Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

The Perfect Storm: How Pro-Abortion Activists In The Netherlands Incite Social Change From International Waters, Julia Ellis‐Kahana

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is a sociological ethnography of the Women on Waves foundation, founded in 1999 by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. As an international non-profit organization, they employ a direct action method: sailing to countries where abortion is illegal and providing safe abortion access. Local women board the ship that then travels 12 miles to international waters, where Dutch law applies, and the abortion pill can be administered legally. Using a feminist perspective, I interviewed five of the women at the organization in addition to the ship’s captain in order to understand the ideological beliefs about the reproductive rights that have inspired …

Puerto Disperso: La Existencia O No De La Comunidad Y El Espacio No-Heteronormativa En Valparaíso, Chile, Rebecca Raymond-Kolker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social and political reality of contemporary Chile continues to be characterized by hegemonic social conservatism and restrictive and often violent government. Within this context, studies of sexuality and deviations from normative sexuality in Chile have historically focused on certain identity groups—namely gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual/gender populations—in relation to this conservative context. Previous work on specifically lesbian and gay individuals focus on the relationship between identity formation and social realities. Gay and lesbian studies in Chile are often based in Santiago; as the capital and the largest metropolitan area, the 15th Region is the site of the most GLBT …

El Agua O El Oro: La Lucha Por Quimsacocha, Laura Moulton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El 2 de octubre, del 2011, en la comunidad de Victoria del Portete, los usuarios del Sistema Comunitario de Agua de Tarqui y Victoria del Portete participaron en una consulta popular para decidir si están de acuerdo o no con el proyecto minero de oro de Quimsacocha. A través de esta consulta, se dio a conocer la voluntad de la gente. De los 1.047 votos, 958 se pronunciaron “No” a la minería a gran escala, siendo el 92,38% del total. “Con la consulta, dijimos no al oro, si al agua,”[1] dijo Fanny Paute, habitante de Tarqui. Para la gente …

A National Symbol Or A National Frustration: Academic, Artistic, And Political Perspectives Of The African Renaissance Monument, Justin Wayne Ritter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On 3 April 2010, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal inaugurated and dedicated the African Renaissance Monument to the people of his country, the people of Africa, and the rest of the world. By far one of the largest and most ambitious of his “Grand Projects,” the Monument has been enshrouded in controversy since its inception. Some have called it an idolatrous statue that insults the fundamental values of Islam, while others have praised it as a beacon of freedom leading Africa into the future. The research focuses on this controversy, and we begin by understanding the background and underlying debate …

Autism In Kenya: A Social, Educational And Political Perspective, Ariana Riccio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Autism is a widely misunderstood developmental disability that is generally diagnosed in early childhood and has been the recent subject of much media and medical attention in developed nations worldwide. While there has been a noted improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic options for children and their families in developing nations, the attention placed on disability, particularly on autism, is considered underdeveloped and inadequate. This paper will attempt to address the current framework surrounding autism in the area of Nairobi, Kenya and discuss the social attitudes, diagnostic practices, educational opportunities, and government intervention programs available in the area. Given the lack …

Hchouma Alik!: A Look At The Evolution Of Hchouma In Contemporary Moroccan Society, Eden Dotan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, I intend to first explain the Moroccan concept of hchouma, or shame, and explore how it has evolved from past to present generations. I will then examine Moroccan television by looking at how it, too, has evolved, and what its impact is on various people’s ideas of hchouma. I will demonstrate that there has been a devaluation of the word hchouma over the generations, and will discuss the implications of that devaluation. I will conclude by arguing that although hchouma may hold less importance today than it once did, it is not, as some of …

Assessing Mental Health Care For Iraqi Refugees In Jordan Looking To New Solutions For The Future, Hannah B. Egan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Across the globe citizens flee their native countries in search of newfound safety and stability. These people are known as refugees. Since 2003 refugees from Iraq have entered Jordan in search of a better life. Unfortunately, the terrors that Iraqi refugees escape do not disappear after crossing country lines. These memories cause serious mental health conditions for Iraqi refugees. Such conditions are intensified by the living environment in Jordan where Iraqis are not granted legal status. While some refugees are wealthy and others are resettled to the United States or Europe, the majority remain “stuck” in Jordan.

This study seeks …

Reproductive Realities: Fulani Women & Contraception, Corrina Regnier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the product of three weeks of research on contraception and the lives of married Fulani women in Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. Based on interviews with Fulani women, conducted both in French and in the Fulani language of Fulfulde with the aid of a French interpreter, I discuss the cultural and religious influences on women’s lives that impact their decisions or abilities to use contraception, as well as the ways these influences and realities have changed, are changing, and are expected to change in the future. I also look into the more practical concern of the availability and accessibility of …

Moms Behind Bars: Motherhood In Eshowe Correctional Center, Indiana Gowland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Motherhood represents a integral part of human life. In South Africa particularly, mothers are primarily responsible for caring for their families, often with little or no help from a male partner. But what happens to the notion of motherhood when women find themselves separated from their children or raising children in a restrictive and harsh environment? This study looks at the construction of motherhood within Eshowe Correctional Facility for Women. I conducted research as an attachment to Phoenix Zululand, an organization that provides rehabilitation services to inmates in the prisons of Zululand. For two weeks, I lead Phoenix's program “Starting …

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Expectations, Perceptions, And Influences On Moroccan Etiquette, Christina Ermilio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Why do humans naturally create distinctions? How do we establish these distinctions between ourselves? What marks us as an individual within a particular group? In this project, I consider how etiquette is defined in Morocco and how it relates to the work of certain theorists and sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu. Primarily, this project focuses on expectations of behavior, perceptions of the ‘other,’ and influences on the definition of good behavior in Morocco. In addition to observations in public spaces and more specifically at universities, I interviewed University students from Ibn Tofail in Kenitra and from Mohammed V in Rabat, …

The Continuously Changing Self: The Story Of Surinamese Creole Migration To The Netherlands, Jenise Ogle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is the result of a month long study on how the process of migration affects the sense of Self of middle-classed Creole Surinamese migrant women who first migrated to the Netherlands in the 1960’s or 1970’s. All data was obtained from semi-structured oral history interviews analyzed with a historical and theoretical framework focusing on the influence of colonialism upon the three steps of the migration process: before migration, migration, and after migration. It is concluded that colonialism and its legacies have conferred, reconfigured and dismantled migrant women’s sense of Self throughout the entire migration process. Recommendations for future …

Reconstructing The Farm: Life Stories Of Dutch Female Farmers, Marisa Turesky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research asks: what are the lived experiences of female farmers within the hegemonic construction of the Dutch farmer and how have their roles shifted through time? Popular culture has implanted stereotypes that most female farmers are uneducated, low-class individuals but the six women whom I interviewed present life stories that complicate this. How did these women come into their roles as farmers? Once they became such entrepreneurs, what were their challenges in a potentially male-dominated profession? While there has been extensive research on rural women’s historical roles in farming, I analyze the personal experiences of a small sample of …

This Land Is Our Land: The Ngöbe Stuggle For Land, Fran Del Rosario

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Los Ngobes han estado luchando por su tierra por muchos años. En los 1500s, debido al conquista española, Los Ngobes fueron forzados a huir a otras aéreas. Hoy, ellos están luchando por su tierra contra inversión y comercialización. Su tierra es muy importante para ellos porque su manera de vivir viene directamente de su tierra. La construcción de calles adentro y alrededor de su tierra se ha afectado mucho. Entre mas abierta su tierra, mas vlnerable son ellos a contacto con el exterior. Es más difícil preservar su cultura y tradición con proyectos de desarrollo amenazando su manera de vivir …

De La Fragmentación A La Unidad: Familias Transnacionales Cochabambinas Y Las Relaciones A Larga Distancia A Consecuencia De La Migración A Los Estados Unidos, Maya Jacob

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this project I studied the effects of migration on family relationships and pre-existing power structures when Bolivians migrate from Cochabamba to the United States. To investigate this topic I interviewed families of migrants, both those who had left for the U.S. and those who stayed behind in Cochabamba. I complemented this field study by interviewing professors of sociology (from the Universidad Católica in Cochabamba and the Universidad Mayor de San Simón) who specialize in themes of external migration. By learning about the relations within nuclear families and with other migrants in the U.S., the interviews afforded me a greater …

Social Support For Young Carers An Analysis Of The Available Social Support For Children Caring For Aids-Sick And Other-Sick Caregivers In Emoyeni, South Africa., Flannery Mcardle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The dual epidemics of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases in South Africa are the principal drivers of the worsening orphan epidemic in South Africa. As orphanhood is often far from a singular event but rather one preceded by months or even years of the parent or guardian’s declining health, many children will become the primary caregivers for a sick or dying adult. This study explores the lives of the young carers, specifically, the social support available for these children and how the support available for children caring for AIDS-sick caregivers may differ from that available for children caring for an adult …

Reproductive Health Education In The Kibera Slum: Developing A Slum-Specific Curriculum, Susanna Schneider Banks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this Independent Study Project is to make recommendations for a slum-specific reproductive health curriculum to be used in primary schools that serve the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya. In order to obtain data and form a credible basis for the recommendations, interviews were conducted with teachers, focus groups were facilitated with students, and questionnaires were distributed to parents. Additionally, observations were made about the current state of reproductive health education at each school. Data was collected at Kibera School for Girls, a private school in Kibera, and Olympic Primary School, a public school at the edge …

Il Faut Manger: A Study Of Women’S Body Image And Obesity In Mali, Jennifer Denike

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Africa has long been a region of the world marked by the media as one of rail thin children with distended bellies and older men and women with cracked and wrinkled skin sagging off their bones. Media outlets like BBC, CNN, and the New York Times focus entire sections of their websites to special reports entitled ‘Famine in Africa’2, ‘Food Crisis in Niger’3, and ‘East Africa Famine 2011’4. Photos of children curled up on the ground, ribs and bones protruding at every angle grace the pages of nearly every magazine and newspaper. Nongovernmental organizations plead for donations and host fundraisers …

The Hui Migrant Laborers’ Urban Experience And Implications For The Development Of Civil Society In China, Billy Yates

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Recent unrest in China by migrant laborers’ increasing labor militancy, as well as unrest caused by Islamic groups in China ranging from separatist movements to backlash from discrimination have been the focus of the Chinese government’ attempts to main stability within the PRC. In the largest country in the world, rapid changes as the result of economic liberalization and the introduction of global capitalism have had drastic impacts on society, from increasing inequality to the introduction of Western media and ideas. Unrest has been accompanied by developments in civil society as Islamic institutions chafing under Chinese regulations become places of …

From Pasture To Plate: A Study Of The Rituals, Ecology And Economics Of Sheep In The Context Of Aid Al Adha In Morocco, Carrisa Sue Pritchard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project addresses the ecological and economic roles that sheep play in Morocco in the context of Aid Al Adha celebration. It specifically examines the methods of sacrificing, butchering and preparing the different parts of the ram as part of the holiday as experienced by the researcher in a case-study located in the Rabat Medina. However, it goes further, as to explore the impact that sheep agriculture has on the nation’s economy and on the lives of Moroccans in both urban and rural areas. It discusses strategies that the Ministry of Agriculture and other agencies use to help facilitate local …

Dipo And Other Rites Of Passage In Odumase Krobo, Cam Ostrow

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I was based in Odumase Krobo for about three weeks. There, I completed over twenty interviews with people ranging from young boys and girls, elders, parents, Queen Mothers, priests and priestesses, devout Christians, and many others I met around town. I also lived with a family who had one boy and one girl and was able to observe how their upbringing differed according to their genders.

I was able to discover the dipo process mostly in its entirety, save for the parts which are considered sacred and which I was therefore unable to hear about. I also discovered that dipo …

Migration, Vulnerability And Xenophobia: Central African Refugee And Asylum Seekers’ Access To Health Services In Durban, South Africa, Cathy Kaplan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1998, South Africa passed historic legislation that bridged international conventions on refugees and asylum seekers with the protections and rights defined in the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights. The 1998 refugees act defined specific rights that refugees and asylum seekers are entitled in South Africa, the most important of which include the provision of legal and immigration documentation, employment, adequate housing, and health and social services. When asylum seekers arrive in Durban, many are in the need of immediate health services as a result of long journeys, pre-existing conditions, pregnancy, or illnesses contracted in refugee camps throughout …

Assessment Of International Efforts To Protect The Rights Of Unaccompanied Minors, Kyla Gaines

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Children’s rights have been violated for centuries. These violations of children’s rights may include but are not limited to a child's access to education, adequate food or quality health care. Over the last few years there have been a rising number of prevalent issues that impact children, including trafficking, slave labor, and unaccompanied minors (UAM) migrating from their countries of origin to new host states in North America and Europe. The issue of unaccompanied minors migrating to Europe has been prevalent for years. "In most EU member states arrivals started during the 1990's. I'd say the issue became prevalent at …

Passing The Test: The Transgender Self, Society And Femininity, Allison Bischoff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the complex relationships between transgender women and their bodies, their intimate relationships, their identities, and the pressure to pass. I begin by defining the term transgender, as well as discuss the history of transgender issues in the Netherlands. Several works by both Dutch and non-Dutch authors that focus on the transgender identity are reviewed and related to this study. The theories postulated by Julia Serrano, Matthew Sycamore Bernstein, Linda Nicholson and Judith Butler are critical to the analysis of personal interviews conducted by the researcher with five Dutch transgender women. Through these interviews several themes arise, including …

La Etnia Y Las Cesáreas En Los Partos En El Hospital Público De Arica, Chile, Marisa Westbrook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this project was to explore the relationship between ethnicity and the causes for Caesarean section in the regional public hospital in Arica, Chile. All births recorded in the maternity register (n=907) were analyzed over a 4-month period in 2011. The regional public hospital had a 27% caesarean section rate, higher than the WHO-recommended 15%. Last names were analyzed and deemed to be either of Aymara descent (n=275) or of European descent (n=632) based on criteria used from CONADI, the National Corporation for Indigenous Development. The overall rate of Caesarean section did not differ between Aymara and …

Constructing Cidadania: Shifting Visions Of Citizenship In The Mst Settlement Assentamento 25 De Maio In Ceará, Brazil, Alexis Victoria Cruzzavala

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The social movement known as Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) was founded in 1984 with the intent of agrarian reform in a newly democratic Brazil. The movement arrived in Northeastern Brazil in the late 1980s and successfully organized a group of landless workers in the interior of Ceará on May 25, 1989 to create the first settlement the state had seen. The citizens of Assentamento 25 de Maio, as the settlement was later named, have undergone a unique social transition from circumstances closely resembling forced servitude and latifúndio to liberation. This transition affected the men and women who …

Las Montañas Respiran: La Cosmovisión De La Comunidad De Rayampata Representada A Través Del Mito Pitusiray-Sawasiray, Gillian Thornton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En las altas montañas de los Andes, donde los árboles crecen lentamente y los vientos están constantemente pulsando a través de la hierba desaliñada, se dice que la tierra respira. Allá, aun los animalitos más pequeños tienen una gran fuerza en el ciclo de vida, y cada uno de los seres vivos, de las plantas, y de las piedras tiene vida. Se dice allá que aun las montañas pueden hablar. En la comunidad alta de Rayampata, la gente se comunica con la tierra para sobrevivir; escucha a los murmullos del río para saber cuando es tiempo a cosechar, lee las …

Acholi Clan, Ethnic, And National Identities In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda: A Case Study In Koch Goma Sub-County, Nwoya District, David L. Davenport

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

the following essay, the researcher will explore the clan, ethnic, and national identities of the Acholi people in the context of post-conflict northern Uganda. The researcher will first describe and interpret the meaning of these identities to Acholi people he interviewed during his research, and then he will analyze them in the post-conflict, socio-cultural context of northern Uganda.

During a research period of four weeks, the researcher spent a total of twelve days in Koch Goma Sub-Country, Nwoya District conducting one-on-one interviews. During this time, the researcher was able to interview eighteen people. Data was collected and analyzed qualitatively as …

Alliances Et Cultures: Cap Nord, Stacey Fitzpatrick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En essence, Alliance et Culture est un endroit où les gens peuvent rencontre et apprennent comment de vivre ensemble. Cette association, officiellement crée en 1987, avait la mission de répondre à problèmes d'intégration sociale par des actions collectives, et le développement d’une vie social dans les quartiers. Pour réaliser cet objectif ils offrent des activités et services ouvrent à tout le monde comme l’accompagnement à la scolarité, les ateliers, les cours d’alphabétisation et de Français, et les ludothèques et plus. Il y a trois centres en Toulouse dans diffèrent lieux qui contribuent aux les gens dans les quartiers des Mirail, …

Cap Centre : L’Epicerie Sociale, Ana De Pina

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Contrairement à autres study abroad programs, « The School of International Training (SIT) » donne les étudiants Américains une opportunité de découvrir la culture Française, d’apprendre la langue Française, et de s’intègre dans la société Française. Pendant notre séjour en France, nous avons fait de bénévolat dans une association que correspond à nos études aux États-Unis. Aux États-Unis j’étudie la sante publique. Je suis très intéressé pour l’administration des hôpitaux et autres institutions de santé et la relation entre la sécurité sociale et la bonne santé. Donc, pendant trois mois j’ai travaillé au CAP Centre, une épicerie sociale qui aide …

“Gente Que Va Y Viene”: Relaciones Entre El Turismo Y Las Comunidades Mapuche En La Zona De San Martín De Los Andes “People Who Come And Go”: Relationships Between Tourism And Mapuche Communities Near San Martin De Los Andes, Katharine Sullivan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this Independent Study Project, I investigate the relationship between tourists and the tourism industry and two indigenous Mapuche communities located near the popular vacation destination of San Martín de los Andes, located in the province of Neuquén in Argentinean Patagonia. Historically, these Mapuche communities have had a difficult and complex relationship with the government, Lanín National Park, and the tourism industry of San Martín de los Andes due to repeated human rights violations, discrimination, and marginalization on the part of these institutions. However, recently attempts to foster mutually beneficial and culturally respectful forms of tourism in the Mapuche communities …