Digital Commons Network^™

#Bolivia: Trascendiendo Las Fronteras De La Participación Social Y Política A Través De Los Hashtags, Azella Markgraf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En los últimos años, el uso masivo de los medios de comunicación a través del internet ha cambiado irrevocablemente las formas de socialización y participación pública de la humanidad. Con la existencia de las redes sociales como Facebook y Twitter, los discursos políticos que hace unas décadas hubieran sido restringido por las fronteras materiales ahora se extienden a nivel mundial. Siguiendo la elección nacional de Bolivia el 20 de octubre de 2019, el hashtag #Bolivia se viralizó mientras personas de todas partes del mundo iban discutiendo lo que pasaba en el país. En el presente estudio, observo y analizo el …

Catholic Heritage, Ethno-Racial Self-Identification, And Prejudice Against Haitians In The Dominican Republic, Cristian L. Paredes

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Latin American cultures are significantly influenced by Catholicism, which partially but meaningfully represents the European legacy that situates Latin American societies into the Western world. This influence may be particularly relevant in the Dominican Republic, where local discourses have underlined the role of Catholicism as an essential characteristic of the Dominican identity. In this study, I use nationally- and regionally-representative survey data to examine whether Catholic self-identification is directly associated with self-identifications that downplay individuals’ own Afro characteristics, and whether individuals who self-identify as Catholic are significantly prejudiced against Haitians. I find regional-level evidence of direct associations between Catholic self-identification …

Flora Tristan, Precursor Lecture By Magda Portal, Kathleen Weaver

Journal of International Women's Studies

A major figure in Latin American struggles for women's rights and social justice, Magda Portal (1900-1989) co-founded the revolutionary nationalist APRA Party of Peru and was the principal women's leader of that party. In her Chilean exile Portal discovered the nineteenth century writer and social reformer, Flora Tristan. In 1944 Portal offered her first lecture on Tristan (1803-1844)—a brilliant diarist and journalist as well as a seminal social theorist, labor organizer, champion of women's rights, and a significant precursor—arguably co-founder—of socialist internationalism. Expanding and revising her initial account, Portal continued into her later years to lecture on Tristan, whom she …

Posthumanism And The Representation Of Power Dynamics In Hispanic Graphic Novels, Savannah Campbell

Honors Projects

My focus in this research has been to use graphic novels, a literary medium that is often marginalized in both academic and cultural circles, to examine how posthumanism, specifically from the viewpoint of Spanish and Argentinian creators, allows readers to explore and critique various power dynamics.

Simple Legal Writing Can Improve Business Outcomes In Latin America, Leon C. Skornicki

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

"La Llorona": Evolución, Ideología Y Uso En El Mundo Hispano, Raquel Sáenz-Llano

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis studies the evolution, ideology and use of the myth of La Llorona through time in the Hispanic World. Considering this myth as one of the most known traditional narratives of the American continent, I begin by providing visual, ethnohistorical and ethnographical insights of weeping in Mesoamerica and South America and the specific mention of a weeping woman in some Spanish chronicles to say how western values were stablished in “the new continent” through this legend. I suggest that during the postcolonialism the legend did not tell anymore about a mother that cries and search a place for their …

Prism Vol. 8, No. 1, Center For Complex Operations

PRISM (Full PDF Issues)

PRISM Vol. 8, No. 1 centers on security and political change across the Western Hemisphere, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean. Articles address democratic governance and human rights, U.S. strategic engagement in the region, Venezuela’s political crisis, security challenges in Mexico and Colombia, and the growth of transnational criminal organizations in Brazil and across Latin America. The issue looks at how governance challenges, transnational crime, regional instability, and growing external influence are shaping security across the Western Hermisphere.

Pink Tape: Leftist State Bureaucracy And Neoliberalism In The Mining Sectors Of Bolivia And Ecuador, Cristina Nicole Mendez

Senior Theses

Latin America is the locus of various policy experiments and social movements, where political and economic leaders have vacillated between prioritizing neoliberalism and social security since the 1960s. Scholars have observed Latin American leftist governments for viable alternatives to neoliberal economics, but such projects have effectively failed to truly change the course of economic development in Latin America (Weyland, 2010; Escobar, 2010). One of the most salient contemporary instances of this ideological conflict has been the issue of land use rights and neo-extractivism, particularly in mining conflicts in the Andes of South America. This thesis posits that so-called leftist political …

Exploring The Challenges To Sustainable Rural Drinking Water Services In Chile, Jami Nelson-Nuñez, Jeffrey P. Walters, Denisse Charpentier

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Many countries around the world now face the dual challenges of closing the remaining gaps in access to drinking water in rural areas while further addressing the issues of equity, quality, and sustainability outlined in the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our research explores the key factors for sustainability in rural drinking water services in Chile, an important example not only due to its success in rural water access but also because of the new directions the country is taking to achieve the SDGs. Drawing on results from a Delphi study of Chilean rural water experts, we discuss the most …

Soldiers, Activists, Legislators: Democratization And Women's Representation In Bolivia And Nicaragua, Margaret Mischka

Political Science Honors Projects

In 2018, Bolivia and Nicaragua contain 53 and 46 percent women in their national legislatures respectively, while other countries, including the United States, lag behind with proportions around 20 percent. Why do some countries have higher levels of women in office? A preliminary answer points to gender quotas, which have increased numbers of women in legislature in numerous cases. Rather than beginning and ending the story of women’s representation with gender quotas, however, this project analyzes the processes that lead a country toward the adoption of such quotas. By tracing the political histories of Bolivia and Nicaragua through crises related …

Para Los Hijos Y Nuestro Futuro: Reconceptualizing Costa Rican Identity Through The Civil War, Amberlyn Britt

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

After the 1948 Civil War, Costa Rican people redefined their society and democracy, and created a nation that, unlike many others in the region, was able to withstand pressures toward corruption and violence. By examining personal narratives, this study observes how various groups such as Costa Rican men, women, and Afro-West Indians related to the nation‟s traditions of democracy and its identity of exceptionalism. In 1948, Costa Ricans fought against a government that they viewed as corrupt and oppressive to secure a better future for not only themselves, but for all of Costa Rica.

Mormon Studies In Latin America And The Caribbean: State Of The Field As Of 2018, Carter Charles

Mormon Studies Review

Renewed interest in a global approach to Mormon studies calls for an assessment of the scholarship available on Latin America and the Caribbean in order to provide direction for future research in this subfield, which is still in its infancy. After some remarks on methodology, existing contributions to the subfield will be introduced, followed by a subjective conclusion.

Pro-Government Militias And The Legacy Of Military Rule In Latin America, Alexander Mendelsohn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Currently Latin America experiences a phenomenon of widely varying levels of violence across the region. Many countries, such as El Salvador and Honduras, have exceptionally high murder rates upwards of 40 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). Other countries, such as Uruguay and Argentina, have relatively low rates, below 10 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). I believe this variation stems from the use of pro-government militias specifically employed in the past by military governments as tools of suppression. Under the guise of combating subversive elements within their countries, these groups were used to silence and repress those who opposed …

A Qualitative Research Study On Unaccompanied Minors From Latin America, Lorena Caldera

Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this study is on a unique immigrant population — unaccompanied minors who have migrated to the U.S. from Latin America, particularly Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore, describe, and understand the migration stories of unaccompanied minors who have migrated to the U.S. from Latin America. Using Lee’s (1966) “Theory of Migration,” this study aimed to uncover the push and pull factors that are motivating youth migration to the U.S. from Latin America, including the social pressures, economic factors, lack of educational and economic opportunities, life-threatening violence, safety …

"You Have The Data"...The Writ Of Habeas Data And Other Data Protection Rights: Is The United States Falling Behind?, Sarah L. Lode

Indiana Law Journal

In Part I of this Note, I will discuss the writ of habeas data that has been developed primarily, but not exclusively, in Latin American countries. I will discuss the intricacies of the writ, how it evolved, and how it is applied today. Using Argentina as an example, I will discuss how the writ would be used by an Argentine citizen to protect her personal data. Part II summarizes the previously employed data protection scheme in the European Union, the Data Protection Directive (“the Directive”), and will also discuss the new EU data protection regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation …

Confronting The Ngo: Struggling For Agency And Approximating Freedom Through The Works Of Michel Foucault And Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Samantha Coss

Pitzer Senior Theses

This project aims to consider the proliferation of the NGO in the 21st century and the implications that this model has for justice, freedom and social change. The nonprofit, or nongovernmental organization, will be examined using theorists and thinkers Michel Foucault and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in hopes of understanding the ways in which the NGO limits freedom and perpetuates violence. There will be an exploration of struggling for agency beyond the nonprofit, including an introduction to examples of other change-making models from the United States and Latin America. The goal of this project is to critically examine the current frameworks …

Huachicoleros: Criminal Cartels, Fuel Theft, And Violence In Mexico, Nathan P. Jones, John P. Sullivan

Journal of Strategic Security

Criminal cartels and gangs dominate the illicit economy in Mexico. These organized crime groups challenge the solvency (specifically capacity and legitimacy) of the state in Mexico. Organized crime in Mexico is involved in a range of activities including extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and petroleum theft. Criminal cartels, often called drug trafficking organizations, have diversified into other illicit activities specifically petroleum theft. This paper provides an overview of the rise of a specialized organized criminal entity: huachicoleros. Huachicoleros specialize in fuel theft and like their narco counterparts use corruption and violence to protect their illicit market. The rise of …

Movement Rhythms, Motley Knowledges, D. Bret Leraul

Faculty Journal Articles

This article introduces a special issue of LÁPIZ, The Pedagogies of Social Justice Movements in the Americas which contains articles by Bruno Baronnet on the politico-pedagogical practices of the Zapatistas; Vanessa Andreotti on radical education as a practice of collective ontogenesis that subverts the abstract domination of colonial, capitalist modernity; and Lia Barabosa Pinheiro on the sentipensante (feeling-thinking) pedagogies of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), Vía Campesina Internacional, and other struggles. I frame the intervention of the issue as an inquiry into the possibility of an equal encounter between colonial, university knowledges and the knowledges authored by social …

‘Haciendas And Plantations’: History And Limitations Of A 60-Year-Old Taxonomy, Marc Edelman

Publications and Research

In 1957, Eric R Wolf and Sidney W Mintz published ‘Haciendas and Plantations in Middle America and the Antilles’ in the Jamaican journal Social and Economic Studies. This article discusses the production of the Wolf and Mintz article, its analytical framework and the theoretical tensions it contains, and its subsequent influence, mainly though not exclusively on anthropological and historical scholarship about large landed properties in Latin America and the Caribbean. ‘Haciendas and Plantations’ appeared at a time when anthropologists such as Elman Service, Charles Wagley, and Marvin Harris were trying to make sense of agrarian Latin America by developing typologies …

Liza Williams Interview, Jennifer Thomson

Bucknell: Occupied

Jennifer Thomson, assistant professor of History at Bucknell University, interviews Liza Williams, visiting assistant professor of Political Science at Bucknell University. Williams discusses the history of immigration regulation in the United States and the policies which resulted in detainment and deportation practices. Williams also outlines the Acts of Congress, events (including 9/11), and actions of the Presidential administrations of Bush, Obama, and Trump that affect immigration regulation.

Reggaeton And Female Narratives, Melanie P. Pangol

Student Publications

Reggaeton has become a cultural factor all throughout Latin America and among the Latino population in the United States. Reggaeton is now a Latino music phenomenon that has become part of the mainstream not only in Latin American countries but also in the United States; many American artists such as Drake, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and Will Smith are collaborating with reggaeton artists such as J-Balvin, Bad Bunny, Ozuna, and others. Therefore, although most reggaeton artists come from Puerto Rico, reggaeton has established a visible presence in the Latino community in the United States where it has become prominent in …

Territories Of Contestation In Medellín: Destierro, Memory, The Youth, And The State, Joan C. Lopez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis is partly a study of the social and political territories that are generated by the displaced as responses to the warfare tactic of el destierro (displacement); and it is also an exploration of how the state operates at the intersection between its imagined centers and its margins. This thesis attempts to look at the state from its imagined margins and to explore how displacement, the regulation of the movement of specific bodies within and across specifically defined regions of Colombia, has been a fundamental practice for, and not against, the formation of the Colombian “state” as we see …

Ansiedades Épico-Criollas Y El Mecenazgo De Indias En El Arauco Domado De Pedro De Oña, Andrea L. Fernandez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Among the characteristics of epic poetry are the topic of war, love encounters, heroism of exemplary individuals, and the narration of events contemporary to the audience to reinforce a collective historical identity. Arauco domado by Pedro de Oña, born in Angol (modern Chile), reiterates these traditional expectations with its protagonist, characters, setting, and latter theatrical representations within the viceregal context. The poem was made possible by the sponsorship of García Hurtado de Mendoza y Manrique, IV Marquis of Cañete and Viceroy of Peru. If the title of “espíritu cesarino novelo” [Caesar’s new spirit] (V.76.3) corresponds to the patron, Pedro de …

Graphic Representations Of Grammatical Gender In Spanish Language Anarchist Publications, Mariel Mercedes Acosta Matos

Publications and Research

This paper offers a descriptive analysis of the suffixes -@, -x, -e and other orthographic innovations as transgressions to the genderedness of Spanish language. First I discuss the grammatical rules of expressing gender in Spanish and a summary of the ongoing debates concerning linguistic sexism and androcentrism in Spanish language. Then I present some examples of the gender neutral suffixes drawn from articles found in 3 “Do It Yourself” journals published online by three anarchist collectives in Latin America.

Revealing Silences: The Representation Of Black Identities In Hispanic Afro-Caribbean Autobiographical And Biographical Writing, Bryn Campbell

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This project explores how the historical contexts of the Hispanic Caribbean, including the regions of the Circum-Caribbean and the Caribbean Diasporas in the United States, have sustained dominant racial and nationalist ideologies that continue to silence or negate the identity of Afro-Caribbean subjects in national letters. My research focuses on the autobiographical and biographical writing of four Hispanic Afro-Caribbean men: Autobiografía de un esclavo (1840) by Juan Francisco Manzano¾originally published and translated to English in 1840 by Richard R. Madden¾ Klabel (2002) by Víctor Virgilio López García, Down These Mean Streets (1967) by Piri Thomas, and Las criadas de la …

Three Essays On Economic And Financial Development In Latin America: Evidence From The 2000s Commodity Boom, Andre Coelho Vianna

Theses and Dissertations

The dynamic forces of commodity prices have become a subject of large interest due to the uprise of a commodity supercycle in the beginning of the 21st century. The main purpose of this dissertation is to assess the role of commodity shocks and international trade in Latin American financial and economic development in the last two decades. The first essay examines how commodity market structural shocks explain the variations in commodity prices. Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) results from 1997 to 2015 show that aggregate demand shocks are more evident during the recent commodity boom period and are robust to different …

Rethinking Measures Of Democracy And Welfare State Universalism: Lessons From Subnational Research, Agustina Giraudy, Jennifer Pribble

Political Science Faculty Publications

Democracy and the welfare state are two of the most extensively studied concepts and themes in the field of comparative politics. Debate about how to best measure the two concepts has failed to contemplate the extent to which political and social rights are uniformly present across distinct regions of the national territory, despite the presence of substantial subnational research that underscores wide variation inside countries. We argue that this omission hampers our understanding of the two phenomena and we propose a new measure of democracy and healthcare unversalism, which we call the Adjusted Measures of Democracy and Welfare Universalism. …

Advanced Methods In Comparative Politics: Modeling Without Conditional Independence, David George Carlson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

One of the most significant assumptions we invoke when making quantitative inferences is the conditional independence between observations. There are, however, many situations when we may doubt this independence. For instance, two seemingly distinct data-generating processes may in fact share unobserved relations. Time-series and cross-sectional studies are also plagued by a lack of independence. If we ignore this common violation of our fundamental modeling assumptions we may draw improper conclusions from our data. This dissertation introduces two methods to the political science literature: a zero-inflated multivariate ordered probit and Gaussian process regression for time-series cross-sectional analyses. This latter model is …

You're Out! Explaining Non-Criminal Diplomatic Expulsion, Anthony Jordan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The practice of diplomatic expulsion, as well as expulsion of other foreign personnel by an executive, has received little attention in the field of International Relations or in Political Science more broadly. If expulsion were analyzed under the broader category of diplomatic relations, then studying the variation in expulsions could improve our understanding of international relations. It would be understood as one of the many tools executives use in negotiation between states. Executives, however, appeared to treat expulsion specially. Although no international convention requires executives to notify the public of the expulsion of a diplomat, ambassador or other personnel, it …

“The Commercial Union Of The Three Americas:” Major Edward A. Burke And Transnational New South Visionaries, 1870-1928, Michael Powers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditional images of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American South are of an inward-looking region characterized by economic stagnation, xenophobia, cultural isolation, and reactionary politics. This dissertation contends that vibrant transnational links connected the South to the wider world through an analysis of the political and economic landscape of postbellum Louisiana, the 1884 New Orleans World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial, the Louisiana State Lottery Company, and Central America. An examination of Edward Austin Burke demonstrates that the era’s New South creed comprised a seminal transnational component.

This dissertation will explore how Burke became a central cog in Louisiana’s Democratic …