Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Race, Sense Of Belonging, And The African American Student Experience At Predominantly White Institutions, Anthony Kane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study utilized a critical race theoretical framework and methodology to explore the lived experiences of African American students at a predominantly White institution. The purpose of this study was to identify how race impacts the sense of belonging of African American students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). This study highlighted the racialized experiences of African American students at a predominantly White institution and how these experiences impacted their sense of belonging. Additionally, this study sought to understand the type of support African Americans students preferred and needed in order to develop a positive sense of belonging.

Six African …

Living On The Move: The Digital Nomad Mobile Phenomenon Identity And Practice, Virginia Rachele Smercina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The following exploratory project used a qualitative mixed method approach by means of a preliminary blog analysis of thirty-seven blogs and twenty-five semi-structured interviews for data collection on individuals known as digital nomads. The theoretical foundations of this study are centered on practice theory, structuration theory, as well as discussions surrounding cultural identity. The project’s aim is to increase our understanding of the digital nomad phenomenon by asking four research questions: Who are the digital nomads? How is digital nomadism practiced? Why choose to live on the move? Is digital nomadism sustainable? The discussion includes how the digital nomad identity …

Lived Experiences Of Young Adults Who Had A Sibling With Cancer In Childhood, Brittany Lawton

Child Development Theses

Childhood cancer affects not only the patient but also the family, including siblings. Often siblings are given less attention and must adapt to drastic life changes in isolation, potentially leading to long-term effects in adulthood. This study explores the influence of childhood cancer on identities of young adults who were children when their siblings were diagnosed with cancer. Ten participants completed semi-structured interviews that described their experiences with childhood cancer as well as their perspectives of the impact it has had on their current lives and identities. Two themes emerged with several subthemes from the 10 participants about the processing …

Chinese Transnational Adolescents’ Responses To Multicultural Children’S Literature In Culture Circles, Yuwen Chen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine how Chinese transnational adolescents (CTAs) negotiate their identity based on their cultural knowledge and experiences through book discussion in Freirean “culture circle” (Freire, 2000, p. 120). This study is an interpretivist qualitative study of community-based action research (Glesne, 2010). The participants were seven American-born Chinese, two current Chinese and Taiwanese, and one Chinese adopted adolescent. Within the culture circles, CTAs responded to seven selected multicultural children’s literature which represents Chinese immigrants’ stories in the United States. The topics of the books included (1) who am I, (2) relationships with extended family I, …

Denkyem (Crocodile): Identity Development And Negotiation Among Ghanaian-American Millennials., Jakia Marie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ghanaian immigrants and second-generation Ghanaian-American Millennials are largely ignored in scholarship. Using qualitative methods, this study explored the experiences of Ghanaian-American Millennials who are first, 1.5, and second-generations with the purpose of understanding how they create, negotiate, and re-create identities. Twenty-one individuals were interviewed using a phenomenological approach. The main findings suggest that even though the sample populations were of different immigrant generations, they have some similar experiences, which demonstrates the value in exploring age instead of solely immigrant generation. The findings also suggest that there are a number of complex layers that are involved in identity development and negotiation …

Seventeenth-Century Spanish Colonial Identity In New Mexico: A Study Of Identity Practices Through Material Culture, Caroline M. Gabe

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation explores how seventeenth-century Spanish colonial households expressed their group identity at a regional level in New Mexico. Through the material remains of daily practice and repetitive actions, identity markers tied to adornment, technological traditions, and culinary practices are compared between 14 assemblages to test four identity models. Seventeenth-century colonists were eating a combination of Old World domesticates and wild game on colonoware and majolica serving vessels, cooking using Indigenous pottery, grinding with Puebloan style tools, and conducting household scale production and prospecting. While assemblages are consistent in basic composition, variations are present tied to socioeconomic status. This blending …

An Examined Life Of A Language Teacher Of Chinese: An Autoethnographic Investigation Into Agency, Ying Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a paucity of research about and done by L2 Chinese educators regarding the theoretical construct of agency. It is also noted that the qualitative inquiry is marginalized in L2 Chinese research field, let alone the narrative study of the agency of experienced by L2 Chinese-teachers. In this dissertation research, I aim at filling in the gap by conducting a longitudinal autoethnography which captures over a decade (1997-2017) of my personal and professional development with an agency perspective. The highly personalized autoethnographic accounts open up my personal and professional life as an experienced, college-level, transnational, early 40’s female native …

“You Can Be A Good Romanian, But Not A Romanian”: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Romanian History Textbook Narrative, Razvan Sibii

Doctoral Dissertations

Employing a version of the Critical Discourse Analysis methodology that privileges close textual readings, I examine in this dissertation the manner in which contemporary Romanian history textbooks put forward an essentialist view of ethnonational identity by tracing through history the development of a putatively homogenous “proto-Romanian” entity. I seek to show how the “Getae-Dacian” and “Daco-Roman” identity categories acquired their thing-ness and their boundaries as a result of deliberate rhetorical work performed by Romanian historiographers with the help of such heuristics as “Romanization,” “ethnogenesis” and the nation-as-family metaphor. I also scrutinize how the textbooks treat the two ancient texts that …

Life As A Reluctant Immigrant: An Autoethnographic Inquiry, Dionel Cotanda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I draw on memories inspired and heightened by compassionate interviews in order to produce a unifying narrative of interactions with family and friends prior to and following my exile from Cuba in 1960. I use autoethnography and narrative inquiry to understand how I made the decision to leave Cuba and the life I have lived in exile for almost sixty years. My dissertation focuses on what it means to live as a reluctant immigrant and how historically constituted power relations define the identity of many Cuban exiles. I discuss and contrast the politics of passion and the …

Transforming Through Power: Teachers And The Negotiation Of Authority In Schools, Madhu Narayanan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Schools are unique institutions where structural and cultural dynamics shape the actions of humans. Teachers work within structures of power to establish themselves as legitimate figures of authority worthy of the right to command respect. Such efforts are complicated by the multi-faceted and swirling relationships of power that exist everywhere in schools, defining and guiding individuals. In this study, I interview and observe the practice of seven secondary teachers working in New York City public schools. All in their third year of teaching, they were at an interesting time in their development, not novice teachers and not quite veteran. Using …

Dios En Carne: Rastafari And The Embodiment Of Spiritual Blackness In Puerto Rico, Omar Ramadan-Santiago

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In my dissertation, I examine how the Rastafari community in Puerto Rico constructs, reshapes, imagines and embodies blackness as a personal, political, and ideological identity. I argue that my interlocutors refuse non-black privilege and choose blackness, an act that is understood as identification not with subjugation but with power. I consider their identification with blackness and enactment of this identity as a performance. My analysis, based on 22 months of ethnographic research, and utilizing ethnography, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews, explores how my interlocutors claim blackness as a spiritual identity. In doing so, they demonstrate the metaphysical nature of race …

‘Its Something You Do Bro’: Language And Identity On A Male Erotic Hypnosis Messageboard, Eric Chambers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on a seven-year corpus of data (total words N = 86,881) on a publicly-accessible messageboard on which self-identified gay men discuss their experiences undergoing erotic hypnosis, this study applies Critical Discourse Analysis methods to understand how posters understand their sexual identities and those of others. This study identifies the emergence of two main identity-types at-play on OnYourKnees: the jock and the coach. Jocks are generally characterized by a focus on sports and body-consciousness, a disinterest or inability to engage in scholarly/academic pursuits, and a desire to be submissive to others to achieve sexual pleasure. Coaches, on the other hand, …

Deaf Cultural Socialization: Exploring The Role Of Parents In Deaf Cultural Identity Development, Macrae Husting

Theses and Dissertations

There is an assumption in the Deaf identity literature that suggests that parents’ hearing status determines the cultural identity and well-being of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. This dissertation challenges that assumption. It does so by proffering an alternative explanation of the role that parents play by introducing two forms of socialization as mechanisms through which parents influence their child’s cultural identity development and well-being. Deaf cultural socialization is the process by which parents transmit messages to children regarding the importance and meaning of Deaf culture and membership in the Deaf community. Minority status socialization is the process by …

"Just Call Me Poe": An Autoethnographic Look At Codeswitching And Passing, Paola Andrea Joya

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is an autoethnographic look at codeswitching and passing in the children of immigrants. Specifically, this thesis uses methods of poetry, frameworks of re-photography, and narrative to investigate my personal experiences with these cultural phenomena over a lifetime. Grounding my work in theories on identity, culture, and co-cultural understandings, I investigate the evolution of my name from Paola, Paula, to Poe, as a representation of the length at which I attempted to assimilate and accommodate to the dominant group (U.S). It is my hope that this thesis helps to create community amongst those who have shared similar experiences …

Europe Rising (Again): A Comparative Study Of The Dynamics And Types Of Modern European Nationalisms, 1989-2018, Timea Varga

Dissertations

Nationalism is nothing new to Europe. While theoretical explanations of the catalysts of post-1989 European nationalist phenomena remain contested along material and non-material lines, this dissertation posits that it is the interaction of economic insecurities, societal fears, and populism over time that have shaped the rise and types of post-1989 European nationalisms. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is combined with a collective case study design to examine: 1) how forces – political, economic, societal, or other – have dominated the formation and latest surge of European nationalisms since the end of European Communism in 1989; and 2) whether different, context-dependent …

Widow Narratives On Film And In Memoirs: Exploring Formula Stories Of Grief And Loss Of Older Women After The Death Of A Spouse, Jennifer R. Bender

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes narratives (written and mediated) about widows’ post-loss experiences—specifically the ways in which these women embody and adjust/adhere to their post-loss widow identities—and whether or not the canonical/formula stories about widows reflect current experiences of widowhood. I look at older widowed women—both those in well-read widow memoirs and also in media portrayals of widows on film. The canonical view of widows as not attractive, not useful, and not interesting needs to be reexamined in light of changing ideas about gender roles and increased longevity. Surely older women have experiences, desires, and goals that encompass more than being socially …

Sensemaking And Identity In Complementary Alternative Medicine: Communication Study On Reiki, Caroline Reese

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is rising in popularity, in particular, the practice of Reiki. While there is substantial research that focuses on the medical benefits of Reiki, little work has been done that addresses what Reiki means to participants and how it impacts an individual's sense of self. This study seeks to fill that void. To explore this, I argue that Reiki practice should be viewed through a communication lens that draws from theories of identity and sensemaking. Results show that identity is not seen as an individualistic concept but rather as a social process that shifts to a more …

Assessing Intersectional Identity: Investigating The Scales Of Contextualized Identity And Perceived Marginalization, Lauren Yadlosky

Dissertations (1934 -)

The existing literature highlights chronic and extensive psychological and physical health disparities between minority and majority individuals across a variety of identity dimensions including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic class. Existing methods used to assess the minority identities associated with these health disparities are theoretically and statistically limited and often reinforce the oppressive mechanisms with which disparities are associated. While numerous researchers have identified these concerns, no quantitative assessment measure addressing them currently exists.To address this gap in the literature, researchers introduced the Scales of Contextualized Identity and perceived Marginalization (SCIM). The resulting measure …

Intersectional Identities And Microaggressions: The Experience Of Transgender Females, Cory Daniel Gerwe

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Historically, attention given to privileged LGBT minorities such as white LGBT individuals, renders those who experience multiple minority identities as unacknowledged. There is a scarcity of research exploring the intersectional experiences of transgender individuals and how these experiences impact their mental health and well-being. For that reason, the intent of this study was to learn more about transgender females who hold additional minority statuses, their transition experiences, their circumstances, and the nature of their social environment. Specifically, I investigated trans female experiences of transitioning with a specific focus on the intersection of gender identity, race, socioeconomic status (SES), and age. …

Outcasts – In Search Of Identity, Syed Hasan Haider

MSJ Capstone Projects

The idea for this documentary came from a story published in the express tribune which talked about the people who are unable to vote in 2018 elections due to having Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) in the Ibrahim Hyderi locality in Karachi.

Not having a CNIC in Pakistan means that you are not able to participate in civic life and also not subscribe to basic facilitates like housing, water, gas and employment.

This documentary film looks at different cases and through the experience of some journalists what it is like to live as an undocumented citizen. The film also explores …

Transgender Vulnerabilities: State Issued Identity Documents And Third Gender Options, Mira Farrow

MAIS Projects and Theses

Until recently the power to classify people by gender in the U.S. resided exclusively with the state and federal governments, both of which previously used the two binary gender options, female and male, and no others. Since 2017 this has begun to change as more states and cities have begun making third gender options available to those who do not identify as either. This represents a step forward towards greater acceptance of transgender, and particularly nonbinary identities within society. It is revolutionary in how the state administers “sex designations,” along with your name as the foundation of an individual’s legal …

Holistic Music Therapy – Reconnecting Mind To Body Through Smart-Supplemented Music Therapy: Development Of A Method, Jacqueline San Nicolas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone project explores the combination of Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) and therapeutic songwriting for the treatment of adolescents with complex developmental trauma in a therapeutic boarding school to strengthen attachment, regulation, and competency. As an inherently sensory experience, Music Therapy and SMART can work as a strengths-based approach that engages both body and brain to move clients through traumatic memories. As the literature states, since trauma effects the whole individual, it is crucial to engage both brain and body in trauma treatment to move through it, rather than only addressing mental aspects of trauma through strictly verbal …

Culture, Identity, And Critical Theory In Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Isaac Hunnewell

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review was an initial inquiry looking at research in expressive arts therapy (EAT) to see how this field was understanding, conceptualizing, and using culture in their analysis and treatment of individual well-being. It delved into how the field constructed the relationship between individuals and their culture. The definition of culture, health, mental health, and the connection between them was examined. Research also included creative arts therapy (CAT) and its emerging interest in critical theory, why it was important, where it was being used, and how it contributed to an understanding of society as a source of individual pain, …

Art Therapy As A Tool For Enhancing Adolescent Identity Formation, Self-Knowing, And Empowerment., Victoria Force

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescence is a pivotally important developmental stage for individuals. During this time, adolescents begin the journey of discovering the many facets of their identities. This capstone thesis explores how the discipline of art therapy can aid adolescents in the formation of their understanding of specific parts of their identities. Workshops offered at a community mental health organization collected data via surveys, observable experiences, and art. These workshops offered clients a safe space to artistically express their identity. Results of the exercise provide indications that art therapy could be used as a positive aid in adolescent identity formation.

It Is In The Cards: An Analysis Of Greeting Card Selection Through Identity And Personality, Emily Topilow

Honors Projects

In this exploratory study, personal and social identity were analyzed for their effect on how consumers choose greeting cards. Factors, including personality, relationships, and identity will be qualitatively analyzed to understand people’s buying habits. Certain factors, including gender, personality, relationships, type of card, and frequency of receiving and giving cards, will be qualitatively analyzed for frequency. The two theories analyzed were the Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the Identity Theory (IT).

525 college-aged students were surveyed to examine their purchasing habits of greeting cards. The results showed that the identity of the card giver and the identity of the card …

Exploring Intersections Of Queer Artist Identities Through Music: A Community Engagement Project, Derrick Lacasse

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Members of the LGBTQ+ or Queer community are likely to experience minority stress throughout their lives (Borgogna et al., 2018). This community engagement project explored the intersections of identity among artists in the queer community to better understand how art can be used to heal from minority stress. An all-queer space was created to allow members of the queer community to feel relief from minority stress and speak without feeling judged. Through art making, sharing, discussions, and singing together members of the queer community were able to build resilience and deepen hope. Findings for this project indexed queer artists’ use …

What The Hack Is A Hacker?, Paige Franklin, Ryan Adams, Caroline Henry

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the historical tendencies and characteristics of hackers to create a holistic definition of what it means to be a hacker. By analyzing the contents of the “Hacker Classics” list, it was determined that there is not a single, all-encompassing definition of what it means to be a hacker. Although there are common motivations and ideologies shared between many hackers, the definition of “hacker” continues to change as time and technology does.

Cultivating The Sustainably Gendered Self, Patrick Kenny

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Traditional gender roles, and the extent to which they are rigidly enforced in a social context, can limit individual and group welfare and are linked to serious social issues such as mass-incarceration, domestic abuse, gang-participation, female genital mutilation, and honor killings (Abramsky et al., 2011; Hackett, 2011). This chapter focuses on the social construct of gender and the ways in which individual and societal beliefs about gender impact the well-being of the global community. A three-pronged approach (individual psychotherapy, group interventions, and education policy) offers a way to address the myriad gender-based challenges present in a number of cultures worldwide. …

Identity And Sense-Making Through Narrative Processes On Social Media Platforms, Brenda Mandel

Anthropology

This paper provides an overview of existing research into narrative processes, sense-and identity-making, and digital social medias for the purpose of analyzing how social media platforms facilitate individual production of self under the framework of narrative. General aspects of narrative and how individual producers consciously and unconsciously adhere to those frameworks when representing themselves on virtual spaces are a central focus. This discussion further examines specifically how virtual and non-virtual spaces relate in terms of how social media platforms enforce and reinforce existing social structures in positive and negative ways. I also aim to stimulate further discussion on the implications …

Composite Bodies: Construction And Deconstruction Of Our Identities Through Movement, Pauline Mosley

Honors Theses

This thesis examines some of the roles artists take on as humans, separate from their lives as artists and how said roles impact in the forming of our identity. Applying the deconstructionist theory by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, phenomenology by Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau- Ponty, and the journals of students involved in the study, the idea that the body and mind must work as one in order to create movement is dissected and reconstructed. Beginning with investigating the roles artists are born into, create for themselves and think they have, dancers involved in the study use their own …