Digital Commons Network^™

La Lengua De Señas: Potencial Y Poder En La Transición De Un Enfoque Médico A La Perspectiva Socio-Antropológica De Niños Sordos / Sign Language: Potency And Power In The Transition From A Medical Approach To The Socio-Anthropological Perspective Of Deaf Children, Noah Lanckton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La Escuela Especial Santiago Apóstol ha hecho una transición de una escuela oralista a una escuela bilingüe. Eso es decir, que han cambiado su perspectiva que los Niños Sordos deben hablar, que hay un déficit en niños Sordos, al punto de vista de que tienen su propia cultura y una propia lengua, la Lengua de Señas. Este ensayo explora la perspectiva médica, en lo cual están basadas las escuelas oralistas, y la mirada socio-antropológico, de que nació la escuela bilingüe. El autor entrevistó a la directora y a un grupo de madres que tienen hijos en la escuela. También, él …

“Estamos Aquí Con Nuestra Propia Fuerza” Las Mujeres De Amupakin Y Su Lucha Para Preservar El Parto Ancestral En Napo, Ecuador. / "We Are Here With Our Own Strength" The Women Of Amupakin And Their Struggle To Preserve The Ancestral Birth In Napo, Ecuador., Lilian Domenick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto documenta mi trabajo con AMUPAKIN (Asociación de Mujeres Parteras Kichwas de Alto Napo)—una organización de mujeres Kichwa que practican la medicina ancestral—y su lucha para preservar los conocimientos y las prácticas de la cultura Kichwa en la provincia de Alto Napo, Ecuador. A través de las conversaciones informales y la participación en las actividades diarias de las parteras de AMUPAKIN, aprendí de la historia y el trabajo actual de la organización y las experiencias de las 10 parteras que forman la asociación. El proyecto documenta como la práctica de la partería ancestral se manifiesta en AMUPAKIN—y examina como …

Land-Use And Land-Ownership Changes In Usoma Village, Kenya, Ernest Tan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study attempted to find out how land-use activities and land-ownership patterns have changed since land adjudication in Usoma Village, a peri-urban community on the fringe of Kisumu City. The methods used were photo-observation and geo-tagging based on walkabouts onsite, documentary analysis of maps obtained from the Ministry of Lands, interviews with key authority figures, independent experts and community leaders, and interviews as well as focus-group discussions with community members. In terms of land ownership, it was found that subdivisions of land, both formal and informal, had been common over the period. Land transfers based on compulsory acquisition and investment …

Un Giro Ontológico En La Cosmovisión De La Naturaleza: El Papel Del Capitalismo Y Otras Influencias En El Cambio De Las Percepciones Tradicionales De La Naturaleza En La Comunidad Quechua De Paru Paru / An Ontological Turnover In The Cosmovision Of Nature: The Role Of Capitalism And Other Influences In The Change Of Traditional Perceptions Of The Nature In The Quechua Community Of Paru Paru, Jessica Pusch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En el contexto de la antropología ambiental y con un lente de ecología política, este informe analiza el papel del capitalismo en la degradación ecológica global a través de un estudio etnográfico específico y único. Este estudio ocurrió en el pueblo quechua Paru Paru, situada en las sierras andinas de Perú en la región de Cusco. El siguiente artículo incluye una examinación del aumento en las actividades económicamente capitalistas y la presencia de otros factores involucrados en el cambio de la relación y las percepciones sobre la naturaleza en el contexto de la cosmovisión. Había una pérdida clara de algunas …

Corruption Devolved: People’S Perceptions On Devolutions Impact On Transparency, Accountability And Service Delivery By The Government Of Kisumu County, Kenya, Julia Fonshell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2010, Kenya introduced a new constitution and with it the introduction of the concept of a decentralized government. The devolved system of government was implemented in 2013 and granted each of the 47 counties in Kenya, such as Kisumu County, greater autonomy, resources and ability to serve its people. This study aims to compile a thorough understanding of people’s perception on how devolution has impacted transparency, accountability and service delivery of the government of Kisumu County, Kenya within its five years.

The study is comprised of a series of interviews on the premises of the Kisumu County Assembly with …

Surveying Access To Healthcare In Kisumu And Siaya Counties, Kenya, Quinn Alsheimer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aims to understand the barriers that many Kenyans face towards accessing healthcare. This study was conducted in Kisumu and Siaya Counties, Kenya. Kisumu is an urban environment, whereas Siaya is a rural environment. Throughout both counties, areas with presumably low access to healthcare were surveyed. In Kisumu County, surveys were conducted in three informal settlements: Nyalenda, Obunga, and Manyatta. In Siaya County, surveys were conducted in Simenya Village.

This study has shown that financial accessibility is a large barrier to healthcare throughout the study population, as the majority of study participants felt that healthcare in Kenya is not …

“We Are The Gap: Understanding The Inclusion Of Immigrants In Moroccan Left-Wing Politics”, Sam Brown

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to understand to what extent immigrants are included in left-wing politics in Morocco. In 2011, King Mohammed VI named Morocco an executive constitutional monarchy. One can argue that this means Morocco is moving in the direction of democracy, but is democracy what left-wing political parties are truly advocating for? And if they are, does the left include marginalized people it advocates for? Particularly, how are immigrants fighting for their own rights in Morocco, and to what extent are Moroccan left-wing political parties centering and uplifting the voices of immigrants, if at all?

Church And State In Rwanda: Catholic Missiology And The 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi, Marcus Timothy Haworth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, over one million Tutsis were killed by the government of Rwanda and Hutu extremists. In this study, I address two questions: (1) did the Church, as an institution, offer a convincing counter-narrative to the dominant ideology of racialized ethnic identities of twentieth century European colonialism in the present-day nation-state of Rwanda? If it did not, why not? And, (2) what role, if any, did the Church, as an institution, play, in promoting a “social imagination” that valued religious identity, or truths, over the dominant European colonial ideology, and later the nationalistic narrative of …

Cherchant Toujours La Paix: Le Systeme Endogene De La Resolution Des Conflits À Batoufam, Becky Sigman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This dissertation will explore two subjects: an internship done with the chiefdom of Batoufam and a research project about the endogenous system of conflict resolution in Batoufam. The first part will illustrate the internship done at the museum of the chiefdom. Here will be described the institution, the work accomplished, and an analysis of the experience. In the second part will be asked the research question “what is the endogenous system of conflict resolution of Batoufam and how has it adapted in the context of the imposition of westernization?” After doing a literature review and explaining the methodology of the …

A Glimpse Into Amazighophone Technology Usage An Example Of The Results Of Short-Term Ethnography, Garrison Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the situation of the Amazigh language and its revitalization in Morocco, specifically aiming to shed light on the intersections of language use, technology, and youth, in order to obtain insight into processes that Amazighophone youth both undergo and enact in their lives. Through literature review and an interview, this research provides a glimpse into the use and reality of Amazigh and variants in technological media and an example of the shortcomings of a short-termed fieldwork research project. In all, despite only having one interview with one young woman who attends university and speaks Amazigh, the results provide …

Binding Ideologies: An Investigation Of Language Attitudes And Ideologies In The Moroccan Publishing And Book Sector, Ashley Coyne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The interaction between author and reader is not as simple nor as direct as may at times be assumed. There are “gatekeepers” and middle men who mediate the transmission of ideas from writer to reader; these institutions and their ideologies determine the final product that will (or will not) be presented to readers. In Morocco, this author-reader interaction is further complicated by the language ideologies which pervade the realm of Moroccan literature. As Moroccan publishers and booksellers are the “gatekeepers” who arguably engage the most in language politics, this study examines their role in facilitating or inhibiting the Moroccan author-reader …

Participatory Development And Menstrual Health Management In South Africa: A Case Study Of Project Dignity, Natalie Geismar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Menstrual health management (MHM) poses a significant public health concern in many South African communities. Though the national government is beginning to devote attention and resources to MHM, civil society organizations play a critical role in providing menstrual health products and education to female-bodied individuals who may otherwise lack access. This study examines the praxis and impact of Project Dignity, a nongovernmental organization which distributes washable, reusable sanitary pads and panties to students in public schools. The researcher collected qualitative data through participant observation as well as interviews and focus group discussions with Project Dignity’s staff and intended beneficiaries. Using …

The Mountain Stands: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Zulu Christians' Approaches To Spiritual Health, Makayla Lagerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Spiritual health is a vital component of individual wellness that can be described in many ways; most commonly, it is thought of as the connectivity of the inner spirit to others, the world, transcendental beings, and more. From personal experience, I know that the state of my spiritual wellbeing can greatly impact my physical and mental health. For this reason, actively considered how to think about spiritual health for one of the first times in my life.

This project sought to explore Zulu Christians’ approaches to spiritual health in concurrence with my own. This was done by interviewing one Swazi …

Nature And Nomads: Service Approach To Mongolia Tours, Jesse E. Shircliff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tourism has potential to diversify Mongolia’s geopolitically challenged economy. Tourism development and promotion has increased since 1990, and there is reason to expect continued sector growth. Cultural tourism has potential to commodify or degrade cultural resources (Gilbert, 2006, Pigliasco, 2010, Soma & Suhkee, 2014) and alter the physical landscape and identity of local people (Chang & Yeoh, 1999, Seng, 2005, Phua & Berkowitz, 2014). As tourism in Mongolia increases, its effects on cultural resources should be understood. This study of Mongolian tourism interviews fifteen tour company employees to understand how Mongolian culture is perceived and used from a business perspective. …

The Lives Of Smart Phones: People’S Relationships With Technology Along The Tamor Valley, Candice Jiang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The way people interact with smart phones and technology in their everyday life can reveal a whole lot about a culture, history and politics of a given place. In the Taplejung district in Northeastern Nepal, the Tamor valley has been a historical pathway for trans-Himalayan trade, business, and commerce (Saxer: 2015). However, it is also considered one of the most virtually and physically remote places in Nepal due to lack of physical and Internet infrastructure that enables all kinds of access. Nevertheless, smart phones have become an essential gadget in most people’s lives in this part of Nepal. In a …

Tibetan Perceptions Of Lgbtq, Lauren Champagne

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is aimed at understanding the perceptions of LGBTQ identities, people, and issues within the Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala, India. The project starts by contextualizing feminism in Tibetan spheres as well as Buddhist conceptions of gender and sexuality, as many Tibetans are practicing Buddhists. The focus then turns to the reactions to and experiences of queer Tibetans and how Tibetans talk about and conceptualize queerness. Finally, this project looks at the formation of various networks that have formed amongst a small community of out LGBTQ Tibetans. The main objective of this paper is to provide a context for …

The Heritage-Making Conundrum In Asian Cities: Real, Transformed And Imagined Legacies, David Ocon

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The process of heritage-making is farfrom straightforward. Defining the meaning of heritage in young nations and citieswhere land availability is limited is a challenging exercise. It often crossesthe paths of history, religion, memory-shaping, development, andidentity-building. It requires fluent communication channels between civilsociety, local organisations and governments. Willingness to cooperate from allthe parties involved is essential; dialogue a must.In land-scarce or densely populated Asiancities, expansion and growth is colliding with the preservation of legacies, thepast and memory. This paper examines regional case studies from Hong Kong,Manila and Singapore, where preservation of cultural patrimony, development anddaily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds …

Understanding Violence Against Foreigners In Cape Town: Conceptions Of Autochthony And Xenophobia In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Mary L. Casey

Student Publications

Examining the correlation between the history of colonialism and structures of Apartheid in South Africa and the current xenophobic violence experienced by Black African immigrants settling in Cape Town. This thesis explores theories of autochthony and belonging in the context of Cape Town, Black South African relationships and ownership of land, access to resources and opportunities for employment, and the continued disenfranchisement of Black South Africans in the wake of Apartheid. These components of the issue of xenophobia in Cape Town are factored into an analysis of how and why violence persists against immigrants in the city.

Sex Differences In Political Leadership In An Egalitarian Society, Christopher Von Rueden, Sarah Alami, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven

ESI Publications

We test the contribution of sex differences in physical formidability, education, and cooperation to the acquisition of political leadership in a small-scale society. Among forager-farmers from the Bolivian Amazon, we find that men are more likely to exercise different forms of political leadership, including verbal influence during community meetings, coordination of community projects, and dispute resolution. We show that these differences in leadership are not due to gender per se but are associated with men’s greater number of cooperation partners, greater access to schooling, and greater body size and physical strength. Men’s advantage in cooperation partner number is tied to …

"They Chase Us Like Dogs": Exploring The Vulnerabilities Of "Ladyboys" In The Cambodian Sex Trade, Jarrett D. Davis, Glenn Miles

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

While the vulnerability of women and girls continues to be the subject of research and concern among social service providers, few attempts have been made to understand the vulnerabilities and lived experiences of transgender persons in the sex industry. Among the studies that have been done, most have focused on sexual health and their likelihood to contract or spread HIV/AIDS, often ignoring other potential vulnerabilities. This study aims to provide a broad baseline of data on the perspectives and experiences of transgendered persons in the sex trade in Phnom Penh, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of their needs, and …

Responding To Purdeková, Simon Turner

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Harmful Sexual And Non-Sexual Behaviors Of Trafficked Women And Children In Mexico: A Study Of Victims Of Sexual Exploitation, Arun Kumar Acharya, Lilia Susana Padilla Y Sotelo, Jose Juan Cervantes Niño

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

During the last 17 years, since the adoption of the Palermo Protocol, authorities at international and national levels have investigated and prosecuted trafficking cases, and aided victims. Nevertheless, every day thousands of people around the world are sold, lured with false promises and exploited. In Mexico, 10,000 young girls and women are said to be trafficked into cities for sexual exploitation every year. Trafficked victims suffer a wide range of sexual exploitation, physical and psychological violence, human rights violations including their right to dignity, and cruel and inhumane treatment, creating vulnerability and isolation. To cope, many victims adopt harmful sexual …

Book Review: La Muerte Del Verdugo: Reflexiones Interdisciplinarias Sobre El Cadáver De Los Criminales De Masa, Vincent Druliolle

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Review of La Muerte del Verdugo. Reflexiones Interdisciplinarias Sobre el Cadáver de los Criminales de Masa, ed. Séviane Garibian (Buenos Aires: Miño y Dávila editores, 2016)

Deinstitutionalization Of Bulgarian Orphanages: Examining Caregiver Discourses On The Changing Reforms, Sophia Page

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The housing of orphaned children in institutions has been common practice in Bulgaria. The post-communist era ushered in reforms to the orphan care system, under the guidance of the state and the international community. This has shifted care for orphaned children from institutions to alternative care in family-type settings, under a process referred to as deinstitutionalization. These reforms are believed to benefit a child’s development and well-being. New questions arise surrounding the role of the caregiver in implementing these reforms in their care practice, chiefly how caregivers strive to integrate the children into society while facing the persisting limitations of …

Religion, Media, And Marginality In Modern Africa, Felicitas Becker, Joel Cabrita, Marie Rodet

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

In recent years, anthropologists, historians, and others have been drawn to study the profuse and creative usages of digital media by religious movements. At the same time, scholars of Christian Africa have long been concerned with the history of textual culture, the politics of Bible translation, and the status of the vernacular in Christianity. Students of Islam in Africa have similarly examined politics of knowledge, the transmission of learning in written form, and the influence of new media. Until now, however, these arenas—Christianity and Islam, digital media and “old” media—have been studied separately.

Religion, Media, and Marginality in Modern Africa …

Strategies Of Salvation: Evangelical Christian Praxis And Sites Of Degradation In Sri Lanka, Orlando Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper demonstrates how disasters create sites of degradation – potent spaces of upheaval and engagement – that are readily filled and exploited by evangelical Christian groups. In doing so, it explores how disasters provide opportunities for evangelical groups to gain a foothold in localities where Christian presence, and evangelical praxis, may otherwise be restricted. Drawing on qualitative data collected in Sri Lanka throughout 2010–2011, two comparative case studies are presented that reveal the strategies of evangelical Christian praxis in and through sites of environmental and political degradation. Specifically, the case studies reveal how evangelical groups pursue ‘outside‐in’ and ‘inside‐out’ …

Low Perceived Control Over Health Is Associated With Lower Treatment Uptake In A High Mortality Population Of Bolivian Forager-Farmers, Sarah Alami, Jonathan Stieglitz, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven

ESI Publications

Indigenous people worldwide suffer from higher rates of morbidity and mortality than neighboring populations. In addition to having limited access to public health infrastructure, indigenous people may also have priorities and health perceptions that deter them from seeking adequate modern healthcare. Here we propose that living in a harsh and unpredictable environment reduces motivation to pursue deliberate, costly action to improve health outcomes. We assess whether variation in Health Locus of Control (HLC), a psychological construct designed to capture self-efficacy with respect to health, explains variation in treatment uptake behavior among Tsimane Amerindians (N=690; age range: 40–89 years; 55.8% female; …

Trauma In Guatemala And Postville, Iowa, Jessica J. Lechtenberg

Latin American Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This study uses a historical understanding of Guatemala to explain the significant trauma following the largest immigration raid in U.S. history which primarily deported Guatemalan residents who had been working at the Agriprocessors meat processing plant without documentation. Through an analysis of literature detailing the immigration raid, Guatemala's history of violence, and court proceedings, I have found that high levels of trauma exist for the individuals who were deported following the raid and for their families and friends. Personal communication with the current Dean of Students at Postville's public school lends a hand in gaining a deeper understanding of the …

Managing Ambiguous Amphibians: Feral Cows, People, And Place In Ukraine’S Danube Delta, Tanya Richardson

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes how a herd of feral cattle emerged in the core zone of Ukraine’s Danube Biosphere Reserve and why it still exists despite numerous challenges to the legality of its presence there. Answering these questions requires an analytical approach that begins from the premise that animals, plants, substances, documents, and technologies are active participants in making social and political worlds rather than passive objects of human intervention and manipulation. Drawing together insights from multispecies ethnography, animal geography, amphibious anthropology, and studies of nature protection in former Soviet republics, the author argues that the feral cattle exist because they …

From Icon Of Empire To National Emblem: New Evidence For The Fallow Deer Of Barbuda, Sophia Perdikaris, Allison Bain, Sandrine Grouard, Karis Baker, Edith Gonzalez, A. Rus Hoelzel, Holly Miller, Reaksha Persaud, Naomi Sykes

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Barbuda and Antigua’s national animal is the fallow deer, Dama dama dama, a species native to the eastern Mediterranean that has been transported around the world by people during the last 8000 years. The timing and circumstances by which fallow deer came to be established on Barbuda are currently uncertain but, by examining documentary, osteological and genetic evidence, this paper will consider the validity of existing theories. It will review the dynamics of human–Dama relationships from the 1500s AD to the present day and consider how the meaning attached to this species has changed through time: from a …