Anthropology Commons^™

The Influence Of Preventive Dental Care And Its Role On The Patient-Provider Relationship, Maria Figueroa

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Reimagining Yiddishkeit: Place And Belonging In A Modern Orthodox Synagogue Community, Joshua Jacoves

Senior Theses and Projects

This is a study of the disruption of place and belonging in an urban, multi-generational, Modern Orthodox Jewish community in the Northeastern United States. It asks how members define themselves as part of a religious community. Living within walking distance of their synagogue, members build community based upon shared space. In order to embrace a more pluralistic community, local leaders in the past ten years have been pushing the boundary on what is and is not religiously allowed. This creates new, more inclusive spaces to be formed within this community, which fall along the lines of gender, sexuality, and religious …

Constructing The Eastern Coyote: A Temporal Analysis Of The Scientific And Social Production Of A Controversial Northeastern Canid, Kayleigh Moses

Senior Theses and Projects

Eastern coyotes (Canis latrans var) have confounded the scientific and social boundaries established by postcolonial United States. The first eastern coyote specimen on record comes from Otis, Massachusetts in 1957. At the time, this unknown and unnamed wolf-like creature sparked fear amongst human residents of the Northeastern United States. Threatened by the presence of this predator, Northeasterners launched coyote killing efforts similar to the eradication campaigns that had previously failed in the Western United States. Today, Massachusetts officials estimate that 11,500 eastern coyotes occupy the state, living amongst people and pets in every county. This abundance of eastern …

Nation-Building And Cultural Heritage: A Study Of Turkey And Its Greek Orthodox Community, Sophia E. Kyrou

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis is an exploration of the intersection between nationalist ideology and cultural heritage policy. This thesis answers how and why states utilize cultural heritage policy to build exclusivist forms of nationalism and, more specifically, models of nationalism that exclude ethno-religious minorities. In my work, I employ a case study of Turkey and its treatment of the Greek Orthodox minority population, and examine two specific periods in Turkish history: the Atatürk period (1920 to 1938) and the Erdoğan period (2001 to present). I answer the case-specific question: How and why has the Turkish state utilized policy dealing with tangible and …

The Development & Functionality Of A Group Intervention Program For Children Exposed To Intimate Partner Violence, Marisa Berner

Senior Theses and Projects

Children with exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) often develop effects from the trauma physiologically, socially, and developmentally, and if not appropriately addressed, these effects may continue into adulthood and result in a child experiencing or perpetrating IPV as an adult. This study developed an intervention-based program as a form of game therapy designed to be played with a group of children with CEDV and then tested the functionality and enjoyability of it on a collection of primarily college-aged individuals in multiple virtual game sessions. The study found the game to be quite enjoyable and functional, with participants having high …

From Ghettos To Authentic Hubs: The Changing Meaning Of Racial Difference In The Post-Colonial City, Samia De Araujo Khoder

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

"Urban" Dengue? An Examination Of Perceived Dengue Risk And Notions Of The Urban In Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, Charlotte Robbins

Senior Theses and Projects

Is dengue fever an urban disease as public health literature suggests? And what does this literature mean by urban? To answer these questions, I compare perceptions of the urban and dengue risk from residents who I interviewed across different sites in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. I ground my analysis in four urban frameworks: the bounded city theory, postcolonial theory, assemblage urbanism, and urban political ecology. I find that residents in Esmeraldas Province think about urban spaces very differently from how the Ecuadorian government defines what is urban. In particular, residents discuss government investment in infrastructure and services as an important dimension …

The Things We Carry: Pilgrim Identity And Material Culture Along Spain’S Camino De Santiago, Isabelle Moore

Senior Theses and Projects

In recent decades, the mediaeval Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route has enjoyed a significant resurgence in popularity. Despite the route’s Christian heritage as “the way of St. James,” todays Camino-walkers present an impressive range of spiritual, physical, and personal motivations for undergoing the route. This modern twist on an ancient tradition has sparked an academic discussion surrounding what constitutes a “pilgrim” versus a “tourist,” including the ways in which people of different motivating identities experience heritage. I investigated this dichotomy by walking the Camino Frances and conducting ethnographic fieldwork from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago, Spain. In …

The Sin Of Skin: Color And ‘Other’ In The Greco-Roman World, Grace Gill

Senior Theses and Projects

Many Scholars have denied the presence of racial categorizing in European Antiquity. Though there was no institutionalized system of ‘racial oppression’ like we are familiar with in today’s society, I contend that there are cultural precursors of ‘race’ in the Greco-Roman world, otherwise known as ‘proto-race’. All societies have means to categorize people and put them into hierarchies - this is a major focus in the field of sociology. I propose that color-symbolic language was used to make distinctions amongst and between people; further that by analyzing the context within which these ‘color- words’ were referenced, it illuminates the importance …

Purchasing The Past: Going, Going, Gone! New England Auctions: Palaces Of Intrigue And Theaters Of Commerce, Martha Kelly

Senior Theses and Projects

Abstract

My thesis presents evidence that auctions are innately socially- constructed places where diverse actors and unique objects are brought together in a transformative theatre of commerce. Commodities offered can carry with them elements of social turmoil and expose intimacies when exchanged. In this culturally-constructed, social-economic landscape, animate participants in the social arena of an auction parallel the inanimate commodities to be exchanged, as commodities are also “thoroughly socialized thing[s]” with biographies and social implications of their own (Appadurai 1986, 6). Patterns of on-again, off-again commoditization of certain goods are part and parcel of the social construction of their complex …

What Makes A Good Birth? A Qualitative Study On Choices And Experiences Among Women In Greater Boston, Kathryn M. Dimond

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

United In Diversity? The Political Implications Of Intra- Eu Migration, Isabel Monteleone

Senior Theses and Projects

Intra-EU migration is a phenomenon innate to the structure of the European Union. A politico-economic union of twenty-eight countries, the EU does what no other alliance of countries has endeavored before, serving as a unique product of globalization and integration, in every sense of the word. Bound almost entirely by a common currency, the European Union is established in the belief that economic cooperation in Europe can be achieved through the principle of free movement, despite each member states’ individual way of life, language, and political, religious, and cultural ideology.

Since intra-EU migration allows for the possibility of EU integration …

Female Genital Mutilation: Islamic Roots Or Culture Conflated?, Mazin E. Khalil

Senior Theses and Projects

Despite the fact that circumcision can be traced to various pre-Islamic societies, female genital mutilation is commonly associated with Islam. This thesis investigates female genital mutilation in Sudan. In the first part, I investigate the reasons for female genital mutilation in Sudan and the reasons for its continued occurrence. In the second part, I analyze the narrative of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her personal account as it relates to female genital mutilation. Finally in the third part, I examine the role that the discourse of female genital mutilation has in Islamophobic rhetoric.

The Effect Of Familial Support, Socioeconomic Status And Stigma On Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy Among Women In Hartford Ct: A Qualitative Approach, Hayley E. Berg

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Stuck In The Trauma Story: The Construction And Consequences Of Narrative Liminality In A Domestic Violence Center In Cape Town, South Africa, Annie Arnzen

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

The Worth Of Water: A Look At The Water Scarcity Crisis And The Perceptions Of The Basic Need Of Water In South Africa, Megan O'Brien

Senior Theses and Projects

Not every South African has access to the same amount of water, quality of water, or infrastructure for water. A core question for me during this research was if and how attitudes towards water and daily water consumption vary along with different levels of water accessibility. Considering both the emerging global water scarcity crisis and the legacy of Apartheid, evident by the institutional inequalities in South Africa, I unravel the current system of water allocation. First, I discuss the definition of water scarcity, the politics surrounding water allocation, and South Africa’s Constitutional right to water as well as the Free …

"It Would Never Happen To Me": Female Perceptions Of Community And Experience Of Crime On And Off Campus, Jillian Zieff

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

The Spirituality Of Food And Nutrition: A Critique Of The United States' Food Practices Through An Analysis Of Three Asian Religions And Philosophies, Kiley G. Hagerty

Senior Theses and Projects

There is no question that the United States is a country that is currently faced with serious health epidemics, such as hypertension and diabetes, associated with being overweight and obese. It has been the assumption of the government and the public that the large food corporations are to blame for the country’s poor health. However, it is too simplistic to believe that tighter regulations upon corporations would alone lead to improved health. There needs to be a change at the individual level, and of the practices of most of the country’s citizens. Through an analysis of three Asian religions (Hindu …

Que Se Sepa: Perspectives From The Puerto Rican Diaspora In Hartford, Christina T. Williams

Senior Theses and Projects

Que Se Sepa focuses on the perspectives of individuals of Puerto Rican descent living in the Diaspora here in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. These individuals represent a community that comprises of first, second, and third generation Puerto Ricans. Through discussions surrounding the topics of food, religion, politics, race, language, and music/arts, Que Se Sepa presents an array of perspectives regarding experiences both in Hartford’s Puerto Rican Diaspora and in Puerto Rico.

Que Se Sepa is two things: an effort to promote dialogue and a personal journey. Que Se Sepa the dialogue gives direct agency to a community. Within the …

Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? An Investigation And Analysis Of The Nature Of The Trinity College And Surrounding Neighborhoods Relationship As Seen Through Gates, Ariel Schuster

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Steel Pan's Heart, Chioma Viola Ozuzu

Senior Theses and Projects

Even though mostly Afro-Trinidadians play pan, the Steel Pan instills national identity and pride because Pan has become internationally popular and the proliferation of so many steel drum events before carnival, including Panorama-the world largest Steel Pan competition.The purpose of this paper looks the hybridization and Creolization of the music culture of the nation, in regards to the major ethnic groups, especially Indo-Trinidadian.