Digital Commons Network^™

Queer Anthropology And The Mapping Of “Human”, Markeeta Holmes

Senior Capstone Theses

This research examines the many actors and ideological movements at the intersection of sexuality,　agency, and power that influence lalas to create their identities. Critiquing notions of sex, gender, and sexuality via Chinese lala experience not only reveals fissures and discontinuities in the "reality" of these categories, but also de-essentializes Western notions of the normal queer. Rather than being an extension of the queer movement in the West, the tongzhi movement in China is unique and although Western imaginings construct its own queerness as the first and only in the world, these struggles have always been forthcoming in other parts …

Les Phalanges Libanaises: Identity Construction And The Perception Of The Self & Other, Aseel Yehiya Azab

The Undergraduate Research Journal

The purpose of this paper is to study the identity construction of the Lebanese Phalange Party, postulating that its view of the Other is deeply entrenched within its own development. Strongly regarded as a model of Fascist thought and action, the Phalange, as a popular manifestation of Maronite nationalist thought, Lebanonism, seems to be destined for eternal clash with a similarly endless Other, but this latter is not formulated on religious basis only: the conceptual idea behind the other remains the same throughout the Kataeb’s history of conflict, but its face changes as the nature of the threat to the …

Sharing The Sacred: A Tradition Of Mormon Public Education In Kirtland, Ohio, James Stuart Bielo, Kimberly Blake, Daniel Mcclurkin, Seth Boda

Southern Anthropological Society - Annual Conference

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has a strong tradition of promoting formal education. This includes several initiatives detailing, preserving, and sharing church history at sites of significance, setting these sites apart as sacred space. In summer 2015 I conducted eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork at the Kirtland Historic Village, a recreated 19th century town in northeast Ohio. Historic Kirtland’s status as a sacred LDS space, coupled with its high operating costs and low non-LDS visitor attendance, raises the question of why the site stays open to the general public and free of admission. The use of …

The Vibrant Traditions Of Masaya: El Mestizaje As A Culture, A Process, And A State Of Being, Isabelle Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“The only constant in life is change.” What this old adage leaves out is that the processes that catalyze these changes can occur in vastly different ways which impact the product. In the case of the history of Masaya, Nicaragua, today’s dominant culture of mestizaje is the result of the arrival of the Spaniards to the Americas and the process of racial and cultural blend that followed between Spanish, indigenous and African peoples. But in this mixing process, Spaniards held disproportionate power: most of the changes they imposed were made through violent and deceptive imposition. Yet indigenous and African people …

The Mystical And Political Body: Christian Identity In The Theology Of Karl Rahner, Erin Kidd

Dissertations (1934 -)

Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner (1904-1984) is well known for initiating the turn to the subject in Catholic theology. The heart of Rahner’s theological reflection is the experience of God as encouraged by Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. In questioning how the subject experiences God, Rahner develops a theological anthropology that attempts to elucidate the original unity of spirit and matter. As he argues, the human being is “spirit-in-world,”—the one who actualizes her transcendence in space and over time. While Rahner’s readers have been quick to draw out the implications of the subject as spirit, they have been less attentive to …

Enough: Narratives Of Migration On A Small-Farm In Sidibouafif, Steven Ring

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Small-scale family farms in the Eastern Rif have undergone challenge after challenge throughout the 20^th century, including war, poverty, restrictions of natural resources, overpopulation, and extensive labor migration. This paper aims to examine the ways in which narratives of migration manifest in the daily lives of a family living in the plain of Al-Hoceima. I hold the belief that the ways in which large-scale processes manifest in our daily lives is indicative of how these processes affect our identity. This research comprises a case-study with the Khalid family of SidiBouafif, and aims to examine the ways in which media, …

Mayan Language Revitalization, Hip Hop, And Ethnic Identity In Guatemala, Rusty Barrett

Linguistics Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the language ideologies and linguistic practices of Mayan-language hip hop in Guatemala, focusing on the work of the group B'alam Ajpu. The members of B'alam Ajpu use a mix of Spanish and Mayan languages in their music and run a school that combines lessons in hip hop (rapping, break-dancing, etc.) with efforts to promote the use of Mayan languages among children. The language ideologies associated with B'alam Ajpu intersect and challenge the ideologies associated with both language revitalization and with hip hop. The linguistic practices of B'alam Ajpu also challenge hegemonic assumptions regarding ethnic identity in Guatemala.

Music And The Migrant: A Transnational Account Of Cumbia, Irene L. Mekus

Audre Lorde Prize

This paper looks into the cultural synthesization and the transnational ties of cumbia between Latin America and the United States. Three case studies look at the story of migrants and their transnational ties through cumbia and are analyzed through an ethnomusicology framework.

Cultivating Community: Political Identity And Civic Agriculture Among Small-Scale Organic Farmers In North Central New Mexico, Rose Elizabeth Rohrer

Sociology ETDs

Little work has been done exploring the sociological experiences of individuals working in organic agriculture, a type of farming primarily characterized by rigorous restrictions on chemical inputs. Unlike the massive corporate farms that have become commonplace in much of the United States, farms in North Central New Mexico tend to be small and diverse, with a political focus on community-building. In this study, thirty in-depth interviews of ten producers/owners and twenty farmworkers on organic farms in the region were conducted over the course of the 2014 growing season. I use the interview data to examine how small-scale farm work and …

Addressing The Youth: Emerging Youth Publics In Late Colonial Uttarakhand, Leah M. Koskimaki

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

This essay discusses the formation of political youth publics in the late colonial period in Kumaun and Garhwal in the northwestern Himalayan region of India. More specifically, it highlights forms of address to youth and students in the Hindi press in the period of nationalist mobilization. In published speeches and editorials, educated youth were a target audience for newly fashioned political roles; they were asked to spread regional awareness over rights, to travel to the countryside, to make sacrifices, to make use of time, and to demonstrate their duty towards national causes. Overall, the paper argues that the notion of …

Challenges For Global Learners: A Qualitative Study Of The Concerns And Difficulties Of International Students, Chetanath Gautam, Charles L. Lowery, Chance Mays, Dayan Durant

Student Publications

The authors in this study seek to inform academia about international students’ experiences and challenges while attending universities in Small Town USA. Despite their eagerness to study in the United States (U.S.), international students are faced with setbacks that many universities fail to recognize or realize. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of students using questions based on information from the literature and an initial survey. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were language, jobs/finances, transportation, assimilation, religious interactions, and identity. Findings emphasize the imperative to understand the challenges these students face as they continue …

Same Same But Different: The Self-Portraiture Of A Vietnam War Adoptee And The Poststructural Language Of Alterity, Joie Norby Lê

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the journey of a Vietnam War adoptee and the multitude of experiences that influenced her alterity. Through the development of a poststructuralist conceptual framework, the author reveals a philosophy of difference realized by philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Jean-François Lyotard, and Jacques Derrida. Using the method of self-portraiture, the author illustrates how this philosophy of difference was shaped as a result of her experiences and how those experiences have informed her engagement or disengagement throughout her K-12 and post-secondary education, her work as a student, and her beliefs as an educator. The study focuses upon …

Split Personalities: Understanding The Responder Identity In College Composition, Anthony Edward Edington

Journal of Response to Writing

For decades, researchers and teachers in composition have wrestled with how to respond to student writing. Part of this discussion has focused on what role teachers should assume when reading and responding to texts. From these discussions, different roles have emerged, including the gatekeeper, the critic, the facilitator, the coach, and the judge, among others. While some have argued that the use of response identities helps teachers focus their responses while offering students an audience for their texts, others are more wary of what influence these roles may have on the student-teacher relationship and teacher comments. This article explores the …

Hebrew And Computer-Mediated Communication: The Effects Of A Language Manipulation On Perception, Identity, And Preservation, Tamar Nir

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aimed to explore the ways in which Hebrew is currently being manipulated online through a linguistic deviation called Fakatsa. In this study, participants were asked to rate random statements of frivolous or serious topics in either standard grammatical Hebrew or Fakatsa Hebrew conditions on specific judgment values. It was hypothesized that participants would rate the Fakatsa writer negatively on certain characteristics, such as intelligence, education, religiosity, and nationalism and positively on other characteristics, such as femininity and creativity. Twenty-four participants completed this experiment. Results showed that participants responded as expected for certain negative attributes typical of Fakatsa and …

Healing The Social Body After Assisted Reproduction, Cvetana Cindy Golusin

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the lived experiences of ten women after having children with In Vitro Fertilization. I examine the reshaped subjectivities that emerge within the women’s everyday life experiences to deepen understandings of human agency by exploring the intersection of assisted reproductive technologies, cultural ideologies, and social interactions as components in the transformation of the women’s identity. The experience of in vitro fertilization offered a fertile place in which to examine the roles that social and interpretive practices play in constituting the subjective experience in recasting a women’s identity. The study design consisted of informant interviews and case …

Jakaltek Identity And The Fiesta Maya In Jupiter, Florida : Ethnic Belonging, Community, And Home, Maria M. Diaz Montejo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

As immigration increasingly becomes a divisive issue in US politics and political measures are implemented to ensure safe borders, immigrants must find ways to avoid deportation. They must also find ways to support each other and maintain a sense of identity as their presence in the USA continues to be challenged and threatened. My research on Jakaltek migrants in Jupiter, Florida concentrates on Jakaltek migrant reconceptualization of home at the same time that they engage in identity politics that challenge a singular understanding of ethnic belonging. How Jakalteks react to their experiences in Jupiter as (mostly undocumented) migrants suggests that …

Every(Day) Identities In Forensics: Performing Identities Within The Constraints Of Intercollegiate Forensics, Julie Louceil Germain Walker

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical theory of identity provides a framework for making sense of complicated, mundane identity performances. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted with intercollegiate forensic co-culture members, the current research builds on Goffman's dramaturgical theory of identity. Crystallization-based analysis showed identity performances are situated within one another like Russian matroyshka (nesting) dolls. Co-cultural expectations produce multi-level professionalism expectations, and overlapping co-cultures mean individuals manage conflicting conventions. Implications are offered for the forensics community, other co-cultures, and identity scholars.

Deconstructing Latinx Racial Paradigms : Cross-Cultural Constructions Of Race And Their Impact On Dominican-American Racial Identity, Jacqueline I. Cosse

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Conversations in the United States around Latinx populations often discuss Latinx racial identity as a singular entity. Though Latinx is a gender-neutral term for Latino and Hispanic populations, the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” have slowly become umbrella terms for the racial and ethnic identities of people from over 20 different countries and cultural backgrounds. The amalgamation of these varying cultures and communities into a singular racial categorization results in a reductive framework: one that limits individualization within Latinx-American racial identity. These limitations were looked at via qualitative research with specific reference to Dominican populations: a community whose racial categories reference …

Testimonio And Re/Membering: A Case For Latcrit In The Latina/O Educational Crisis, Anthony R. Zariñana

Research Papers

In this paper, I outline the present educational crisis facing Latina/o students in the U.S. I then trace the emergence of LatCrit out of Critical Race Theory as a particularly powerful theory accounting for Latina/o minority experiences in educational contexts. I offer my own Testimonio, centering my raced body in order speak back to everyday racist practices of educators. I conclude by offering a dream imperative to continue the work of Testimonios.

The Making And Remaking Of Portland: The Archaeology Of Identity And Landscape At The Portland Wharf, Louisville, Kentucky, Michael J. Stottman

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

The town of Portland, Kentucky was founded over 200 years ago as a speculative venture to profit from its advantageous location at the base of the Falls of the Ohio River. The Portland Wharf was the economic and cultural heart of the town. Throughout its history, the community has experienced much change. These changes are visible in the landscape of the Portland Wharf which reflected changes in the community’s identity.

Identity and landscape are topics that have been of great interest to archaeologists and this dissertation builds on previous works to examine identity as something that is reflected in the …

Adornment And Modesty A Symbiotic Relationship Between Surface Design And Social Behavior, Hawa Stwodah

Theses and Dissertations

The impulse to beautifying clothing through acts of adornments or embellishments is an innate characteristic of humans. The added decorative details are used for identification and visual communication by the wearer and comprehension and visual appreciation by the viewer.

This thesis investigates the recent attention to female modesty, labeled as the Modesty Movement--the community that has developed around the apparel segment of the Movement and the framework of the behavior encompassing the participants within Movement. Additionally, the thesis focuses on adornment through the lens of textile/surface design (embellishment) specific to the Greater Middle East and the northern provinces of India …

Darek And Rantau: An Identity Through Diglossia, Hafiz Awlia Ramadhan

Antropologi Indonesia

Through language, conceptions of self and the cultural knowledge of a society can be understood as interaction takes place. Observations and in-depth interviews were conducted to get descriptive results to explain the emic point of view about the dialects used and the dialects of other groups of people. The data was then analyzed with relevant theory and concepts, to get an understanding of the positions of dialects in communication events. By applying their cultural knowledge, peoples of Darek and Rantau, sub-groups in the larger Minangkabau ethnic group, in several contexts use dialects as indicators of another person’s identity. The difference …

More Than Stone And Iron: Indigenous History And Incarceration In Canada, 1834-1996, Seth Adema

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, and Inuit) history as played out in Canadian prisons. It argues that in the prison, processes of colonialism, decolonization, and neocolonialism took place simultaneously. In the nineteenth century, the prison was built as part of a network of colonial institutions and polices. It was imagined, designed, and built by representatives of the Canadian state alongside other colonial institutions, drawing on similar intellectual traditions. It maintains the imprint of this colonial origin. Prisons also became arenas for Indigenous cultural exchange and cultural creation, which in most cases subverted the logic of the prison. This …

A Deeper Semiotic Richness: Empowering English Language Students Through Digital Storytelling, Karah Parks

Master's Projects and Capstones

The current philosophies underpinning TESOL higher education curricula and classroom practices still reinforce the essentialized narrative of the native speaker and teach English as an objective, disinterested, linguistic system of static signs (Blommaert, 2010; Kramsch, 2009; Larsen-Freeman, 2015; Pennycook, 1997). This has significantly limited the development students’ identities, and agency within English language speaking communities. To address this issue, this project contains a supplemental, online digital storytelling curriculum for intermediate to advanced adult learners at the university level in U.S. colleges as a means of scaffolding intentional identity development through multimodal, symbolic competence in the English language. Entitled Creative ESOL: …

The Painted Motifs Of Cypriot Ceramic Art: A Study Of Iconography & Identity, Paige Bockman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this master’s thesis is to explore the iconography of Chalcolithic (c. 3900-2300 cal. BC) Cyprus using ceramic motifs and identify their potential use in revealing differences between the cultural identity present at archaeological sites, as well as the possible causes of such variation. By exploring the existence and origins of subtle differences between the iconographic repertoires of related sites, the study seeks a better understanding of the movement of both ideas and symbols, and how the meaning of symbols developed within the context of a site.

Currently, Cypriot Chalcolithic sites are believed to be largely homogeneous in …

Expanding The Dialogue: The Need For Fat Studies In Critical Intercultural Communication, Hannah R. Long

Research Papers

In this paper, I argue that critical intercultural communication, as a discipline, can benefit from an inclusion of fat studies within its literature and analysis. Reciprocally, fat studies can also benefit from this relationship and the questions that would be raised for both fat studies and critical intercultural communication by such a juxtaposition of the areas of study. In particular, I employ my experiences as a fat, U.S. American woman to situate my own embodied knowledge as a way of understanding, in concert with literature reviews of fat studies and identity research within critical intercultural communication. I also utilize muted …

A Diet Of Fat Connecting Humans And Nonhumans (In The Bolivian Foothills Between The Andes And Amazonia), Francis Ferrié

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

The Life Elixir Of Amazonian Societies In A Multi-Sensory Museum Exhibition, Sonia Duin, Renzo S. Duin

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

Hãwäg And B’Atìb: The Balance Between Health And Disease Among The Hupd’ÄH In The Upper Rio Negro Region, Brazil, Renato Athias

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

Finding The Taste Of Knowledge: The Orphan In Indigenous Epistemologies, Giovanna Micarelli

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.