Digital Commons Network^™

Commencement 2024

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Desert Places: Transnational Formations Of Race, Region, And Empire In The Nineteenth-Century Pampas And Prairies, Colin Allen Young

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

This dissertation asks why, in the long nineteenth century, the desert became a defining American region. As opposed to our modern climatological understanding of desert, nineteenth-century deserts were understood by their settler colonists to be cultural wastelands bereft of “civilization.” By juxtaposing the visual culture of the South American pampas and the North American prairies—two critical hemispheric desert places—I reveal that approaching these grasslands as a shared cultural, political, and artistic zone is essential to writing a more integrated art history of the Americas. Far from being “deserted,” the pampas and the prairies were home to Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities …

Afrekete’S Touch: Black Queer Feminist Errantry And Global African Art, Alexandra Monet Thomas

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

The dissertation proposes that black queer feminist conceptual tools are advantageous to interpreting modern and contemporary art. Utilizing visual analysis and interdisciplinary black feminist criticism to analyze artwork by Mildred Thompson, Simone Leigh, Wangechi Mutu, Zanele Muholi, Senzeni Marasela, and others, becomes a way through which to build the concept of black queer feminist errantry. Defined as a political, aesthetic, and intellectual mode through which artists enact practices of wandering, refusal, fabulation, and waywardness, black queer feminist errantry was developed with the work of several scholars in mind, such as Sarah Jane Cervenak, Tavia Nyong’o, and Saidiya Hartman. The preface, …

The Chanticleer, 2024-02-29, Coastal Carolina University

The Chanticleer Student Newspaper

The editorially independent student produced weekly newspaper of Coastal Carolina University.

Abundant Bodies In Times Of Excess: A Critical Exploration Of Fatness From Cairo To Tokyo, Sarah Aly

Theses and Dissertations

This work is an autoethnographic exploration of the social construction of fatness in contexts of existing and emerging neoliberal state control through the embodied experiences of fat people, following the tradition of ‘fat epistemology’ promoted by the emerging 'critical fat studies' field. It is a comparative study of the experiences of fatness as an unstable embodied category of being, rather than a liminal undesirable state or medical condition, in Cairo, Alexandria, and Tokyo, paying particular attention to the gender, racial, and class dynamics surrounding the construction (and marginalization) of fatness across various spatial and temporal contexts. These experiences are considered …

Navigating Archival Silences: Black History At Purdue, Sammie L. Morris

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

There are gaps in the historical record of Purdue University as evidenced in the lack of source materials in the University Archives. In particular, researching history on Black alumni, faculty, and staff and other people of color in Purdue's past is challenging due to the scarcity of source material. This presentation discusses gaps or archival silences in the University Archives and measures being taken to preserve and share access to Black history at Purdue.

Without Us There Is No Britain: Black British Photography And Film Networks, 1950-1989, Maria T. Quinata

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation tracks three moments from 1950 to 1989, when images were put to work by Black photographers and filmmakers to stake individual and communal claims to Britain and Britishness: first, through the emergence of photographic portraiture taken in domestic living spaces during the 1950s to 1970s; second, through the Black Panther Movement and their use of photography in the late 1960s to mid 1970s, and last, with the efflorescence of Black film and video collectives in the 1980s. At each of these moments, I attend to the simultaneous production, negotiation, and co-mingling of new social identities that were diasporic, …

Acculturation And Intimate Partner Violence Among Kenyans In The United States, Max J. Stein, Peter Ndiang’Ui, Eunice Menja

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse by a partner or spouse. This study focused on IPV among Kenyan immigrants to the United States. Several studies reported connections between IPV and cultural tensions experienced during the acculturation process. Scholars disagree whether acculturation buffers against IPV by exposing immigrants to adaptive social norms or heightens risk factors among those facing challenges acclimating to new settings. Whereas this association has been researched among Latinx and Asian communities in the United States, it is understudied among African and especially Kenyan diasporas. This descriptive study explored how acculturation and IPV among U.S. Kenyans were experienced …

Umsl Bulletin 2023-2024, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Bulletins

The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.

Syntax, Newsletter Of The Suffolk University English Department, Issue 13, Spring 2024, English Department

Syntax Newsletter of the Suffolk University English Department

No abstract provided.

2024 F1rst Look, Nova Southeastern University

First Look

No abstract provided.

Crisis Migration In Sri Lanka: Analyzing The Governance Of Transnational Actors In The Context Of War And Financial Crisis, Dolewaththa Gamage Niruka Sanjeewani

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Crisis migration has become a critical issue in Sri Lanka due to the war and ongoing financial crisis. Drawing from this understanding, the research investigates crisis migration in Sri Lanka through five distinct chapters. The first chapter offers an overview of the entire research. The second chapter examines the evolution of classical humanitarianism and its shift towards new humanitarianism in the context of war in Sri Lanka. It focuses primarily on Tamil refugees in India and their repatriations from India to Sri Lanka. The third chapter examines the transnational spaces of the Tamil diaspora. The chapter elaborates on their involvement …

A Chai Story : The Interplay Of Food, Memory, And Identity In Contemporary Creative Practices, Thaksina Chawla

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This curatorial thesis positions masala chai as a living cultural artifact that embodies layered histories of intimacy, resistance, and transformation. Grounded in postcolonial theory, material culture studies, diaspora studies, and sensory ethnography, the research investigates how chai operates not merely as a beverage, but as a medium of embodied knowledge, culinary memory, and cultural negotiation.The outcome is A Chai Story, a digital exhibition that curates contemporary artworks, archival materials, soundscapes, poetry, and documentary footage into a reflexive and participatory experience. Rather than following a chronological format, the exhibition is structured around four thematic sections—colonial legacies, ritual performance, authenticity, and global …

Using A "Moves To Innocence" Approach To Dissect And Debunk The Claim That Critical Race Theory Is Antisemitic, Diane Kemker

Lewis & Clark Law Review

In the United States, law and policy have most frequently reflected dominant white Christian majority interests. Critical Race Theory (CRT) offers powerful tools for understanding our history and situation, including that of American Jews, and how the social positions and interests of American Blacks and Jews, real and perceived, have intersected, sometimes aligning, sometimes diverging, and sometimes conflicting. And yet, among other charges leveled against it, Critical Race Theory is frequently accused of being antisemitic.

Intentionally or not, this charge delegitimizes and discredits CRT, and therefore advances the aims of all who oppose it for any reason, including white supremacists …

Senegambia And The American South: Where Identity Belongs, Malika David

Master's Theses

When you think of identity, what is the first thing that comes to mind? While I knew the dictionary definition, the actual meaning of identity remained unclear to me. I couldn't quite grasp the concept or how it related to me. That changed when I visited my mother’s homeland of Senegambia in December 2022. There was always a hunch that identity was connected to a sense of belonging and self-discovery, and I was surprised to realize how similar Senegambian. culture. was to my own southern upbringing. Ultimately, that provided a lot of curiosity and shaped my perspective on identity and …

Nsu Florida Undergraduate Student Catalog 2024-2025, Nova Southeastern University

Undergraduate Programs Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Afghan Immigrants In Western Australia: Divisions Within The Community And Integration Within The Society, Omid Rezaei, Vicki Banham, Hossein Adibi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The integration process for immigrants is a multi-dimensional concept, influenced by a wide range of structural and individual factors, including social connections that immigrants make in the host society. An important part of this social connection can be developed with other co-nation immigrants within the immigrant community. However, this sometimes can be challenging due to the divisions that might exist within communities. Drawing on data with a mixed-method design, this study focuses on the Afghan community in Western Australia to understand, firstly, the relationship between Afghan immigrants’ social connections within their community and successful integration within Australian society, and secondly …

Rethinking The Inclusionary Potential Of Religious Institutions: The Case Of Gurdwaras In Singapore, Siew Ying Shee, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst Singapore’s Sikh community is relatively small, it is also heterogeneous. Its diversity reflects differences in ancestral and socio-economic backgrounds. As spaces of worship that regularly bring together the Sikh community in space and time, Sikh temples—gurdwaras––are often conceived as important places through which a shared sense of religiously-defined community is reproduced. Yet, as much as religion can provide a bridge that integrates people of different ethnic, racial, national, and linguistic groups into a single faith community, so too can it act as a buttress through which differences and divisions are enforced within the community. We argue that whilst gurdwaras …

The Political Mobilization Of The Croatian Diaspora: Analyzing The Impact Of The Croatian Diaspora On Croatian Politics., Regina Cabrera Hernandez

Honors College Theses

This paper examines the relationship between the Croatian diaspora and the Croatian nation with the goal of better understanding this relationship and how diasporas can affect the homeland politically. I attempt to do this by studying and analyzing the history of the diaspora, their identity formation, and their actions throughout the 20th century. I begin with a look at the origins of the Croatian diaspora, and the developing relationship between the diaspora and the government of the homeland. With this, as changes in the makeup of the diaspora affected the relationship with the homeland, changes in the homeland also affected …

Unveiling Identity: Exploring Afrofuturism In Ekow Nimako’S Contemporary African Diasporic Sculptural Art, Kandra James

Theses

Identity expressed within African diasporic arts has historically been connected to traditional genres such as portraiture. Over time, contemporary artists have explored identity through genres beyond portraiture and through the use of non-traditional materials. The sculptural practice of Ghanaian Canadian artist Ekow Nimako, a fine arts sculptor based in Toronto, Canada, employs the unconventional material of LEGO® to offer a multi-generational perspective into deep diasporic memory. Examining Nimako’s sculptures through the perspective of colonialism and de-colonialism, materiality, and Afrofuturism, this thesis investigates the artist’s exploration of Black historical pasts to shape identities and construct narratives of Black futures. The monumental …

Black Digital Spaces: Theorizing Resistance In The Wake Of Racist Technology, Shannan Moore

Graduate Student Research Fellowship

In the wake of major technological advancement, social media has increasingly become a communal space of daily congregation, particularly for Black people. This paper specifically explores how the Black Diaspora navigates these spaces at a complex intersection of social media and transnational Black histories. I draw from critical Internet studies, Black Diaspora studies, Black feminisms, and media studies to investigate how new technology allows Black folk to engage in conversations about our identity, community, and resistance. Employing a critical ethnographic approach, this paper analyzes online discourse within the Black community about Marvel's Black Panther (2018). This analysis emphasizes the parallels …

Is Colonialism Episodal Or An Epoch? Understanding Africa’S Retrogressing Progression, Henrietta Oshokunofa

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

After the end of colonialism in Africa, there have been concerted efforts to decolonise Africa by mopping out the vestiges of exploitation, divide-and-rule system, oppression, and dehumanization, among others that characterised the period. Following its succession of an era that witnessed the mass migration of African descent from Africa to the Americas, colonialism was nothing short of the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade save for the natural resources exploitation that differentiated it. With post-colonialism being around for almost as long as colonialism, it is yet to demonstrate any significant development in the different sectors of their societies despite gaining independence peacefully through …

Spartan Daily, November 2, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 161, Issue 32

Aast 141h.01: Black - From Africa To Hip-Hop, Tobin Miller Shearer

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Irsh 382.01: Rhetorics Of Irish Music From Traditional To Punk, Erin C. Wecker

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Navigating Cultural Crossroads: Exploring Fictional And Interview Narratives Of Nigerian Immigrant Women Living In The Southern United States, Tolulope Adeusi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nigerian immigrant women undergo constant navigation of their personal identities when conflicting cultural dynamics sometimes engender a balancing act between their personal beliefs and the ongoing process of acculturation. Their new Southern environment offers its own traditional mores, as well as greater opportunities for economic advancement. This places Nigerian Immigrant Women in a position where they must reconcile their desires for personal independence and empowerment with societal expectations that emphasize more traditional gender roles. This study explores the interview narratives of Nigerian immigrant women, reinforced by fictional accounts from prolific African women writers, which provides a more nuanced discussion of …

Current Developmental Challenges In Nepal: How Can The Diaspora Help?, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Nepal now enjoys a unique opportunity to positively transform the country’s economy and society. The economic activities fueled by remittance, supported by foreign aid, and aided by domestic economic activities such as tourism, trade, and services, including start-ups, are helping increase individual incomes. However, the earnings from remittances, which measure to about 25% of Nepal’s GDP, are spent on consumer goods and not on investments that can generate employment and raise the standards of living. The foreign aid is often donor driven and also not always well managed and wisely spent on national priorities. Further, it is frequently marred by …

Identity And Rituals Of South Asian Communities In Africa: A Missiological Analysis, Andrew Tompkins

Faculty Publications

There is a sizable Indian population throughout sub-Saharan Africa. A majority of the Indian population are practicing Hindus. For Hindus, ritual is a significant part of their faith tradition, often the most important. In Africa, where they are a minority, Indians often cling to these rituals to maintain their identity as both Indian and Hindu. To share Christ among Indians in Africa, a robust understanding of ritual is required. While many Africans have thought about ritual from their cultural backgrounds, Seventh-day Adventist Africans have yet to do as much reflection on the role of ritual and faith. Adventists in Africa …

Unhomeliness And Human Agency In Translational Encounters: Exploring The Negotiation Of Identities Of The Ethnic Chinese In Southeast Asia, Chi Miao, Jeremy C. De Chavez

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

No abstract provided.

A Church Of The People: Coptic Church Building And Direction In Central New Jersey, Bishoy Garis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Building off Michael Akladios’ work on early Coptic migration and the ad hoc institutionalization of the Coptic Orthodox Church in North America, this dissertation proposes that the construction and direction of Coptic churches in Middlesex County, New Jersey was laity driven, ad hoc, reactive, and dependent on local variables. Additionally, it reveals that the creation of St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in East Brunswick, New Jersey spurred migration to the Middlesex County area and transformed their small community into a domestic and international Coptic migration center. Unlike previous scholarship that places greater attention on urban Coptic communities and transnational networks, …