Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons^™

The Interdependence Of Gedi Ruins And The Giriama: A Study Of Ancestral Spirits, Jinn, And The Impact Of Islam, Tucker Deady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Archaeological site, Gedi Ruins, is well known on the Coastal Province of Kenya as a place of great mystery. It is sacred to many for reasons of spirituality and appeals to both Swahili and Mijikenda, a group of nine tribes living on the coast, as a place of prayer. The Giriama make up one of these nine tribes and, as they have a large community surrounding the site of Gedi Ruins, are the focus of this study. The Mijikenda have a deep connection with their ancestral spirits as well as jinn. While their traditions run deep, there have, however, been …

Tibetan Guozhuang In Diqing Autonomous Prefecture: A Comparative Musical Analysis, Christina Du Breuil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The song and dance traditions of the Tibetan peoples of Diqing Prefecture are numerous and varied. Of these traditions, Guozhuang is cited as one of the oldest and most centrally traditional pieces of folk heritage. However, Guozhuang varies even within Diqing Prefecture. This paper addresses the basic form and structure of Guozhuang as well as variations between Benzilan and Shangri-la Guozhuang, two places separated not only by geographical distance but also the encroachment of development on traditional culture.

Refractions: Poems Through The Prism Of Proscription, Kayla Ahmed

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The chief aim of this study is to establish a working knowledge of contemporary Tibetan poetry and attain a sense of its development both chronologically and through displacement via diaspora. This is achieved by a brief analytical comparison between traditional and modern forms of Tibetan poetry on the basis of structure, language, content, themes, functions and uses. The frustration between the desire for cultural preservation and the desire for innovation within the Tibetan exile community is also explored. Ultimately this coalesces in a collection of original poetry that reflects the elements of contemporary Tibetan poetry and the pain of life …

Addiction In Alaska: How Alcohol Abuse Is Impacting Community Members In Native Villages Throughout Rural Alaska, Cristina Casillo

Capstone Collection

Across rural Alaska are over 200 Alaska Native villages so isolated, they are only accessible by airplane, boat, and snowmachine. These villages strive to keep their Native culture alive and rich, but continue to struggle against Western influences. Introduced to Alaska Natives by European and Russian explorers in the 1700s, this paper examines how alcohol addiction is affecting community members throughout villages in rural Alaska. The research was conducted in two Iñupiaq Eskimo villages, Point Hope and Selawik, both located above the Arctic Circle in rural Alaska. Drawing from three years of personal observations and a series of interviews, this …

Fair And Lovely: Standards Of Beauty, Globalization, And The Modern Indian Woman, Rebecca Gelles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With the expansion of globalization in the modern era, ideas from individual cultures are more easily able to spread to other parts of the world. One set of cultural standards that may be spreading to India is that of beauty, where a media with an increasingly Western style shares television space with advertisements from corporations that are often foreign in origin. This study seeks to examine exactly what influence this globalized media has on its viewers, and, in particular, on their perspectives on beauty. In addition, since the ability to conform to cultural standards affects how people view themselves, this …

Exploring Taksu & Meditation - Mysterious Power And The Tools To Realize It, Leonard Swanson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I came to the island of Bali hoping to learn about the local people's spirituality, to witness how they practice faith, and to see if local wisdom could be brought back to America. Here, I became intrigued by the mysterious power of Taksu and the worldwide practice of meditation. For this Independent Study Project, I aim to examine the relationship between meditation and Taksu, and see if the combined wisdoms can be cross-culturally applicable to foreigners in the west.

Balinese Hindus place an important emphasis upon frequent, elaborate ceremonies, but this practice is too place/time/context specific to adapt into American …

The Cultural Legacy Of The Williamite History In The Context Of Northern Ireland, John William Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

History, in one capacity or another, is relevant to all of us. History influences and affects every individual in some way. It is a defining point of any cultural group; it determines that group‟s values and the lens through which the group‟s individuals look at the world. With that being said, it is more often than not the perceived history of a group, rather than the factual historical record, which holds the most sway over a culture‟s identity. The legacy of that collective memory of history is what this paper seeks to examine. In the following pages, the author will …

Sherpa Inc. The Cultural Commoditization Of The Sherpa Identity, Melissa Mittelman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the ways the Sherpa identity has been commoditized for a Western audience, the Sherpa responses to such a process and the repercussions it creates when understanding Sherpa cultural “authenticity.” Located in Kathmandu and the Solukhumbu district of Nepal, the findings were acquired through interviews with various members of the Sherpa community, discourse analysis and observation. This research concludes that the Sherpa community views their cultural commoditization as both a source of discredit and honor, creating difficulty in rationalizing how it both de-authenticates and re-asserts their Sherpa culture.

The Barzakh Of Flamenco: Tracing The Spirituality, Locality And Musicality Of Flamenco From South Of The Strait Of Gibraltar, Tania Flores

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Flamenco performance – which scholars often describe in terms of the three dimensions of cante, or singing, baile, or dance, and toque, or instrumentation – is a complex synthesis of cultural influences across several centuries. In discussing the evolution of flamenco, scholars typically begin with the history of the gitanos, the subgroup of the Romani or Gypsy people that settled in Spain. Drawing upon a large body of ethnographic, historic and scientific evidence, scholars agree that the gitanos originated in the northwestern regions of contemporary India and

Pakistan – specifically, Rajasthan and the Punjab region (Iovita 275; …

A Berber In Agadir: Exploring The Urban/Rural Shift In Amazigh Identity, Thiago Lima

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Arab Spring has seen North African and Middle Eastern youth organizing against the status quo and challenging what they perceive as political, economic, and social injustices. In Morocco, while the Arab Spring may not have been as substantial as in neighboring countries, demonstrations are still occurring nearly everyday in major cities like Rabat as individuals protest issues including government transparency, high unemployment, and, for specific interest of this paper, the marginalization of the Amazigh people. The Amazigh, also popularly referred to as Berbers in most Western academia and literature, are regarded as the original inhabitants of Morocco and the …

Las Montañas Respiran: La Cosmovisión De La Comunidad De Rayampata Representada A Través Del Mito Pitusiray-Sawasiray, Gillian Thornton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En las altas montañas de los Andes, donde los árboles crecen lentamente y los vientos están constantemente pulsando a través de la hierba desaliñada, se dice que la tierra respira. Allá, aun los animalitos más pequeños tienen una gran fuerza en el ciclo de vida, y cada uno de los seres vivos, de las plantas, y de las piedras tiene vida. Se dice allá que aun las montañas pueden hablar. En la comunidad alta de Rayampata, la gente se comunica con la tierra para sobrevivir; escucha a los murmullos del río para saber cuando es tiempo a cosechar, lee las …

Batik: A Process And A Means Of Progress, Emily Swietlik

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I chose an alternative ISP of doing batik because it incorporated all of the facets of my interests: anthropology, international development, and art. As an artist, creating my own batik satisfied my love for expressing how I see the world through art. As an anthropologist, I was able to gain insight on a new culture. As an international activist, I was able to explore how batik can be used as a mechanism to improve the quality of life for people in Senegal. While my project was all encompassing, the primary objective of my research was to gain an understanding of …

The Tourists And The Toured: Identity In Greenmarket Square, Sophia Perlman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project explores the intersection between vendors and tourists in Greenmarket Square, a popular arts and crafts market in Cape Town. I examine the way in which the identities of the vendors and tourists are co-constructed in this market setting. I focus, in particular, on how vendors articulate and negotiate their identity through the tourist gaze. In addition, I consider the role of the objects in the co-construction of the tourists and toured identities. My findings are based on data gathered through participant observation with vendors, interviews with vendors and tourists, and content analysis of objects and tourist guidebooks. My …

Like The Roar Of A Thousand Thunders: Instrumental Music And Creativity In Tibetan Buddhist Ritual, Eben Yonnetti

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tibetan Buddhism has numerous detailed and diverse traditions of ritual music that play an integral part in religious practices. Despite the prominence of such performances in Tibetan Buddhist life, spectators and researchers alike have frequently misunderstood them based purely on physical observation. As a religion that focuses on the cultivation and development of the mind, any analysis focusing only on physical description is significantly flawed. Music in Buddhist practice is at a base level a sound offering. On a higher level, however, it is much more. If done with the proper motivation, musical performance during ritual is a method to …

Developing Intercultural Sensitivity In Children And Adults: A Trainer’S Experiences In The Field, Laura E. Schairbaum

Capstone Collection

Intercultural training is a broad field which seeks to enhance participants’ cultural self-awareness, understanding of “Others”, and skills related to effective communication across difference. These are essential competencies for individuals, organizations, and societies to have in our increasingly diverse nation and globalized world. This capstone paper is a training course-linked capstone (CLC) related to Training of Trainers: Ethics and Intercultural Training Design. My Reflective Practice Phase (RPP) training design and facilitation experiences are presented and analyzed using experiential learning and intercultural training frameworks. My previous training experiences, motivation, and philosophical approach to intercultural and social justice-based training are also …

Protecting Indigenous Identity And Culture In The Modern Nation-State: A Case Study Of The Sami In Norway, Claire Lockerby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The plight of indigenous peoples around the world is a serious one, and without significant international action, many valuable cultural and linguistic traditions are in grave danger of disappearing altogether. Many of these indigenous groups have experienced detrimental consequences from the history of slavery, colonialism and imperialism, and the emergence of nation-states that stripped them of their autonomy and greatly threatened their way of life. Today, there are some positive examples of international and national efforts to protect indigenous peoples, but unfortunately, most indigenous populations remain dispossessed and underrepresented. Although the international community has established principles of unalienable human rights, …

Did You Make That? : Wood Carving, Apprenticeships, And Collective Art In Senegal, Christina Schueler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Defining the term “artist” in one’s own culture is challenging and can be even more difficult in a foreign culture. In Senegal, the practice of wood sculpture can be both artistic and practical. Because of this, Senegalese artists who work with wood sculpture end up asserting their identity as artists through their collective actions. In this study, I follow the life and craft of a Senegalese wood sculptor, Serigne Mor Gueye, by making my own sculptures and listening to his anecdotes about life as an artist in hopes of discovering how the Senegalese define such ambiguous terms, “art” and “artist”.

Discursive Study On Centrality Of Dutch Society, Religiosity, And Female Body: How Five Women Reflect, On Faith, On Embodiment, And On Dutchness., Mollie Rachel Garber

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research examines the personal narratives of five (5) women living in Northern Netherlands, in and around Amsterdam. The focus of these narratives is on the diversity of national and religious backgrounds as these bear on body-image in Dutch culture. My purpose is to bridge the gap of knowledge between modern female body image, religiosity, and the conflicting messages of modernity and traditionalism. These five personal narratives begin to unpack my informants‟ “Dutch” identity, their social and personal views concerning the female body, and how religion conflicts, combines and in some cases complements the modern, secular female body message communicated …

A Critical Analysis Of The Current Status Of The Fijian Language, Stephanie Roberts

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the country of Fiji strives to keep up in the throws of modernity of the 21st century, it simultaneously attempts to grip onto its culture that distinguishes it from the rest of the world. Linguistically, Fiji is categorized into three general divisions (although each being greatly influenced since the 19th century). English, Fijian and Hindi serve as the three “official” languages of Fiji; as components of one country, they play significant roles in the formation of national identity. Language is a necessary element of culture, and was therefore studied in order to promote cultural identity for the people of …

Oracle: A Game Of Cultural Awareness, Allyn Willey-Billings

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this project is to promote meaningful cross-cultural communication in the ESL classroom. As a game, ORACLE works on various levels. The most obvious area is more effective language use through reading, speaking and writing. As a tool for culturalawareness, it reveals participants' underlying impressions/prejudices of one another as well as working on their ability to listen beyound the words spoken to the personality beneath. Its intent is the enrichment of people through cooperation and the understanding of the unpredictable nature of Humankind.

Tooning Into English ( A Rationale For The Use Of Cartoons In The English Language Classroom Plus Cartoons And Lesson Plans ), Timothy James Maciel

MA TESOL Collection

Teachers of English are constantly seeking new and better materials to aid their students in learning the English language. Sometimes these materials are in the form of newspaper or magazine articles and advertisements to show how a grammatical pattern studied in the textbook is actually applied in the culture. Sometimes these materials are in the form of cultural artifacts such as clothing items or eating utensils. And very often these materials are in the form of pictures and photographs to give the student a visual representation of new words or grammatical patterns. Whatever the material, the teacher is constantly looking …