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Piercing The Veil In Sinners: Theological Insights From The Juke Joint, Antonio D. Sison Cpps

Journal of Religion & Film

Celebrated as a critical and commercial success, Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying opus Sinners has also been considered as one of the most culturally significant films of 2025. It also promises to be one of the most theologically resonant films of the year. This is evinced not only in its thematic and literary bases but, importantly, in its very audiovisual language and grammar, its stylistic strategies qua film. As reasoned in this essay, Coogler’s film is a rich locus theologicus, a nexus for theological discovery and insight.Sinners kindles the hermeneutical impulse to dialogue with African American/Pan-Africa theologies exemplified by the …

Foreign-Born Latinos In Massachusetts: Economic Lifeline, Policy Crossroads, Phillip Granberry, Rafael M. Pérez Medina, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a descriptive snapshot of selected demographic, economic, educational, and social indicators of foreign-born Latinos in Massachusetts. In 2024, there were 467,751 foreign-born Latinos in Massachusetts. Of this population, 64.8% are noncitizens, and FOREIGN-BORN LATINOS IN MASSACHUSETTS: Economic Lifeline, Policy Crossroads The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy 175,000 have an irregular immigration status. The state has a greater share of foreign-born residents (18.8%) than the United States as a whole (14.8%), and the same trend occurs for Latinos, as Massachusetts Latinos are 40.7% foreign-born, while the country’s Latinos are 33.9% foreign-born. At the …

¡Somos Más! The Latino Vote And The Strength Of Democracy In Massachusetts, Phillip Granberry, Rafael M. Pérez Medina, Carlos Muñoz-Cadilla, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Karla Corres

Gastón Institute Publications

This report identifies important characteristics of Latinos, including their age, citizenship, registration, and turnout. Because data on Latino voters in Massachusetts are limited, the report highlights opportunities for future qualitative research to understand Latino voters' motivations. The first of several reports on this research will soon follow, examining the ecosystem of Latino-serving civic organizations and the grassroots efforts that support Latino voter turnout.

A Framework For Teaching Maya Aspect System: Pedagogical Strategies For Maya Grammar, Quetzil E. Castañeda

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. Maya, an Indigenous language spoken primarily in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, remains under-resourced in materials for second-language and heritage-language learners. Its agglutinative morphology, split ergativity, and aspect system pose particular pedagogical challenges, especially when Maya grammar is explained through Spanish or English tense categories. Based on a critical review of existing teaching resources and the author’s more than twenty years of experience teaching Maya, this article proposes a pedagogical framework for understanding its aspect grammar. Rather than organizing verbal morphology around tense, the framework distinguishes four principal conjugational forms: Ongoing Incomplete, Simple Past, Completed Present, and Subjunctive. It also introduces …

Border Fascism And The Fascistization Of Society, Nicholas P. De Genova

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

The massive destruction and social dislocation wrought by capitalist crisis has culminated, historically, in the brutal cataclysms of fascism and other forms of authoritarian rule. Today, across the globe, we are confronted with the aggressive advance and entrenchment of a variety of such authoritarian political projects. Anxious discourses about ascendant fascism have become perfectly mainstream. These developments command our acute attention and critical analysis. This essay addresses these dire questions and the conceptual vexations surrounding the concept of fascism, particularly as it has been elaborated in various Marxist analyses.  Specifically, much of the debate around fascism as an analytical category …

Understanding The Political Profile Of Long Island’S Central American Electorate: A Case Study Of Long Island’S Majority-Latino Towns, Brett J. Patrick

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

As Salvadoran and Guatemalan migrants settled en masse across Long Island from the 1980s to the 2010s, seven Latino-majority towns emerged, each with distinct voting patterns that diverge from broader national Latino trends and from one another. This study examines how and why these Central American communities vote by integrating precinct-level election returns with the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey data. Using variables such as income, population density, education, citizenship status, and language, it identifies correlations between demographic conditions and partisan vote share. This approach reveals how socioeconomic factors shape political behavior within Salvadoran-American and Guatemalan-American enclaves in Nassau and …

“Ite Missa Est”: How Can The Altar Alter Attitudes And Actions?, Ebenezer Akesseh

Journal of Global Catholicism

This paper brings into focus the relationship between personal agency and so-

cial structure, demonstrating that what we celebrate on the altar forms within

us the proper dispositions that can help prevent the occurrence of corruption.

The first part examines corruption from a socio-cultural perspective and ex-

plains the incidence and effects of corruption. The second part discusses the

relationship between worship and the formation of actions and attitudes. It

highlights the need to embody the social implications of our celebrations. Using

responses from interviewees, the third part illustrates that the celebration of the

Eucharist shapes the commitments and conduct …

La Santa Muerte And The Characteristic Damage Of Canonization, Ellen Webber

Journal of Global Catholicism

Devotion to La Santa Muerte, a Mexican folk saint who personifies Death, has

been condemned by the Catholic Church for its affiliation with Mexican drug

cartels. This article challenges mainstream interpretations of La Santa Muerte

devotion using the theological framework of characteristic damage, as defined

by Lauren Winner and Paul J. Griffiths. This framework understands liturgy

as celebrated by sinners in a damaged world, and therefore necessarily damaged

itself. As much as liturgy and Christian practice form us for good, they also per-

petuate damage. I argue that the sins present in La Santa Muerte veneration are

an expression of …

Negotiating Plurality: Korean Catholic Funerals As Lived Religion, Jieun Han

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article examines Korean Catholic funeral rites through the lenses of ritual

guidebooks and lived religion, arguing that Catholic funerary practice in Korea

has emerged through sustained engagement with Confucian and Buddhist tradi-

tions as well as modern nationalism. Focusing on Catholic manuals such as the

Sangjang yesik [Rites for Mourning and Funerals] and related texts, it traces how

officially sanctioned liturgical forms coexist with, accommodate, and reinterpret

indigenous ritual logics surrounding mourning, burial, ancestor veneration, and

care for the dead. Rather than viewing Korean Catholic funerals as a simple

localization of Roman rites, the article conceptualizes them as a …

Editor's Introduction, Brent H. Otto S.J.

Journal of Global Catholicism

No abstract provided.

Carnival In Tijuana: A Visual Study Of The Brinco Del Chinelo, Nancy Rios-Contreras, Chenesia Brown

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The Mexico–United States border is politicized and perceived as an undesirable, violent place and simultaneously a desirable cultural location rich in tradition. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic nature of the Tijuana–California border by exploring the performance of culture in a geopolitical border place. So far, most border research has concentrated on negative portrayals of cities and the border rather than on the joyful and festive lived experiences. Grounded in a visual sociology methodology, data collection included photo-ethnography and fieldwork observations conducted between 2022 and 2024 during an annual summer carnival, Carnaval Sin Fronteras [Carnival …

Advancing A Familial Understanding Of International Students, Prof-Collins Ifeonu Dr

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Allyship And Affect: Qualitative Investigations Into Social Transformation, Michael Lucinda Jane Greer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Allies have faced several critiques in feminist philosophy. Some have argued that they lack the requisite political interests to be motivated to dismantle the social structures from which they stand to benefit. Others have argued that the epistemic limitations resulting from their social privilege are insurmountable. Yet others have argued that allyship is too individualistic a concept, preferring a more collectivist concept like solidarity. However, there remain privileged individuals who understand themselves as complicit in perpetuating oppressive forms of life, and who wish to transform themselves and work in coalition across difference to dismantle structural oppression. How ought these individuals …

Latinos In Massachusetts: Salvadorans, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán, Daniel Gascón

Gastón Institute Publications

As part of The Gastón Institute’s 2026 Latinos in Massachusetts series, we present here a profile of Salvadorans living in Massachusetts in 2024. This report analyzes Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our descriptive analysis uses both household- and individual-level data to estimate population size and percentages and to compare Salvadorans to Other Latinos and Non-Latinos in the state.

Volume 9 (2026) Climate And Responsibility

International Journal on Responsibility

This issue focuses on the various ways responsibility affects environmental justice. Specifically, this volume urges us to think about how societal and individual (in)action influences ecological crises and what informs this behavior, with a specific focus on religious and Indigenous beliefs and values.

Pushing Forward: The Dialectical Experiences Of Apida Psychologists In Predominantly White Counseling Settings, Shaun A. Fossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs) are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in the field of psychology and notably absent from research examining the professional experiences of racial and ethnic minority clinicians. Existing scholarship has documented the prevalence of racialized organizational structures, microaggressions, and the enduring “model minority” stereotype that both obscures and exacerbates APIDA challenges in professional environments. However, no known published studies have investigated the non–client-facing experiences of APIDA psychologists working in predominantly White counseling settings. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore how …

Clinical Considerations For Black Student Athlete Development, Jahnia Margarita Green

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Black student athletes exemplify the complexity of navigating intersecting identities at pivotal points in their development. They are also more likely to make premature commitments to their athletic identity and in turn suffer from psychological distress during times of transition (Beamon, 2012). The focus on Black collegiate athletes is informed by persistent mental health challenges associated with higher levels of competition or transitions (e.g., injury or retirement) within collegiate athletics (Brewer & Petitpas, 2017; Menke & Germany, 2019). This paper aims to develop culturally informed clinical considerations through the analysis of the Black student athlete experience and structural aspects of …

Uganda’S Two Tyrants, Helen Epstein

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: The Original Sin Of Humanity, John Sniegocki

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

International Mediation In The Sudan Conflict: A Critical Appraisal And Alternative Tracks, The Initiative Research And Analysis Committee The Sudanese Initiative To Stop The War And Build Peace

The Journal of Social Encounters

Extensive international intervention is one of the most prominent features of the ongoing war in Sudan since early 2023. As a result of the conflict that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Sudan is witnessing what is widely recognized as one of the most severe humanitarian crises in modern history; It has been characterized by massive displacement, large-scale refugee flows, and famine, along with widespread human rights violations and crimes against humanity—both direct and indirect consequences of military operations that have raged across thirteen of Sudan’s states, where the Rapid Support Forces are actively …

Unraveling The Roots Of Violent Extremism In Sudan: Challenges And Pathways To Peace, Fawzi Ahmed Abdullah Slom

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: African Americans, Sudan, And The Politics Of Solidarity, Walter Hill

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

The Rights Of Religious Minorities In Sudan: A Case Study Of Armenians, Jon Armajani

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay examines the constitutions of the Republic of Sudan and minority rights, with a focus on Armenians in that country.  It provides (1) the demographics of Sudan; (2) an overview of the Armenians of Sudan; (3) a history of Sudan’s constitutions; (4) an analysis of their provisions and related laws on minority rights, citizenship, naturalization, and inheritance; (5) an overview of Sudan’s civil war, which began on April 15, 2023, and (6) a concluding section which analyzes risks to Armenians and other religious and ethnic minorities in Sudan.

A Catalyst For Change: The Extraordinary Anaka Women’S Collective During The June 2026 Belfast Pogrom, Dianne Kirby

The Journal of Social Encounters

Prompted by the pogrom that erupted in Belfast in June this year, this article explores how a women’s collective, Anaka, established by female asylum seekers, refugees and migrants (ASRMs) less than a decade previously, took the lead in ensuring the safety and welfare of the city’s migrant communities in a context where they were horrifically failed by police and politicians, by the state and the institutions meant to protect them. Anaka began as a small-scale endeavour to mitigate the difficulties confronting women struggling to navigate a harsh asylum system. It became a widely respected advocacy and campaigning group for ASRMs. …

Operation Metro Surge In Central Minnesota: A Personal Perspective, Pedro A. G. Dos Santos

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay provides a personal account, grounded in social science intellectual traditions and methods, of Operation Metro Surge and its aftermath in Central Minnesota. Emphasizing the differences between what happened in Central Minnesota (and other rural areas in the state) and what happened in the Twin Cities Metro area, this essay focuses on two events to contextualize the ways in which Operation Metro Surge disrupted the lives of immigrants and of the Minnesotans trying to protect their neighbors.

Debates Over Nonviolence And Violence In History: An Interview With Doug Mcgetchin, Ph.D.

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Women, Peace And Security In Southern Africa: Patriarchy, Policies, And Perspectives, Kgomotso Komane

The Journal of Social Encounters

Southern Africa is a relatively peaceful region, however, it has witnessed a range of diverse, multiple and ongoing conflicts that have prompted various peace interventions from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), neighbouring countries and international actors. An astounding pattern is revealed when observing the involvements of all the actors in the peace interventions. What is revealed is that, till present day, women remain marginalised in peace processes despite existing structures and policies that reaffirm their rightful participation in these processes. Rethinking women’s role in peace and security is necessary because existing approaches to peace are shaped by patriarchal norms. …

The Erosion Of International Norms And The Crisis Of Global Leadership In The Era Of Selective Warfare, Farhia Abdi

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Protection Without Power? The Successes And Failures Of Un Civilian Protection In South Sudan, Gatkuoth Lok Gatwich Diet

The Journal of Social Encounters

Since its establishment in 2011, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been tasked with protecting civilians in the context of ongoing violent conflict and political instability. The mission has recorded some important achievements, especially through the creation of Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites that have provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. However, these gains have been accompanied by major limitations. Repeated attacks on PoC sites, continued communal violence, and the inability to prevent large-scale atrocities highlight a persistent gap between mandate and real-world implementation. This essay examines UNMISS’s performance from 2013 to the present, …

Un-African Union Cooperation In Darfur: Multilevel Governance In Action And The Future Of International-Regional Peace Operations, Philip Mutio

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper will explore the changing dynamics between global and regional governance frameworks using the example of the UN partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations in the management of intricate peace and security issues. The analysis is anchored on the case of African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), an example of layered governance, to examine the effect of coordination problems, operational difficulties, and joint mission performance in the areas of peace talks, post-conflict reconstruction, and civilian protection. Along with persistent issues including scarce resources, political instability, and disjointed command structures, the report acknowledges significant advancements such as increased …