Sociology Commons^™

Motivations To Migrate: Migration From Morocco And The “Failure” Of Rural Development During The Eurozone Financial Crisis, Alexander Djaha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

EU’s closing borders are impeding a fifty-year pattern of Moroccan migration to southern Europe to find work, prosper and provide for their families back home. Moroccan NGOs, as well as the Spanish and Italian governments, have recently invested in rural development initiatives aimed at increasing employment opportunities in Morocco and deterring workers from migrating. Yet Moroccans keep risking their lives and continue to migrate illegally every day as these initiatives are proving to be ineffective. This study examines the current conditions for Moroccan migrant workers amidst tightening European Union borders and a narrowing European frontier for employment. The Eurozone financial …

Gagner La Vie: Examining Return Preparedness And Resource Mobilization Among Moroccan Immigrants To France Who Return To Live Permanently In Agadir, Morocco, Karolina Michelle Dos Santos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

If Moroccan immigrants are so in tune to their home culture and home happenings, under what conditions do they stay in France facing the problems of unemployment and homelessness? This study focuses on the return migration of Moroccans from the Sousse region; specifically Agadir and the surrounding Tiznit areas, who left Morocco during the decade of 1960 and who have permanently returned to live in Morocco. The study was conducted by using the snowball sampling technique to conduct semi-structured interviews of Moroccan return migrants in AitMelloul, a neighborhood of Agadir. My findings suggest that the return migrants from the Sousse …

Investigating The Paradigms Of Sikkim’S Built Environment, Bennet Song

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The region of Sikkim is located on the Aplide-Himalayan global seismic belt, a seismically vulnerable area of the world. The 2011 M6.9 earthquake caused a severe disruption in the functions of both rural and urban Sikkim. In areas populated by humans, most of the visible damage and harm done in an earthquake is due to poorly designed and constructed buildings and infrastructure rather than the earthquake itself. The focus of this paper lies in study of the relationship between the predominant building types of rural vs. urban Sikkim. Ikra is a low cost vernacular building type found in Sikkim’s rural …

Maximizing Community Action: An Internship With Be The Change, Rachel Rosenbaum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

From 3 April 2013 to 28 April 2013, I interned with the Brisbane branch of Be The Change, an organization that promotes ecological, social and spiritual sustainability through their empowering symposiums, in Australia. I focused on creating a tool to help symposium participants take community action after the event. My goal was to create a resource for Be The Change to use across Australia to further its impact, attend a symposium and implement sustainable actions in my everyday life.

In the 140 total hours of work I completed, I helped plan a symposium, participated in workshops and events within the …

Food From Foreigners: Examining Expatriate Entrepreneurship In The Food Sector Of Nepal, Melanie R. Couchman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Recognizing the large impact that entrepreneurship can have on the development of a country, this research attempts to study the process foreigners face in starting up a business, the motives for entering the Nepalese market place, and ultimately how these foreign business owners are finding success in Nepal. Focusing primarily on the food sector, this research hopes to answer the question of whether foreign entrepreneurs can successfully integrate into the Nepalese market, how foreign business might differ from native business, and how foreign presence is affecting Nepal’s development. This study takes place in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Patan, and will use …

A Shift In The Sector: International And National Volunteer Development Strategies In Modern Nepal, Megan Barrie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The complicated political, social, and economic landscape of Nepal marks it a country in need of development as a means to improve poor conditions within a culturally and religiously diverse country. NGOs, INGOs, and bilateral agencies have emerged in Nepal in the name of development. It has become increasingly popular to send volunteers into developing areas to meet the goals of organizations. Looking broadly at the volunteer sector in Nepal, there is such a complex nature to development as the needs of communities in which these organizations serve are changing. The various strategies that volunteer organizations use to place their …

Dharma And The Free Market: Reconciling Buddhist Compassion With A Market Economy In Post-Socialist Mongolia, Yazmeen Mendez Nuñez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this inductive ethnographic study, I explore the unique social and theological pressures placed on Mongolian Buddhists after the wake of free market transition in Mongolia. It utilizes the Buddhist virtue of compassion as a lens by which the study might examine how Mongolians balance their spirituality and commitment to Buddhist ethics with new roles as rational agents in an emergent free market. In this study I draw on narratives from thirteen subjects as well as extensive participant observation to examine the ways that Mongolian market reform has guided social paradigms of ethic that present ethical contradictions with Buddhist dharma, …

Going Green And Staying Sustainable: Community Based Tree-Planting Projects In Mongolia, Rachel Klassen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community based tree planting projects are abundant in Mongolia and have become a popular form of social movement towards promoting a healthy environment. With so many different varieties of tree planting projects in Mongolia, it is necessary to evaluate how well the different forms of Community-based tree planting projects function. The first research question created to access said Community projects is, are Community based tree planting projects environmentally sustainable? And the second, are Community-based tree planting projects in Mongolia sustainable from an organizational standpoint? To answer these questions interviews, surveys and case studies were given in the three …

Think Like A Mongolian: Cultivating Community Based Pasture Management, Karen Elizabeth Yoshida Weldon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since Mongolia’s democratization and move to a free market, the country has been grappling with the best approaches to deal with pasture degradation caused by both climate change and lifestyle changes of nomadic herders. International donors and NGOS have implemented community based natural resource management projects with the missions mitigating the effects of pasture degradation and livelihoods of herding families through building capacity. While studies have been done regarding the effectiveness of these community based conservation projects, minimal research has been done to understand how the traditions, values, and culture of Mongolia herders affect the success of these pastureland conservation …

Adding Injustice To Injury - Health Perceptions, Plurality, And Power In The Ongoing Bhopal Disaster, Ruth Markwardt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Standards of health, human rights, and development are typically defined and dictated by policymakers instead of the populations directly affected by so-called development efforts. This paper seeks to contextualize global development efforts by highlighting specific local realities among the community of Bhopal Disaster survivors in Madhya Pradesh, India. As the site of the world’s largest industrial disaster, a disaster which is not over but ongoing, Bhopal represents an important population to highlight as the disaster continues. The Political Ecology of Health model was used to highlight political and environmental influences on community health. Within Political Ecology, this study takes a …

Fa’Amatala Lau Tala: Samoan Pregnancy And Childbirth Narratives, Elsa Kendall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pregnancy is, for each individual woman, situated in a particular historical, social, and cultural understanding of her own body; the experience cannot be divorced from these components that inform what is deemed unhealthy or inappropriate. Most social research regarding pregnancy and childbirth focuses on economic and political implications. This study explored personal narratives of Samoan women’s experience with pregnancy and childbirth to shed light on cultural aspects of events. Seven women were interviewed as key informants using informal, unstructured interviews to better understand these topics, and are presented as a compilation of stories of the most intimate parts of their …

What Happens After Chelibeti Bechbikhan: A Study Of The Reintegration And Rehabilitation Process For Women Who Have Been Trafficked Or Sexually Exploited In Nepal, Mary Mackenna Bowles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When it comes to the trafficking of women, I have read many articles about the tragic stories of the trafficked. The sad turn around from returning home to returning to the brothels. The obvious next addition to this literature is how do we prevent it. Again, I have read countless articles addressing just this. What I have read much less on and what is often skipped over is the reintegration and rehabilitation process for the women who are “saved” and returned to their community. In my research, I look at the challenges that survivors face upon returning to their community. …

Preserving Tradition: Analyzing The Commoditization Of Cultural Identity Through Beauty Pageants Among Ethnic Minority Groups In Kathmandu, Martha Oster-Beal

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research primarily focuses on the “cultural talent contests” enrolling contestants who are members of the numerous minority ethnic groups residing in Kathmandu. In a growing metropolis, these beauty queens are often seen as symbolic representations of collective cultural identities, and the pageants as fields of active ‘cultural production’. This author surveys the growing literature on beauty pageants and several opinions of organizers, community members and the contestants themselves to better understand how culture is produced within the contexts of pageants. The study examines how beauty pageants operate as locations of commodification and consumption in a world increasingly influenced by …

Upload Complete Syncing The Thunder Dragon: An Analysis Of Bhutanese Media And Its Influences On A Changing Culture, Brian Mcqueen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Almost 14 years ago Bhutan was officially "hooked up" to the outside world. With access to Internet and television increasing rapidly in the Bhutan new thoughts are entering the country, replacing previous views. The effect of media on the lifestyle and culture of the people of Bhutan is significant due to the speed at which the change occurred.

For my research I split my time between the capital city, Thimphu and Sherubtse College, which is located in the rural village of Kanglung. By conducting interviews with people involved in the media scene of Bhutan and consumers of media, I have …

Cultural Exchange: Afro Ethnic Tourism In Bahia, Ayana Oforiwah Austin-Depay

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ethnic tourism is an amalgamation of all the faucets within Bahia’s society from religion to food to dance. In particular, Afro ethnic tourism, which is the tourism that brings African American tourists to Bahia, thrives on the African American interaction with these faucets and most importantly with the Afro Brazilian people. Although it is grand cultural experience, previous research discusses how tourism, and specifically ethnic tourism, is a modern version of imperialism as tourists objectify and romanticize the host country, people, and culture. Additionally, when ethnic tourism is discussed, it is often spoken about in snapshots that capture the external …

Exploring The Meanings Of Social Support Networks, Andrea Villalobos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There are eight million children on the streets of Brazil. As a result of this alarming statistic the study of street children has increased. However, literature on the matter assumes a deficit view of these children, emphasizing the social and developmental aspects of their suffering. While it is essential to identify the origins and consequences of becoming a street child, it is equally as crucial to identify factors within the environment that help impoverished children to build resilience against the many stressful events that accompany their reality. Hence, instead of continuing the trend of investigating the role that inadequate education, …

Viendo De Camino A Casa: La Construcción De La Identidad Transnacional En La Comunidad Libanesa De Buenos Aires = Looking Homeward: The Construction Of Transnational Identity In The Lebanese Community Of Buenos Aires, Lindsay Miller

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

At the end of the 19^th century through World War I, around three million immigrants entered Argentina. The vast majority left behind homes in Italy and Spain; however, a significant minority population arrived from Greater Syria, specifically from present-day Syria and Lebanon. Today, the descendents of these Syrian-Lebanese migrants make up the third largest community in Argentina. Despite the significant presence of the community, the Syrian-Lebanese community has been largely absent from scholarly work on Argentine ethnic groups.

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship that the descendents of Lebanese immigrants, living in Buenos Aires, have …

Joven Pero No Apolítico: Las Distintas Concepciones De La Militancia Y El Rol Del Partido Político Para La Juventud Del Partido Socialista Y El Partido De Los Trabajadores Socialistas En Buenos Aires, Christina Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although Argentina is known for its vibrant political life – illustrated by the country's high voter turnout in elections, regular protests in the central Plaza de Mayo, and an abundance of politicized conversations among citizens – the past few decades have witnessed a general loss of credibility in the traditional means of acquiring power in the state, notably the worker's union and the party. Accordingly, activism in Argentina's “new public space” (Bonvillani et al 2008: 63) that emerged after the political-economic crisis of 2001 has been defined less by the formal party-state apparatus than by autonomous social movements unaffiliated with …

La Apertura De Un Barrio: Las Transformaciones Del Espacio Urbano En Palermo, Buenos Aires = The Opening Of A Neighborhood: The Transformations Of Urban Space En Palermo, Buenos Aires, Daniel Rosenblum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The transformations of neoliberalism in Latin America produced profound structural shifts throughout the urban environment. In Buenos Aires, Argentina certain neighborhoods became hotbeds for change. One neighborhood, Palermo, formerly a working class neighborhood, transformed into a neighborhood of distinct locales, each with its own name connected to another large world city, such as New York and London. These areas became deeply tied to international brands and markets, sourcing goods and businesses from all over the world. In addition, the area grew tremendously in the sectors of leisure, entertainment, and gastronomy. New shops, bars, discotheques, restaurants, and boutiques sprouted up in …

The Institutional And Social Integration Of Child Asylum-Seekers In The Schools And Society Of The Canton Of Vaud, Switzerland, Sonja C. Brinker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As an increasing number of asylum-seekers cross the border into Switzerland in search of protection, Switzerland faces the challenge of accommodating and integrating asylum populations into society while protecting all basic human rights. This study looks at the reception of child asylum-seekers in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland in terms of their integration in the education system and society. A series of interviews and a literature review were used to identify what services are available to child asylumseekers both at school and within the canton that may facilitate integration. The findings of this study indicate that child asylum-seekers are receiving …

"It's About The Way You Fold Your Underwear": Dutch Interracial Relationships In The Colonial Context, Sarah Iverson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Interracial relationships cannot be defined purely through the lens of racial difference. Drawing upon loosely structured interviews with three couples, this case study presents lived experiences as a way to better understand interracial relationships in the Netherlands. An intersectional analysis of these interviews uncovers three distinctive themes among couples: 1) their relationship is frequently treated as "common property" to be commented on by family, friends, and strangers alike, 2) the use of "avoidance" discursive strategies when discussing negative reactions, and 3) the enactment of color-blind ideology when talking about race. The personal narratives of individuals in each couples are presented …

Bridge Across The Divide: Rewriting A New Historical Narrative In Derry~Londonderry, Elena Bilodeau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month-long study on the Peace Bridge in Derry~Londonderry. It is an investigation of the importance history plays in the peace process of Northern Ireland. The goal of this study was to assess the success of the Peace Bridge in helping the city to overcome an inherited historical memory. Data was obtained through formal interviews, surveys of users on the bridge, various forms of literature, and participant observation. Through these methods, it can be concluded that the Peace Bridge has successfully increased cross-community interaction in the city. This has been achieved through the creation …

“Papa, Should I Tell You What I Think Of This Exhibition, I Would Cry.” An Analysis Of Visitor Impression Books At The Bosnian Historical Museum In Sarajevo, Amanda Lawnicki

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Visitor impression book are often overlooked objects in museums. However, a study of these books can provide insight into a whole range of topics regarding museum and/or memory studies, especially in consideration of the larger socio-political climate. By nature, the books are both intensely personal and inherently collective – as they constitute an assembly of personal emotions and evaluations of the exhibit. This allows us to examine the books on a microscopic, individual level and in a global context.

My research involved an examination of the visitor impression books at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and focused on …

Influencia De Los Programas De Concurso Televisivos En La Construccion De Identidad Cultural En Jóvenes Cusqueños, Tess Renker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe describe la realización de mi proyecto de investigación sobre las influencias de los programas de concurso peruanos en la construcción de las identidades culturales de los jóvenes cusqueños. En el primer capítulo, describo las motivaciones por esta investigación, la área temática, y las preguntas de investigación, así como el marco teórico y la metodología del estudio. El segundo capítulo incluye la revisión de unas lecturas previas acerca del tema. Estas lecturas se enfocan en la vinculación de la televisión nacional peruana con la globalización y la manera en que estos programas pueden influir las identidades culturales de la …

¿“El Pueblo, Presidente”?: Ejemplos De Poder Ciudadana En El Municipio De San Ramón, Matagalpa, Maura Lewandowski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mucho@s de nosotr@s consideramos que tenemos ciertos derechos que nadie puede quitarnos. La libertad, acceso a salud y el derecho a controlar nuestras propias vidas son algunos ejemplos. Creo que hay mucha gente que dirá que el gobierno debe representar nuestros deseos y hacer lo que queramos y lo que nos beneficie. Es verdad que existen diferentes leyes en cualquier país pero en mi opinión, hay ciertos derechos que son fijos y permanentes. Uno de esos derechos, en mi mente, es el derecho de l@s ciudada@os de ejercer su poder como ciudadan@. Es decir, para mí, cualquier/a ciudadan@ tiene el …

Mujeres Mozonteñas: Liderazgo, Tierra E Identidad En El Pueblo Indígena De Mozonte, Nueva Segovia, Karla Jiménez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La desigualdad entre mujeres y hombres es algo contra lo que los movimientos sociales luchan a nivel mundial. En Nicaragua, el machismo es un aspecto que aparenta estar arraigado en la cultura. Sin embargo, algunas mujeres han logrado crear espacios de participación, donde sus derechos e intereses son tomados en cuenta y respetados dentro de una sociedad patriarcal. ¿Cómo se estudia la desigualdad que han tenido las mujeres, junto con la desigualdad que han tenido las personas indígenas, al trabajar con mujeres indígenas? Hay una complejidad que existe al trabajar dentro de un Pueblo Indígena, ya que tienen dos gobiernos …

Nunca Han Visitado, No Han Vivido Ecoturismo Comunitario: Una Alternativa Sostenible Y Constitucional De Desarrollo En La Zona De Intag, Jenny Johnston

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Durante mi estudio en Ecuador y a través de todas mis clases, conversaciones, y experiencias, han habido muchos temas nuevos e interesantes. Aunque todas me han enseñado mucho, la experiencia que me impactó más fue mi semana en Intag. Durante toda mi vida siempre tuve una fascinación con el bosque nublado con la combinación de palabras más mística y romántica. La verdad es que antes de llegar en Intag la mi primera vez, no sabía nada sobre el poder de la belleza de los bosques, la naturaleza, y también sobre la lucha en contra de la minería. A través de …

Mas Que El Apoyo Academico: La Educacion No Formal Y El Programa Servicio Pais Educacion, Leah Ewald

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation aims to analyze the operation and overall results of Servicio País Educación, an intervention-based program of the non-profit organization, Fundación de la Superacíon, offered to primary, low-resource, municipal schools in Chile. Functioning from 2010-2012 as an after-school program, Servicio País Educación provided a non-formal educational environment which provided hands-on learning opportunities for students. Children selected to participate in the program came from especially poor socioeconomic situations and often underperformed academically in the classroom or exhibited behavioral issues. Students participated in small groups led by tutors where they received not only individualized academic help but practical education in the …

La Percepción Del Sistema De Salud Intercultural Y La Generación De Una Nueva Discriminación: Estudio De Los Centros De Medicina Mapuche En Nueva Imperial Y Puerto Saavedra Con Población Adulta, Jannet Guadalupe Sánchez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The main objective of this project was to investigate to what extent intercultural health experiences in the Araucanía region of southern Chile can help overcome situations of discrimination or how they may help generate new ones. This project surfaces from the known history of discrimination against the mapuche population that has resulted in poor health status and how the installation of intercultural health financed by the governments' own ministry of health tries to alleviate the problem. To achieve the main objective, both surveys and interviews were conducted at two intercultural health centers in order to determine actual and perceived health …

La Implementación Del Programa De Intervención Para Hombres Que Ejercen Violencia Contra Sus Parejas, “Hombres Por Una Vida Sin Violencia,” En Arica, Chile, Meghna Nandi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Battery intervention programs are an important domestic violence intervention method to study because they focus on understanding the perpetrator’s side of domestic violence and can shed light on the cultural and social forces that maintain domestic violence within society. Objective: This study explores Chile’s newly initiated battery intervention program, “Hombres por una vida sin violencia,” or “Men for a life without violence,” by documenting its implementation in the city of Arica, Chile through an investigation of both the program’s functioning and the perception of domestic violence within the greater community. Methodology: Interviews were conducted with professionals who work in …