Sociology Commons^™

Behind Your Beach Vacation: A Review And Evaluation Of Eias As A Legal Framework To Regulate The Environmental Impacts Of Tourism In Zanzibar, Mahima Sukhdev, Ayelet Singer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and related legislation in Zanzibar were examined, and their implementation by hotels in the coastal villages of Nungwi, Kiwengwa and Uroa were studied. Interviews were conducted with relevant government agencies and legal documents were examined in order to understand the current framework within which hotels operate. Hotels in the study area both with and without EIAs were questioned about their environmental and social impacts. The environmental management plans of those hotels with EIAs were considered in light of their current practices in order to gage the effectiveness of the EIA process in regulating the environmental impacts …

Alienation In Acholiland: War, Privatization, And Land Displacement In Northern Uganda, Nicole Kligerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents the various dynamics, causes, and consequences of land conflicts in Acholiland. In order to comprehensively address these complex issues, this paper analyzes land conflict in connection to the Northern Uganda war, explaining the military strategies that resulted in widespread displacement and alienation from the land. This paper further explores changing Acholi cosmology and customary land law in connection to land alienation. Additionally, I examine local land conflicts as well as three privatization and “development” plans in relationship to preexisting land displacement issues. This paper highlights the opinions of my fieldwork participants regarding the importance of land to …

Rompiendo El Espejo Invertido: La Búsqueda Para Autosuficiencia Y Una Vida Campesina Y Digna, Tara Brian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La vida campesina e indígena ha sido amenazada por siglos de explotación y marginalización. Ahora neoliberalismo, el último capitulo en la historia de dominio, está creando cada vez más pobreza, vulnerabilidad y dependencia en el campo. En el intento, las diversas culturas rurales están perdiendo su autosuficiencia, costumbres, sabiduría y relación con la naturaleza. Se enfrentan un dilema: tratar de entrar en el mundo “moderno” a costa de perder su cultura, o quedarse en el campo empobrecidos y olvidados. En este proyecto yo exploro como comunidades campesinas e indígenas están luchando para crear una tercera opción: un futuro en que …

Lessons From Cideci Las Casas : The Potential For Non-Directive Learning Spaces In The United States, Gideon Mausner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of my project was to observe the informal, non-directive and communal learning space of CIdeCI Las Casas in San Cristobal, Chiapas and consider its potential applications in the United States of America. The following paper presents the results of this project in five sections. In the first section I examine the meaning of modern education and its primary vessel, the school. In the second section I give a detailed background of CIdeCI: its history and purpose and its place within the cultural and political realities of Chiapas. In the third section I share my experiences and observations from …

Naši Narodi? Moji Identiteti: Four Youth Perspectives On National Identity In Post-Dayton Bosnia And Herzegovina, Jacob Seigel-Boettner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On December 14th, 1995, the Dayton Peace Accords stopped the bullets in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dayton split BiH along ethno-national lines. The Dayton-established constitution recognized three national groups as the constituents of BiH: Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats. Three presidents, three languages, three textbooks. Residents of BiH are often required to identify themselves as either one of the constituent identities or Other. Bosnian and Herzegovinian is not an option.

Unlike the pre-war generations, young people in BiH today do not have a unifying Yugoslav identity to bring them together. For many, there is no such thing as a collective “Bosnian” national …

Redrawing The Walls: Street Art In Belgrade, Emily Levitt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research examines street art in Belgrade as a means of changing the political, social, and cultural atmosphere of Belgrade, Serbia. Street art is examined as a means of breaking down consumer/producer binaries, an alternative to dominant culture, as part of the contemporary city, and as a transformative use of and re-appropriation of imagery. The research data was collected through semi-structured interviews in the Spring of 2009. Students, artists, and former artists were interviewed in order to collect data. In addition, participant observation and visual analysis contributed to and gave context to the interview based data. Ultimately, it was discovered …

The Cost Of Progress: Failed Development And Community Response On Pulau Serangan, Julia Nakad

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction - extract

No place on Bali illustrates the promise and heartbreak of development more clearly than the failed development project on Serangan Island, the location of a halted (if not completely aborted) development project in the 1990s that drastically changed the landscapes and livelihoods on the island in a relatively short span of time. Prior to the development project, most Serangan people made a living from fishing in the ocean surrounding the island, as well as from extracting coral and engaging in the turtle trade. These same people were promised jobs in the resorts that were to be built …

An Enduring Scourge: The Evolution Of Trafficking In Women For Forced Prostitution In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Elizabeth Longino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the late nineties, in the post-conflict period of rebuilding and peacekeeping, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation emerged as a major problem in Bosnia-Herzegovina. For years, the country was considered one of the principle destination and transit countries in the region, until a combination of internal and external factors caused the situation to change. Internally, the government passed legislation, created action plans, and designated special police forces to combat trafficking across borders. Apart from these actions, regional political changes and the withdrawal of international troops also contributed to the closure of bars and brothels in which trafficked women were …

Factors Related To The Marital Satisfaction Of Malian Women In Polygamous Marriages, Lauren E. Troy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In anthropological research, polygamy is typically defined as “a marital relationship involving multiple wives” (Kottak, 1978 cited in Low, 1988, p. 189). The term polygamy, however, includes three different types of relationships. The first, polygynandry, is characterized by a group marriage in which multiple wives are married to multiple husbands, while the second, polyandry, refers to a wife married to two or more husbands. The third form, and that which is explored in this study, is polygyny. Hereafter referred to as polygamy, it is the marriage of one husband to two or more wives and is the most common form …

Les Modes De Gardes Et Les Mères Modernes : La Conciliation De Vie Professionnelle Et De Vie Familiale À Toulouse, France = Day Care Centers, Baby-Sitters And The Modern Mother: The Equilibrium Between One’S Professional And Family Life In Toulouse, France, Millan Abinader

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The role of day care centre, baby sitters and the image of the modern mother in the ability for a mother to conciliate her professional and family life was studied in Toulouse, France. Seven semi-directed interviews on the subjects of the capacity to find a place at a center, one’s access to financial aid, male-female equality in a couple, and the manners in which one balances her family and professional life composed the substance of this study. The interviews revealed the influence of the ability of a mother to find a solution for the care of her child on her …

‘Everything Is For Him’: Mothers Of Autistics As Agents Of Social Change At Casa Da Esperança, Alexandra Levin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project explores mothers of children with autism as social actors. I conducted the research at Casa da Esperança, which is school and therapy intstituion, and social organization, for autistics in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A group of mothers founded Casa da Esperança based on a policy of inclusiveness towards autistics and their families. Casa da Esperança’s structure reflects its collective and communal philosophy, as demonstrated by the family program. Many mothers of autistics participate in this program on a daily basis when they stay at Casa da Esperança while their children are in class. Casa da Esperança is a …

Ações Para Uma Melhor Vida: A Situação De Prostituição No Novo Eldorado De Juruti, Megan Whelan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a short preliminary study carried out by the students of SIT Amazon 2008 in Juruti, the site of a Bauxite mineral extraction project of North-American company, ALCOA, the issue of the rapidly expanding prostitution industry became a prominent point of discussion with the members of the town. Taking into consideration the importance given to the issue by the community, this study was developed to examine further the issue of sexual exploitation in the town of Juruti, with the main objective of discovering the best actions to be taken to improve the well-being of the exploited women and children, according …

La Mondialisation Et Les Croyants: Des Effets De La Mondialisation Sur Les Communautés Chrétiennes = Globalization And Believers: Globalization’S Effects On Christian Communities, Carrie Lee Tallichet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research aimed to explore the different manifestations of globalization’s impact on Catholic and Protestant student movements in Toulouse, France. To accomplish this investigation, the researcher sought the opinions of students who participate regularly in religious groups regarding the cultural diversity of their group and their concept of a global Christian community. Based on information gathered in interviews, the researcher concluded, though not definitively, that Catholic and Protestant student groups both experience the effects of globalization, but each in a manner in relation with their faith’s organizational structure: Catholic students felt close ties with other Catholic groups worldwide despite the …

“Left In The Forest And Forgotten” Land Policy And The Plight Of The Benet, Anne Dirkse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In carrying out my independent study project on the issue of the Benet being displaced by the creation of Mount Elgon National Park, I had three main objectives in my mind. My first objective was to investigate and gain a balanced perspective of the effects of the Benet’s most recent eviction from Mount Elgon National Park. Secondly, I wished to analyze the government’s role as a duty bearer in compensating and resettling the Benet for their land. Lastly, I wished to explore the Benet Community’s options for redress within the legal system.

The methods I utilized included a literature review, …

“Chaque Femme A Son Histoire:” Exploring The Lives And Voices Of Sub-Saharan Migrant Women Living In Morocco, Silvana Rueda

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The topic of migration can be easily viewed as a purely academic and abstract concept, discussed only in terms of theories and ideas, of policies and statistics. While it is imperative to understand the different theories behind this phenomenon in order to obtain an engendered perspective of the issue, it is all too easy to loose the human value behind migration while studying it. Decontextualized numbers lack any emotion; academic theories are devoid of a human face behind them. More than ever, it is becoming increasingly pertinent to study migration in a humanistic light and to comprehend the stories of …

Human Mobility Through Closed Borders: The Impact Of Morocco’S European And Algerian Relations On Sub-Saharan Immigration, Caitryn Mccallum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In order to understand the domestic matters of any country, it becomes necessary to not only engage in the workings of its internal structures, but to also examine how its relations with foreign powers are shaping its function as a state. As is the case with Morocco, the sub-Saharan immigration that has become of prime concern to many during recent years, due to a growing and universal fear of the ‘other’ as a threat to nationhood, has not only had an impact on Morocco as a country to this day, but also continues to shape Morocco for the future. This …

Development In Morocco: Re-Examining The Effect Of Remittance Flows, Tom Lochery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Migration statistics reveal Morocco as one of the world’s leading emigration countries. Migration is bound to Morocco’s social, political, and economic spheres. However, empirical data related to migration and its subsequent effects on development within Morocco is poorly lacking. Specifically, there is a significant lack of information concerning remittances and their effect on development in Morocco. The impact of migration on Moroccan society and economic development is addressed here through discussion of previously attained empirical data and new research gathered in accordance with this paper. This paper is by no means comprehensive but instead offers an analysis of recent research …

Addressing The Crisis Of Orphaned And Abandoned Children In Bamako, Jennifer Campbell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The family constitutes the nucleus of life in the country of Mali. Within the family, great importance is especially placed on children. Children’s central and vital role within the family is based on their ability to contribute both economically and domestically, whether it be helping with cooking and cleaning at home or assisting with the economic activities of the family, such as farming or selling goods. It is, therefore, especially striking and shocking to see children who have no home or family within this country which places such high value on them. The problem of orphaned and abandoned children in …

Fiji’S Relationship With India: The Answer To Or The Source Of Fiji’S Problems?, Julia Fogleman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Fiji is a nation constantly confronted by the difficult realities of having a multicultural population. One of these delicate situations is its relationship with India, the country of origin of Fiji’s largest and most controversial minority group, the Indo-Fijians. India has historically taken a great interest in Fiji because of its large population of overseas Indians, a result of the nations’ shared colonial heritage. This paper thoroughly examines the nations’ past at times rocky relationship in light of race relations, both Indo-Fijian and ethnic Fijian struggles, and decades of political instability from indigenous Fijian eugenics. India’s current global standing and …

Fijian Art: Traditional Roots, Contemporary Expression, And A Source Of Livelihood, Emma Scanlan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research study presents a comprehensive overview of the art scene in Fiji and explores the ways in which art in a small scale society acts as a vehicle for expression and social change. The term “art” is one that is not easily defined as it is highly personal and subjective to artist and patron alike. There has been a cross-cultural and ongoing debate in trying to answer to question “what is art?”. However despite this it is unanimous in belief by those with an affinity for the arts, that the expression of a society’s people in any form creates …

Molding Memory: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Representations Of Candomblé In Public Places Of Memory And The Afro-Brazilian Community, Lauren Hobby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over eighty-five percent of the population of Salvador, Brazil is of African descent, creating a rich history of cultural, political and social development. Nevertheless the majority of the museums in Salvador have historical spoken very little of this culture and its relationship to the city. In 1982, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro opened, introducing a small museum focused solely on the cultural exchange between Africa and Brazil as well as the development of Afro-Brazilian religiosity. Thinking critically about the importance of museums in the construction and dissemination of awareness, knowledge and respect for cultures as well as the current debates over the …

Sacred Work: Transforming Spirit And Community In Lucena, Paraíba, Jenny Schneider

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There has not been a great amount of research that has been conducted on Santo Daime. As such, my research will make a significant contribution to the body of knowledge available to those who are curious about the church, its practices, and their social implications. There is much stigma, prejudice, and even persecution of Santo Daime. Hopefully a more intimate look at the social ramifications of work with Santo Daime will ease these preconceptions.

Santo Daime is the only completely Brazilian religion: a unique syncretism of indigenous Amazonian traditions, Portuguese Catholicism, African spiritualism, and Kardecist Spiritism, whose convergence reflects Brazil’s …

Kilombo Do Kioiô: The Use Of An Artesanato Program As A Program Of Social Justice, Anna Losacano

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The women’s artisan group, Kilombo do Kioiô, part of the Ação Social da Paróquia Sao Bras (Sao Bras Parochial Social Action Group) in the neighborhood of Plataforma, Salvador, Bahia, works to insert poor Afro-Brazilian women into the economic market and wider society. This community of women is struggling to survive in a society in which they are marginalized by their gender, race and socio-economic position. They are also struggling to survive two types of violence that are pervasive in Plataforma: domestic violence and violence related to drug trafficking.

This research project studies how working as artisans affects the participants’ social …

An Assessment Of Housing Decisions Among Shabia Residents, Allison Bream

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mention the term “shabia,” or “social housing,” to any Omani, and a handful of associations come to mind: poverty, violence, lack of education. Social housing is a concept burdened with assumptions, assumptions that often reflect poorly upon its residents. Using the Asset-Based Community Development framework, this paper seeks to dispel notions regarding the Shabia by endeavoring to understand how its residents perceive their community and how this affects their housing decisions. What about the Shabia encourages residents to come, and remain, there? Why would they consider leaving? How have they addressed the challenges associated with living in social housing? This …

O Movimento Dos Atingidos Pela Barragem De Tucuruí: Uma História Oral, Susan Beaty

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project presents a critical oral history of the movement of communities affected by the Tucuruí Dam in Tucuruí, Para. Like the many other hydroelectrics constructed during the 1970s and 80s, the Tucuruí Dam was built to deliver power and profits to influential economic entities, namely nearby bauxite and aluminum mines, while local communities incurred the costs. Due to inadequate pre-project studies and irresponsible resettlement and indemnification programs, the construction of the dam and its reservoir brought devastating social and environmental impacts to the surrounding region. In the wake of this devastation, a social movement emerged to defend the rights …

Transnational Anti-Imperialism: A Case Study Of Witness For Peace And Their Relationship With El Regadío, Estelí, Sam Menefee-Libey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nicaragua: Revolution, Transformation, and Civil Society

Hambre Cero And Its Impact On The Holistic Health Of Its Female Beneficiaries, Chelsea Duttweiler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation focused on the study of Hambre Cero (meaning “Zero Hunger”), an anti-poverty program funded by the Nicaraguan government which gives voucher packages to poor rural women. Items given include pregnant cows, pigs, chickens, seeds, and technical assistance with the goal of generating profit for use by the families and women’s cooperatives. The study of this program is important for government accountability, and will also add to the body of knowledge concerning rural development, sustainable health programs, and the feminization of poverty so that more effective development programs can be developed in the future. I specifically studied the program’s …

La Lucha Por Una Comunidad Sustentable Los Campesinos Tonocote De Breayoj: Manejo De Recursos, Desarrollo Y Elecciones, David Flannelly

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A study about the environment and sustainability has to be soley about topics solely relating directly to nature, right? With this preconception in my mind I went off to study an indigenous subsistence farming community in the northwestern region of Argentina. Initially I solely wanted to focus on the management of resources of the community, the trees, water, and animals. Fate had other plans for my indepent study project. I arrived in the community right in the middle of the last week of historical elections for the province and the community. A new political party of farmers and other poor …

“Darle Cariño” Los Sentidos De Género Y Las Experiencias De Salud Sexual En Adolescentes Y Jóvenes Embarazadas Y Madres Usuarias Del Centro De Salud De Presidente Derqui. = “Give Them Care” Sentiments Of Gender And The Experiences Of Sexual Health For Pregnant And Teenage Mothers At The Public Health Center Of Derqui., Tahira Khalid

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The study of gender focuses on traditional social roles associated with the sexes and their subsequent forms and representations within society. Similar to topics such as class and race, gender can be used as a manner in which to investigate the constructs and confines of a culture. This study in particular chooses to examine the issue of adolescent pregnancy within Argentinean society from the perspective of gender norms. In particular, this project looks to examine the ways in which gender affects the experiences of sexual health for a number of pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers who regularly visit a public …

“Ahora Es Cuando”: La Lucha Por El Derecho A La Ciudad En La Villa 31 = “Now Is The Time”: The Fight For The Right To The City In Villa 31, Margaret Scott

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the Villa 31, an extensive informal settlement in the heart of Buenos Aires, thousands of precariously constructed brick homes reach four, five or even six stories and stretch shakily toward the sky. Beneath poorly constructed foundations, the land on which the villa’s thousands of homes rest is valued at up to $6000.00 (U.S. dollars) per square meter. Villa 31 finds itself in the “heart” of Buenos Aires, built up against extensive railways (bus and train), a central automobile artery, and the city’s well developed port, all of which give the villa the potential to be some of the city’s …