Regional Sociology Commons^™

Power, Subjectivity, And Life In Spain: A Continuation Of Elite Power, Matthew Mason

Master's Theses

On December 20, Spain will hold national elections to determine the new prime minister and national and local parliaments. These elections will be another crossroads in the long history of Spain. The elections come about in a political and social atmosphere of ‘change’ and ‘regeneration,’ marked by the rise of two new political parties, Podemos and Ciudanos. These parties are the new forces in the political scene in Spain. This atmosphere of change is the result of the 2008 economic crisis. The economic crisis of 2008 was not only an economic crisis in Spain, but it provoked a political and …

From The Editor, Jeffrey Smith

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

“In Defense Of The Faith: The Catholic Response To Anti-Catholicism In Early Nineteenth-Century St. Louis”, Sarah Hinds

The Confluence (2009-2020)

One side effect of the Second Great Awakening was a rise in anti- Catholic sentiment, especially as new Catholic immigrants arrived in the 1840s. While much is written on this nativism, little examines the Church’s response. Sarah Hinds uses St. Louis as a case study for understanding the nature of antebellum nativism and the Church’s responses.

“So Much To Learn: Understanding Missouri’S Landscape—The Early Years Of The Missouri Conservation Commission”, Quinta Scott

The Confluence (2009-2020)

In this second article of a two-part series, Quinta Scott examines the impact of Aldo Leopold on the formation of the Missouri Conservation Commission and his role in shaping Missouri’s views on the landscape.

Fall/Winter 2015, Full Issue

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

“Katherine Dunham’S Mexican Adventure”, Theodore W. Cohen

The Confluence (2009-2020)

Katherine Dunham was an internationally recognized dancer, but her time in Mexico often gets short mention in biographies. Theodore Cohen looks at her Mexican years in the contexts of race in both Mexico and the United States.

Reproductive Rights In Latin America: A Case Study Of Guatemala And Nicaragua, Katherine W. Bogen

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

A lack of access to contraceptives and legal abortion for women throughout the nations of Nicaragua and Guatemala creates critical health care problems. Moreover, rural and underprivileged women in Guatemala and Nicaragua are facing greater limitations to birth control access, demonstrating a classist aspect in the global struggle for female reproductive rights. Although some efforts have been made over the past half-century to initiate a dialogue on the failure of medical care in these nations to adequately address issues of maternal mortality and reproductive rights, the women's reproductive health movements of Nicaragua and Guatemala have struggled to reach an effective …

Theravada Buddhism, Identity, And Cultural Continuity In Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, James H. Granderson

Student Publications

This ethnographic field study focuses upon the relationship between the urban Jinghong and surrounding rural Dai population of lay people, as well as a few individuals from other ethnic groups, and Theravada Buddhism. Specifically, I observed how Theravada Buddhism and Dai ethnic culture are continued through the monastic system and the lay community that supports that system. I also observed how individuals balance living modern and urban lifestyles while also incorporating Theravada Buddhism into their daily lives. Both of these involved observing the relationship between Theravada monastics in city and rural temples and common people in daily life, as well …

Projections Of The First-Year Full-Time Undergraduate Enrollment At South Dakota State University To 2020, Census Data Center

Center for Rural Vitality and Community Well-being Project Reports

This report has three parts. The first section provides a brief description of the full-time first-year (FYFT) undergraduate cohort enrolled at South Dakota State University (SDSU) from 2005 to 2014. The second section provides projections by year for the FYFT enrollment to the year 2020. The third section provides project changes between 2014 and 2020 in public high school graduates in South Dakota by school district. Three datasets are utilized for this report. The FYFT undergraduate enrollment data from 2005 to 2014 are provided by the Institutional Research Office at SDSU. These data are used for preparing descriptive statistics and …

Producing Goods, Shaping People: The Materiality Of Crafting, Julia A. Hendon

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The study of craft production has a long and venerable history in archaeological research on ancient societies. In this chapter, I consider the crafting of useful and desired things from a materiality perspective by looking at the interactions between the craftpersons, the materials with which they work, and the ways that their end products are valued in society. I use two examples: working with fibers by the Maya of Mesoamerica and with metals by the Moche of Andean South America. These are two very different kinds of materials whose characteristics affect how one interacts with them. Crafting was a part …

Gender And Climate Change In The Indian Himalayas: Global Threats, Local Vulnerabilities, And Livelihood Diversification At The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Monica V. Ogra, Ruchi Badola

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Global climate change has numerous implications for members of mountain communities who feel the impacts in both physical and social dimensions. In the western Himalayas of India, a majority of residents maintain a livelihood strategy that includes a combination of subsistence or small-scale agriculture, livestock rearing, seasonal or long-term migration, and localized natural resource extraction. While warming temperatures, irregular patterns of precipitation and snowmelt, and changing biological systems present challenges to the viability of these traditional livelihood portfolios in general, we find that climate change is also undermining local communities’ livelihood assets in gender-specific ways. In this paper, we present …

Delta Narratives: Saving The Historical And Cultural Heritage Of The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Steve Boilard, Robert Benedetti, Margit Aramburu, Gregg Camfield, Philip Garone, Jennifer Helzer, Reuben Smith, William Swagerty, Marcia Eymann, Tod Ruhstaller, David Stuart, Leigh Johnsen, Dylan Mcdonald, Michael J. Wurtz, Blake Roberts, Margo Lentz-Meyer

College of the Pacific Faculty Reports

From August 2014 through July 2015, the Delta Narratives project, on contract to the Delta Protection Commission, addressed two questions. First, in what ways does the historical experience of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta contribute to an understanding of key themes in regional and American history? Second, how might Delta stories gain wider appreciation within the region, throughout Northern California, and among people in the rest of California and beyond?

Scholars on the project team documented ways the history of the Delta illustrates trends in land management and reclamation, technological shifts in transportation and agriculture, the impact of ethnicity and labor …

The Report On Agricultural Heritage Museum -- A Survey Of Students And Faculty At South Dakota State University And Members Of The Museum, Census Data Center, Mary Emery

Center for Rural Vitality and Community Well-being Project Reports

The Agricultural Heritage Museum (Ag Museum), located on the SDSU campus, has been in business since 1884.1 The Ag Museum started as a zoological collection and has grown into a comprehensive museum with incomparable collections of Agricultural history in South Dakota. In the museum visitors can explore the infinite richness and complexity of the past and learn about the technology of farming in the Northern Great Plains. Recently, the Ag Museum is in the process of composing a strategic plan to address the new challenges and opportunities for the future development. The Board and staff of the Ag Museum want …

Veterinary Practices, Reactions And Laws: Analyzing The Difference In Rural And Urban Practices, Daniel Jude

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Daniel Jude on June, 23rd 2015

Exploring Diverse Perspectives On The Mental Health And Community Support Systems For Immigrant And Refugee Children, Taylor Marlow

Sociology Major Research Papers

Despite an extensive history with immigration, structural barriers and health inequities for immigrant and refugee populations continue to be widely documented within Canada. As a result, attention to particularly vulnerable subgroups such as newcomer children has become increasingly paramount. However, large gaps concerning newcomer children’s wellbeing persist within previous literature. In response, this study examines newcomer children’s issues, the roles of family and community support systems, and the impact of sociopolitical factors from the perspective of key stakeholders. A total of 15 newcomer parents and community professionals were interviewed in order to illuminate the current context of support for immigrant …

Écriture(S) De La Nature Au Québec : Un Champ À Défricher, Mariève Isabel

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

Are there literary works oriented toward the questions of nature and environment in Quebec’s literature? If so, under which forms does this corpus present itself? This article will explore different types of nature writing in Quebec, including examples from travel literature, agrarian novel, natural history, regionalism, and environmental literature. After reflecting on the presence of ecocriticism in Quebec, various works will be presented in order to show that nature writing in Quebec is rich and varied, and that there is potential for a québécois ecocriticism.

The Transformation Of Tibetan Identity, Mang Jia

Senior Theses

After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1951, Tibetan identity began to secularize, shifting from a more traditional religious to a more explicitly political identity. The few studies that focus on the secularization of Tibetan identity, even if only secondarily, claim that it is either a compulsory product imposed by the reinforcement of modernization by the Chinese authority or a voluntary product through younger generations of Tibetans’ internalization, primarily through schooling, of the Chinese colonization ideology. Either way, those scholars of Tibetan studies treat the secularization of Tibetan identity as a form of cultural assimilation or deterioration of Tibetan identity. …

Building Social Sustainability From The Ground Up: The Contested Social Dimension Of Sustainability In Neighborhood-Scale Urban Regeneration In Portland, Copenhagen, And Nagoya, Jacklyn Nicole Kohon

Dissertations and Theses

In response to growing social inequality, environmental crises, and economic instability, sustainability discourse has become the dominant "master signifier" for many fields, particularly the field of urban planning. However, in practice many sustainability methods overemphasize technological and economic growth-oriented solutions while underemphasizing the social dimension. The social dimension of sustainability remains a "concept in chaos" drawing little agreement on definitions, domains, and indicators for addressing the social challenges of urban life. In contrast, while the field of public health, with its emphasis on social justice principles, has made significant strides in framing and developing interventions to target the social determinants …

When Sleepy Hollow Came To St. Louis, Jeffrey Smith

The Confluence (2009-2020)

As part of a broader expedition, writer Washington Irving—whose famous works include “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip van Winkle”—visited St. Louis in 1832. He had lunch with explorer and former territorial governor William Clark and saw Black Hawk imprisoned at Jefferson Barracks. Here is his account.

From The Editor, Jeffrey Smith

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

“The Missouri Conservation Commision: Part I: The Need For It And The Constitutional Amendment That Established It”, Quinta Scott

The Confluence (2009-2020)

In this first of two lavishly illustrated articles, Quinta Scott traces the evolution of thinking in Missouri that led to the creation of the state Conservation Commission and the influence of Aldo Leopold and Nash Buckingham.

“Gateway Liberalism: Catholic And Jewish Responses To Racially Transitioning Neighborhoods And Schools In St. Louis’ West End, 1945–1960”, Sarah Siegel

The Confluence (2009-2020)

When St. Louis schools were desegregated starting with Catholic schools in 1947 and St. Louis public schools after the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision, not everyone supported the changes. Sarah Siegel compares the responses to desegregation by Catholics and Jews in the city’s west end.

“Courageous And Faithful: The Calvary At Jefferson Barracks, 1833– 1898”, Daniel Gonzales

The Confluence (2009-2020)

Daniel Gonzales examines the U.S. Calvary and its origins at Jefferson Barracks, and suggests that its location and work in the nineteenth century placed it at the center of westward expansion.

Spring/Summer 2015, Full Issue

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

“Cahokia And The Trans-Appalachian West In The American Revolution”, Andrew Cooperman

The Confluence (2009-2020)

The Battle of Fort San Carlos in 1780 was of great importance in the Revolutionary War. Andrew Cooperman argues that a force of Americans and Illinois French Creoles foiled British plans to sweep through the Mississippi Valley

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Understanding Culturally-Produced Limitations On Gay Male Community Formation In South Central Appalachia, Michael Brandon Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines limitations presented to gay men living in south central Appalachia that are produced by Appalachian culture itself, in regard to community formation. This qualitative study intersects existing scholarship on rural sexualities, gay communities and Appalachian culture in order to gain insight into the complexities that effect men in the region. The data is synthesized through a contextual dialectics framework in order to position both the Appalachian culture in its entirety, and gay men residing in the region, as agentic actors that are simultaneously informed by and produce tensions between the two. This study explores ways in which …

From “My Block” To “Born On The Rez”: A Linguistic Analysis Of Lyrics By 2pac, Frank Waln, Litefoot, Nataanii Means, And Night Shield, Teresa Y. Neely, Sarah Kostelecky, Jorge Ricardo Lopez-Mcknight, Monica Etsitty Dorame

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The lack of consistent wide-spread media coverage of recent events in North America involving violence against Native Americans and African Americans in the U.S., missing and murdered indigenous women, led the authors to a thoughtful discussion about the similar and parallel issues shared by our people. Although the deaths of Michael Brown (August 9, 2014, Ferguson, MO), Eric Garner (July 17, 2014, NY), and Sandra Bland (July 13, 2015, TX) were nationally covered news events; the deaths of Misty Upham, Blackfeet (October 5, 2014, WA); Native American activist Rexdale Henry, Choctaw (July 14, 2015, MS), and Christina Tahhahwah, Comanche (November …

Water Poverty In Disadvantaged Communities In California, Alyssa J. Galik

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has nearly one million residents that lack daily access to clean drinking water, yet it recently became the first state in the US to declare water a human right through the passage of 2013 Assembly Bill 685. The majority of water quality violations take place in the rural San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated, low-income communities, which have difficulties accessing clean, drinking water due to issues including quality, affordability, and physical availability. The role of community participation in improving water poverty has been studied extensively in developing countries but its impact is infrequently …

To Veil Or Not To Veil: A Loaded Question, Lisa R. Rivoli

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

What all Americans should know about women in the Muslim world is that Muslim women are increasingly prohibited through legal measures to choose for themselves whether or not to veil, which reduces their agency and perpetuates the harmful idea that all Muslim women need saving.This paper takes a look at political and legislative interventions on veiling in several countries.

Ouch, That Hurts: Childbirth-Related Pain Management And The Inappropriate Replacement Of Traditional Obstetrical Knowledge In Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India, Sabrina Zionts

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Throughout India, obstetrical knowledge and practice has been developed and passed down by generations of women. In many Indian societies, traditional birth attendants, or dais, remain the gatekeepers of childbirth-related knowledge. Yet with the push towards institutional delivery, traditional knowledge and practices are being increasingly replaced with modern and Western ones. While the trend of hospital deliveries has yielded positive health outcomes, its socio-cultural consequences remain unclear. Situated in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon Himalayas, this study employs a bio-social framework and begins to reveal these consequences. Using labor pain management as an entry point, this study argues that the push towards institutional …