Digital Commons Network^™

Gateways To The Goddess: Devotion To Kali In Cross-Cultural Perspective, Nicole C. Petersen

Departmental Honors Projects

Kali, the dark Hindu goddess of time and fierce Mother of the universe, has a pervasive global presence. This project traces Her from historical roots in India across borders to temples in California. A theoretical synthesis of the experiential approaches of sensory anthropology and Victor Turner's three-part model of ritual processes, the project presents an innovative approach through which to study and articulate devotion to Kali in diverse cultural contexts. Through textual research, interviews and observant participation, I analyze the process whereby devotees separate themselves from the mundane and enter liminal spaces of worship, understood both spatially and temporally. I …

Positional Plagiocephaly Among Tribal Societies And Contemporary Western Societies: A Comparison Of Treatments, Results, And Effects, Jacinda Rose Ruggles

Honors Program Theses

This study explores the two causes of positional plagiocephaly, or abnormal head shape in infants as well as effects and treatments. To do so, two groups were chosen for comparison: contemporary western societies and tribal Native American societies. In the first group, the medical condition known as positional plagiocephaly is considered before, during and after the Safe to Sleep campaign of the 1990’s. In the second group infant head flattening is discussed as a result of cradling practices and carrying techniques. The importance of this study is to contribute new insight into positional plagiocephaly and its treatments. The study combines …

Inviting Citizen Designers To Design Learning Management System (Lms) Interfaces For Student Agency In A Cross-Cultural Digital Contact Zone, Rajendra Kumar Panthee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inviting Citizen Designers to Design Learning Management System (LMS) Interfaces for Student Agency in a Digital Cross-Cultural Contact Zone assesses how FYC students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds perceive Blackboard Learn and other learning management system (LMS) interfaces. The report of an empirical study shows that the current LMS design does not provide writing students in general and writing students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds in particular an opportunity of a higher-level interactivity with the LMS. The current design neither includes periphery students' cultural and linguistic norms and values, nor does it allow them to affect the existing …

The Impact Of National And Organizational Cultural Differences On International Joint Venture Performance, Rizwan Tahir

Business Review

The purpose of this study is to theoretically explore how national cultural differences, organizational cultural differences and trust between partners can influence IJV performance. Findings from previous studies have been mixed, and this study attempts to address the relationship and performance issues by theoretically advancing a model to explain the inconclusive results found to date. Based on previous research, the findings of this study are as follows. Firstly, in terms of the relationship between national cultural differences and IJV performance, differences in the national cultures of IJV partners adversely influence IJV performance. Secondly, in the case of the relationship between …

Book Review: Ethnographies And Archaeologies: Iterations Of The Past, Edited By Lena Mortensen And Julie Hollowell, Christina J. Hodge

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Ethnographies and Archaeologies: Iterations of the Past, edited by Lena Mortensen and Julie Hollowell, 2009, Cultural Heritage Studies Series, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 288 pages, 9 illustrations, $69.95 (cloth).

A Good Old Age: Experiencing A Satisfying Life, Kaitlin Thimann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The definition of successful aging has been changing, however, there is a lack of current studies on existing aging trends and how to experience a good old age. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe themes and factors that can lead to an individual experiencing a good old age. This study is a qualitative, exploratory ethnography in which interviews were used to gather information on a good old age from adults aged sixty-five and older. The study revealed that there were several common factors throughout the interviews. Physical and mental health, social support, and financial stability are …

Nanta Hosh Chahta Immi? (What Are Choctaw Lifeways?): Cultural Preservation In The Casino Era, Sean Everette Gantt

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation investigates the long-term impacts of tribal economic development programs on the cultural preservation efforts of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). Since the 1970s the Mississippi Choctaw have initiated many different economic enterprises ranging from manufacturing plants to resort development, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of manufacturing, service, retail, and tourism enterprises. This history of engaging with western business models offers a unique perspective for analyzing the long-term effects of these practices on a tribal community. My work with the MBCI engages a long debate over the use of capitalist business models in tribal economic development …

Richard Smith. Mapping China And Managing The World: Culture, Cartography And Cosmology In Late Imperial Times. New York: Routledge, 2013., Daniel Knorr

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Caizhen Lu. Poverty And Development In China: Alternative Approaches To Poverty Assessment. Routledge Contemporary China Series, 74. New York: Routledge. 2012., Tami Blumenfield Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Transitional Justice: Prioritizing Truth Commissions Or International Tribunals To Ensure Healing And Reconciliation, Jlateh Vincent Jappah, Danielle Taana Smith

Journal of International and Global Studies

There is a recent increased examination of the effects of international funding for truth commissions and criminal tribunals in post-conflict societies as they transition to peace. The discourse on whether to prioritize truth commissions or international criminal tribunals and which form of transitional justice more effectively fosters healing and reconciliation continues to be highly polemical. This paper explores whether, in terms of post-conflict healing and reconciliation, international funding would be better spent on truth commissions than on international criminal tribunals or vice versa. It examines the complexities and heterogeneity of transitional societies and suggests that international funding for transitional justice …

Developing Paradise: Tourism, The Local Community, And Nature In Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, John Ripton Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Las Terrenas, a town in the Samanà province of the Dominican Republic, has experienced phenomenal growth of its tourist industry. Electricity only arrived in Las Terrenas in the late 1990s, yet today, more than 70 hotels and other establishments offer thousands of rooms in tourist accommodations. In little more than two decades, the population of Las Terrenas has mushroomed from a few hundred to nearly 20,000. While the forces of commercial development integrate Las Terrenas into the global economy, its municipal infrastructure simply has not kept pace. The national government finances the construction of roads and other projects to promote …

Transnational Policy Networks In Global Water Governance In India, Vandana Asthana Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

This paper argues that in the processes of global water governance, transnational policy networks play a significant role in defining spaces of engagement that privilege certain voices and versions. These networks produce narratives that not only convey storylines of sustainable water practices but also often have embedded within them the advocacy of a particular policy instrument that they intend to promote. What appears as knowledge is often structured towards the goal at which it is directed. Using application of private sector participation in water as an example from India, the paper explores how these power/knowledge regimes are established and supported …

Taiwan: Introspecting On A Democracy At An Existential Crossroad, Raviprasad Narayanan

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Dafydd Fell. Government and Politics in Taiwan. Abingdon: Routledge. 2012.
• Jean-Marc.F. Blanchard & Hickey, Dennis, V. (Eds.). New Thinking about the Taiwan Issue – Theoretical insights into its origins, dynamics and prospects. New York: Routledge. 2012.

Joy Hendry. Understanding Japanese Society, 4th Edition. New York: Routledge, 2013., Ilana Maymind Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Zheng Wang. Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory In Chinese Politics And Foreign Relations. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012, Torsten Weber

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Xiaowei Zang. Islam, Family Life, And Gender Inequality In Urban China. London/ New York: Routledge, 2012., Vanessa Frangville Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Chad Haines. Nation, Territory And Globalisation In Pakistan: Traversing The Margins. New York: Routledge, 2012., Utathya Chattopadhyaya

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Timothy De Waal Malefyt And Robert J. Morais. Advertising And Anthropology: Ethnographic Practice And Cultural Perspectives. New York: Berg, 2012., John Mccreery Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Berenschot, Ward. Riot Politics: Hindu-Muslim Violence And The Indian State. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011., Daniel Jasper

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review

Political Participation Of The Indian Diaspora In The Usa, Vinod Janardhanan

Journal of International and Global Studies

This essay aims to foreground the types and patterns of political participation of Asian Indians in the US and the change and continuity thereof since migration of the community began in significant numbers in the 20th century. It shows how immigration reforms and citizenship laws prevented the community, for over half a century (until at least 1965), from achieving a demographic critical mass, which is a crucial factor in becoming an effective player in the political system of the US, and the community’s reaction to these restrictions. Surveying the political participation of Indian Americans since the years prior to India’s …

Transnational And Global Processes In Modern Chinese History, Karen Teoh

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Prasenjit Duara. The Global and Regional in China’s Nation Formation. Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2009.
• Bryna Goodman and David S. G. Goodman, eds. Twentieth-century Colonialism and China: Localities, the Everyday, and the World. London and New York: Routledge, 2012.

Leakthina Chau-Pech Ollier And Tim Winter (Eds.) Expressions Of Cambodia: The Politics Of Tradition, Identity And Change. New York: Routledge, 2012., Joann Digeorgio-Lutz Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Sally N. Cummings. Understanding Central Asia: Politics And Contested Transformations. New York: Routledge, 2012., Emilian Kavalski Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Peter J. Katzenstein, (Ed.) Sinicization And The Rise Of China: Civilizational Processes Beyond East And West. New York: Routledge, 2012., Christa Adams

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Mingjiang Li. Mao’S China And The Sino-Soviet Split: Ideological Dilemma. New York: Routledge, 2012., Barry Mccarron

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Antonio Giustozzi. The Art Of Coercion: The Primitive Accumulation And Management Of Coercive Power. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011., Dale Walton Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Elisabeth Croll. Feminism And Socialism In China. London, Henley, And Boston: New York: Routledge, 2011., Lin Jiao

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Robert Boyer, Hiroyasu Uemura, And Akinori Isogai (Eds.) Diversity And Transformations Of Asian Capitalisms. London And New York: Routledge. 2012., Kate Barclay Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Morgan, J.W. & Wu, B. Higher Education Reform In China: Beyond The Expansion. New York: Routledge Press, 2011., Ryan Guffey Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Global Carbon-And-Conservation Models, Global Eco-States? Ecuador’S Yasuní-Itt Initiative And Governance Implications, Conny Davidsen Ph.D., Laura Kiff

Journal of International and Global Studies

The “global carbon age” marks a structural change far beyond the economic realms of implementing carbon trade, affecting the fabric of global environmental governance and its actors. Carbon trade and conservation in the Global South have taken on various forms, and climate change mitigation efforts in light of continued rainforest deforestation are scrambling to establish effective approaches. Ecuador’s Yasuní-ITT Initiative proposes a new global carbon-and-conservation model in the Ecuadorian Amazon that leaves oil reserves of the Yasuní Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) oil fields underground, in exchange for international compensation payments that would be based on voluntary contributions of governments and …