Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond Blood: Informal Adoption And Family Dynamics In Yaoundé, Cameroon. Examining The Social, Traditional, And Family Values Associated With Informal Adoption, Elizabeth Greenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although formal adoption exists in Cameroon, it is governed by colonial systems that directly contrast with the values and traditions of the citizens the laws are meant to protect. For this reason, informal adoption is the most prominent method of child circulation. This informal movement of children occurs for various reasons, many of which reflect the sociocultural context in which the children live. The intention of this study was to determine how adoption processes demonstrate Cameroonian notions of family, how individuals perceive the concept of family, and how informal adoption impacts family dynamics. Informal observations and interviews informed the conclusion …

The Impact Of Religiosity On Students’ Experience At The University Of South Dakota, Emmalee J. Bosma

Honors Thesis

College can be a shocking and exciting experience for many young people, but at times can lead to crisis or hardship when they must choose what to believe. Some students may seek out a religious belief in something greater than themselves to quell their longing for meaning while in college, and others may continue the beliefs they have known. This research surveyed students to examine how college students’ level of religiosity influences their academic performance, mental health, sense of purpose and identity, and feelings of belonging and connection at the University of South Dakota (USD). Secondly, through interviewing members of …

Identity And Alterity In A Comedy Series From Santa Cruz, Bolivia, During The Presidency Of Evo Morales, Anita L. Zandstra,

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the construction of social identity and social difference in and through Neo/Los Mismos, a Bolivian comedy series produced during the presidency of Evo Morales (2006-2019), the country’s first president to claim an Indigenous identity. These years were characterized by profound divisions between the Bolivian highlands, home to Morales’s base of support, and the opposition based in the lowlands department of Santa Cruz. This qualitative study takes an interdisciplinary approach to social identity and social difference during the Morales era, drawing on concepts from linguistic anthropology, literary criticism, and humor studies, and tracing connections between Neo/Los Mismos and …

Identidad Bajo Amenaza En Chinchero, Perú: El Megaproyecto Del Aeropuerto Internacional Plantea La Cuestión: ¿Cuál Es Más Importante Para El Estado Peruano—El Turismo O El Patrimonio?, Celeste Funari Muse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El megaproyecto del Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero inicialmente fue propuesto hace 46 años, así que ha sido un símbolo del futuro del distrito durante casi cinco décadas. Ubicado a sólo una hora de distancia de la ciudad de Cusco, el pueblo de Chinchero es conocido por su hermoso paisaje, tradición e impresionantes ruinas incas. De todo el mundo, los turistas desembarcan en el aeropuerto de Cusco y pasan por Chinchero de camino al valle sagrado y Machu Picchu. Desde el inicio de la construcción en 2017, el sitio del nuevo aeropuerto es visible desde casi cualquier lugar de Chinchero, como …

Forging Identity: Learning About Craft Production And Identity Through The Analysis Of Hand-Made Nails, Linda Zuniga

Anthropology and Sociology Student Research

Nails may not seem exciting. After all, their function is self-evident: nails hold things together. On closer examination, however, nails are quite useful. They can help to determine a site’s chronology, reveal variability in commodity consumption, and reflect the economic activities that occurred in an historic village. Here, I present the analysis of nails from Stoddartsville, a 19th century milling village in northeast Pennsylvania. Different blacksmiths introduce subtle variability into the finished form of a nail, yielding differences in attributes such as nail head length, nail head thickness, and number of head facets. I used these attributes to determine the …

Not Just Playing With Toys: Enculturation And Identity In A Historic Village In Northeast Pennsylvania, Amarah Karlick

Anthropology and Sociology Student Research

The archaeology of early industrial communities can yield material evidence of the pervasive, interrelated impacts of industrialization on work and domestic life. Archaeologists and historians investigating industrial communities have increasingly pivoted from a focus on great men and firsts in technological development to the local sociocultural contexts and consequences of industrialization. Here, I use the study of toys from Stoddartsville, a milling village in northeast Pennsylvania, to examine the lived experiences of children during the mid-nineteenth century. I suggest that children learned powerful lessons about identity, especially gender, as they played with toys at Stoddartsville. These lessons cemented the social …

“It’S Always An Admixture Of So Many Identities”: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Indigenous Kalasha Cultural Identity, Fahad Riaz Choudhry Dr, Karen Jennifer Golden, Miriam Sang-Ah Park

The Qualitative Report

This case study examined how an Indigenous Kalasha participant in northern Pakistan makes sense of his multi-faceted identity. The interpretative phenomenological analysis method was used to analyze data from an in-depth, single person case study. Our selected participant was a 36-year-old male postgraduate student from an Indigenous marginalized tribe, which is an ethnic and religious minority group in the northern Hindukush mountain region of Pakistan. Results are presented in four superordinate themes: (1) Identity: admixture of a number of identities, (2) Changing culture and its psychological impact, (3) Cultural protective factors against psychological problems and (4) Mental health perspective. …

#Getinked: An Anthropological Exploration Of Tattooing And Social Media, Delanee Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to address two inquiries regarding contemporary tattooing. The first goal is to explore how social media has changed the practice of tattooing while the second goal is to examine how tattoos are used to express or explore the differing facets of a person’s identity. Identity theory, social identity theory, semiotics, and the concepts of stigma and deviancy form the theoretical framework which allows one to understand the ways in which tattoos can provide insights into the various aspects of someone’s identity as well as how social media can influence members of the tattoo community. An online survey, …

Moving Through The Violence: Yemeni Migrants And The Reconstruction Of Lifeworlds In Cairo, Jonathan Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

This Master’s thesis is based on an ethnographic study, following the lives of a small number of Yemeni people rebuilding their lives in Cairo. Their displacement is the consequence of many factors not least the outbreak of war in 2014. In response to this, I ask: In the midst of ongoing conflict, how do Yemeni migrants go about reconstructing their lifeworlds in Cairo? That is, to ask how are Yemeni migrants in Cairo responding to the violent disruption of their social realities and what sense are they making of the consequences. The reorganisation of social realities disrupted by conflict means …

Continuities And Transformations: The Tiwanaku Component Of The Site Of In Copacabana, Bolivia, Stanislava R. Chavez

Wayne State University Dissertations

The site of Cundisa in Copacabana (Copacabana Peninsula, Bolivia) was occupied almost continuously for the past 2,500 years. The oldest occupation includes a Yaya-Mama religious tradition semi-subterranean temple with some associated burials. Later, the whole site, including the interior of the Yaya-Mama temple, was used as a Tiwanaku cemetery. Subsequently, the Incas reused the site, as they incorporated Copacabana into their empire as a major pilgrimage site. After the Spanish conquest the site continued to be occupied, including an oven where glazed tiles for the Copacabana Basilica were fired. This dissertation focuses on the Tiwanaku component of this complex site. …

Move The Table, Elizabeth Browning

Gaines Fellow Senior Theses

This creative thesis project is based on autoethnicgraphical methodology and queer feminist crip analysis, and borne from homegrown loving and learning. In recounting my own experience with education within feminine culinary spaces, I am affirming the teachings of particularly American mothers of color in resistance against oppressive politics in public education. In doing so, I validate my own knowledge and implore higher education institutions to explore collective access for us all. Using autoethnography, cooking as inquiry, historical information, and family recipes and narratives, I will analyze the ways in which the women in my family have created feminist midrash in …

Nourishing Connections: Chinese Immigrant Identity In Tokyo Through Commensality And Hospitality, Sarai Brown

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

This paper explores how Chinese immigrants in Tokyo, Japan preserve their cultural identity through practices of commensality and hospitality in stark contrast to Japanese culture. In Chinese culture, hospitality – mainly acts of food sharing – is how kinship relations are built and maintained, eventually growing into an important hierarchy network that ultimately builds a fully realized identity created out of communal belonging. Japanese culture in this sense is not as hospitable, deeming food-sharing as an extremely private and high-risk affair that is considered low-risk in Chinese contexts.

Beyond The Hands: Exploring Intersectional Identities Of Black American Sign Language Users, Tatum Turner

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

There is a significant gap in research related to the impact of intersectionality on linguistic identity performance among individuals negotiating multiple marginalized identities. This gap is especially significant among deaf Black and African American individuals who use the American Sign Language (ASL) variety deemed Black American Sign Language (BASL) (Hairston & Smith, 1983). This research aims to identify and discuss the use of the eight distinguishing features of BASL (McCaskill et al. 2011) as indexes of intersectional identities.

My data consists of videos sourced from YouTube, each chosen according to the following criteria: must have at least one self-identifying Black …

The Impacts Of Identity On Perceptions Of Safety On A Predominately White Campus, Rebecca Delrosso

Honors Theses

This quantitative study examines the relationship between students’ marginalized identities of race, gender, and sexuality and their perceptions of safety at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Survey data collected from undergraduates at a small liberal arts university reveal associations between minority identities and feelings of discomfort, insecurity, discrimination, and vulnerability on campus. The findings highlight the need for PWIs to prioritize secure and inclusive environments through policies, practices, and support systems.

The Impact Of Museum Curation On Community And Identity: Japanese Culture At The Japanese American National Museum And The Huntington Library's Japanese Gardens, Cate Hasler

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores Japanese culture and its representation in two museum sites, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Huntington Library's Japanese Gardens. It examines the history of the sites and the curation of exhibits to determine the impact on Japanese identity and community within the Los Angeles area. Through ethnographic interviews and research, this thesis concludes that museums can be locally embedded cultural processes, where the ideas of identity and community are contested, challenging the authoritative and top-down operations of a museum as a public institution.

Misrepresentation Of The Archaeological Record And Identity In Italy, Julienne Zambri

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines the practice of the misrepresentation and manipulation of the archaeological record in Italy as it relates to identity formation through three main case studies. Moving chronologically, it begins by analyzing the Palermo National Exposition and the Mostra Etnografica Siciliana of Giuseppe Pitrè using Edward Said’s Orientalism to reveal the othering of Sicilians at this exposition. The second case study looks at the Mostra Augustea della Romanità of the Fascist era, building on the extensive scholarly discussion regarding Mussolini’s misrepresentation of ancient Roman archaeology to construct a fascist identity around the concept of romanità. Moving into the contemporary …

Children's Moments Of "Becoming" In Classrooms: Spatial Production And Multiliteracy Practices, Seongryeong Yu

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

While immigrant children’s identity negotiation and their sense of belonging are increasingly highlighted, existing literature remains largely focused on language abilities and identity struggles, often emphasizing rigid definitions of “identity” grounded in blood, language, and culture. Drawing on findings from my dissertation, this comparative ethnographic case study examines the fluidity of identity through literacy practices that help children construct meaning and foster belonging. By analyzing how 10-year-old students’ literacy practices interact with physical and social environments at school, I discuss shared expressions of emotions, power dynamics, the role of language, and variations in the use of cultural materials. These moments …

A Critical Phenomenological Study Of White Educators Who Engage In Antiracism, Maria-Renée D. Grigsby

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Racism is reflected in political, economic, and educational institutions throughout the United States. These institutionalized systems were successfully designed to have a chilling effect on any progress toward antiracist change. It impacts the achievement level of K-12 students of color in the public school system who make up the majority population in public schools nationwide. Yet, their teachers remain largely white. This is especially important in Minnesota, which ranks fiftieth in the country for graduation rates of Black and Latinx students. The method used for this study is critical phenomenology which is important when looking at the influences of race, …

Niipáitapiiyssin: How Blackfeet Ways Of Knowing Impact Identity And Well-Being, Mikalen Running Fisher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores the vital role of history, traditional knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, artifacts, and language in shaping the identity and well-being of Indigenous communities. It emphasizes how these components are vital for the survival and growth of Indigenous cultures. Using the Blackfoot Confederacy as a case study, the research highlights the significance of these elements in maintaining cultural continuity and resilience. The analysis is grounded in literature authored from an Indigenous perspective, ensuring an authentic representation of the values and insights inherent in these communities. This work aims to bridge existing gaps in the literature by demonstrating the profound …

What Do We Mean By Territoire?, Ceri Almrott

Other resources

This diagram explores the concept of territoire, illustrating its multidimensional nature as a dynamic socio-spatial system. It captures the interplay of human interaction, social structures, environmental factors, and cultural connections. The framework demonstrates how communities adapt to and shape their environments, integrating local knowledge, sustainable practices, and resource management. It highlights governance systems, traditions, and collective identity as essential for resilience and sustainability. The diagram also reflects on intangible elements like sense of place, identity, and heritage, which deepen emotional and cultural connections to the territoire. Together, these layers form a holistic approach to understanding sustainable community development.

Performing Britishness: Identity And Popular Music Tribute Shows In Perth, Western Australia, Colin Outhwaite

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigates how and why individuals use popular music tribute shows to construct individual and collective identities within the British expatriate community in Perth, Western Australia. Popular music tribute shows involve recontextualised performances of past musical works and rely on shared first-hand or vicarious experiences between musicians and audiences. By examining how individuals and groups use music as a means for strengthening and maintaining cultural identity, the research investigates how musical activity is both a result and influence on the construction and perpetuation of a symbolic and temporal identity group that revolves around shared tastes and experiences.

L2 Investment In The Transnational Context: A Case Study Of Prc Scholar Students In Singapore, Chang Liu, Guangxiang Liu

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Despite growing research on mainland Chinese international students’ intercultural language learning and adjustment experiences in Anglophone countries, few studies have delved into these students’ socially constructed language learning practices as an essential component of their study-abroad journey, especially in Singapore which shares linguistic and cultural affinities with China. As such, building on Darvin and Norton’s (2015) theory of investment at the intersection of identity, capital, and ideology, this case study focuses on Chinese foreign talent students in Singapore and aims to understand how they invest in learning English as an additional language (L2) and assert their legitimate place in the …

The Latino Cultural Center: Higher Education And The Importance Of Community, Kamilah Mercedes Valentín Díaz

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The Latino Cultural Center (LCC) at Purdue University is 1 of 2 in the state of Indiana, with the other housed at Indiana University. Choosing to pursue higher education has its challenges, but not everyone has access to the same resources or community support that helps make the process easier. The LCC, like the other cultural centers on campus, is vital in distributing resources that aid in student success. They work to create an inclusive environment for the entire campus community by fostering meaningful dialogue and cultural understanding of the Latino/e/x community. They aim to support Latino/e/x faculty and staff …

Performing Tongan Identity And Indigeneity In Global Sporting Events, ‘Inoke Hafoka, Arcia Tecun, Tēvita O. Ka‘Ili, S. Ata Siu‘Ulua

Pacific Studies

During the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Tonga’s national team made it into the semifinals, unleashing a powerful spirit of Tongan identity across the globe. Drawing from the borderlands concept and the Tongan tāvā theory, we analyze intersecting tensions of identity and colliding contexts during the tournament. Tonga’s team (mostly composed of players who chose Tonga rather than playing for the nation-states of their birth) revealed the limits of national identities while reinforcing them. Indigenous performances of sipi tau (war challenge/posture dance) and ancestral memories of kasivaki (ancient Tongan sport), cultivated feelings of māfana (exhilaration …

Dual Consciousness: What Psychology And Counseling Theories Can Teach And Learn Regarding Identity And The Role-Playing Game Experience, Elektra Diakolambrianou, Sarah L. Bowman

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Many psychologists, therapists, and educators have emphasized the practice of play, especially with enacted roles, as a site for learning and therapeutic growth. This article weaves together a plethora of theories from psychology, Counseling, and role-playing game studies in an effort to understand the nature of enacted roles, their relationship to identity, and their transformative potential. Challenging the notion that identity is a fixed, stable monolith, the article synthesizes four overall approaches to theorizing the nature of identity drawn from various theories: identity as a social construct, narrative identity, identity as psychodynamic, and identities as parts of a whole. The …

Home And Beyond: Third Culture Kids Navigating Between Their Cultural Identity For An Answer Of Where Is Home?, Gamila Eid

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Third Culture kids are as a person who have spent a significant part of their development years outside their parent's culture. This research paper tackles different perspectives of Third Culture Kids' life and the challenges that they face. Including a deeper understanding of the main cause of these challenges and their relation to personal and cultural identity by searching for an answer to the most confusing question for a Third Culture Kid which is Where is home?

This paper can be considered as a guide for Third Culture Kids to understand their identity and how to accept their confusion around …

Textile Autobiographies: Crafting Shifting Identities With Refugee Communities, Francesco Mazzarella, Seher Mirza

IASDR Conference Series

With the rising mass displacement of people, rethinking and addressing the needs and aspirations of refugee communities and honouring their diverse cultures is needed. Historically, the textile heritage of minorities has often been subjected to cultural appropriation practices or systematically undervalued and ‘othered’ as ‘non-fashion’. Designers are often ‘parachuted’ into marginalised or disadvantaged communities premised on bringing their own knowledge and expertise to solve other people’s problems. However, there is growing recognition of the need to ‘decolonise’ such dominant approaches in collaborative design practice. Instead of re-enacting dominant power narratives, London-based refugees and asylum seekers were engaged in storytelling sessions …

The Brand As A Place. For A Model Interpreting Identity In The Digital Age., Francesco E. Guida, Elisa Finesso

IASDR Conference Series

What if the brand is a place? In specialist literature, the brand interacts through a series of tangible and intangible touchpoints with its interlocutors. When we buy items, use services, or come into contact with any expression of a brand, we come into contact with its being. Whether these are points of sale, events, websites, packaging and products, touchpoints help the interlocutor enter the world of the brand and experience it. These elements play an essential role in building a long-term engagement with it. However, in an ever-changing environment where brands must be flexible and agile to remain market relevant, …

Designing Collective Racial Healing Spaces, Angelica Sibrian, Nekita Thomas, Terresa Moses, Lisa Elzey Mercer

IASDR Conference Series

Spaces for collective racial healing within predominantly White institutions are meant to support the path to collective liberation for Black, Indigenous, and students of color. It is imperative that we intentionally create racial healing spaces that support the identities and experiences of students of color on a predominantly White institution. We assert that physical spaces support empowerment and create access to opportunities for students of color through protection, healing, and community. The question that guides this work is, how might people with an agency within institutions of higher learning build sustainable, inclusive, and supportive spaces for and with Black, Indigenous, …

Bedouins In Sinai And Petra: Nationalism And Pre-Development Identity, Youssef A. Mansour

The Undergraduate Research Journal

There are many preconceived notions about Bedouins, captured in general dictionary definitions of the term For example, "Bedouin" is defined by the Oxford dictionary as "An Arab of the desert"; by Merriam-Webster as "nomadic Arab of the Arabian, Syrian, or northern African deserts." However, the laxity of these definitions can be easily confirmed by a visit to Umsayhon, Jordan, where Bedouins live in cities with urban facilities and services, or to Ossela, Sinai, where Bedouins are settled in homes with televisions, or even to Matruh, Egypt where Bedouins wear wristwatches and plastic shoes and travel in Toyota trucks. The identity …