Social Justice Commons^™

Religion And Support For Political Violence Among Christians And Muslims In Africa, Amy Adamczyk, Gary Lafree

Publications and Research

Researchers have found consistently that religion reduces criminal behavior. Yet rising levels of political violence are frequently attributed to a new wave of religious terrorism. Our study seeks to reconcile this apparent discrepancy by studying the attitudes of people living in 34 African nations. Using data from the Afrobarometer survey and mixed modeling, we examine the influence of individual and collective religiosity for shaping civic engagement and willingness to engage in political violence. While individual religiosity decreases support for violent political action, collective religiosity increases it. The effects of religiosity are the same for Muslims and Christians and the country …

Post Colonial Studies, Nashieli Marcano, Kyle Brooks

Research Guides & Subject Bibliographies

No abstract provided.

Examining The Strategies Of Formation And Action Among Social Movements: A Comparison Of The Civil Rights Movement And Black Lives Matter, Hailee Saxton

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In today’s tumultuous political landscape, the question of what makes an effective social movement? is often asked. This can be a complicated question to answer as social movements vary greatly across racial, ethnic, economic, and political boundaries. Therefore, I am conducting a case comparison of two widely-known socio-political organizations, the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter. In this comparison I will examine whether or not they truly fit the definition of a social movement, look at the strategies of action that have or could prove successful in enacting long-standing socio-political change, and make recommendations on how movements could continue …

How Do Native American Women Win Elections In Non-Native Districts?, Opalina Peralta

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In light of the recent tensions between Native American tribes and non-tribal elected leaders over such issues as environmental protection and treaty violations, caused in part by the United States' disproportionately Caucasian electoral representation, I aim to bring light the obstacles that Native Americans face in electoral politics. I analyze state legislative elections in which Native American candidates win. Using the data from the 2016 National Census and from University of North Dakota, Professor Mark Trahant. I hypothesize that the reason many Native American candidates win is because they are tied to non-native elements of the community. The two candidates …

Judge Posner's Road Map For Convention Against Torture Claims When Central American Governments Cannot Protect Citizens Against Gang Violence, Steven H. Schulman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Navigating The Post-Shelby Landscape: Using Universalism To Augment The Remaining Power Of The Voting Rights Act, Jesús N. Joslin

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Los Nuevos Actores Políticos De La Izquierda Chilena Y El Cambio Al Sistema Político, Henry Manning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chile's political system is in a state of flux. Between 2011 and 2013, student protests and other movements spread across the nation, enflaming latent resentment of the political institutions and demanding that the government respond to society's problems. But despite this nearly unanimous public mandate, the political coalitions that control Chile have done little to temper the harsh neoliberal system, opting instead to go on serving the business and elite interests that profit from the country's extreme inequality. In this context of dramatic disaffection with the powers that be, a group of new political actors have emerged from the student …

Imagining The Unimaginable: Torture And The Criminal Law, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This article examines the use of torture by the U.S. government in the context of the late 20th-century preventive turn in criminal justice. Challenging the assumption that the use of “enhanced interrogation tactics” in the war on terror was an exceptional deviation from accepted norms, this article suggests that this deviation began decades before the terror attacks, in the context of conventional criminal procedure. I point to the use of the “ticking time bomb hypothetical,” and its connection to criminal procedure’s “kidnapping hypothetical.” Using case law and criminal procedure textbooks I trace the employment of that narrative over several decades, …

Creating Knowledge, Volume 8, 2015

Creating Knowledge

Dear reader,

I am delighted to introduce this eighth volume of Creating Knowledge: The LAS Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship. This volume features 19 essays and 14 art works, representing advanced coursework produced in twenty different departments and programs during the 2014-2015 academic year. Several of the essays have been honored with department awards and several draw on research supported by undergraduate research grants. Many were originally written in senior capstone seminars, research-intensive seminars, and independent studies, and many were presented in some form at one of the numerous conferences and showcases sponsored by departments and programs throughout the year. All …

Moishe Postone And The Critique Of Traditional Marxism: Helplessness And The Present Moment Of The Great Acceleration, Alexander M. Stoner, Andony Melathopoulos

Book Sections/Chapters

This chapter situates Moishe Postone's critique of traditional Marxism in relation to the present moment of the Great Acceleration. We engage a close reading of Postone reinterpretation of Marx's mature theory of capital with specific focus on the linkage between economic growth and ecological degradation, and how this linkage is necessary connected to social domination in modern capitalist society. Postone's Marxian theory is significant because, as we demonstrate, it allows one to grasp societally induced environmental degradation following WWII in a critical and reflexive manner. The chapter concludes by discussing the growing sense of helplessness that defines the present moment …

Sociobiophysicality And The Necessity Of Critical Theory: Moving Beyond Prevailing Conceptions Of Environmental Sociology In The Usa, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

Today, to perceive the link between society and environment does not require that we engage in an effort of great abstraction. What remains paradoxical is that the intensity and scale of societally induced environmental degradation, which rose to historically unprecedented levels during the latter half of the 20th century, is synchronous with an equally impressive increase in public concern for and attention to the biophysical world. This article examines values-based and traditional Marxist-oriented approaches to environmental sociology in the USA in order to assess whether or not – and if so, how exactly – these approaches help us make sense …

Letter From The Executive Director: An Accidental Protester, James Wilson

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

This past January, I spent a cold, wet, and fabulous week in Paris. One evening while strolling along the Left Bank, sauntering in the shadows of the imposing grandeur of L’Hôtel national des Invalides, I found myself caught up in a massive wave of protesters, who were dispersing from a demonstration in front of the Eiffel Tower. The crowd moved like a protean organism through the narrow Parisian streets, growing in immensity as other protest groups siphoned into the throng from criss-crossing thoroughfares.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Transitional Effect Of Democratic Regime Change On Human Rights Development, Alana Mcelhinney

Political Science Theses and Capstones

It has been a long-standing topic of discussion within the field of political science on the extent to which the establishment of democratic regime characteristics influences the development of human rights. While there is considerable research in the areas of democracy and human rights, what the literature lacks is research towards the growth of democratic regime characteristics being causal to the development of human rights practices. This analysis shows that a transition in democratic regime characteristics is directly linked to the development of human rights. After completing case-study analysis and developing causal theory I take data from the years 1981 …

Palestinian Queer Activists Talk Politics, Sarah Schulman

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Palestinian queer activists Haneen Maikey and Abeer Mansour will be touring 6 US cities for a series of open conversations hosted by locally and nationally known US activists. Their New York host is CLAGS—please join us for this exciting expansion of the Global LGBT.

Female Genital Mutilation: Policies To Encourage Abandonment, Melissa Arneson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) captured my interest the first time I heard about the practice. I assumed, wrongly, that it was only practiced in remote areas of Africa where educational opportunities were few and outside influences were nil. After researching the topic it is clear that is not the case. FGM is practiced in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. It is a barbaric practice that has no religious significance and is incredibly harmful to women and their health, both mentally and physically. I focused my research on …

"Like An Ox Yoke": Challenging The Intrinsic Virtuosity Of A Grassroots Social Movement, Donna Chollett

Anthropology Publications

Since the 1980s, neoliberal globalization fostered an upsurge of grassroots social movements in Latin America that sought alternatives to increasing poverty and social exclusion. Social movement scholars often interpret these movements as morally noble models of democracy given their claims to social justice and equity. My research examines the forced seizure of a closed Mexican sugar mill and establishment of a cooperative, worker-run factory by a grassroots movement whose cultural politics aimed at creating more democratic processes. Yet in 2009, after 11 years of success, movement leaders declared the mill bankrupt and shut it down. The façade of unity presented …

An Excerpt From The 2009 Kessler Lecture: Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia And Its Consequences, Sarah Schulman

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Despite the emphasis on gay marriage and parenthood that has overwhelmed our freedom vision, how gays and lesbians are treated IN families, is far more influential on the quality of individual lives and the larger social order, than how we are treated AS families. Tonight I will try to articulate how and why systems of familial homophobia operate and more importantly, how they can be changed.

Educational Vouchers And Academic Performance, Nicole Kvidera

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Every time our elected representatives are looking at budget, or election time rolls around, or a family is considering moving, the topic of education is in the thoughts and on the minds of many. Over the years there have been many different education reforms and proposed ideas. This presentation will go in-depth into one such educational reform idea. Educational vouchers have been studied in various ways over the years; the data for this study comes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and gathered over the course of years. The data gathered allows one to compare students in Milwaukee Public Schools and students that …

Slavery And "Abuse Regeneration", Christine Bell

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Skinner’s depiction of modern day slavery is graphic and challenging. Anyone viewing prohibitions on slavery, or abolition, as historical anachronism, or requiring reinterpretation for modern-day practices, must think again. Skinner persuades us that slavery in its most old fashioned sense is alive and well and, worse than that–on the rise.

April Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“A World Enslaved" by E. Benjamin Skinner. Foreign Policy (March/April) 2008.

The Vanguard (Vol. 50, No. 3), Jul-Aug-Sep 2003, Lutheran Human Relations Association

The Vanguard

On August 12, 2003, members and friends of Lutheran Human Relations Association took time from the busy ELCA Churchwide Gathering to celebrate the 50th anniversary of LHRA.

The evening began with a four directional prayer, then music by the ever popular KYROS. The program continued with honored guests Revs. Karl Lutze, Anita Hill, and Joe Ellwanger inspiring the audience with their reflections on the theme "Speak Truth, Do Justice, Build Community." Excerpts from their speeches are featured in this issue.

Politics, Pedagogy, And Shaping Public Policy, Jill Dolan

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

We never exactly know when history is going to catch up with us, when we'll be in the midst of a crucial moment to which posterity will refer as key, as significant, as a lynchpin on which other moments, other decisions, other understandings were founded. The impeachment hearings recently conducted in the House of Representatives dragged us all, unwilling and amazed, into a dark hour of American politics, one in which partisan fury and ideological hatred are translated into strategies of power that disregard and reverse electoral politics. There's much to say about the disappointing performance of Bill Clinton as …

The Great Plains Sit-In Movement, 1958-60, Ronald Walters

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In 1960, black youths conducted a "sit-in" in Greensboro, North Carolina to obtain the right to eat at a segregated lunch counter. Others quickly replicated sit-ins throughout the South and, just as quickly, the press labeled Greensboro the "first" sit-in. Historian David Levering Lewis, for instance, said: "There were not a few white southerners, and probably a majority of white northerners, who would have wished to say to the first sit-in students, as did the woman in the Greensboro Woolworth's, 'you should have done this ten years ago.'" Even data-oriented social scientists such as Doug McAdams portray the sit-ins as …

The Vanguard (Vol. 36 [37], No. 6 [1]), Nov-Dec [Jan-Feb] 1990, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

During the mid-1980s, the Rural Crisis Issue Team of the National Council of churches worked with several Inner-City Church Groups on the loss of land experienced by farmers, especially black farmers, and the changing food system and Rural-Urban Connection Conferences across the country. It was evident by the attendance at those events that urban dwellers were not too concerned that farmers were being forced from the land but some participants registered concern over the quality and price of food stuffs.

The Vanguard (Vol. 36, No. 6), Nov-Dec 1989, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

When an ecumenical gathering of 30 clergy arid lay persons circled Jorge, a Guatemalan refugee, on Sept 15, 1983, in front of the altar at Cross Church, Milwaukee, and an ecumenical congregation of 250 stood in solidarity with them to prayerfully inaugurate sanctuary at Cross Church, we at Cross Church knew we had done the right thing. We were convinced that the Spirit had been leading. We felt confident that our action was part of the coming of Christ's Kingdom of justice and peace.

The Vanguard (Vol. 36, No. 5), Sep-Oct 1989, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, is Director of Program and Associate General Director of Church Women United. Born and educated in Cuba, she has lived in the United Stares since 1960. A Roman Catholic, Ms. Isasi-Diaz is an accomplished linguist and has written extensively in both Spanish and English. The following is the text from her keynote speech at the LHRAA Summer Institute "Andando Juntos."

I am most grateful for the invitation to be here with you. It has given me the opportunity to reflect on the issue of ministry among Hispanics and to put in writing some of the understandings and …

The Vanguard (Vol. 36, No. 3), May-Jun 1989, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

AMERICA'S LARGEST RELIGION IS more often blamed for creating our environmental problems than credited with helping to solve them. Indeed, ever since historian Lynn White, Jr., published "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis" (Science magazine in 1967), the anti-earth nature of Christianity has become standard doctrine in environmental circles. (Mother Earth News, Nov/Dec issue, repeated this truism in their "Open Road" column.)

The quote above from the first chapter of Genesis forms the backbone of White's-and others'-arguments that Christianity is an anti-ecological religion. And certainly, the notion of subduing the earth and taking dominion over its creatures does sound …

The Vanguard (Vol. 35, No. 4), Jul-Aug 1989, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Armies of both liberation and occupation have incited fear throughout history in the lands through which they marched or in which they were posted. Since World War II, an increasingly militarized world has continued to suffer under the power of this military presence.

Strong cries of protest are now not only being raised, but are also finally being heard. Not surprisingly, they are women's voices. Women worldwide, struggling for their own human rights, are also expressing the rage and horror of their people who witness the ravishment of their culture, their land, and their lives.

The Vanguard (Vol. 35, No. 1), Jan-Feb 1988, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Capital, along with labor, is a fundamental building block of American society. Together they help create the industry services, and information we need to live in the present and to build for the future.

But what kind of future? The purpose of this article is to help you shape a healthy future through socially responsible investing.

You can help influence the way our economy uses capital, regardless of your financial position - whether you are just beginning to accumulate capital, whether you have substantial wealth in a multitude of investments, or even if you have no money to invest.

The Vanguard (Vol. 34, No. 1), Jan-Feb 1987, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

About 110 Christians from across the U.S. recently gathered on Chicago's South Side for a three day conference to examine and reflect on the Kairos Document of South Africa. They were joined by dozens of southern Africans, including several who were at the heart of that document's genesis, and who shared with participants some story of the document's unique evolution as 'Challenge to the Church: A Theological Comment on the Political Crisis m South Africa.'