Digital Commons Network^™

"The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love": Identity Creation, Compartmentalization, And Belonging Among Queer Peace Corps Volunteers, Laura N. Keeran

Theses and Dissertations

The Peace Corps advertises that it accepts anyone, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation; however, recruiters and staff ask volunteers to go back into the closet for their twenty-seven months of service due to the Peace Corps’ safety concerns about their volunteers being out in their host countries. Queer Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) answer the call to serve, accepting that it means they will need to keep their queer identities concealed for two years and three months. I conducted ethnographic interviews with ten people who have served or are currently serving in the Peace Corps and identify under …

Warriors Of Faith Vs Passive Men: Gender Binarism And Performance In Evangelical Christian Masculinity, Alexander Koch

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines communications and reflections of self (gendered and religious) in Midwest Evangelical Christian men. The focus was on how these groups perform their gender and religion with each other, and the tactics that were used to reinforce an acceptable notion of masculinity. Drawing upon literature on gender and masculinity studies, feminist philosophy, and hierarchical systems, my project aimed to analyze acceptable gender performance pushed by patriarchal gender norms and evangelical Christian groups. I incorporated multiple settings in my ethnographic study across the Midwest. Methods included semi-structured interviews and participant-observation of men’s conferences and Christian men’s groups, while reflecting …

Critical Approaches To Climate-Induced Migration Research And Solutions, Rosalyn Negrón, David Hernández, Hossein Ayazi, Pablo Shiladitaya Bose, Nyingilanyeofori Brown, Elora Chowdhury, Janelle Knox-Hayes, Rajini Srikanth, Banu Subramaniam, Farhana Sultana, Patrick Sylvain, Carlos Vargas-Ramos, Charles Venator-Santiago

Sustainable Solutions Lab

In this commentary we explore the confluence of factors shaping climate-induced migration and the need for comprehensive solutions grounded in historical and systemic understandings. We argue that climate change, colonial legacies, and geopolitical policies significantly influence migration patterns, particularly for historically marginalised communities. We call for scholars to develop holistic frameworks that consider environmental, political, historical, and economic factors while advocating for the legal recognition and protection of migrants and people displaced by climate impacts. Drawing on examples of internal migration and displacement in the United States and refugee camps globally, we highlight the complexities of resettlement. We propose integrated …

Layers Of Identity, Elizabeth Toffel

Teaching Resource Archive

Students explore identity, specifically that identity is layered, shaped by personal experience, cultural background, community ties, and unique traits. Students conduct interviews with peers, reflect on identity components, both individually and collectively, and create a layer artwork on transparent acetate sheets. When stacked the layers visually showcase the layers of the student’s identity and represent how identity is complex, constructed, and always shaped by multiple influences.

Cross-Linguistic Queerness: A Phonetic Study Of How Bilingual Mandarin-English Speakers Index A Sapphic Identity, Malena L. Sparano

Scripps Senior Theses

The comparative lack of research about Queer identities among speakers of other languages limits cross-linguistic and cross-cultural understanding of Queerness within an increasingly globalized community (Cameron and Kulick, 2003). Moreover, the focus on Monolingual, Western, men’s repertoires excludes important nuances that shape identities falling outside the heteropatriarchy, significantly neglecting Sapphic people and Lesbians (Leap, 2008). Sapphic identity helps broaden the scope of traditionally very gendered labeling, stemming from Zita’s (1981) definition as a person identifying as a woman/non-man and experiencing attraction to women or non-men. Bilingual research is key in understanding the specific roles of multivariable cultural and phonetic analysis …

Negotiating Faith: Relations Between English-Dominant Churches And Maya Immigrants In Northeast Ohio, Abigayle D. Breitner

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In recent decades, members of Guatemalan Maya communities have immigrated to the United States, bringing their religious identities with them. Most Maya immigrants are Catholics or Protestant Christians with varying relationships to United States-based churches in the towns where they settle. This paper departs from ethnographic work in two northeast Ohio towns with a particularly large Maya immigrant population. I consider how members of predominantly white, English-speaking churches engage with growing Maya congregations in northeast Ohio with a focus on the negotiation of Maya worshipers' desires for autonomy or partnership, and the power relationships inherent in that process. I argue …

Book Review - Language Ideologies And Linguistic Identity In Heritage Language Learning., Michelle F. Ramos Pellicia

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

No abstract provided.

Islamic Themes In Us Hip-Hop Culture, Anders Ackfeldt

Music & Performance in Muslim Contexts

Explores how Islam is produced in American hip-hop culture by both Muslims and non-Muslims

Islam has been a part of hip-hop culture since it sprang from New York’s street culture in the 1970s. Today hip-hop has evolved into a global artform with a diversity of Muslim Islamic discourses expressed. Using tools from the field of social semiotics, this book examines how Islamic themes feature in US hip-hop culture, maintaining a particular awareness that both Muslims as well as non-Muslims participate in their production.

Anders Ackfeldt analyses a collection of lyrics, sounds and images to show how Islamic themes are featured …

Geophysics, And Capturing Ethnographic Interviews Of A Tidal Plantation Burial Ground, Kristin M. Meeuwen (Dew)

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Plantation development in Chatham County has a rich but incomplete history. Silk Hope, an Ogeechee District tidal plantation, is located seven miles from the city of Savannah on the Northern banks of the Little Ogeechee River. This project focuses on identifying the site boundaries of portions of Silk Hope Plantation and its historical background. Specifically, the project focused on delineating the boundaries of the associated cemetery and/or burial grounds, while estimating the number of individuals interred there using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Finally, collaborative work with community members, including stakeholder and descendant interviews, will provide ethnographic insights into the site's history …

A Long Way Home: Postcolonial Migration Between Cameroon And France, Elizabeth Greenberg

Honors Theses

This project grew from an observation that despite exhibiting strong national pride, most young Cameroonians express a fervent desire to emigrate. Through a combination of interviews and a review of past literature, I discovered a unique narrative among upper middle class Cameroonian migrants whose stories are generally underrepresented in migration literature. This study investigates how history and sociocultural dynamics help explain the Cameroonian decision to choose France (specifically the Île de France region) as a migration destination. France is particularly relevant because it previously held control of many parts of Cameroon and is one of the most popular migration destinations …

Identifying Intangible And Biocultural Heritage Elements Toward Environmental Understanding: Engaging Stakeholders Through Art, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Grounded in a case study in Barbuda in the Caribbean, this research examines sustainability from the perspective of what arts and heritage can contribute to community engagement and local and broader understandings about the environment. This article documents a growing body of literature recognizing the role of arts and culture, including local knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), in climate change endeavors. Art and TEK present expansive world views. Contextual information situates research done on the island of Barbuda pre- and post-Hurricane Irma. Visual arts workshops engaged community members in mixed methods research. Results documented cultural elements, particularly intangible and …

The Black-Market Commodification Of Human Organs And Bones: A Marxist Perspective, Erik Schulz

Nebraska Anthropologist

The trade and treatment of human remains, while seemingly straightforward, have increasingly become subjects of ethical and moral debate. Over time and in light of recent events, questions have emerged regarding the appropriateness of how human remains are handled and exchanged. This paper examines these issues through the lens of Marxist framework and the perspective of forensic anthropology. The objective is to provide contextual understanding and encourage a reevaluation of current practices, particularly within academic settings, to ensure that human morals, dignity and ethical standards are upheld.

Review Of The Land Of Open Graves: Living And Dying On The Migrant Trail, Maggie M. Klemm

Nebraska Anthropologist

The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail (2015), authored by Jason De León, is a crucial and important read which examines the United States’ contemporary immigration policy. The federal government program, Prevention through Deterrence, aims to prevent illegal immigration through expanding border enforcement. Instead of deterring people, this program pushes them to the hostile terrain of the Sonoran Desert. The author of this text argues that the desert is utilized as a tool of border enforcement as it perpetrates violence to those who attempt to cross the border, as well as their loved ones. …

Popularizing Autogestión: Punk, Zapatismo, And Anarchist Ethics In Mexico City, Livia K. Stone

Faculty Publications – Sociology and Anthropology

Autogestión (self-management), has been a popular articulation of radical politics since its emergence in the 1960s. This article examines how Mexico City's anarcho-punk scene transformed autogestión in the 1990s from an anarcho-syndicalist principle into a unique ethical practice detached from industrial material production. It was then popularized and made more mainstream through university rock festivals. As these were Zapatista benefit concerts, autogestión became inadvertently attached to Zapatismo and detached from anarchism and punk. This history is a crucial one for understanding the political development of an entire generation of the political left in Mexico City who were young in the …

การจำแนกแตกต่างว่าด้วยมุมมองคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวของคนเมืองในกรุงเทพมหานคร:ศึกษากรณีเขตบางขุนเทียน, พิชฌ์นิพัทธ์ วิชัยโน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ให้ความสนใจกับประเด็นการกัดเซาะชายฝั่งทะเลในฐานะความเสี่ยงภัยที่เมืองกรุงเทพมหานครต้องเผชิญ ซึ่งพื้นที่ชายทะเลบางขุนเทียนที่ตั้งอยู่แขวงท่าข้าม เขตบางขุนเทียน เป็นพื้นที่ที่สภาวะความเสี่ยงภัยปกคลุมวิถีชีวิตของผู้คนในชุมชนชายทะเลบางขุนเทียน โดยมีจุดมุ่งหมายในการค้นหานิยามความหมายของคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่เป็นภาพแทนของการอยู่ใกล้ชิดกับธรรมชาติและระบบนิเวศของชุมชนชายทะเลบางขุนเทียน ซึ่งความเสี่ยงภัยมีส่วนต่อการกำหนดนิยามความหมายของคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียว ความเสี่ยงภัยจากการกัดเซาะชายฝั่งทะเลบางขุนเทียนยังได้เปิดเผยให้เห็นถึงการจำแนกแตกต่างของมุมมองที่มีต่อคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่อ้างอิงอยู่กับตำแหน่งแห่งที่ของความเสี่ยง ผู้เขียนจึงเลือกวิเคราะห์ให้เห็นถึงการจำแนกแตกต่างดังกล่าวไว้ในวิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ ท้ายที่สุด ผู้เขียนได้สำรวจนโยบายการพัฒนาเมืองที่มีส่วนต่อการสร้างคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่ดี ซึ่งเป็นนโยบายที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการจัดการความเสี่ยงด้วยการมองความเสี่ยงในฐานะภัยที่อำนาจทางการเมืองต้องเข้ามาจัดการ การบอกเล่าประสบการณ์จากผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญ 9 ราย ที่อาศัยอยู่ในพื้นที่ชายทะเลบางขุนเทียนผ่านการสัมภาษณ์กึ่งโครงสร้าง ร่วมกันกับการเล่าเรื่องจากภาพถ่ายในผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญบางราย ช่วยเปิดภาพให้เห็นความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างความเสี่ยงภัยกับคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวได้เป็นอย่างดี ขณะเดียวกันผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญต่างมีภูมิหลังทางสังคมวัฒนธรรมที่หลากหลาย ซึ่งเป็นกุญแจสำคัญของการนำไปสู่การวิเคราะห์การจำแนกแตกต่างของมุมมองที่มีต่อคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่สัมพันธ์กันกับความเสี่ยงภัยได้อย่างลงลึก เมื่อนิยามความหมายของคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวได้ปรากฏขึ้นแล้วจากคำบอกเล่าที่ถูกรวบรวมมา ผู้เขียนได้ทบทวนภูมิทัศน์ของนโยบายการพัฒนาเมืองเพื่อการมีคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่ดีผ่านการวิจัยเชิงเอกสาร ข้อค้นพบของการวิจัยที่นำเสนอไว้ในวิทยานิพนธ์นี้กำลังพาผู้อ่านสำรวจภูมิทัศน์ของความเสี่ยงจากการกัดเซาะชายฝั่งทะเลในพื้นที่ชายทะเลบางขุนเทียนด้วยการชี้ให้เห็นถึงกระบวนการก่อรูปของความเสี่ยงที่เริ่มต้นจากท้องถิ่นก่อนขยายตัวไปสู่การเป็นความเสี่ยงระดับโลกที่ทุกคนต้องเผชิญร่วมกัน ความเสี่ยงในระดับท้องถิ่นอ้างอิงอยู่กับการรับรู้ความเสี่ยงและการต่อสู้ดิ้นรนของผู้ที่ตกอยู่ในตำแหน่งแห่งที่ของความเสี่ยง ซึ่งแปรเปลี่ยนมาเป็นมุมมองที่พวกเขามีต่อคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่ดี โดยพวกเขาได้ร่วมนิยามคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวว่าเป็นการอยู่ใกล้ชิดกับธรรมชาติและระบบนิเวศของชุมชนชายทะเลบางขุนเทียน ขณะเดียวกันการจำแนกแตกต่างต่อมุมมองของคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวตอกย้ำให้เห็นด้วยการแตกกระจายของชนชั้นออกเป็นส่วนเสี้ยวที่อิงอยู่กับมิติทางวัฒนธรรมร่วมกันกับเศรษฐกิจ ผู้ที่สังกัดในตำแหน่งที่ในพื้นที่ทางสังคมที่แตกต่างกันต่างมีการเมืองวัฒนธรรมของการต่อสู้กับความเสี่ยงเพื่อให้ได้มาซึ่งการมีคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่ดีแตกต่างกันออกไปด้วย นอกจากนี้ การที่คุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวยังมีความเกี่ยวข้องกับนโยบายการพัฒนาเมืองที่มีต่อการจัดการความเสี่ยงภัยจากการกัดเซาะชายฝั่งทะเล ในการดำเนินนโยบายจึงจำเป็นต้องส่งเสริมให้เกิดการมีส่วนร่วมจากคนในชุมชนชายฝั่งทะเลเพื่อเป็นหนทางไปสู่การมีคุณภาพชีวิตสีเขียวที่ดีได้ต่อไป

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam: Bruce Bigelow, 1943 - 2025, Kenneth Colburn

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

A Content Analysis Of Doubt: How Latter-Day Saints Interact Online When One Of Their Own Seeks Answers, Leilani Naomi Mascio, Ronald Smith

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This content analysis examines how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) interact with doubting members in online forums, focusing on Facebook and Reddit. Analyzing 1,115 comments from four public posts (August 2024–January 2025), six emergent themes characterize these interactions: (1) normalizing doubt, (2) thought-terminating clichés, (3) bringing back to the fold, (4) hierarchical escalation, (5) attributing doubt to Satan, and (6) emotional reasoning. Findings reveal that LDS members overwhelmingly dominate these discussions, employing doctrinal language, personal narratives, and appeals to authority to reintegrate doubters. Notably, non-member interference was rare, suggesting moderated or self-selected engagement. The …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Fire History, Ecological History, And Historical Human-Environment Interactions In The Northern Great Plains, James Victor Benes

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores the spatiotemporal signatures of fire in North American grassland ecosystems. In three chapters, I explore different aspects of fire history in the northern Great Plains. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 focuses on the Euro-American Settlement Period (ca. 1850–1950 C.E.). Fire histories from six different lakes in the Nebraska Sandhills are compared with two periods of historic drought and the establishment of United States Post Offices. Five of the six records show increased levels of biomass burning during the initial phases of Euro-American Settlement. Chapter 3 is a long-term (ca. 15,000 years), high-resolution fire history and …

Space For The Departed: Burial, Land Scarcity, And Bone-Ash Apartments In China, Xinyi Wu

Pitzer Senior Theses

The rise of bone ash apartments in China reflects a layered response to urban land scarcity, shifting funeral policies, and real estate speculation. As the state mandates cremation and restricts private cemetery development, traditional burial customs are increasingly reshaped by spatial limitations, economic pressures, and political regulation.

For some families, bone ash apartments function as modern ancestral halls—domestic spaces for remembrance and ritual continuity. For others, they represent a pragmatic investment strategy, offering long-term storage of ashes within assets that retain market value.

This thesis examines how urban planning, state funeral policy, real estate dynamics, and the disintegration of neighborhood …

Farming As Life: Reframing Smallholder Farming As A Site Of Self-Sufficiency And Cultural Heritage In Botswana, Natasha Yen

Pitzer Senior Theses

Dominant neoliberal frameworks often frame smallholder farming through a deficiency lens, reducing it to metrics of productivity, efficiency, and profitability. These perspectives overlook the deeper material, cultural, and social significance that farming holds in the lives of smallholder farmers. In Botswana—where approximately 70% of the rural population engages in smallholder farming—farming remains a vital part of everyday life, yet few studies adopt a culturalist or holistic lens to examine its meaning. To center smallholder farmers’ lived experiences and perspectives, this study is based on semi-structured interviews with ten smallholder farmers in southeast Botswana. Grounded in a culturalist framework and critical …

Land Rematriation: Utilizing The National Register Of Historic Places And Developing Tribal Homeland Territories For The Restoration Of Historic Landscapes And Sovereignty, Robert E. Hazen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Land rematriation and cultural revitalization are crucial to addressing the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism on Indigenous communities, particularly for the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The National Register of Historic Places and federal recognition processes have traditionally marginalized Indigenous practices and land claims, yet, as I argue in this thesis, they hold potential for reappropriation in support of sovereignty and heritage. This thesis argues that integrating Indigenous methodologies, geospatial research, and archival analyses can forge a path toward effective land rematriation efforts. My findings reveal culturally significant sites connected to the historic village of Getegitigaaning, helping …

"An Ancient Vanished Race:" Industrial Mythistory And The Alternative Archaeology Of Lake Superior Copper, Donovan C. Murphy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis explores how the perspectives, biases, and values of Euro-Americans regarding the copper mining industry have shaped a mythology which centers Lake Superior copper in an imagined pre-Columbian global trade network. Notably, many iterations of this mythology are rooted in a rejection of Indigenous agency in the creation of these sites, ascribing them instead to a ‘vanished race’ which had surely once occupied the region. The core of this thesis is formed around a set of semi-structured interviews with representatives of regional heritage institutions and avocationalists which were conducted with the goal of identifying how and why these stories …

Qualitative Interview Coding, Caroline M. Moore

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This lesson introduces undergraduate students to rigorous thematic analysis as a tool for gaining insights from qualitative interviews. Aimed at students with some familiarity in Design Thinking, it emphasizes the role of interviewing in understanding user experiences and informing human-centered research. This might be the first lesson in a multi-lesson sequence, allowing the next lesson to go deeper into insights of what design researchers gather from their thematic coding. Through a mix of lecture, individual coding, and small-group coding, students learn to distinguish between inductive and deductive coding and apply these methods to sample interviews. The lesson fosters active learning …

The Elemental Analysis Of Groundstone Celts From Noble-Wieting Using The Pxrf: A Provenance Study, Julian A. Marvel

Theses and Dissertations

Groundstone axes, or celts, were prehistoric stone tools used for chopping, cutting, or woodworking. Made from hard stone like basalt or granite, it was shaped by grinding and polishing rather than flaking, giving it a smooth, durable surface. Celts typically have a tapered edge and were often hafted onto wooden handles or used by hand. They were common in Neolithic cultures around the world and served both practical and sometimes ceremonial purposes. In this thesis, I analyze celts from Noble-Wieting (11ML24), a 14th-century Langford tradition village in McLean County, Illinois.

Specifically, my research addresses the following questions about these groundstone …

Marks Of Heritage: Chicana Tattoo Artists Navigating Gender, Culture, And Artistic Expression In "Men's Work", Ryleigh Hickman

Theses and Dissertations

Art, and tattoos especially, have been fundamental in creating and articulating an identity for Chicanos within the United States. Yet, for much of the history of Chicano style tattoos, Chicana/xs were not free to engage with them in the same way that Chicanos were. In many regards, their entrance into these spaces was restricted (Santos 2009). However, recently with the growing interest in tattoo art and career opportunities, the industry has expanded significantly, creating more opportunities for a broader range of individuals. This research aims to explore how young Chicana/x and Latina tattoo artists now accessing these spaces navigate and …

Listening To The Body: Attunement And Advocacy In Women's Experiences Of Endometriosis, Rebekah E. Greenslaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the endometrial lining grows outside the uterus, leading to severe pain, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms. Despite its significant impact on daily life, many women with endometriosis report that their symptoms are dismissed in medical encounters, as their pain is minimized or normalized as an inherent aspect of womanhood. This medical dismissal, combined with a lack of definitive diagnostic tools and effective treatments, leads many to turn to online support communities to make sense of their symptoms, share experiences, and develop ways to cope with the condition. Drawing on …

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.