Rural Sociology Commons^™

Maternity, Sexuality, And Capability: An Exploration Of The Aesthetics Of The Rural Moroccan Female Body, Carlye Warren

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper provides an intimate look at the rural female body and its nuances – aesthetics, self-perception, sexuality, maternity, and purity. Based on this research conducted in the rural village of Loutichina, it seems apparent that almost unrealistic demands are traditionally made on the rural female body, most noticeably the demands of reproduction and physical labor. Local perceptions and attitudes towards maternity and sexuality are also explored, as is the way in which the rural female body undergoes basic biological changes and cycles and is simultaneously affected by surrounding social and cultural pressures. Ethically, I was confronted with issues of …

Managing The Commons Through Obligation: Communality In The Sierra Juárez Of Oaxaca, Katie Moyer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As one of the most ethnically, culturally, and biologically diverse states in the Mexican Republic, Oaxaca proved to be a good location to learn about alternative forms of social organization. With 570 municipalities, Oaxaca has 23% of the municipalities in the entirety of Mexico. The vast majority of Oaxaca’s municipalities—480—are politically and socially organized through communality, a traditional form of self-government widely known as usos y costumbres (uses and customs). Within the four weeks allotted for this research project the majority of my time was spent in the Northern Sierra Juárez in the state of Oaxaca.

I first visited the …