Ethnic Studies Commons^™

Latinas And Electoral Politics: Expanding Participation And Power In State And National Elections, Anna Sampaio

Ethnic Studies

Latina and Latino political participation in the 2012 election reached new heights, proving to be a significant factor in the electoral outcomes of several battleground states and ultimately the reelection of President Obama. Both Latinas and Latinos played pivotal roles in the 2012 election, increasing their share of the national electorate and their support for President Obama over 2008 election levels. In the end, President Obama received 71 percent of the Latina/o vote (compared with 27 percent for Mitt Romney), surpassing all previous presidential candidates with the exception of Bill Clinton, who garnered 72 percent of the Latina/o vote in …

Native Footprints: Photographs And Stories Written On The Land, Kathleen J. Martin

Ethnic Studies

This essay examines the work of Native photographers and artists and the ways their work addresses the decolonizing practice of the study of visual images, as well as stimulating anomalous and unexpected interpretations. It situates representations from a starting point of power, oppression and hegemony as central components of visual imagery, and also as an opportunity to promote dialogue and encourage new interpretations and narratives. This manner of investigation may function as a way to stimulate what wa Thiong’o has conceptualized as “decolonizing the mind” as it applies to images, and to re-imagine Native life as integral and continuous on …

A Canyon Apart: Immigration Politics And Ethnic Identity In Arizona, Peter Morrissey Fcrh '11

The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal

This article examines the political and social forces surrounding the April 23, 2010 passage of Arizona’s stringent immigration enforcement measure, Senate Bill (S.B.) 1070, which empowered local law enforcement to demand proof of legal residency from any person suspected of being undocumented. A person’s failure to produce documentation would result in arrest, detention, investigation, and potentially deportation to his or her nation of origin. Through the law’s lens, the article explores the development of the social tension that followed Arizona’s explosive population growth, and examines how Arizona’s large Hispanic population has been unable to assert itself at the ballot box …

Dynamical Structure Of A Traditional Amazonian Social Network, Paul L. Hooper, Simon Dedeo, Ann E. Caldwell Hooper, Michael Gurven, Hillard Kaplan

ESI Publications

Reciprocity is a vital feature of social networks, but relatively little is known about its temporal structure or the mechanisms underlying its persistence in real world behavior. In pursuit of these two questions, we study the stationary and dynamical signals of reciprocity in a network of manioc beer (Spanish: chicha; Tsimane’: shocdye’) drinking events in a Tsimane’ village in lowland Bolivia. At the stationary level, our analysis reveals that social exchange within the community is heterogeneously patterned according to kinship and spatial proximity. A positive relationship between the frequencies at which two families host each other, controlling for kinship and …

Carroll, Julianne (Fa 615), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 615. This collection includes interviews and information about six Bosnians who immigrated to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Only four interviews were actually recorded.

Overheard At Gettysburg, Rashida Aluko-Roberts, Zakiya A. Brown, Monae S. Evans

SURGE

Monday. In Old TKE. A student of color is called in the hallway to hear the “funniest thing ever.” (giggling) “Night night little nigglet.”

Tuesday. In an AFS class. “I’m pretty sure the majority of black students in my private school were there because of sports.”

Wednesday. In Musselman. Woman: “I can’t believe Trayvon Martin got shot because someone thought skittles was a weapon.” Man: “To be honest, he did look suspicious because he was black.” [excerpt]

Unruly Catholics From Dante To Madonna: Faith, Heresy, And Politics In Cultural Studies, Marc Dipaolo

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

"During the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church went through a period of liberal reform under the stewardship of Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. Successive popes sharply reversed course, enforcing conservative ideological values and silencing progressive voices in the Church. Consequently, those Catholics who had embraced the spirit of Vatican II were left feeling adrift and betrayed. In Unruly Catholics from Dante to Madonna, scholars of literature, film, religion, history, and sociology delve into this conflict–and historically similar ones–through the examination of narratives by and about rebellious Catholics.

Essays in Unruly Catholics explore how renowned Catholic literary figures …

Harambee - Fall 2013, African-American Student Union

Harambee

Contents:

• "Why Harambee? Why Now?" by Natasha Shorts
• "Young Alumni Update: Karen Castro" by Abi Agyepong
• "Progress?" by Cam Change
• "International Perspective: What to do when stuck in the US?" by Abdinajib Liban
• "Who is Mrs. LaJoyce?" by Lydie Dorelien
• "Past To Present: 50th Anniversary of The March On Washington"
• "Slaves Once More" by Anonymous
• "Dead Conscious" by Matthew Quinn
• "I Am Not My Hair: Confessions of a Black Woman Gone Natural" by Natasha Shorts
• "Mark Your Calendars!!!"
• "Featured Artist: Benjamin Willis"
• "From Senior to Freshman: Tips on How to Survive in College" by Nana Agyepong
• "Otterbrown"
• "Behind the Words"

Livelihood Security Among Refugees In Uganda: Opportunities, Obstacles, And Physical Security Implications, Karen J. Norris

Student Publications

This research project was designed to investigate the challenges refugees face in securing a livelihood, to understand the extent to which the United Nations, the government of Uganda, and various aid groups are able to assist refugees in achieving self-reliance, and the capacity that refugees have to empower themselves. It also endeavors to expose any disparities between nationality groups, and the impact of these differences. Furthermore, this project aims to explore the impact of refugee livelihood security on regional physical security and community stability.

The study found that despite international and national policies, and efforts by both non-governmental organizations and …

Patterns Of Senescence In Human Cardiovascular Fitness: Vo2 Max In Subsistence And Industrialized Populations, Anne C. Pisor, Michael Gurven, Aaron D. Blackwell, Hillard Kaplan, Gandhi Yetish

ESI Publications

Objectives—This study explores whether cardiovascular fitness levels and senescent decline are similar in the Tsimane of Bolivia and Canadians, as well as other subsistence and industrialized populations. Among Tsimane, we examine whether morbidity predicts lower levels and faster decline of cardiovascular fitness, or whether their lifestyle (e.g., high physical activity) promotes high levels and slow decline. Alternatively, high activity levels and morbidity might counterbalance such that Tsimane fitness levels and decline are similar to those in industrialized populations.

Methods—Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was estimated using a step test heart rate method for 701 participants. We compared these estimates …

Age-Independent Increases In Male Salivary Testosterone During Horticultural Activity Among Tsimane Forager-Farmers, Benjamin C. Trumble, Daniel K. Cummings, Kathleen A. O'Connor, Darryl J. Holman, Eric A. Smith, Hillard Kaplan, Michael D. Gurven

ESI Publications

Testosterone plays an important role in mediating male reproductive trade-offs in many vertebrate species, augmenting muscle and influencing behavior necessary for male-male competition and mating-effort. Among humans, testosterone may also play a key role in facilitating male provisioning of offspring as muscular and neuromuscular performance are deeply influenced by acute changes in testosterone. This study examines acute changes in salivary testosterone among 63 Tsimane men ranging in age from 16–80 (mean 38.2) years during one-hour bouts of treechopping while clearing horticultural plots. The Tsimane forager-horticulturalists living in the Bolivian Amazon experience high energy expenditure associated with food production, have high …

"Honey, We's All Creoles": Exploring South Louisiana's Creole Identity, Culture, And Heritage, Elista Istre

Student Theses and Dissertations

South Louisiana boasts a cultural mélange that sets it apart from the rest of the United States. Largely due to the tourism industry, many associate the region with Cajun culture; fewer realize that Creoles inhabited the region before the Cajuns arrived and still continue to play an important role in the area's cultural landscape today. The definition of Creole changed over time as Louisiana's native-born population either claimed or rejected their European or African ancestry. Although the debate over "true" Creole identity continues, throughout the prairies of South Louisiana, the term typically refers to French-speaking individuals of varying skin tones …

The Scholars' Initiative, Charles Ingrao

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

The Scholars’ Initiative addresses the need to break the cycle of nationalist discourse that perpetuates divisions between ethnic groups by (1) creating a common narrative that discredits proprietary myths, while validating “inconvenient facts” that must be acknowledged before mutual recognition and reconciliation can begin, and (2) enlisting regional media and political leaders to acknowledge (and hopefully) endorse) the existence of a common account co-authored by their own scholars.

Cultural Exposure For Cal Poly Orientation Programs: Training Orientation Leaders To Promote An Inclusive Environment And Creating Respect And Diversity Programming For Incoming Students, Sofia Rodriguez Mata

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo is home to the largest student run orientation program in the nation. The success of the program is due to a combination of student volunteer involvement, comprehensive topic coverage, campus and community involvement, and dedicated leadership. Topics to ensure student success are carefully researched, conceptualized, and implemented to construct programming for Soar and Week of Welcome. As an Executive Board Member, supervising a committee focused on student and student supporter transition and awareness topics, one has the option to specialize on projects. Improvement of respect and diversity training and programming needed to …

''Get Your Asphalt Off My Ancestors!'': Reclaiming Richmond's African Burial Ground, Mai-Linh Hong

Faculty Journal Articles

By treating spatial conflict as one way communities wrestle with the memory and legacy of slavery, this article unites critical landscape analysis, a tool of legal geography, with legal and cultural analysis and recent scholarship on African American reparations. A slave cemetery lay beneath a parking lot in Shockoe Bottom, a neighborhood of downtown Richmond that was once a major slave-trading hub. In recent years, controversy arose over the site’s use, generating racially charged local debate and two failed lawsuits seeking to preserve the site. This article examines the significance of the African Burial Ground controversy by analyzing its symbolic, …

Measuring Empowerment: A Program Evaluation Of The Youth Organization Sal Y Luz In Medellin, Colombia, Ashley D. Fitzsimons

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of empowerment is critical to the development of youths' ability to recognize themselves as stakeholders in their community and as participants in civic engagement (Kohlfeldt, 2011; Langhout, 2010). However, programs or groups with goals to foster ideals of empowerment face myriad challenges, such as the social and environmental context of the youth, and the status that the youth maintain in their communities (Kohlfeldt, 2011; Langhout, 2010; Zimmerman, 2004). To measure empowerment, the current study draws observations from a focus-group affiliated with a youth-centered community group known as Sal y Luz located in a disadvantaged comuna of Medellin, Colombia. …

I Am Not Your Video Girl, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

“We need girls who are willing to be up on stage with us and who are not afraid to go HAM dancing in front of a crowd. I know at least a few of you who have the confidence/jaw-dropping dance moves to pull this off.” [excerpt]

Ethnocentrism In Short-Term Missions: Time Spent Abroad And Its Effect On Cultural Attitudes, Rachel A. Hill

Selected Honors Theses

This study examines the effects of time spent interacting with people of a different culture on ethnocentrism levels, within the context of intercultural short-term missions (STM). STM is defined as any international altruistic volunteerism lasting 11 months or less, and includes both spreading of Christianity and various poverty alleviation efforts. Data were collected by means of a survey measuring ethnocentrism levels, which was sent to the student body of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. An ANOVA was conducted to analyze a possible relationship between the time spent in intercultural interaction (determined by length of trip) and ethnocentrism levels (determined by …

El Esclavo Y El Letrado: Máscaras De La Auto-Representación En La Temprana Narrativa Antiesclavista Cubana, Maria A. Aguilar-Dornelles

Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship

Los tres textos aquí discutidos, Autobiografía de un esclavo,Francisco y Sab,narran la experiencia de la esclavitud desde la perspectiva del esclavo.Sinembargo, laperspectiva del narrador de Autobiografía de un esclavopermite establecer una distancia ideológica con la imagen del esclavo creada por Suárez y Romero y Gómez de Avellaneda. A pesar de que Autobiografíafue editada y alterada para adecuarla a la norma lingüística de la ciudad letrada, es posible identificar estrategias de negociación y desafío a la autoridad de los intelectuales que intentaron controlar sus condiciones de emisión y difusión.A este respecto, elnarradorno enfatiza lavictimizacióndel esclavo, como síhacen Suárez y Romero y …

Factors That Influence Minority Student Enrollment At Various Levels Of Postsecondary Education, Lashauna Mychal's Dean

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Research indicates disparities in the enrollment of minorities in postsecondary education. However, the reasons for the lower enrollment rates of minorities are less clear. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between sex, income, GPA, racial/ethnic identity, academic self-concept, and sense of school belonging for African American and Latino/Latina students with level of enrollment at postsecondary schools (two-year community college or four-year university). Participants included 256 African American and Latino/Latina students at two-year community colleges and four-year universities in Virginia. GPA and academic self-concept were found to be predictors of enrollment. Specifically, students with higher GPAs are …

Godly Heretics: Essays On Alternative Christianity In Literature And Popular Culture, Marc Dipaolo

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

"When computers freeze, they are "rebooted" and soon working properly again. Similarly, legendary thinkers throughout history have argued that Christianity should start fresh by recapturing the humanitarian spirit of Jesus' original message. These include such disparate individuals as Thomas Jefferson, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, Friedrich Nietzsche, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, and the religious leaders of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Surprisingly enough, even classic television shows and films meant to be entertaining--Lost, Battlestar Galactica, It's a Wonderful Life, Groundhog Day, Decalogue, and A Charlie Brown Christmas--are attempts to apply the basic principles of Christianity to modern times. …

Naccs 40th Annual Conference, National Association For Chicana And Chicano Studies

NACCS Conference Programs

Advancing From Sea to Shining ¡Sí!: Learning From Our Past, Defending Our Rights in the 21st Century
March 20-23, 2013
Omni San Antonio Colonnade

Incarceration, Identity Formation, And Race In Young Adult Literature: The Case Of Monster Versus Hole In My Life, Tim Engles, Fern Kory

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Interview With Swati Mehta About Her Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Swati Mehta for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Shu-Mei Lee About Her Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Shu-Mei Lee for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Barbara Dehaan About Her Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Barbara DeHaan for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Jamie Shih About Her Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Jamie Shih for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Thomas Lengal About His Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Thomas Lengal for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Thomas Lengal About His Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Thomas Lengal for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass.

Interview With Nirmala Sathaye About Her Ethnic Background (Fa 601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview conducted by Elizabeth Mosby Adler with Nirmala Sathaye for an oral history and cultural project titled EthniCity: Contemporary Ethnicity in the Inner Bluegrass. The interviewee discusses her life in India, including her education, family life, and cultural traditions. She also explains doll costumes she has made.