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Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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The Geography Of Care: Rural Versus Urban Caregiver Perspectives On Community Resources For Parkinson’S Disease Management, Rebecca Jones

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the experiences and perceptions of caregivers for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) in rural versus urban settings, with particular emphasis on their access to and utilization of community resources. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 caregivers, the research explored how geographical location impacts caregiving challenges, support systems, and resource accessibility. Using Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use as a theoretical framework, the study revealed both universal caregiving challenges and location-specific barriers. While all caregivers reported significant emotional burden and healthcare system navigation difficulties, rural caregivers faced distinct challenges related to resource accessibility and specialized care availability. …

Making Slums Legible, Visible And Calculable: Geospatial Technologies And The Governance Of Urban Land In Mumbai, Sanjana Krishnan

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation examines how geospatial technologies are used to make slums in Mumbai legible, calculable, and hypervisible, and how these practices reshape urban land governance. It situates mapping, remote sensing, and algorithmic systems within their political-economic contexts, showing how technologies intending to see the city often function as instruments of dispossession. The research has three interconnected empirical chapters. The first empirical chapter traces the history of slum mapping in Mumbai, from their absences in early development plans to their selective hypervisibility under the contemporary governance regimes. Using critical cartographic methods, it highlights how novel technologies such as remote sensing, biometric …

The New Urbanism In New York City: A Case Study Comparing Battery Park City And Alphabet City, Lena Farley

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis examines two Manhattan neighborhoods, Battery Park City and Alphabet City, through the lens of New Urbanism—an urban planning approach developed in the 1990s. New Urbanist principles prioritize walkability, connectivity, mixed-use development, diversity, varied housing options, architectural quality, green transportation, sustainability, and accessible green spaces. While Battery Park City represents a top-down, master-planned New Urbanist neighborhood based on a 1979 plan, Alphabet City emerged from the 1811 Manhattan grid with significant community-driven design, notably through community gardens and grassroots initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach including residential surveys, qualitative, and quantitative analyses, this research investigates how these neighborhoods embody New …

Gender Equality And Social Capital Empowerment Of Rural Women, Nuraedah Nuraedah, Syamsul Bahri -

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This study explores the role of social capital in empowering rural women, focusing on how social networks, trust, and community norms contribute to gender equality and women's decision-making. Despite the recognition of gender equality as a fundamental right, rural women continue to face structural barriers that limit their access to resources and opportunities. By examining the interaction between social capital and women's empowerment, this research aims to fill the gap in understanding the mechanisms that support women's empowerment in rural areas. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing in-depth interviews with 30 women from various villages in Indonesia, complemented by …

Operationalizing Intersectionality Analysis For Urban Agriculture In Quito, Ecuador, Laine N. Young

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis outlines the results of a case study in Quito, Ecuador with the municipally led participatory urban agriculture project, AGRUPAR, an internationally recognized project that promotes women’s empowerment, traditional knowledge, agroecology, and livelihoods. It works to improve the lives of those experiencing high levels of poverty in Quito. This dissertation applies an intersectional analysis to urban agriculture research to enhance attention to power relations, social justice, and equity within its scholarly and practical realms. Intersectionality is an understanding that people have unique experiences of oppression based on their unique social location (what intersecting social categories they belong to) and …

No. 32: Narratives Of Food Consumption And Food Insecurity: Zimbabwean Migrants In Windhoek, Namibia, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Decades of interlocking economic and political crisis have generated significant out-migration from Zimbabwe to other countries. Neighbouring countries with relative political stability and better livelihood opportunities, such as Namibia, have witnessed increased inflows of Zimbabweans. While there are studies documenting these movements, far less attention has been paid to the food security of Zimbabwean migrants in other countries. This paper investigates the changing dietary and food consumption patterns of recent Zimbabwean migrants in Windhoek, Namibia, and the impacts of these changes on household food security. The narratives of 35 Zimbabwean migrant households in Windhoek show that they face numerous food …

No. 31: Precarity, Food Insecurity, And Migration: The Kerala-Gulf Nexus And Women Domestic Workers, Anand Panamthottam Cherian

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Low-skilled Malayali women migrants employed as domestic laborers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)1 countries navigate a transnational labor system that entrenches gendered hierarchies and structural inequalities. Ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Kerala and the United Arab Emirates utilizing biographical methods such as life history and oral history reveals that migration, often envisioned as a pathway to economic security, intensifies vulnerabilities through layers of exclusion, exploitation, and deprivation. These women’s lived experiences underscore the precarious conditions that define their labor trajectories, shaped by systemic governance failures and socio-cultural dynamics.

Food security, positioned at the nexus of material survival and symbolic significance, emerges …

Imagine Lagos : Mapping History, Place, And Politics In A Nineteenth-Century African City, Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Written from a digital humanities perspective, this book combines historical sources, maps, and a walking cartography to create new perspectives on the nineteenth-century history of Lagos, West Africa’s most populous city.

What traces do people leave in the places where they live, and even where they die? This book addresses the spatial history of nineteenth-century Lagos, rebuilding its past as a series of encounters: between men and women, between past and present, between enslaved and free, between living and dead, and finally between land and lagoon. In Imagine Lagos, Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi argues that the invention, destruction, and reinvention of spatial …

No. 03: Covid-19 Impacts On Food Security Of Refugees And Other Vulnerable Populations In Canada, Sujata Ramachandran, Zhenzhong Si, Danny Ning Dai

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy audit explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Canada, with a focus on immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities, particularly in Ontario and the Waterloo Region. COVID-19 significantly exacerbated food insecurity in the country, adding to existing vulnerabilities especially in historically disadvantaged communities, who already faced barriers such as low-income employment, poor housing, and limited healthcare access. COVID-19 responses, including lockdowns and travel restrictions, disrupted food production, processing, and retail services. The supply chain disruptions, along with inflation, drove food prices to their highest levels in decades. Economic access to food became a pressing …

Human Sensors In The City Of Super Apps: Mobilizing People As Infrastructure For Smart City Development In Jakarta, Indonesia, Prerona Das, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

In this paper, we argue that contextual factors such as availability of infrastructure, socio-cultural characteristics of users, governance style, and the regulatory environment in global south cities creates opportunities for public and private sector actors to come up with innovative strategies to smart city development and the platformization of services. Despite different objectives, operationalization strategies, and expected outcomes between the public and private sectors, both sectors learn from one another to come up with innovative solutions for navigating contextual contingencies. Due to limited infrastructure and contextual diversities in global south cities, digital platforms require significant and specific forms of groundwork …

No. 30: Pandemic Shocks And The Food Security Of Somali Migrants And Refugees In Nairobi, Kenya, Zack Ahmed, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered severe shocks to food security for marginalized populations in urban areas. Somali migrants and refugees in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood faced disproportionate impacts due to strict containment measures, disrupted food supply chains, and the shutdown of informal markets. These disruptions exacerbated existing socio-economic inequities, leading to heightened food insecurity. This paper examines the multi-dimensional effects of the pandemic on the food security of Somali migrants and refugees, focusing on their access to informal food networks and the broader socio-economic factors influencing their livelihoods. Utilizing a household survey and in-depth interviews conducted in August 2022, the study reveals …

No. 11: Food Insecurity And South Sudanese Urban Refugees In Kenya, Cherie Enns, Samuel Owuor, Abbey Lin, Jacqueline Fanta, Cobby Achieng, William Kolong, Kristin Swardh

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already precarious situation of urban South Sudanese refugees living in Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya. The pandemic not only increased food insecurity but also disrupted livelihoods and exacerbated socio-economic vulnerabilities that were already significant. These refugees faced limited access to support mechanisms typically available in refugee camps, with inadequate government response and interruptions to remittance flows. Urban refugees were hit especially hard due to the absence of organized support frameworks, leaving them more exposed to the pandemic’s impacts.

This policy brief examines the critical challenges faced by urban South Sudanese refugees in terms of food security …

No. 10: Digital Technologies And Food Remitting By Zimbabwean Migrants In South Africa, Sean Sithole, Daniel Tevera, Mulugeta F. Dinbabo

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted traditional remittance channels, particularly for Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa who relied on informal networks to send food and other essential goods back home. The closure of borders, lockdowns, and mobility restrictions disrupted these informal networks, accelerating the adoption of digital platforms for food remittances. This policy brief explores the role of emerging digital technologies such as mobile money apps and food remittance platforms in facilitating cross-border food transfers between Zimbabwean migrants in Cape Town and their families in Zimbabwe during the early stages of the pandemic. The brief examines how platforms like Mukuru and …

No. 09: Connecting Migrant Remittances And Food Security In Jamaica, Elizabeth Thomas-Hope

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Migrant remittances play a crucial role in supporting households in Kingston, Jamaica, particularly in mitigating the effects of poverty and food insecurity. However, while remittances improve household food security, their impact on reducing inequality and contributing to inclusive social development is more complex. Wealthier households are more likely to receive remittances, and the overall impact of remittances on broader economic growth and food security at the national level remains limited. This brief explores the relationship between remittances and food security in Jamaica within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on SDG 10. It …

No. 07: Pandemic Impacts On Migrant Food Security In Nanjing, China, Fei Xu, Taiyang Zhong, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant disparities in food security, particularly among migrant populations in urban settings. Migrant workers, often occupying precarious, low-paying jobs, experienced disruptions to their food access due to job losses, mobility restrictions, and social exclusion during the pandemic. This policy brief highlights key findings from MiFOOD research conducted in Nanjing during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed heightened levels of food insecurity among migrant households. Migrants were less likely to access online food systems due to technological barriers and exclusion from government aid programs. This brief provides recommendations to enhance food security resilience, including …

No. 08: Addressing Food Insecurity Among Central American Migrants In Mexico, Tiana Bakić Hayden

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Central American migrants living in Mexico City face unique challenges that contribute to heightened food insecurity, with issues stemming from incomplete documentation, social isolation, and precarious legal status. This brief examines these barriers and how they exacerbate food insecurity among migrant populations who reside in Mexico’s urban areas, particularly those from the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). Migrants face bureaucratic, social, and economic obstacles that limit their access to food, housing, and employment. The brief recommends policy changes aimed at improving documentation processes, enhancing social support networks, and addressing migrants’ specific food security needs.

No. 06: Enhancing Rural-Urban Linkages Through Food Remittances, Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

In many rapidly urbanizing African countries, food remittances from rural to urban areas play a vital role in maintaining rural-urban linkages. In Nairobi, Kenya, half of all households, regardless of migration status, receive food remittances from rural areas. Contrary to conventional beliefs, these food transfers are not solely linked to migration or poverty. Instead, they appear to be a long-standing, integral part of urban household resilience, especially for better-off households. As urbanization intensifies, policymakers should recognize the role of food remittances in ensuring food security for both migrants and non-migrant households. This brief explores key challenges such as economic inequality, …

No. 29: Translocal Households, Rural-Urban Links And Migrant Food Security In South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera, Maria Salamone

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper revisits the issue of rural-urban links in post-apartheid South Africa, challenging the assumption that the end of apartheid would lead to rapid urbanization and the dissolution of circular migration. Despite the abolition of influx controls and the significant increase in the urban population from 33% in 1980 to 55% in 2011 among black South Africans, rural-urban ties and flows have proven resilient. The persistence of circular migration is evident in the continuous flow of people, goods, and remittances between urban and rural areas. This paper draws on a survey of over 800 Eastern Cape migrants in Cape Town, …

No. 28: Male Circular Migration, Rural-Urban And Gender Dynamics, And Food Security In India, Chetan Choithani

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper examines the ways in which male circular migration as a household livelihood strategy affects food access among rural households in India. Circular male labor migration is the dominant form of labor mobility in many parts of India. This migration pattern creates important rural-urban linkages through income transfers and alters the gender power relations within the migrant-sending households. Drawing on empirical research in Siwan district in the eastern state of Bihar, this paper analyzes the influence of these dynamics of migration on household food security, with the larger objective of bridging the divide that currently exists between migration and …

Notes From The Field - A Militarização Do Espaço Urbano Do Rio De Janeiro: Grupos Armados, Forças De Segurança E Forças Armadas E A Disputa Por Território, Thiago Sardinha

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

The Militarization of the Urban Space of Rio de Janeiro is the synthesis of different historical processes: The state through massive incarceration of black and racialized people, and the systematic elimination of black poor people from favelas through urban policing operations by security and armed forces, traffic patrols, and paramilitary/vigilante groups. Together, they result in the production of different actors that exert violent territorial domination for economic exploitation and social control.

Editor's Note

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Volume 27, Issue 1 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Are Economic Gender Differences The Same Everywhere? Cross-Societal Comparisons In The Early 21st Century, Joyce P. Jacobsen

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Are gender differences in economic outcomes the same everywhere? Using the most recent available data (generally from the 2021–2023 period), I consider the patterns for these gender differences and provide an annotated list of statistical sources for students and researchers to use in exploring these differences. Overall, women still work less than men in paid work, work more than men in unpaid household work, and make less than men; however, these patterns have converged somewhat, with some narrowing of work and pay gaps relative to the last part of the 20th century, and with women rapidly closing the educational-attainment gap …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

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