Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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.

“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 …

Moving On From The War: The Factors That Influence Contemporary Perceptions Of Former Enemies, Erin Martin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over 30 years have passed since the end of the Vietnam War, yet the memory still lingers for some. Mention of the war in correlation to contemporary politics today in the United States seems to demonstrate that Americans have not effectively put the past behind them. Similarly, the prevalence of Vietnam War-related media, such as films, music, and literature, implies that the war is still remembered strongly in American society. Why, then, do the Vietnamese appear to have put the war behind them? Most Vietnamese seem to avoid discussing the war or its consequences, and appear to revel in these …

Marriage In Conflict: Formerly Abducted Women’S Struggles With Marriage Upon Return, Julie Bailey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With the end of the twenty-year war in Northern Uganda, the area has begun the long process of rehabilitating, rebuilding, and reintegrating. For women who have now returned from abduction and forced marriage, reintegration has proven difficult, specifically in regards to these women’s desires to marry upon return. The experiences of these formerly abducted women in the bush as well as the conflict-induced changes to traditional marriage often limits their ability to remarry and thus prevents them from fully regaining their place in Acholi society. Ultimately, this study sought to examine these difficulties by looking at the societal norms for …

Vietnamese Resistence Mentality, Michael Williams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

By the time tanks of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon to reunify the country in 1975, the United States had spent almost two hundred billion dollars and lost over 58,000 soldiers in Vietnam. From the late 1940’s until the fall of Saigon, the United States had been fervently trying to prevent a communist takeover in Vietnam, spending billions to help France retain her Indochinese colonies, and subsequently billions in aid to the successive governments of the southern Republic of Vietnam. Yet despite the massive spending and military superiority, the United States, …

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 …

Dwog Paco: Tackling The Challenges Of Reintegrating Ex-Lra In Kitgum District, Takako Mino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Broad intentions

The people of northern Uganda face the complex challenge of reintegrating former members of the LRA rebel group back into their communities. One month of field research in Kitgum district was carried out to study the reintegration process of LRA returnees and the roles of various stakeholders such as government, NGOs, traditional leaders, community members, and the returnees themselves in facilitating the process. This paper also analyzes the impact of the Government of Uganda’s Amnesty Act on the return of formerly abducted people.

Methodology

The research entailed the collection of both quantitative and qualitative information from various stakeholders …

Vital Correspondence: Analyzing Local And International Media Coverage Of Armed Conflict, Marissa Moran

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The atrocities of armed conflicts such as those in Israel’s Gaza Strip and the Darfur region of Sudan are not reaching and affecting Westerners as clearly and potently as they should, considering the technological capabilities of today’s international news media. In this paper, I will argue that media coverage of armed conflict in the developing world is stifled by the politics of international and transnational news media organizations and the unique challenges and limitations to local news organizations at the site of conflict. Private interests, financial constraints, and physical and political limitations cause global media to emphasize mainly the violent …

Ending Violence…Creating Peace? Rediscovering The Connections Between The Women´S Movement And A Culture Of Peace In Nicaragua, Sami Poindexter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My project, Ending Violence…Creating Peace?: Rediscovering the Connections between the Women’s Movement and a Culture of Peace in Nicaragua, explores, both in theory and practice, the relationships between the Nicaraguan women’s movement and building a culture of peace. Through an extensive literature review that covered everything from history to feminist and peace theories and from reconciliation and peacebuilding to the militarization of society. Through the process of the literature review, I was fully able to make the theoretical connections between feminism and peace which then allowed me to establish a framework for my research and fieldwork. To investigate the links …

Teaching Peace: An Exploration In Youth Peace Building Through Peace Education Programs In Gulu Municipality, Northern Uganda, Julia Firestone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After more than two decades of conflict and instability in Northern Uganda, there is finally relative peace. Now is the time of post-armed conflict transformation. The establishment of peace during this time will determine the direction of much of Uganda. Because youth were greatly affected by the conflict, they are particularly important to building a “culture of peace” (Interview with Mapenduzi, 18/4/2009). This study aims to explore the broad mechanisms of peace education and the role of youth in peace building using the case study of Gulu municipality. The research also utilizes key community representatives to examine the non-youth perspectives …

Global Discourse, Local Context: Counter-Terrorism And Human Rights In Morocco, Christine Sargent

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Human rights and terrorism are two of the most frequently invoked, powerfully deployed, and hotly contested paradigms of our time. They are, first and foremost, words. They are words that attempt to describe concepts, values and actions. Human rights are understood as the fundamental “civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights that all human being should enjoy” beyond the non-negotiable, fundamental right to life (United Nations). The concept of terrorism seeks to categorize and comprehend what has been perceived as a uniquely transnational, increasing phenomenon of violent, ideologically driven attacks targeting civilians. Accordingly, counter-terrorism is normatively understood to consist of …

The Heart Of Forgiveness, In Light Of Unforgettable Hurt: A Multi-Faceted Perspective On Reconciliation In Northern Uganda, Barbara Vi Thien Ho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the prospect of a peace agreement in northern Uganda becomes more likely, there is no greater time than now to address reconciliation and reintegration of formerly abducted persons (FAPs). Rather than focus on the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and reception centers, however, the study utilized focus group interviews, informal and non-formal interviews and secondary sources to gain a deeper understanding of how the community approaches reconciliation and reintegration. The study takes a critical look at Acholi community’s traditional approaches to justice and reconciliation in order to understand its strength and weaknesses in providing true reconciliation and a positive …

Alienation In Acholiland: War, Privatization, And Land Displacement In Northern Uganda, Nicole Kligerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents the various dynamics, causes, and consequences of land conflicts in Acholiland. In order to comprehensively address these complex issues, this paper analyzes land conflict in connection to the Northern Uganda war, explaining the military strategies that resulted in widespread displacement and alienation from the land. This paper further explores changing Acholi cosmology and customary land law in connection to land alienation. Additionally, I examine local land conflicts as well as three privatization and “development” plans in relationship to preexisting land displacement issues. This paper highlights the opinions of my fieldwork participants regarding the importance of land to …