Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of La 20,000 In Spanish Colonial Mining, Mineral Circulation, And Nascent Communities Of Practice, Danielle M. Huerta

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

Site LA 20,000 was likely among the largest ranching enterprises established along the Camino Real during the 17th century. Located 20 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and strategically positioned 5.2 miles from San Marcos Pueblo, one of the largest producers of Rio Grande Glaze Ware pottery, and 1.3 miles from the Cerrillos Hills, where there were known turquoise and galena lead mines.  The data presented suggest that LA 20,000 may have been a multiethnic locus of production where access to shared materials did not translate into uniform technological practice. Instead, the assemblage reflects the emergence of nascent and …

An Empirical Case Study Of Substance Abuse Treatment Retention For Black Women In Boston, Melinda Asiamah

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This research investigates the disproportionate impact of substance use disorders (SUD) on Black women, a population facing critically low treatment retention rates, evidenced by outpatient dropout rates averaging 55%. Despite the efficacy of sustained treatment, Black women consistently underutilize and prematurely exit services compared to other demographics. This study asserts that identifying the drivers behind these disparities requires a shift from traditional public health lenses toward a framework that centers racial oppression, systemic barriers, and cultural obstacles.

By integrating Critical Race Theory (CRT), Black Feminist Theory, Social Determinants of Mental Health, and Biopsychosocial Theory, this research explores the impact of …

The Contested Terrain Of Sport For Development And ‘Peace’ Amidst Persistent Global Aid Cuts And Geopolitical Tensions, Derrick Charway, Umair Asif, Zohreh Khani, Mazen Alkhatib

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) has emerged as a global concept for advancing humanitarian, peacebuilding and social benefits, particularly in disadvantaged communities and conflict-affected regions of the world. Yet, its promise is often entangled with the broader contradictions of international aid, which in the Global South often shifts from solidarity to systems shaped by power asymmetries, geopolitics and self-interests. Drawing on critical aid theory and decolonial thought, foregrounded in the Palestine context, we argue that SDP offers potential benefits but remains constrained by the very systemic issues it purports to redress. Further, we critique the International Olympic Committee’s stance …

Against The Coloniality Of Sport For Development And Peace (Sdp), Isra Shahid Iqbal

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

This paper critically investigates how historical colonial practices and capitalist structures continue to influence the roles, relationships, and spaces related to gender and race within Sport for Development (SDP) initiatives in Global South contexts. While sport is commonly approached as an avenue to promote positive youth development and post-conflict reconstruction, these discourses often overlook how colonial capitalist imperatives are perpetuated through sport, influencing gender and race hierarchies, oppressive relations, and the direct “Othering” of actors in Global South contexts (Samie et al., 2015; Oxford, 2017). Indeed, SDP initiatives are not immune from capitalist and colonial imperatives nor the racial and …

Economic Security & Older Adults In Massachusetts: Infographic, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Index measures the income older adults need to meet their daily living costs while staying in their own homes. This fact sheet presents overview data of economic security of Older Adults in Massachusetts based on the 2025 Elder Index data.

Economic Security & Older Adults In The United States: Infographic, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Index measures the income older adults need to meet their daily living costs while staying in their own homes. This fact sheet presents overview data of economic security of Older Adults in the United States based on the 2025 Elder Index data.

Temporary Protected Status Populations In Massachusetts In 2026, Phillip Granberry, Iván Espinoza-Madrigal

Gastón Institute Publications

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is one of the best expressions of U.S. humanitarian protection and relief. It recognizes a basic truth: people should not be deported to danger.

May this report help build a stronger Commonwealth for all by advancing more thoughtful policymaking and stronger interventions that recognize the deep connections among immigration, community, and economic life.

Offside Trap: African Football As A Mirror Of Global Structural Inequality, Ellen Busolo Milimu

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Football in Africa, as a legacy of European colonialism, is undeniable. The export of football through colonization resulted in the popularization of the sport while also creating a system of economic exploitation and impoverishment that is the cause of considerable problems for African society. This economic system positioned African  countries as dependents of former colonizers even after achieving independence. Sports, specifically football, provide a unique perspective to explore the no-win     situation in which Africa exists within the global economic system. Always chasing the elusive ‘development’ goal that is dictated by others and shifts without the interests of African countries. The …

Politics, Catharsis, And Football: The Brazilian National Team As A Symbolic Device Of Nationhood, Marco Bettine

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

This article examines the growing entanglement between football, political conflict, and national identity in contemporary Brazil, focusing on the Brazilian National Football Team as a highly charged national symbol. Rather than assuming a direct causal link between sporting success and political outcomes, the paper explores how football has become a space where political meanings and public emotions are constantly reinterpreted and disputed. The discussion revisits the changing political meanings attached to the national team over the last decade. Particular attention is given to the perceived relationship between football performance and electoral cycles, the politicization of the yellow jersey, the use …

Between Peaks And Traditions: Indigenous Andean Women Mountaineers, Hybrid Identities, And Decolonial Resistance Through Sport, Ilina Arsova, Lars Dzikus

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

This paper explores the hybrid identities of Indigenous Bolivian women mountaineers, focusing on how they embrace and resist elements of both Indigenous and Western traditions through sports. Challenging dominant Western narratives of mountaineering (Rak, 2021), these women engage in climbing as an act of cultural preservation (Haynes, 2013; Rak, 2021) and gender advocacy (U.N. Women, 2021). Informed by Indigenous feminism (Caravajal, 2019; Green, 2020) and social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), the study explores the intersections of gender, culture, and mountain sports in the South American Andes. Through an interpretivist lens, this study uses narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, …

The Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index: Methodology Overview, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Jan Mutchler, Nidya Velasco Roldan, Michelle Ward, Ceara Somerville, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Index illustrates how living costs vary geographically (specifically, by county, metropolitan area, and state), and based on the characteristics of households. Costs are calculated based on household size (one person age 65 or older, two persons age 65 or older), housing tenure (owner with no mortgage, renter, owner with a mortgage), and health status (excellent, good, poor). The expenses included in the Elder Index cover basic needs of older households, including shelter, medical care, food, and transportation; the costs reflect average market costs and do not take into account any needs-based subsidies. The Elder Index helps answer important …

2025 Elder Indextm For Boston: Fact Sheet, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Index^_TM measures of the cost of living independently for older adults aged 65 or older. The Elder Index allows us to identify older people with incomes “in the gap” between the Federal Poverty Guideline (FPL) and what it takes to live with security. Older adults living “in the gap” have incomes too high to qualify for many means-tested public benefits programs, yet too low to achieve intermediate- or long-term economic stability. This fact sheet presents 2025 Elder Index for older adults living in Boston, Massachusetts.

Living Between The Lines: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans: Insecurity In The Massachusetts, 2025, Caitlin E. Coyle, Michelle Ward, Nidya Velasco Roldan, Ceara Somerville, Jan Mutchler

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2025 Elder Index^TM demonstrate that the cost of living in Massachusetts has increased substantially in recent years for older adults, especially for renters. The Elder Index measures the necessary costs faced by households made up of one or two older adults, calculated county by county for the entire United States. Estimated costs are higher in Massachusetts than in any other state in the nation. Within the Commonwealth, the Elder Index is lowest in Western Massachusetts, and highest in Metro Boston, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, with differences in the Elder Index across locations accounted for largely …

Mapping Child Care And Early Education Capacity To Needs In Massachusetts, Alan Clayton-Matthews, Christa M. Kelleher, Randy Albelda, Anne Douglass, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Massachusetts has made notable strides in expanding access to affordable, quality, licensed child care and early education in recent years. Ongoing robust state investment in the Commonwealth Cares for Children Grant Program, activities of the Healey-Driscoll Inter Agency Early Education and Child Care Task Force, and increased income eligibility for child care financial assistance to families with moderate incomes, among other initiatives, all help address persistent barriers to quality education and care at a price families can afford.

Yet the supply of licensed child care for infants, toddlers, and preschool children remains a formidable challenge to meeting the child care …

The Health Of Latinos In Massachusetts: Inequality In Health Behaviors And Chronic Health Conditions, Phillip Granberry, Alejandro Alvarez, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a portrait of adult Latino health in Massachusetts by exploring and describing selected social indicators and health outcomes. This report is a companion to a 2021 report on Latino children in the state, which found that Latino children are more likely to have asthma, be overweight, and show symptoms of anxiety and depression, and less likely to be engaged in physical activity when compared to Non-Latino children. The foregoing findings suggested that Latino children are not developing in an environment that promotes health behaviors compared to Non-Latinos in Massachusetts.v The collective health of Latinos is said group …

Latinos In Massachusetts: Puerto Ricans, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán, Melissa Colón

Gastón Institute Publications

As part of the Gastón Institute’s 2025 Latinos in Massachusetts series, we present here a profile of Puerto Ricans, the largest Latino population in the state. This report analyzes Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our descriptive analysis uses both household- and individual-level data to estimate population size and percentages and to compare Puerto Ricans to Other Latinos and Non-Latinos in the state.

What Is Happening In The World Today And Why: Humanity’S Evolving Consciousness And The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

What is happening in the world today and why? Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say. However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born--to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be. That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an …

Increasing Housing Stability Through State-Funded Community Mediation Massachusetts Housing Mediation Program Fy2025 Evaluation Report, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

Mediation offers a flexible alternative to court for resolving housing disputes, allowing parties to address a wider range of issues and solutions without the delays and formalities of the judicial system. The Housing Mediation Program (HMP or Program) was established in FY2021 as part of the Eviction Diversion Initiative (EDI), a coordinated state and federal response to the housing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), the EDI brought together housing agencies, Community Mediation Centers (Centers) through MOPC, and legal services to provide robust support for tenants and …

Living Between The Lines: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans, Caitlin E. Coyle, Michelle Ward, Nidya Velasco Roldán, Ceara Somerville, Jan Mutchler

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2025 Elder Index(TM) suggest that over half of older adults living alone, and about one out of four older couples, lack the financial resources required to pay for basic needs. We compared household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2025 Elder Index for each state to calculate Economic Insecurity Rates (EIRs), the percentage of independent adults age 65 or older with annual incomes that do not support economic security. National averages suggest that 53% of older adults living alone and 25% of older couples have annual incomes …

Humanity Is Evolving Its Consciousness: The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels.  Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say.  However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born—to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be.  That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an unfolding period of weeding out and alignment with the …

Balls, Boots, And Bats: Indo-Fijian Women Reimagining Sport, Masculinity, And Identity In The Global South, Rohini Balram

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

In Fiji, physicality and hegemonic masculinity are largely defined by rugby and the military, institutions dominated by Indigenous Fijian men, who are predominantly Christian, often marginalising other races, genders, religions, and sports. While research in the Global South has examined intersections of race and gender, little is known about how masculinity is understood across different sports, sporting icons, and contexts—particularly from the perspective of South Asian migrant women in Oceania with hybrid identities. This paper investigates how young Indo-Fijian women negotiate masculinity, identity, and agency through sport, Bollywood cinema, social media, and cultural narratives. Drawing on a year-long, multi-method participatory …

Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground Gpr Survey Data From Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Nedra Lee, Stephen Mrozowski, Chiara M. Torrini, Tess Ostoyich, Claire Ross, Kristen Delatour, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

Survey data from the ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey at the Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground (AIBG) at Sylvester Manor, Shelter Island, NY. Zip folder contains raw recorded data (radargrams). Additional files include zipped shapefiles for GPR transects, trees and rocks; and  dat file. Fieldstone marker files include zipped folders with an excel sheet listing numbered fieldstone markers, and a sheet listing the photographs of the fieldstone markers. Fieldstone marker number allows tor joining the photographs, and the "rock" shapefile to the list of markers.

The .rd7 files are the type generated by MALA GPR systems to record raw data (they are …

Shovel Test Pits From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Shovel test pits (STPs) from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025). STPs were excavated as 50cm-x-50cm squares and sometimes expanded into larger excavations. These points typically represent the southwest corner of test pits but not always. See shapefile metadata for more information. Includes zipped point shapefile with points each representing one corner of a STP.

Datum Reference Photos From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Photographs of site datums used during UMass Boston archaeological work at Sylvester Manor. File names contain the datum name followed by a sequential number. Each datum contains a set of multiple photographs showing its location at a near and far scale, illustrating its exact spot and place in the broader landscape, respectively. Some datums have photographs showing how the survey rod needs to be placed, and some have images that include a pin flag with the datum name written on it. Includes zipped folder.

Excavation Units From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Excavation units from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025). Includes zipped polygon shapefile with outlines of excavation units.

Family Cemetery Gpr Survey Data From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Stephen Mrozowski, Nedra Lee, Chiara M. Torrini, Tess Ostoyich, Claire Ross, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

The .rd7 files are the type generated by MALA GPR systems to record raw data (they are unprocessed binary data files containing the recorded electrical signals), along with .cor (coordinate data), .mrk (markers on radargrams), .mrkj (modern version of .mrk), and .rad (header file; contains survey parameters, antenna frequency, samples per trace, time window, and velocity) files. The info.dat file was derived from GPR-Slice. It is a critical ASCII text file that maps the GPR radargram filenames to their specific spatial positions. It defines the survey grid layout, including line lengths, survey direction (X or Y), and profile spacing. These …

Datums And Benchmarks From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen A. Mrozowski, David B. Landon

Data and Datasets

Datums from Sylvester Manor Archaeological work (2019-2026).  Includes zipped shapefile of points and complementary csv, that includes the site areas for each datum.

Artifact Catalog From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, Christa M. Beranek, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

Artifact catalog from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025) as of May 2026. The Artifact_List.rtf is a text file listed by unit and context.  Artifact_Table.xlsx is the same data, but in tabular form.  Unit_Contexts.xlsx is a table listing all the contexts by unit.

Artifact_Table and Artifact_List are very large files.

Dorchester Food Co-Op: Member Survey: Examining Food Insecurity And Grocery Shopping Frequency, Amrith Fernandes Prabhu, Weichun Yan, Beimnet Kebede, Hina Khurshid, Susan R. Crandall

Center for Social Policy Publications

This report presents selected highlights of the membership survey findings for the Dorchester Food Cooperative’s (the Co-op) first year. The Co-op is a community-owned grocery store that aims to increase access to healthy food, provide opportunities for employment, and reinvest in the local economy. To assess progress towards increasing food access during the Co-op’s first year of operation, the member survey examined access to high quality and nutritious food and member perceptions of their shopping experience.

Massachusetts Community Mediation Center (Cmc) Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2025 Evaluation Report, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

The CMC Grant Program remains a vital statewide investment in equitable access to justice and community well-being in Massachusetts. In FY2025, the Commonwealth allocated $3,100,202 to the Program, with $2,376,002 awarded directly to 12 community mediation Centers for operational support, technical assistance, and participation in statewide initiatives. These funds continued to serve as the financial foundation of the community mediation system, accounting for half of Centers’ collective revenue and enabling them to leverage an additional $2,435,797 from private, municipal, state, and federal partners—demonstrating strong public return on state appropriations. Despite a funding reduction in FY2025, the Program generated …