Politics and Social Change Commons^™

Betanzos: Enfrentando El Cambio Climático \ Betanzos: Confronting Climate Change, Cody Eaton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Como para la gran mayoría de la gente de las naciones de un nivel alto de desarrollo de la economía, los efectos del cambio climático no tienen un impacto significativo en mi vida diaria. El grado de separación de las consecuencias de mi consumo me permite quedarme en la ignorancia, pero la gente de la municipalidad agrícola de Betanzos no tiene el mismo privilegio; el cambio climático es una amenaza a su medio de vida. Este documental investiga la realidad actual de Betanzos y cómo los actores desde el nivel comunitario hasta el gobierno nacional intentan enfrentar y adaptarse a …

Luchadoras: Resistencias Contra La Violencia De Género Por Las Mujeres En La Región De San Ramón, Olivia "Livey" Beha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This qualitative study describes the dynamic resiliency-building process against gender-based violence in two rural coffee-producing communities in the region of San Ramon, Nicaragua. It examines the methods and efficacy of economic empowerment and educational interventions facilitated by the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives Augusto Cesar Sandino (UCA San Ramón) in addressing gender inequality, preventing gender-based violence, and increasing access to resources for women in the cooperatives of El Privilegio and Danilo Gonzales. This complex ecology, comprised of the interactions between women, their communities, available resources, and institutions, is assessed through the lens of women’s individual perspectives as they engage in three …

“Porque Soy Madre”: Un Análisis Del Rol De La Maternidad En La Organización “Multisectorial Contra La Violencia Institucional” En Rosario, Santa Fe / “Because I’M A Mother”: An Analysis Of The Role Of Maternity In The Organization “Multisectorial Against Institutional Violence” In Rosario, Santa Fe, Daisy Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

It is difficult to talk about social movements in Argentina without discussing the significant impact of “Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo.” “Las Madres,” which began as an activist organization of mothers of “los desaparecidos” or the “disappeared” during the military dictatorship of 1976-1983, is politically influential in Argentina to this day. Through demonstrations, marches, and other campaigns, Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo and its work have shaped the way that the whole world understands human rights violations during the dictatorship. Apart from their work to visibilize instances of state terrorism, Las Madres has created a precedent that allows …

A Comparative Case Study Of American And Ugandan Refugee Policies, Anna Feins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research was conducted in order to expand upon current understandings of the policies affecting refugees in Uganda and the United States (U.S.). Appreciating both policies and implementation strategies for each country is critical in providing the ability to fully grasp the reality of the refugee crisis faced by countries all over the world.

This study employed field-based research, including observations, focus groups, and interviews with refugees and those who implement refugee policies. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and implementing partners of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda were interviewed, along with officers and commandants in the Office …

Las Consejerías Estatales Y No Estatales Para Las Mujeres Víctimas De Violencia De Género: Un Estudio De Caso De La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva / The State And Non-State Councils For Women Victims Of Gender Violence: A Case Study Of La Asociación Civil Corriente La Colectiva., Elizabeth Millar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La violencia de género existe en todas las dimensiones de la vida, como el trabajo, el hogar, la atención médica, y situaciones afines. Las mujeres que han experimentado la violencia merecen conocer y comprender sus derechos. La ley ha cambiado para reconocer más derechos, pero todavía el estado no está cumpliendo su rol de proveedor de servicios. Por eso, las consejerías no estatales, como la de la Colectiva, desempeñan un papel importante en compensar donde el estado está faltando a través de servicios legales para los casos específicos y educativos sobre sus derechos. Este ensayo reflexiona sobre el funcionamiento de …

¿Dónde Está Santiago Maldonado? El Uso Del Retrato Y El Activismo Artístico Para Exigir La ' Aparición Con Vida ' De Los Desapariciones Forzadas En Argentina / ¿Dónde Está Santiago Maldonado? The Use Of Portraiture And Artistic Activism To Demand For The ‘ Aparición Con Vida ’ Of The Forcibly Disappeared In Argentina, Emily Gresham Beamer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The dissemination of portraiture of the forcibly disappeared in Argentina represents a key strategy of visual protest within Argentina’s human rights movement, and an effective tool for ‘collective memory construction’ of the forcibly disappeared. Its history of use spans from the last dictatorship, to protests of forced disappearances in modern Argentina’s democracy. Following the disappearance of a young artisan, Santiago Maldonado, from a ‘route cut’ he participated in on August 1st, 2017, alongside the Mapuche community of Pu Lof, in protest of the Italian multinational clothing manufacturer Benetton’s control of their ancestral lands, a massive dissemination of his portrait was …

Man And Land: Competing Ontologies, Colonial Legacies, And The Quest For Food Sovereignty, Savannah Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Land is an ontological reality, which is at the center of different relationships to land. These relationships are situated in and a product of historical and spatial process that have an under lying power geometry. These different understandings of land tenure can create conflict when they intersect with competing interests in the same space. In Cameroon, this is currently the case in the form of large-scale land acquisitions, which often conflict with local communities as multinational corporations and local elites acquire land concessions with facilitation by the government in the name of development. This paper aims to understand this issue …

Cultivating Peace Through Teaching History In Rwandan Secondary Schools: Opportunities And Challenges, Brittany Fried

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Education has the ability to cultivate a Culture of Peace or Violence. In Rwanda, pre-1994 formal education became a tool for inciting violence by presenting a discriminatory and identity-based view of history. In the 23 years since the genocide, the Rwandan government has propagated education that promotes national unity and decreases division amongst students. The 2015 national competence-based curriculum (CBC), which incorporates the holistic idea of Education for a Culture of Peace (ECOP), is one pertinent example. This study addresses: (1) the historical narrative portrayed in the secondary-level national curriculum and how it is taught, and (2) the opportunities and …

Sí O No A La Carretera: Las Distintas Perspectivas Geopolíticas En El Debate Sobre La Carretera A Través Del Tipnis / Yes Or No To The Road: The Different Geopolitical Perspectives In The Debate On The Road Through The Tipnis, Brigid Freed

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abstracto

Podemos ver el Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) como una representación importante de los valores de Bolivia. El parque tiene más de un millón de hectáreas de selva protegida y es el hábitat de 64 comunidades indígenas. Por eso, el territorio es muy importante para el medio ambiente y también para las culturales de las personas indígenas en Bolivia. Aunque, bajo el liderazgo del primer, presidente indígena de Bolivia, Presidente Evo Morales, se está realizando un proyecto de desarrollo para construir una carretera a través de la corazón del territorio. Recientemente, en Agosto de 2017, el …

Colonización, Globalización, Descolonización: Cambiar La Forma En Que Los Bolivianos Piensan Sobre Cuestiones Lgbt / Colonization, Globalization, Decolonization: Changing The Way Bolivians Think About Lgbt Issues, Courtney Manning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La intención de este proyecto es obtener una imagen del mundo de las organizaciones homosexuales en Bolivia y ver cómo la popular corriente cultural de la descolonización influye en los objetivos, los métodos y las retóricas de los miembros. A través de varias entrevistas, analices de literatura y observaciones mientras asistía a reuniones LGBT, se refiere tanto al éxito hipotético y al uso poco frecuente de la retórica y las estrategias de descolonización en colectivos LGBT en Bolivia. Las razones de esta dicotomía radican principalmente en la eliminación casi completa de las prácticas homosexuales en Bolivia por parte de los …

O Negro E O Poder: The Significance Of Social Support And Positive Black Identity Formation Through An Afro-Brazilian Politico-Cultural Organization In Salvador, Bahia, Ninar Taha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In contemporary Brazilian history, the prominence of race consciousness and Black pride is relatively new. Those who identify as Black often lack the positive social support that they need to feel empowered and esteemed. This project focuses on the role and power of Afro-Brazilian politico-cultural organizations as networks of social support for Brazilians who self-identify as Black. With specific attention on Associação Cultural Bloco Carnavalesco Ilê Aiyê, my research investigation is intended to develop an understanding of the valuation of such politico-cultural groups in the lives of Black Brazilians and how they contribute to overall emotional health of both individuals …

Quem Ama Não Mata: Brazilian Feminicide And Odara’S Black Feminist Luta, Jair Oballe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Community Development Project paper discusses my work with Odara, a black feminist organization within Salvador, Brazil. There, I spent one month studying different forms of gender-based violence, with a particular focus on feminicide. I also examined state response such as Lei Maria da Penha and Lei do Feminicídio, and how this legislation impacted violence from a qualitative perspective.

My studies are centered around news articles I read on various forms of violence within Bahia, which were then developed into a database that catalogues each incident based on a variety of categories. Additionally, I read a large assortment of books …

Convivendo Na Lagoa Do Mineiro: An Education In Living And Loving With, Daniela Aldrich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

One of Brazil’s most pressing issues is unequitable land distribution and agrarian land reform. Movimento Sem Terra (MST) is at the forefront of this struggle and has redistributed land to approximately 1,250 families so far. As well as access and right to land ownership, MST addresses issues from youth development, to education, to ecology and more with the mission to create a more just and inclusive Brazil by training its future leaders. This vision includes moving away from the capitalist system that currently enables hierarchies of power to control Brazil at the expense of many of its citizens and natural …

Neoliberalismo & Pensamiento Crítico: Relaciones Entre La Educación Popular Y Sistemas Actuales Chilenos / Neoliberalism & Critical Thinking: Relations Between Popular Education And Current Chilean Systems, Sarah Wagner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El objetivo de este trabajo es explorar el vínculo entre la teoría de la educación popular y los sistemas neoliberales en Chile. Intenta a entender cómo es la educación popular y como aparece en los pensamientos políticos de los estudiantes, especialmente sobre el neoliberalismo, y cómo afecta a sus vidas después de que se gradúan. Entrevistas con unos exalumnos de un liceo que practica la educación popular están usados para describir sus experiencias como estudiantes del colegio y como personas que participan en un mundo neoliberal. Se encuentra que los estudiantes consiguen una nueva forma de ver el mundo y …

Las Consecuencias De La Propuesta No + Afp Una Investigación De Sus Impactos En Las Pensiones, El Mercado Laboral Y El Sistema Financiero / The Consequences Of The Proposal No + Afp An Investigation Of Its Impacts On Pensions, The Labor Market And The Financial System, Henry Kapp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This investigation will analyze the consequences of the proposal set forth by the leaders of the social movement “No + AFP” to structurally change the Chilean pension system. First, it will explore the historical context that led to the current system and has caused startlingly low pensions for almost 40 years. Then, it will explain the fundamental adjustments that the organization “No + AFP” suggests with regards to obligatory contributions, administration and distribution of social security. Finally, it will analyze the impact that the proposed changes will have on the Chilean economy, specifically with respect to the development of the …

La Música Como Una Forma De Educación: Canciones Para Cambios Sociales / Music As A Form Of Education: Songs For Social Changes, Di Hu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto de ISP no tradicional busca recrear un mini EP de tres canciones basado en el entorno problemático del sistema educativo chileno y sus influencias negativas en los estudiantes. Las canciones pretenden pedir cambios sociales y aumentar la conciencia al criticar los problemas y al mismo tiempo servir como una forma de educar a los jóvenes de la nueva generación sobre las realidades del sistema educativo actual. Usando información de observaciones escolares anteriores, inspiraciones de la música de diferentes músicos y lo más importante las narrativas de entrevistas, estas tres canciones tomaron forma en tres temas principales: un llamado …

Pasantía A La Oficina Comunal De Migrantes De La Municipalidad De Valparaíso / Internship To The Communal Office Of Migrants Of The Municipality Of Valparaíso, Morgan Craig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report evaluates my own experience over five weeks as an intern at the Communal Office of Migrants in Valparaíso, Chile. This office, along with the Communal Office of Women and the Communal Office of Sexual Diversity, was founded in June 2016 by Mayor Jorge Sharp as a part of the initiative to better represent the citizens of the Valparaíso región. Within the last ten years Chile has had a massive boom of immigration that has come as a shock to many Chileans. Due to a lack of cultural understanding about immigration and an immigration law that dates back to …

Olas De Cambio: Violencia Política Y Desplazamiento Durante La Guerra Interna En El Perú (1980-2000), Sarah Benewith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación responde al problema de las aproximadamente 600,000 personas que fueron desplazadas internamente entre 1980 y 2000 como resultado de la violencia política ocurrida entre el Estado Peruano y grupos insurgentes como Sendero Luminoso. Específicamente, investigo la relación entre violencia política y desplazamiento interno, así como la naturaleza de las experiencias personales de los desplazados. Como enfoque secundario, examino cómo la identidad juega un papel en las experiencias de los desplazados. Desarrollando la investigación en Cusco y Lima, utilizo una combinación de revisión de archivos, observación directa y entrevistas. Las entrevistas, de indígenas desplazados de Apurímac durante la Guerra …

From Kipat To Kathmandu: A Failed Integration Of Limbu People Into The Nepali State In Biblate, Ilam, Andrew Blunt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In eastern Nepal, a territory historically known as Limbuwan, the Limbu people make up just under 400,000. Historically, this region and its people were accompanied by the practice of kipat, a system of land tenure and management as well as one of community and cultural governance. In 2021 (1964) the Land Act formally ended the practice of the kipat system and transferred all lands to the state held raikar form of tenure. With the end of the practice of kipat came the attempted integration of the Limbu people from their traditional governing systems into the burgeoning Nepali democracy. A combination …

Addressing Racism In Urban Agriculture: The Case For An Urban Agriculture Land Trust In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Chelsea Gazillo

Capstone Collection

Cities across the United States have started to adopt urban agriculture zoning ordinances which provide access to land and encourage food production in low-income black and brown communities. However, many cities fail to use an anti-racist lens in the creation and implementation of these policies. According to scholars and activists, anti-racist practices in urban agriculture zoning require that first, community organizations and policy makers co-create policy with black and brown communities and second, develop secure land tenure arrangements for urban agriculture. In this case study of the development of an urban agriculture zoning ordinance by the Bridgeport Connecticut Food Policy …

#Nowareyoustartingtogetit?: A Case Study Of 'Stop Charters In Ky' Advocacy Campaign, Rachel Trontz

Capstone Collection

The United States is experiencing a sweeping neoliberal education reform agenda. The marketization of education is the latest trend in this neoliberal education agenda, and it finally took in hold in Kentucky. Charter schools are understood as being part of the marketization of education, which comes with lower accountability standards and a siphoning of public funds away from traditional public schools. Kentucky has a history of education reform policies that have resulted in an improvement in the quality of public education. However, public education has seen a decline in the allocation of state resources over the past decade. This steady …

Rehabilitation And Reintegration Of Genocide Ex-Prisoners: Understanding The Correctional Role Of Prisons In Rwanda, Lulu Abdun

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After the Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994, over 120,000 people were imprisoned in Rwanda for the perpetration of genocide. Twenty-three years after the Genocide, numerous genocide ex-prisoners have been released. Throughout their prison time and after their release, rehabilitation and reintegration programming has been available. This paper looks at the rehabilitation and reintegration programming available to genocide ex-prisoners, the success and challenges they currently face or have previously faced, and recommendations for reforms for the future prison/rehabilitation/reintegration process. This paper also examines the correctional role of prisons in Rwanda and how that contributes to successful reintegration. From interviewing genocide …

The Donation-Based Approach To Solving Critical Social Issues: An Examination Of The Food Waste Recovery Approach To Solving Hunger In The United States, Desa Radic

Capstone Collection

As the issue of hunger continues to plague the lives of nearly 1 billion people around the world, we need to find real, lasting and empowering solutions. This is an interdisciplinary research study into the donation-based approach to solving critical social issues in the United States by examining the food waste recovery and hunger debate. Social, public and private sectors advocate that hunger can be solved through food waste recovery and redistribution methods. From a systems perspective, such thinking is not only problematic for the people facing hunger, but raises concern of achieving overall social justice and change. Using qualitative …

Bridges Out Of Poverty As An Anti-Poverty Strategy In Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Katlyn M. Uhler

Capstone Collection

This paper explores the initial results of the Bridges Out of Poverty (“Bridges”) community framework as implemented by the organization Kennett Area Community Service in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The aim of this research is to provide perspective on Bridges Out of Poverty’s contribution to the understanding of poverty in the United States and its potential as an antipoverty intervention. It does so first through an exploration of the historical and current discussion on poverty and anti-poverty interventions in the United States, followed by research on the Bridges model itself and its implementation in Kennett Square. This latter research includes content …

Connecting Beyond The Circle: A Restorative Approach In Co-Creating A Safe Space For Social Justice Education At Utec, Nikki F. Pelonia

Capstone Collection

“Social justice is both a process and a goal. The goal of social justice education is full and equal participation of all groups in a community that is [co-created] to meet the members’ needs. Social justice includes a vision of a community that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure” (Adams, Bell, & Griffin, 2007, p. 1). In the process, one is used to going straight to issues of social justice before connecting by building trusts and relationships. This Course-Linked Capstone in Training focuses on SIT Graduate Institute coursework from Training Design in Experiential Learning …

Listening: Projects For The Self And Social Action, Thomas Boyd

Capstone Collection

Listening is becoming more of a rarity in this increasingly busy world, especially between those who see a particular issue differently. The question, “By conducting listening projects as trainers, what can we learn about ourselves and social action work?” is explored in this capstone paper to see how listening can benefit us both personally and professionally as trainers. Numerous articles, commentaries, and literature around listening, listening projects, and their meaning are examined in this paper.

Five different types of listening projects are explored through listening sessions: Oral histories, Oral artistries, ‘Button-pushing’ challenges, Single-issue testimonies, and Life stories. With the exception …

Agrarian Reform In Sumber Klampok, Emma Trainor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Agrarian reform in Indonesia is part of a movement beginning after independence was gained in 1945. Farmers have been fighting to obtain rights to their land from a government that has a history of violence, repression, and corruption for decades. Environmental, indigenous peoples’, peasant, and agrarian movements were given a legitimate, legal framework to work within after 1960 when the Basic Agrarian Law was passed, protecting the rights of the people to their land. However, during both the Old Order and especially New Order regimes, the law was often ignored by the government, and many grassroots organizations had to work …

Freedom And Unity: Examining The Individualized, Community-Based Process Of Restorative Justice In Vermont And What It Can Teach Other States, Through A Trainer's Lens, Megan Grove

Capstone Collection

How can communities and law enforcement embrace a cultural shift to address conflict in a way that restores relationships and makes amends instead of one that punishes and criminalizes certain behaviors and individuals? How can we create spaces where those who commit harm, those who are impacted by harm, and other affected parties can come together with equal voice, have their needs met, and communicate in healthy ways? This Course-Linked Capstone in Training, situated in Brattleboro, Vermont, looks at the power of restorative justice and restorative processes to heal relationships and empower communities to care for one another and address …

La Militancia, El Feminismo Y La Participación De Poblaciones Marginales: El Estudio De La Asociación Civil Juana Azurduy / Militancy, Feminism And The Participation Of Marginal Populations: The Study Of The Civil Association Juana Azurduy, Claudia Freeman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Con frecuencia, es común observar en las calles argentinas gran cantidad de movilizaciones públicas; éste es, sin duda, uno de los signos que evidencian hasta qué punto la militancia forma parte de la cultura del país. A través de una investigación en la Asociación Civil Juana Azurduy, este ensayo se sitúa la militancia feminista dentro de un contexto de marginalidad que existe en la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Se analizan observaciones acerca del funcionamiento cotidiano de esta organización, observaciones de talleres educativos ofrecidos a niñxs, y entrevistas con dirigentes para examinar cómo funciona la militancia feminista en este contexto y …

Resilience Of Romanian Institutions During The Global Gag Rule: 20012007, Sara Hayet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There is a wealth of literature about the negative effects of the executive order called the Global Gag Rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy, and its various manifestations. Despite this, there is a gap in the research about how institutions in affected countries respond to the Global Gag Rule’s family planning restrictions. This qualitative study seeks to provide some insight into how Romanian institutions responded during President George W. Bush’s reinstatement of the policy by using a model of social resilience. Through a literature review of three subjects (social resilience, the Global Gag Rule, and Romania’s family planning …