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The Politics of Fertility: Population and Pronatalism in Ladakh
Full text linkIn India’s northwestern region of Ladakh, the linkage between reproduction, politics, and fertility is both complicated and contested, evident in increasing population discourses and the re-emergence of a Buddhist pronatalist movement. This paper examines the impacts of population discourses and pronatalism on women’s reproductive decision-making, as well as on the delivery of healthcare throughout Ladakh. Population discourses currently circulating produce two reproductive subjects—the “hyper-fertile Muslim woman” and the “vulnerable Buddhist”—both of which have been central in revitalizing Buddhist pronatalism. Data collected through a hospital-based survey and interviews shows that fertility behavior is shaped by religious interpretations, political mobilization, and pressure to be culturally loyal. Fertility decisions are not simply about one’s reproductive choices and desires—but are instead situated in a contested context where Ladakhis are worried about culture loss. While these cultural pressures differently impact Muslim and Buddhist women, the growing politicization of reproduction results in continued ethnic/religious conflict that has far-ranging impacts throughout the region
Awkward Voices: How Storytelling Challenges Preconceived Notions to Lessen Affective Polarization in American Politics
No full textThe United States is no stranger to violence, whether it be in the past or the present, structural or physical. In recent years, however, tensions within the country have increased, particularly between political parties. Operating under the philosophy that a better world cannot be built upon the mistakes of the past, and that peace is a radical act, it is necessary to urgently address this polarization in order to prevent further violence. This article explores the question of whether storytelling between conflicting groups is a method to address these issues.
This paper is divided into two central parts. The first section outlines the problem of polarization. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of American Studies, I use theories of peace and conflict studies to outline how polarization is the predecessor to violence and war. I cite research in psychology to examine how dehumanization plays a role in violence and is a product of polarization. Then, I utilize research in political science to establish why political polarization (as opposed to other divisions in society, such as race, gender, or class) is a concern. Additionally, I differentiate between ideological and affective polarization, and examine what their measured levels in the United States illustrate. I look at all of this information through the American Studies lenses of analyzing systems of power, solving systemic issues, and the roles of race, gender, and class. This leads into the second part of the paper, which presents storytelling as a solution. It addresses the potential for storytelling to be both destructive and constructive. Many of what are known as “post-conflict” societies have had extensive, detailed experiences with storytelling on both sides that were meaningful for healing; from these examples I outline how storytelling can be practiced in order for it to be constructive, and the limits of storytelling as a method. I end with storytelling of my own, from examples in my own life and across the United States that showcase the power of storytelling
From Homeland to Here: Diasporic Belonging and Ethiopian Youth Performance in the Twin Cities
No full textIn Amharic, Tizita is often referred to as a type of musical scale or ballad, but the word itself means so much more. Tizita is also a way of expressing a feeling of longing and memory for the homeland of Ethiopia. As a practitioner and now researcher of Ethiopian cultural dance, this proposed American Studies Senior Capstone project examines the significance of Ethiopian cultural dance within diasporic identities, how it can unite different people of different ethnic groups within the Ethiopian diaspora through mutual understanding, and how it connects diaspora to roots that we only know through the stories of our parents (missing something we never had). Part of my interests and what I consider to be the urgent stakes of Ethiopian performance arts and building a youth dance community is about resisting assimilation, preserving culture, and creating a peaceful environment with each other while acknowledging history. In this paper, I examine Ethiopian history of politics and culture, and its impact on the diasporic communities in the Twin Cities as various political tensions immigrate to the U.S. with our parents and trickle down to the diaspora. I will analyze how this affects how the diaspora act towards and view each other, looking specifically at the Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups in Ethiopia. Traditional Ethiopian dance is also important in terms of representation to younger generations.
This paper is also in part an autoethnographic exploration of my own journey as a choreographer and dancer within two Ethiopian youth cultural organizations for the past 5 years, since 2021. Through this case study I hope to better understand the role dance takes in other dancers\u27 lives and self identity. I aim to show how Ethiopian cultural dance as a practice is an important form of knowledge production because it teaches young people about cultural and political history, values, language, regional dynamics in Ethiopia
The Illusion of Sex-Ed as Panacea: Addressing Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Disparities in Minnesota
No full textAlthough many praise Minnesota for its strong healthcare system, the state still faces significant disparities in access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). These disparities in access are compounded by geographic location, socioeconomic status (SES), and race, with barriers across transportation, cost, and clinic availability further complicating these issues. Based on this understanding, this paper examines adolescent SRH disparities between the Twin Cities metropolitan area and northern rural regions in Minnesota, focusing specifically on unintended adolescent pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Building on this foundation, I apply Dr. Vanessa Voller’s “CSE-as-panacea” framework, which extends Dr. Frances Vavrus’s “education-as-panacea” theory, to highlight how CSE is positioned as the sole solution to complex structural SRH disparities.1, 2 Framing sexual health education as a universal fix neglects the broader social determinants of health (SDOH), depoliticizes systemic disparities, and shifts responsibility from governmental structures onto individual adolescents. By employing narratives of individual youth empowerment, governmental and institutional systems obscure structural inequities while placing the burden of prevention and health improvement entirely on young people without providing any meaningful support. This effectively maintains and perpetuates the same global power structures that not only created these health disparities but continue to entrench and exacerbate them. Based on this, I advocate for an intersectional, multilayered approach in addressing adolescent SRH disparities that pairs affordable, community-based, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed accessible care, with evidence-based, scientifically grounded, developmentally appropriate, and high-quality CSE. A central part of this work is a youth-centered approach, which means listening to and trusting young people as experts on their own health and bodies, while providing them with the knowledge, skills, and safe, judgment-free environments they need to advocate for themselves.
1. Vanessa K. Voller, “Comprehensive for Whom? Examining the Politics, Promises, and Paradox of School-Based Comprehensive Sexuality Education in a Rural Community in Eastern Bolivia” (PhD Dissertation, 2025), 70, https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/comprehensive-whom-examining-politics-promises/docview/3253342843/se-2?accountid=12205.
2. Frances Vavrus, “Constructing Consensus: The Feminist Modern and the Reconstruction of Gender,” Current Issues in Comparative Education 5, no. 1 (January 1, 2002): 53, https://doi.org/10.52214/cice.v5i1.11364
We Do Not Care To Be Silent: Resist the Demand to Self-Censor about Tyranny, ICE, and Genocide
No full textSilence breaking, I argue, is a tool that must be employed as frequently as possible by as many people as possible. Using the tools of hope and courage, working through the barriers of fear and shame, we must be outspoken in our care for all people. This expression of care is so crucial because there are tyrannical forces at work across the globe who wish for nothing more than our silence. In that silence, the U.S. government is expanding its practices to unjustly detain and deport immigrants. To enforce this silence, the U.S. government, through ICE, is detaining journalists and activists. The end goal of these attacks on human dignity is complete unchecked power. As a colonial regime continuing to arm and fund genocides across the globe, any attempts by the United States government to further deflect accountability must be viewed with the utmost concern. It is humanity’s obligation to speak out against cruelty and violence wherever we see it. In working against oppressive forces and their violence, we lessen the capacity of those forces to cause harm
Immune Biomarkers Associated with Ethanol Consumption in Monkeys and Mice
No full textDrug exposure induces an immune response based on drug type and dosage. Previously published studies suggest that EtOH exposure through self-administration establishes rewarding drug effects and addiction-like behaviors across multiple species. However, it is unknown what specific immune signaling pathways are involved in determining EtOH susceptibility. To assess this, this study compares peripheral biomarkers in mice and rhesus macaques. As both mice and NHPs experience similar addiction-like behaviors, it is hypothesized that similar immune indicators of previous EtOH exposure will be present in their immune profiles. Furthermore, overlaps in significant cytokines are expected across the two available tissue types from mice: nail and plasma. To do this, mice completed DID and eCPP paradigms, and lifetime EtOH consumption of each mouse was totalled to form groups of high and low responders. Rhesus macaques were exposed to EtOH following an established SIP paradigm, and nail samples were obtained before and after SIP from our collaborator. Total protein was extracted from mice and NHP nail samples, and cytokine analysis was performed in extracted protein and plasma samples via membrane-bound ELISA. This study identifies cytokines that are integral to EtOH consuming behaviors and are possibly involved in processes of addiction, helping to fill in the gap of knowledge linking the immune system to reward learning
Provenance of Clastic Rocks in the Inner Hornsund Trough, Svalbard
Full text linkLate Paleozoic clastic sedimentary rocks in the Inner Hornsund Trough (IHT) in southern Svalbard represent an archive of regional tectonic events and are key to accurate paleogeographic reconstructions of the Arctic. To tap this archive, ~1800 detrital zircon grains were separated and analyzed from six total samples of sedimentary rock, including samples from both sides of the Hornsund fjord. Two samples came from the Marietoppen formation (Late Devonian), and four from the Adriabukta formation (Late Devonian and/or earliest Carboniferous). Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra from both units are similar, with the majority of analyzed grains falling in the 1.0-2.0 Ga range and exhibiting distinct peaks at ca. 1.65, 1.45, and 1.1 Ga. Relatively small populations also occur at ca. 2.7 and 3.2 Ga. These ages are comparable to those derived from Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Southwestern Basement Province (SBP) that nonconformably underlie Paleozoic and younger rocks of the Inner Hornsund Trough, as well as the Northwestern Basement Province of more northerly Svalbard. This relationship suggests that studied samples of the Marietoppen and Adriabukta formations likely represent reworked locally- and/or regionally-derived material. These results from the Marietoppen and Adriabukta formations are distinct from previously published age spectra from the Andrée Land Basin of northern Svalbard. The zircon ages obtained are also distinct from more distal potential sources in the Arctic (e.g., northern Greenland and the Canadian Arctic). Our new results invite two possible interpretations. One explanation is that late Paleozoic strata of the Inner Hornsund Trough and the Andrée Land Basin were geographically separated, perhaps because the Southwest and Northern basement provinces were not yet juxtaposed. Alternatively, each of these basins may have been locally sourced and disconnected from each other, but otherwise in a relative arrangement similar to today
Electro-Optic Detection of Plasma Generated THz Pulses
Full text linkWe implement a technique of generating ultrafast THz-pulses for use in a time-resolved THz-spectroscopy system. We focus light emitted by an amplified Ti:Sapphire Laser in order to ionize a small filament of air, causing the formation of plasma. When laser pulses cross the plasma the Kerr effect produces measurable, ultrafast THz pulses. More specifically, we characterized pulse length and spectral bandwidth of the generated THz-pulses by examining the response by different electro-optical crystals of different thicknesses. This THz spectroscopy system is currently being used to measure the mobilities of photoelectrons in Methylammonium Lead Iodide perovskite materials, which are potential substitutes for silicon solar cells and also to measure their composition