Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Politically Speaking: Participation Of Indigenous Women In Canada And The Importance Of Intersectionality And Indigenous Resurgence, Renee Grozelle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the current political climate, the efforts of Indigenous women in the advancement of Indigenous rights have not gone unnoticed. Particularly, in 2012 the Idle No More movement gained attention across Canada and throughout the world, with Indigenous women front and centre, leading the fight against the destruction of land and working towards advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples. Importantly, the ways in which Indigenous women engage politically has continued to evolve and there is a need to document and understand the changes that are occurring. This research seeks to examine the changes in political participation among Indigenous women by …

Politics Of Resistance: On Muslim Women Advancing A Collective Critical Faith-Based Epistemic, Ayesha Mian Akram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hegemonic anti-Muslim rhetoric, entangled with global structures of white supremacy, imperialism, and colonialism, constructs Islam as culturally and civilizationally critical to the instability of supposedly peaceful secular western societies. Muslim women’s bodies, specifically, become sites where the Muslim is socio-politically constructed as Other, disconnected from her religiosity and constituted as a racialized Other. This dissertation contributes to the nuanced and intersectional body of scholarship examining the complexities of the Muslim experience in Canada today by analyzing the creation and power of a group of Muslim women engaged in impactful resistances as they seek to create change within and for their …

Painting The ‘Essential’ Green Activist: Critical Interrogations Of Responses To Environmental Activism, Alex Jack Painter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, qualitative Directed Content Analysis is used to elucidate and analyze media rhetoric and legal rhetoric found in prominent news publications reporting on green protests in Canada and the United States. Preliminary theory suggested commodification of the environment encourages the denigration of green dissenters and may aim to lead to negative conceptualizations of the ‘green activist’ in the public consciousness. Further content analysis notions that the political leanings of given news publications may be the strongest predictor of the level of support/opposition to green protest that an article will purvey. And, animal advocacy, youth-led dissent, protest around critical …

The Neoliberal Implementation Of Housing First Principles And Chronic Homelessness In Women, Natalie Weir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The existing literature has consistently established that homelessness is a status arrived at intersectionally (Calsyn and Morse 1991). Although the lack of adequate housing is a clear problem, the provision of housing may not solve the problems that may have contributed to rendering an individual homeless (Lenon, 2000). Downplaying the contributing factors, such as a lack of social capital, substance abuse, as well as the highly influential gendered inequalities of a male-dominated society that economically and socially disadvantaged women, allows for the problem of chronic homelessness to persist (Calsyn and Morse, 1991; Lenon, 2000). This research study explores gender, policy, …

The Eye At Your Door: The Responsibilized Citizen-Consumer In The Expanding Surveillant Assemblage, Rebecca Anne Croucher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explored the emergence of smart-home technologies, such as Amazon Ring, and investigated the impact of these technological devices in relation to surveillance, policing, and consumption practices. It asked to answer the overarching question: how is the home, through smart-home tech devices exemplified by Amazon Ring, being attached to the surveillant assemblage? Building on existing theories and concepts, including the surveillant assemblage (Ericson and Haggerty, 2000), responsibilization (Garland, 1996), and the citizen-consumer (Cohen, 2003), this thesis posited that the citizen-consumer has become responsibilized by both state agents and private corporations to consume smart-home technologies, and that this has consumption …

Total Pit Bull Shit: Anomie And Breed Specific Legislation In Windsor, Ontario, Lauren Joy Sharpley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study employs Durkheimian sociology, anomie in particular, to examine breed-specific legislation in Windsor, Ontario. This thesis is unique in that it analyses breed-specific legislation (BSL) in a way that has not been done previously, by applying a rigorous, sociological theory perspective. Other than discussions on totemism and limited discussions of animals, previous applications of Durkheim’s theories on anomie, morality and law have not focused on human-animal relationships, especially the relationship between humans and companion dogs. Human animal studies (HAS) and critical animal studies (CAS) literature has not employed the Durkheimian concept of anomie to understand human-animal relationships and BSL …

An Examination Of Consumer Perceptions Of Sponsorship Authenticity Between A Major Beer Brand And Professional Women’S And Men’S Hockey Leagues, Matthew Reid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol sponsorship of women’s professional hockey in North America began in 2019, yet men’s professional hockey has received financial support from alcohol brands for decades. The purpose of this thesis was to examine consumer perceptions of sponsorship authenticity as they relate to beer sponsorship of professional men’s and women’s hockey leagues. Moreover, this study examined the differences of gender on perceptions of authenticity towards the two alcohol and sport sponsorships, as well as two correlations: first, between alcohol consumption and sponsorship authenticity, and second, between attitudes towards alcohol sponsorship and sponsorship authenticity. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was utilized, and its …

Housing From A Social Harm Perspective, Addison David Kornel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From 2019 to 2022 housing prices in Canada surged. This paper investigates the social consequences of rising prices by considering the exceptional example of Windsor, Ontario. Unlike in most Canadian cities, the “Canadian dream” social narrative of timely and reliable homeownership on the back of local labour wages had survived in Windsor until recently. The latest run-up marked a turning point. Qualitative interviews conducted in early 2022 with both successful and unsuccessful homebuyers in Windsor reveal the centrality of homeownership to the life course and social fabric. Participants articulated long-standing economic and sociological concerns that home value spikes drive wealth …

Anatomy, Art, And The Desire For Divine Beauty: An Exploration Into The Creation And Perpetuation Of The Standardized Body Types Of Early Modern Anatomical Illustrations, Sarah D. Shaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anatomical illustrations have been integral to modern anatomy’s practice and instruction since its conception as a discipline in the sixteenth century. While this practice lends itself to modern anatomy’s highly visual nature, the bodies featured in anatomical illustrations have been exceptionally homogeneous in appearance for as long as the discipline has existed—a fact which has lasting consequences in the contemporary sociomedical world of today. To examine the construction of the standardized body in modern anatomy this project utilizes a feminist constructionist framework in conducting a thematic visual analysis of 215 Early Modern anatomical illustrations. In the first theme, Western Canon, …

The Sinhala Nationalist Imagination: Jathika Chinthanaya, Sankajaya Nanyakkara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I approach Sinhala nationalism as a social movement from above that draws on and mobilizes economic, political, and cultural resources in articulating and carrying out the hegemonic project of the dominant social group in the country. Sinhala nationalism needs to be understood as a complex blend of ideology, class interests and political power. Sinhala nationalism is an ideology and practice of the Sinhala ruling elite which ensures their hegemonic leadership in society. The study investigates the dynamics of Sinhala nationalist imagination with a focus on the Jathika Chinthanaya (JC) or the School of National Thinking. Since its formation in the …

Harm Reduction Policies And The Shaping Of Canada’S Opioid Crisis, Hailey Etchen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing harms of the opioid crisis in Canada has encouraged proponents of harm reduction to implement safe injection sites. However, harm reduction policies continue to vary throughout the nation, resulting in restricted or no access to these facilities in several provinces and territories (Pelley, 2019). Safe injection sites have been recognized as a valuable harm reduction strategy that successfully reduces the harms associated with illicit drug use of both the individual drug user, as well as the local community (Kral & Davidson, 2017; Jackson, 2020; Mrazovac, et al., 2020; Lovisotto & Baker, 2021). These sites effectively reduce and prevent …

Secularism Versus Awkwardness In Public Spaces: An Online Ethnography With Muslims In Windsor, Ontario, Galina Şcolnic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation asks how Muslims in Windsor, ON imagine and undertake political action, often formed through the lived experiences of migration, gender, and class, in the context of Canadian secularism. I argue that secularism has the neo-colonial effect of oppressing marginalized peoples by excluding them from public spaces and undermining democratic engagements. However, as my fieldwork exposed secularism’s tacit discriminatory effects, it also revealed how Muslims thrive despite restrictions on their public lives, resist oppression, and create open communities where everyone willing to learn is welcome.

Theoretical engagements with the works of Hannah Arendt and Sara Ahmed reveal that Muslim …

Access Denied: A Socio-Legal Exploration Of Access To Justice In Nigerian Wrongful Conviction Cases, Chinyere Obinna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that notwithstanding the substantive and procedural laws that protect the rights of criminal defendants in Nigeria, the criminal justice system has often failed to uphold its commitment of justice to these individuals, resulting in wrongful convictions. Wrongful convictions undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the criminal justice system and result in devastating consequences on wrongfully convicted individuals. Though the reality of wrongful conviction is established in Nigeria, research on the problem is scarce. Besides, much of the available literature focuses on the legal causes of wrongful convictions without considering the broader social context. This thesis seeks to …

International Imposition Vs. Domestic Assimilation: The Criminalization Of Female Genital Cutting In Ghana, Anna Amma Sallah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The unassailable continuity of female genital cutting (FGC) despite its criminalization and the salience wielded over the past few decades stokes thoughts about what is missing—signifying the need to examine present legal mechanisms pertinent to FGC critically. The current research fails to consider the full breadth of the entanglement of law and culture relating to FGC, which is important because where the change of behavior is the objective of the law, social and legal norms must interact. By relying on the basis that FGC is not a normative crime but a deeply rooted cultural practice, I argue that international law …

The Continued Prohibition Of Cannabis & Racism At Canada’S Borders, Dara Vosoughi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canada is one of the few jurisdictions in the world where cannabis for personal and recreational purposes is legal. Prior to October 17th 2018, the possession of any quantity of cannabis was a criminal offence, making individuals vulnerable to onerous criminal sanctions. The legislative act that resulted in the decriminalization and regulation of cannabis was framed as a means of advancing public health goals and reducing inequalities. Those once engaged in low level cannabis activities were no longer subject to criminal sanctions within Canada. However, the criminal status and practices upholding the prohibition of cannabis continues at Canada’s borders and …

Predicting Recidivism Versus Desistance In Adolescents With Sexual Offenses Using Tools Developed For Adults: The Static-99 And Saprof, Meredith Awrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the predictive validity of the risk-based Static-99 and strengths-based SAPROF with a sample of adolescent males (N = 272) who have sexually offended. Additionally, the incremental validity of the SAPROF over the Static-99 was tested. Participants received a specialized assessment at one of three sites Southern Ontario. Archived case files were retrospectively coded using modified versions of the Static-99 and SAPROF. The Static-99 (modified), SAPROF total score (modified), and SAPROF internal and motivational (modified) subscales were found to significantly predict serious recidivism and the modified SAPROF total score, internal subscale, and modified motivational subscale were found …

Regulating Unsheltered People In The Public Library, Bailey Trotti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the library as a public space in relation to unsheltered people. The public library is a historically significant institution in the Western world and one of the few remaining public spaces whose occupants do not need purchasing power for temporary tenancy. For unsheltered people, public libraries may provide important resources they do not possess or cannot otherwise access. Yet, despite the importance of libraries to unsheltered people, public libraries have sought to use policies to closely govern and sometimes exclude them in various ways. Drawing on governmentality, sociology of governance, and related literature, the overarching research …

Sosad (Save Our Son And Daughters) A Preliminary Study Of A Unique Self-Help Group And Grass-Roots Movement, Dronamraju Rani Sailaja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an ethnographic study of SOSAD (Save Our Sons And Daughters), which is a Detroit-based, self-help organization of parents and relatives whose children have been killed by other children. This organization formed through the collective effort of a group of parents led by Ms. Clementine Barfield whose son was killed in Detroit. The organization has the following objectives: a) Providing a support group for the parents whose children are killed. b) Actions to increase awareness of the problem and to create programmes aimed toward prevention of crime and the protection of the community. c) Lobbying for legislation to prevent …

Looking Glass Self In Eating Disorders: Breakdown Of Self In Women, Marion E. Keith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are studied from the perspective of symbolic interactionist "self" theory, and a model is developed suggesting components in the process of the breakdown of the looking glass self. The process is based in characteristic views toward the self and others. These views include the primacy of appearance in self-appraisal, coupled with low self-esteem and negative views of the subject's body; conformist (oversocialized) attitudes toward achievement, roles, social groups, gender relations, families; and, a high degree of importance in the perceived negative judgements of others.

Significant objects in the individuals' lives hold negative meanings related to body …