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Articles 1 - 30 of 116
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Playing Past The Troubles: Theatrical Expression In A Post-Conflict Society, Jayce Hafner
Playing Past The Troubles: Theatrical Expression In A Post-Conflict Society, Jayce Hafner
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This report is the result of a month-long study on theatrical expression in Northern Irish Communities. Data was obtained by way of qualitative methods using semi-informal interviews, observation, participant observation, and academic research. It is concluded that theatrical expression can contribute to building peace in Northern Ireland. Recommendations for potential future studies include comedic performance in a post-conflict society, and social development and the Belfast Community Circus.
Co-Development In Mali: A Case Study Of A Development Phenomenon Exploited By Immigration Policy, Diane Galatowitsch
Co-Development In Mali: A Case Study Of A Development Phenomenon Exploited By Immigration Policy, Diane Galatowitsch
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This case study establishes a historical basis for migration from Kayes, contextualizes co-development in immigration and development literature, and provides insight into how organizations implementing migrant financed projects in Mali define and perceive the concept of co-development. In my research, I pulled together scholarly articles, organizational documents, reports, and conducted semi-structured personal interviews that were scattered across the fields of history, migration, and development and pulled together an analysis of co-development in Mali. Challenging the concept of co-development as an effective immigration policy and a development strategy, this paper reflects the concept’s true benefits to Malian society. Finally, the conclusion …
Creating A Culture Of Accountability: The Prosecution Of Gender Crimes In The Icty, Alice Hansen
Creating A Culture Of Accountability: The Prosecution Of Gender Crimes In The Icty, Alice Hansen
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This study investigates if the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) successfully creates a culture of accountability through its prosecution of gender crime. It first frames the concepts of sexual violence in war as well as accountability theoretically, and describes the historical context of the war in the former Yugoslavia. The ideas of ethnic identity, gender roles, and rape as a war crime are placed against a historical and cultural background. Next, it uses twelve Statements of Guilt issued by the ICTY as a means to discuss the definition and creation of a culture of accountability within the …
A Study Of The East African Slave Trade In Bagamoyo, Jake Salyers
A Study Of The East African Slave Trade In Bagamoyo, Jake Salyers
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The purpose of my study was to learn about the east African Slave trade and its relationship to the town of Bagamoyo. Bagamoyo was an important trading town on the coast of Tanzania during the peak of the Arab run slave and ivory trade. Slavery was only abolished in Tanganyika in 1922, so there are still many monuments and memories remaining in the town concerning the slave trade. I had two main methods of collecting information about the town, interviewing the descendants of slaves and slave owners and researching the history of Bagamoyo. I was able to get three different …
‘These Things Are Simply Very Difficult’: An Exploration Of The Existence Of And The Relationship Between Sectarianism And Racism In Present-Day Northern Ireland, Coreen Walsh
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This report is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study of the relationship between sectarianism and racism in present-day Northern Ireland. This exploration compares and contrasts the ideas and beliefs behind sectarianism and racism as well as how these issues exist and continue to be manifested in society. Data was obtained by way of qualitative methods using semi-structured interviews, participant observation and desk research. It is concluded that sectarianism and racism have very similar origins and exist in parallel ways, but these two things are not identical. Sectarianism and racism both represent distorted ways of relating to others and managing …
Cultural Tourism In Botswana And The Sexaxa Cultural Village: A Case Study, Rachel Jones
Cultural Tourism In Botswana And The Sexaxa Cultural Village: A Case Study, Rachel Jones
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Botswana has seen tremendous growth in its tourism industry since its real inception the 1980s. Unfortunately, the tourism sector has almost solely focused on photographic and hunting safaris at the expense of cultural tourism. Because there is potential for rural development through effective cultural tourism, this study aimed to look at the case of one such rural community and their venture into cultural tourism. The Sexaxa community and their Cultural Village was studied to understand multiple facets of the issue. The history of the Bayei tribe, the history of the cultural village, how much the cultural village reflects the modern …
Street Culture Of Mombasa: Are The Survivors Really Surviving?, Danny Low
Street Culture Of Mombasa: Are The Survivors Really Surviving?, Danny Low
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Street children of Mombasa, Kenya were ethnographically studied in order to determine the effects of Swahili culture and structural violence on the children’s culture and place within greater society. It was discovered that Mombasa magnetizes street children as a result of the generosity of Swahili culture. Drug use was inextricably linked to street culture, yet children nonetheless held strong dreams of education. Since street children were also discovered to be significantly stratified, future policy and programming must account for these divisions to appropriately address the education and health problems facing Mombasa street children.
Train Hard, Win Easy: Running On The Periphery In Rural Kenya: The Last Shall Be First, Jordan Apfeld
Train Hard, Win Easy: Running On The Periphery In Rural Kenya: The Last Shall Be First, Jordan Apfeld
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Past years have proven Kenyans dominant in the sport of athletics. Today, runners from the Rift Valley win more major middle- and long-distance running events than those from any other nation in the world. Although athletics is not the most lucrative of sports, modern marketing has resulted in creating a sport with various financial incentives. These include prize money, sponsorships, and the opportunity for a new life. However, runners from rural agricultural backgrounds find it very difficult to translate their athletic talent into dollars at the finish line. This study examines the economic prospects for young male runners from Kapsabet …
Opacity: A Socioeconomic Study Of Diamond Mining In South-Eastern Cameroon, Steven Fox
Opacity: A Socioeconomic Study Of Diamond Mining In South-Eastern Cameroon, Steven Fox
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Diamond mining in the southeastern Cameroon is on the cusp of a boom of development. Artisanal diamond miners served as the “beacon” for an industrial mining company, C&K, to explore and attempt to gain permission to commence exploitation. There are massive social, economic and environmental implications depending on the execution of exploitation. It is the role of the government bodies and the corporation to identify sustainable methods to develop this untapped natural resource and the surrounding infrastructure. The region is an isolated throwback; its basic functions are, in essence, dated four decades. They need improved simple infrastructure, although the local …
Cool Head, Warm Heart: Governance And The Mission Of Microfinance In The Case Of Mc2 Micro-Banks, Cameroon, Claire Ruffing
Cool Head, Warm Heart: Governance And The Mission Of Microfinance In The Case Of Mc2 Micro-Banks, Cameroon, Claire Ruffing
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The concept of a cool head and a warm heart co-existing is a Buddhist principle which attempts to illustrate compassion and pragmatism as mutually compatible, not mutually exclusive. Without intelligent management, compassion is lost in its ineffectiveness, and without compassion, intelligence is purposeless reason. This equilibrium is exactly the vision of microfinance that drives this paper: an important social and moral idea that is nevertheless affected by the world and environment in which it operates. By examining the governance mechanisms affecting microfinance in Cameroon, namely the Ministry of Finance and the management structure of the firms themselves, an idea emerges …
Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman
Voz De Los Internos: Atención De Salud En El Recinto Penal En Arica, Chile, Lily Hoffman
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
According to both international and Chilean laws, incarceration does not affect one’s right to healthcare. Despite this protection, the health of prisoners’ remains a controversial topic in many communities, which may contribute to the inconsistencies in the levels of access to, and quality of, healthcare services in jails/prisons. A voice that is commonly overlooked, despite its value, is that of the patients of healthcare systems in jails/prisons around the world. This project was conducted in the maximum security prison complex in Arica, Chile and includes interviews with twenty-two incarcerated individuals based on their experiences with healthcare services in prison. Sixty-eight …
Children On The Margins: A Case Study Of I Care's Hope Centre For Street Children In Durban, South Africa, Morgan Sullivan
Children On The Margins: A Case Study Of I Care's Hope Centre For Street Children In Durban, South Africa, Morgan Sullivan
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Seeing street children was a new concept to me, but all too familiar to Durban, South Africa. It is something that had struck me and bothered me from my arrival here in South Africa and an issue that will trouble me for a lifetime. Working with I Care at the Hope Centre allowed me to get an inside look at the lives of some of these street children while building positive relationships with both the staff and the children alike. I began to see the children as children and saw past their rugged, stone-faced exteriors deep down to their desperate, …
Creating A Category V: Conservation Perceptions And Cultural Changes In The Anjozorobe-Angavo Forest Corridor, Kate Wright
Creating A Category V: Conservation Perceptions And Cultural Changes In The Anjozorobe-Angavo Forest Corridor, Kate Wright
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Local communities have long played an integral role in the realization of conservation goals and the success of protected areas in Madagascar. Since the appearance of human civilizations approximately 2,000 years ago (Brown 1995), the physical landscape of the island has undergone processes of adaptation to the practices of Malagasy people, while Malagasy cultures have in turn molded to fit their surroundings. The coevolution of nature and culture has produced a delicate environmental situation where human practices exploit but also conserve important natural resources, a situation that has been historically misinterpreted as intentional environmental destruction on the part of local …
Democracy And The Tribal System In Jordan: Tribalism As A Vehicle For Social Change, Jennifer Rowland
Democracy And The Tribal System In Jordan: Tribalism As A Vehicle For Social Change, Jennifer Rowland
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This paper discusses the current state of the electoral system in Jordan, its relation to and impact on the tribal aspect of society, and vice-versa. The prominence of tribalism in the electoral process has brought tribalism to the forefront of discussions on both the political system and social development in Jordan. There have been many accusations from intellectuals of a “return to tribalism” in the past couple of decades as politics in Jordan have become increasingly “tribalized.” Through a discussion of the different political and social mechanisms in Jordan, I conclude that the tribal sentiment in Jordan is not to …
A Sociological Analysis Of Crimes Of Honor: Examining The Effects Of Higher Education On The Concepts Of Honor And Notions Of Gender Equality In Jordan, Alex Miller
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The study analyzes the ever present traditional notions of patriarchy in Jordan, and the contexts by which they are surviving in the milieu of democratization. By way of 12 interviews with academics, legal professionals, judges, and tribal sheikhs, it specifically looks to legislation, concepts of honor, and gender notions as exemplified by the traditional exercise of honor killings in Jordan. The conclusion of this research critically assesses that, despite a wealth of political rhetoric promising the ideals of egalitarianism, Jordan still harbors a patriarchal society that does not apply benefits of equality (especially sexual equality) to all of its citizens …
Intervención Gubernamental En Barrios Pobres: El Caso De Quiero Mi Barrio En La Población Modelo Comuna De San Ramón Providencia De Santiago, Sara Kushner
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The research contained in this essay pertains to the implementation of Quiero mi Barrio, a pilot program funded by the Chilean government, within a poor neighborhood. Specifically, this text accounts for the achievements, challenges and limitations of this program in Modelo, a neighborhood in the popular community of San Ramón. This analysis is based in political theory that pertains to the significance of civic participation in political processes. In the following pages, context based on the development of a new public space is provided so that this analysis may be carried out. Through this qualitative analysis it is possible to …
L’Abandon De L’Excision Au Sénégal D’Ici 2015: Une Analyse De La Collaboration Entre L’Ong Tostan Et Le Ministère De La Famille, Karen Kirk
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The practice of female genital cutting (FGC) in Senegal continues today despite a law banning its practice. This study is a discussion of the collaboration between the NGO Tostan and the Senegalese government (Direction of the Family) as they work toward their goal of complete abandonment of FGC in Senegal by 2015. It examines the different roles of these two entities and how this collaboration will make this goal a reality. Key interviews with representatives from Tostan, the Direction of the Family and a third party provide opinions about this collaboration and whether or not this goal is realistic. La …
Guide Accreditation In The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area: A Study Of The Practices, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Small Tourism Operators, Nora Vogel
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This study assessed the attitudes, practices, and needs of tour operators in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area with respect to the recruitment and training of tour guides. The results will be used to help determine the need and demand for an official Wet Tropics guide accreditation system, as well as the form that system should take. The study also served to add more contacts to the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s growing network of tour operators, tour groups, and research scientists. Tour operators’ guide training practices varied with their business type and resources; many of the smallest operators provided a …
The Elusiveness Of Light: The Difficulty With Harnessing The Omnipresent Solar Energy In Africa, Hai-Vu Phan
The Elusiveness Of Light: The Difficulty With Harnessing The Omnipresent Solar Energy In Africa, Hai-Vu Phan
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The world is currently facing an energy crisis. Our dependency on oil and natural gas has led to many global problems, such as OPEC’s oil hikes which have disrupted economies everywhere and caused oil dependent countries to suffer. Our huge consumption of oil has also led to the global warming catastrophe that we currently must combat. The world must find a new energy source soon, or more environmental, political, social, and economic problems will occur. Solar energy’s potential has been recognized for many decades, and its abundant and limitless supply makes it the perfect new form of energy. Solar energy …
Relájate Y Disfruta: Lecciones De Una Vida Musical Y Temporal En El Zaidín = Relax And Enjoy: Lessons About A Temporal Musical Life In Zaidin, Granada, Laura Westman
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
In the following paper, I describe the volunteer project that I conducted during my fall 2009 semester in Granada, Spain. I spent a few hours each week accompanying voice lessons in a music school located in the neighborhood in which I lived while I was learning Spanish. This paper chronicles the importance of language and communication to my work, including problems that I had with the language barrier in communicating with people in the school before I was comfortable with the language. Though I originally planned to analyze relationships between teachers and students as a major theme in my project, …
Yugonostalgia: The Pain Of The Present, Claire Bancroft
Yugonostalgia: The Pain Of The Present, Claire Bancroft
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This project concerns the concept of nostalgia in the context of Yugoslavia. Through my interviews, observations, and daily interactions, I have sought to present the state of Yugonostalgia in present-day Belgrade. This project looks at Yugonostalgia through three lenses: the past, present, and future. In general, there is positive thinking about the past, a dismal perception of the present, and an optimistic outlook for the future. Despite the fact that many people have these nostalgic stories about the past, Yugonostalgia is still a negative and sometimes offensive term. In this paper, I, the researcher, struggle with my own nostalgia for …
“We Didn’T Choose To Live In A Transition Society:” The Youth Of Milošević’S Serbia Ten Years Later, Jessica Tsunami Acosta
“We Didn’T Choose To Live In A Transition Society:” The Youth Of Milošević’S Serbia Ten Years Later, Jessica Tsunami Acosta
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The 1990’s were an extremely dark time in modern Serbian history, mired by wars, sanctions, dictatorship, and struggle. Those who came of age in that time find their entire lives to be defined by their country’s transition process. Because of this experience, these individuals are in a unique position to make connections between past conflicts and present challenges in Serbia. In particular, through understanding their narratives of this recent past and their perceptions of Serbia’s current progress in its transition phase, one can glean a better picture of this generation and what it holds for Serbia’s future. In allowing these …
Sex Trafficking: Social Constructions And Stereotypes Of Recovery In Viet Nam, Linh Huynh
Sex Trafficking: Social Constructions And Stereotypes Of Recovery In Viet Nam, Linh Huynh
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The research attempts to reveal how labels of victimization of trafficked returnees can actually harm socialization efforts of reintegration. Although men are trafficked for sexual purposes as well, the study will focus only on the acclimization of women in An Giang province, on the border of Cambodia. The paper discusses the stories of three returnees and analyzes their social reintegration through social events such as cooking and through informal conversations. This is turn, is compared to other populations that may be susceptible to trafficking, but have not yet been. All work and research is based on the participant observation form …
Conflicting Loyalties: Changing Roles And Relations Of Labor Unions In Vietnam, Jan Slezak
Conflicting Loyalties: Changing Roles And Relations Of Labor Unions In Vietnam, Jan Slezak
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
As labor unions in Vietnam become further divided from the political ideologies they arose from, it is important to examine how workers can become accurately represented in a system of changing markets, government and an economic movement towards the free-market system. As the role of the labor union changes and attempts to adapt into contemporary times, this study discusses and analyzes the opinions and actions of Vietnam’s citizens; from the worker’s most affected by the oncoming changes to those who take part it crafting and enforcing legislation on the issue. This study arrives at its answer by combining interviews, social …
Forever Home: Funeral, Burial And The Life After This Life In Hue, Vietnam, Molly Bennett
Forever Home: Funeral, Burial And The Life After This Life In Hue, Vietnam, Molly Bennett
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Hue, Vietnam is home to some of the most elaborate funeral and burial practices in the country. These practices ground and reinforce a plethora of beliefs and customs surrounding ancestor veneration and the communion of spirits. This paper will explore the effects of modernization, increased household incomes, and lack of burial space due to urban growth on the process and corresponding spirituality of the funeral and burial. A series of structured and semi-structured personal interviews with interested citizens and religious leaders alike comprise the majority of the data. Ultimately, this paper will show that while traditional funerals and burials are …
Grey To Green: The Wolf As Culture And Profit In Mongolia And The Importance Of Its Survival, Samuel Legrys
Grey To Green: The Wolf As Culture And Profit In Mongolia And The Importance Of Its Survival, Samuel Legrys
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
“The king of this place could be Bear; it can capture and eat anything, even roe deer and moose. But I think sometimes Bear is eaten by Wolf, working as a pack. It means that Wolf is the king of the king” – Joogdernamjil, Dadal Hunter The grey wolf is a key figure in Mongolian culture, representing not only the male ancestor behind the bloodline of Chinggis Khaan, but also the messenger of heaven, sent to punish those who disrespect the spirit masters of the land. Countryside herders and UB businessmen alike honor the wolf as a spiritually powerful animal, …
The Legend Of The Almas: A Comparative And Critical Analysis, Nathan Wenzel
The Legend Of The Almas: A Comparative And Critical Analysis, Nathan Wenzel
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The legend of the almas, the wildman of Mongolia, has a long history. The stories are primarily found in the western aimags of Mongolia. This paper investigates the presence of the almas as legend outside of its traditional western home. The almas has been thoroughly documented as a western phenomenon, but this paper seeks to discover how much of a presence it has in the wider culture, especially in central and eastern Mongolia where few, if any almas legends ever take place. This paper also explores what the almas means to different people. The stories about the almas can be …
India’S Role In Mongolia’S Third Neighbor Policy, Brandon Joseph Miliate
India’S Role In Mongolia’S Third Neighbor Policy, Brandon Joseph Miliate
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Mongolia’s Third Neighbor policy is receiving much attention from international scholars. This dynamic policy is an effort on the part of the Mongolian nation to balance the influence from its two huge neighbors, the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Russian Federation. While this policy was formulated in the early years of Mongolia’s transition to a market economy and democracy, the whole concept of additional neighbors beyond the physically geographical sense has something of a long history, especially in respects to one nation in particular- India- the countries spiritual neighbor. The ties between the two countries are as dynamic as …
Know Your Enemy: Tibetan Perceptions Of And Approaches To Chinese Studies In Exile, Katherine Mechling
Know Your Enemy: Tibetan Perceptions Of And Approaches To Chinese Studies In Exile, Katherine Mechling
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Achieving peaceful dialogue between Chinese and Tibetans is the crux of the Tibetan community in exile’s strategy to regain its homeland. Yet despite the recognized importance of cross-cultural communication the Tibetans, ideologically unwilling to separate “China the Oppressor” from “China the Neighbor” or even, potentially, “China the Co-Collaborator,” have largely avoided studying their adversary. Although increased literacy in Chinese language, knowledge of Chinese history and understanding of Chinese culture would enable the Tibetans to engage with China more effectively and productively, few initiatives exist in exile that facilitate the spread of such information. Receiving only a basic overview of Chinese …
Comparative Medinas: Complexity And Contradiction In Tourist Spaces In Tunisia, Maxwell E. Loos
Comparative Medinas: Complexity And Contradiction In Tourist Spaces In Tunisia, Maxwell E. Loos
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
There does not seem to be a lively debate in academia that tourism is worth studying. The wealth of material published on the subject is dizzying, and comes from a wide range of disciplines, from business and economics to anthropology and postcolonial theory. This is partially because of the wideness of the subject material; tourism is at the same time a cultural practice with specific characteristics and a decidedly transnational phenomenon, the form and implications of which change depending on which borders and cultures are involved or excluded. I would like to make my brief contribution to the study of …