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Frank Thoughts: Investigating the Construction of Anne Frank as a Site of Heritage and Identity Formation in a Globalized PostHolocaust Society
Get PDFThis research begins to investigate the ways constructions of Dutch-Jewish history and the Holocaust in the Netherlands post World War II have become active symbols of heritage or physical sites of heritage for tourists and host communities alike. In this paper I consider the ways in which the memorialization of Anne Frank in Amsterdam and the human rights violations documented more broadly in the host community, the Netherlands, during the Holocaust has and continues to influence identity politics of the Dutch nation-state, its culture, and citizens on both a local and global stage in contemporary times. The “Jewish History – Anne Frank Tour,” an experience offered through Airbnb, is presented as a case study and ultimately represents the evolution of a long running social phenomena in which the reimagining and retelling of Dutch Jewish history from a neoliberal nationalist lens transforms Dutch Jewish history into a subject of tourism in relation to the nation-state. In this process Jewish peoples and identity are cultivated into productive citizens of the state though market virility via the mass tourism industry. In reconstructing the past and historical memory of a Dutch-Jewish community within a tolerant Dutch nation-state, an ahistorical retelling of Dutch history comes into play the assimilation of Jews and Judaism into the Netherland’s represents virtues of Dutch tolerance and culture. So the Netherlands’ response of regret, remorse, and reception to the Holocaust as an unacceptable chapter of heritage allows the Dutch government and nation-state to present as progressive and tolerant in a globalized context, when in reality the Netherlands may be relapsing into the practices of exclusion and injustice they participated in during World War II
SEARCHING FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW: AN INTERNSHIP WORKING TOWARD THE ALLEVIATION OF ENERGY POVERTY THROUGH SOLAR POWER AND SEARCH-ENGINE CROWDFUNDING
Get PDFAuroville Consulting is an environmental consulting firm, founded in 2010, that works to create an environmentally-friendly and socially responsible world. One of Auroville Consulting’s projects, the Solar Village Initiative, works to address the effects of energy poverty by installing on-grid solar panels and solar generation systems in rural villages throughout rural Tamil Nadu., with the Solar Village Search Engine as a crowdfunding tool for the project. By performing dayto- day tasks pertaining to communications, journalism, social media, and promotions for the Solar Village Search Engine at Auroville Consulting; participating in in-office discussion; and living and working in Auroville, I was able to improve my communication skills, gain a better understanding of energy poverty and renewable energy, and understand what it means to be a part of an international community and workplace
Sustainable Tourism Practices in Vietnam: The Influence of Institutions and Case Study of Sapa’s Growing Tourism Industry
Get PDFAs tourism becomes increasingly important to Vietnam’s economy, and subsequently the development of the country, it will become ever more critical to examine the impact of tourism, including both the positive and negative consequences. The intention of this paper is to continue the analysis of the tourism industry in Vietnam; in particular, this paper considers sustainable tourism, which can be defined as minimizing impact on local culture and environment while simultaneously resulting in economic gains and employment, all while operating in a way that can be continued in the future. As Vietnam is rich in diverse cultures and natural landscapes, the sustainability of tourism is vital when considering the industry as it currently exists.
This paper considers the efforts and impact of two institutions that influence the awareness and adoption of sustainable tourism practices in Vietnam: government and universities. The government is considered as it holds the exclusive responsibility to set laws for tourism and determine new policies. Educational institutions are also considered valuable in the future of tourism practices, as universities are increasingly building their programs in tourism studies that prepare students for future managerial roles in the industry. Finally, this paper examines Sapa, a well-known tourist destination located in the mountainous Lao Cai Province. Particularly, this research focuses on tourism practices that currently exist there and how they have been impacted by local institutions.
This paper concludes with suggestions for further research in the field. The research discussed in this paper is based on only one month of investigation, and there are many areas mentioned which can and should be studied on a more detailed level
The Challenges of India’s Rising Breast Cancer Epidemic
Get PDFIndia is currently undergoing rapid urbanization, which is greatly impacting Indian citizens’ health. One of the rising concerns due to the drastic lifestyle and environmental changes that are results of urbanization is the issue of breast cancer. Breast cancer diagnosis rates are rising exponentially, and breast cancer has moved its way up to be the most common cancer in India. Breast cancer mortality rates in India are also some of the worst in the world. This paper analyses the social, mental, economic, geographic, and physical challenges that are present for women diagnosed with cancer in India. It assesses how they decrease the woman’s likelihood of receiving early diagnosis and treatment. Late diagnosis is the main reason that the mortality rates are so high. The study also discusses solutions to the problems in the forms of awareness and education. The study was conducted through interviewing oncologists, counselors, social workers, female breast cancer survivors, and males from a variety of professions to understand the challenges that women face in receiving effective and early treatment for breast cancer. These interviews were conducted through Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Koshish, Jaipur Cancer Relief Society, Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Center, and a hostel in Jaipur. The challenges included fear of death, physical effects of treatment, pain of treatment, and lack of education. Through effective increased awareness and education provided to both men and women, these issues can be reduced, and mortality rates can drop despite the rising breast cancer epidemic
The Root of Racism: How Slavery has led to the Condition of Discrimination Against Sub-Saharan Africans and Migrants in Morocco
Get PDFSlavery is the oldest and most central form of discrimination and while most have knowledge on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that of the Sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern Slave trade in which current day North Africa and Middle East contributed to both sexual and military exploitation of Sub-Saharan Africans is often forgotten. The historical implication that going along with North African and Middle Eastern salve trade contribute to the discrimination dehumanization and otherization of sub-Saharan Africans and their perception in North Africa
Fake News, Political Narrative, & Social Media: A Structuration Approach
Get PDFThis research aims to unveil a connection between fake news distribution, readership demand, and social media networks, in this case, Facebook. In this research, fake news is defined as “content that is deliberately false and published on websites that mimic traditional news websites (Johnson and Kelling 2017, p3)”. It is argued that fake news content is not produced at random, but is tailored to particular political demographics and narratives. Exposure to such media not only validates ideological positions, it polarizes political beliefs. Furthermore, Facebook not only acts as an effective distribution medium, but allows individual users to skip structural filters in information sharing, thus creating a more nebulous and less rigid relationship between structures and actors in society.
The methodology is multi-disciplinary and includes the creation of two political narratives, which are then utilized in a content analysis with four fake news articles. Facebook comment sections underneath these articles are also studied to assess a positive or negative impact on readers\u27 political beliefs. Finally, user beliefs about fake news and Facebook are assessed via a twenty-two question questionnaire. Distributed via Facebook, this questionnaire measures user opinion about the commonality of fake news, levels of media trust & fake news impact, and structural links between narrative, news, and Facebook as a platform.
Key Words: Facebook, Fake News, Social Media, Structuration Theory, Political Polarization, Political Narrativ
Engaging America: Unearthing the middle way in the conflict between liberals and conservatives
Get PDFLiberals and conservatives have waged conflict over development strategies since the founding of the United States of America. Observers of the 2016 Presidential Election may have noticed an escalation of a preexisting trend of destructive engagement between Democrats and Republicans. The researcher pursued primary and secondary research in an attempt to understand how conflict within and between development paradigms in the United States can be transcended. The central research question was regarding how this conflict affects efforts towards peacebuilding at the grassroots from the perspective of a liberal. The literature review provides a brief histories of US American Political Economy and Political Economy as an academic discipline with a focus on Friedrich Hayek and John Maynard Keynes. The secondary research was done in conjunction with an online survey of seventy-eight individuals, collecting demographic information as well as participants’ views on political conflict in economic policy. A discussion emerges, blending the findings of the two inquiries into several main trends preventing transcendence of conflict within US American development paradigms. The willingness to make leaps of faith for a Political Economic ideology and disempowered moderate, in relation to liberals and conservative voices, were noted within both primary and secondary research. Future research is suggested in the role of faith in ideology and a disempowered moderate in prevention of peacebuilding
Legacies of War: How the Commercialization of Plastics in the United States Contribute to Cycles of Violence
Get PDFPlastic manufacturing practices developed and justified during World War II transitioned into the commercial space, entered our homes, and became part of everyday life. This proliferation was due in large part to the consolidation of manufacturing processes organized and subsidized by government contracts and the plastics industry leaders’ marketing dynamism. Plastics are in the cars we drive, the way we package our food, and are invaluable throughout the medical field. Moreover, the use of plastics has tangible environmental and health ramifications. The plastics industry and consumption patterns in the United States contribute significantly to hydrocarbon emissions, ecological violence, and the perpetuation of global structural violence through production and waste management flows. Methods like recycling, single use plastics bans, United Nations Sustainability Goals, informed consumers, and the nonprofit sector are all working to restore ecological peace. While this is a necessary step for the planet’s wellbeing, we must also transform the underlying notions and cultural methods which perpetuate industry standards and consumption patterns. This study will focus on how the direct violence of WWII, supported the commercialization of the plastics industry through structural and cultural violence, eventually leading to environmental degradation. While post-war reconstruction, reconciliation, and resolution are often reserved for geographies experiencing high levels of direct violence, I propose we integrate environmental justice into peacebuilding by analyzing the industries created during war time, through the “3Rs” (Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Resolution) in efforts to detract from cycles of violence and promote shifts toward positive peace
“Arica tiene VIH, ¿y tú?” El rol del test rápido de VIH en el diagnóstico oportuno para jóvenes de la comuna de Arica, Chile / Arica has HIV, and you? The role of the rapid HIV test in the timely diagnosis for young people in the district of Arica, Chile
No full textResearch question: How is the rapid HIV test useful in assuring access to timely diagnosis of HIV for young adults in the city of Arica, Chile?
Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the rapid HIV test as a means of increasing access to timely diagnosis of HIV among those aged 18 – 29 in the community of Arica, which participated in a pilot of the rapid test in early 2018. The study sets out to evaluate the installation of this pilot to situate the role of the rapid test in Chile’s HIV landscape. Further objectives include the characterization of the demand for the rapid test, the identification of key barriers to timely diagnosis of HIV among the specified risk population, and an understanding of how the rapid HIV test addresses these barriers. Finally, this study aims to make recommendations for future national policies.
Background: The incidence of HIV in Chile has risen dramatically in the last 10 years, and it is estimated that up to half of the 70,000 to 100,000 people living with HIV in Chile are not aware that they carry the virus. The region of Arica and Parinacota has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the country, especially among young adults. Until the end of 2017, only the ELISA test to diagnose HIV has been available within the public healthcare system. The ELISA can require up to three months to confirm, while the rapid test is considered less invasive and delivers preliminary results within 15 minutes. The national Ministry of Health approved a pilot of 8,000 rapid HIV tests in the family health centers of Arica in the beginning of 2018; however, there are currently no studies on its efficacy. A better understanding of the results of the pilot could improve the future implementation of the rapid test into the public healthcare system and target existing barriers to diagnosis.
Methodology: This study is comprised of 73 anonymous questionnaires by students of the University of Tarapacá and interviews with five experts involved in the pilot of the rapid test. It also uses ArcGIS to map the geographic access to the HIV exam in the city of Arica. The interviews were analyzed and compared by common themes. The surveys were analyzed quantitatively using Microsoft Excel. However, they do not represent a significant sample of the population and therefore represent the perceptions and experiences of respondents.
Results: The surveys demonstrated a mediocre knowledge of where the pilot of the rapid test was being conducted in the city. It further indicated that primary barriers to testing among young adults include time and low knowledge of the testing process. 47% of those surveyed had been tested for HIV at least once, 59% having realized rapid tests. The most rapid tests took place outside of the public health system. The expert interviews revealed an initial lack of proper guidance and human resources during the pilot. Overall, the professionals believed that the rapid test was an effective tool for timely diagnosis in Arica if paired with improved sexual education
Land As Power: Pathways for Closing the Gender Gap in Land Rights in India
Get PDFThis Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone sought to uncover whether women in their respective communities in India experience improvements in income, education, health, food security and their livelihoods, if said women farmers are able to secure the rights to both their land and other productive assets. The study used a comparative analysis to highlight the state of women’s land rights in India, in conjunction with a selection of best practices relevant to the context and analyzing a case study assessing the impact of one organization’s women’s land rights efforts in particular: The Human Development and Research Center’s Swabhoomi Kendra Center in Meghraj, India. The research used secondary and primary data collection methods, through a literature review highlighting linkages between women’s land tenure security and improved social and economic outcomes. Additionally, interviews with stakeholders from The Human Development and Research Center’s Swabhoomi Kendra Meghraj Center were done to gather further insight into the research. The research uncovered several findings: (i) patriarchal inheritance structures and spaces often obstruct women from realizing their land rights, (ii) while central and state governments have made progressive reforms to work towards gender-equitable land tenure security, gaps in implementation still exist (iii) there was an absence of robust, gender disaggregated land ownership data and (iv) despite these barriers, some notable practices have emerged as vital to the effectiveness of interventions. The paper will then shift into a reflection on insights and lessons learned, such as working to localize legal, infrastructural and institutional mechanisms, and prioritizing the collection of quantitative, gender-disaggregated data. The paper concludes with a discourse regarding recommendations, and the implications sustainable development practitioners should consider for women’s land tenure security interventions throughout India