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Dystopia: A World Without Literature
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature)--John Cabot University, Fall 2019.This thesis investigates the role and function of literature in five classic dystopian novels:1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury,The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Arecurrent feature of literary dystopias is fictive settings in which literature is censored,suppressed or banned. The implication might be that literature is a necessary component of anyfree, democratic, fully human imaginative society, and its absence a fatal flaw. While thepresence of imaginative literature does not guarantee a utopia, the absence of literature might bean indication of dystopia
Rape used as a weapon of war in conflict zones Case Study: Kashmir
No full textThesis (B.A. in in Political Science and International Business)--John Cabot University, Fall, 2019.The use of sexual abuse and rape in wars and armed conflicts are as old as war itself. But the stigmatized and private nature of sexual assault means that these atrocities are often undocumented, left out of the historical accounts and concealed in news stories that primarily focus on casualties and means of warfare. In this discussion of arms and ammunitions, means and objectives and, soldiers and rebel groups, the violence against women in armed conflicts are often completely overlooked and underemphasized. Consequently, this thesis aims at highlighting the prevalence of sexual violence in armed conflict and, more specifically, attempts to establish the use of sexual violence as a means of warfare. It relies on the theory of Thomas and Ralph on the tradition of impunity that effectively establishes the “intent and motive of rape as an agency to subjugate and inflict shame upon their victims, and by extension to their families and communities." (Thomas and Ralph, 1994, pp. 82) In doing so, it explores the 'honor' framework that surrounds the victims of sexual violence that effectively categorizes rape as a sexual act instead of a violent one. An act that fails to categorize violence against women as torture and rather as collateral damage in armed conflicts. With the conflict in Kashmir as the case study, this thesis recognizes and analyzes the complex socio-cultural and political dynamics of the region concerning the use of sexual violence as a war tactic. Hence, to effectively examine the causes, effects, and consequences of such a tactic, the thesis is focused solely on the Indian administrated territories of Kashmir. In limiting the research, the thesis explores the shortcoming and loopholes in the existing national and international provisions on sexual violence. Finally, it emphasizes the need for command responsibility in the prosecution of the perpetrators alongside the trial of violation of human rights in civilian fast track courts as opposed to the military courts
To What Extent Can Islamic Trotskyism Be Called a New Factor in Global Politics?
No full textoai:null:20.500.14490/374Thesis (B.A. in International Affairs, Minor in Communications)--John Cabot University, Spring 2019.Drawing attention to the striking similarity between Trotskyism, radical proto-version ofCommunism and Wahhabism Salafi jihadism, preached by the Islamic State, this thesis raises thequestion if, despite the intense use of theological backing when justifying violence practices, thegroup mostly exploits religion to accommodate its of lust of power. To analyze the combinedreligious-political nature of ISIS, this thesis introduces 'Trotskyism' as a category, a subset ofviolent ideologies that follow a similar strategic path and adopt similar political language even if themessage they strive to deliver is different. Trotskyism, whether Red or Islamic, employs moralrigidity of religious zeal to produce highly determined movements that consider the population’scosts incurred in the struggle inferior to the greatness of their universal goals. The first theoreticalchapter builds upon the current academic debate on religion’s coercion-inducing potential and theirrationality of religious violence, questioning the very applicability of both. The second datasection chapter demonstrates how Red and Islamic Trotskyisms strongly resemble each other intheir a) origins, b) ideologies, and c) methods. The last chapter considers the movement’s uniquefeatures and conceptual modification caused by the context and ways of its development.The conclusions of this thesis generate valuable practical insights regarding ISIS’ particularcase and contribute to broader theoretical knowledge. The very understanding of militant religion isseparated from the understanding of religion per se: the former becomes a religion-politics hybrid,turning from individual’s self-purification to a forceful restructuring of the public realm. There is nopredestination for this conceptual transformation to occur but rather social, political, and economicconditions, allowing for it. Exposing the flaws of of clear-cut classification between rational andirrational, which exists in scholarly literature now, this thesis highlights the importance ofconceptualized typology of violence, not “religious” versus “secular” but “Trotskyist” versus both.Keywords: Islamic Radicalism, Islamic State, Religious Violence, Religion and Politics
The Binational State The Dilema in Defining Thai Nationalism & the Two National Identities of Siam
No full textThesis (B.A. in History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2019.Thai History has been examined in numerous ways, by a wide range of scholars, over several decades. This undergraduate history thesis is in no way intended to be a revisionist study of the period in question. What I hope this thesis does make clear, however, is a trend not often considered by historians working on the subject. The idea of two national identities is not uniquely my own. Most research on the origin of Thai nationalism resolves the dilemma of defining the national identity by suggesting the defeat of one of these national models. I would disagree with this simplification, as it gives too much importance to the political parties that introduced these national identities, and not enough to the philosophical and historical background of the identities. In this thesis I do not give names to these two identities, instead referring to the political party or faction that supported them at any given time; most significantly the Monarchist and Revolutionary divide. This was intentional, as the focus of this thesis is on this period, and not the continued evolution of these national models. This thesis was also not intended to criticize the royal family or any monarch of the Chakri dynasty, and has avoided explicitly covering topics that are currently censored by the Thai government. Despite these two limitations, this thesis endeavors to go through the narratives of the two national identities from the start of the reign of King Vajiravudh to the abdication of his successor, King Prajadhipok, and to analyze the points in which these two identities interacted and how they eventually came to conflict
The County will have complete independence; the people will be safe from danger; everyone will have work and therefore not starve; everyone will have equal rights, and none will be servants or slaves of the royalty
- Manifesto of the People’s Party
Multiple Group IRT Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale in Thirteen International Samples
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) in terms of Item Response Theory differential test functioning in thirteen distinct samples (N = 7714) from twelve different countries. We assessed differential test functioning for the three FSCRS subscales, Inadequate-Self, Hated-Self and Reassured-Self separately. 32 of the 78 pairwise comparisons between samples for Inadequate-Self, 42 of the 78 pairwise comparisons for Reassured-Self and 54 of the 78 pairwise comparisons for Hated-Self demonstrated no differential test functioning, i.e. measurement invariance. Hated-Self was the most invariant of the three subscales, suggesting that self-hatred is similarly perceived across different cultures. Nonetheless, all three subscales of FSCRS are sensitive to cross-cultural differences. Considering the possible cultural and linguistic differences in the expression of self-criticism and self-reassurance, future analyses of the meanings and connotations of these constructs across the world are necessary in order to develop or tailor a scale which allows cross-cultural comparisons of various treatment outcomes related to self-criticism
Repressive Tolerance: A study on the LGBTQ Rights Movement from Fascism to Modern Day Italy
No full textThesis (B.A. in Italian Studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2019.Lo scopo di questa tesi è di determinare quanto successo abbia avuto la comunità LGBTQ in Italia, prendendo in considerazione le costruzioni sociali sia di genere maschile sia di genere femminile, e quanto si avverte ancora oggi l’influenza che gli anni del fascismo ha avuto sui modelli di uomo e di donna e sulla famiglia tradizionale. Dal secondo dopoguerra si sposta l’attenzione sugli anni della “Dolce Vita”, quando la vita mondana di Roma lasciava più spazio alle tendenze omosessuali nel mondo dello spettacolo. I moti di Stonewall e le prime manifestazioni per i diritti degli omosessuali in Italia negli anni ’70 e ’80 rappresentano una pietra miliare per il movimento. Infine, si discute gli anni ’90 del secolo scorso e gli anni 2000 per arrivare alla conclusione sull’efficacia del movimento per i diritti delle coppie omosessuali e quali sono i nuovi obbiettivi che si vorrebbero ottenere in futuro
Bridging the Gender Digital Gap
Get PDFDespite the headway the world has experienced over the last couple of years in terms of a substantial increase in digital access, there are still significant challenges to overcome in ensuring women are included in the transformation to a digital society, which in turn will enhance productivity and social development. Efforts to increase internet adoption access through broadband plans and legislative reforms have yielded improvements in use and adoption. However, there is still a stark and pervasive gender inequality in terms of access, ownership of digital devices, digital fluency as well as the capacity to make meaningful use of the access to technology. Even though affordability is a key source of exclusion, there are also significant socio-cultural norms that restrict access for women. This paper brings forward the argument that access alone is not enough, women need agency and capacity to leverage access. The authors thus highlight the need to make an assessment of the global gender gap and develop meaningful indicators that contribute to the design and implementation of effective policies that drive adoption. We need effective promotion of women´s digital adoption not only from the government but also from the private sector and civil society in order to lead the digital adoption of best practices for women around the world
Social Entrepreneurship Policy: Evidences from the Italian Reform
Get PDFSocial entrepreneurship (third sector) is an increasingly important global economic phenomenon that is squarely under the academic lens. Social entrepreneurship represents an interesting opportunity for policy makers to explore new frontiers of economic growth and implement innovation in a potentially growing services sector with possible job opportunities coming from new job creation in the upcoming decades. Based on evidence from Italy, this paper considers the broader picture of this phenomenon. Addressing the need to better understand the drivers of social entrepreneurship policy, we propose a model for interpreting the impact of the recent Italian reform of the third sector at various levels of the ecosystem, which favors innovation, technology adaptation, and greater employability. The presented results contribute to laying the foundation for the further development of a theory of entrepreneurship policy
The effectiveness of the 2008 Lacey Act amendment in reducing the import, trade, and consumption of timber derivatives in the US that contribute to deforestation and illegal logging worldwide
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2019.The objective of this thesis is to determine the effectiveness of the 2008 Lacey Act amendment in reducing the import, trade, and consumption of timber derivatives in the US that contribute to deforestation and illegal logging worldwide. The analysis involves deductive qualitative research on the global phenomenon of illegal logging by first outlining the social and environmental issues connected to the illicit practice. The history of the Act is then examined, from its initial implementation in 1900 under Congressman Lacey followed by the 1935, 1969, 1981, and 2008 amendments. Theories by legal and environmental scholars are discussed, followed by major case studies brought forth under the Act. The analysis is then concluded with the understanding that the 2008 Lacey Act amendment has been relatively effective in reducing the flow of illegally sourced wood into the US, which has had positive effects for both environmental conservation and market competition. The final chapter also suggests potential solutions for strengthening the Lacey Act
The Contemporary Italian Novel in Translation: Paolo Cognetti’s The Eight Mountains
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Classical Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2019.This dissertation examines the novel The Eight Mountains by Italian author PaoloCognetti. It offers an analysis of how Cognetti, a self-taught student of American literature, hasreproduced and adapted American tropes into the Italian setting of his novel. This research aimsto demonstrate that Cognetti has performed an act of cultural translation and that, by introducingthemes of American literature into his own national context, he has Italianized them and giventhem a new meaning which differs from their original one. This analysis compares Cognetti’snovel with the literary works of American authors including Henry Thoreau, Mark Twain, andJack Kerouac and shows the way in which The Eight Mountains has reinterpreted themes theypresent. The dissertation also examines how the English translation of the text has reintroducedCognetti’s novel to the culture that helped produce it. It further argues that, despite theinternational success of the novel, its mild reception in the English speaking world is attributableto the impossibility of the English language to translate key words of the novel and the lack ofinterest that English speaking people have for literatures written in foreign languages