International and Area Studies Commons^™

Bilingual Visual Culture In New York : Socially-Engaged Latina Artists And The Discourse Of Hybridity, Solmerina Aponte

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the aesthetic visual discourse of hybridity manifested in the works of contemporary socially-engaged Latina artists of the New York diaspora. For Latin America and the Caribbean, regions where sociopolitical history has generally exhibited a tumultuous trajectory, the arts have provided a formidable venue for addressing the social concerns engendered by this turbulent history and for studying the creative ways in which artists interpret them. The symbiotic bond created between art and politics would become a cultural force and tradition in the history of struggle that characterizes the countries that are part of …

A Comparative Study Of Chinese And Mexican Immigrants' Economic Incorporation In The United States, Miao Chunyu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation research is a comparative study of the economic incorporation of the unskilled Chinese and Mexican immigrants in the United States. This comparative approach is justified by the fact that these two groups share striking similarities in human capital, social networks, and immigrant flow patterns, whereas they also differ significantly in their migration cost, transnational practice, and reception in the U.S. labor market. This research investigates three specific aspects of their labor market experience: participation in self-employment, job transition, and earnings growth. Essentially I hope to find out whether these immigrants can achieve economic mobility over time and in …

Immigration, Ethnicity, And Marginalization: The Maya K’Iche Of New Bedford, Jorge Capetillo-Ponce, Gissell Abreu-Rodriguez

Trotter Review

On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, more than 300 armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 361 presumed undocumented immigrant workers at the Michael Bianco Inc. factory in New Bedford, Massachusetts. More than half of the workers detained were from Guatemala, the majority belonging to the Maya K’iche (we will use K’iche) community, an ethnic group originally from the mountains of western Guatemala whose members began arriving in the New Bedford area from Providence, Rhode Island, where there is an older K’iche community, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, at the height of a violent confrontation in Guatemala between …

Prevalence, Nature, Context And Impact Of Alcohol Use In India: Recommendations For Practice And Research, S. Prabhu, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, K. S. Ratheeshkumar

Brown School Faculty Publications

Presently alcohol policy in India takes a moral stand rather than a scientific approach towards understanding and dealing with the problem of alcoholism. To effectively address this social problem in India, public policy must take into account the nature, extent of the problem and the context in which it occurs. This literature review examines the nature, prevalence and impact of alcohol use and misuse in India, within its historical and cultural contexts, as a beginning step to inform policy. Recommendations for practice and future research directions are suggested.

An Abundance Of Violence And Scarcity Of Words (Book Review), Sandra F. Joireman

Political Science Faculty Publications

It is hard to avoid knowing something about the conflict in Darfur. There are divestment movements, student campaigns, actors raising awareness and the ‘genocide olympics’ to remind us of the ongoing conflict. There is also an increasingly ugly exchange in which two sides are talking and neither is listening. This exchange is not between the combatants, as one might expect, but among activists and scholars who disagree on the best way to portray the conflict. While it is difficult to avoid knowing something about the violence in Darfur, finding a deeper analysis that goes beyond the attempts to gain attention …

Von Der Avantgarde Zu Den Verlierern Des Postkommunismus: Gewerkschaften Im Prozess Der Restrukturierung Der Stahlindustrie In Mittel- Und Osteuropa, Aleksandra Sznajder Lee, Vera Trappmann

Political Science Faculty Publications

Der Beitrag analysiert die Gründe für die Schwächung der Gewerkschaften in Mittel- und Osteuropa auf betrieblicher Ebene. Am Beispiel der Stahlindustrie in Polen, Rumänien und der Slowakei zeigt er, dass die Gewerkschaften Legitimität und Unterstützung bei den Belegschaften aufgrund ihrer Verwicklung in die Restrukturierung der Unternehmen verloren haben, und zwar aus je unterschiedlichen Gründen. In der Slowakei und Rumänien haben sich die betrieblichen Gewerkschaftsvertreter zusammen mit Regierungsangehörigen an den Betrieben privatwirtschaftlich bereichert und die Unternehmen so in den Bankrott geführt, während in Polen die Gewerkschaften versucht haben, die Profitabilität der Unternehmen zu erhalten, auf Kosten der Arbeitsplätze. Der neoliberale Kurs …

American Overreach: Strategic Interests And Millennial Ambitions In The Middle East, Asli Bâli, Aziz Rana

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This article argues that American actions in the Middle East designed to advance democracy and/or ‘moderation’ tend to yield perverse outcomes that frustrate the aspirations of local actors while undermining the values purportedly being promoted by the US. In order to explain these contradictions, we emphasise the linkage between policies of democracy promotion and long-standing American commitments both to millennialism and geographical omnipresence. As a result of these policies and geopolitical vision, we argue that ‘democracy promotion’ often devolves into a simple defence of American interest – by producing electoral outcomes intended to strengthen local agents seen as compliant with …

Empire, Horses And Trade: An Examination Of Sixteenth Century Portuguese Efforts To Control Trade In Arab And Persian Horses Across The Arabian Sea, Chandra R. De Silva

History Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Portuguese dominance over the trade in horses across the Arabian Sea from West Asia to the western littoral of India lasted approximately from the Portuguese capture of Goa in 1510 to their loss of Ormuz to the Persians in 1622. As will be evident from the subsequent discussion, Portuguese control was incomplete and its significance varied from area to area and also from time to time. Nevertheless, a study of their attempts to control this trade is useful for three major reasons.

Far From Gold: Why Hosting The Olympics Is Detrimental To The Host Country, Carlen Don

CMC Senior Theses

Due to the excitement and prestige surrounding the Olympics, international perceptions of hosting the Games are positive and the Olympics are thought to bring prosperity and economic benefits to the host country. However this paper insists that hosting the Olympic Games is actually more detrimental to the host country than beneficial. Though each Games is different and every host country has the opportunity to create a positive Games, the negative aspects of hosting the Games create a difficult environment for any country to host a successful Games. Due to the negative effects of the Olympics on national unity, economic impact …

Deceptive Cultural Practices That Sabotage Hiv/Aids Education In Tanzania And Kenya, Mary Oluga, Susan Kiragu, Mussa K. Mohamed, Shelina Walli

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

In spite of numerous HIV/AIDS‐prevention education efforts, the HIV infection rates in Sub‐Saharan Africa remain high. Exploring and understanding the reasons behind these infection rates is imperative in a bid to offer life skills and moral education that address the root causes of the pandemic. In a recent study concerning effective HIV/AIDS‐prevention education, conducted in Tanzania and Kenya among teacher trainees and their tutors, the notion of mila potofu (defined by educators as ‘deceptive’ cultural practices) emerged as a key reason for educators’ difficulties in teaching HIV/AIDS prevention education in schools and for high HIV infection rates. Since these cultural …

South Sudan: A Fledgling Nation, Alka Jauhari

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

The citizens of south Sudan are rejoicing in the hope of building a new nation after the referendum next year. They are hoping to finally gain independence from the north and thus create an independent and a prosperous south Sudan. However, prosperity of a nation depends on a number of factors which are conspicuously absent in the case of south Sudan. These include existence of a socially cohesive society and a basic social and economic infrastructure. A socially cohesive society is essential to pave the way for a genuine democracy, while the presence of basic infrastructure provides the institutional base …

The Role Of Ngos In The International Human Rights System: A Case Study—Ijm In Thailand, Tyler J. Bourke

Global Tides

International human rights have been codified in a number of declarations and conventions, but these rights are not always enforced. This paper will examine the right to citizenship and the other essential rights linked to it. When national governments are unable or refuse to grant citizenship to a group of people it results in a violation of international human rights norms. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a key role in enforcing human rights standards in three ways: first, NGOs with lawyers on staff can work through national legal systems to ensure that rights, such as citizenship, are granted. Second, NGOs can …

Sir John Gardner Wilkinson: The Preservation And Pillage Of Ancient Egypt, Megan Ryan

Global Tides

This paper analyzes the debate over the role of John Wilkinson in the development of Egyptology in the late-nineteenth century. Scholars have debated the early importance Wilkinson had during his lifetime. Some argue that Wilkinson’s work was marginalized during his lifetime, and that his research was not fully appreciated until the past twenty years. Here, I demonstrate that Wilkinson’s work formed the foundation for the work of many of his contemporaries. This, coupled with a number of other arguments, indicate that Wilkinson’s work must have been seriously considered among academic circles during his time.

Afghanistan And Central Asia: Nervous Neighbors And Mutual Liabilities?, Lucas Hori

Global Tides

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Afghanistan has received a great deal of international attention, while its Central Asian neighbors have been generally ignored. However, the former-Soviet republics are plagued by security threats of their own, which leaders are quick to blame on the volatile circumstances in Afghanistan. This paper examines the relationship between the two regions, focusing especially on cross-border drug trade, and radical Islamist groups, and claims that Central Asian leaders have over-exaggerated Afghanistan’s negative impact on their states. The piece also evaluates Central Asia's effects on Afghanistan. It concludes by offering suggestions for improving the turbulent …

Changes In Intelligence For An Age Of Terror (Gregory F. Treverton. Intelligence For An Age Of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.), Scott Miller

Global Tides

Book review of Gregory F. Treverton's Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).

Reflections From Abroad, Lauren Johnson

Global Tides

The "Journeyer's Journal" consists of short narratives describing international experiences by Pepperdine University undergraduate students. Here, Lauren Johnson describes Jerusalem, Israel, and Florence, Italy.

The Cost Of Legal Aid, Elizabeth Lyons

Global Tides

I first became aware of the British’s struggle with their Legal Aid system while interning with a nonprofit organization in London that conducted research on Legal Aid with the goal of improving individuals’ access to justice. The British have supported Legal Aid for over sixty years; however, during this time it has reached an unsustainable level its current budget being two billion pounds. Since the government simply cannot afford a program this large, it has fallen prey to periodic budget cuts within the past few decades. Many British individuals are concerned that the quality of the services will diminish as …

The Role Of The Arts Toward Healing Trauma And Building Resilience In The Palestinian Community, Yousef Al-Ajarma

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study has investigated the sources of resilience in a sample of Palestinians who experienced the first Intifada and are now studying in the United States. The study found that family and community support, the pursuit of an education, and participation in artistic activities all contribute to individual resilience among Palestinians. In addition, political awareness and activity are another source of resilience, because they help individuals living under the Occupation to find meaning in their life and make sense of their struggles. Currently, young people in Palestine are at risk of developing psychological trauma from exposure to the violence of …

Phenomenology Of Embodied Dreamwork With Puerto Rican Women: A Dissertation, Lourdes F. Brache-Tabar

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The author investigated the experience of embodied dreamwork. Participants were eight Puerto Rican women who were chronically ill, of low socioeconomic status, who lived in Boston. The data were analyzed using transcendental phenomenology. Each participant engaged in one embodied dreamwork–unstructured interview session lasting approximately 1.5 hours. In addition, each participant drew a picture of how she felt after the dreamwork interview. This snowball, purposive sample gave detailed information about how they experienced embodied dreamwork. The participants’ statements were grouped into themes: (a) sense of place—environment, surroundings, spatiality; (b) the players—self, others; (c) plot; (d) in the sea of emotions—naming affective …

Authority, Leadership, And Peacemaking: The Role Of The Diasporas: A Pilot Study Of A Group Relations Conference: A Dissertation, Tracy Wallach

Educational Studies Dissertations

Research suggests that conflicts are much more likely to re-ignite in societies which have large Diaspora communities in the United States. This study examines the role of American Jewish, Arab, and other Middle Eastern Diaspora communities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and addresses the generally neglected role of trauma and emotions in perpetuating conflict.

The project employed group relations conference methodology to conduct the inquiry. A group relations lens allows one to look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at multiple levels: on the psychological level (looking at issues of trauma, identity, collective narrative, emotions and unconscious processes); on the social level (looking …