Digital Commons Network^™

Ole Miss Internship Brings Soul Force Into Digital Age, Marvis Herring

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi partnership with a community cultural center is bringing decades of Black Oxford history into the digital age.

Compromising Consent: A Peer-Led Ethnographic Exploration Of Sexual Assault On A Small College Campus, Scott London, Mae Rohlk

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

This study explores the persistent issue of campus sexual assault through an ethnographic lens, utilizing peer-led interviews conducted at a small liberal arts college. By focusing on three key themes—the interplay of alcohol, sex, and consent; peer responses to sexual assault accusations; and technology-facilitated sexual violence—the study offers a nuanced understanding of the normalization of sexual violence. Findings reveal that alcohol is frequently cited as a mitigating factor in assault narratives, perpetuating gendered power imbalances and undermining the effectiveness of consent education. Peer responses often rely on enduring rape myths, which reinforce victim-blaming and discourage reporting. Technology, while providing opportunities …

Global Drag And Cultural Scapes: Examining Queer Manifestations Of The Appadurian Cultural Economy In Guadalajara, Mexico, Logan Baggett

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

This study investigates the emerging drag performance scene in Mexico, in the context of globalization and media expansion, particularly following the launch of Drag Race Mexico in 2023. Utilizing Appadurai’s framework of global cultural flows, this article examines how local drag culture navigates, resists, and engages the influence of international media conglomerates and technology that shape evolving queer ideologies. I argue that drag artists leverage media visibility to advance their careers while confronting challenges such as cultural authenticity and financial precarity. Such media visibility is conditioned by the presence of two drag series, La Más Draga and Drag Race Mexico, …

Breaking News And Broken Hopes: Inter-Korean Engagement And The Emotional Consequences Of Media Framing, Sophia Lizanne Trombley

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes two periods of pro-North Korean engagement regimes in South Korea during the presidencies of Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003), Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008), and Moon Jae-in (2017-2023). Through analysis of the three aforementioned presidents’ initiatives for engagement with the North, categorization of news headlines from two major South Korean sources, and public opinion polls, I argue that especially high and low emotional reactions among the South Korean public during these periods were exacerbated by news media’s overly dramatized portrayal of inter-Korean interactions, both big and small. This has led to desensitization and emotional exhaustion among the South Korean public, causing …

Challenges Us Study Abroad Students Face When Acculturating To A Foreign Food Environment, Sydney C. Davis

Honors Theses

Studying abroad presents a unique opportunity for college students to immerse themselves in new cultures, including experiencing different food environments and dietary customs. However, adapting to a foreign food culture can pose various challenges that impact students’ overall health, eating behaviors, and study abroad experiences. The purpose of this study to develop a survey instrument designed to investigate the extent to which U.S. study abroad students embrace, accept, and face challenges with different aspects of Italian food culture, using the Social Ecological Model (SEM) as a guiding framework. Initial survey items were developed with information obtained from focus group discussions …

Functional Mushrooms Supplementation As A Prebiotic Fibre Impacting Microbiome Composition, The Gut Metabolome And Impact On The Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Integrity, Julie Daoust

Oxford ICSB

This study aimed to determine if functional mushroom preparation supplementation with Cordyceps militaris mycelium and fruiting body, Ganoderma lucidum mycelium and fruiting body, and a blend of ten species of functional mushrooms could impact gut health. The Ex Vivo model Simulator of Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME®) has been used to study the behaviour of a human microbiome in response to various factors. The aim of this study was to demonstrate changes in the microbiome after supplementation with functional mushroom preparation and the resulting neuroactive metabolome using the SHIME® model. The endpoints measured were microbial fermentation activity, metabolic fingerprinting, microbial …

Announcing The 2025 Study The South Research Fellowship, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

CALL FOR PROPOSALS Announcing the 2025 Study the South Research Fellowship. Scholars researching the South have an opportunity for funded research in the collections of the Department of Archives and Special Collections at the J. D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi.

Ole Miss Partners With Texas A&M, Virginia Tech For Novel Ai Study, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Colleges and universities across the globe are grappling with artificial intelligence without a consensus on how best to approach one of the fastest-growing technologies of the era.

Southern Register. 2024.3 (Fall 2024), University Of Mississippi. Center For The Study Of Southern Culture

Southern Register

No abstract provided.

The House That Ann Built, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

The House That Ann Built For Ann Abadie (1940-2024) Written by William Ferris Ann Abadie came to Oxford in 1960 to begin her PhD in the University of Mississippi's English Department. Her work focused on William Faulkner whose language inspired her to explore the South in its entirety.

Embodiment And Meaning: Muay Thai In Different Cultural Contexts, Dana B. Dawson

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

This qualitative meta-analysis, drawing from published articles, books, and ethnographies, examines Muay Thai through the interdisciplinary lens of martial arts studies, cultural studies, and anthropological literature. I argue that the interpretation of Muay Thai is intricately tied to its cultural context, revealing dimensions such as cultural heritage, systemic violence, and the global dissemination of martial arts. Framed within anthropological literature on embodiment and cultural performance, the paper understands Muay Thai, akin to dance, as an embodied cultural performance shaped by bodily knowledge and practice. The analysis delves into the nuanced meanings of Muay Thai across three cultural contexts: native practitioners …

As Bonecas Babadeiras: Drag Subculture And Global Media In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Logan Baggett

Honors Theses

21st century global queer culture is seeing a major boom. Drag queens are the most indicative symbols of this boom, traditional practitioners of gender-bending performances that blend music, dance, makeup, and fashion to create breathtaking performances. To this end, this thesis asks the following question: How is local drag performance culture generated in Rio de Janeiro in the context of this 21st century gay boom? In this global metropolis, drag queens confront challenges––racism, classism, sprawling urban geography, and scene competition––that color their interpersonal relationships and financial success. They also find community, creating family units in the absence of heteronormative power …

Around The World In 80 Days: Navigating Culturally Diverse Texts In Secondary English Education, Abby Boyer

Honors Theses

In the secondary English classroom, the inclusion of diverse texts holds importance in fostering a rich and inclusive learning environment that reflects the realities and complexities of our diverse world. Diverse texts encompass a wide range of voices, perspectives, and experiences that represent various cultures, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. By incorporating such texts into the curriculum, educators not only honor the diversity of their students but also provide them with opportunities to engage critically with different narratives, develop empathy, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the complexities of the human experience.
Moreover, diverse texts offer …

Exploring The Cultural Influences On Sexual And Reproductive Health Behaviors: A Cross-Cultural Study Of Asian American And Caucasian Female College Students, Emilee Ly

Honors Theses

This capstone honors project aims to investigate the influence of cultural backgrounds on the healthcare behaviors of Asian American and Caucasian college students. The main research question of this focus group study is: “How do cultural backgrounds influence healthcare behaviors, including communication, seeking, and access to sexual and reproductive health, information, and services, among Asian American and Caucasian female college students?”

Drawing upon the World Health Organization’s 2003 Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework, this study explores how structural determinants, social networks, cultural backgrounds, and healthcare systems factors collectively influence the way female college students communicate, seek, and have access …

"'This May Not Be War, But Rather Statesmanship': Sherman's March Through Griswoldville, Milledgeville, And Greater Savannah", Matthew Ryan Lempke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that four communities in Confederate Georgia visited by Union soldiers during Sherman’s March to the Sea reorients our understanding about the state’s continued ability to resist the United States military, the level and variations of destruction, the rationales and motivations behind targeted actions, the multiplicity of experiences among diverse participants, willing and unwilling alike, and of the campaign’s broader effectiveness. The first two communities, Griswoldville and Milledgeville, were indispensable locations that set in motion a coalescence of military and political setbacks from which Confederate Georgia did not recover. As the march progressed and entered coastal communities, the …

Portraits Of Dayton, Alabama: Images Of Women And Place In The Antebellum South, Laura Corran Conte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scholarship on women in the antebellum American South is extensive. Since the 1980s, historians have debated the relationships between white plantation mistresses and the Black women they enslaved. This project adds to that conversation by examining the extant material culture from Dayton, Alabama, to understand the lives of slave-holding mother and daughter, Thyrza Jane Catlin Cade (1811-1876) and Adolpha Thompson Cade Reeves (1845-1888) and the families they enslaved. This project combines gender studies with art historical analysis to ask questions about whether stories of white, elite slaveholding planter families from the Deep South anything have left to teach us. …

Advancing Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: A Graduate Portfolio On Lebonheur Children's Hospital Initiatives, James Lee Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In every facet of life, diversity finds a way to play a role. By advocating for, acknowledging, and drawing attention to the disparities that emerge within the various spaces people may encounter, we consciously strive to bridge the gap, aiming for a future that is more equitable and inclusive. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have not only become personal moral imperatives but also essential pillars at the forefront for companies, healthcare, educational institutions, and businesses alike.

Evolving To Abstraction - Seclusion Of Efik And Ibibio Women From The Precolonial Era To The Present, Itunuoluwa Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female seclusion was an important cultural practice to the Efik and Ibibio peoples in southernmost Nigeria. Before the advent of Western education in the precolonial and colonial eras, it was particularly essential to the development of the girl child as she received a first-rate education and preparation for maturity, marriage, and motherhood. However, despite its crucial role in both cultural societies, studies on the Efik and Ibibio female seclusion cultures are far and in-between. Furthermore, the nkuho and mbopo – as they are called in Efik and Ibibio respectively – are often analyzed and presented as one singular entity, in …

Shape-Shifting In Literary Commemorations To Emmett Till, Chase Almquist Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emmett Till remains a prominent figure in African American literature and culture. Police and vigilante violence in the twenty-first century against Black American men, women, and children has provoked political and artistic comparisons between contemporary instances of anti-Black violence and the event of Till’s kidnapping and murder. This thesis recognizes these comparisons and argues for a reorientation of critical and popular attention within the ongoing project of commemorating Till through the genres of memoir, poetry, and fiction. With the publication of Mamie Till-Mobley’s memoir Death of Innocence in 2003, I argue that this text establishes a memorial baseline for the …

Weight Discrimination And The Negative Cultural Value Of Fat: The Relationship To Well-Being Across Higher Weight Individuals Of Different Nations, Ana Clara Vieira Zaidan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrimination against individuals with higher body weights is prevalent in and outside of the US (see Pearl et al., 2021), yet research on this topic is limited when considering non-US perspectives. Cross-cultural studies had not yet explored the impact of cultural norms around weight. In the domain of anti-fat attitudes, cross-cultural research had explored variations in the negative cultural value of fatness (NCF) and its impacts across countries (Crandall et al., 2001). Incorporating this perspective, Study 1 examined how perceived weight discrimination (PWD) and NCF uniquely predict various well-being outcomes across two different countries among individuals who identified as overweight. …

Final Session. The Impact Of Storytelling: The Pass It On Project, Gloria Burgess, Karen Davidson-Smith, Cade Smith, Elizabeth Mitchell Prewitt

School Library Symposium

Learn about this exciting act of kindness campaign through a guided conversation with author Dr. Gloria Burgess. Her book, Pass It On, has been used to support Mississippi Studies in 4th and 8th grades. Discover how this partnership between the UM Center for Community Engagement, UM School of Education, the University Museum, and the Lafayette County School District, led to the creation of an activity trunk participants can use at their schools. Participants will also hear from speakers Dr. Karen V. Davidson Smith, UM School of Education Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Clinical Associate Professor, and Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell Prewitt, …

Undergraduate Application Deadline Jan. 10, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

The application deadline for undergraduate admission to Southern Studies is Jan. 10, 2024. Southern Studies is an interdisciplinary program that combines required cultural studies courses on the American and global South with courses from multiple disciplines including history, literature, sociology, anthropology, music, political science, journalism, and documentary studies.

New Scholarship Encourages Language Immersion, Tina H. Hahn

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Michael Metcalf devoted much of his three-decade career to promoting foreign language and culture studies. Now, he is ensuring that University of Mississippi students have opportunities to achieve high levels of language proficiency by studying abroad.

Um 175: Fashion Through The Ages, Sri Chattopadhyay

175th Anniversary Celebration

Much about University of Mississippi has changed in the last 175 years, but nothing has changed somuch, perhaps, as its students’ fashion. Look below to see UM Fashion Through the Ages.

Finding Aid For The Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection (Mum00200)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

The Kenneth S. Goldstein Collection primarily contains research and audiovisual materials on folk music and folklore from the greater Anglo-Celtic diaspora, as well as materials from various world folk traditions.

Front Matter, Journal Editors

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

Includes Table of Contents, About the Contributors

A Qualitative Study Of Food Behaviors In University Of Mississippi Students As They Relate To Nutrition Security, Bethany Selby

Honors Theses

Recent literature has demonstrated high rates of food insecurity in college students, with most estimates ranging from 30 to 40 percent. Additionally, the college diet is notoriously lacking in nutrition, and a large majority of college students do not meet the recommendations made by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Nutrition security, defined as an individual having consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods that promote wellbeing and prevent disease, addresses both of these issues.

This study, conducted in Spring 2022, used focus groups to examine food behaviors in a sample of majority undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi (n …

Southern Register. 2023.2 (Spring/Summer 2023), University Of Mississippi. Center For The Study Of Southern Culture

Southern Register

No abstract provided.

The Crisis Of White Supremacy In The Antebellum South: Poor Whites, Slavery, And The Coming Of The Civil War, Jeffrey Glossner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The so-called “poor whites” of the antebellum South have often been overlooked by historians due to their perceived insignificance to the political and cultural development of the South. However, within the context of the sectional debate over slavery, poor whites represented a disturbing presence for elite southerners who sought to defend slavery on the basis of white supremacy, a political platform built on the promise of universal white superiority. In order to defend the slave labor system from northern promises of white supremacy under free labor and to justify widespread southern white poverty, the architects of the antebellum southern cultural …

Investigating The Use Of Politeness Strategies In Expressing Disagreements Among Saudi Efl Teachers On Twitter, Rowida Ali Al Ghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the politeness strategies employed by Saudi EFL teachers when expressing their disagreements on Twitter. It examines the factors affecting Saudi EFL teachers' choice of politeness and disagreement strategies. It compares Saudi EFL teachers' disagreement expressions with those of American ESL teachers on Twitter. Four instruments were utilized to collect the data: retrieving the corpus of tweets, observing the thread of tweets (for Saudi EFL and American ESL teachers), using an open-ended questionnaire, and follow-up interviews (for Saudi EFL teachers). This study finds that the on-record strategy was the most frequently used among Saudi EFL teachers, as found …