Sociology Commons^™

Productivity, Competition, And Empowerment? The Experience Of Pondicherry Fisherwomen In The Context Of Neoliberal Development, Amelia Colliver

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The subject of this study is female fisherwomen from the fishing village of Veerampattinam in Tamil Nadu who have experienced impacts of neoliberal economics in India. Neoliberalism is here defined as a political economic movement that determines the viability of both an individual and a government based on its economic productivity. Populations reliant on traditional livelihoods are not as efficient as mechanized sectors of their industry, and therefore they are often separated from easy access to their livelihoods by neoliberal policies. This is especially true for women, who are frequently left behind in neoliberalism because their work is considered less …

Rebuilding Tunisia, One Artist At A Time, Caitlin Kelley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper argues that Tunisia’s engaged artists are playing a key role in the development of Tunisian civil society and democracy. The bulk of the research is in the form of interviews with five Tunisian artists. Each artist is actively engaged in the project of building a stronger, more democratic society. Through their art, they exercise and protect the political rights won in the 2011 revolution. These artists resist censorship, powerfully and loudly exercise their right to free speech, and help Tunisian society envision a better future for itself. The five artists interviewed for this research represent the type of …

Over A Cup Of Tea And Koko Sāmoa, Elizabeth Stanis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Fa’aSāmoa, a concept that incorporated culture, tradition, and heritage all specific to Sāmoa, impacts the daily life of Sāmoans. Agriculture and farming also have a role in everyday life, as they impact food security, the economy, and have ties to cultural events. This paper recognizes the importance of the Fa’aSāmoa and agriculture separately and then observes how the Fa’aSāmoa impacts agriculture and is incorporated into agricultural development. Through interviews with local Sāmoans and the use of historical particularism, the cultural side of agriculture and farming is better understood and its importance in society is analyzed through customary land and …

Women’S Movement: Traveling Nepal, Shaelyn Mchugh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is a country formed by the highest peaks in the world, numerous unique cultures and ethnicities, religious pilgrimage sites for both Buddhist and Hindus, and more festivals than days in the year. For Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2017, Nepal was deemed the world’s “Best Value Destination”. Tourism plays a vital role in Nepal’s economy, but its inds is heavily aimed towards the international market. Nepalis in the hospitality industry, scholars, and economists have argued that domestic tourism could be a key component for overall socioeconomic and cultural changes in their society1.

There has been a surge of domestic …

Stories From A Place Called Walung, Jenny Ding

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The goal of the project is to explore the relationship between people and the natural landscape through storytelling. I’m interested by elements like: terrain, topography, path, wayfinding, natural disasters, weather, natural resources, flora and fauna. How do these elements manifest in people’s oral history, daily lives, and spatial identity? How are these elements and the environment changing, and how are people adapting to these changes? My approach will be to talk to people at Walung about their interactions with elements of the natural landscape, both current and from the past. I will also document my own observations of these elements. …

Uphill Struggle: Impediments And Facilitators To Porter Health In The Khumbu Region, Nate Barott

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The surge of Nepal’s tourism industry has resulted in new waves of tourists visiting popular trekking areas such as the northern Khumbu region of the Solukhumbu District. One effect of this growing industry has been the increased prominence of porters in the area. Coming mostly from lowlands south of the Khumbu, porters are composed mainly of young individuals looking to make a career in the enticing business of trekking and mountaineering tourism. The current status of porter health in Solukhumbu is poor. Many ailments exist to physical and social well-being, and social segregation, incentives to carry heavier loads and a …

From Lahure Legacies To Moving Peoples: A Study Of Opportunity And Mobility In The Annapurna Hills, Peter Jacobson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the interplay between the politics of mobility and changing notions of opportunity in the face growing trends of tourism in the southern Annarpurna Conservation Area (ACA) of Nepal. Research was conducted in three villages that have been the sites of rapid change in recent years, both due to the widespread adoption of local trekking economies, and to demographic change engendered by growing trends of outmigration. By adopting a political ecological framework, which challenges common apolitical explanations of exclusion, inaccessibility and unequal distribution of costs and benefits with particular regard to environmental challenges, this paper jointly applies what …

“So What Are You?:” Nepali Third Gender Women’S Identities And Experiences Through The Lens Of Human Rights Development Discourse, Amit Gerstein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nepal is the site of many national and international human rights development measures focused on the country’s gender and sexual minorities (SGM). Given the significant impact those development efforts have on SGM and Nepali society, national and international development actors need to understand the identities and experiences of the populations they attempt to help. Performed in Kathmandu and Bharatpur, this study attempts to understand the identities used by third gender women and if those identities are reflected in development discourse. Furthermore, this research seeks to understand the life experiences of these women and the discriminations they face, a reflection on …

The War Against Sex Trafficking: Who Is Fighting?, Elizabeth Dicus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes and relays information collected from a series of interviews with anti-trafficking organizations in Nepal. The organizations included are Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), Maiti-Nepal, Saathi Nepal, Tiny Hands Nepal, and Women’s Rehabilitation Centre Nepal (WOREC). Each organization approaches the fight against sex trafficking differently. This paper breaks down the methods of addressing sex trafficking into three main categories: prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation. In addition to this, other articles and resources on this topic are explored to explain the enablers of sex trafficking in Nepal. A cross-analysis is conducted between the various anti-trafficking methods used by organizations within …

Understanding The Mongolian Tourism Supply Chain: Advantages, Challenges And Improvements, Thomas D’Anieri

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The tourism industry in Mongolia has relatively low levels of regulation and is growing at a high rate despite struggling to increase tourist numbers, yet it still remains comparatively inaccessible to foreigners. Regardless, tourism holds huge potential for sustainable growth in Mongolia if it can be developed responsibly. For foreigners right now, it is difficult compared to other countries to figure out how to travel and find accomodation in a place where the main tourist attraction is a lack of people and an abundance of open space, and the majority of people in these places do not speak English. Furthermore, …

Spirituality And Conservation In Tujiin Nars, Lisa Torstenson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For centuries, Mongolians have relied heavily on the land for their survival. In Selenge aimag, the surrounding Tujiin Nars forest is an integral part of their lives. An area with many uses, it was once so heavily deforested that the majority of the area lost its ecological function. Now, these impacts are being reversed by dedicated government workers, community groups, and regular citizens. The people of this area believe that they are intimately connected with the forest, and that spirits reside within the trees and the land itself. As such, they stake importance in treating the land with respect. This …

Boys’ Sex Education In Rural Maharashtra: Context, Community, And Trust, Sierra Bradshaw-Kreimer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The primary research question of this study is: do alumni of CRHP’s Adolescent Boy’s Program (ABP) and parents of alumni of the ABP report that the boys have changed after completing the program, and if yes, in what ways? Beyond that, the study is also concerned with examining potential reasons behind the results of the primary research question. The researcher conducted interviews with 3 ABP alumni and 3 parents of ABP alumni, in addition to attending information sessions and observing the workings of CRHP. The primary findings were that yes, the respondents reported a change. The change was described as …

The Challenges Of India’S Rising Breast Cancer Epidemic, Brigette Stickney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

India is currently undergoing rapid urbanization, which is greatly impacting Indian citizens’ health. One of the rising concerns due to the drastic lifestyle and environmental changes that are results of urbanization is the issue of breast cancer. Breast cancer diagnosis rates are rising exponentially, and breast cancer has moved its way up to be the most common cancer in India. Breast cancer mortality rates in India are also some of the worst in the world. This paper analyses the social, mental, economic, geographic, and physical challenges that are present for women diagnosed with cancer in India. It assesses how they …

What Does It Mean To Respect One’S Mother? A Narrative Approach Exploring Maternal Respect Through The Perspectives Of Zulu Mothers And Their Children, Sarah Robertson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to synthesize both background research and interview content on respect, specifically respect for mothers from their children in Cato Manor. Cato Manor is populated with largely single-mother, matriarchal households of Zulu identifying people.

I conducted eight interviews with four mothers and their children, with the “children” ranging in age from 19 to 29. I requested that my participants share as many stories with me as possible in order to help me write my findings in a narrative approach. I asked about a variety of topics, including what respect is in general, what it means to respect one’s …

Exploring The Space Between Healers: A Narrative Approach To Understanding The Relationship Between Traditional Healers And Biomedical Practitioners In Kwazulu-Natal, Marisa Delsignore

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite playing essential and parallel roles in the lives of patients, there exists a frictional, imbalanced relationship between traditional healers and Western doctors in South Africa. While national policy encourages a seamless system rooted in both Western science and indigenous knowledge, biomedical institutions are hesitant to accept traditional medical practices, which are based on less tangible and more spiritually-oriented elements. This research project turns to these two ideologically different entities to assess their perspectives on the roles of themselves and the other within the context of the South African health system.

Responses from semi-structured interviews with seven health practitioners from …

Think Outside: Exploring The Influence Of Nature On The Individual And Of The Individual On Society, Brielle Wells

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This video project has an overarching goal to question the influence the natural environment has on the development of individual people and society as a whole. It begins by looking into the important role played by creativity in societal and economic development. From here a brief background is given on the requirements of maintaining and producing a creative environment. The piece alludes to the possibility that a relationship with nature has a deeper meaning than just being conducive to creativity. It also shows the effects pollution has had on the work of local artists and briefly the challenges faced by …

Who And What Is Amazigh? Self-Assertion, Erasure, And Standardization, Alexis Colon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research focuses on the identity of the indigenous peoples of Morocco, or the Amazigh. While this culture has endured different iterations of colonization, self-assertion and activism in favor of preserving culture and improving conditions for Amazigh can often be viewed as controversial to the elites of Morocco. This controversy, however, does not stop Moroccans from proclaiming their Amazigh background or portraying their culture. This paper aims to describe qualitative data taken from numerous interviews on the subject of self-identification of Amazigh and different hopes and expectations for the continuation of the language and culture of Amazigh among common peoples.

Sufis In A 'Foreign' Zawiya: Moroccan Perceptions Of The Tijani Pilgrimage To Fes, Joel Green

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this ISP is to investigate Moroccan perceptions of sub-Saharan members of the Tijaniyya during the completion of their religious pilgrimage to Fes. The relationship between Moroccans andTijani pilgrims is particularly complex as it occurs at an intersection of various identities, most prominently including race, religion, class and nationality. This project focuses on Moroccans who work in the area surrounding the shrine of Ahmed al-Tijani and either market their business towards Tijani pilgrims or frequently serve Tijani pilgrims as customers. In the course of interviews with five Moroccans, three major themes emerged: 1. Condemnation of Tijani religious practice. …

The Root Of Racism: How Slavery Has Led To The Condition Of Discrimination Against Sub-Saharan Africans And Migrants In Morocco, James Artis Iii

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Slavery is the oldest and most central form of discrimination and while most have knowledge on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that of the Sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern Slave trade in which current day North Africa and Middle East contributed to both sexual and military exploitation of Sub-Saharan Africans is often forgotten. The historical implication that going along with North African and Middle Eastern salve trade contribute to the discrimination dehumanization and otherization of sub-Saharan Africans and their perception in North Africa.

Examinando La Relación Entre El Ecoturismo Y La Migración En La Nevería, Pueblos Mancomunados, Oaxaca / Examining The Relationship Between Ecotourism And Migration In La Nevería, Pueblos Mancomunados, Oaxaca, Thomas Canny

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Los proyectos ecoturísticos en los Pueblos Mancomunados de la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca son un ejemplo de organización comunitaria para disminuir la emigración y mejorar la calidad de vida. Esta investigación intenta de analizar los cambios en el fenómeno migratorio del pequeño pueblo de La Nevería por medio de entrevistas personales con pobladores, y trazando la historia del proyecto ecoturístico que han implementado en su comunidad.

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The ecotourism projects in the Mancomunados Towns of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca are an example of community organization to reduce emigration and improve the quality of life. This research tries to analyze …

El Estado “Ingobernable” La Relación Entre Usos Y Costumbres, La Migración, El “Progreso” / The "Ungovernable" State The Relationship Between Uses And Customs, Migration, "Progress", Rosario Rivera

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Lgbti+ Language And Understandings In Nepal: Creating Spaces And Forging Identities, Patrick Sonnenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The 1990 Nepali Constitution opened up opportunities for many forms of activism, and identity groups thus began solidifying to advocate for social change and justice (Karki 2012). After the Nepali Supreme Court ruling in 2007, Nepal became one of the first countries to offer a third gender category “Other,” becoming a leader for human rights in South Asia and the world (Mahato 2017). As Coyle and Boyce (2013) point out, there is little research on LGBTI individuals in Nepal. Furthermore, they advocate for more research and closer work with gender and sexual minority individuals in Nepal.

This research attempts to …

"Waste Is Not Just Waste Anymore": Deconstructing The Relationship Between Sustainable Waste Prevention And Individual Socio-Demographic Characteristics (The Juxtaposition Of Ushongo Mtoni Village And Moshi Urban, Tanzania), Mahalia Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I am going to tell you a story about humans — their lives, livelihoods, environments, and their individual relationships to sustainable waste prevention. As developing countries, such as Tanzania experience economic growth, waste overflow and proper waste disposal become even more arduous challenges. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important to explore sustainable solutions such as waste prevention. Through conducting semi-structured interviews in two distinctly unique locations, Moshi Urban of the Kilimanjaro Region and Ushongo Village on the coast of Tanga Region, Tanzania, I explored how levels of awareness and involvement in sustainable waste prevention practices, specifically reducing, reusing, and recycling, …

When Packaged Food Pollutes Our Body And Earth: Plastic Packaged Food Consumption And Waste Disposal Practices In The Himalayas, Jared Marsh, Jessica Shalvey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of our field study project is to examine current waste disposal practices and food preferences in rural Himalayan agricultural communities and to communicate the results, as well as our own outside research, to the villagers in Sikkim. We hope to promote safe disposal practices of packaged plastic, to offer responsible alternatives to packaged waste disposal, and to encourage the consumption of organic, homegrown food for all ages to benefit both human and environmental well-being.

Remembering Forgotten Foods: A Collaborative Project, Azher Jaweed, Sophia Alhadeff, Claire Roberts, Avery Perkins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Our final project aimed to validate indigenous knowledge and empower younger generations about their rich, organic farming practices while also debunking the stereotypes of American food culture. Additionally, we aimed to reverse the sense of inferiority about agricultural practices in Sikkim amongst young people. The first component will consist of a cooking activity focused around forgotten foods. The second part of the project compares the preparation process of two dishes– one made in Sikkim and the other from the United States. The first poster compares a traditional Himalayan dish with a typical American dish. The second compares the sourcing of …

Defining The Issue: Social Movements' Framing Strategies In Neocolonial Senegal, Ezra M. Alltucker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examined framing strategies of protest movements in Dakar Senegal, particularly those focused on issues of foreign exploitation. Two major groups were surveyed, FRAPP and Cos M23, with interview notes and transcripts forming the basis of frame analysis. The findings showed that Cos M23 utilized a narrow frame that focused on linking certain sets of behaviors to being a good citizen, while FRAPP created a larger discursive framework in which diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing strategies were present in order to both link France and western imperialism to issues as well as induce the general public to take actions …

(Dis)Locations: Dutch Disabled Lgbtq+ Subjects And Queer Social Space, Sarah Cavar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this research was to determine the architectural and social accessibility of “queer spaces” in the Netherlands. Via a series of personal interviews with LGBTQ+ disabled Dutch individuals, lived experiences inside and outside queer spaces were discussed in the con-text of their respective disabilities and other identities. Some sub-questions that were addressed include: the definitions of “access" and of “queer space,” how architectural and social access bar-riers compare with and influence one another, and the present and future possibilities for queer spaces of increased accessibility. In concluding the research, the author distinguishes “queer spaces” from LGBTQ+ spaces, reflecting …

The Contributing Factors To Adolescent Depression, Josie H. Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Objective: This paper reviews individual, familial, peer, and societal factors influencing adolescent depression in developed countries. Background: Depression usually onsets at adolescence and contributes to high DALYs. Since depression is treatable, efforts should be made to reduce its prevalence and effect. Methods: The research consisted of looking at literature relevant to the topic and age group and conducting interviews with experts who know about and have worked with adolescent depression. Discussion: Adolescents begins at the onset of puberty, allowing different biological factors such as genetics, stress of puberty, and cognitive changes to increase vulnerability to depression. Adolescents who had substance …

Dolpopa, Yvette Segan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The village of Dho is located in the Tarap Valley in the Himalayas of western Nepal. In the limited literature about the region, it is generally regarded as one of the most remote villages in the world with a culture that has been largely preserved due to the lack of accessibility. The villagers today maintain a trade that has been occurring for hundreds, if not thousands, of years with Tibet to ascertain the goods that they need. Lower Nepal is less available for trade due to the lack of a drivable road between Kathmandu and Dho Tarap. This has resulted …

Articulación Y Apoyo Del Programa De Los Agentes Sanitarios De Mendoza: De La Teoría A La Práctica / Coordination And Support In Mendoza’S Community Health Worker Program: From Theory To Practice, Kelly Mchugh

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Información contextual: Desde que fue publicada la resolución de la Alma-Ata, varios sistemas de salud al nivel mundial han implementado programas de agentes sanitarios para ayudar en el cumplimiento de la estrategia de la Atención Primaria de la Salud (APS) y el aseguramiento de la salud como derecho humano. Sin embargo, en los últimos años, varios investigadores identificaron obstáculos comunes que enfrentan los agentes sanitarios en el alcance de sus tareas como resultado de la falta de apoyo que reciben por el sistema de salud. En forma sucesiva, dicha falta de apoyo ocasionó daño potencial para su capacidad de contribuir …