Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Una Lucha Contra La Corriente: Análisis De La Ley 779 Ley Integral Contra La Violencia Hacia Las Mujeres En Nicaragua, Christina Brown

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En ese mundo existe muchísima violencia contra las mujeres, y a veces tenemos la tendencia de tratar ese dato como un tabú, como algo de lo cual no podemos hablar en público. Sin embargo, el hecho es que en cualquier sociedad necesitamos tener conversaciones más difíciles de este tipo para encontrar la manera de prevenir la violencia y abordarla. Al lado de esa violencia existe también una grandísima lucha en que las mujeres de todas las edades, clases, y todas partes del mundo están uniéndose para defender su derecho de vivir sin violencia. En Nicaragua esa lucha se había logrado …

Comercialización Contra Capitalización: Nuevas Visiones De Desarrollo En La Lucha Por La Tierra En La Puna, Katherine Luke

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The rise of indigenismo in the province of Jujuy, Argentina led by the Asociación de los Pequeños Productores de la Puna (the APPP) and the Red Puna has transformed the relationship between the “pueblos originarios” and the state. Historically disenfranchised by the political and economic system, a wave of radical activism began with the national constitutional reform in 1994 that for the first time recognized the pre-existence of the original pueblos before the formation of the Argentine state and conferred communal land rights and a right to cultural sovereignty. The protests and petitions that followed over the last …

La Realidad De Comercio Justo: Una Investigación De Las Fallas Y Los Éxitos Del Sistema En El Valle De La Convención, Perú, Desde La Perspectiva De Los Productores, Katy Keisling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe es el producto de mi proyecto de investigación sobre el funcionamiento del Comercio Justo en el cultivo del café en el Valle de la Convención, Perú. El Comercio Justo fue creado hace 25 años con el objetivo de mejorar la vida del pequeño productor a través de un sistema de comercio que valora la democracia y pago justo. Ahora, muchos investigadores han estudiado el tema para analizar sus impactos – pero la mayoría de literatura existente sobre el tema falta la voz del productor. Por esta razón, ubico mi estudio en la perspectiva del pequeño productor. Utilizando la …

Challenges Affecting Street Children In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: Case Of Gulu Municipality, Annie Weber

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Northern Uganda has been beleaguered with political unrest and rebellion for over two decades. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has wreaked havoc on the entire northern population, causing lives to be lost and leaving a stain of physical and mental trauma that will last forever. Children, having been the most affected during the war, are still feeling the influence that the LRA has left behind. This study sets out to try to understand the phenomenon of street children in post-conflict northern Uganda, specifically in Gulu Municipality. The phenomenon of street children is considered to be one of the most prevalent …

Interpretaciones Entretejidas De Justicia: Estudio De Caso De Los Talleristas Bolivianos En Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rebecca Mendoza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

All over the world, so called, “sweatshops” have become a talking point on the social justice soap box due to some key incidents that have caught the public eye. These sweatshops are known for being informal labor subcontracted by large brand names, paid unsustainable wages – the brands score big as consumers indulge in the cheap fashion clothing. However, fires, disasters and recent discoveries of dangerous slave-like conditions have brought new debates to the surface about what is to be done. Initially one might desire to end the injustice in a rapid sweep of the poorest parts of the world, …

Movimento Dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra: Constructing Humanity, Phoebe Rosenheim

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Neo-Marxist theory suggests that capitalist structures are dehumanizing and that alternative structures should be constructed to re-humanize the people. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) constructs settlements of small, self-governing family farms as an alternative to the large agricultural estates that dominate Brazil. The settlements have transformed the way workers see themselves. They have successfully developed a humanizing alternative; MST members see themselves as subjects. It is important for Social Justice movements to understand how MST has achieved such powerful differences from Capitalist societies in order to replicate humanizing social structures. My study sought to understand how MST’s agricultural …

Assessing The Senate: Political Opinion Among Cameroonian Youth, Rebeccah Rendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to examine the political opinions of Cameroon youth in regards to the newly-introduced Senate. Research was conducted with students at the University of Yaoundé I and the University of Yaoundé II over the course of a four-week period. This paper discusses the potential and stated purposes of the Senate within the Cameroonian context. It will also discuss the various particular reasons that the Senate was implemented in 2013. Finally, it will convey the opinions of and the hopes for the Senate as stated by university students. First, I conclude that the Senate’s main role is to be …

Rhetoric Or Results?: Tourism, The Aquarium, And The People Of Fortaleza, Molly Silvia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When one thinks of tourism, he or she conjures images of travel, exotic locations, and spending money. Yet rarely do people stop and think about where exactly their money is going. Nowadays, tourism is a booming industry that many countries believe contributes significantly to their GDP. But while tourism may contribute significantly to a country’s economy, it may not provide the people of that nation with any substantial improvements in their quality of life. This monograph questions why Brazil has chosen to invest its GDP in the tourism industry, while the nation has 21.4% of its population in poverty (The …

The Trajectory Of Warwick Junction As A Site Of Inclusivity In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Kara Van Schilfgaarde Van Schilfgaarde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Warwick Junction, a thriving trading hub in the inner city of Durban, has long been considered one of the best examples of collaborative urban management practices between the local government and informal traders. In a post-apartheid South Africa, there was a national desire to transform the old systems of governance, which in Warwick translated to city government institutions making an effort to include informal traders in the policymaking and management processes. This paper tracks the history of Warwick Junction, using its oppressive past to frame common perspectives of informal trade. It considers the legacy of the post-apartheid era South Africa, …

Filmmaking, Reconciliation & Peacebuilding In Rwanda: Challenges And Opportunities., Kierran Petersen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Rwandan filmmaking industry is in its infancy, only emerging after the 1994 genocide. Since then, a small group of pioneer filmmakers have simultaneously built a community structure with the capacity to train young filmmakers, showcased Rwandan talent and attempted to integrate cinema into Rwandan culture. This cinema-related development is also taking place in a post-genocide context, where national unity and reconciliation is on the forefront of national policy and individual consciousness. Film in Rwanda has played a role in moving the country past the genocide that decimated the population and destroyed the existing infrastructure and severed the social ties …

The Movement Of A Movement: Vetëvendosje! And The Transition From Grassroots To Government, Helena Bruce

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fifteen years after the enactment of UN Resolution 1244, the resulting international administration in Kosovo has been experiencing a waning sense of legitimacy among the state’s population. Heading up the opposition to this ongoing administration is a group of self-proclaimed ‘young international activists,’ also known as Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE!, or the Self-Determination Movement! Since its creation in 2005, however, this group has transformed from a small, tightly-knit group of outspoken activists to a new type of political force with an elected body of officials in Parliament. This paper attempts to determine how such a transition from political movement to political party …

The Impacts Of Education: A Case Study Of Muslim Women In Ngaoundéré, Cameroon, Margo Brookfield

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the product of a study on the ultimate impacts that education can have on the lives of Muslim women in the city of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. Women in the North of Cameroon have been confined within traditional gender roles that have been in place for generations, due to deep ties with culture and religion in the region. This research explores Muslim women’s opinions on the impacts of the modern education system in place in the city. In addition it looks into the impacts that this education can have on different aspects of a woman’s life, including her relations …

Luxury’S Last Frontier: An Analysis Of Hanoi Residents’ Perceptions Of The Luxury Market In Vietnam, Rachel Schuh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One consequence of Vietnam’s rapid economic development in recent decades is the booming luxury market in Hanoi. Although few Vietnamese consumers can afford luxury goods, luxury consumption is highly visible in Hanoi. Luxury shopping centers continue to open throughout the city, and fancy cars are a common sight on city streets. Luxury consumers often influence trends in the wider marketplace, but luxury good consumption can also be a divisive issue. In addition, luxury consumers in developing countries, even more so than those in developed countries, are often believed to be motivated by status concerns. Thus, the phenomenon economists call conspicuous …

Land Law, Land Rights, And Land Reform In Vietnam: A Deeper Look Into “Land Grabbing” For Public And Private Development, Kaitlin Hansen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As Vietnam continues to search for its ideal balance between Communist control and a market-led economy, land rights emerge at the forefront of the discussion concerning the tension between traditional Socialist ideals of people-owned and state managed property versus neoliberal ideals of private property rights. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study will explore the legal relationship between the Vietnamese state and individuals in regards to land ownership, land management, and land use rights, explaining how this relationship has changed over time with subsequent land laws. Going further, this study will focus on the 2013 land law …

Hiv/Aids In Yunnan Province: A Study Of Stigma And Support, Sofia Haile

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I conducted a qualitative study on the ability of peer-HIV-support groups in Kunming, China to lessen the effects stigma. There is a lack of quantitative studies of stigma in Yunnan, and no studies that address the ability of Kunming peer-groups to lessen the effects of stigma. Over the course of one month, I collected data via questionnaire, individual interviews, group interviews, and scholarly research. My study had sixteen participants (five female sex workers, seven former intravenous drug users, and four men who have sex with men).

My scholarly research revealed that peer-groups are an effective way to: disseminate knowledge to …

Como El Hijo De Nadie: Internal Divisions And The Struggle For Attention In Bocana De Paiwas, Alina Rosenfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Paiwas is a municipality located at the intersection of the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Sur (RAAS),1 the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Norte (RAAN),2 and the Pacific National half of Nicaragua. The autonomous regions are part of Nicaragua, but have their own regional government, control over their natural resources, and are dedicated to preserving indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Just as it is physically, Paiwas is an intersection between the regional autonomous government and the various levels of government on the Pacific side of the country: all governing entities in some way play a role in the development and …

Justicia Ambiental Contra La Corriente: Un Estudio Del Impacto, La Influencia Y El Éxito De Fundiccep En Chiriquí, Gabby Queenan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The current environmental justice debate within Panama has led to a series of conflicts on both a political and social scale. Non-profit organizations have developed rapidly throughout the organization to fill crucial gaps in this debate. The success of these organizations will dictate the ability of Panama to survive these conflicts. The organization of FUNDICCEP in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, has had a definitive role in environmental justice in their community and the province of Chiriquí. They are a leader in their community and a leader to other environmental justice organizations as well. This group has worked in over eleven communities …

¿Tiene Chile Una Economía Neoliberal?, Christina Park Park

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hoy en día, el concepto 'neoliberal' es utilizado de manera fea y despectiva, como una forma de golpear al sistema de libre mercado y a sus defensores. El 'Neoliberalismo', utilizado a menudo para describir la economía chilena, es visto como la fuerza detrás una sociedad dividida, aumento en la desigualdad socioeconómica, en temas tan sensibles como los sistemas de salud, educación y jubilación que no satisfacen las necesidades básicas de la gente. Sin embargo, no está intrínsecamente claro lo que conlleva un sistema neoliberal, lo que resulta en argumentos ineficaces contra una ideología ambigua. La primera parte de este …

Análisis Comparativo De Los Gobiernos Locales: La Política Del Medio Ambiente En Las Comunas De La Pintana Y Peñalolén, Nicolás Thorpe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With the approval of many international environmental agreements and the passage of national environmental laws, Chile has gradually created institutions at the national level that focus on environmental policy. However, given local government’s proximity to the people and their demands, local authorities also play an important role in environmental protection and sustainable development. This investigation answers the following question: What are the factors that influence a commune to have an environmental policy? After describing Chile’s national environmental policy and intergovernmental relations, this investigation will compare two communes in the metropolitan area of Santiago: La Pintana and Peñalolén, which both have …

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

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project was designed to investigate the challenges refugees face in securing a livelihood, and 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.

Research for this study was conducted in Kyangwali and Nakivale Refugee Settlements in Uganda, as …

Himalayan Heritage: Local Organization And The Role Of Tradition In The Community Development Of The Thakali People, Erik Svedberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within the communities of the Thakali people of Mustang, Nepal, decisionmaking power has traditionally been held by the local chieftain, the Mukhiya. However, this traditional authority appears to be threatened by two trends of Nepali development: the institutionalization of the Village Development Committee (VDC) as the official entity of local government, and the proliferation of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) as part of a development push to expand community participation in decisionmaking. Current scholarship has deeply explored the sociocultural dynamics of the Mukhiya as well as how the sociopolitical landscapes of Thakali societies are changing, but a scholarly link between the …

Humanitarian Diplomacy And The Need For Protecting Humanitarian Personnel In Contemporary Conflicts., Theodora Okiro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When considering the increasing frequency with which humanitarian aid workers are being threatened, abducted or killed, one has to question the fundamental reason for this sharp rise in statistics. Are human and aid workers merely collateral damage in a conflict? Are they getting to close to the ‘eye’ of the conflict? Or is there another explanation? Due to the increased frequency by which they come to harm’s way, the answer is much more disturbing. They are intentional targets, because of the changing scopes of modern warfare. Armed groups such as the Taliban, who are analyzed in this paper, increasingly target …

Implementing A Green Economy In Least-Developed Countries The Challenges Of Intellectual Property Rights And Technology Transfers Within The Trips Agreement, Spencer Schloss

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The world has come to a stage where technology is the crux of development and growth. Vast technological advances allow for opportunities to produce at rates more efficient than even the most prodigal of scientists could have imagined. As the world simultaneously experiences development and growth, there is an unfortunate environmental tradeoff. The same industries that lead to economic advancement are causing extreme environmental degradation and least developed countries are the ones to bear the burden.

LDCs are dependent upon natural capital as their economic survival base. If the world continues to develop without considering the detrimental impacts on LDCs, …

Relaciones De Coalición Y Gestión: ¿Que Pasó A La Concertación?, Samuel Wonderling

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile ha experimentado una vuelta exitosa a la democracia desde la dictadura de Pinochet terminada en 1989, en gran parte debido a la estabilidad de su coalición en el poder, La Concertación. La Concertación ganó las cuatro primeras elecciones presidenciales en Chile, incluso el primer presidenta femenina en Chile, el miembro del Partido Socialista Michelle Bachelet. Bachelet tenía un mayoría del Congreso sin precedentes y muchos creyeron que representara una nueva era de esperanza y reforma social en Chile. Sin embargo, ciertos miembros políticos de la Concertación se dividieron en los años primeros de su presidencia y la coalición perdió …

Viendo De Camino A Casa: La Construcción De La Identidad Transnacional En La Comunidad Libanesa De Buenos Aires = Looking Homeward: The Construction Of Transnational Identity In The Lebanese Community Of Buenos Aires, Lindsay Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At the end of the 19^th century through World War I, around three million immigrants entered Argentina. The vast majority left behind homes in Italy and Spain; however, a significant minority population arrived from Greater Syria, specifically from present-day Syria and Lebanon. Today, the descendents of these Syrian-Lebanese migrants make up the third largest community in Argentina. Despite the significant presence of the community, the Syrian-Lebanese community has been largely absent from scholarly work on Argentine ethnic groups.

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship that the descendents of Lebanese immigrants, living in Buenos Aires, have …

Capacity And Implementation For Judicial Reforms In Morocco: “Painting A Building That Is Collapsing”, Hally Bert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Currently in Morocco the country awaits the legitimate implementation of the 2011 assurances of rights and freedoms, an undertaking that would require a great amount of resources, state capacity, and political will. As Morocco changes and policies evolve the nation is balancing tradition with modernity. In terms of the judiciary, reform programs have been heavily funded by the west with the aim of modernizing and amending the entire legal system in Morocco. This means that influence and leadership in reforms has come in part from sources outside of Morocco. Looking at reforms over the last ten years and especially with …

Overcoming Environmental Injustices: An Analysis Of Citizen Assemblies’ Fight Against Open-Pit Mining In Bariloche And Esquel, Sara Kleinkopf

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Worldwide, environmentalism and environmental concern is growing. Additionally, environmental issues like pollution and contamination are no longer considered simply environmental problems; environmental issues are now frequently analyzed from a sociological perspective. Beginning in the 1980s in the United States, the investigation of the relationship between environmental and social issues developed into the theory of environmental justice. This theory postulates that the unequal distribution of environmental harm occurs in correlation with (or is a direct result of) a lack of political recognition and participation.

In this investigation, I utilize the theory of environmental justice to analyze the development of open-pit mining …

Joven Pero No Apolítico: Las Distintas Concepciones De La Militancia Y El Rol Del Partido Político Para La Juventud Del Partido Socialista Y El Partido De Los Trabajadores Socialistas En Buenos Aires, Christina Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although Argentina is known for its vibrant political life – illustrated by the country's high voter turnout in elections, regular protests in the central Plaza de Mayo, and an abundance of politicized conversations among citizens – the past few decades have witnessed a general loss of credibility in the traditional means of acquiring power in the state, notably the worker's union and the party. Accordingly, activism in Argentina's “new public space” (Bonvillani et al 2008: 63) that emerged after the political-economic crisis of 2001 has been defined less by the formal party-state apparatus than by autonomous social movements unaffiliated with …

La Implementación Del Programa De Intervención Para Hombres Que Ejercen Violencia Contra Sus Parejas, “Hombres Por Una Vida Sin Violencia,” En Arica, Chile, Meghna Nandi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Battery intervention programs are an important domestic violence intervention method to study because they focus on understanding the perpetrator’s side of domestic violence and can shed light on the cultural and social forces that maintain domestic violence within society. Objective: This study explores Chile’s newly initiated battery intervention program, “Hombres por una vida sin violencia,” or “Men for a life without violence,” by documenting its implementation in the city of Arica, Chile through an investigation of both the program’s functioning and the perception of domestic violence within the greater community. Methodology: Interviews were conducted with professionals who work in …

To Vote Or Not To Vote: Youth Political Agency In Post-Revolutionary Tunisia, Sarah Dickson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the wake of the Tunisian Revolution, young people in Tunisia have become very interested in politics. For some young people, this excitement has resulted in positive feelings about voting. For others, voting is not seen as an effective way to express political agency. This paper will analyze field research conducted by the author with young Tunisians in order to better understand Tunisian youth attitudes towards voting, and explore various interpretations of political agency. This paper will ask the fundamental questions: why didn’t revolutionary activism translate to voting for more young Tunisians, especially as they continue to express interest in …