Posters and Online Posters
Activist Scholarship: Radical Subjects and Political Engagements
Poster Session Lori Hanson
This poster describes and problematizes the praxis of ‘politically motivated’ engagement of radical academics. Derived from more than thirty years of political activism and drawing from literature in the field, the poster suggests the different and sometimes contradictory emphases in the terms ‘community-engaged scholarship’ (CES) and ‘activist scholarship’ (AS) and illustrates how the more politically explicit approach of AS allows its practitioners to name and embrace the unsettling power differentials, in-commensurabilities and contradictions of all engaged scholarly work oriented toward social change. The observations are bolstered with examples and learnings accrued from dialogues with non-academics in social movements in which I have worked in long-term engagements in Canadian and Nicaraguan feminist, social justice, anti-mining and student movements. The intent of the dialogues was: 1) to articulate community-located activist perspectives on university-located activist scholarship, both locally and globally, and 2) to reflectively engage with activist colleagues to clarify the most valued modes of activist/academic and student engagement in my own AS praxis. The literature, dialogues, and reflections revealed how a radical subject position in the academic environment calls for constant shape-shifting and re-imagining both inside and outside of academe, and highlighted contradictions and tensions, raising five unsettling questions: about academic authenticity and commitment in (especially) global engagements, about privilege, about the reification of dichotomies and othering in the language and practice of CES, about the perverse incentives of engaged scholarship currently flourishing in academe, and about the liberal and/or settler-colonialist “strive toward innocence” that implicitly runs through much community engagement.
Sectarianism and Nationalism: Identity Polarization Responses to Postwar Globalization
Online Poster Benedict Edward DeDominicis
A survey of public media reporting revealed that in the November 2016 election of Donald J. Trump as US president, self-professed religious evangelical voters were his most cohesive group of supporters. The findings indicate that the resurgence in American conservative populism includes strong associations with religious community self-identifications. Sectarian dogma has been prominent as a source of ideological expression for this movement. The articulators of these doctrines include clergy who constitute the societal leadership of these national and sectarian community co-identifiers. The study’s results find that this global trend is a reflection of the continuing development of popular political participation defining modernity. Mass political participation manifests itself in support for leaders who express the values of the mass public, which are likely to include nationalism. Sectarianism associates with community self-identity among core segments of the mass public, who tend to equate national and sectarian identity as coterminous. Cognitive psychological tendencies promote perception of the social environment in ways most suitable for avoiding a disturbing dissonance between national and sectarian self-identity. In conclusion, it results in the de facto equation of active membership in the predominant sectarian community with active promotion of the well-being of the national community, including the acquisition and maintenance of its sovereignty. Secular co-nationals are prone to reject such an equation, contributing to a conflictual political dynamic between these two societal segments as they seek control of the state. These groups are prone to view each other with intense distaste, contributing to polity polarization.
The Feminization of HIV: A Retrospective Demographic and Health Surveys Study of Women’s Empowerment Factors in Southern Africa
Online Poster Nallely Mora, Alexandrina Balanean, MPH
Stemming from women’s subordinate status in southern African societies, HIV has been “feminized” to stigmatize women as the vectors of transmission, despite the fact that men are propagating the epidemic. Essentially, the nineteenth century marital laws restrict women’s access to and inheritance of personally and matrimonially acquired assets, thereby limiting their power to negotiate safe sex with their HIV-infected husbands. Using Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data on female respondents in six southern African countries, we conducted a retrospective study to 1) examine the association between female empowerment (proxied by a composite variable per DHS guidelines) and HIV serostatus, 2) examine the association using its component variables (designed for this study), and 3) evaluate the impact of education on HIV serostatus. We hypothesized an inverse relationship between female empowerment and HIV positivity, and lower odds of HIV among women with formal education beyond primary school. We found that women without decision-making authority for large household purchases had the highest odds of HIV (adjusted OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1- 2.1, p=0.020), and women with formal education beyond primary school had higher odds of HIV (adjusted OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5, p=0.011). Given the paramount importance of money in society, we can infer that husbands who delegate to or share decision-making authority for large household purchases with their wives may be manifesting their own self-respect toward them. Future research should evaluate facilitated social bonding among women in southern African countries and investigate the feasibility of communal living systems, especially in rural areas.
Historic Integrity Of Kaisariya Typology Of Souq In Dubai
Online Poster Jency Poothottil A
Souqs are traditional Islamic market places that emerged out from economical and socio-cultural activities stemmed from the faith of Islam. The literature highlights that early developments of Islamic cities were centered on market places. As the souks transformed over time under the influence of rapid urbanization, the spatial dimensions also have changed to accommodate the growing need of the Middle Eastern Cities. Rapid urbanization and change in economic activities paved the way for a modernistic attractive built environment and thereby the resultant decay of old urban fabric in the city and lost identity. This paper explores the case of Dubai, a rapid urbanization hotspot were souqs started gaining importance to regain the cultural identity. Up on different typology of souqs, the Kaisariya typology of traditional souqs in Dubai is susceptible to transformations in spatial configurations and qualities because of the detached volume of spaces of the souq. The values and significance of souq as a cultural heritage and its historic identity in the resultant attractive urban environment pave way for a historic integrity assessment to maintain authenticity. The physical evidence of the souqs that exists today is emphasizing the need for prolonging the historic integrity of souks to impart historic identity.
La Comunidad Intelectual in the USA: “Ganas”, Cultural Adaptation, and Structural Assimilation at a Predominantly White University
Online Poster Diana Rios
This case study examines student “ganas” (culturally rooted motivation) and cultural-structural processes. La Comunidad Intelectual (LCI) is a unique undergraduate Latinx learning community at a major research university. Student experiences represent symptoms of larger processes of a developing “minority” population (the largest “ethnic/racial” group in the USA) by defying xenophobia, reaching for higher academic goals, fuller economic structure participation, and buttressing all opportunities. Student leaders recently debuted a connected student organization geared to be financially and politically advantageous. LCI has a Latinx-Latin American focus in predominantly white New England. A national scan of flagship universities indicates LCI as premier, second only to maverick UCBerkeley’s socio-political model “house.” Ethnic/cultural/racial “minorities” are problematized as major states tilt toward “minority-majority” status. LCI students, most of whom are first-to-attend-college, adapt culturally to participate and flourish in society and a Predominantly White University (PWU). Their “ganas” and cautious structural assimilation are steps toward Latinx-defined success in a racial-economically stratified nation. LCI’s native Spanish, Portguese, Hatian-Creole speakers also dominate English. These conscious students know that Puerto Rico is not foreign, Mexican-Indian-Spanish families were historically evacuated for land-grabs, and that they are perceived as cultural and competitive threats. Students push ahead as multilingual, with increased potential to engage with global communities in public health, education, fine arts, engineering, business, politics. Co-directors/founders and student leaders use biography-of-work techniques. Research links interdisciplinary literature on adaptation, assimilation, Latinx student success, and “ganas.” Archive note materials are derived from syllabi, course plans, residential and research meetings, photos, group chat processes.
Between Global and Local: Culture and Education
Online Poster Peter Serdyukov
Globalization affects cultures and education systems in every country. It is impossible to counteract but it is possible, first, to learn to compete with other countries, and second, to learn to adapt to it while retaining major nation’s cultural identity traits. This study presents a comparative analysis of national education system evaluation based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) together with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. It demonstrates a close relationship between education quality and nation’s cultural characteristics.
Redrawing the Migration Decision Canvas: A Case Study of Cambodian Workers in Thailand
Online Poster Akadet Chaichanavichakit
The production sector in Thailand is confronting risky business circumstances as potential labor shortage is looming. Since the 1980s, Thailand has successfully implemented export-oriented economic policy which has resulted in the surging and perpetuating waves of workers from neighboring countries. While the Burmese have continued to be the largest group of immigrants; the number of Cambodian workers has soared at an extraordinary growth rate, resulting in changing demographical landscape of migrant worker in Thailand. However, recent economic development in Cambodia purportedly affects the number of Cambodian worker in Thailand as growing employment opportunity is expected. Thai construction industry is at the forefront of this potential labor shortage as it employs the largest number of immigrants. This study considers this group of immigrants with phenomenal growth, the Cambodian workers, in construction industry as a study case. Instead of traditional narrative, which usually focuses extensively on economic factors, this study looks at migration decision through economic sociology lens, which integrates both social factors and economic factors into the migration decision canvas. Data collection and analysis are based on mixed research method, with primary reliance on qualitative approach. Interviews and observations were the main vehicles of data collection during repeating fieldworks, both at the destination and the origin area. Findings suggest that migration decision is, in fact, largely influenced by migrants’ household members, community leaders, social perception, and cumulative migrant networks, all of which highlight extensive, both within and cross-border, influence from social ties to migration decisions.
