Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond The Edge Of The Planted Field: Exploring Community-Based Environmental Education, And Invisible Losses In Settler And Indigenous Cultural Contexts, Samantha Da Rosa Holmes

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Walpole Island Land Trust and the Sydenham Field Naturalists came together for a focus group at the Walpole Island Heritage Centre and spoke of the relevance environmental education plays in the awareness of a shared history between communities from separate cultural contexts. From the focus group this research is able to contextualize the conversation between a non-Indigenous and an Indigenous community-based environmental organization, and their focus on the relationship between people, place, and history. The context of the conversation being the colonial legacies of land use management and educational practices and how these institutions prolong the effect of invisible …

“Follow Me So I Can Dm You Back”: An Exploratory Analysis Of A Female Pro- Isis Twitter Network, Joseph A. Varanese

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study is to explore a network of female pro-Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) supporters on Twitter. To do so, I identified twenty Twitter accounts (n=20) through snowball sampling, and analyzed their network comprising 5,861 vertices and 12,034 edges. I studied the network using three social network analysis metrics—Freeman’s normalized betweenness centrality, average geodesic distance, and tie strength. Females in the sample were more influential than males, and as a result, had a greater ability to radicalize other females within their network. Further, I observed that it took females longer than expected to …

Mindfulness And Mothering: Reclaiming Feminine Voice, Lisa L. Mccorquodale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Little is known about working mothers who practice mindfulness. This dissertation is a phenomenological investigation using body mapping as a way to understand how mindfulness works in the lives of six women who work in health and social care while parenting young children.

This dissertation is comprised of five integrated articles. Chapter 1 and 7 are included as an Introduction and Discussion/Conclusion to the five separate though related manuscript chapters. The main research questions that framed this research include, ‘What is the work of mindfulness in the lives of working professional mothers?’ and ‘In what ways might a mindfulness practice …

Cultural Diversity In Artificial Societies: Case Studies Of The Maya Peoples, Roberto Ulloa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The existence of cultural diversity in a connected world is paradoxical given that all individuals constantly interact and share information, and that individuals are all part of one giant network of connections. In the long term, it seems logical to assume that everybody should hold the same cultural information and, therefore, the same culture. Yet cultural diversity is still manifest around the globe. Cultural diversity as a phenomenon becomes even more puzzling when we take into account how it survives catastrophic events which regularly befall societies, such as invasions, natural disasters, and civil wars. In this thesis, agent-based computer simulations …

Towards Evidence-Informed Agriculture Policy Making: Investigating The Knowledge Translation Practices Of Researchers In The National Agriculture Research Institutes In Nigeria, Isioma N. Elueze

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the knowledge translation practices of researchers in the National Agriculture Research Institutes of Nigeria and the utilization of research knowledge by policy actors in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained from agriculture researchers and the policy actors through questionnaires and interviews. In addition, bibliometric and content analysis were carried out on documents from the research institutes and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to gauge the transfer and use of knowledge by the researchers and policy actors respectively. Out of about six hundred questionnaires that …

Transnational Engagement And Immigrants’ Well-Being In Canada, Jonathan Anim Amoyaw

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

After migration, most immigrants do not dissociate themselves from their relational networks in their homeland. Instead, they nourish, reproduce, and maintain ties with their non-migrant relatives and friends by engaging in various forms of transnational activities. Within the transnational paradigm, remittances are central to maintaining transnational relationships. Immigrants’ demonstration of affection and solidarity in the absence of physical propinquity and intimacy is highly contingent on their remittance transfers. Over the years, the motives, determinants, benefits, and consequences of these financial flows on the well-being of recipients in origin communities have been extensively studied. However, the existing literature is mainly informed …

Creative Management: Disciplining The Neoliberal Worker, Trent Cruz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated article dissertation examines some of the new managerial practices that have emerged to handle cognitive capitalism’s ongoing need for creative, flexible labour power. The three articles included in this dissertation offer a glimpse into the widespread processes employed by management to regulate and discipline a workforce that must also be granted a degree of relative flexibility, creativity, and autonomy in order to be effective under post-Fordist conditions of production. The first chapter looks at the emergence of corporate improvisational training at the turn of the twenty-first century as an attempt to cultivate flexible and innovative workers, a move …

School–Work Transitions Among Second-Generation Immigrants, Awish Aslam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Canadian data show that second-generation immigrants generally achieve higher levels of educational attainment when compared to the children of Canadian-born parents; however, those who are racialized experience poorer labour market outcomes, such as higher rates of underemployment, lower rates of pay, and less access to jobs with opportunities for advancement. This study uses in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of both racialized and non-racialized second-generation immigrants in their school–work transitions. It focuses on examining the roles of human and social capital, and the differences that racialized and non-racialized groups experience when navigating this transition. Findings highlight the value …

Social Connectedness, Social Support And The Health Of Older Adults: A Comparison Of Immigrant And Native-Born Canadians, Natalie Iciaszczyk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Considerable research exists on the influence of social relationships for health in old age. However, few studies have compared the associations of social connectedness and social support with the health of older adults. Using data from the CCHS-Healthy Aging, this study examines how these constructs are related to the self-reported health status of immigrant and native-born adults aged 65+. Results show that social connectedness and social support are differently associated with health in later life; whereas connectedness is linked to better health, social support is negatively related with health once levels of social connectedness are considered. Furthermore, these associations hold …

An Examination Of The Emergence Of The Queer Figure In North American Culture Using A Queer Marxist Theoretical Framework, Jade C.R. Da Costa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis develops a new sociological perspective entitled “Queer Marxism,” a neo Marxist perspective on gender identity, gender expression, and gender oppression that incorporates Judith Butler’s queer perspective of gender performativity. Using this Queer Marxist framework, this thesis will identify an existing tension, due to emerging contradictions within the North American capitalist structure, between the current realities of gendered bodies and the dominant gender binary ideology of North American society. In reflecting on this tension, this project will argue that non-normative genders (and sexualities) are gaining more recognition and validation at a cultural level which, in turn, serves to only …

"Support For Sisters Please": Comparing The Online Roles Of Al-Qaeda Women And Their Islamic State Counterparts, Hillary Peladeau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study evaluates female roles in pro-jihadist terrorism by examining online content. Data was collected from 36 Twitter accounts of women associated with al-Qaeda (AQ) affiliated groups for a period of six months. The purpose for collecting this data was to: 1) compare how traditional female roles, as constructed within a jihadi-Salafist ideology, are reproduced and challenged on social media; 2) and determine the extent that AQ-affiliated women conform to roles outlined in Huey’s classification of females in pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter networks. The results of this study reveal that women’s traditional roles in pro-jihadist activities are reproduced on Twitter. …

The Acrobatic Body In Ancient Greek Society, Jonathan R. Vickers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis I collate the textual, artistic, and material evidence for acrobatics in sport and spectacle in Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Greece, and analyze gymnastic performances with regard to their respective socio-cultural contexts. I develop the theoretical perspective that all body movement is socially qualified in order to demonstrate how the extreme manipulations of an acrobatic body carry particular social meaning: in sport, the male acrobatic body approaches superhumanism, and in spectacle the female acrobatic body approaches subhumanism. I argue, on the one hand, that men’s tumbling took place at the early Panathenaia festival in Athens, both in martial …

Visualizing And Interacting With Social Determinants Of Health, Moutasem Zakkar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the use of information visualization to represent specific social determinants of health, and to examine the benefits of such representation for health policymaking. Methods: The study developed a prototype for a visualization tool (www.healthvisualization.ca), which represents the conceptual framework for the social determinants of health (CSDH) and new ways to represent related health equity indicators. This tool was used by study participants. The experience of these participants and the usability of the tool were evaluated using qualitative semi-structured interviews. Results: Visualizing the CSDH framework helps to present the social …

Representations Of Youth Crime In Canada: A Feminist Criminological Analysis Of Statistical Trends, National Canadian Newspapers, And Moral Panics, Jennifer Silcox

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research explores different representations of youth crime in Canada from a feminist criminological and social constructionist perspective. Using a mixed-methods approach that draws upon historical scholarly works, official governmental crime and court statistics, and national Canadian newspapers, I investigate statistical and media representations of youth crime in Canada.

Official crime and court statistics were analyzed to identify trends in youth crime and how they vary by gender and legislative changes. I provide an historical overview of changing definitions of youth, crime and delinquency, and consider how these combined with changing norms regarding morality to shape youth crime legislation in …

Gender And Health Over The Life Course: Temporal, Contextual, And Intersectional Considerations, Nicole Etherington

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research has continuously demonstrated differences in health between men and women and emphasized a “gender paradox” whereby women live longer than men, but have higher rates of morbidity. Still, relatively little attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms and processes involved within groups of women and men that may provide greater insight into the patterns of health experienced among each group rather than simply between them. Specifically, there has been an over-reliance on cross-sectional and retrospective data; inattention to multiple resources and health conditions; limited consideration of various age ranges and time spans; and an over-emphasis on comparing women …

Examining Internalizing Symptoms In Child And Youth Victims Of Emotional Abuse And Bullying: The Mediating Effects Of Individual And Family Strength Factors In Clinical Samples, Amani M. Elrofaie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Child and youth experiences of emotional abuse and bullying are harmful interactions by caregivers and peers, which produce adverse mental health and social outcomes (Glaser, 2011). This study examined the relationships between trauma exposure and internalizing outcomes through individual and parenting level strength factors. The study comprised 1,297 child and youth participants, aged 4 to 18, from inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities across Ontario, who were administered the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health assessment (ChYMH; Stewart, Hirdes et al., 2015) with their parents/caregivers. Generalized linear modelling (Nelder & Wedderburn, 1972) was used to determine the relationships between trauma …

Girls(') Speak: Criticality As Agency, Annalise Trudell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

I seek to contribute knowledge about girls’ embodied sense of agency, as well as to provide empirical insights into anti-violence community programming. Rather than a focus on girls as victims, I want to illuminate the conditions of possibility for girls’ exercise of agency. Working with a feminist post-structuralist framework, and drawing heavily on Judith Butler (1990; 1997), I ask: How does anti-violence programming impact girls’ sense of themselves as agential subjects rather than victims, and, hence, as capable of exercising agency in their subjectivization? Which conceptions of agency do girls mobilize, and how do certain identity categories come to bear …

A Critical Examination Of Immigrant Integration: Experiences Of Immigrants From Turkey To Canada, Guliz Akkaymak

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing upon qualitative interview data, this dissertation critically examines the integration experiences of immigrants from Turkey to Canada, who comprise an understudied immigrant group. I am interested in how immigrants access and develop social networks, how they integrate into the labour market, and how being an immigrant affects their workplace experiences. Relying theoretically on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, I aim to address social inequalities existing among Turkish immigrants in particular and in Canadian society in general.

The first manuscript (Chapter 2) examines immigrants’ intra- and inter-group differences and hierarchies, and their impact on study participants’ access to and development …

Madness In The Media: Understanding How People With Lived Experience Interpret Newspaper Headlines, Da Qing Wang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is research on media representations of mental health that suggests there is a tendency to portray mental health as problematic and those who are affected by mental illness as dangerous. It is evident there has been an increase in anti-stigma media campaigns. However, the effects of these efforts on beliefs held by members of the public has been mixed. What is most surprising from the literature is a lack of research about how people who have personal experience with mental illness interpret media messages. Individuals with and without lived experience participated in a structured conceptualization process known as concept …

Victimization, Stress, And Psychological Well-Being: An Analysis Of The 2009 Canadian Victimization Survey, Bryce E. Stoliker

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study addresses several methodological and theoretical gaps in extant literature that has examined victimization and its correlation with resultant mental health outcomes. The 2009 Canadian GSS Victimization [cycle 23] survey, comprising of 19,422 participants aged 15 years or older, was used to examine: (1) the extent to which different forms of victimization are related to stress, psychological well-being (i.e., self-report mental health and life satisfaction), and substance abuse behavior; (2) whether stress acts as a mediator in the relationship between victimization and mental health outcome measures; (3) if low total household income moderates the association between victimization and mental …

Making Microfinance Work: Exploring Effective Strategies To Promote Tanzanian Women’S Economic And Social Status Through Microfinance, Kate E. Grantham

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explores the possibility of using microfinance to improve the economic and social status of women in Tanzania. As originally conceived, microfinance involved the provision of small loans, or “credit,” to help poor individuals start or strengthen small business ventures. The perceived success of this credit-focused, group liability model early on generated considerable international attention, and brought women into the center of development planning. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a surge of critical scholarship emerged to challenge early assumptions about the relationship between microfinance, poverty reduction and women’s empowerment. Today, academic and popular media discussions of microfinance have devolved into …

Civilizational Imperatives: American Colonial Culture In The Islamic Philippines, 1899-1942, Oliver Charbonneau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the colonial experience in the Islamic Philippines between 1899 and 1942. Occupying Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago in 1899, U.S. Army officials assumed sovereignty over a series of Muslim populations collectively referred to as ‘Moros.’ Beholden to pre-existing notions of Moro ungovernability, for two decades military and civilian administrators ruled the Southern Philippines separately from the Christian regions of the North. In the 1920s, Islamic areas of Mindanao and Sulu were ‘normalized’ and haphazardly assimilated into the emergent Philippine nation-state. Never fully integrated, the Muslim South persisted as an exotic frontier zone in the American and Filipino …