Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Maritime Archaeology Of West Africa In The Atlantic World: Investigations At Elmina, Ghana, Gregory David Cook

Anthropology - Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the first maritime archaeology research project conducted in Ghana, specifically off the town of Elmina in the Central Region. Survey and diver investigations resulted in the discovery of a mid-seventeenth century shipwreck, which archaeological and archival research suggests may be the Dutch West India Company vessel Groeningen that sank after arriving to Elmina on a trading voyage in 1647. The site lies approximately 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of Elmina and is characterized by a mass of trade goods, including brass and pewter basins, brass manillas, lead rolls, trade beads, pins, cowrie shells, as well as …

"Women With No One": Community And Christianity In A Secular South Indian Homeless Shelter, Connie Etter

Anthropology - Dissertations

This dissertation examines daily life and social service practices in a secular homeless shelter for women in Tamil Nadu, south India. The residents of the shelter have diverse backgrounds but local staff members and volunteers describe them collectively as "women with no one": unwed mothers, orphans, widows, women abandoned or abused by husbands and lovers, former sex workers, prisoners' wives, and women deemed mentally or physically unfit for marriage. Daily negotiations of belonging take place among this transient and diverse group of marginalized women and equally diverse and transnational care providers. The closed shelter campus provides an opportunity to query …

Double Engagements: The Transnational Experiences Of Ethiopian Immigrants In The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area, Kassahun Haile Kebede

Anthropology - Dissertations

This dissertation explores the transnational experiences of Ethiopian immigrants in the Washington metropolitan area across generational units. Much of the recent research on transnationalism has focused on the ties immigrants maintain in the sending country. This dissertation adds to this analysis by looking at how the actions of Ethiopian immigrants contribute to nation building in the United States as well as in Ethiopia. The double engagements of Ethiopians challenge either/or views of immigrants and demonstrates how transnationality works in both directions.

My research, based on 12 months of fieldwork in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., used participant observation, interviews, …