Sociology of Culture Commons^™

Using Data To Target And Scale-Up Girls' Support Programs And Child Marriage Prevention, The Evidence Project

Reproductive Health

Though child marriage is declining globally, it is estimated that over 100 million girls under age 18 will be married in the next decade. A 2012 review of child marriage interventions in developing countries found that the most effective approaches in delaying child marriage were those that offered incentives, such as conditional cash transfers or provision of school materials, and those that empower girls directly through interventions such as girls’ groups and training. The Berhane Hewan program in Ethiopia (meaning ‘Light for Eve’ in Amharic) was one of the earliest to test child marriage prevention interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. The …

Adolescent Friendly Health Corners (Afhcs) In Selected Government Health Facilities In Bangladesh: An Early Qualitative Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Tasmiah Tanjeen, Laura Reichenbach

Reproductive Health

With high rates of early marriage, especially among girls, a significant proportion of adolescents in Bangladesh need sexual and reproductive health services (SRH), including contraceptive information. To address this gap and ensure that adolescents throughout the country, including unmarried adolescents, have access to SRH services through public health facilities, the Maternal and Child Health Services Unit of the Directorate General of Family Planning, with financial and technical assistance from development partners, has begun establishing Adolescent Friendly Health Corners (AFHCs) at selected government facilities at district and union levels. The Evidence Project/Population Council was asked to assess the implementation of the …

Child Marriage In Zambia, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In 2015, following the 2013–14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, the Population Council and UNFPA conducted a study to establish the areas where child marriage is most likely to occur in Zambia. Findings reaffirm that child marriage is very high in Zambia and that child marriage affects more girls than boys. Protecting girls from child marriage is a national priority in protecting girls’ rights and achieving progress in national development. The brief recommends that government efforts be accelerated and effectively supported to reduce and eventually eradicate child marriage. Recommended actions include: harmonizing statutory laws and customary laws on marriage, engaging …

Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Early/Child Marriage: A Review Of The Evidence, Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been frequently linked to marriageability and thought to be associated with child marriage, yet there is remarkably little rigorous research to clarify the relationship between these two practices to inform discussions and responses. Furthermore, trends are also shifting in the timing of FGM/C from adolescence to early childhood, and the implications this might have on the links between early/child marriage and FGM/C are not well understood. This review of current available evidence aims to assess the association between FGM/C and early/child marriage in contexts where both practices are carried out. The social and cultural norms …

Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Fistula: A Review Of The Evidence, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, Kaji Tamanna Keya

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and fistula are both conditions that have a range of health, socioeconomic, and lifestyle causes and consequences for women globally. There have been sparse empirical and conceptual efforts to look at how these two conditions manifest and relate to one another. This rigorous review of the literature aims to fill this research gap by assessing the state of evidence on the association of FGM/C and fistula and conceptually mapping this association within broader social, political, and health-systems contexts. Based on the findings, the authors of this report have developed a conceptual mapping framework to situate the …

Female Genital Cutting In Somaliland: Baseline Assessment, Katy Newell-Jones

Reproductive Health

This report summarizes research findings into the prevalence and attitudes around female genital cutting (FGC) in 20 communities across five regions of Somaliland. There was a specific focus on young people, who accounted for 47 percent of the interviewees, and also on the role of schools in promoting abandonment of cutting. This research found that the prevalence of FGC in the five regions studied is 98.9 percent across all age groups in city, semi-city, and village communities. The findings indicate that decisionmaking in relation to FGC has less to do with having accurate knowledge, and more to do with the …

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: Is Change Taking Place? Descriptive Statistics From Four Waves Of Demographic And Health Surveys, Bettina Shell-Duncan, David Gathara, Zhuzhi Moore

Reproductive Health

Nationally representative survey data on female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Kenya are available from four waves of Demographic and Health Surveys. These survey data provide a rich and detailed picture of when, where, and how FGM/C has been carried out, and trends in changes in the practice. National prevalence data from successive waves of surveys show a steady decrease in the prevalence of FGM/C among women aged 15–49. While the data reported here are descriptive, they provide useful insights on the progress of FGM/C abandonment at national and subnational levels. These findings are useful for policymakers in steering discussions on …

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Nigeria: A Scoping Review, Blessing U. Mberu

Reproductive Health

This report’s overarching objective is the examination of key trends in the evidence base of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) and gaps in knowledge for Nigeria, building on a scoping review of peer-reviewed and "grey" literature along with quantitative analysis of relevant data. What is clear from prevalence levels identified over the last 15 years is how widespread different types of FGM/C are, in Nigeria’s different ethno-geographical zones, and the little change that has taken place over time, despite increased international, and renewed national, political commitment to eradicate the practice. The findings show that much work remains to be …

Modeling And Mapping Of Girls' Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (Fgm/C) In The Context Of Economic, Social, And Regional Disparities: Kenya Demographic And Health Surveys 1998-2014, Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala, Damaris Kinyoki, Ahmed Sarki, David Gathara, Paul Komba, Bettina Shell-Duncan

Reproductive Health

The aim of this research study is analysis of successive household data for estimating and revealing trends, similarities, and differences in geographic patterns for the burden of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and related risk factors among girls ages 14 and younger in Kenya. This Evidence to End FGM/C study, from a coalition led by the Population Council, is intended to contribute to a deeper understanding of the recent burden of FGM/C among the girls within this very young age group, and to enhance knowledge of the geographic distribution of this practice over time. The report will inform current elimination efforts …

Rapid Evidence Assessment: Quality Of Studies Assessing Interventions To Support Fgm/C Abandonment, Tammary Esho, Jamlick Karumbi, Carolyne Njue

Reproductive Health

The last decade has seen increased focus and investment in interventions to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), along with the need to accelerate its abandonment. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) commissioned the Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Girls and Women Thrive project to: 1) assess the quality of studies that have evaluated different interventions for the prevention of FGM/C, and 2) describe the FGM/C interventions that were evaluated by high-quality studies. The quality of evidence on the effectiveness and impact of FGM/C interventions is generally moderate to low. In addition, few baseline surveys are conducted prior …

“My Lesbian Space Rock Show”: Representations Of Intersectional Identities In Steven Universe, Heather L. Clark

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research is based on a content analysis of the meaning making in Steven Universe cartoon fandom forum threads, media message board comments, and online reviews posted between November 2013 (the show’s initial air date) and November 2016. My analysis examines the fan negotiations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class from an intersectional feminist perspective. Unlike other qualitative analyses of cartoons that focus on researcher analysis of media messages, this research focuses on meaning making and identity formation among fans. I found that Steven Universe provides fans with opportunities for meaning making and validation, especially underrepresented populations. Fans negotiate …

Cultural Integration Of Urban Refugees Into Thai Society: A Case Study Of Pakistani Refugees In Bangkok, Seubboon Chaiyasit

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The study of Cultural Integration of Urban Refugees into Thai Society: a case study of Pakistani Refugees in Bangkok aims to identify the institutional factors that affects the cultural integration for Pakistani refugees into Thai society while temporarily residing in Thailand and examine the individual and community factors including Thai people attitude towards refugees that hinder or support the cultural integration of Pakistani refugees into Thai society. The research methodology is comprised of 1) The documentary research used as the fundamental information to understand the broad perspectives relevant to the urban refugee issues in Bangkok area including the information, policies …

Professional And Personal Social Networking And Enhancement Of Social Capital In Young Adults, Maria Malu H. Roldan, Janejira Sutanonpaiboon, Richard Burkhard

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ENHANCEMENT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN YOUNG ADULTS

ABSTRACT

This study compares the use of personal and professional social networking sites by young adults for social capital enhancing activities. The research is based on a survey of college-age adults (n=292) who were asked about their use of two social networking sites of contrasting architectures: the more interactive, social/personal\-oriented site Facebook, and the relatively less interactive, professional/business-oriented site LinkedIn. Data were analyzed to determine the relationships among demographic and technology experience factors, and respondents’ use of these sites for social capital enhancing activities. Findings suggest that …

Thai Massage And Commercial Sex Work: A Phenomenological Study, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Charlie G. Turner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Many researchers have suggested that commercial sex work in Thailand has gone into massage establishments. This paper explores how the experience of receiving massage in Thailand differs by four types of establishment (street front, massage schools, spas, and high-end resorts) and whether or not unsolicited sexual services are offered. The current study aims to expand our understanding of both massage and prostitution in Thailand and the relationship between these activities. In order to explore this research question, we utilize a phenomenological approach and aim to relate the essence of the massage experience and whether or not unsolicited sexual services were …

ปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อการตัดสินใจในการเลือกเรียนโขนนอกวิทยาลัยนาฏศิลป์ ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร, กันต์ จามรมาน

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยในการเลือกเรียนโขนนอกวิทยาลัยนาฏศิลป์ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร โดยมีกลุ่มเป้าหมายเป็นนักเรียนที่เลือกเรียนโขนและศิลปะแขนงอื่น ๆ จำนวน 331 คน จากการสุ่มเลือกแบบเจาะจงกลุ่มจากโรงเรียนทั้งหมด 10 โรงเรียน โดยใช้รูปแบบการวิจัยเชิงสำรวจ มีแบบสอบถามและการสัมภาษณ์เป็นเครื่องมือในการเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลจากกลุ่มตัวอย่าง ผ่านการวิเคราะห์ระดับปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อการตัดสินใจในการเลือกเรียนโขน ผลการวิจัยพบว่า 1) ปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อการตัดสินใจในการเลือกเรียนโขนนอกวิทยาลัยนาฏศิลป์ ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร ประกอบด้วยกลุ่มปัจจัย 7 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ (1) ประโยชน์ของนาฏศิลป์โขนที่มีต่อตนเอง (2) ความสามารถทางโขน (3) ความคุ้นเคยเกี่ยวกับโขน (4) ความสอดคล้องเหมาะสมต่อตนเอง (5) สิ่งตอบแทนจากภายนอก (6) ทัศนคติของคนรอบข้าง (7) อาจารย์ผู้สอนและสถาบัน 2) ปัจจัยภายนอก 3 ตัว คือ สิ่งตอบแทนภายนอก ทัศนคติของคนรอบข้าง และอาจารย์ผู้สอนและสถาบัน ได้ส่งอิทธิพลไปยังปัจจัยภายใน ได้แก่ ความคุ้นเคยเกี่ยวกับโขน ความสามารถทางโขน ความสอดคล้องเหมาะสมต่อตนเองและประโยชน์ของนาฏศิลป์โขนที่มีต่อตนเอง 3) ปัญหาและอุปสรรคในการเรียนโขนสำหรับผู้เรียนนอกวิทยาลัยนาฏศิลป์ ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร พบว่า (1) อาจารย์ผู้สอนและสถาบันเน้นที่การแสดงเป็นหลัก (2) โรงเรียนหรือสถาบันไม่มีอาจารย์ผู้สอนที่เป็นผู้เชี่ยวชาญด้านโขนโดยตรงหรือมีอาจารย์ผู้สอนไม่เพียงพอ (3) ขาดความต่อเนื่องสม่ำเสมอในการพัฒนาทักษะการแสดงโขน (4) โอกาสในการแสดงความสามารถมีน้อย (5) สถาบันขาดการยอมรับจากสังคมว่าเป็นสถาบันที่ดีมีคุณภาพ

Back To Africa In The 21st Century: The Cultural Reconnection Experiences Of African American Women, Marcia Tate Arunga

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of 18 African American women who went to Kenya, East Africa as part of a Cultural Reconnection delegation. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was used for data collection. This was an optimal approach to honoring the authentic voices of African American women. Eighteen African American women shared their stories, revelations, feelings and thoughts on reconnecting in their ancestral homeland of Africa. The literature discussed includes diasporic returns as a subject of study, barriers to the return including the causes of historic trauma, and how Black women as culture bearers …

Avoidance In Negative Ties: Inhibiting Closure, Reciprocity, And Homophily, Nicholas Harrigan, Janice Yap

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Theorising of negative ties has focused on simplex negative tie networks or multiplex signed tie networks. We examine the fundamental differences between positive and negative tie networks measured on the same set of actors. We test six mechanisms of tie formation on face-to-face positive (affect/esteem) and negative (dislike/disesteem) networks of 282 university students. While popularity, activity, and entrainment are present in both networks, closure, reciprocity, and homophily are largely absent from negative tie networks. We argue this arises because avoidance is inherent to negative sentiments. Avoidance reduces information transfer through negative ties and short-circuits cumulative causation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. …

Accounting For Taste In Irish Traditional Music, Eryn T. Wagnon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Although it is self-evident that people care about music, we don’t know how they make sense of their taste in it. In this study, I will explore how individuals explain their taste in music. I will specifically be focusing on the genre of Irish traditional music (ITM). One way to explore how people account for their taste in this genre is through a qualitative content analysis of online comments. I hope to demonstrate the vocabulary of motives for music preference, by focusing on how individuals account for their taste in Irish traditional music online. Also, this study will help show …

Savannah's Ethnic Irish Neighborhoods In The Nineteenth Century: A Historical Multimethod Examination, Sarah A. Ryniker

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to identify residency patterns and neighborhoods for Savannah-Irish immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century. Using a multimethod approach, this thesis explores historical, social, and economic factors that influenced settlement patterns and cultivated the conditions for an Irish-American identity, particularly in two neighborhoods, Old Fort and Yamacraw. Guided by Yancey et al.’s (1976) emergent ethnicity theory, this study uses archival materials, as well as chi-square tests for association, and the 1860 Federal Census of Chatham County, Georgia, to geolocate Irish immigrants. With an emphasis on County Wexford, Ireland, the results suggest residency was associated with Irish …

Chinese International Students In A Northwest University: Investigating Cultural Academic Learning And Teaching Preferences, Michael L. Bevis

Theses and Dissertations

As Chinese international students on American university campuses continue to rise, the importance of these institutions to accommodate the students in adapting to a different academic culture has become more critical. On a public, coeducational research university located in the Pacific Northwest, a concurrent triangulated mixed method research design was implemented to investigate cultural factors with preferred learning and teaching styles of Chinese international students along with what corroborative descriptions these students provide as effective learning experiences in American college classrooms.

The study brought attention to Chinese international students’ differing cultural values from the previous literature understanding, it supported previous …

Listening To The Mattole: Lessons In Bioregionalism, Cannabis, And Capitalism From A Northern California Community, Nicola R. Walters

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the United States, from the 1960s through the 1970s, nearly a million Americans left urban areas to establish themselves in rural environments; this exodus is now known as the back-to-the-land movement. Nestled in the mountains of Northern California, along a capricious river, and surrounded by natural beauty, the Mattole Valley became home to many of these back-to-the-land immigrants. Seasoned in the social and cultural movements of Berkeley and San Francisco during the 1960s, the “new settlers” transformed the social and environmental landscape of southern Humboldt County as they integrated into rural communities. The Mattole Valley offers a unique look …

A "Dying Breed"? Exploring Logger Identity After The Decline In The Timber Industry In Hayfork, Ca, Sheri L. Harrison

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The rapid decline of timber operations in the late twentieth century had an immense impact on rural communities whose economy was dependent on logging and lumber mills. The voices and concerns of timber-dependent communities and timber workers have been marginalized by broader forces that focused on political, economic, and environmental issues throughout the Pacific Northwest timber conflict and the subsequent deindustrialization of the timber industry. This study examines the social impacts on loggers, their families, and the broader community in Hayfork, California, through the framework of identity theory. The formation of logger identity and the broader processes that have impacted …

Conflicted Commons: A Local Makerspace In The Neoliberal City, Caitlin Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

The commodification of culture, space, and resources is incentivized by neoliberal urbanism. In response, we have seen an attempt to develop collectively organized, oppositional spaces within urban places. The tensions that arise when considering the production of commons in the development of the neoliberal city are the central focus of this paper. As I will observe, these spaces are subjected to commodification as they become increasingly de-politicized through neoliberal ideologies. In order to theorize about these contradictory elements, I observe a makerspace in Richmond, Virginia called HackRVA. Specifically, I consider HackRVA as an urban commons. Through in-depth interviews and participant …

Desire And Fantasy Between Commercialism And Personal Room, Yukimi Otagiri

Theses and Dissertations

I apply two aspects of my life history to my art; my childhood experiences and my advanced studies in sociology. My work therefore combines a highly personal reading of my experiences of social interactions and my ongoing analysis of the nature of capitalism and socialism, commodification and media, especially in regard to the experiences of women in particular and consumers in general.

Flexible Loyalties: How Malleable Are Bicultural Loyalties?, Andy Y. Chiou, Brittany K. Mercado

Publications and Research

Biculturals are individuals who are acculturated in two cultures and have dual identities. Due to this, many early discussions on biculturalism argued that biculturals may have divided loyalties between their two cultural backgrounds and the identities derived from these backgrounds. This view is further highlighted given historical and contemporary debate regarding immigrants in the European and American political arenas. These concerns illustrate two possibilities. First, that biculturals have a preference for their home or host culture, identifying one as the in-group to express loyalty toward and the other as the out-group. Second, biculturals may alternate between who they identify as …

The Transition Experiences Of International Graduate Students In Clark University School Of Professional Studies, Xuesong Huang, Mingyang Lian, Dang Trung, Jay Sheth, Yuwei Yang, Irina Klimenko

School of Professional Studies

In the last decade, the School of Professional Studies at Clark University has witnessed a sharp increase in international students. More and more international students in the millennial generation have entered the School of Professional Studies pursuing one of the two-year graduate programs: Master of Science in Professional Studies, Master of Science in Public Administration, and Master of Science in Information Technology. In the past, working adult student dominant the program. These students already had a career outside the classrooms before them came to study. The millennial international students have generated new adjustment problems. Some of the transition issues of …

Donald Trump And The Sex Industry, Robert Brannon

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Examining The Sociocultural Experiences Of Cherokee Nation Citizens In Athletic Competition And Sport, Michael Dewayne Merrie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the sociocultural experiences of Cherokee adults in athletic competition and sport. Specifically, following a qualitative design, fifteen participants were interviewed about their personal experiences in athletic competition and sport while growing up in rural Oklahoma. Interviews were open-ended and followed a semi-structured script of questions with additional probes. Once completed, the recorded interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed. The data revealed six axial codes and three selective codes. Cherokee culture, psychoSocial identity, and athletic competition were the three major selective codes discovered in this study. Qualitative analyses revealed that participants have …

A Dollar A Day: Child Sponsorship And The Marketization Of Human Development, Taylor Hallett

Capstone Collection

Child sponsorship as a method of international development offers child sponsors a personal connection to the process of alleviating poverty in the global South. As a form of human development, child sponsorship is constituted by neoliberal principles of marketization and social entrepreneurship. How does child sponsorship, in this context, require us to rethink the ethics of international development in light of ongoing debates about neoliberalism? In this research, I argue that child sponsorship reifies the binary of the “developed” and “undeveloped” worlds. Through undertaking a content analysis of three organizations (Compassion International, World Vision, and UNICEF) and applying post-structural critique …

Thematic Bibliography To New Work On Immigration And Identity In Contemporary France, Québec, And Ireland, Dervila Cooke

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.