International and Area Studies Commons^™

“You Feel Like You Belong Nowhere”: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Social Identity In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Myriam Denov, Laura Eramian, Meaghan C. Shevell

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Globally, the systematic use of sexual violence in modern warfare has resulted in the birth of thousands of children. Research has begun to focus on this often invisible group and the obstacles they face, including stigma, discrimination and exclusion based on their birth origins. Although sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide has been documented on a massive scale, little research has focused on the relational dynamics between mothers who experienced genocide rape and the children they bore. This paper explores the post-genocide realities of these two under-explored populations, revealing two key tensions in relation to identity-building and belonging. Drawing upon …

Inequality In Ethnic Representation In Secondary-School Literature Textbooks And National Examination In Vietnam, Anh Nguyen

Honors Projects

This essay studies the dynamic between ethnic minorities and majority in the Vietnamese education system. By examining the appearance and representation of ethnic minorities in national literature curriculum, textbooks, and examinations, the analysis reflects the government's perspectives regarding the “appropriate” portrait of ethnic minorities' heritage and relationship with the majority. The study finds that Vietnamese education framework and content comply with the national construct of a Vietnamese identity across ethnicities. The state determines educational materials and selectively permits only aesthetic, politically benign, and Kinh-like narratives of ethnic minorities’ cultures, many written and/or chosen by Kinh authority rather than the ethnic …

Ser Americano: The Cost Of Being American, Alejandra Campos

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over a decade ago, the Dreamer movement began, led by young undocumented Latinx youth. These activists became known as "Dreamers" who continue to advocate for a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants. Through media, speeches, and artwork, Dreamers use the cultural narrative of the "American Dream" to create the boundaries of their American identity. Traditionally, American Identity is studied through 4 schools of thought: ethno-culturalism, liberalism, civic republicanism, and incorporationism. I offer an analysis of two concepts of American identity, meritocracy, and hyperdocumentation, that are mostly missing from the American identity literature. Additionally, I propose social citizenship as a theory …

The Public Secret And Private Pain Of Wartime Sexual Violence: Comparing The Heroinat Memorial And The 2020 Newborn Monument From The Perspective Of Ngos In Kosovo, Martha Beliveau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a rare year where there are two monuments dedicated to survivors of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo, the permanent Heroinat Memorial and the year-long Newborn Monument have different approaches and effects in their processes of commemorating wartime sexual violence. This paper approaches a comparison of these two monuments through four interviews with representatives of women-centered civil society organizations in Pristina, Kosovo. This paper finds that the Heroinat Memorial and the 2020 theme of the Newborn Monument are sites of contested meanings, because of the different approaches of each respective monument, each of the monuments’ gendered implications, and the implications …

El Valor De La Creatividad: Acceso, Sentido, Y Potencial De Las Artes Visuales En El Sistema Educativo En Valparaíso, Chile., Bianca Allende Boyd

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación trata de la realidad dura del acceso e integración de clases y programas de las artes visuales en escuelas chilenas, específicamente en la ciudad de Valparaíso. Esta realidad, es yuxtapuesta con el potencial y beneficios de la educación artística en aulas formales. Utilizando experiencias de profesores de artes y artistas locales, el poder del arte como agente de cambio social es reconocido. Para que implementemos reforma y alcancemos el potencial del arte, este estudio es influido por los consejos de una conferencia de la UNESCO de los expertos de educación de arte en América Latina y el Caribe, …

El Proceso De Decolonialidad En Las Escuelas Chilenas: Desde La Educación Popular Y La Pedagogía Crítica Hasta Las Prácticas Educativas Regulares, Georgia Moses

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto pretende entender cómo se ve la educación decolonial en Chile y, en turno, determinar si o no las prácticas decoloniales pueden ocurrir en las escuelas regulares. Teniendo en cuenta el contexto político, el proyecto explora las experiencias de los profesores de un colegio elite, un colegio libre (ambos basados en la pedagogía crítica y la educación popular) y un colegio regular. Como muestra el texto, una comprensión histórica, la creación de una educación emancipatoria y política y la fundación del “modo otro” (de saber, hacer, pensar, percibir, sentir, ser y vivir) son partes fundamentales de la educación decolonial. …

La Importancia De Los Espacios: Conociendo Los Espacios En Línea Creado Por Los Haitianos Y Organizaciones Haitianas En Chile, Juan Avilez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The state of Haitian migrants in Chile has often been studied through a lens of understanding the reasons for migratory flows and their effects on labor markets within the context of the Chilean state. Notable studies such as that of Pedemonte in 2015 studying the matrixes of exclusion of Haitian migrants in Chilean culture and that of Tijoux in 2015 studying the effects of racism and a neoliberal system on migrants, have adopted to explore the adoption of Haitian migrants to Chilean culture and detail the challenges and ways of community building that the Haitian population in Chile has adapted. …

¿Buscando Estabilidad Y Encontrando Crisis? Jóvenes Venezolanos En El Estallido Social Chileno, Carmen Rio Vescia

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile has long been recognized in Latin America as an island of political and economic stability, but in October of 2019, a student-led mass evasion of the Santiago metro sparked what has since been coined the ‘estallido social,’ or ‘social explosion.’ Protestors across the country representing a wide range of social movements are demanding myriad reforms to what they deem a broken neoliberal system rooted in policies created during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Current president Sebastián Piñera’s government first responded by declaring a state of emergency. The state leveraged the power of a militarized police force (los Carabineros de Chile) to quell …

Indigenous Communities Versus Oil Companies: Identifying Trends In Tactics And Success Of Indigenous-Led Anti-Petroleum Movements In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Ella V. H. Carlson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In roughly the last 50 years, the Ecuadorian Amazon has become the epicenter of petroleum production in Ecuador. As oil companies attempt to exploit more and more of the rainforest, they have encroached on indigenous lands, leading to violations of indigenous rights through environmental destruction. As their territories have been invaded, indigenous groups throughout the Amazon have formed movements large and small in resistance to petroleum activities. Scholars have studied select campaigns in the past, but the literature lacks a comparative review of the characteristics of those movements. This paper compiles histories of seven campaigns against petroleum in the Ecuadorian …

La Discapacidad En Valparaíso: La Existencia De Un (¿Nuevo?) Movimiento Social, Julia Conti

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines disability in Chile as a possible new social movement, seeking to answer the question of whether a movement for disability rights exists and if so, what form it takes. Disability has historically been seen as an imperfection, an impairment, and something to cure if at all possible, but beginning in the mid-twentieth century, groups of disabled people have advocated for a changing perception of their own abilities, their place in society, and how society itself contributes to the disabling of people. Alongside this burgeoning movement, scholarship emerged that reconceptualized disability and proposed new models for understanding the …

¿“La Familia Diversa”?: Una Investigación En Constructos De Familias En Ecuador En El Siglo Xxi, Julia Cornick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En este ensayo, exploro la constitución ecuatoriana de 2008, específicamente el artículo 67 que reconoce y protege “la familia diversa”. Este artículo supuestamente reconoce “la familia en sus diversos tipos”. Pero, otras partes de la constitución y las acciones del gobierno niegan el artículo en muchas maneras. A pesar de las promesas rotas y palabrerías de la constitución, individuos y grupos en comunidades LGBTI en Ecuador existen afuera de la constitución cuando construyen “familias alternativas”. A través de formas de familias alternativas, los ecuatorianos pueden hacer familias alternativas y significado afuera de la constitución, y voy a investigar las implicaciones …

Un Análisis Histórico De La Respuesta De Organizaciones Sindicales A La Pandemia De Covid-19, Rachel Hodes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La historia social de los últimos ciento cincuenta años de Ecuador ha contribuido únicamente a las acciones de organizaciones sindicales durante la pandemia del COVID-19. Un análisis de los medios sociales de varios sindicatos durante la pandemia y las protestas del 1 de mayo 2020 revela desarrollos claves en cuatro áreas: la afiliación política, la construcción de solidaridad con el movimiento indígena, el enfoque en la educación, y la lucha contra la corrupción gubernamental. Patrones mayores incluyen la priorización continua de la educación por obreras incluso cuando enfrentan nuevos desafíos, la unidad de centrales sindicales contra el neoliberalismo y la …

The Increased Role Of Pesantrens In Indonesia’S Modern-Day Approach To Deradicalization, Helen Bruckner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Indonesia has had a unique relationship with Islamic radicalism since the war for Indonesian independence in 1945. While the formation of an Islamic State in Indonesia has been at the forefront of radical movements since independence, the approaches to achieving this goal have changed drastically over time. This goal has also had multiple adversaries, from Dutch and Japanese colonialism, to the left-wing Sukarno regime, to the authoritarian Suharto regime, and finally the War on Terror. Across all of these different time periods, Islamic radicals in Indonesia have also had to contend with the different Muslim communities across the archipelago, many …

The Indigenous As Orthodox: Religious Evolution In Tana Toraja, Charles Perry Lange

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within the last century, the Toraja regency in South Sulawesi has seen an unprecedented amount of social change. From their beginnings as hierarchical feudalistic culture at the turn of the 20th century to operating one of the largest tourist attractions in Indonesia, their way of life has been turned on its head. Most notably, these changes begin as religious and expand to impact cultural, political and economic life as well. This paper examines those changes from the regions blossoming of the Aluk To Dolo indigenous tradition to the incorporation of Christianity and finally the consolidation and preservation of indigenous beliefs …

Empty Streets, Active Feeds: Moroccan Youth Activism In The Age Of Social Media, Samantha Jaloza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the February 20 movement in 2011, Morocco has not witnessed large waves of political activism from its young population. However, Moroccan youth are not inactive citizens, and it would be a mischaracterization to call young Moroccans apolitical or disinterested. Rather, Moroccan youth are finding new ways to interact with political and social issues. With the increase in access to the Internet over the last fifteen years, social media has become an important forum for Moroccan youth, who have often felt marginalized from more traditional forms of political participation like unions and political parties. This research explores the ways that …

Casablanca Bombings, Preventing Violent Extremism, Imam Training Program, Commander Of The Faithful, Religious Pluralism, Rachel Macnow

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following the 2003 Casablanca Bombings in Morocco there was an increased concern in protecting the physical and spiritual security of the nation. The state immediately responded by issuing a large crackdown on Salafists where many were arrested, imprisoned, and deprived of their rights. Due to the rise of extremist rhetoric in the mosques, particularly in rural and impoverished areas, the state also responded by closing any mosques they deemed to not be promoting moderate Islam and removed their imams. Out of this, a Preventing Violent Extremism Program was created that was composed of security and religious-based policies. The security policies …

“En Defensa Por La Salud”: Los Actores Sociales En La Construcción Del Movimiento Social En Chile, Karina Martinez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation aimed to describe the construction of the social movement for health demands in the frame of the social outbreak in Chile in October 2019. In addition to identifying the main health demands of this movement, it also had a focus on understanding the role of social organizations in the construction of the movement and placing it within the broader socio-political movement that arises from the social outbreak. The research design was qualitative and descriptive. Having been a remote investigation, it was largely based on literature review with the support of information from a semi-structured interview. Regarding the results, …

The Political Development Of Capital Punishment In The Modern Moroccan State, Mia Barr

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The modern Moroccan state seen today is very young. Having only been independent from France since 1956, the country has spent the last sixty-four years crafting its post-colonial statehood. What has emerged is a hybrid political system with powers split, however unequally, between the King and his inner circle, known as the makhzen, and the Parliament. Not only is the monarchy constitutional—meaning that its legitimacy is literally written into the primary governing document of Morocco, which had its last referendum in 2011—but it is also self-sustaining and self-legitimizing, for the monarchy uses its constitutional powers to grant itself further powers …

Uneven Influence: Why Female Representation Affects Some Migration Policies But Not Others, Lauren Olsen

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Regulating Cultural Expressions In Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Case Study On Pretoria High School For Girls, Michaela Shelton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within the social sciences, there is some debate about multiculturalism’s compatibility with governing institutions in liberal democracies. Multiculturalism is a sociological concept that states cultures, races, and ethnicities, particularly those belonging to a minority group, deserve special acknowledgment of their differences within a dominant political culture. While promising in theory, the implementation of multiculturalism can lead to superficial recognition of differences and uphold institutionalized racism. I plan to use Pretoria High School for Girls as a single case study to examine the lingering heritage of apartheid and to better understand the tensions between multiculturalism and anti-racism in historically white South …

Los Comedores Populares Argentinos En Tiempos Del Covid-19: El Rol De Los Comedores Durante La Pandemia: El Sistema Alimentario Y La Acción Del Gobierno Argentino, Katrina Frei-Herrmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Durante la pandemia mundial de COVID-19 a principios del 2020, muchos países enfrentaron enormes desafíos desde el punto de vista económico y de salud pública. Argentina tomó las medidas rápidas y drásticas para combatir la propagación del virus, que incluyó un largo período de cuarentena con controles muy estrictos. Esto llevó a un alto costo económico en el cual muchos trabajadores perdieron sus empleos y fuentes de ingresos. Como resultado, un creciente número de personas debieron depender de ayuda de instituciones sociales para sobrevivir o atender sus necesidades básicas como el alimento. Los comedores populares – que han existido desde …

“El Fútbol No Tiene Género”: Confrontar, Desafiar Y Cambiar La Narrativa Sexista Del Fútbol Femenino En Argentina / “Soccer Has No Gender”: Confronting, Challenging, And Changing The Sexist Narrative Of Women’S Soccer In Argentina, Adia Klein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto explora cómo el sexismo se manifiesta en el fútbol femenino en Argentina de maneras culturales, económicas e institucionales y examina, como resultado, las acciones tomadas por las jugadoras, las promotoras y las federaciones nacionales e internacionales para abordar y eliminar estas desigualdades estructurales. Esta lucha ha promovido muchos cambios pero todavía queda más por hacer para igualar el campo de juego entre los varones y las mujeres. Las cuestiones planteadas en este trabajo demuestran los vínculos entre la identidad nacional, los movimientos feministas, las políticas de derechos humanos y el fútbol femenino. Las estrategias metodológicas incluyeron leer y …

Encuentros Intergeneracionales: Continuidades Y Reformulaciones En Las Prácticas Militantes De Las Jóvenes Integrantes De Espacios De Acompañamiento De Aborto En La Amba / Intergenerational Encounters: Continuities And Reformulations In The Activist Practices Of The Young Members Of Abortion Accompaniment Spaces In The Amba, Hannah Robinson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Debido al acceso restrictivo de los abortos legales, en los últimos diez años los espacios de acompañamiento de personas que quieren interrumpir la gestación se han convertido en un sitio importante de la militancia feminista en Argentina. Estos espacios o colectivos brindan información sobre el uso del medicamento misoprostol para abortar, conectan las personas gestantes con profesionales de salud “amigables” que garantizan el acceso al Interrupción Legal del Embarazo, y proveen apoyo durante el proceso de interrupción. Al mismo tiempo, en los últimos cinco años una marea de jóvenes ha entrado masivamente a la militancia feminista.

A través de la …

Covid 19 In U.S. Migrant Detention Centers: The Call For Freedom In The Face Of A Global Pandemic, Salma Rojas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research paper investigates the responses of the U.S. immigration detention system to the COVID 19 pandemic and determines the capacity of the detention centers to keep detained individuals alive and healthy. As I analyze their capacities, I look to past detention center outbreaks, updated public health resources, reports on ICE facility conditions and the testimonies of migrant people who were detained during the COVID 19 crisis. The urgency of the COVID 19 pandemic is why I dedicate part of my paper to what needs to be done to prevent the situation from worsening. In drawing from these various sources, …

Alimentando A México: Los Movimientos Indígenas Y Agrícolas Contra Las Políticas Neoliberales, Sofia Buchler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Para analizar la complejidad de la agricultura en México en este momento, es necesario analizar las políticas neoliberales de México. El Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) marca un punto de inflexión para la privatización de las tierras agrícolas y los cambios de la dieta mexicana. Las políticas de los últimos cuarenta años han destruido la dieta de la milpa en México y la tradición del policultivo. Los cambios en la agricultura han destruido el suelo, y forzado a los pequeños agricultores a abandonar sus tierras y buscar trabajos diferentes. Hay una gran historia de resistencia indígena …

Rastreo De La Agencia De Los Uchurracaínos: Yuxtaposicionando La Cvll Y La Cvr Para Analizar La Representación De La Gente Indígena Durante La Violencia Política Peruana, Emma Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este trabajo investigará la representación de las comunidades campesinas-­‐indígenas (CCIs) según la Comisión Vargas Llosa (CVLL) y la Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (CVR), enfocando específicamente en el tema de la agencia. ¿Cómo son representados en los informes finales (IF) y la memoria oficial promovido por el Estado y por qué? La CVLL ha sido criticada por culturalizar la violencia y la CVR, aunque dio voz al sector más marginado en el país, los campesinos-­‐indígenas, ha sido atacado por establecer una visión maniqueísta de los actores en la violencia política (VP) que les pintó como seres humanos sin la …

La Inclusión De La Mujer Indígena Y El Conocimiento En La Conservación Biológica En El Perú, Ivyanna Colon-Greider

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El Perú es uno de los países más biodiversos en el mundo. Sin embargo, esta diversidad biológica está amenazada por el cambio climático. Para poder combatir este fenómeno, tenemos que incluir la mujer y sus saberes en la toma de decisiones sobre el manejo conservatorio de la biodiversidad. La meta a través de este estudio es presentar el estado actual del medioambiente y la mujer indígena, mostrar las vinculaciones entre el rol de la mujer indígena y sus saberes en la conservación de la diversidad biológica en Perú y hacer un plan multifacético que reconoce los tres temas con una …

Morocco’S Leadership: Assessing The Relationship Between The State And Non-Governmental Organizations Working On Migration Affairs, Adriana Nadyieli González Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The history of Moroccan Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is almost as long as the country’s history with migration. After Morocco's record as a sending country, its unique location attracted an increasing flow of migrants from the rest of Africa to transit the territory in hopes of crossing over to Europe. More recently, tighter border securitization has resulted in notable numbers of migrants permanently settling in Morocco. Significant changes in migration policy have both prompted and resulted from this progression. And simultaneously, national NGOs have strengthened their role as protagonist advocates for migrants’ rights as well as foremost providers of target-diverse support …

Examining “Empowerment”: Insights Into The Murshidat Program In Morocco, Hannah Mckenzie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following the 2003 terror attacks in Casablanca, the Moroccan government issued a series of reforms, including the introduction of the new program in Rabat that would train murshidat, women religious guides who would then go on to work in mosques and other public spaces all across the country. The intention of this program, the state claimed, was to 1) promote a moderate Islam and 2) empower women. In this research, I have consulted existing literature and conducted interviews with scholars and activists in the realm of women’s rights to explore various sides of this question: How does the work of …

From The Ulama To The Legislature: Hermeneutics & Morocco’S Family Code, Rachel Olick-Gibson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the role that Islamic law has played thus far in reforming the Moroccan Family Code, also known as the Moudawana. When King Mohammed VI reformed this law in 2004, Morocco received immediate international praise for its liberal strides towards gender equality. Through this study I investigated the hermeneutical tools and methods of ijtihad employed both by the drafters of the Moudawana and by activists leading up to the 2004 reforms. I then investigate impediments to the implementation of this Code in providing substantive legal rights to Moroccan women and the role that interpretation of Islamic law plays …