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Title: The Salango Project.
Creator: Astler, Garrett, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: A film documenting Florida Atlantic University's Department of Anthropology Salango field program that has trained over 300 students in field archaeology outside Guayaqil, Ecuador in the coastal village of Salango.
Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUIR000233
Subject Headings: Salango Site (Ecuador), Archaeology
Format: Video file

Title: Client perspectives of complementary and alternative medicine: The case of acupuncture.
Creator: LaVoir, Dawn M., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: The ethnographic research conducted for this thesis focuses on why some Florida residents opt for complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, specifically acupuncture, when conventional biomedical therapies are also available. Some of the variables include dissatisfaction with current biomedical practice, economic status, social and peer pressure, and curiosity. The results are compared with national trends on CAM usage. In this study, it was found that the primary reason that...
Show moreThe ethnographic research conducted for this thesis focuses on why some Florida residents opt for complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, specifically acupuncture, when conventional biomedical therapies are also available. Some of the variables include dissatisfaction with current biomedical practice, economic status, social and peer pressure, and curiosity. The results are compared with national trends on CAM usage. In this study, it was found that the primary reason that individuals opt for CAM modalities was their negative experience with the practice of biomedicine. Overall, participants who have undergone a course of acupuncture therapy are empowered, relieved, and healthy.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13311
Subject Headings: Alternative medicine, Integrated delivery of health care, Acupuncture, Mind and body, Medical anthropology, Traditional medicine
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: American cultural constructions of the gynecological experience.
Creator: Provenzano, Julie L., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: This thesis research asks why many American women feel uncomfortable going to the gynecologist. In order to investigate this phenomenon, thirty-one women were interviewed regarding their experiences at the gynecologist and their perceptions of their genitals. Using a medical anthropology framework to determine what factors facilitate negative feelings associated with gynecological examinations, the participants' responses were analyzed with regards to cultural influences. It was found that a...
Show moreThis thesis research asks why many American women feel uncomfortable going to the gynecologist. In order to investigate this phenomenon, thirty-one women were interviewed regarding their experiences at the gynecologist and their perceptions of their genitals. Using a medical anthropology framework to determine what factors facilitate negative feelings associated with gynecological examinations, the participants' responses were analyzed with regards to cultural influences. It was found that a paradox exists between American cultural constructions of women's genitals and the biomedical structure of a gynecological examination. Since American women are culturally ingrained with a notion of privacy and sexuality regarding their genitals, revealing them to a stranger within a medical setting can become a highly-charged emotional situation. Ultimately, this paradox is never fully resolved, perpetuating the cultural construction of a gynecological examination as an inherently negative and problematic experience.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13401
Subject Headings: Gynecological examination--Psychological aspects, Anxiety--Prevention, Generative organs, Female--Examination, Physical diagnosis--Psychological aspects
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.
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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: Visions and voices: A community materializes its past.
Creator: Stein, Nancy Carol., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: The cultural construction of the past and the role it plays in the present have contributed to our understanding of our history and our culture. Expression and definition of cultural identity are important factors in this discussion and can depend on who is in control of the image and what drives their interest. In order to examine these issues, I explore the roles of authority, voice, and empowerment. I look at cultural representation as portrayed by the African American community of Delray...
Show moreThe cultural construction of the past and the role it plays in the present have contributed to our understanding of our history and our culture. Expression and definition of cultural identity are important factors in this discussion and can depend on who is in control of the image and what drives their interest. In order to examine these issues, I explore the roles of authority, voice, and empowerment. I look at cultural representation as portrayed by the African American community of Delray Beach Florida through an oral history project and self-representation through exhibits and public performances. I have documented the processes involved as the community gains control over the conceptualization of its past and creates an identify in the present. This example shows how anthropology can play a role that broadens the message of complex histories by the inclusion of personal experiences.
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12888
Subject Headings: Visual anthropology, Oral history
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Lucky socks and four bounces: An anthropological study of ritual in tennis.
Creator: Kalnitsky, Alexandra., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: Tennis, like many sports, demands high levels of performance. To ensure victory athletes try to exclude negative factors. In part this is accomplished through the medium of ritualized behavior. Within the tennis subculture there is a certain etiquette that must be maintained. By conforming to the performance of rituals prior to, during, and after a tennis match the potential for victory has been enhanced. Ritualized behavior serves to eliminate anxiety. Anxiety may lead to a loss in...
Show moreTennis, like many sports, demands high levels of performance. To ensure victory athletes try to exclude negative factors. In part this is accomplished through the medium of ritualized behavior. Within the tennis subculture there is a certain etiquette that must be maintained. By conforming to the performance of rituals prior to, during, and after a tennis match the potential for victory has been enhanced. Ritualized behavior serves to eliminate anxiety. Anxiety may lead to a loss in concentration, therefore its eradication can only benefit the player in question. Through observation of individuals within the tennis subculture, it becomes apparent that performance levels may differ depending on the ritual being performed.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15383
Subject Headings: Tennis--Sociological aspects, Sports--Sociological aspects, Anthropology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The nature of nature: South Floridian children and their "environmental experience".
Creator: Myers, Kristina Baines., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: To investigate how schoolchildren in south Florida think about their natural environment, children were observed participating in several school-organized environmental field trips. Their attitudes about, interactions with and knowledge concerning various aspects of their natural environment were observed. This study explores how these children interpret natural phenomena using their cultural tools and focuses on the interpretation of commonly-observed responses to nature. Responses discussed...
Show moreTo investigate how schoolchildren in south Florida think about their natural environment, children were observed participating in several school-organized environmental field trips. Their attitudes about, interactions with and knowledge concerning various aspects of their natural environment were observed. This study explores how these children interpret natural phenomena using their cultural tools and focuses on the interpretation of commonly-observed responses to nature. Responses discussed include: the blurring of lines between the natural and non-natural, separation and binary thinking, and fear and aggression. Reference is made throughout the study to various theoretical frameworks, including cultural-ecological perspectives, ideas from structural anthropology and other cognitive approaches.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12760
Subject Headings: Austen, Jane,--1775-1817--Criticism and interpretation., Austen, Jane,--1775-1817--Characters--Mothers., Mothers in literature.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Smoking in the age of clean air.
Creator: Stader, Alice Claire., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: The behavior of smoking is one of the most important social and public health issues today. This thesis focuses on the smoker in a south Florida bar district. Through the analysis of forty interviews and one hundred surveys, I uncovered why individuals smoke and how they rationalize the behavior in spite of known health risks. The four emerging themes as to why individuals smoke were for the creation of self-image, pleasure and relaxation, reinforce social relations and mood maintenance. The...
Show moreThe behavior of smoking is one of the most important social and public health issues today. This thesis focuses on the smoker in a south Florida bar district. Through the analysis of forty interviews and one hundred surveys, I uncovered why individuals smoke and how they rationalize the behavior in spite of known health risks. The four emerging themes as to why individuals smoke were for the creation of self-image, pleasure and relaxation, reinforce social relations and mood maintenance. The two themes regarding the rationalization behind the behavior were "it's better than other vices" argument and the "life is dangerous" argument. Individuals know that smoking is a health risk; however, the way in which individuals rationalize the behavior allows them to continue the behavior.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13195
Subject Headings: Smoking--Environmental aspects--United States, Smoking--Government policy, Antismoking movement--United States, Smoking--Prevention--Government policy, Tobacco industry--Government policy--United States, Tobacco smoke pollution--United States, Smoking--Health aspects, Cigarette smokers--Health risk assessment
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: MMO gaming culture: an online gaming family.
Creator: Perez, Michael, Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This study examines the social organization of Gaiscíoch, a large online gaming community that exists within the simulated world of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). It provides an ethnographic account of an online gaming community that is open to any player without skill or time commitment requirements, but still maintains high status within the game world. This project identifies eight elements that make this inclusive, friendly, and casual community successful in...
Show moreThis study examines the social organization of Gaiscíoch, a large online gaming community that exists within the simulated world of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). It provides an ethnographic account of an online gaming community that is open to any player without skill or time commitment requirements, but still maintains high status within the game world. This project identifies eight elements that make this inclusive, friendly, and casual community successful in virtual worlds that tend to be dominated by communities that have a competitive, strict, and exclusive approach to online gaming (social interaction, code of values, leadership, rank system, events, community building, population size, gameplay). Lastly, this project briefly inquires about the nature of the border between the virtual and the physical and establishes that gamers can be considered pseudo-border-inhabitants that are in control of the community they place adjacent to them in the cyber world.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004399, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004399
Subject Headings: Cyberspace -- Social aspects, Fantasy games -- Social aspects, Internet games -- Social aspects, Role playing -- Social aspects, Video games -- Social aspects
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The (trans)formation of image: Symbolic consumption, self, and society.
Creator: Bauer, Daniel Eric, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: In the United States tattooing has become popularized. Tattoo studios are now commonplace commercial venues. Tattooing has become a legitimate art form. This research examines the commodification of tattooing in South Florida and the relationship between consumption and identity production. In efforts to express the self and exert control over the body, individuals adorn themselves. In the United States we are increasingly using tattoos as one form of self-expression. However, this expression...
Show moreIn the United States tattooing has become popularized. Tattoo studios are now commonplace commercial venues. Tattooing has become a legitimate art form. This research examines the commodification of tattooing in South Florida and the relationship between consumption and identity production. In efforts to express the self and exert control over the body, individuals adorn themselves. In the United States we are increasingly using tattoos as one form of self-expression. However, this expression is grounded in Western consumerist ideals. It is through consumption of the symbolic commodity of the tattoo that the individual expresses the self and asserts control over the body.
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12876
Subject Headings: Anthropology, Cultural, Design and Decorative Arts
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Landscaping Practices, Environmental Ethics, and Sustainability in South Florida.
Creator: Maki, Iiro, Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The research conducted for this thesis explores the link between environmental ethics and household landscaping practices. The central issue of any concept of sustainability is the incommensurability of various elements that define approaches, which is why it is treated here as a politicoethical process of subjective valuation. The ethics of sustainability were delineated according to major currents in environmental ethics, as well as briefly illustrated in the context of a broad discussion...
Show moreThe research conducted for this thesis explores the link between environmental ethics and household landscaping practices. The central issue of any concept of sustainability is the incommensurability of various elements that define approaches, which is why it is treated here as a politicoethical process of subjective valuation. The ethics of sustainability were delineated according to major currents in environmental ethics, as well as briefly illustrated in the context of a broad discussion of climate change and resource availability, with some examples of strategies at different institutional levels. An online survey of 87 participants provided responses about local landscaping practices, environmental concerns, environmental ethics, and landscaping aesthetics at the household level. Quantitative analyses of the data yielded significant, but lowstrength correlations between environmentally sustainable landscaping practices and environmental ethics.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004835, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004835
Subject Headings: Lawn ecology--United States--Florida., Environmental ethics., Sustainability., Landscape architecture--Environmental aspects., Landscape architecture--Moral and ethical aspects., Sustainable horticulture--United States--Florida.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Investigating Abandonment Processes in the Cloud Forest: An Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological study of Manteño site abandonment from Manabí, Ecuador.
Creator: Scott, Tasia R., Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This thesis provides an analysis of Manteño site abandonment in the cloud forest of Manabí, Ecuador. First, the types, frequency, and distribution of artifacts at site C4-044 were recorded, mapped, and compared to levels of phosphate in the soil to determine activity areas. The obtained evidence allowed me to make general approximations of the site’s pre-abandonment behavior. Then, the archaeological data together with environmental and bioarchaeological information from the region were...
Show moreThis thesis provides an analysis of Manteño site abandonment in the cloud forest of Manabí, Ecuador. First, the types, frequency, and distribution of artifacts at site C4-044 were recorded, mapped, and compared to levels of phosphate in the soil to determine activity areas. The obtained evidence allowed me to make general approximations of the site’s pre-abandonment behavior. Then, the archaeological data together with environmental and bioarchaeological information from the region were assessed to propose the mode of departure from site C4-044. Through ethnography and ethnoarchaeology, a recent historical account of abandonment in the cloud forest was obtained as well, providing additional insight regarding adaptive strategies and behavioral choices to changing contextual circumstances. The culmination of this evidence shows a gradual mode of abandonment from site C4-044 in the cloud forest that was planned and executed accordingly.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005985
Subject Headings: Manabí (Ecuador), Ethnoarchaeology, Pre-Columbian archaeology, Cloud forests, Manteño
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Rapid Analysis of Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites: Testing an Alternative Method for Analyzing Stress Markers in Chimpanzees.
Creator: Litman, Benni, Broadfield, Douglas C., Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This study explores the application of two methods of spectroscopy; Near Infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) as alternative approaches for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in chimpanzee feces. The goals of this study were twofold: The first was to determine if cortisol can be identified within the NIR and/or FTIR spectra of chimpanzee fecal hormone extract in ethanol solution. The second objective was to determine the capability of NIR and FTIR to predict...
Show moreThis study explores the application of two methods of spectroscopy; Near Infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) as alternative approaches for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in chimpanzee feces. The goals of this study were twofold: The first was to determine if cortisol can be identified within the NIR and/or FTIR spectra of chimpanzee fecal hormone extract in ethanol solution. The second objective was to determine the capability of NIR and FTIR to predict FGM concentrations obtained using standard laboratory methods. Fecal glucocorticoid concentrations measured by Enzyme Immunoassay were used as the reference data of partial least square (PLS) regression of fecal extract NIR spectra and FTIR spectra. Low accuracies (NIR: R2 = 0.152; FTIR: R2 = 0.199) were obtained from regression models using data from both methods. Though this study did not successfully demonstrate the feasibility of using NIR and FTIR to qualify and quantify FGMs, it is likely not a reflection of the capabilities of the technology, but rather of appropriate sample types and preparation methods.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004723, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004723
Subject Headings: Biosensors, Infrared spectroscopy, Metabolites -- Spectra, Primates as laboratory animals, Spectrum analysis -- Diagnostic use
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: SYMBOLIC MEANINGS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN AMONG THE PERUVIAN FISHERMEN–SURFERS FROM HUANCHACO BEACH.
Creator: Sabogal–Suji, Ricardo M., Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: Traditional Peruvian fishermen–surfers from Huanchaco Beach have been surfing the waves of the Pacific Ocean and fishing from their caballitos de totora (reed fishing boats) since ancient times. To some, the near Apu Campana (tutelary mountain) protects the fishermen–surfers form the dangers of sea fishing. And according to the forensic iconographical (corresponding human remains and iconography) and ethnohistorical data, the fishermen–surfers or Huanchaqueros have been fishing and surfing in...
Show moreTraditional Peruvian fishermen–surfers from Huanchaco Beach have been surfing the waves of the Pacific Ocean and fishing from their caballitos de totora (reed fishing boats) since ancient times. To some, the near Apu Campana (tutelary mountain) protects the fishermen–surfers form the dangers of sea fishing. And according to the forensic iconographical (corresponding human remains and iconography) and ethnohistorical data, the fishermen–surfers or Huanchaqueros have been fishing and surfing in the waters for at least 1900 years. Huanchaco Beach’s modern events such as The Sea Festival, The Salty Foot Contest, The Saint Peter Festival, and various surfing events are related to the Mama Kocha or Mother Ocean. Ancient divine beings like Ai Apaec and Takaynamo are also significant elements in the lives of the fishermen–surfers who are the descendants of the Mochica–Chimú people, and whose fishing and surfing activities revolve around the Mama Kocha’s temperament.
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Date Issued: 2019
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013410
Subject Headings: Huanchaco (La Libertad, Peru), Fishers--Peru, Surfers, Symbolism, Maritime anthropology, Pacific Ocean
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Olfaction and Exhibition: Assessing the Impact of Scent in Museums on Exhibit Engagement, Learning and Empathy.
Creator: Mills, Cory C., Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The aim of this investigation is to analyze the effects of incorporating scent-based elements in ethnographic exhibits. Specifically, it attempts to identify changes in patron response to a visual display, with and without a scent element. Groups of patrons were observed throughout their engagement with the exhibit, and interviewed post-engagement to generate data on information retention, opinion on content and empathetic response in relation to the exhibit. Findings suggest that the...
Show moreThe aim of this investigation is to analyze the effects of incorporating scent-based elements in ethnographic exhibits. Specifically, it attempts to identify changes in patron response to a visual display, with and without a scent element. Groups of patrons were observed throughout their engagement with the exhibit, and interviewed post-engagement to generate data on information retention, opinion on content and empathetic response in relation to the exhibit. Findings suggest that the inclusion of scent did increase memorization of the limited facts reinforced through the scent element. However, there was no detectable difference between the groups on measures of overall comprehension of the subject matter, nor their empathetic responses toward the exhibited culture. The results of the study are discussed as a measure of the observer—observed dichotomy, and the argument is made that multisensory representation in the museum can aid in the facilitation of cross-cultural education.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004821, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004821
Subject Headings: Museums--Social aspects., Museums--Psychological aspects., Smell--Social aspects., Museums--Curatorship., Museums--Technological innovations., Museum exhibits--Psychological aspects., Museum exhibits--Physiological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Double trouble: A cross-cultural, comparative study of blind women.
Creator: Irving, Mary., Florida Atlantic University, Harris, Michael S., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: In highly industrialized as well as in developing countries, blind women constitute one of the poorest segments of the population. This thesis explores societies' attitudes towards blind women who are doubly disadvantaged, because of their disability and their gender. In many developing countries this dual discrimination affects women's access to prevention, treatment, education, rehabilitation, and employment. Disabled women are deprived of women's traditional roles of wife, home maker, and...
Show moreIn highly industrialized as well as in developing countries, blind women constitute one of the poorest segments of the population. This thesis explores societies' attitudes towards blind women who are doubly disadvantaged, because of their disability and their gender. In many developing countries this dual discrimination affects women's access to prevention, treatment, education, rehabilitation, and employment. Disabled women are deprived of women's traditional roles of wife, home maker, and mother. This thesis also explores the cross-cultural network of local, national, and regional self-help committees blind women have begun to assemble in response to the worldwide interest in the rights of women and the disabled. The women who are active in these organizations recognize that in order to improve the status of blind women they will have to find ways to overcome the prejudices against the disabled in mainstream groups, and become an integral component of broader movements.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15091
Subject Headings: Blind women, Women with disabilities--Attitudes, People with visual disabilities, Women--Social conditions, Women--Developing countries--Social conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: ¿QUÉ ES GAY?: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF SEXUALITY AND GENDER EXPRESSION IN SOUTHERN MANABÍ PROVINCE, ECUADOR.
Creator: Adorisio, Alessandra, Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This thesis explores how gender and sexuality are expressed in southern Manabí Province, Ecuador. The study employs ethnographic methods to recruit local people who identify as LGBTQ (called LGBTI regionally) to participate in interviews on sexuality and gender identity/expression. Based on this research, I explore the construction of “gay” in this part of Ecuador as identity and performance; additionally, reflective viewpoints of those who self-identify as “gay” are thematically incorporated...
Show moreThis thesis explores how gender and sexuality are expressed in southern Manabí Province, Ecuador. The study employs ethnographic methods to recruit local people who identify as LGBTQ (called LGBTI regionally) to participate in interviews on sexuality and gender identity/expression. Based on this research, I explore the construction of “gay” in this part of Ecuador as identity and performance; additionally, reflective viewpoints of those who self-identify as “gay” are thematically incorporated. The term “gay” is used to describe a spectrum of identities that include: homosexual, transformista, travestí, transexual, and transgénero. These identities are not necessarily static, as many individuals traverse categories in a culturally specific progression that I describe. I propose that coastal Ecuadorians utilize a structuring of sexualities and genders within the region that challenges Western LGBTQ+ labels. This research suggests a new regional depiction of non-conforming identities and their manifestations through language, shared strife, communal beliefs, and individual experience.
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Date Issued: 2021
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013733
Subject Headings: Ecuador, Sex, Gender identity
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: MANAGEMENT OF DEATH AND DYING BY NURSES.
Creator: Lago, Lisa, Michael S. Harris, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: Nurses play a vital role in society by being not just the care-giver of their patients, but also the patient’s advocate when they need advocacy the most. Nurses tend to put the care of patients above their own health. The purpose of this thesis was to see how nurses reflect on the dying process, how they react to it, how they manage their emotions and the emotions of others. My ethnographic study seeks to present nurses’ narratives of experience with death. Ten nurses participated in the...
Show moreNurses play a vital role in society by being not just the care-giver of their patients, but also the patient’s advocate when they need advocacy the most. Nurses tend to put the care of patients above their own health. The purpose of this thesis was to see how nurses reflect on the dying process, how they react to it, how they manage their emotions and the emotions of others. My ethnographic study seeks to present nurses’ narratives of experience with death. Ten nurses participated in the study, by partaking in open-ended interviews. The interviews covered the stories the nurses tell about the first encounter they had with the death of a patient, and the most recent encounter the nurses had with a dying patient. The research conducted was in line with the hypothesis. My primary research question centered on exploring how nurses cope or manage their experiences with death, determining how “compassion fatigue” is experienced. Most of the nurses interviewed said that they felt less affected with their most recent experience of patient death. It was as if it had become second nature, stated several of the nurses.
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Date Issued: 2021
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013849
Subject Headings: Death, Compassion Fatigue, Nurses
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: STRUGGLE AND ADAPTATION AMONG UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED BANGLADESHI IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
Creator: Rahman, Md Abdur, Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: Health disparities in the US Health care system are a well-known fact. I examined such disparity with an anthropological lens, focusing on how Bangladeshi uninsured and underinsured immigrants navigate the system of doctors, clinics, hospitals, and payment regimes (insurance or not). I focused on how these immigrants experience the American system, how they react to it, interpret it, understand it, and contextualize it from their particular backgrounds and expectations. This study will be a...
Show moreHealth disparities in the US Health care system are a well-known fact. I examined such disparity with an anthropological lens, focusing on how Bangladeshi uninsured and underinsured immigrants navigate the system of doctors, clinics, hospitals, and payment regimes (insurance or not). I focused on how these immigrants experience the American system, how they react to it, interpret it, understand it, and contextualize it from their particular backgrounds and expectations. This study will be a step toward closing the knowledge gap of a particular immigrant group's everyday experience of access to health care in the U.S. This research emphasizes Bangladeshi immigrants' everyday sufferings, their struggle, their anxiety, and frustration with access to U.S. health care services. Besides, this is an opportunity to discover the barriers to healthcare access for Bangladeshi uninsured and underinsured immigrant groups. This study provides as much helpful information as possible about the health-seeking practices of uninsured and underinsured Bangladeshi immigrants through ethnographic experience. This study also shows how poor or low-income people are the victims of a country's structural violence. Furthermore, low-income, uninsured, and underinsured immigrants suffer a lot due to problems in the system. And this study also focuses on holistically understanding social inequalities in healthcare services in the U.S.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014280
Subject Headings: Health services accessibility--United States, Health services accessibility--United States--Cross-cultural studies, Bangladeshi Americans
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: EYE OF THE STORM: STRENGTHENING THE CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN OF PALM BEACH COUNTY.
Creator: Miller, Winston H., Harris, Michael S., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: In the last twenty years, cultural resource preservation and management is becoming an impactful venture for all levels of a community in the build-up and wake of a disaster. All forms of government, from local to international, are seeing the value of cultural resources to the resiliency of an area and yet there is more growth to be seen in disaster management planning. With Hurricane Nicole sweeping the coast of Palm Beach County in November 2022, the reality of having a pre-storm...
Show moreIn the last twenty years, cultural resource preservation and management is becoming an impactful venture for all levels of a community in the build-up and wake of a disaster. All forms of government, from local to international, are seeing the value of cultural resources to the resiliency of an area and yet there is more growth to be seen in disaster management planning. With Hurricane Nicole sweeping the coast of Palm Beach County in November 2022, the reality of having a pre-storm assessment of cultural resources became paramount as the state of Palm Beach County’s cultural resources management plan is ill-equipped to handle the growing rise of climate change. This thesis utilizes the National Park Service’s Cultural Resource Climate Change Strategy (CRCC Strategy) as a foundation for developing a cultural resource management document for unincorporated areas in Palm Beach County. From the CRCC Strategy, interview questions were developed and delivered to Palm Beach County Officials to help with the development of the Cultural Resource Document. With climate change and resilience as the backbone of this thesis, the Adaptive Cycle of Resilience Theory is integrated into the development and analysis of the Cultural Resource Document. To bring practicality to the Cultural Resource Document, Dubois Historic District Park is used as its case study. The outlook on the creation of the Cultural Resource Document is to provide a steppingstone for unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County to manage cultural resources and provide municipalities an entry into disaster management studies.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014272
Subject Headings: Cultural resources management, Cultural property—Protection, Palm Beach County (Fla.), Disaster planning
Format: Document (PDF)

FAU Theses and Dissertations (22)	+ -
FAU College Collections (1)	+ -

Acculturation (1)	+ -
Acupuncture (1)	+ -
Alternative medicine (1)	+ -
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