Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons^™

The Ifugaos And The Rice Terraces : A Third Grade Social Studies Curriculum About A Philippine Ethnic Community, Emelita Corazon B. Bautista

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The author created an original integrated social studies curriculum for third grade students in an urban community learning about the Ifugaos and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. The various experiential activities are designed to immerse students in the life and culture of the Ifugao community.

Latinos In America: A Consideration Of Food Accessibility Factors With Implications For The Indianapolis Community, Abigail C. Robison

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Studies discuss personal choices or cultural influences of food consumption, but they may not integrate these findings with the accessibility of food. These factors cannot be ignored when considering the health of populations. Understanding the intricate relationship between food choices and food accessibility is vital to the realm of urban public health. This paper attempts to investigate these relationships and relate the findings to the local sphere, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Eritrean Resettlement In Indianapolis, John Andrew Traylor

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project has been designed to look into the challenges of resettlement for Eritreans moving to live in Indianapolis. The discussion of this work follows the footsteps of research on refugee resettlement by asking and responding to some of the common questions surrounding resettlement: why choose to resettle; what is a refugee'S initial response to entry into a host country; what is the resettlement process like; how does a refugee cope with their resettlement difficulties; and what are the prospects for future generations? This work will provide answers to these questions by analyzing the case of three resettled immigrants living …

Mode, Method, And Medium: The Affordance Of Online Tutorials In The Writing Center, Erik V. Holtz

Honors Scholar Theses

While the body of literature regarding online tutorials in the writing center is growing, researchers seem hesitant to fully endorse, or even commend, online writing tutorials. This seems appropriate for work in communication theory and human-computer interaction; working across a medium may be different, but this could create new and interesting ways of tutoring. This research reports on a comparative analysis of online and in-person tutoring at three different universities, focusing on tutor self-perceptions and on affordances, a concept drawn from systems engineering, human-computer interaction and ecological psychology. Unstructured interviewing is used to create a set of preliminary affordances of …

Neither (Fully) Here Nor There: Negotiation Narratives Of Nashville's Kurdish Youth, Stephen Ross Goddard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nashville, Tennessee, is home to nearly fifteen thousand ethnic Kurds. They have come in four distinct groups over the course of two decades to escape the hardship and horror of brutal central government policies, some directed toward their extinction. Many of that number are young people who were infants or toddlers when they were whisked away to the safety of temporary way stations prior to their arrival in the United States. What that means is that these youth have spent the majority of their formative years within the context of the American culture. This thesis is a study of how …

From Biopower To Energopolitics In England's Modern Waste Technology, Joshua Reno, Catherine Alexander

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Two energy-generating technologies in Britain which transform waste into a resource are compared. One is the (in)famous Combined Heat and Power incinerator in Sheffield, the other a forgotten biological digester in Devon utilizing anaerobic microbes. Both sites are early exemplars of experimental and biopolitical waste disposal technologies—incineration and anaerobic digestion—now regarded as leading alternatives for reducing the United Kingdom’s dependence on landfill and fossil fuel; both sites also inspired public resistance at critical moments in their development. The analysis here relates how activists and technicians struggle to demonstrate competing truths about alternative energy. Through comparison, it becomes clear that, beyond …

Identifying Desaparecidos: The Development Of Forensic Anthropology In Chile, Amanda M. Quinn

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Between 1973 and 1990, Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile implemented the systematic practice of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in order to eradicate the imagined “communist cancer” (Wyndham and Read 2010: 31). A total of 3,227 deaths have been tallied; 1,465 of these were cases of detenidos-desaparecidos, or enforced disappearances (Garrido and Intriago 2012: 34). Scholars suggest that Chile’s transition to democracy will remain incomplete without first locating and identifying the desaparecidos (Aguilar 2002). Through methods of comparing postmortem skeletal analysis with antemortem data, forensic anthropologists carry out the important work that makes identifications possible.

This thesis evaluates the development …

Women's Activism And Social Networks In Post-Genocide Rwanda., Michelle Cecelia Marie Fox

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Following the 1994 genocide the social networks of many Rwandan women changed. The loss of kin, particularly men, left many women needing new sources of social and material support. Beginning in the early 1990s the international development and aid community recognized the need to integrate gender analysis in their work and began to focus on women’s activism and efforts to improve the position of women in the supposed developing world. Using social network data and structured interview data gathered in Rwanda in June and July 2013 from 30 women, this study attempts to answer the question: Do women who were …

Pedicures In Combat Boots: Navigating Gender In The Syracuse Police Department, An Ethnographic Analysis, Rebecca Ierardo

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In an ethnographic analysis, I seek to answer the question: how, if at all, does gender interact with police work? Using the women of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) as the defined population for my study, I conducted 4 in-depth ethnographic interviews along with 5 sessions of participant observation, accompanying female officers during their shifts for anywhere from 4-8 hours at a time. Historically, women’s presence in law enforcement has been almost nonexistent, particularly in police work which is overwhelmingly perceived as the domain of men. Women in police work have made some progress parallel to social progress over time, …

Sovereign Silence: Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act And Sex Work In Sonagachhi, Simanti Dasgupta

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

Drawing upon ethnographic work with a grassroots sex workers’ organization in Calcutta, Durbar Samanwaya Samiti (Durbar), this article analyzes the relationship between subalternity and silence. I discuss how sex workers, especially new entrants, use silence as a subaltern strategy to resist state and non-state surveillance intended to oppose trafficking. The increased surveillance is a direct result of the global anti-trafficking narrative, led mainly by the United States, in which developing countries, like India, adopt measures to avoid being downgraded in the United States’ Trafficking in Persons Report. I contend that these national and international efforts have led to a quandary …

Non-Western Art And The Musée Du Quai Branly: The Challenge Of Authenticity, Mary Grace Cathryn Bernard

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the recent construction and anthropological collaboration of the Paris museum: Musée du quai Branly (MQB), an art museum dedicated to showcasing art collections specific to aboriginal and indigenous cultures in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The opening of MQB in June 2006 raised a plethora of controversial questions concerning the museum’s methods of curatorial display of the art it has made its primary focus. One of the major issues discussed examines the Quai Branly’s authentic, or inauthentic, representation of certain artworks displayed throughout the museum. Thus, the essay raises the questions: does a non-Western object remain …

“Why Do You Sing To Me?”: A Case Study Of Form And Function Of Children's Songs In The Caribbean Diaspora Culture In South Florida, Finley Walker

Masters Theses

How does a child gain a musical identity? Music resides in the depths of personhood. Even before birth we are all touched by its power. Music is a language in that it communicates--thoughts, feelings, desires, information, and more. As children grow physically and mentally, they also grow musically. A person's musical development will be directly influenced by their culture and family. The following qualitative study looks at the form and function of children's songs, specifically children's songs from the diasporic Caribbean culture in South Florida. Twenty-one interviews, including 53 participants, were conducted to see how children's songs might play a …

A Phenomenological Study On The Role Of Juche, Militarism, And Human Rights In The Educational Life Experiences Of North Korean Defectors, Andrea Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study describes the essence of the premigration, transmigration, and postmigration educational life experiences of 15 North Korean defectors in South Korea in light of their exposure to Juche, militarism, and human rights violations. The literature review includes a theoretical framework rooted in the transformative learning theory and pertinent themes related to the educational experiences of North Korean defectors. Data was collected through a demographic survey; a timeline of primary life events; standardized, open-ended interviews; and journal entries. The central research question examined primary themes from the educational life experiences of North Korean defectors during premigration, transmigration, and …

An Investigation Of Somali Women’S Beliefs, Practices, And Attitudes About Health, Health Promoting Behaviors And Cancer Prevention, Shelley A. Francis, Fareeda Griffith, Kendall A. Leser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Guaman Poma's Legacy: Snapshots Of Globalization, Identity, And Literacy Through The Urban Amazonian Indigenous Intellectual Lens, Roger Maurice Villamar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation initially utilizes the analogy of an Andean intellectual's magnum opus of resistant visual art and text created in the 1600s, to explore the impact of current global influences on the identity of Awajún and Wampís Amazonian students residing in Lima, the capital city of Perú. The participants in this study are urban Amazonian indigenous intellectuals applying to enter, currently studying in degree programs, or pursuing graduate degrees at local universities of Lima. Using an amalgamation of Photovoice and Photo-Elicitation components, digital photography, open-source applications, and computer technology, participants creatively expressed through their visual discourse what it means to …

"Beirut Speaks": New Graffiti Sub-Cultures Of Beirut, Lebanon, Jaime Alyss Holland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modern graffiti is an ever-present part of urban space. It has become globalized and has adapted to different environments and social contexts. Today in Beirut, Lebanon a phenomenal street art movement is infiltrating public space. This particular movement questions the common understandings that have constructed Western graffiti artists and graffiti culture for so long. A new group of street artists is working to make the art form more inclusive of Beirut's many communities by writing messages that speak to the whole of Lebanon. They are making their work known in the presence of law enforcement, different sects, and generations. How …

Explaining Variance In Reproductive Success And Food Sharing In Ust’-Avam, Joellie Rasmussen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In light of somatic and reproductive tradeoffs modeled in evolutionary theory, this thesis conducts two analyses of men’s behavior in the indigenous hunter-gatherer community of Ust’-Avam, northern Russia. First, a food-distribution network of men’s hunting documented in 2001 and 2003 is analyzed considering evolutionary models of food sharing: kin selection, reciprocal altruism, generosity signaling, and costly signaling. The frequency of inter-household food transfers from 36 donor households to 102 recipient households are examined using matrix regression with independent variables representing embodied, material, and relational wealth. This analysis does not support the costly signaling model, but provides robust evidence for kinship, …

Cultural Competency In The Medical Workplace: A Look At Outpatient Clinic Nurses At A Children's Hospital In New England, Evelyn S. Callahan

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper analyzes the current state of progress toward cultural competency in the medical workplace, specifically in the hospital setting. It compares the current writing on the topic to research done at a large New England children’s hospital. The nurses are all individuals who work in an out patient setting so they often see the same patients regularly for longer periods of time. This differs from the in-patient or floor nurses who only spend limited time with a constantly changing population of patients. The research involved one-on-one interviews and a focus group with nurses at the hospital. The focus group …

Composting: Sustainable Efforts On A University Scale, Kacie L. Thorne Miss

Honors College Theses

The present study addresses cultural standpoints on solid food waste management into composting in the hopes of establishing food composting units on a university campus. The study addresses the cultural standpoints through qualitative data in relation to cultural, economic, and political spheres. The hypothesis for the study is the data will reflect a positive outlook in assessing the cost and benefits of composting units. The implementation of a food waste composting programs presents various costs and benefits in regard to economic and social needs that can have an impact on human interaction with the use of natural resources.

Gettin' Weird Together: The Performance Of Identity And Community Through Cultural Artifacts Of Electronic Dance Music Culture, Andrew Matthew Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

The growing popularity of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) on nearly every continent has given rise to the transition of EDM music from underground raves to large scale, multiple-day music festivals. Attendance at EDM events, whether at concerts or festivals, is primarily dominated by today's youth generation. The number of youth attending these events continues to grow as elements of EDM are being mixed into other mainstream music genres. This increase in the popularity of EDM has been an area of research interest in the past decades for a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, marketing, and tourism. The present …

The Practice Of Witchcraft And The Changing Patterns Of Its Paraphernalia In The Light Of Technologically Produced Goods As Presented By Livingstone Museum, 1930s - 1973, Friday Mufuzi

Zambia Social Science Journal

In many African societies, there is an ingrained belief that misfortunes are induced by fellow human beings. Often, some family members are accused of being responsible for inexplicable problems. These may include infertility, impotence, miscarriage, lack of success in business, inability to gain promotion, poor crop harvest, sickness, and many others. In all these problems, witchcraft has been blamed. Its continued existence has thrived on human needs, quest for knowledge, desire for power, and more especially the fear of death; and when executing their operations, practitioners often use objects, and, over time, these have undergone several transformations. This paper explores …

Writing For A Future Audience Contemporary Children's Literature In Wolof, Mariana Robertson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Wolof as a whole is a language in transition from oral to written. The immense oral tradition of stories and songs in Wolof is increasingly being supplemented by new literature. This movement is visible across all genres of literature, but I am particularly interested in literature for children, both because it has been largely ignored in the existing research on Wolof literature, and because I think that children’s literature written in local or indigenous languages is important for increasing literacy and keeping these languages alive and vibrant. I will provide an analysis of the activities of two authors of Wolof …

Stories Of Tufuga Ta Tatau, Drea Miesnieks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The art of tattooing holds immense cultural importance to Samoa and the tatau (traditional full body tattoo) is a significant mark of Samoan identity. While the date of origin is not recorded, traditional tattooing has been an instrumental aspect of Samoan society throughout history. Tattooing proved resilient in the face of missionary condemnation as it survived in Samoa, while diminished in much of Polynesia. Tattooing has often been studied from the perspective of recipients of tatau. This study documents the transformation of this cultural practice and focuses on the perspectives of the masters. It examines the stories, opinions, beliefs, and …

Los Voces Literarias En La Preservación De La Memoria La Representación Artística De Los Triunfos, Los Fracasos Y Los Contrasentidosde La Sociedad Chilena Desde 1973, Katharine Johnstone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The role of the writer in a society is so important because, when the writing is meaningful and transcends the trivial day to day plot twists that so often distract us from what really matters, from our own personal truths and beliefs, it has the ability to explore the grey areas and fissures of our past, present, and future in order to make sense of the mind-boggling mess of human existence. We write in order to record and thus immortalize in some small way that which we see, hear, and wonder about. This project seeks to investigate the concept of …

Peacemaking Embodied: Dance As A Connecting Thread Weaving Senegalese Ethnicities, Rachel Ulrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Senegal remains one of the more peaceful, stable countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with little to no ethnic conflict or racial tension. Numerous social factors are credited with promoting this peace, ranging from political decisions to friendly jokes between different ethnic groups. Some artists claim that dance promotes positive relations between ethnicities; however, little to no academic literature reflects this social dynamic. Thus I have used formal interviews, informal interviews, observation, and participant observation to explore if Senegalese dance serves to promote peace between ethnic groups and, if so, why it has the power to serve this purpose. Through connecting the …

Cosaan To Tostan: The Evolution Of Wolof Women’S Verbal Art As A Means For Social Empowerment, Iana Robitaille

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For Wolof women, verbal art has always been an important tool for negotiating power. In a public context, griottes have lent their voices to traditional ceremonies such as marriages and baptisms; in a private context, all women have used songs as accompaniment to daily tasks and as an informal way to comment on the society in which they live. This paper explores the way that certain Wolof songs, sung by and for women, simultaneously challenge and adhere to traditional Wolof culture—that is, the way their texts and performances both contradict and perpetuate traditionally mandated gender codes. In order to achieve …

“Bëggel Sa Réew :” Negotiating Contestation And Citizenship Through Hip Hop Production In Guédiawaye, Dakar, Dylan Mcdonnell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hip hop cultural production has flourished in Senegal since the early-1980s, especially in Dakar, the administrative and economic capital, since the early 1980s as both a medium of engagement with “global” flows of musical influence and a localized platform for socio-political and contestation and organization. In the past ten years, high-profile rap and hip hop personalities based in communities centered in the banlieues (the disfavored, often impoverished neighborhoods surrounding Dakar) have begun to realize formal structures of professionalization and education in the elements of “urban culture.” This paper focuses on research done at Guédiawaye Hip Hop Center and Association, an …

Limits To Literacy: The Perceived Relationship Between Functional Literacy And Political Empowerment Amongst The Forest-Dwelling Van Gujjars, Nicola Soekoe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The failure of countrywide basic literacy campaigns to enhance social mobility has led to the promotion and development of localized, comprehensive functional literacy campaigns. These campaigns are particularly applicable to marginalized groups; as they aim to empower communities by providing them with the necessary skills to navigate their socioeconomic and political environments. This qualitative study examines the long-term impact of one such functional literacy campaign on the semi-nomadic pastoral Van Gujjar community. I use the Assets, Opportunity Structure, and Degrees of Empowerment (DOE) method to investigate community members’ perceptions of the level of political empowerment that followed their participation in …

Sibyl 2014, Otterbein University

Otterbein University Yearbooks

Table of Contents:

Pg 1: A Place to Belong, Towers Hall Spring 2014

Pg 2-3: Table of Contents

Pg 4-5: Student Life Candids

Pg 6-17: Campus Events

Pg 18: Campus Changes

Pg 19-25: Theatre and Dance

Pg 26-31: Music

Pg 32-54: Undergraduate Commencement

Pg 55-61: Graduate Commencement

Pg 62-75: Campus Activities/Organizations

Pg 76-99: Athletics

Pg 100: Editor's Note

Disabled: Watching Stories Of The Malagasy Deaf, Nadeen Hamza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Dislabeled: Mislabeled and Disabled - two words that Malagasy Deaf individuals have used in this project to describe themselves and the struggles of their community. This project explores dynamics between the mainstream Malagasy society and the marginalized Deaf community as well as the dynamics within the Deaf community of Antsirabe. I argue that mainstream stereotypes of the Deaf are manifested in the ways these individuals see themselves as well as the opportunities that society offers them. I also argue that individuals who have high proficiency in Malagasy Sign Language have wider access to public services as well as a higher …