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Ikenga: Symbolism, Spirituality, And Sociocultural Importance In Igbo Traditional Belief Systems, Chinyere Ndubuisi

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

The Ikenga, a noteworthy relic of the Igbo people of southern Nigeria, is examined in this paper as a major art object for a better understanding of African traditional religions and belief systems. Ikenga is a wooden sculpture traditionally made to represent an individual's power, achievements, and spiritual essence among the Igbo. Ikenga is ascribed the embodiment of the relationship between personal action, ancestral respect, and divinity within Igbo mythology. Within the framework of Igbo traditional religion, this paper examines the ontological significance, spiritual purposes, and social consequences of the Ikenga. The symbolic relevance of Ikenga as both a personal …

Language And Culture: Exploring The Links Between Africans And African Americans, Joash J. Gambarage

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

Due to the generational distance between contemporary African Americans and the earliest generations of enslaved Africans, the deep cultural connection between these two groups has not been sufficiently explored. Moreover, much of the existing literature on African culture in the Americas primarily focuses on retentions related to religion, music, food, and language, often missing other critical aspects of cultural continuity within the African diaspora, such as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Niger-Congo linguistic ties, naming practices, and African epistemologies. This exclusion limits our understanding of how the historical movement of Africans and the persistence of African cultural legacies, have …

Editors’ Note: Introducing The Inaugural Edition

Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies

No abstract provided.

“No Hen Should Herald The Dawn Lest Misfortune Follow”: Gender, History, And Power Sima Guang’S Comprehensive Mirror, Zoe Ngan

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

It was not a particularly notable occasion when Emperor Gaozong 高宗 of the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) established Wu Zetian 武則天 as a mid-ranked concubine in 654. Emperors, throughout Chinese history, were polygamous rulers who acquired no shortage of concubines per the Rites of Zhou 周禮, an ancient ritual text which proposed that rulers obtain 121 wives and consorts. Wu’s nomination signified the unpredictability of imperial favour and almost certainly did not turn heads when her appointment occurred.

Staying Relevant: Radio’S Shift Toward Gen Z’S Listening Habits, Rocky Prasetyo Jati

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

The digital transformation of media has reshaped audio consumption and challenged traditional radio to stay relevant, particularly among Generation Z, the digital-native cohort. This article examines how community and hyperlocal radio stations are adapting to shifting media dynamics by combining conventional broadcasting with digital innovations. The study employs qualitative methods. As Gen Z prefers flexible, personalized, and on-demand content, radio stations are repositioning broadcasters as multi-platform content creators and online community managers. Adaptation strategies include integrating radio with visually oriented social media platforms, offering curated playlists, and adopting participatory models such as digital tipping (saweran). Radio stations are …

It's In Your Dna: A Comprehensive Overview Of Forensic Genetic Genealogy And The Future Of Profiling Methods And Legal Implications, Selah A. Thompson

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) is a relatively modern and transformative technique within the field of forensics that allows for precise scientific identification of suspects or victims through DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) analysis, primarily consisting of analyses of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) found within samples of DNA. While FGG is quite new within the field, the applications for accurate, scientific-based analysis of crime scenes can help make an unsolvable case something that can be resolved, including some of the most famous cold cases of the past century. Current FGG technology provides incredibly valuable investigative leads, but current …

Prehistoric Indigenous Foodways At A Northwest Florida Shell Midden, Layla M. Alvarado

OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

Florida archaeology can give us further understanding of the ecology and environmental changes that occurred in the past and could re-occur in the present. In this thesis, I examine one site left by the indigenous peoples from prehistoric northwest Florida between about 1500 to 500 years ago to try to understand the environmental conditions they lived in and their food waste. The Van Horn Creek shell midden site (8Fr744) is in the Apalachicola River valley region, about 50 miles west of Tallahassee. In my research, I studied cultural materials from Test Unit 1 at the site, which was excavated in …

The Missing Void: Lack Of Pockets In Womenswear And Its Effect On Daily Life, Clare Bolon

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Pockets give power to people who possess them. Yet, an estimated half of the U.S. population —women— frequently wear garments lacking useful pockets. Why? Womenswear is molded by beauty standards. This study brings an anthropological perspective on gender inequality in the U.S. by examining modern clothing and the differences in pocket access by gender. 127 participants were recruited for a mixed methods survey, most from a medium-sized university in the Mountain West region. Survey questions explored the attitudes and experiences of people who wear women’s clothing regarding pockets (or the lack thereof) and its impact on their daily lives. Open-ended …

A Charcoal Analysis At The Jupiter Inlet 2 (8pb35) Site In Jupiter, Florida, Christopher Rubido

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This project utilizes five sediment core samples from the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse archaeological (8PB35) site in northern Palm Beach County, Florida (four core samples derived from areas where cultural material has been found and one core from a nonanthropogenic area). These sediment core samples were analyzed using a variation of a tested charcoal analysis methodology often used with lake and peat bog cores, but in this case, the cores come from an upland coastal environment. The findings of this project have shown efficacy of the modified methodology for locating charcoal peaks in habitation zones found in core strata and as …

Trinity And Moderate Communitarianism: The Shape Of Social Engagement Within The Godhead, Harry Allotey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the doctrine of the Trinity through the lens of Social Trinitarianism in dialogue with African communitarian anthropology, particularly the Ghanaian construct of moderate communitarianism as articulated by Kwame Gyekye. The central thesis is that the concept of moderate communitarianism in African cosmology provides an appropriate conceptual framework for understanding the intra-Trinitarian relationship, one that complements Western insights and avoids some concerns associated with modalism and tritheism. By engaging African categories of personhood, community, and relational ontology, the study demonstrates that the life of the Triune God resonates deeply with African communitarian insights, while also offering theological correction …

Switching Sides: A Grounded Theory Study Of Transition From Christian To Atheist, Joel C. Furches

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study developed a data driven, six stage model of deconversion, defined as the transition from publicly identifying as a Christian to publicly identifying as an atheist. Using a Grounded Theory approach for analysis, and an archival approach for data collection, the research analyzed 35 autobiographical accounts of deconversion to identify common psychological, social, and behavioral processes underlying religious-deidentification and atheist identification. The findings revealed six background features characteristic of religious environments with higher likelihood of producing deconverts, four categories of objections that precipitate dissonance, and six coping strategies individuals employ in response to that dissonance. Central to the model …

Slowing Down With The Archives: Reexamining An Archaeological Context From Pre-Columbian Coastal Ecuador, Madison Rieth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Archaeological excavations leave behind extensive paper trails and repositories of materials. When these materials are transformed into an archive it disjoints the archaeological process and increases the possibility for knowledge loss. The archive from Salango Site 141C showcases this. These materials have remained in storage or on display since their original excavation and over time the understanding and significance of the site has been lost. Utilizing the theoretical framework of slow archaeology, this thesis analyzes the various parts of the archive from 141C. Using both mortuary archaeology and skeletal analysis, these parts of the archive are reconciled, compared, and integrated. …

Women’S Peace Agency: Reading Africae Munus In The Framework Of Emilie Townes’ Womanist Ethics And The Cultural Production Of Evil, Leonard N. Zifac

Graduate Student Research Symposium

This paper employs Emilie M. Townes's womanist ethical framework—particularly her concept of the "cultural production of evil"—to critically examine Pope Benedict XVI's post-synodal exhortation Africae Munus (2011) and its treatment of African women's agency in peacebuilding. While Africae Munus calls the Church in Africa to serve reconciliation, justice, and peace, and acknowledges women's dignity and contributions to family and community life, the document largely confines women's roles to maternal, supportive, and domestic spheres without adequately challenging the patriarchal structures that systematically marginalize women from strategic leadership and formal peace processes. Drawing on Townes's analysis of how cultural narratives, religious discourse, …

Titans Explore Careers Through The Career Immersion Excursion, Emily Bollinger

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

Material Affecting Design (Mad): How Living Biomaterials Reshape Computational Design Through Biological Transformation, Abolhassan Pishahang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Living biomaterials grow during fabrication, making strategy selection a design problem distinct from conventional form-making. This dissertation investigates how Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium and Triticum aestivum plant roots reshape the computational design process through their biological behavior. The central argument is that when a designer works with living matter, the material participates in forming, changing the decisions made, the strategies chosen, and the framework required. This relationship between biological transformation and computational design is named the Material Affecting Design (MAD) framework. The research was conducted through a research-through-design methodology grounded in American pragmatist philosophy, particularly the work of Dewey, James, and …

Jerusalem, City Of David Visitor Center: The Early Islamic, Medieval And Late Ottoman Pottery, Benjamin J. Dolinka

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavation at the entrance to the Visitor Center in the City of David uncovered a small but significant assemblage of ceramics, all from stratified contexts, including bowls, basins, storage jars, jugs, a cooking pot and a clay tobacco pipe. The pottery dates from the Abbasid period (ninth–tenth centuries CE), the medieval period (mid-twelfth–late fourteenth centuries CE) and the late Ottoman period (mid- to late nineteenth century CE). The ceramic evidence from the excavation provides important insights into the occupational history of the site during these periods.

Jerusalem, City Of David Visitor Center: The Late Roman And Byzantine Pottery, Debora Sandhaus

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

This article analyzes two pottery assemblages excavated at the entrance of the City of David Visitor Center in Jerusalem, providing important evidence for the occupation and development of the city during the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The first assemblage, recovered from above the floors of the Stratum VI building, is a homogeneous domestic collection dominated by serving and food-preparation vessels, including arched-rim basins, bowls/lids and a complete Bet Naṭṭif lamp. These finds date the structure to the third–fourth centuries CE and suggest activities associated with food preparation and communal use rather than storage. The second assemblage, recovered from a …

Jerusalem, City Of David Visitor Center: Remains From The Late Roman–Late Ottoman Periods, Joe Uziel

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The following report presents the results of an excavation conducted on the summit of the City of David, Jerusalem, which exposed remains of six strata, spanning the Late Roman to the Medieval–late Ottoman period. Although the excavation area was quite narrow, important remains were exposed, contributing to our knowledge of the settlement and character of this portion of the city. Several surfaces interpreted as roads were exposed, beginning with an Abbasid road and continuing until the Medieval–late Ottoman period. Beneath these surfaces, a layer of garden soil, similar in character to the layer exposed in the Giv‘ati Parking Lot, was …

Reacting To Electronic Literature In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Faith Samuel Bassey

ELO (un)supervised 2026

Electronic literature is still quite new in our country, and we do not have enough manpower to drive a literary or scholarly movement.  We need to introduce these concepts to many people; however, we do not have the people we need who know the field well enough to pass on their passion and prowess to get others enthused about electronic literature.

In this talk, I will describe the ways that I have presented my work, The Water Seller, Mai Ruwa, with Deena Larsen. In October 2025,  I presented this work in an in-person conference in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra …

Optimising Professional Support For Doctors Who Experience Work Performance Issues: A Realist Evaluation, Nicola Brennan, Ellie Reynolds, Tristan Price, Geoff Wong, Jennifer Cleland, Helen Lloyd, Lyndsey Withers, Thomas Gale

Peninsula Medical School

Background The optimal performance of doctors is critical to delivering high-quality, safe healthcare. However, 6–12% of doctors may experience challenges that impact their work performance. In many countries, including the UK, there is variation in the practice and quality of professional support services between different types of organisations. The aims of our study were (1) to identify why, how, in what contexts and for whom professional support works, (2) to develop a guide for healthcare organisations to use to optimise professional support.Methods We carried out a realist evaluation consistent with Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) II standards. …

Strengthening Local Culture-Based Speech Acts Use To Mediate Ecological Sustainability: A New Insight From Congko Lokap Ritual In Manggarai, Indonesia, Karolus Budiman Jama, Sebastianus Menggo

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Ritual speech acts strengthen language and culture by articulating meaning, function, and the role of utterances as a cohesive channel connecting humans, culture, nature, and spirituality. Previous studies have paid limited attention to the types and values of speech acts rooted in indigenous wisdom as mechanisms for promoting ecological sustainability and forest conservation. This study aims to examine the types and values of speech acts in the Congko Lokap ritual from the perspective of the Manggarai community to alleviate sustainable environmental damage in Indonesia. A phenomenological approach with a descriptive qualitative design was employed. Data were collected through interviews, observations, …

A Late Holocene (Late Bronze Age) Record Of The Syrian Elephant (Elephas Maximus Asurus) From Gavur Lake Swamp (Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye), Serdar Mayda, Yarenkür Alkan

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Syrian elephant (Elephas maximus asurus Deraniyagala, 1951) constitutes the extinct westernmost population of the Asian elephant and occupied parts of the Near East until the early first millennium BCE. Although historical, iconographic, and dental evidence for this population has been discussed extensively, its postcranial anatomy remains poorly documented. We present a revised osteological and morphometric study of cranial and postcranial remains recovered from the Late Bronze Age Gavur Lake Swamp assemblage (ca. 1650–1400 cal BCE) in Kahramanmaraş, southeastern Türkiye, during rescue excavations conducted in 2021 and 2022. The material derives from a natural swamp deposit rather than from an …

Tenure And Promotion Announcement, 2026, University Of Mississippi. Provost

Tenure and Promotion Announcements

No abstract provided.

Out Of This World: An Exoplanetary Workshop, Monica Storss, Bart Kuipers

ELO (un)supervised 2026

The workshop investigates how scientific constraints can productively defamiliarize human experience and create new frameworks for creativity and expression. Participants will produce original work while considering broader questions about environment, perception, and cultural formation in speculative contexts, and how the arts, sciences, and technology inform each other in relational multiplicities. This generative workshop explores how astronomical data from confirmed exoplanets can generate new poetic forms and linguistic constraints. Participants will examine how exoplanetary conditions can shape language, metaphor, and narrative structure. We'll develop from writing exercises that respond to non-terrestrial physical parameters: alternative light spectra, gravitational variations, and atmospheric compositions. …

Singulars: Performing The Reverse Turing Test, Halim Madi

ELO (un)supervised 2026

Singulars is an ongoing series of performance systems in which I co-create poetry with a language model trained on an anthology of English poetry alongside my own writing. Across three works—carnation.exe, versus.exe, and reinforcement.exe—I stage live reinforcement loops in which my poems and the model’s responses compete for audience votes. The audience functions as an embodied feedback mechanism, shaping the evolution of both the machine and the human poet in real time.

This paper examines what happens when a poet becomes both author and training data. Drawing from creativity research, metacognition, and social cognition, I reflect …

Review Of "Canada’S Army: Waging War And Keeping The Peace, 3rd Ed." By J.L. Granatstein And "Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military At War Since 1867" By David A. Borys, Jean-Michel Turcotte

Canadian Military History

Review of Canada’s Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace, 3rd ed. by J.L. Granatstein and Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 by David A. Borys

Water Scarcity On Arizona’S Navajo Nation, As An Environmental Justice Issue, Chenoa Marks

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

For the Navajo–or Diné, meaning ‘the people’ in Diné Bizaad (Navajo language)–water is not only a resource. It is life, story, and relationship. It is tied to origin, movement, and balance within the natural and spiritual world. Water exists not only in rivers and rainfall, but in teachings, ceremonies, and the way knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next. In this sense, water is both physical and cultural, shaping how people live, understand the land, and connect to one another.

At the same time, water on the Navajo Nation–known by the Diné as Diné Bikéyah, also translated …

More Than Just A Celebration: Gift Exchange In U.S. Culture, Macie Hazelton

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

My graduation party may seem like a simple celebration to some, but when viewed through an anthropological lens, it becomes a rich example of how gift exchange continues to shape relationships in U.S. culture. Drawing on Marcel Mauss’s theory of the obligations to give, receive, and return, as well as insights from Godbout, Benson, and Carter, I argue that cards, money, food, and even the thank-you notes exchanged at my party reveal a cultural system of reciprocity that strengthens social bonds during a major life transition. By examining how my community participated in this cycle of bringing gifts, supporting me, …