Anthropology Commons^™

Changing The Very Fabric Of Society: A Case Study Of The Fundación Entre Mujeres Holistic Empowerment Model, Briana Frenchmore

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The women of rural northern Nicaragua live in a context that is shaped by the inequalities of gender and class that originate in machista culture and the dominant economic system. To confront this reality, the non-government organization, Fundación Entre Mujeres (FEM) works from the “Gender and Development” (GAD) approach using a model of holistic women’s empowerment. To create social change, FEM’s programs focus on ideological, economic, and organizational empowerment. This investigation seeks to understand how FEM carries out its holistic empowerment model within communities, while reflecting on the strengths of their methodology and the challenges they face in creating social …

Creating Transformation Through Art The Role Of Community Arts In A Transitioning Society Ballymun, Dublin And Belfast Northern Ireland, Katherine Power

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents my findings from an Independent Study Project conducted over a three-­‐week period in Belfast on the role of community arts in a transitioning society, with a focus primarily on youth. I have found three themes concurrent with my research being that community arts can boost self-­‐confidence and build positive identity, they can be used as a tool for addressing difficult issues, and finally, that community arts can unify a community. The arts, as a cause of these themes, have the potential to help a society transition and transform from conflict.

Empresas Recuperadas, Elana Gold

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Starting during the neoliberal economic policies of the 90’s and continuing through the crisis of 2001, over 200 abandoned or bankrupt factories have been recuperated by their workers to maintain their jobs and argentine industry. These factories, called empresas recuperadas, have an important role in providing economic alternatives to the typical exploitation of capitalism as nearly all are maintained as cooperatives where members share in the decision-making process and profits. Although they have their roots in the militant union history of Argentina, in many ways they have differentiated themselves from the typical worker struggle.

These factories have an interesting relationship …

El Desarrollo Comunitario De La Comunidad Mapuche De Llaguepulli A Través De Su Proyecto Turístico., Blair Curcie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The term tourism may carry certain negative connotations, particularly when discussing tourism of an indigenous culture. Anthropological research has before studied the foundation of tourism in and the effects of tourism on a community, but the perspective of the community is often absent in this work. This paper contributes to previous said research with an account of the origins and effects of the tourism project named “Naturaleza y Cultura Ancestral en El Lago Budi” of the Mapuche community of Llaguepulli located on the Lago Budi in the Araucanía Region of Southern Chile. The information of this essay was acquired through …

Les Oubliés De L’Histoire: Perceptions Of Harkis And Community Awareness, Lauren Gilbert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“Harki” is derived from the Arabic word “Harka,” meaning movement. This term is used to denote not only the original approximately 200,000 Algerian Arab and Berber Muslims, who militarily supported the French Army during the Algerian war for independence between 1954 and 1962, but also their families and descendants.[1] Especially during the war with Algeria and immediately following, they were often referred to as francais-musulmans, francais-musulmans repatries, or repatries d’origine nord africaine, thus avoiding the topic of conflict with the colony. This support took a range of forms, not always military; for example, the “Groupes d’auto defense (GAD) was …

The Israeli Defense Forces In The 21st Century: Humanitarian Complier Or Human Rights Violators? An Assessment Of Ihl Compliance In The Second Lebanon War And Operation Cast Lead, Skyler Scoggan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My reasons behind writing this paper are very personal and its conclusion will have a direct impact on my future. I am Jewish by blood and have always have had a strong connection with the tradition even though I do not consider myself religious. I have respected more so the traditions and culture that have come from the faith of my mother. The fact that my grandfather, great grandfather, and the dozen more before him, carried on these same rituals that I carry out on Shabbat or on the high holidays, is beyond the realm of being special. Many cannot …

Inferno In The Land Of Snows: A Holistic Investigation Of Tibetan Self-Immolation Through A Tibetan Perspective, Eric Regalbuto

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

According to the ICT (International Campaign for Tibet) at least 90 Tibetan monks, nuns, and non-monastic Tibetans have committed self immolation since 2009, 73 (81%) of which have been proclaimed as deceased due to inflictions experienced as a result of the demonstrations; this only exists as the current statistic at the time the proceeding investigation was conducted. Though this number may initially seem somewhat small, it in fact shows a significant build-on to this trend over recent years. To many this practice comes across as quite striking, if not completely incomprehensible; to most the first method of protesting religious oppression …

Manifestations Of Tibetan Buddhism In Pudacuo National Park And Its Effectiveness As An Environmental Education Tool, Ellen Martin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-la, Yunnan is mainland China’s first national park and comprehensive conservation and eco-tourism attempt. The Nature Conservancy worked with Yunnan provincial government to establish park guidelines and advocate for certain conservation measures. One of the important guidelines that The Nature Conservancy included was local cultural preservation. A primary goal of this experiment in US-modeled national parks is to ensure the longevity of traditional values and beliefs in the parkland area. Pudacuo National Park is not only attempting to conserve the local Tibetan Buddhist tradition but also is attempting to capitalize on the uniqueness of the experience …

Beauty In The Indigenous Pageant The Cultural And Social Relevance Of Miss Samoa, Mariko Hamashima

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the Miss Samoa pageant’s historical origins, cultural relevance and preservation, the ways in which it empowers women, the public’s perspective, and future development. Secondary sources on the pageant were limited to eight pieces, so interviews with judges, contestants, winners, and participants were sources of information. Sixty surveys were also conducted to gain the public’s perspective of the pageant. The study found Miss Samoa is more popular for its entertainment value than cultural relevance. The Miss Samoa pageant has been utilized as an agent of empowerment for individual women but is not necessarily influential on a larger social …

Why Do Women Have More Children Than They Want? Understanding Differences In Women's Ideal And Actual Family Size In A Natural Fertility Population, Lisa Mcallister, Michael Gurven, Hillard Kaplan, Jonathan Stieglitz

ESI Publications

Objectives—We develop and test a conceptual model of factors influencing women’s ideal family size (IFS) in a natural fertility population, the Tsimane of Bolivia. The model posits affects of socioecology, reproductive history, maternal condition, and men’s IFS. We test three hypotheses for why women may exceed their IFS despite experiencing socioeconomic development: (H1) limited autonomy; (H2) improved maternal condition; and (H3) low returns on investments in embodied capital.

Methods—Women’s reproductive histories and prospective fertility data were collected from 2002 to 2008 (n = 305 women). Semistructured interviews were conducted with Tsimane women to study the perceived value of …

Sex Selection And Technology In The United States: Is It Playing God?, Roberta M. Steinbacher, Audrianna V. Rodriguez

Undergraduate Research Posters 2012

Preferences for selecting male firstborn children have been well established through research in countries such as India, China, and the Middle East. The effects of this phenomenon have been devastating to these populations’ sex ratios and have led to a number of violent crimes against women. The number of participants who indicated a willingness to use sex selection technology (8%) was too small to calculate any relationship between potential users and firstborn sex preference.

Getting To The Root Of Dengidëk: A Preliminary Investigation Of Fagara Xanthoxyloïdes And Treatment-Seeking Behavior In Dakar, Senegal, Richard T. Powis Iii

Undergraduate Research Posters 2012

In Senegal, “traditional medicine” typically refers to the syncretism of Wolof or Serer medicine and Islamic beliefs, and includes not only consumables and procedures that fight off physical or mental ailments, but also spiritual acts to fight off sorcery. This is a preliminary investigation of the local and traditional knowledge that surrounds dengidëk, in particular, while assessing a rudimentary model of treatment-seeking behavior.

Technically Speaking: On Equipping And Evaluating “Unnatural” Language Learners , Joshua Reno

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

This article compares different communicative trials for apes in captivity and children with autism in order to investigate how ideological assumptions about linguistic agency and impairment are constructed and challenged in practice. To the extent that Euro-American techniques of “unnatural” language instruction developed during the Cold War era have been successful, it is because communicative interactions are broken down into basic components, and would-be language learners are equipped with materials, devices, and habits that make up for their distinct bio/social deficits. Such linguistic equipment can present a challenge to the ideological presumption of a subject inherently gifted with the rudiments …

Ua12/2/30 Poster, Wku Saudi Student Club

Student Organizations

Poster advertising Saudi National Day sponsored by the WKU Saudi Student Club.

Mccartt-Jackson, Sarah (Fa 577), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 577. Paper by Sarah McCartt-Jackson titled “The Invasion of the Scarecrows and Community Aesthetic Perspective.” Describes an annual event called Invasion of the Scarecrows designed to promote downtown shopping in Scottsville, Kentucky. This project won the 2011Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Bolick, Molly (Fa 579), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 579. Illustrated paper by Molly Bolick titled “Embodied Art: Identity, Adornment, and Style in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby.” Analysis of the artistic process of choosing a derby name and the assemblage of dress elements and adornment in the context of the body as a canvas. This project was submitted for the 2011Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Identifying Barriers To Adherence For Hiv+ Patients Placed On Renal Dosing, Richard S. Colon Jr

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Status And Prosociality In Egalitarian Societies, Zachary Garfield

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Egalitarian societies have been the subject of significant academic attention for their unique cultural qualities, both as a representation of a distinct political category, and as a base line in the context of biological and cultural evolution. Although the domains and degrees of egalitarianism vary cross-culturally, certain characteristics seem universal. Egalitarian societies are nonstratified social systems that lack hereditary statuses with ascribed coercive power. In egalitarian societies leadership is achieved and dependent upon personal qualities and individual behavior. Leaders are granted authority but lack coercive power and rely on techniques such as persuasion to exert influence over others. Multiple theories …

Ei Espacio Y La Identidad En Un Contexto Transnacional, Katherine Michelle Norris

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

La migracion transnacional ha puesto en dud a las perspectivas tradicionales sobre la migracion internacionalla cual fue caracterizada anteriormente como un cambio pennanente de residencia entre dos estados-naciones, Y la cual ultimaruente Ileva a la asimilacion en el destino del migrante. Sin embargo, en contraste a los migrantes internacionales que han sido estudiados anteriormente, los transmigrantes toman medidas, hac en decisiones, y experimentan preocupaciones conectadas con dos 0 mas sociedades simultaneamente (Mendoza, 2006). Para comprender mejor el proceso de la migracion transnacional en su contexto completo, es importante explorar y entender las causas y los efectos de la transformacion espacial …

An Analysis Of Personal Adornment At Fort St. Joseph (20be23), An Eighteenth-Century French Trading Post In Southwest Michigan, Ian B. Kerr

Masters Theses

Since 1998 Western Michigan University archaeologists have investigated Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), an 18th century mission, garrison and trading post located in present day Niles, Michigan. The project’s research directive focuses on exploring notions of identity formation and its material expression in light of the prolonged and persistent cultural contact between Native Americans and Europeans at the site.

This thesis seeks to further this directive by exploring how personal adornment materiality both structures and broadcasts individuals’ social identities. By employing an intrasite spatial analysis of the assemblage of adornment artifacts from recognized domestic contexts at Fort St. Joseph this thesis …

Label Use And Mixed Race Asian Americans: Discourses, Performances, And Boundaries, Ellen Macdonald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A person's identity is not fixed or stable, rather it changes over time and even from moment to moment (Nagel 1994). Throughout an individual's life he or she constantly cites discourses that relate specific appearances, actions, and behaviors to certain labeled social categories and those discourses make an individual intelligible as an acknowledged type of person (Butler 1990). The self, or identity, that someone presents at any point in time is comprised of the different types of information, both verbal and nonverbal, that the person provides to his audience (Goffman 1959). Labels are one verbal source of information that can …

Of Dice And Men: An Ethnography Of Contemporary Gaming Subculture, Christopher Shane Brace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tabletop roleplaying is a dynamic and flourishing hobby that has become increasingly accessible to a wide variety of participants. The games themselves, as well as the gaming subculture, offer players a number of personal and Social benefits that continue to enrich their lives long after they leave the table. Using Goffman's theories of Dramaturgy and Frame Analysis, this paper seeks to examine the positive impact of gaming in three key areas.

The first is an analysis of the subculture which includes the evolution of the games, the growth and diversification of the roleplaying community, and the current shift in stereotypes …

The Clash Of Human Rights Principles And National Security Concerns: The Implications Of The Readmission Agreement Between Ukraine And The European Union On The Rights Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children, Kateryna Ustymenko

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study is the analysis of the efforts of the European Union to stop the flow of irregular migration to the European Union and its impact on the lives of unaccompanied migrant children, who find themselves in a transit zone between the EU and Ukraine. This study will provide a general overview of the issue of unaccompanied migrant children, the analysis of international legal protections granted to unaccompanied migrant children, and the overview of the discrepancies between international law and actual practices based on the example of Ukraine in the context of bilateral Readmission Agreement between Ukraine and the European …

Identifying And Analyzing The Use Of Space In Ancient Mayan House Mounds In Kancab, Yucatan, Mexico, V. Camille Westmont

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Measuring Maya Politics: Demographic Research On Ancient Community Relations, Jacob A. Welch

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Bemis, Alfred Hall, 1883-1956 (Sc 527), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 527. Photocopies of manuscript entitled “Destiny,” which concerns Alfred Hall Bemis’ five years of residency in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and a brochure used by Bemis to advertise his lecture on the life, philosophy and background of the hill people of Kentucky.

Learning Without Being Taught: A Look At How Schools, The Home And The Neighborhood Influence "Race" Conceptualization, Owen Christopher Gaither

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Where do we get our ideas about the concept of `race'? The conceptualization of `race' has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences and society in general. The word `race' has been used and defined in different ways and different purposes throughout U.S. history. The definition of `race' therefore is arbitrary, changing according to the situation, but the consequences of how the word `race' is used are concrete and effect peoples lives daily. This research, in accord with much of the literature on the topic, shows that public schools play a major role in the conceptualization …

Redefining, Crafting, And Re/Presenting Contemporary Ethnicities: Honduran National Identity, 1994–2006, Cordelia A. Frewen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the last quarter of the twentieth century, Fourth World populations, including those in Honduras, have been steadily gaining partial recognition of cultural rights; yet often official discourses of national identity continue to subsume cultural traditions of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Honduras's heterogeneous ethnic pluralism has historically been combined to promote a more cohesive national identity of a homogenized, mayanized, indo-Hispanic mestizaje. Exclusion and mis- or under-representation of indigenous groups is reinforced by popular imagination, particularly in the cultural heritage and tourism sectors. Firmly situated within regional Latin American and global trends, over the past two decades, official discourse on …

A Survey Of Non-Classical Polyandry, Kathrine E. Starkweather, Raymond Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

We have identified a sample of 53 societies outside of the classical Himalayan and Marquesean area that permit polyandrous unions. Our goal is to broadly describe the demographic, social, marital, and economic characteristics of these societies and to evaluate some hypotheses of the causes of polyandry. We demonstrate that although polyandry is rare it is not as rare as commonly believed, is found worldwide, and is most common in egalitarian societies. We also argue that polyandry likely existed during early human history and should be examined from an evolutionary perspective. Our analysis reveals that it may be a predictable response …

Articulating Sexuality: A Critical History Of Gay And Lesbian Anthropology, Carly Fox

Social Sciences

The purpose of this paper is to explore anthropological discourses regarding sexuality and relate them to the lived experiences of individuals. The paper is divided into two interrelated sections: historical and theoretical. Section one identifies a subfield within anthropology, gay and lesbian anthropology, most prominently represented by The Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA), and traces its emergence within the wider discipline of anthropology. It highlights the foundational scholars and theoretical shifts that have been crucial in defining the subfield as it is today and looks at how early anthropologists approached sexuality in general, and same- sex sexuality in …