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Behavioral Ecology Of The Family: Harnessing Theory To Better Understand Variation In Human Families, Paula Sheppard, Kristin Snopkowski

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Researchers across the social sciences have long been interested in families. How people make decisions such as who to marry, when to have a baby, how big or small a family to have, or whether to stay with a partner or stray are questions that continue to interest economists, sociologists, demographers, and anthropologists. Human families vary across the globe; different cultures have different marriage practices, different ideas about who raises children, and even different notions of what a family is. Human behavioral ecology is a branch of anthropology that is particularly interested in cultural variation of family systems and how …

Deep Learning Reveals Extent Of Archaic Native American Shell-Ring Building Practices, Dylan Davis, Gino Capsari, Carl P. Lipo, Matthew Sanger

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

In the mid-Holocene (5000 - 3000 cal B.P.), Native American groups constructed shell rings, a type of circular midden, in coastal areas of the American Southeast. These deposits provide important insights into Native American socioeconomic organization but are also quite rare: only about 50 such rings have been documented to date. Recent work using automated LiDAR analysis demonstrates that many more shell rings likely exist than are currently recorded in state archaeological databases. Here, we use deep learning, a form of machine intelligence, to detect shell ring deposits and identify their geographic range in LiDAR data from South Carolina. We …

Hand Of The Potter, Hand Of The State: Pottery Production And Control In Tawantinsuyu, James A. Davenport

Anthropology ETDs

In empires, material culture plays an important role in creating and maintaining state power and legitimizing imperial rule. Through their form and decoration in imperial styles, these objects convey messages about state power, yet their production is often decentralized and carried out by subjects. This dissertation asks the question, how do imperial authorities organize the production of material culture? This question is addressed through a study of one category of material culture—Inka imperial pottery—from the site of Pachacamac, in Peru.

The Inka empire, called Tawantinsuyu, was a territorial empire spanning over 2 million km² in Andean South America …

Early Humans And Changing Landscapes In The Knysna Region Of The Southern Cape, Naomi Cleghorn, Sara Wurz

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Publications - Archive

Although little has been published on the deep-time archaeological record of Knysna area, recent research, early surveys, and local resident knowledge of sites and finds leave little doubt that people have made Knysna home for a very long time. From the hand-axe using human ancestors of more than 300 000 years ago (or more) Knysna has attracted people to the shores of its estuary, river, and coastline. A rich diversity of edible plants, animals, fresh water, and marine resources made it an ideal place for humans reliant on wild resources. Stone tools, the most enduring ‘visiting cards’ of the ancients, …

Community Development, Health, And Wellness: The City Of Bloomington Township’S Wellness Lifestyle Series, Jack White

Student Research – Stevenson Center

The City of Bloomington Township, as part of its workfare program, offers to its recipients and the public the Wellness Lifestyle Series. It is a series of classes focused on health and wellness from a holistic perspective. The Series is a direct response to the 2019 McLean County Community Health Needs Assessment that identified Access to Care, Behavioral Health (Mental Health and Substance Abuse), and Healthy Eating/Active Living (Exercise, Nutrition, Obesity, and Food Access/Insecurity) as priority needs for the community. The Wellness Lifestyle Series is a creative solution for how community development can address the health and wellness of individuals …

Pet Parenting In The United States: Investigating An Evolutionary Puzzle, Shelly Volsche

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fertility rates continue to decline globally amidst the second demographic transition, marked by urbanization, increased educational attainment, and most importantly, a new flexibility in life-course organization. As a result, some individuals are choosing to bring companion animals in the home rather than raising children. Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore whether these transitions result in differential companion animal attachment and caregiving behavior in the homes of parents (or those who desire to become parents) and nonparents or childfree “pet parents.” Methods A total of 917 respondents completed an online survey via Qualtrics that included demographic questions, the …

An Intersectional Approach To Time Poverty: A Pilot Study Of Time Poverty And Black Women’S Perceived Health Based On Semi-Structured Interviews, Lauriane Ngaya Fonkou

McNair Scholars Program

The term “time poor” describes people disproportionately burdened by responsibilities and inflexible work schedules resulting in little to no discretionary time. Time poverty was brought to my attention via the social media app TikTok where Black women creators expressed how time poverty affects them. Given that Black women are an especially vulnerable population in terms of health, I became curious about the relationship between time poverty and Black women’s health. However, the existing sociomedical science literature on time poverty does NOT adequately account for Black women’s subjectivity because the research considers mediators of class OR gender OR race but does …

The Remains Of The Fray: Nascent Colonialism And Heterogeneous Hybridity, Charles R. Cobb, James B. Legg, Steven D. Smith, Chester B. Depratter, Brad R. Lieb, Edmond A. Boudreaux Iii

Faculty & Staff Publications

Investigations at the Native American site complex of Stark Farms in Mississippi, USA, have yielded numerous examples of metal artifacts of European origin. Our study suggests that they derive from contact between the AD 1540–1541 winter encampment of the Spanish Hernando de Soto expedition and the local Indigenous polity. The artifacts display a wide range of modifications, uses, and depositional contexts congruent with hybrid practices. We argue that the early colonial setting of Stark Farms requires a different perspective on cultural mixing than is often applied in studies of European colonialism. This is highlighted by the strongly improvisational nature of …

Anthropogenic Noise Alters Parental Behavior And Nestling Developmental Patterns, But Not Fledging Condition, Meelyn Mayank Pandit, James Eapen, Gabriela Pineda-Sabillon, Margaret E. Caulfield

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Anthropogenic noise is a ubiquitous feature of the American landscape, and is a known stressor for many bird species, leading to negative effects in behavior, physiology, reproduction, and ultimately fitness. While a number of studies have examined how anthropogenic noise affects avian fitness, there are few that simultaneously examine how anthropogenic noise impacts the relationship between parental care behavior and nestling fitness. We conducted Brownian noise playbacks for 6 h a day during the nesting cycle on Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) nest boxes to investigate if experimentally elevated noise affected parental care behavior, nestling body conditions, and nestling stress indices. …

Cldv 100 Introduction To Multicultural Studies In The 21st Century, Oluremi "Remi" Alapo

Open Educational Resources

A study of what "culture" is; how we see it based on several factors, how it influences the choices and decision we make; how to deal positively with conflicts that inevitably arise in working /living situations with people of diverse cultures. This is a course structured to raise multicultural awareness and fortify students' social skills in dealing with cultural differences. It includes ethnographic study of cultural groups in the U.S.A and responses to shared values, observations or experiences based on student's ancestry, heritage, travels. Students will learn about culture "do and donts" around the world and provide the class with …

Identity Transformation Through Substance Use Disorder Recovery: Introducing The Six Stage Model, Naomi Watkins, Austin Mcneill Brown, Kayce Courson

The Qualitative Report

Narratives of substance use disorder recovery experience can provide useful qualitative conceptual categories and novel theories about the way in which recovery is experienced by individuals. This information can better inform definitions, concepts, and supports for recovery processes. The current study reviewed 30 written personal recovery biographies which were contained within student applications to the collegiate recovery program housed in the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery at Kennesaw State University. Using grounded theory methodology, common benchmarks, or topographic recovery features were revealed involving the evolution of identity as an inter-negotiated process throughout the addiction and recovery biographies (Charmaz, …

Perceived Barriers To Black And Asian Solidarity: A Pilot Study Of Internalized Racial Oppression And Perspective-Taking, Josephine Wu

McNair Scholars Program

Cross-racial solidarity between Asian and Black communities in the U.S. needs increased mutual understanding. Research has limited knowledge of intergroup relations and how these groups perceive each other. Research suggests that one barrier is internalized racial oppression (IRO), but doesn’t consider IRO in intergroup contexts. This qualitative pilot study uses semi-structured interviews to identify patterns of themes related to intergroup IRO perspective-taking and perceived barriers to Black-Asian solidarity.

The Conflict Between Generations In The Workplace., Francisca De Souza Smith

Business ETD Collections

This paper presents a study on the Conflict of Generations in the Workplace. We live in a period of rapid change, and much knowledge about the incorporation of young people into the labour force has been widely disseminated. According to literature theories, they are called Generation Y. But we must remember the existence of previous generations inserted in the same desktop, they are: Veterans, Baby Boomers and Generation X. Each generation has a perception, and different expectations which can cause conflicts, this subject has been studied by many researchers. The scientific study was based on a theoretical study by several …

Analyzing The Mediating Effects Of Social Capital And Sense Of Community Between International Student’S College Sports Fan Identification And Acculturation, Kibaek Kim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to the number provided by the International Institute of Education (IIE), there are over one million international students enrolled in the United States. Although the number of international students is increasing, the incremental rate started to decrease after reaching its peak in the 2017-2018 academic year. While previous studies focused on the role of leisure activities, such as physical activity participation, to analyze how international students can receive social support from their communities to better acculturate in the U.S., this study focused on the role of spectator sports on providing social support and its effect on international student’s acculturation. …

3d Data Acquisition, Visualization, And Archiving Of Selected Lithics From The Caldwell Collection Of North African Stone Points, Michael J. Bennett

UConn Library Presentations

Presentation made on June 30, 2021 to UConn Library staff as part of a library strategic framework implementation working group final report. The overall aim of the project was to lead an interdisciplinary, cross-campus working group made up of faculty from the Anthropology Department, and staff from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Office of the State Archaeologist, and the UConn Library. More specifically, the project's goal was to run 10 - 20 stone artifacts from the State Museum's Caldwell Collection through a newly developed, highly refined 3D digitization workflow that would produce 3D assets for eventual online classroom …

Ensuring Equitable Access: Theory And Methodology On Future Grant Application Design For The City Of Bloomington's John M. Scott Health Care Commission, Zachary Fabos

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This research utilizes qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze perception and opinion of the City of Bloomington’s John M. Scott Health Care Commission’s grants program and its application process among recipient agencies and other participants. Data, gathered through surveys and semi-structured interviews, in 2020 and 2021, between representatives of each agency and the researcher are meant to inform the development of new approaches encouraging a wider reach of the Commission’s grants program in McLean County, Illinois. Questioning the theoretical purpose of merit, bureaucracy, and performance in an application process, this research aims to create a more accessible program for agencies …

Racializing Discourses: An Exploration Of Moreno Subject Formation In Oaxaca, Mexico, Juan Salvador Sepulveda-Figuereo

Dissertations and Theses

Processes of Black racialization in Mestizo Latin America open a space to expose how subjectivities emerge and change while in tension with broader national ideas and transnational discourses. Morenos, typically dark skin individuals of African descent, inhabit the boundaries of mestizaje, Mexico's national racial ideology which emphasizes indigenous and Spanish ancestry. As a result, regional narratives subject morenos to racialization processes that align with the historical erasure of people of African descent, effectively excluding morenos from the nation. Nevertheless, morenos incorporate themselves into the regional and national narratives through various mechanisms and (re)formulations of established discourses.

I propose a …

Going Glocal In A Pandemic: Can Japan Offer Lessons For Others?, Masaaki Takemura

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This Dialogue contribution draws some lessons from the Japanese countermeasures against the COVID-19 pandemic. It approaches this issue from a social point of view. Specifically, it focuses on social and cultural understanding process of an uncertainty event – in this case the COVID-19 pandemic, but also early instances – by the Japanese.

Consumption Behavior Of Algerians During The Period Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis, Kamel Chikhi

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This Dialogue contribution is a reflection on the impact of crises and in particular that of Covid-19 on the behavior of Algerian consumers: before, during and post-crisis. It is recognized that during crises, consumers adopt unusual and more rational behaviors: buy basic necessities; save more to deal with possible difficult situations; place more importance on nutrition, health, food quality characteristics, price, psychological and socio-demographic characteristics; have purchasing and consumption intentions based on their cultural background and prefer to adopt planned behaviors. Observed events during the Covid-19 pandemic allows us to illustrate the evolution of consumption behavior of Algerians and to …

Pandemic, Human Precarity And Post-Pandemic Metaverses, Tracy Harwood

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

With the global COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing impacts, we have reached a nexus which places new emphasis on our understanding of ourselves and our relationship with others – other nations, other species, other worlds. A critical question is: Does this mean that our transition into the posthuman is complete? It is therefore with some interest that this Dialogue contribution approaches the review of Francesca Ferrando’s book (2019) titled Philosophical Posthumanism. Prior to and after the detailed review of the book, this Dialogue essay reflects on the precarity induced by the pandemic and possible socio-technological ways out of the current …

Rethink Everything 3: Markets, Globalization, Development, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Deniz Atik

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

Mapping Complex Land Use Histories And Urban Renewal Using Ground Penetrating Radar: A Case Study From Fort Stanwix, Tyler Stumpf, Daniel P. Bigman, Dominic J. Day

Anthropology Graduate Research

Fort Stanwix National Monument, located in Rome, NY, is a historic park with a complex use history dating back to the early Colonial period and through the urban expansion and recent economic revitalization of the City of Rome. The goal of this study was to conduct a GPR investigation over an area approximately 1 acre in size to identify buried historic features (particularly buildings) so park management can preserve these resources and develop appropriate educational programming and management plans. The GPR recorded reflection events consistent with our expectations of historic structures. Differences in size, shape, orientation, and depth suggest that …

“Here Come The Crackers!”: An Ethnohistorical Case Study Of Local Heritage Discourses And Cultural Reproduction At A Florida Living History Museum, Blair Bordelon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project explores the complex roles of power and heritage in the reproduction ofcultural and ethnic identities in the context of a local living history museum called Cracker Country. Throughout this thesis, I demonstrate how discourses of Florida heritage are constructed, reproduced, or contested in various ways among all the museum’s different communities of stakeholders. Using Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s (1995) theory of historical silences and expanding on Laurajane Smith’s (2006) notion of the Authorized Heritage Discourse, I explore the ways that heritage “works” at a local level, and the multitude of meanings it can hold within particular communities. I analyze the …

"We're The Lucky Ones": A Social Network Analysis Of Recovery After The Iowa Derecho, Kayla C. Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On the afternoon of August 10th, 2020 a straight line windstorm, referred to as a derecho, tore across the Midwest. Derechos are often described as an “inland hurricane,” with wind gusts exceeding 58 mph. This thesis explores how Iowans relied on social networks to recover from the derecho. Personal networks were analyzed to understand how people utilized relationships for specific types of support. The relationships investigated included informal and formal sources such as family, friends, neighbors, government, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, and self-reliance. Data were collected on social networks and storm recovery through a survey and semi-structured interviews. Using anthropological theories …

Approximate Bayesian Computation Of Radiocarbon And Paleoenvironmental Record Shows Population Resilience On Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Robert J. Dinapoli, Enrico Crema, Timothy Reith, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Examining how past human populations responded to environmental and climatic changes is a central focus of the historical sciences. The use of summed probability distributions (SPD) of radiocarbon dates as a proxy for estimating relative population sizes provides a widely applicable method in this research area. Paleodemographic reconstructions and modeling with SPDs, however, are stymied by a lack of accepted methods for model fitting, tools for assessing the demographic impact of environmental or climatic variables, and a means for formal multi-model comparison. These deficiencies severely limit our ability to reliably resolve crucial questions of past human-environment interactions. We propose a …

“I Wish Somebody Called Me, Told Me Not To Worry”: Evaluating A Non-Profit’S Use Of Social Support To Address Refugee Women’S Resettlement Challenges, Brandylyn L. Arredondo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This report details the qualitative findings from an evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Women’s Initiative (RAMWI) in Tampa, FL. Founded in 2013, the 501(c)(3) provides cultural knowledge and sewing classes to resettled refugee women. Using primarily semi-structured interviews and participant observation, I place a critical lens on the non-profit to examine how refugee women and volunteers use the provided resources and experience the values (e.g., empowerment, vulnerability) RAMWI centralizes in its programs.

Interviews with refugee women, volunteers, and key informants revealed that the challenges RAMWI faces derive from six key areas of contention: 1) an informal organizational structure; 2) …

New Representations Of Difference: Mexican Filmmakers In New York City., Luis B. Quesada Nieto

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

This essay comments on recent cinematographic productions that explore the complex links between Mexico and New York as part of the ʻMexico on the Hudsonʼ Online Film and Conversational Series, organized by the Mexican Studies Institute at City University of New York and the New York based non-profit media arts organization Cinema Tropical. The reflection takes the films I’m leaving now (Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda 2019), On the Seventh Day (Jim Mackay 2018), and La Ciudad (David Riker 1998) as a sample that exemplifies a cultural and political phenomenon in which the mediated representation of contemporary minorities has been …

Landscapes Of Medical Culture From The Amazonia Of Ecuador, Savannah Sorensen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the relationships between humans and plants in the Ecuadorian Amazon and the role relationships and nature play in the affliction and healing of illnesses and diseases. Through animism, spirituality, and rituals, the Quechua and Canelos groups foster a deep connection with the land and each other which plays an important role in traditional medicine and healing; this important connection with each other and the land constitutes the main premise of this paper, the sociality of healing. Many other cultures such as the Kalahari Kang, Samoans suffering from cardiovascular problems, and Evangelical Christians take on a similar approach …

Engaging Ecological Narratives: An Inquiry Into Place-Based Knowledge And Disaster Risk Reduction In Gozo, Malta, Ella S. Richmond

University Honors Theses

This paper utilizes fieldwork on the island of Gozo, Malta as a case study in understanding place-based environmental relationships. I employ a mixed methodology ethnographic approach to explore the disconnect between local narratives of hazard risk and those of larger institutional actors including the Maltese government, the EU, and the World Risk Index. This study reveals themes of: 1) language shaping climate discourse; 2) place-based oral histories and lore as impacting how risk is perceived; 3) tension between tradition and modernity in the realm of risk reduction; and 4) conflicting climate narratives characterizing the nature of preventative action. I argue …

Poetry And Possibilities In Contemporary Egypt, Reem Badr

Theses and Dissertations

Egyptian colloquial poetry has historically been conceived of, by practitioners and onlookers alike, as a politically committed, subversive, resistant practice. In this thesis I explore how this poetry, with its complex inheritance, inhabits the realities of post-revolutionary Egypt. Throughout the chapters of this work I trace colloquial poetry in its more traditional forms, as well as in its more novel ones like Egyptian rap/trap, as it grapples with the reduced possibilities in the present. As it reflects and spawns a wider disillusionment with and refusal of politics and claims a reinvention of itself as a private practice, the poetry cannot …