Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Made In Germany: Integration As Inside Joke In The Ethno-Comedy Of Kaya Yanar And Bülent Ceylan, Kathrin M. Bower

Kathrin M. Bower

As the largest “foreign” population in Germany, Turkish immigrants have been the primary target for concerns about integration and the impact of immigration on German culture. Since the founding of the first Turkish German cabaret in 1985 by Şinasi Dikmen and Muhsin Omurca, the misconceptions and one-sided expectations associated with integration have been played, parodied, and satirized by Turkish German performers. As producers of contemporary ethno-comedy, Kaya Yanar and Bülent Ceylan appeal to mass audiences with a new approach, inverting questions of integration by creating communities through laughter in which audiences are at once in on the joke and its …

Serdar Somuncu: Turkish German Comedy As Transnational Intervention, Kathrin M. Bower

Kathrin M. Bower

A reconceptualization of Germanness, combined with a reconsideration of what constitutes “Germanness” and “Turkishness” and how they are linked, is a central theme in the programs of a younger generation of Turkish German cabaret artists and comedians. As a member of the new generation of performers, Serdar Somuncu stands out, not only for his unapologetic embrace of political theater critical of both German and Turkish social politics, but also for his assertion of a right and responsibility to engage with Germany’s past, coupled with an insistence on differentiation and balanced comparison when discussing integration. After gaining notoriety through his Mein …

Serdar Somuncu: Reframing Integration Through A Transnational Politics Of Satire, Kathrin M. Bower

Kathrin M. Bower

Founded by Şinasi Dikmen and Muhsin Omurcu in Ulm in 1985, Knobi-Bonbon is widely recognized as the first Turkish German cabaret in the Federal Republic. Dikmen and Omurcu focused on ethnic stereotypes, integration, and coexistence in their early programs, with an emphasis on the German misunderstanding of integration as cultural assimilation (Boran 202, 219). With a run of successful performances, Knobi-Bonbon established a momentum that has carried through to the present day, making Turkish German comedy a fixture on the German stage. Responding to the wave of nationalism and xenophobia that followed in the wake of unification, Knobi-Bonbon’s shows became …

Minority Identity As German Identity In Conscious Rap And Gangsta Rap: Pushing The Margins, Redefining The Center, Kathrin M. Bower

Kathrin M. Bower

After rap entered the German music scene in the 1980s, it developed into a variety of styles that reflect Germany's increasingly multiethnic social fabric. Politically conscious rap assumed greater relevance after unification, focusing on issues of discrimination, integration, and xenophobia. Gangsta rap, with its emphasis on street conflict and violence, brought the ghetto to Germany and sparked debates about the condition of German cities and the erosion of civic consciousness. Alternately celebrated and reviled by the media, both styles utilize rap's synthesis of authenticity and performance to redefine the relationship between minority identity and German identity and debunk Leitkultur.

Volunteering For Development: Tensions Around Conducting Multi-Sited Ethnography With Volunteers, Nichole Georgeou

Nichole Georgeou

A scholarly and personal account of the ethical, and human issues and values involved in a specific example of ethnographic research and field-work, with wider research implications and relevance.

Livelihood Resilience: Preparing For Sustainable Transformations In The Face Of Climate Change, Thomas Tanner, David Lewis, David Wrathall, Saleemul Huq, Chris Lawless, Raphael Nawrotzki, Vivik Prasad, Md Ashiqur Rahman, Ryan Alaniz, Robin Bronen, Katherine King, Karen Mcnamara, Md Nadiruzzaman, Sarah Henley-Shepard, Frank Thomalla

Ryan C. Alaniz

The resilience concept requires greater attention to human livelihoods if it is to address the limits to adaptation strategies and the development needs of the planet’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Although the concept of resilience is increasingly informing research and policy, its transfer from ecological theory to social systems leads to weak engagement with normative, social and political dimensions of climate change adaptation. A livelihood perspective helps to strengthen resilience thinking by placing greater emphasis on human needs and their agency, empowerment and human rights, and considering adaptive livelihood systems in the context of wider transformational changes.

‘The Internet Is Magic’: Technology, Intimacy And Transnational Families, Valerie Francisco

Valerie Francisco

Drawing on multi-sited ethnography and qualitative research, I argue that the visual register in particular modes of communication technology like Skype and Facebook ushers in a different quality of relationships for transnational families. Most participants in this study are undocumented immigrants unable to return to their families for long periods of time because of legal consequences that will ban them from coming back and working in the USA. On the other hand, their families in the Philippines cannot visit the USA without proper documentation. The economic necessity of working abroad and legal conditions deter family reunification. Consequently, since these families …

Constrained Choice: Mothers, The State, And Domestic Violence, Rona Kaufman Kitchen

Rona Kaufman Kitchen

Mothers who are the victims of domestic violence face unique challenges in their quest for safety. The legal response to domestic violence requires that mothers respond to abuse in specific state-sanctioned manners. However, when mothers respond accordingly, such as by reporting abuse and leaving the abusive relationship, their safety and the safety of their children is not guaranteed. Moreover, by responding in state-sanctioned manners, mothers risk a host of negative consequences including increased threat to their immediate and long-term safety, the loss of their children, undesired financial, health, and social consequences, and criminal prosecution. On the other hand, when mothers …

Food Sovereignty As Decolonization: Some Contributions From Indigenous Movements To Food System And Development Politics, Sam Grey, Raj Patel

Sam Grey

Navigating Uncertainty: The Survival Strategies Of Religious Ngos In China, Jonathan Tam, Reza Hasmath

Reza Hasmath

The Contemporary Ethnic Minority In China: An Introduction, Margaret Maurer-Fazio, Reza Hasmath

Reza Hasmath

Job Acquisition, Retention, And Outcomes For Ethnic Minorities In Urban China, Reza Hasmath, Benjamin Ho

Reza Hasmath

Media Representation Of The European Union: Comparing Newspaper Coverage In France, Spain, And The United Kingdom, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Based on content analysis of newspapers and in-depth interviews of journalists, this article analyzes the role of the media in defining the European Union and, therefore, in contributing to the production and reproduction of social representations of the EU in the public. The research concentrated on three EU member countries: France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The study is theoretically informed by news production theory. Results demonstrate that there are major differences among the newspapers analyzed here in terms of how they represented the EU in the news, according to their nationality and political orientation. Furthermore, many of the principles …

Ciencia, Técnica Y Sociedad, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

En las ideas de la gente, en general, se puede constatar que existe una confusion entre los resultados de le ciencia y la utilizacion de esos resultados.

National Identity, Nationalism, And The Organization Of The European Union, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Based on in-depth interviews and document analysis, this article examines the relationships between cultural identification and the process of European integration. It shows that French and Spanish people's cultural attachments to Europe as a common social organization is still very limited and reflects a concern for the defense of a national identity. This research contributes to our understanding of the European integration and to the theory of cultural identity by suggesting a dynamic paradigm that articulates the constitution of a formal organization with the process of cultural identity formation.

Spain In The European Union: A Qualitative Study Of National Identity, Antonio Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

This article focuses on Spanish interpretations of the European integration process. Based on extensive use of primary sources and interviews, the article examines perceptions of national identity, nationalism and people’s cultural attachment to the European Union (EU). It discusses the diversity of opinions among the different political parties, labor unions, business leaders and lay citizens regarding the organization of the EU. The study is located in the cultural studies approaches that attempt to describe the complexity and interdependence of political, economic and ideological structures. It shows that the EU is as much about representation and cultural meanings as it is …

A Propósito De La Penetración Cultural, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

A letter appearing in Ciencia y Sociedad, 1985.

Latin American Immigrants In Indianapolis: Perceptions Of Prejudice And Discrimination, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón, Katherine B. Novak

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

The article focuses on immigrants’ interactions with the Indiana natives, with emphasis in the city of Indianapolis and its suburbs. More specifically, this study aims at providing an understanding of the experiences of Latin American immigrants with special attention to perceptions of prejudice and discrimination and to feelings of social exclusion. A substantial proportion of Latin American immigrants interviewed indicated that they considered Indiana natives to be prejudiced and that they had personally experienced discrimination. The study reveals specific examples of discrimination experienced by the immigrants at the work place, in housing, in stores, restaurants and by various service providers. …

National Identities Confronting European Integration, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

This article examines the relationships between cultural identification and the process of European integration. Specifically, it describes and analyzes 1) people's cultural attachments to Europe as a common social organization and 2) the connection between people's perception of European integration and the defense of a national cultural identity

Television Transnationale, Mondialisation Et La Formation De L'Identite Culturelle: L'Exemple De La Republique Dominicaine, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

La societe globale qui se profile au debut du XXIe siecle presente des caracteristiques tant economiques et politiques que culturelles. En sociologie, le phenomene de mondialisation se definit comme la proliferation de flux economiques et culturels internationaux et transnationaux au niveau de la planete et comprend egalement la creation d'institutions supranationales. De fait, les echanges financiers et commerciaux, le developpement de moyens de communication plus efficaces et rapides (mass media, transports, telephone, telecopie, Internet, etc.) et l'intensification des flux migratoires ont connecte et rapproche des nations differentes, produisant une interaction accrue entre les peuples. Appadurai (1990) explique le processus de …

El Proceso De Reforma Agraria En La República Dominicana 1979-83, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

El sector rural es el prinicpal pilar de le economia de Republica Domincana, ya que representa la fuente mas grande de empleo y tiene una considerable participacion en la formacion del Producto Bruto Interno (alrededor del 20%)...

Newspapers Coverage Of Spain And The United States: A Comparative Analysis, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

This article assesses the content of foreign news coverage in the United States and Spain. It draws on content analysis of two US and two Spanish newspapers over a 28-month period, during 2005-2007 and in 2009. The results show that the content of these newspapers tends to be more negative when covering politics. However, there was a major change in the type of coverage in the Spanish newspapers from the period 2005-2007 to 2009. Coverage of US politics in 2009 was much more positive than in the previous period studied. These findings suggest that newspapers contribute to an overall unfavorable …

Relaciones Norte-Sur Y Materias Primas, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón

En 1973, los paises productores de petroleo aumentan el precio del petroloeo bruto de 1 a 3, e inician procesos de nacionalizatcion de todos los posos petroleros en Africa, Medio Oriene, America Central. Inmediatamente despues Marruecos, primer exportador mundial de Fosfatos...

Violence As An Obstacle To Livelihood Resilience In The Context Of Climate Change, Beth Tellman, Ryan Alaniz, Andrea Rivera, Diana Contreras

Ryan C. Alaniz

Central America continues to be a violent region and is prone to increasing climatic shocks and environmental degradation. This paper explores the non-linear feedback loop between violence and climate shocks on livelihood resilience in El Salvador and Honduras, two countries experiencing high rates of violence. The nature of this complex feedback loop is examined by analysing case studies on the community scale, which include challenges in reconstructing community social capital post-Hurricane Mitch (1998) in Honduras and the importance of social capital in community resilience to Hurricane Ida (2009) in El Salvador. We conclude that social capital is central in communities …

Review: Regulation Of Sexual Conduct In Un Peacekeeping Operations, Nichole Georgeou

Nichole Georgeou

Review of the 2012 study by Olivera Simic, 'Regulation of Sexual Conduct in UN Peacekeeping Operations', Springer: Heidelberg. The reviewer critically examines this study and explains what sets it apart from previous studies of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the context of international peacekeeping.

All Eyes On The Irish: Professors Consider How Their Descendants Have Left Their Mark On New Jersey, Marta Deyrup

Marta Deyrup

No abstract provided.

Risk Interpretation And Action (Ria): Decision Making Under Conditions Of Uncertainty, Emma H. Doyle, Shabana Kahn, Carolina Adler, Ryan Alaniz, Simone Athayde, Kuan-Hui Lin, Todd Schenk, Fabiola Sosa-Rodriguez, Victoria Sword-Daniels

Ryan C. Alaniz

The paper reports on the World Social Science (WSS) Fellows seminar on Risk Interpretation and Action (RIA), undertaken in New Zealand in December, 2013. This seminar was coordinated by the WSS Fellows program of the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the RIA working group of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) program, the IRDR International Center of Excellence Taipei, the International START Secretariat and the Royal Society of New Zealand. Twenty-five early career researchers from around the world were selected to review the RIA framework (Eiser et al., 2012) under the theme of ‘decision-making under conditions of uncertainty’, and …

Take A Flying Leap: The Ascent To Success, R. Maxfield, Rodger Broome

R. Jeffery Maxfield, Ed.D.

Have you ever wanted to have more influence on your family, friends, or work associates? Effective leadership is not created from some long-lost, dark secret, but rather the development and application of attributes in four areas of one's life. In Take a Flying LEAP: The Ascent to Success, you will learn about and how to develop these attributes from people who have not only studied leadership and influence, but have lived it.

The Discursive Construction And Performance Of Gendered Identity On Social Media, Julia Cook, Reza Hasmath

Reza Hasmath

An Interactive Exploration Of Gender And Engineering: Unpacking The Experience, Debbie Chachra, Lynn Stein, Alisha Sarang-Sieminski, Caitrin Lynch, Yevgeniya Zastavker

Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski

The engineering student experience is understood to differ for male and female students; gendered interactions affect the development of academic and professional role confidence, as well as engineering identity. The purpose of this session is twofold. First, we aim to introduce participants to concepts of gender schemas, privilege, and identity using a range of interactive activities, including brainstorming and structured discussion. Second, we intend to share information about and obtain feedback on a Gender Discussion Exploration Kit, which the participants will be encouraged to review, use, and share at their home institutions.