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The Correlation Between Vaccine Hesitancy and Privilege: Exploring the degree to which education and income foster resistance to vaccination efforts
Get PDFVaccine hesitancy is a public health issue of growing concern. Extensive pre-existing literature offers several explanations and conflicting viewpoints regarding reluctance toward vaccinations. However, minimal research has been done exploring the upstream social determinants driving vaccine hesitancy. Utilizing academic and gray literature and interviews with experts in the field, this study addresses this gap in knowledge with the research question: To what extent does privilege impact vaccine hesitancy and resistance? Vaccine hesitancy appears globally and is particularly concerning given the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Additionally, due to inconsistent causes, vaccine hesitancy is difficult to combat. In referencing the history of the anti-vaccination movement and clearly defining social determinants of health (SDH), this study provides clear evidence that suggests a relationship between vaccine hesitancy and privilege, defined as educational achievement and socio-economic status (SES). Nevertheless, the association between the two is difficult to define given the dichotomous presentation of both low and high privilege with increased vaccine hesitancy. Perhaps knowledge of the relationship of vaccine reluctance with the two extremes of privilege can pave the way for future research into the understanding of this phenomenon
Analyzing Alternative Spaces: Queer Social Networks and Notions of Belonging in Morocco
Get PDFBecause of the presence of both legal and cultural discrimination in Morocco, the Moroccan queer community operates largely in secret and is unable to occupy public space. Additionally, the patriarchal structure of Moroccan society creates a culture of toxic masculinity that limits queer expression. This paper examines how queer Moroccans operate in the face of this discrimination. It also explores the extent to which alternative spaces, or spaces that subvert the norms and practices of mainstream society, contribute to the creation of LGBTQ+ social networks. Alternative spaces can be physical spaces—such as bars, cafes, and live music venues—or virtual spaces—such as websites and social media applications. This scholarly work examines whether these alternative spaces allow for a relatively greater level of queer expression, whether through nonconventional aesthetic presentation or the facilitation of queer discourse. Finally, it seeks to discover the importance of LGBTQ+ social networks in providing queer Moroccans with a sense of belonging in Morocco
Políticas Visuales y Acción Colectiva: Un investigación sobre las articulaciones estético-políticas en manifestaciones de arte público en Ushuaia y El Bolsón / Visual Politics and Collective Action: An investigation of aesthetic-political articulations in manifestations of public art in Ushuaia and El Bolsón
No full textArt in the public sphere is an integral tool of communication that transcends the vertical hierarchies of social organization by infiltrating the popular consciousness with disruptive mediums and reclamations of visual space. Because of the specific accessibility of a variety of forms of public art, for both creators and observers, manifestations of public art have become a popular method through which counter-hegemonic social narratives can be constructed and mediated; in Argentina, a profound history of disruptive art has has been intricately intertwined with an equally rich history of popular activism. With a focus in El Bolsón and Ushuaia, two localities in two of Argentina’s southern provinces, the research that follows traces the mode in which works of public arte construct, contest and confirm social narratives related to the environment, territory and collective identity.
This study uses semistructured interviews with members of both of these communities and analyses of specific manifestations of public art to investigate the linkages between the creative process and the artistic product, considering the culturally subjective social constructions of both municipalities and the distinct traditions of public art in each. As historical disputes over territory and environmental management have defined the cultural fabric of both localities, the reclamation of public space asserted through works of art presents an informative framework through which to analyze the construction and mediation of social narratives. While this study does not intend to propose a universalization of the implications of public art, this research presents an analytical map situated in the social contexts of artistic processes in isolated public spaces and the counter-hegemonic narratives that they produce. Ultimately, this investigation aims to build an understanding of the use of distinct forms of public art to communicate counter-hegemonic messages and how the social processes of their constructions are visible in final artistic products.
El arte en la esfera pública constituye una herramienta integral para la comunicación que trasciende las jerarquías verticales de la organización social infiltrándose en la conciencia popular por medio de la interrupción y el reclamo del espacio visual. Debido al acceso específico a las diversas formas de arte público, tanto para creadores como para públicos, las manifestaciones de arte público han logrado popularidad como herramienta de mediación y construcción de narrativas sociales contrahegemónicas; en Argentina, una larga historia de arte disruptivo se entrelaza de modo complejo con la militancia social. Con foco en El Bolsón y Ushuaia, dos localidades de dos provincias del sur de Argentina, la investigación que sigue rastrea el modo en que las obras de arte público construyen, disputan y confirman aspectos relacionados con el medio ambiente, el territorio y las identidades colectivas.
El estudio indaga, por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas con integrantes de ambas comunidades y el análisis de manifestaciones artísticas específicas, los vínculos entre el proceso creativo y su producto artístico, considerando las construcciones sociales culturalmente subjetivas de las dos localidades y la variación de tradiciones del arte público en cada una. En tanto las disputas históricas de territorio y el medio ambiente han definido el tejido cultural de ambas localidades, el reclamo del espacio público por parte de las obras de arte y sus realizadores, presenta un marco informativo para analizar la construcción y mediación de narrativas sociales a través de las obras. Aunque este trabajo no se propone ni pretende universalizar las implicaciones del arte público ni los procesos que involucra, la investigación sugiere un mapa situado en el contexto social de procesos artísticos en espacios públicos aislados y las narrativas contrahegemónicas que producen. Esencialmente, esta investigación intenta entender qué formas adoptan las obras de arte público para comunicar mensajes contra-hegemónicos y cómo los procesos sociales de su construcción son visibles en estos productos finales
Investigating White Hegemonic Masculinity Among SADF Veterans in Durban
Get PDFIn order to enforce apartheid at every level of South African society, the national party government required their white male security forces to share a uniform identity and ideology. This ideology relied on a hegemonic masculinity that would be willing to aggressively protect racism, patriarchy, and cultural conservatism. A whole generation of white men are now reckoning with living in an entirely new country, one where their white masculine identities are not able to be practiced in the same way as they were under an oppressive racist regime. This study will build on existing literature of masculinity in South Africa while contributing a unique perspective from a group that has been relatively understudied since the end of apartheid. A narrative research methodology will be utilized, requesting participants to reflect on their experiences while serving in the military and how these experiences have shaped their identities and social values. One on one interviews will prompt participants to anwer questions not only about their lives as apartheid enforcers but about their opinions on issues regarding gender, sexuality, and race, locating how they view themselves in relation to other groups. The author will seek to answer whether or not the hegemonic masculinity instilled by the apartheid machine has continued to dominate how white men view and perform their identities. This research is vital for a generation of white men to reassess their roles in a new South Africa, and to contemplate how the legacy of years of apartheid rule still have a grip on their lives today
Domesticated: Migrant Domestic Workers in Jordan and Their Place in Jordan’s Law and Homes
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to bring attention to the labor conditions for migrant women domestic workers and what agency they have in the workplace (the home of their employers) and the law in Jordan. Jordan is considered as having a model labor law for migrant workers in the region. Officials from the Ministry of Labor have claimed that this makes the Kafala System––a system of labor that puts migrant workers under the care, standards, and control of the employer––non-existent in the country. This study will look further on the extent that this is reflected to the experiences of many migrant domestic workers. It will also cover how Jordan’s laws regarding migrant workers’ rights have been formed and shaped by diplomatic engagement and pressures from migrant worker sending countries
Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course for Adult ESOL Students - Course Development and Materials -
Get PDFWithin the current context of Adult ESOL education, a growing demographic of language learners with prior business knowledge and experience would like to start their own businesses. Most programs are focused on preparing students for an academic or vocational track in college with little attention given to potential entrepreneurs. This course was created out of an increasing need to prepare and support ESOL students who would like to take entrepreneurship boot camps and courses offered at the college level but lack confidence in their English skills. It provides students with general entrepreneurship vocabulary and gets them familiarized with business practices here in the US. The course includes 6 weeks of curriculum and materials aimed towards ESOL students at levels 3 and 4 based on the CASAs standardized test currently used to assess English proficiency in Adult Education in Florida
Orb-weaver Diversity and Niche Partitioning in Ecuador’s Amazonian Foothills: What spiders can reveal about tree fall gaps, streams, and cultivated areas
Get PDFAs abundant predators at the top of arthropod food chains, spiders are excellent bioindicators. Araneae is a megadiverse and extremely understudied order, especially in the tropics. This study aims to investigate the diversity of orb-weaver spiders across a disturbance gradient and variety of habitat types as well as their microhabitat preferences and potential niche partitioning. Spider collection was performed on spiders of the families Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, and Theridiosomatidae in Sumak Kawsay in Situ biological reserve in the lower elevation cloud forest of Ecuador’s Andean foothills. Spiders and webs were observed and analyzed from primary and secondary forest tree fall gaps, stream corridors in primary and secondary forests, and open areas in cultivated land around the lodge. In general, orb-weaver diversity decreased from primary to secondary to cultivated habitat and there was very little species overlap between forested sites and cultivated sites. The family distributions varied between the habitat types: tree gaps, streams, and cultivated open areas. No dependence was found between various ecological variables within the samples. However, the relative abundance of different morphospecies across height strata demonstrated separate niches were occupied by different species. Additionally, the height strata where webs were found varied with the microhabitat and vegetative qualities present in the different habitat types. With an increase in microhabitat complexity, there was an increase in available niches and thus in orb-weaver diversity
How Spirituality Intensifies Sustainability: A case study of Ananda Valley in Northern Portugal
Get PDFThe religious affiliations of citizens in the West are currently shifting away from the fundamentalist, traditional structures of the past towards more alternative spiritualities. Furthermore, as a result of the climate crisis, ecovillages are becoming increasingly popular. Ecovillages are intentional, “sustainable” communities that seek to reduce consumption, live in harmony with nature, and create strong social bonds. They are characterized by varying levels of spiritual involvement (Greenberg, 2014, p. 274). As such, the objective of this paper is to study the relationship between spirituality and environmentally-friendly practices and attitudes, using the ecovillage Ananda Valley – an Ananda Marga Master Unit (Appendix A) in Northern Portugal – as a case study. The relationship in Ananda Valley is assessed during a seven-day field stay, through interviews and field notes, where participants were asked how they viewed their personal spirituality and the spirituality of the community as influencing the sustainable practices in the ecovillage. Members feel their spirituality inspires and intensifies the sustainability of the community as well as their personal habits. This data was supplemented with secondary sources on ecovillages, the effect of community on social justice actions, and alternative spiritualities versus religious fundamentalism. Using the data from ten interviews combined with existing literature, it was concluded that spirituality is an integral part of the culture and success of Ananda Valley, and thus, the base of the community’s environmental work
El canto del Río Ayampe que corre en la mitad: “La narración socioecológica y el conflicto territorial entre La Comuna Ancestral Las Tunas y el recinto de Ayampe”
No full textEn La Comuna Ancestral Las Tunas existe un legado de narración socioecológica, o socioecological storytelling. Las historias cuentan las luchas medioambientales del pasado en defensa de su tierra colectiva y las riquezas que viven en ella. Pero, como se escucha por las voces de los comuneros, la pelea por proteger su territorio ancestral es constante. Actualmente, enfrentan un conflicto territorial contra el poblado de Ayampe que busca empoderarse del territorio para institucionalizar su independencia. Cuentan que los líderes de la independencia no tienen raíces ancestrales en Ayampe, pero quieren hacer crecer su dominio para que eventualmente se incluya el Río Ayampe. No solo se encuentran intereses económicos, sino también los comuneros narran sobre la intención de borrar la herencia ancestral. Se usa un lente de ecología política para resaltar como el legado de la colonialidad, que marca el país y La Comuna, se encuentra en la actualidad. Por ejemplo, las acciones de los líderes de independencia intentan homogeneizar al poblado y a la misma vez, también apropiarse de la ancestralidad. Se examina cómo las mismas historias orales pueden rescatar y seguir tejiendo narrativas de resistencia y lucha ancestral. Las narrativas presentan un modo de conocimiento alternativo que retan a la homogeneización y borrar de las manos el proyecto colonial. Las mismas voces proponen que con la narración socioecológica—sus historias orales, arte, y canciones—se puede desafíar la usurpación del entorno y hacer crecer el orgullo ancestral
Afforestation and Biodiversity: Bryophyte Richness Changes Between Icelandic Forest Types
Get PDFForest-dwelling bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, hornworts) greatly contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem function but are largely under-studied in comparison to vascular plants. With Iceland’s large-scale afforestation efforts there is a need to understand how different afforestation species are affecting biodiversity, including bryophyte diversity. This study looked at differences in ground-floor bryophyte richness across Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine, and downy birch forests and found that bryophyte richness was highest in the Sitka spruce forests and lowest in downy birch forests. While this suggests a negative correlation between bryophyte richness and light availability, since the conifer species have the densest copy cover, other literature has found a positive correlation between vascular plant richness and light availability. Thus, different forest types may facilitate different vegetation species. Therefore, I suggest that planting forests composed of a variety of monospecific plots may be the best afforestation method for preserving ground-floor biodiversity