Digital Commons Network^™

Letter From The Editor, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Enduring Words: Resistance Through Sculptural Libraries, Alex C. Jacobs

LSU Master's Theses

Enduring Words: Resistance Through Sculptural Libraries is a thesis exhibition that challenges book censorship by transforming reading into a public and defiant act. Through direct sculptural interventions, the exhibition confronts cultural erasure, questions who controls the literature we consume, and highlights the role of art in safeguarding contested knowledge. This thesis focuses on a current body of exhibited sculptural works that embody the tension between access and erasure. These installations engage with the viewer by using a lighthouse built of books and a speech-bubble-shaped library embedded with censored texts. They do not quietly mourn the suppression of knowledge; they confront …

Beyond Methodology: Hungry Translation As A Yearning For Justice, Richa Nagar

Study of Women, Gender, & Sexuality: Faculty Publications

This essay emerges from an invited lecture that I delivered at the University of Amsterdam in 2024. My reflections include glimpses from three decades of journeying within and across diverse sites of knowledge-making: a farmers’ and workers’ movement, a theatre group and my classrooms. I ask: how do we move from the idea of remaking research to a transformational praxis through which we can co-create shared hungers for justice that refuse the borders among research, creativity, unlearning and relearning? I draw on my co-authored labours in Playing with Fire, Muddying the Waters and Hungry Translations to explore this question …

Review Of Film Noir And The Arts Of Lighting, Casey Walker

Journal of 20th Century Media History

Review of the book Film Noir and the Arts of Lighting (Patrick Keating)

Personas Issue 3, 2025, Jonathan Maiullo

Personas: Multilingual Creative Writing Journal

No abstract provided.

Into The Shadows In Context: A Personal Writing Philosophy, The Fantasy Tradition, And A Novella, Genevieve Mumford

Masters Theses

It is important for the aspiring fantasy novelist to consider why he or she writes. Some personal motivations for writing include the desire to glorify God by mirroring His creativity, utilizing one’s talents, reflecting the Gospel of Christ, creating quality art, and providing clean entertainment. Christian authors should be free to pursue whatever type of writing they wish, knowing that when they focus on the story first, the message will flow into it naturally. In addition, fantasy novelists should study key works in this genre. Fantasy stories generally include otherworldly settings, magic, and the victory of good over evil. J. …

Cultural Heritage Informatics: Past, Present, And Future, Tyler Youngman, Sebastian Modrow, Isaac Meth

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This paper briefly traces the informational history and contemporary formal establishment of Cultural Heritage Informatics as a distinct domain within IS/LIS, motivated by recent calls for more critical, ethical, and community-oriented interrogations of IS/LIS practices and professional identity. We unpack the conceptual history and disciplinary intellectual geography of cultural heritage and informatics to recount prior interpretations of the field. Next, we articulate a holistic domain-specific informatics model to guide the study of cultural heritage within IS/LIS. We conclude by articulating ethical imperatives and new directions for Cultural Heritage Informatics in research, teaching, and practice.

Beyond Skins: The Far-Flung Impacts Of Sea Otter Fur Capitalism, Callie Pappas

Dissertations and Theses

Sea otter fur was one of the first commodities to shape the broader Pacific Ocean trade. As the trade expanded, it became entwined in a global network of commerce that stretched from St. Petersburg to Alaska, from Boston to Astoria, from London to Nootka Sound, and from Hawaii to Canton (China, modern-day Guangzhou). This paper aims not just to view the trade qua trade, but to go Beyond Skins to tell four stories of impacts of sea otter fur capitalism, in the areas of geopolitics, Indigenous cultures, trade in China, and local ecology. Originating in the Pacific Northwest, the sea …

Territorial Scars: The Legacy Of The Eugenics Movement In Puerto Rico, Audra Desiree Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States-Puerto Rico relationship was strongly impacted by the eugenics movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The groundwork for the paternalistic relationship that the United States imposed on the island was set by the Spanish colonization. Once the United States gained the territory in 1898, many assumed that it would progress to statehood through the same process as former U.S. territories. However, the impact of the eugenics concerns over race, population density, and undesirable genetics had affected U.S. imperialism. The lack of white migration to the island, in combination with the perceived undesirable and overly dense …

Cmlit 101w Syllabus, Alexander Moudrov

Open Educational Resources

The syllabus for CMLIT 101W (Global Literatures 1) based on open-source materials.

Spirituality And The Quest For Transcendence On The Portuguese Way Of St. James, José Luís Braga, Miguel Pazos Otón, Isabel Borges

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is a kind of proto tourism in a world where the number of pilgrimages has increased considerably. In the past the only motivation for such pilgrimages was religious, today we are witnessing the emergence of new motivations, such as cultural and even sporting ones. The research questions that guide this study are the following: Are faith and religion still strong enough motivations to justify pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela? Are there points of convergence between religious and secular pilgrims? Can the Camino be a means of awakening religious vocations? In short, what is the …

Crafting Myths In Modern Times: Essentialising Duty, Obligation And Exchange In Religious Tourism, Anuja Jose, Vinita Chandra, Uday Pratap Singh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper aims to study the factors that contribute to the success of present-day myths in religious tourism. It also seeks to investigate the factors that compel modern pilgrims to accept a certain myth and the role played by stakeholders of religious tourism in the creation of a myth. In order to explore these research questions, Kauḍī Mātā temple in Varanasi, a popular religious tourist spot for Southern Indians, was chosen for Case Study. Qualitative data have been generated through in-depth interviewing. Simultaneously, several myths of goddess Kauḍī Mātā were recovered from textual and digital sources in addition to the …

All But Mud & Memories, Chase Lt Romero

LSU Master's Theses

All But Mud & Memories addresses the inevitability of erosion and land loss near my homeland of Algiers Point— locally known as The Point— through the perspective of locals and visitors, in addition to my own experience. Located near New Orleans across the Mississippi River, Algiers Point holds a community that shares a tender bond with the levee that protects their home and day-to-day interactions. Often in discussions of wetland events in Louisiana, the focus is on land and environmental losses rather than the surrounding culture. I provide a more community-centered narrative by expressing what’s to be lost if the …

The Otley Y. J. S. Chapbooks, A Critical Edition, Michelle Dewitt, Ainsley Farmer, Kenna Fry, Elitza Hallam, Wilson Hurdle, Whitney Hutchings, Kemry Jensen, Evva Kreitlein, Samuel Peterson, Caroline Salmeron, Olivia Toone, Gabby Tracey, Elliana Valentino, Laura Vance

Student Works

The L. Tom Perry Special Collections in the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU contains a collection of sixteen small, yellow chapbooks, each with eight pages of text and hand-colored woodcut illustrations. The titles in this series range from well-known and well-loved tales such as “The History of Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Jack the Giant Killer,” to less familiar “Capitals of Europe,” “The History of Peter Brown,” and “The Old Man and his Ass.” These chapbooks are unattributed and undated, bearing only a notice that they were “printed for the booksellers” by the Yorkshire J. S. Publishing & …

The Election Of Pope Leo Xiv: A Reformed Perspective, Kyle J. Dieleman

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Reformed Christians should wisely, carefully, and prayerfully discern the Spirit’s work within our own tradition and within other Christian traditions, including the Catholic Church."

Posting about the implications of a new pope from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

The Election of Pope Leo XIV

Political Polarization And Voter Turnout: A New Political Paradigm?, Kyle Thaller

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Political polarization has characterized most recent U.S. elections through further widening the gap between the two parties to the point that many people fear a second U.S. Civil war is approaching. This begs the larger question of how polarization impacts the electorate? Does it turn voters off or push them to vote? Does it have a negative impact on American elections, or is it merely a next step in the grand experiment we define as American democracy? This paper uses Logistic regression (via SPSS Statistics) with data from American National Election Studies (ANES) to address these questions by analyzing the …

Commercial Pressures And Editorial Independence: Egyptian Journalists' Perceptions Of Advertiser Influence In Contemporary Media, Mohamed Ahmed Salem

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the complex interplay between commercial imperatives and editorial autonomy in Egypt’s contemporary media landscape, focusing on journalists’ perceptions of advertising influence. Drawing on Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) and informed by Political Economy and Institutional Theory, the study investigates how Egyptian journalists navigate ethical tensions arising from advertiser demands—both state-linked and private—within a hybrid media system marked by economic precarity, political control, and digital disruption. Through 20 in-depth interviews with journalists, alongside insights from PR professionals, media managers, and academic experts, the research reveals a pervasive erosion of the editorial-commercial boundary. Journalists report widespread self-censorship, blurred content labelling, …

France’S Exclusion Politics: Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric And Political Capital (1972-2002), Alicia Strader

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the politics of exclusion in France, focusing on how immigrants have been marginalized due to politicians' strategic use of anti-immigrant rhetoric. The study examines the rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the increasing political capital gained through his xenophobic platform, highlighting the pivotal moment when other politicians began to adopt similar tactics to secure their own electoral success. By examining secondary sources and magazine articles from 1972 to 2002, this research investigates how the politicization of immigration issues contributed to the marginalization of immigrant communities in France. It argues that the exploitation of anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly after …

Metal As A Tool For Gender Liberation In Music Therapy: A Literature Review, Ashley B. Mccarthy

Expressive Therapies Theses

Metal music is a genre which appears to be minimally researched and utilized within the context of music therapy. Despite its often loud and disruptive musical sound and sometimes violent lyrics, many fans of metal report mental health benefits from engaging with the music and participating in metal subculture. It is also well documented that metal as a genre is deeply rooted in a culture of White cisheteronormative masculinity, which often results in the scene being hostile toward women and gender minority fans and artists. Yet, many of these individuals express feelings of liberations brought on through engagement with metal …

Dumy And The Nation: How Folklore And Folk Songs Help Compose A Distinct Ukrainian Narrative, Amy Herd

Senior Theses

Historiography and ethnography have played a critical role in the development of modern Slavic nationalisms, particularly in Ukraine. As these studies became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century, scholars and members of the bourgeoisie identified folk culture as the key component for the making of the modern nation. Viewed as an authentic window into national history and tradition due to their limited interaction with the modernizing world, rural folk offered the perfect opportunity to illustrate how Ukraine had always been distinct from Russia and its other historical oppressors. As folk culture fervor gripped the intellectual elite of Eastern Europe, however, …

Imperial Fabrication Of Ethnic Cleansing: Czarist Through Soviet Russian Practices And Policies Responsibility In The Ethnic Cleansing Of Georgians In Abkhazia., George Kane

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the direct correlation and connection between Goergia’s struggles against Russian imperialism and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia that resulted from the 1990s Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict. After examining the historical and cultural ties of the Abkhaz as one of the many Georgian nationalities, this thesis examines the concerted effort by Czarist and Soviet Russia to separate the two identities in order to further imperial ambitions in the Caucasus region. This targeted separation over decades, along with direct Russian military support during the conflict, would then result in an ethnic cleansing taking place perpetrated by the Abkhaz against …

El Presidio Hispano-Colonial: Estudio Del Discurso Moderno De Fortificación Del Imperio Español A Traves De Planos Y Mapas, Javier E. Astorga Villarroel Ph.D.

Latin American Studies ETDs

This dissertation project delves into the processes of ideation, design, projection, and knowledge-transfer around the Presidio, an iconoclastic fortification system deployed by the Spanish Empire while projecting its colonial power toward the Transatlantic region. Based on Bruno Latour’s classic theory on the agency of networks of meanings (also known as new materialism) applied to historical cartography, my investigation examines the production of techno-military knowledge around the presidios as they were depicted through plans, maps, and manuals while mapping out border areas over North America and the Caribbean, from the 17th to the 19th centuries. With archival research work performed at …

Considering The Need For Congruence In Closing The Gap, Target 10: Reducing High Rates Of Adult Aboriginal Incarceration, Jane Anderson, Narelle Carroll, Boobaditj (Also Known As Phillip Ugle)

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The federal and Western Australia (WA) state governments have made a national commitment to reducing high rates of Aboriginal adults held in incarceration, using, respectively, justice reinvestment and bureaucratic inclusion of Aboriginal representatives and organisations. This aspiration is also being pursued by an Aboriginal team who seek to establish a place-based Aboriginal justice support service in a WA regional town. The proposed service is underpinned by a combination of justice reinvestment and restorative justice principles and aims to use peer support workers who will effectively increase community agency in justice matters. This article examines congruence between federal, state and local …

Langston Hughes And The “Afro-American Narrative” Tradition, Paul Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

After introducing Langston Hughes and defining Robert B. Stepto’s “Afro-American narrative” tradition, Chapter One presents a biography of Hughes from his birth in 1902 until he came under the patronage of Charlotte Osgood Mason in 1927. Chapter One also addresses the aesthetic expectations of the Harlem Renaissance and the extent to which Hughes either met or failed to meet those expectations. Chapter Two presents a reading of Not without Laughter as an integrated narrative, addressing how Hughes’s authenticating strategies and Mason’s authenticating devices evenly control the novel. Chapter Three presents a reading of Hughes’s short-story cycle, The Ways of White …

Alternative Worlds: John Maddox Iv’S Fractal Families In New Millennium Narratives Of Afro-Puerto Rican Women, Roberta Hurtado

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

No abstract provided.

Imágenes De Silencio, Compromiso, Persecución Y Tortura: La Teología De La Liberación Y Su Encrucijada Con Las Dictaduras Del Cono Sur Desde Una Representación Cinematográfica, Marcial Martínez

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This dissertation examines the interaction between liberation theology and the

dictatorships of the Southern Cone from the 1960s to the 1980s through cinematic

representation. Filmmakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay

depict the political upheavals of the time, including the rise of leftist movements,

military regimes, and the influence of liberation theology, a progressive religious

ideology advocating for the oppressed. The study focuses on what is defined here

as the "cinematic canon of liberation theology," a body of films and documentaries

that legitimize, contest, or obscure ideologies tied to this movement vis-à-vis the

dictatorships. These films contest the silence …

Presence Of The Past: The Translation Of Traditional Culture Into Contemporary Form Among The Igbo Peoples Of Southeastern Nigeria, Nelson Agalaba

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture serves as the physical embodiment of a group’s cultural values, history, and social dynamics- or identity. The arrival of European colonialism and modernism brought about a paradigm shift, prioritizing a universal European aesthetic and “international style”, displacing indigenous architectural traditions and severing the deep connections between culture and the natural and built environments. The global south has experienced the brunt of this process, especially the African continent. For example, the Igbo peoples of southeastern Nigeria have lost nearly all examples of their building traditions and have been in a constant struggle to create an architecture that captures their rich …

A Comparative Study Of Music Between Mongolia And The Mongolian Ethnic Minority In China: Cultural Backgrounds, Musical Styles, And Modern Developments, Yile Huang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis conducts a comparative study of Mongolian music traditions as they have developed both within Mongolia and among the Mongolian ethnic minority in China, exploring their cultural backgrounds, musical styles, and contemporary developments. By investigating the historical, geographical, and socio-cultural influences that shape the music in these regions, this study highlights the unique musical identities of each group while uncovering their commonalities and cultural exchanges. Drawing from a wide range of sources—including ethnographic studies and analysis of specific musical pieces—this research examines foundational elements such as the Mongolian long song, throat singing, and horsehead fiddle music. These traditional forms …

The “Asian”-Ness Of Women Influencing The Romance Plot In Contemporary Ya Literature, Janetsa Jane Keovorabouth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Contemporary young adult literature (YAL) is a growing genre that features a diverse range of stories, allowing young readers to see themselves reflected in realistic stories. One of its prominent subgenres, contemporary young adult romance focuses on a modern love story between two individuals. Historically, Asian American female characters were often depicted as the “model minority” stereotype or represented as exoticized figures who held traits such as mysterious, submissive, or seductive creatures. These portrayals often treated the Asian American experience as monolithic. However, the genre now explores an intersection of identity and romance, addressing themes commonly found in contemporary realism …

Research And Reflections On Southeast Asian American Education And Advancement, Wayne E. Wright, Vikrant Chap, Phitsamay S. Uy, Chhany Sak-Humphry, Vichet Chhuon, Bryan Thao Worra

Purdue University Press Books

This book is in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement (JSAAEA) and the fiftieth anniversary of Southeast Asian American refugee resettlement in the United States. Pivotal research articles, reviews, and creative works from past issues of JSAAEA have been selected for this volume to document the history and experiences of Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Vietnamese Americans since initial refugee resettlement began in the United States in 1975, as well as the experiences of more recent Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee groups. Reviews of academic books, novels, memoirs, children’s books, and motion …