildings of education for many different purposes, at the government’s disposal.

In Germany during World War II, the Degenerate Art Exhibition was designed as a counter exhibit to the Great German Art Exhibition. This exhibition’s purpose was …

A Comparison Of The Experiences Of Economic Adaptation And Integration For Refugees And Asylum Seekers In Maine, Grace Kiffney

Honors College

The migration of refugees and asylum seekers affects them and the communities where they resettle, as people from different backgrounds and cultures come together. In the United States, the federally funded refugee resettlement program supports refugees with welfare benefits, case management, and other services to assist with integration. However, no such federal program exists for asylum seekers, who are considered displaced people, but who have not received immigration status as refugees. This project sought to answer the question: How is the experience of supporting oneself different and similar for refugees and asylum seekers, in the context of Maine?

Research involved …

Fortification Of The International Defense Of Cultural Property Trapped In Areas Of Armed Conflict, Marissa E. Higgins

Honors College

This thesis examines the state of cultural-property protection during armed conflict. Following a description of the ethical impositions and international background of the concept, theoretical expectations of cultural-property protection in present-day armed conflicts are compiled through the comparison of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. These two conventions were chosen because of their relevance to the actual application of cultural-property protection during armed conflict, which was established through research into the effects the recent …

A Descriptive Study Of Forensic Implications Of Raccoon Scavenging In Maine, Ashley Hannigan

Honors College

This thesis is a case study of winter raccoon scavenging in Maine. The data used for my analysis came from a National Institute of Justice funded project on Regional Taphonomy done by Marcella Sorg from 2007 to 2012 (Sorg, 2013). I analyzed the photographic and videographic data from one pig cadaver site and identified raccoon scavenging “events.” This term is used to describe any period of time that one or more raccoons are scavenging. These events were then analyzed to investigate possible associations between scavenging behaviors and environmental variables, although none were positively identified. I adapted a method of describing …

An Analysis Of The Basque Independence Movement And The Political Position Of The Basque Country Within The Spanish State, Ariel Bothen

Honors College

The Basque desire for independence or self-governance has been a part of Basque political culture since the medieval era. The Basques have a history of democracy and preserved their self-governance in the face of invasion and domination for many centuries. The purpose of this thesis is to track the movement to the current day and address what has become known as “The Basque Question”, which refers to what exactly Spain should do with its Basque population and the Autonomous region. I address the two major aspects of the movement, which include the Basque terrorist group known as Euskadi Ta Askatasuna …

Pius Xii On Trial, Katherine M. Campbell

Honors College

Scholars have debated Pope Pius XII’s role in the Holocaust since the 1960s. Did he do everything he could and should have done to save Jews? His critics say no because of antisemitism rooted in the traditional Catholic views. His defenders say yes and deny that he was an antisemite. In my thesis, I shall assess the arguments on both sides in terms of the available evidence. I shall focus both on what Pius XII did do and what he did not do and on the degree to which he can be held responsible for the actions of low-level clergy. …

The Muslim Veil In America: A Symbol Of Oppression Or Empowerment?, Hannah Blakeman

Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to look at Muslim women in America who veil and how Americans perceive them. The U.S. media has presented a common theme of negative stereotypes about women who veil, including the idea that they are oppressed or associated with terrorist groups. Here, I examine how Americans perceive beauty and how those perceptions may be associated with the negative images of Muslim women who veil. This thesis takes a look at the background of veiling within Islam, how Islam and veiling have been portrayed in the media, and how perceptions of beauty shape what Americans …

Assessing The Controversy: Female Genital Mutilation Or Legitimate Rite Of Passage?, Morgan Haley Brockington

Honors College

Female genital cutting/circumcision, the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, is a common practice in many parts of Africa. To those who perceive female circumcision as a legitimate rite of passage, the practice is culturally approved and steeped in tradition. The negative reactions and harsh judgments of Westerners who then seek to eradicate the practice are seen as ethnocentric. On the other hand, opponents of female genital cutting emphasize that the practice is a ritualized form of violence and a detriment to women’s health. The practice deprives girls and women of the basic rights to physical wellbeing …

Health Impacts At The Advent Of Agriculture, Erin L. Snape

Honors College

The transition from a hunting and gathering lifestyle to one based in agriculture may have been the most crucial development made by past peoples, transforming not only diet, but social structure, mobility, and resource use. I present human skeletal evidence illustrating the consequences of agriculture on human health using case studies from prehistoric Mesoamerica, the American southwest, and regions in Asia. Such evidence has indicated that intensification of maize agriculture in the New World correlates with increased infant mortality rate, dental caries, iron-deficiency anemia, and an overall decline in general health while these health problems have little to no correlation …

A History Of The Use Of Swedish Language In New Sweden, Maine, Kaitlyn Anderson

Honors College

Swedish has a significant role in the history of Aroostook County. In the 1870s, a group of Swedish immigrants settled in the then newly-formed Maine’s Swedish Colony. They brought traditional Swedish customs, dress, food and language. Meanwhile in Sweden, a change was occurring in the Swedish language that led to the development of modern Swedish into the contemporary Swedish that continues to be spoken in Sweden today. While many of the oldest generation of Swedes in New Sweden know this older style of Swedish, the language was not readily passed down to their children or their children’s children. Despite the …