Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Sentimiento Maya Frente A La Injusticia: Qué Es Ser Maya, Kawoq Baldomero Cuma

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

¿Qué es ser maya? El sentimiento de ser maya se refleja en todo nuestro y entorno, como lo es nuestra cosmovisión, donde emerge mucha sabiduría y arte, que muestran nuestra identidad. Los pueblos originarios tenemos un tronco común en nuestras vivencias, y eso nos hace identificarnos con el mismo sentir. Solo expresamos nuestros pensamientos sobre todas las vicisitudes de los distintos escenarios de nuestra historia. Así pues, este ensayo sirve como un llamado a alzar nuestra voz colectiva, para hacer saber al mundo que perduramos —que existimos— a pesar de las indignidades que hemos sufrido en un mundo desigual.

Lenguas Vivas: La Importancia De Preservar El Idioma Mam Y Las Lenguas Indígenas De Guatemala, Sindy Villagrez

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Cada vez que una lengua indígena deja de hablarse, el mundo pierde una manera única de entender la vida, la naturaleza y la experiencia humana. Con ella desaparecen historias transmitidas durante generaciones, conocimientos construidos a través de siglos de observación y experiencia, formas particulares de relacionarse con la comunidad y visiones del mundo que no pueden reproducirse completamente en ningún otro idioma. Estas lenguas forman parte del patrimonio cultural de la humanidad porque conservan conocimientos sobre la agricultura, la medicina tradicional, la convivencia comunitaria y la relación respetuosa con la naturaleza. También guardan valores, memorias y formas de pensamiento que …

My Experience As A Mayan Language Interpreter, Misael Itzep

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Misael discusses his experiences as a court interpreter for K’iche’ migrants in the United States. He has witnessed that “many of my compatriots don't consider that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fleeing after an accident, leaving a minor alone at home ‘for a moment’, hitting their partner, etc., has serious repercussions under the law in the United States, something that rarely has legal consequences in Guatemala. For example, in Guatemala, many driving laws aren’t enforced, such as the requirement to wear a seatbelt or to stop at a red traffic light. In contrast, laws are enforced in …

Importance Of Maya Culinary Traditions In Cultural Identity, Claudia Pacay

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Elder women play a crucial role in preserving Mayan identity through food, serving as the primary keepers and transmitters of traditional culinary knowledge. Through everyday cooking and special ceremonial meals, they pass down ancestral recipes, techniques, and the symbolic meanings of ingredients to younger generations. These foods are deeply connected to Mayan history, agriculture, spirituality, and community life — such as the use of native maize, traditional grinding methods, and dishes prepared for rituals and celebrations. By teaching children and grandchildren how to prepare these foods and explaining when and why they are eaten, elder women help maintain cultural continuity …

Woven In Silence: Maya Q’Anjob’Al Cosmology, Gaspar Tomas

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

The Q’anjob’al, Akateko, and Chuj communities of the Guatemalan highlands are among many Maya communities that are flourishing with knowledge that draws on the classical-period Maya civilization and infuses it with contemporary practices. This knowledge guided the Maya people in building a stronger relationship with the natural and spiritual worlds: the very foundation of our social structure and the key to understanding our place in this universe. The survival of our culture, our languages, and our oral traditions all played a critical role in preserving our worldview, but the one that stands resilient above all is the one recorded on …

Flows That Teach: Multimodal Hip-Hop Pedagogy For Equity In Special Education, Camille O'Quin, Sara Jozwik

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Hip-Hop can be more than a soundtrack played at home, it can be a bridge between culture, language, and learning at school. This article shows how Hip-Hop pedagogy, translanguaging, and code-meshing can support students with disabilities, especially those who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), in the classroom setting. Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy and translanguaging theory, the approach uses rhythm, storytelling, and performance to build narrative fluency, language awareness, and confidence. Examples include students drafting rap verses about personal experiences, holding structured cypher circles to practice turn-taking and self-expression, and blending AAVE with Mainstream American English in writing for …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

Witchcraft Dialogues : Anthropological And Philosophical Exchanges, George Clement Bond, Diane M. Ciekawy

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Witchcraft Dialogues analyzes the complex manner in which human beings construct, experience, and think about the occult. It brings together anthropologists, philosophers, and sociologists, from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, to engage the metaphysical properties of witchcraft and sorcery and to explore their manifestations in people’s lived experiences.

While many Africanist scholars shun the analysis of witchcraft as an appropriate domain of investigation, the experiences, thoughts, activities, and powers that witchcraft encompasses have become increasingly the source of interest and debate. Concepts of witchcraft and the phenomena to which they are applied express something fundamental to the human condition and …

The History Of Poro College From 1902-1965, Chajuana V. Trawick Ferguson

Dissertations

This study investigates the development, operation, decline, and historical erasure of Poro College, the first multimillion‑dollar, minority‑owned higher education institution and vertical beauty‑culture enterprise, founded by Annie Turnbo Malone in St. Louis, Missouri. Drawing on Poro College documents, Black newspaper archives, National Trust for Historic Preservation records, and interviews with individuals knowledgeable about the institution, the research addresses four central questions: how Poro College was developed; its impact on students, employees, and the surrounding community; its relevance for current and future minority women educators and entrepreneurs; and the factors that contributed to its closure and eventual demolition. Evidence from the …

Las Otras Rosas: Mexican American Women Workers And World War Ii, Talisa Flores

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

The image of Rosie the Riveter has become one of the most enduring symbols of patriotism, women's empowerment, and gender equality in the United States. Yet this iconic representation has obscured the experiences of many women whose wartime labor remains marginalized in both public memory and historical scholarship, particularly Mexican American defense workers. This thesis reexamines the history of Rosie the Riveter by centering the voices of Mexican American women employed in wartime industries during the Second World War. While the war undoubtedly shaped their lives, this study argues that the conventional Rosie narrative, one that portrays wartime employment as …

Indigenous Community Research Opportunities, Sharon Hausam, Aaron M. Canter

Faculty Publications

This is a working paper produced as part of National Science Foundation project #2115169, “Transforming Rural-Urban Systems: Trajectories for Sustainability in the Intermountain West,” known as the “Intermountain West Transformation Network” (TN), led by the University of New Mexico with institutional partners at three additional universities in New Mexico, two in Arizona, and one each in Utah, Colorado, and Washington. The TN’s Indigenous and Tribal engagement was supported through a contract with Dr. Sharon Hausam, additional work by Aaron M. Canter, coordination with Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, and an Advisory Committee on Indigenous Information Needs primarily comprised of Indigenous representatives in …

Opportunities For Leadership In Indigenous And Tribally Engaged Research At The University Of New Mexico, Sharon Hausam

Faculty Publications

This is a working paper produced as part of National Science Foundation project #2115169, “Transforming Rural-Urban Systems: Trajectories for Sustainability in the Intermountain West,” known as the “Intermountain West Transformation Network” (TN), led by the University of New Mexico with institutional partners at three additional universities in New Mexico, two in Arizona, and one each in Utah, Colorado, and Washington. The TN’s Indigenous and Tribal engagement was supported through a contract with Dr. Sharon Hausam, additional work by Aaron M. Canter, coordination with Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, and an Advisory Committee on Indigenous Information Needs primarily comprised of Indigenous representatives in …

Mohammed Harbi : Un Historien De Talent, Un Homme Libre Aux Convictions Bien Trempées, Tahar Khalfoune

Journal of Amazigh Studies

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Identity, Needs, And Conflict Online: Understanding Cultural Fragmentation In The Black Diaspora, Imhile Omosede Dora Akpata

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines how identity formation, intra-diaspora tensions, and social media interactions contribute to fragmentation within the Black diaspora. While existing scholarship, including work by Godfried Asante and Elizabeth Chacoko has emphasized the fluid and socially constructed nature of Black identity, less attention has been given to how these processes operate in practice across diverse diasporic groups and how they are intensified in digital environments. This research addresses this gap by analyzing how individuals negotiate Black identity, how tensions emerge within the diaspora, and how social media shapes and amplifies these dynamics.

Drawing on Social Identity Theory developed by Henri …

Cultural Humility, Reformation Of Power Structures, And Cultural Competence As Seeds And Fruits Of Interculturality, Doug Herbek

Obsculta

This piece examines how interculturality both promotes and is fostered by cultural humility, reformation of power structures, and development of cultural competence. As we pursue interculturality, we incarnate the Gospel. In the process, local church leadership becomes inclusive and integrative, worship becomes more heartfelt, and community and unity are fostered as we celebrate our differences.

Understanding The Perceptions Of Racial Socialization As A Protective Factor Influencing Resiliency Adaptation Among Black Males Who Matriculated To College In Northeastern Florida When They Were Aged 18 – 24 And Who Had A History Of Criminogenic Risk Factors Or Criminal Justice System Contact, C. Darnell Stroble

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of racial socialization (“RS”) as a protective factor that leads to resiliency adaptations among Black males who matriculated to college in Northeastern Florida when they were aged 18 – 24 and who had a history of criminogenic risk factors or criminal justice system contact. Grounded in Unnever and Gabbidon’s (2011) Theory of African American Offending (“TAAO”), the study used a qualitative phenomenological case study research design to explore participants’ understanding of RS messages from their parents and their resiliency adaptations in response to those messages. Two research questions guided the study: (1) How …

Liberation Landscapes: Writing Freedom In A Black Geographies Classroom, Cornel Grey, Muna-Udbi A. Ali

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Precious Pattern: The Dotted-Diamond Motif In Indigenous American Textiles, Explorations In Mesoamerica, The American Southwest, And The Andes, Billie J. A. Follensbee, Lois Martin

Zea E-Books Collection

No abstract provided.

Indian Independence, Unknown

Usher Burdick Papers

This editorial, titled “Indian Independence,” reflects on the historical and ongoing challenges faced by Native Americans due to colonization and federal policy and discusses the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ policy that allows tribes to govern themselves and gain independence from federal supervision, though it notes that full independence remains a distant goal. It addresses concerns about overprotection, undereducation, and the lack of viable opportunities for tribes to thrive economically, particularly in agriculture and ranching.

Promises Fulfilled: 114-Year-Old Alelia Murphy’S Life Of Faith And Resilience, Jacqueline B. Koonce

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Alelia Murphy was the oldest living person in the United States, turning 114 in July 2019 until her death in November 2019. She and her family credit her longevity to her faith in God. This premise is explored through her words as she stated she had not seen everyone she needed to see and compared that statement to Simeon from the Bible who did not die until he saw the Messiah. Alelia Murphy also had not seen everything. She was seeing the relative success of her much admired, former President Barack Obama, and she had just met me, her great …

“To Complete Our Declaration”: The American Indian Chicago Conference, The Declaration Of Indian Purpose, And The Quest For Self-Determination, Joseph W. Ferguson

Department of History

The American Indian Chicago Conference (AICC) illuminates understudied elements within twentieth century Indigenous history. Post WWII policies of termination came to frame the conference, and archival evidence from the planning and establishment of regional conferences and founding documents allows for analysis of the deeper meaning the conference held. The planning phases, schedule, events, and outcomes of the conference indicate factors of a national Indigenous community and identity that have yet to be fully explored in the historiography of this period. The implications of termination policies on Indigenous peoples in North America act as a starting point for the conference’s development. …

Central Asia's Kaleidoscope Of Identities: Sport As The Perfect Instrument For Nation-Building, Khais Rahmanie

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

The five Central Asian countries emerged from Soviet collapse with arbitrarily drawn borders, weak national identities, and deeply complex ethnic and religious landscapes. Predominantly Muslim but heir to seventy years of Soviet secularization, each state contains substantial minority populations. Confronted with these internal fractures, the governments of these countries have since their independence in the 1990s turned to sport as a primary instrument for forging social cohesion, managing interethnic tensions, and legitimizing their authority. This article examines the ethnic lines, explains why certain sports and events are specifically organized in particular regions, and traces sport's evolution from a Soviet tool …

African American Women’S Perceptions And Experiences With Weight Management And Ensuing Health Outcomes, Brenda Louise Gill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women (AAW) experience disproportionately high rates of obesity and chronic disease compared to all other demographic groups in the United States. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of AAW aged 36–64 residing in Nashville, Tennessee, regarding food, weight management, and chronic disease management. The social-ecological model (SEM) served as the theoretical framework, providing a multilevel lens through which individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal factors are examined. Three research questions guided the inquiry, examining individual-level experiences, parental and caregivers’ influences, and community and societal-level factors shaping participants’ relationship with food, weight management, …

Islam And Catholicism: Theology And Practice Of Inter-Spiritual Dialogue, Felix Koerner

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article explores foundations, preconditions, aims, persons, groups, practices, methods, texts, and criteria of Muslim–Christian inter-spiritual dialogue. In-ter-spiritual dialogue thrives within the network of other dialogical forms: dialogue of life and collaboration, of theological and practical understanding. This article argues that the spiritual dimension of dialogical encounter may itself constitute a critical site of moral reflection, enabling participants to perceive injustice more clearly and to respond to it more responsibly. Nevertheless, the integrity of in-ter-spiritual dialogue depends upon the cultivation of trust, candor, and a shared orientation toward mutual enrichment and spiritual purification. Where dialogue is subordinated to extrinsic strategic …

The Dialogue Of Spiritual Experience In Buddhist-Christian Encounter, S Mark Heim

Journal of Global Catholicism

Can one learn more about one’s own religion through the practices of another? My positive answer to this question is illustrated in this paper by reflection on aspects of the Buddhist practice of emptiness, in specific connection with Christian under-standing of our lives as creatures. The Buddhist meditative practices I have in mind have several things in common. They are introspective (activated in one person’s inner consciousness) and premised on the Buddhist understanding of emptiness (specifically “no self ” teachings). Buddhist introspective practice takes at least three broad forms. One of these is a meditative analytical awareness of the contents …

Hindu Poetry And The Project Of An Inter-Spiritual Catholic Theology, Francis X. Clooney

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article engages the work of the Indian south Indian Tamil-language Vaiṣṇava poet saints known as the Alvārs. The article specifically focuses the First HundredHoly Linked verses of Poykai Ālvār to argue for inter-spiritual learning between Catholics and Hindus. The article concludes with personal reflections on this encounter within the context of the global Catholic Church

Overview And Acknowledgments, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

An overview and introduction to the present issue on Inter-Spiritual Dialogue.

If You Want To Fly, Nandi Gayles '29

Black Studies Student Scholarship

My research explores the intersections of Sociology and Literature rooted in the unique gendered perspective of Blackness in the novels The Bluest Eye and Beloved by Toni Morrison. Morrison’s works are rooted in the authenticity of Blackness and being. She inherently studies human behavior and social interaction to communicate narratives that have often gone untold––those that center the Black experience. Morrison’s work is revolutionary as she intentionally wrote to disregard the white gaze. Her work is literature rooted in a sociological landscape that contributes to personal and social liberation of Black people. Using auto-theory as my methodology, this project places …

If You Want To Fly, Nandi Gayles '29

Sociology & Anthropology Student Scholarship

My research explores the intersections of Sociology and Literature rooted in the unique gendered perspective of Blackness in the novels The Bluest Eye and Beloved by Toni Morrison. Morrison’s works are rooted in the authenticity of Blackness and being. She inherently studies human behavior and social interaction to communicate narratives that have often gone untold––those that center the Black experience. Morrison’s work is revolutionary as she intentionally wrote to disregard the white gaze. Her work is literature rooted in a sociological landscape that contributes to personal and social liberation of Black people. Using auto-theory as my methodology, this project places …

His 127 Microhistories: A Lens Into The Past — Apartheid In South Africa Syllabus, Marta Millar

Open Educational Resources

The microhistory course introduces students to the study of history by exploring a particular event, individual, or issue, and its legacy. Students will read both primary source documents and modern texts to examine how the topic under consideration was shaped by, and in turn shaped contemporary culture.

This syllabus is for a course focusing on the history of apartheid in South Africa. Students will analyze the political, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the apartheid era. This includes understanding how segregationist policies developed in South Africa, what political transformations led to the implementation of the apartheid system, how different policies …