Current Search: Cultural identity (x)
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- Title
- It’s all just in your head: How does a person’s cultural identity affect their flood risk perceptions and mitigation behaviors?.
- Creator
- Oglesby, Glen E., Polsky, Colin, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
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As flood risk rises in the U.S., technology and insights rise too, but even with these advances we still see the consequences of flood risk. Together, the rational actor paradigm (“RAP”), psychometrics, and cultural theory help to explain risk perceptions and behaviors of 20 respondents. Results from the mixed-methods approach found the RAP insufficient, less accurate than a coin toss (48%), when explaining respondent behaviors. Rather, risk perceptions and behaviors of the RAP explain the...
Show moreAs flood risk rises in the U.S., technology and insights rise too, but even with these advances we still see the consequences of flood risk. Together, the rational actor paradigm (“RAP”), psychometrics, and cultural theory help to explain risk perceptions and behaviors of 20 respondents. Results from the mixed-methods approach found the RAP insufficient, less accurate than a coin toss (48%), when explaining respondent behaviors. Rather, risk perceptions and behaviors of the RAP explain the behaviors of lower risk portrayal groups (66%) and higher income groups (80%), with higher risk portrayals being relying on respondents’ trust in flood experts (45%) and cultural worldviews (55%). Cultural identities explain 65% of respondents’ behaviors across levels of risk portrayal (500-, 100-, and 25-year floodplain), and risk portrayal types (cumulative and AAL). In a world with increased risk, technology, and knowledge, researchers need understand the explanatory power of the RAP, psychometrics, and cultural theory.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013760
- Subject Headings
- Risk perception, Floods, Cultural identity, Psychometrics
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Fragmented Realities: Exploring Vulnerability and Identity in the Digital Age.
- Creator
- Dadabaeva, Nargiza, McConnell, Brian, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Visual Arts and Art History, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis exhibition explores how digital culture affects identity and connection through a series of paintings made through collage, mixed media, and reflective surfaces. It looks at how identity is fragmented in the digital age when we construct personas online that are selected and, therefore, less authentic. The paintings juxtapose the use of analog methods with digital imagery, in order to ask about the tension between vulnerability and performance and the authenticity of online...
Show moreThis thesis exhibition explores how digital culture affects identity and connection through a series of paintings made through collage, mixed media, and reflective surfaces. It looks at how identity is fragmented in the digital age when we construct personas online that are selected and, therefore, less authentic. The paintings juxtapose the use of analog methods with digital imagery, in order to ask about the tension between vulnerability and performance and the authenticity of online interactions. The series is about emotional exhaustion, curated personas, and the search for genuine connection. Reflective elements and textures mounted and layered encourage viewers to engage in a dialectic between themselves and the mediated world, between 'digital self' and the 'authentic self.' The thesis hopes that this work can provoke discourse regarding the ramifications of digital culture on self-perceiving and interpersonal relations in recognizing the human dependence on depth and vulnerability in our fragmented reality.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2024
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014548
- Subject Headings
- Digital culture & society, Identity, Social media
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Gay-centric identity: a challenge to gay cultural script, gay ghetto and performance.
- Creator
- Beebe, Robert D., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
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For many gay men performing a gay-centric identity can be challenging. By adopting a set of expected behaviors known as the gay cultural script, many of these men are potentially met with discrimination from both heterosexual and homosexual communities. The gay cultural script is readily available as it is found within the gay ghettos and through various representations of gay men in the media. This research question examines how the gay cultural script when found within the gay ghetto and...
Show moreFor many gay men performing a gay-centric identity can be challenging. By adopting a set of expected behaviors known as the gay cultural script, many of these men are potentially met with discrimination from both heterosexual and homosexual communities. The gay cultural script is readily available as it is found within the gay ghettos and through various representations of gay men in the media. This research question examines how the gay cultural script when found within the gay ghetto and through the media's representation of gay men provides a lens to which the performance of a gay-centric identity may be communicated and shared. The focus of this research is separated into three interconnected areas: (1) exploration of gay-cultural script, (2) location to which the gay cultural script operates and, (3) analysis of the relationship between the gay cultural script and gay-centric identity performance.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/107802
- Subject Headings
- Gender identity, Gays in popular culture, Gay men, Identity, Gay men in mass media
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mind the gap: buck angel and the implications of transgender male in/visibility.
- Creator
- Stanic, Emilija, Barrios, Barclay, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis explores the implications of visibility and invisibility of transgender people, their constructed bodies, and how these bodies are used for both personal empowerment and education. By using various gender theorists for support, I argue that the transgender male body obtains power through visibility. Despite the many obstacles transgender males face, putting their bodies in a space of visibility gives them both personal power and the power to educate others about their bodies and...
Show moreThis thesis explores the implications of visibility and invisibility of transgender people, their constructed bodies, and how these bodies are used for both personal empowerment and education. By using various gender theorists for support, I argue that the transgender male body obtains power through visibility. Despite the many obstacles transgender males face, putting their bodies in a space of visibility gives them both personal power and the power to educate others about their bodies and sexuality. In doing a study of the human body and the different definitions applied to it, I show how we, as a society, are restricted by gender binaries and how the transgender body serves as a gap between the socially-constructed terms. Ultimately, transgender people are able to break through these barriers by subverting the definitions and meaning of “male” and “female.”
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004334, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004334
- Subject Headings
- Gays in popular culture, Gender identity, Identity (Psychology), Marginality, Social, Sex change, Sex role, Transgender people, Transgenderism, Transsexualism
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Cultural conversations from Iran to America.
- Creator
- Ghoreishi, Setareh, Landes, Eric, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Visual Arts and Art History
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis uses graphic design to explore the experience of an individual attempting to bridge two countries’ distinctly different cultures: Iran and the United States. Each has a particular political relation to the other in history. I am using graphic design as a tool to compare specific and various aspects of the two cultures and how these aspects impact each other based on my personal experience. I use design to explore my place in between two cultures and as a way to make sense of the...
Show moreThis thesis uses graphic design to explore the experience of an individual attempting to bridge two countries’ distinctly different cultures: Iran and the United States. Each has a particular political relation to the other in history. I am using graphic design as a tool to compare specific and various aspects of the two cultures and how these aspects impact each other based on my personal experience. I use design to explore my place in between two cultures and as a way to make sense of the exchange or replacement of culture that I perceive. Another aspect of my thesis emphasizes how western influences and technology are altering or eradicating traditions in Iran. This thesis demonstrates collation and confrontation of cultural and social elements through the application of design to a set of culturally symbolic objects. The goal is to utilize graphic design tools to elevate awareness about illustrating the cultural and traditional aspects of the two countries.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004444, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004444
- Subject Headings
- Cultural fusion, Graphic design, Identity (Psychology) -- Cross cultural studies, Language and culture, Sociolinguistics, Visual communication -- Social aspects, Visual sociology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Cultural perspectives among children of Guatemalan Maya immigrants in Lake Worth, Florida.
- Creator
- Sprague, Tara., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
- Abstract/Description
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Every day children of Guatemalan Maya immigrants balance two cultures. They reside in The United States and attend American schools but are being raised by their Guatemalan Maya parents. They continually navigate between the two and are faced with challenges daily. Since these children are influenced by two cultures, my interest was primarily on the cultural perspectives of these children, more specifically: what effects does the new culture have on the old? Through volunteering at a...
Show moreEvery day children of Guatemalan Maya immigrants balance two cultures. They reside in The United States and attend American schools but are being raised by their Guatemalan Maya parents. They continually navigate between the two and are faced with challenges daily. Since these children are influenced by two cultures, my interest was primarily on the cultural perspectives of these children, more specifically: what effects does the new culture have on the old? Through volunteering at a Guatemalan Maya after-school program, interviewing and administering the Children's Apperception Test, results showed these children to be influenced by American culture. The biggest indicator, play, was reported to be an important aspect in their lives, which is not considered essential in Maya culture. At the same time, these children keep close ties to their cultural heritage through their strong family ties. Overall, these children are influenced by American culture, but at the same time, keep their heritage.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3352884
- Subject Headings
- Children of immigrants, Social aspects, Guatemalans, Social conditions, Immigrants, Cultural assimilation, Guatemalan Americans, Ethnic identity
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The intersection of gender and Italian/Americaness: hegemony in The Sopranos.
- Creator
- Wilson, Niki Caputo., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation uses a multiperspectival approach that analyzes production, text, and audience consumption to explore representations of gender and ethnicity in The Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) original program The Sopranos. I first present the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the continued critical and commercial success of the show. The hybrid genre of the show - an intermingling of the gangster and soap opera genres - proves particularly significant in its...
Show moreThis dissertation uses a multiperspectival approach that analyzes production, text, and audience consumption to explore representations of gender and ethnicity in The Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) original program The Sopranos. I first present the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the continued critical and commercial success of the show. The hybrid genre of the show - an intermingling of the gangster and soap opera genres - proves particularly significant in its representation of gender and ethnicity. Both textual and audience analyses allow me to respond to the question central to this dissertation: Does The Sopranos reinforce or challenge hegemonic notions of masculinity, femininity, and ethnicity? My textual and paratextual analysis identifies the embodiment of hegemonic masculinity in the male characters, including the ways in which that hegemonic behavior leads to male violence, as depicted in the narrative, and reveals the performances of emphasized femininity and pariah femininities, class, and Italian/Americaness at play amongst the female characters in The Sopranos. Audience analysis reveals that The Sopranos broadly appeals to many Italian/Americans and self-proclaimed feminists, yet the vast majority of fans, particularly those who create fan fiction and frequent chat rooms, are drawn to the show for its violence, sexist imagery, and macho male characters. Thus, the multiperspectival approach of this dissertation proved particularly useful in determining that The Sopranos, in its entirety, ultimately repackages, but yet still reinforces hegemonic notions of gender and Italian/Americaness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2979374
- Subject Headings
- Sopranos (Television program), Mass media and culture, Group identity, Television viewers, Ethnicity
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Reel versus Real: Interracial Relationships within the South Asian Diaspora.
- Creator
- Ali, Kasima Jennet, Reilly, Susan, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
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This study analyzes the reactions of interracial relationships within the South Asian Diaspora via film and literature focused on the United States and England. The films examined are Mississippi Masala (1992) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002), and the literature-utilized focuses on cultural identity, interracial dating, the importance of marriage, the Indian community, and gender roles focused on women within the diaspora. The films used encourage the idea of interracial relationships as...
Show moreThis study analyzes the reactions of interracial relationships within the South Asian Diaspora via film and literature focused on the United States and England. The films examined are Mississippi Masala (1992) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002), and the literature-utilized focuses on cultural identity, interracial dating, the importance of marriage, the Indian community, and gender roles focused on women within the diaspora. The films used encourage the idea of interracial relationships as acceptable and give South Asian women the confidence to be more independent. The intention of this research is to analyze the importance of cultural blending, independence, heritage, and traditional values. The focus behind this research is to understand the battle of traditional versus modern roles for women in the South Asian diaspora, and how independence can be viewed as a form of dishonoring and humiliating their families when they step outside of the cultural box.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005922
- Subject Headings
- Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, South Asian diaspora., Interracial dating., Cultural identity, Sex role--South Asia.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mother-adolescent conflict and relationship quality in youth with and without behavior problems.
- Creator
- Prata, Paloma Lopez, Laursen, Brett, Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
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Adolescence is a period of significant changes in relationships with mothers, specifically parent-adolescent conflict increases from childhood into adulthood. The present investigation is designed to address these differences by using adolescent and mother reports of conflict and relationship quality. The investigation addresses four research questions. (1) Do characteristics of conflict with mothers differ for adolescents with and without clinical problems? (2) Do perceptions of mother-child...
Show moreAdolescence is a period of significant changes in relationships with mothers, specifically parent-adolescent conflict increases from childhood into adulthood. The present investigation is designed to address these differences by using adolescent and mother reports of conflict and relationship quality. The investigation addresses four research questions. (1) Do characteristics of conflict with mothers differ for adolescents with and without clinical problems? (2) Do perceptions of mother-child relationship quality differ for adolescents with and without clinical problems? (3) Do family characteristics moderate differences between clinical and nonclinical youth in motherchild of conflict? (4) Do family characteristics moderate differences between clinical and nonclinical youth in mother-child relationship quality? The results demonstrated that the clinical group reported more conflicts, greater affect, and less post-conflict interaction than those of the nonclinical group. The clinical group reported higher negativity than the nonclinical group. In addition, levels of positivity were higher for the nonclinical group than for the clinical group.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000812
- Subject Headings
- Mother and child, Child psychopathology, Interpersonal relations in adolescence, Adolescent psychology, Parent and teenager--Cross-cultural studies, Identity (Psychology)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- "Starvation taught me art": Tree poaching, gender and cultural shifts in wood curio carving in Zimbabwe.
- Creator
- Fadiman, Maria
- Abstract/Description
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This study looks at wood curio carving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. Although the local people, Ndebele and Shona, have always carved, they now face a weakened economy, due in large part to land reforms in 2000. Thus, more people sculpt wood as a form of livelihood. As one man said “Starvation taught me art”. As a result, gender roles are shifting as men and women begin to enter realms previously reserved for the other. Environmentally, carvers poaching trees deforests the woodlands....
Show moreThis study looks at wood curio carving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. Although the local people, Ndebele and Shona, have always carved, they now face a weakened economy, due in large part to land reforms in 2000. Thus, more people sculpt wood as a form of livelihood. As one man said “Starvation taught me art”. As a result, gender roles are shifting as men and women begin to enter realms previously reserved for the other. Environmentally, carvers poaching trees deforests the woodlands. As more individuals turn to making crafts sustainability deteriorates. However, people are looking into more sustainable practices. Ndebele and Shona are experimenting with carving smaller items so as to be able to earn more profit from less wood, and to use branches instead of heartwood. Carvers are also using scrap wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) lumber mills to lessen dependence on live trees.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165389
- Subject Headings
- Ethnobotany--Africa, Sustainable development--Zimbabwe, Culture--Africa, Wood sculpture, African, Forest conservation--Africa, Gender identity--Africa, Art, Zimbabwean, Sustainable development--Environmental aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Homonorm.
- Creator
- Rachesky, Scott Pierce, Bucak, Ayse Papatya, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
“Homonorm” is a collection of short stories that explores the gay male experience and challenges gender expectations. Through an exploration of form and content, each story serves to illuminate different issues in the gay community and in society. Where one story explores the issue of youth obsession with magical realism, the other tells the story of a gay artist’s sexual awakening and struggle with HIV and AIDS through a series of still-life photographs. This eclectic collection serves to...
Show more“Homonorm” is a collection of short stories that explores the gay male experience and challenges gender expectations. Through an exploration of form and content, each story serves to illuminate different issues in the gay community and in society. Where one story explores the issue of youth obsession with magical realism, the other tells the story of a gay artist’s sexual awakening and struggle with HIV and AIDS through a series of still-life photographs. This eclectic collection serves to break the stereotype of gay fiction and undo the gender norms for men through fantastical situations and a-typical forms of fiction to underscore the idea that life and community are varied and so too should be the representations of these two groups.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004841
- Subject Headings
- Gays' writings, American., Short stories, American., Gender identity--Fiction., Gay men--Fiction., Gays in popular culture., Homosexuality--Social aspects., Stereotypes (Social psychology)--United States.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Searching for Home: The Formation and Preservation of Bosnian Bosniac Identity in Florida.
- Creator
- Cheek, Lauren, Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
After the war and genocide that led to the collapse of Yugoslavia, the population was forced to redefine themselves along ethnic lines and the newly formed states. Because many families are ethnically mixed and are living abroad, this allows for a certain amount of personal preference in the choice of ethnic identity. One of the ethnicities from this region is the Bosniacs, who were denied a separate ethnic identity and called simply Muslim up until after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Now...
Show moreAfter the war and genocide that led to the collapse of Yugoslavia, the population was forced to redefine themselves along ethnic lines and the newly formed states. Because many families are ethnically mixed and are living abroad, this allows for a certain amount of personal preference in the choice of ethnic identity. One of the ethnicities from this region is the Bosniacs, who were denied a separate ethnic identity and called simply Muslim up until after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Now they are officially recognized but what does this mean to the individuals who identify with this group? This research focuses on Bosnian Bosniacs who are now residing in Florida and records what being Bosnian Bosniac means to immigrants in Florida, what constitutes the reasoning for this identification. and how local Bosnian Bosniacs go about confirming this identity both to themselves and those around them in their everyday lives.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000905
- Subject Headings
- Bosnian Americans--Ethnic identity., Bosnian Americans--Cultural assimilation., Emigration and immigration--Social aspects., Yugoslav War, 1991-1995--Refugees.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Deconstructing my universal marginalization.
- Creator
- Nazim, Fathima Asma., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Visual Arts and Art History
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis is a profoundly personal one. It examines the role of context in creation (authorship) and perception (reading an image) of representation. Born in Sri Lanka during the emergence of one the world's longest lasting civil wars, I never recognized my love and concern for the Island and its ancient history and culture until I traveled to America to pursue a higher education. Ever since, I have constantly found myself in situations where I am regarded as the 'other' or the 'outsider' ;...
Show moreThis thesis is a profoundly personal one. It examines the role of context in creation (authorship) and perception (reading an image) of representation. Born in Sri Lanka during the emergence of one the world's longest lasting civil wars, I never recognized my love and concern for the Island and its ancient history and culture until I traveled to America to pursue a higher education. Ever since, I have constantly found myself in situations where I am regarded as the 'other' or the 'outsider' ; I seem to not fit in completely in this country as well as in my own. In the US I am considered 'eastern' or 'exotic', whereas in my own country, I am considered 'westernized', no longer looked at as a typical Sri Lankan woman. This thesis examines and explores marginalization, orientalism, deconstruction theories, semiotic studies, dialect as well as attire, in the specific context of Graphic Design.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2138108
- Subject Headings
- Marginality, Social, Marginality, Social, Identity (Psychology), Pluralism (Social sciences), International relations and culture, Culture and globalization, Visual communication in art, Graphic design (Typography)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- More social capital please!: a study of a Brazilian immigrant community.
- Creator
- Esteves, Jessica., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
- Abstract/Description
-
Researchers who study Brazilian immigrants in the United States have noted a lack of camaraderie and social networks among Brazilians. Based on recent research conducted in Broward County, Florida, Manuel Vâasquez argues that while there are clear structural impediments to community formation among Brazilian immigrants, Brazilians do form social networks. This thesis examines the survey and ethnographic data from Vâasquez's sample to test a series of hypotheses about which factors impact...
Show moreResearchers who study Brazilian immigrants in the United States have noted a lack of camaraderie and social networks among Brazilians. Based on recent research conducted in Broward County, Florida, Manuel Vâasquez argues that while there are clear structural impediments to community formation among Brazilian immigrants, Brazilians do form social networks. This thesis examines the survey and ethnographic data from Vâasquez's sample to test a series of hypotheses about which factors impact levels of social capital and the potential for network creation and mobilization among Brazilian immigrants. Analysis of the data suggests that religious participation and levels of perceived discrimination are correlated with higher levels of social capital in this sample. For a group of immigrants characterized by a lack of collective solidarity and facing an increasingly hostile economic and social climate, religious organizations may be essential locales for achieving sufficient social capital for social, economic, and political integration.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335017
- Subject Headings
- Social capital (Sociology), Infrastructure (Economics), Social networks, Brazilian Americans, Social conditions, Brazilian Americans, Cultural assimilation, Brazilian Americans, Ethnic identity, Emigration and immigration
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Black adolescents’ critical encounters with media and the counteracting possibilities of critical media literacy.
- Creator
- Waldon, Kalisha, Schoorman, Dilys, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
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This transformative mixed-methods research study, uniquely designed as a 12-week curriculum to facilitate critical media literacy, drew upon the principles of critical pedagogy to investigate Black adolescents ‘perceptions of the impact of media on their racial identities. Responding to the high rate of media consumption among Black youth, the Critical Encounters Unit engaged 79 Black high school students in the southeast United States in examining how they made sense of their media...
Show moreThis transformative mixed-methods research study, uniquely designed as a 12-week curriculum to facilitate critical media literacy, drew upon the principles of critical pedagogy to investigate Black adolescents ‘perceptions of the impact of media on their racial identities. Responding to the high rate of media consumption among Black youth, the Critical Encounters Unit engaged 79 Black high school students in the southeast United States in examining how they made sense of their media encounters. Data on participants ‘perceptions of the role media plays in constructing Black identities and societal perceptions of Blacks were gathered through pre-post study surveys of all participants‘ self-identities and media literacy, interviews with 15 participants, 467 student journals, and 15 video observation field notes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004474, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004474
- Subject Headings
- African Americans in popular culture, Blacks -- Race identity -- United States, Critical theory, Critical thinking, High school students, Black -- Attitudes -- United States, Mass media and youth, Racism -- Prevention
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The “Shepard” will guide us: a textual analysis of hegemonic reinforcement and resistance in the mass effect video game series.
- Creator
- Gonzalez, Maricruz, Scodari, Christine, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
-
Mass Effect is a Science Fiction/Action Role Playing/Third Person Shooter video game series that takes place in the year 2183, in which the player assumes control of Commander Shepard. Players can choose to customize the character based on his/her gender, appearance, sexual orientation, background origin and occupation. The choices that show up in the game are also based on how the player wants their version of Shepard to interact with other characters and allows players some leeway to shape...
Show moreMass Effect is a Science Fiction/Action Role Playing/Third Person Shooter video game series that takes place in the year 2183, in which the player assumes control of Commander Shepard. Players can choose to customize the character based on his/her gender, appearance, sexual orientation, background origin and occupation. The choices that show up in the game are also based on how the player wants their version of Shepard to interact with other characters and allows players some leeway to shape their own narrative. The series also discusses and acknowledges issues of race, gender, subjecthood and sovereignty, politics and sexual orientation within its narrative. This analysis focuses on the text of the series and its implications concerning hegemonic reinforcement and/or resistance in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, politics, and warfare tactics.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004288, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004288
- Subject Headings
- Computer games -- Social aspects, Electronic games -- Social aspects, Feminist theory, Gender identity in mass media, Mass Effect video game -- Social aspects, Mass media and culture, Sex role, Video games -- Moral and ethical aspects, Video games -- Social aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- From Subaltern to President: Evo Morales, New Social Movements, and Regional Autonomies in Bolivia.
- Creator
- Barrero, Gabriela Ovando, Horswell, Michael J., Duno-Gottberg, Luis, Florida Atlantic University, Marin, Noemi
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation examines the processes of social, cultural, and political change that have taken place in Bolivia since the decade of the 1970s and how they have paved the way for the rise to power of indigenous people and the election of Evo Morales to the Presidency. It also addresses a growing trend toward more radical reforms to State structures after Morales' inauguration, which has created serious institutional chaos and a polarization of civil society. The reforms proposed by the...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the processes of social, cultural, and political change that have taken place in Bolivia since the decade of the 1970s and how they have paved the way for the rise to power of indigenous people and the election of Evo Morales to the Presidency. It also addresses a growing trend toward more radical reforms to State structures after Morales' inauguration, which has created serious institutional chaos and a polarization of civil society. The reforms proposed by the Morales administration and its political party (Movimiento al Socialismo) include a new constitution which aims to re-found Bolivia favoring its Andean ethnic groups, and an indefinite re-election of president Morales. At the same time, his party now in control ofthe muddled Constituent Assembly charged with writing the new constitution, intends to diminish the constitutional mandate of a 2006 referendum, whose results favored autonomias (an administrative and political descentralized State model, similar to Spain's or Peru's) in four provinces, which would allow a more efficient administration of the different geographical, cultural, and productive regions of Bolivia while preserving national unity. This dissertation investigates and recognizes the achievements of Bolivian indigenous movements (not only Andean, but also those from the Eastern lowlands, which in fact were the pioneers in the struggle to regain their rights and identity) and the need to reform a State that should accommodate their rights, values, and traditions along with those of the rest of Bolivians, the mestizos (mixed blood) and the nonindigenous, on the basis of consensus and national solidarity. To reach that goal it defends the necessity to preserve the guidelines of Western participative democracy and freedom in combination with the modalities of indigenous communitarian democracy. This basic concept, if applied, would lead the members of the current Constituent Assembly to write an all-inclusive constitution based on consensus and reciprocal solidarity, while opening the necessary space for national dialogue and development, even in the indigenous communities. This dissertation also proposes the promulgation of autonomias departamentales in accordance with the results of the 2006 referendum. Its thesis underlines that autonomias are the most coherent and viable way to descentralize the administration of the diverse regions of Bolivia in a near future. Autonomies represent a creative system that is capable of untying the asphyxiating knot imposed on the regions (departamentos) by a centrist and vertical State, founded in 1825, which pretended to extend its political and economic control over different historical realities, geographical contexts, and diverse cultural backgrounds whose representatives are today demanding fresh air. Methodologically, the panoramic review and analysis of different texts throughout this dissertation identifies the main causes of the actual social fracture in Bolivia, as well as proposes a set of possible solutions. Each chapter contains the analysis of a primary text, along with the discourse of indigenous leaders, constitutionalists, Bolivian public intellectuals, and my own voice. Among them are Marcial Fabricano, Alejo Veliz, Felix Patzi, Juan Carlos Urenda Diaz, Ana Maria Romero de Campero, Alvaro Garcia Linera and Victor Hugo Cardenas, whose ideological positions, theoretical contributions, and proposals are essential for my construction of a concise analysis and possible solutions to the perplexing challenges facing Bolivia today. This dissertation is based on the recognition that Bolivia is a culturally and geographically heterogeneous country, where coexistence between its diverse ethnic groups and regions -aggravated by profound ideological differences, a proverbial impossibility to govern the country, and the poverty of the majority of its inhabitants- has reached perilous levels of polarization and social unrest. A real change and a real de-colonizing revolution (which inspires president Eve Morales and vicepresident Alvaro Garcia Linera's ideological program) cannot be produced and be real without the implementation of regional autonomies (autonomias departamenta/es) and the strengthening of autonomic indigenous municipalities and territories, already legislated by the actual constitution. NOTE A Spanish version of this dissertation (which includes a Collocutio and three more chapters) follows the present text. Chapters V and VI are focused on the analysis of eastern Bolivia (where a parallel and no less controversial identity, facing the Andean, has emerged: e/ ser crucefzo) and autonomic proposals more in detail. Chapter VII presents the voices of Bolivian public intellectuals (indigenous and non indigenous) who, and for the reasons they explain, are not members of the present Constituent Assembly.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000980
- Subject Headings
- Morales Ayma, Evo,--1959-, Bolivia--Politics and government--21st century, Indians of South America--Ethnic identity, Politics and culture--Bolivia, Democratization--Bolivia--21st century, Marginality, Social--Bolivia
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- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The spider woman rules no more? The transformation and resilience of Aztec female roles.
- Creator
- Rogers, Rhianna C., Florida Atlantic University, Cruz-Taura, Graciella
- Abstract/Description
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Archival documents have shown Spain's attempts at Christianizing the Aztecs and illustrated Spanish justifications for the destruction of traditional Aztec beliefs and gender roles. Analyzing these documents, it becomes apparent that female roles were transformed along the lines of Spanish and Christian ideologies of a proper woman. An examination of the initial nature of Aztec-Spanish relations, with a specific emphasis on the religiosity and mentalities of both the conquered and the...
Show moreArchival documents have shown Spain's attempts at Christianizing the Aztecs and illustrated Spanish justifications for the destruction of traditional Aztec beliefs and gender roles. Analyzing these documents, it becomes apparent that female roles were transformed along the lines of Spanish and Christian ideologies of a proper woman. An examination of the initial nature of Aztec-Spanish relations, with a specific emphasis on the religiosity and mentalities of both the conquered and the conquerors, provides a direct correlation between transformation of native women's social status and initial contacts with European patriarchal customs. Focusing on the reciprocating system of duality existing between men and women in Aztec life and religion, Spain's persistence at adopting a patriarchal structure for all indigenous peoples, the andocentric mentality of Christianity, and the resilience of native women's roles in the post-Conquest era, this thesis illustrates the various factors contributing to the transformation and preservation of Aztec female roles.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13173
- Subject Headings
- Mexico--History--Conquest, 1519-1540, Aztec women--Social life and customs, Sex role--Mexico--History, Gender identity--Mexico--History, Aztec women--Cross-cultural studies
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- American national identity and discourses of the frontier in early 20th century visual culture.
- Creator
- Maldonado, Chandra Ann, Trapani, William, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis examines the rise of image culture in the 1920’s and its impact on American national identity. I demonstrate that, perhaps surprisingly, the central figure in these debates was not a past or present prominent American but instead an indeterminate Other which is read in ambivalent ways and for varied purposes. It is the central claim of this project that in order to trace the modern American subject that emerges from the 1920s national rift, one must attend to the ways in which a...
Show moreThis thesis examines the rise of image culture in the 1920’s and its impact on American national identity. I demonstrate that, perhaps surprisingly, the central figure in these debates was not a past or present prominent American but instead an indeterminate Other which is read in ambivalent ways and for varied purposes. It is the central claim of this project that in order to trace the modern American subject that emerges from the 1920s national rift, one must attend to the ways in which a felt need to view and position oneself in relation to “the Other” was essential to defining the nature and future of the nation. More specifically, I argue that the film Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life (1925) offers a solution to this national divide by providing viewers a popular culture form of “evidence” of the Westerner’s capacity to exhibit both premodern and modern qualities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004214, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004214
- Subject Headings
- Frontier and pioneer life -- United States -- Historiography, Frontier thesis, Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925) (Motion picture), Group identity -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century, Nationalism -- United States -- History -- 20th century, Political culture -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- GIving voice to historical trauma through storytelling: the impact of boarding school experience on American Indians.
- Creator
- Charbonneau-Dahlen, Barbara K., Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
- Abstract/Description
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Objectives: This study documented events contributing to historical trauma among American Indian mission boarding school survivors, described residual effects of that trauma, and verified the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel model as a culturally appropriate tool that enhanced storytelling. Research Design and Methods: Nine women from two Upper Plains tribes were located through snowball sampling and participant referrals. A descriptive exploratory qualitative approach facilitated them in...
Show moreObjectives: This study documented events contributing to historical trauma among American Indian mission boarding school survivors, described residual effects of that trauma, and verified the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel model as a culturally appropriate tool that enhanced storytelling. Research Design and Methods: Nine women from two Upper Plains tribes were located through snowball sampling and participant referrals. A descriptive exploratory qualitative approach facilitated them in relating their survival stories. Seven were tape-recorded and two were hand-written on the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel, a model specifically designed for this study; this, combined with traditional spiritual grounding ceremonies, enhanced perspective for researcher and participants alike. Data Analysis: Liehr and Smith's (2008) Story Theory guided the methodology in the data gathering and analysis process using the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel combined with taped and written storytelling sessions. Major themes were categorized and supported with interview quotes through inductive analysis of the two research questions: What were the health challenges faced by survivors of American Indian mission boarding schools over time?, and, How have American Indian mission boarding school survivors resolved the health challenges they have faced over time? The first theme, subdivided into Breaking and Silencing of Spirit, examined physical, mental, and sexual abuse. The second theme, Survival of Spirit, examined relationships/parenting, coping/substance abuse, and spirituality. Findings: The seven dimensions described in Lowe and Struthers' (2001) Nursing in Native American Culture Conceptual Framework provided the value structure used for interpretation of findings. Implications for practice and research were related to the seven dimensions as culturally appropriate parameters for nursing., Data analysis identified disturbing themes; unanticipated candor emerged, possibly owing to the fact that the researcher is a historical trauma survivor. Despite having survived historical trauma through the survival of the spirit, each participant struggles to resolve health challenges to this day. Unable to voice mission boarding school experiences for most of their adult lives, each affirmed the rediscovery of Native spirituality empowering; all expressed appreciation for traditional methods woven into storytelling sessions, particularly the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel, and all indicated they experienced release and healing through telling their stories. Key words: American Indian; historical trauma; nursing; boarding school; Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2975245
- Subject Headings
- Psychic trauma in children, Treatment, Resilience (Personality trait), Identity (Psychology), Indians of North America, Cultural assimilation, Indians of North America, Social conditions, Indians of North America, Medical care, Boarding schools, History, Narrative therapy, Interpersonal relations in children, Psychological aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)