Hearts on the Ground: Women Narrating State Terror

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Description
ABSTRACT This research analyzes the testimonies of eleven women survivors of state terrorism and genocide from several different regions of the world in an effort to glean the patterns that emerge from their lived experiences. Women often have…

ABSTRACT This research analyzes the testimonies of eleven women survivors of state terrorism and genocide from several different regions of the world in an effort to glean the patterns that emerge from their lived experiences. Women often have been targeted and used instrumentally in political violence by states. Yet, when it comes to nation-building, national narratives and identities, their voices are excluded. Data were collected from archival interviews with women survivors and one case-study interview conducted with a survivor recruited for this study, as a cross-check backdrop to compare similarities and differences in contexts and experiences. Four dominant themes appear to emerge across interviews: gendered violence; internalization/reproduction of gender roles; identity relationship to national narrative; and perception of perpetrators. The case-study participant interview revealed disconfirming evidence across themes, suggesting that sense of belonging may be an important facet of national identity which needs further exploration. Relationships between women’s experiences of state terror, genocide, national narrative construction, and nation-building are examined. Suggestions for future research include the need for expanded survivor demographic information, increased in-person interviews, and similar work centered on women perpetrators of state terror and genocide, as well as men’s experiences of state terror and genocide. Keywords: state terrorism; genocide; women; gender; nation-building; social hierarchy
Date Created
2022
Agent

A Qualitative Exploration of COVID-19 and Refugee Health in Phoenix, Arizona

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Description
Health inequalities persist in refugees due to a variety of social determinants of health. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these health disparities among refugee populations. This honors thesis investigates the impact of COVID-19 on refugee health in Phoenix, Arizona through interviews…

Health inequalities persist in refugees due to a variety of social determinants of health. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these health disparities among refugee populations. This honors thesis investigates the impact of COVID-19 on refugee health in Phoenix, Arizona through interviews with refugee professionals and resettled refugees. The project seeks to understand the challenges faced by refugees in Phoenix, the strategies enacted by different organizations to assist refugees, and proposes recommendations to improve the response for refugees in future health crises.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

U.S. Immigration Policy: Sustaining Racialized Inequalities Through “Illegality” and Education

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Description
Through an interdisciplinary American Studies approach, this thesis examines access to education and immigrant “illegality” as tools of racial domination by investigating colonial legacies and structural inequalities linked with immigration policy. Providing a background on the political formation of immigrant…

Through an interdisciplinary American Studies approach, this thesis examines access to education and immigrant “illegality” as tools of racial domination by investigating colonial legacies and structural inequalities linked with immigration policy. Providing a background on the political formation of immigrant “illegality”, this research focuses on how race relations have influenced immigration policies, as well as political efforts to exclude racialized and minoritized groups from lawful immigration, naturalization, and national belonging. These historic texts shed light on overarching connections between the racialized policy construction of immigrant “illegality” and the role of education in nation building and class conservation. Comprising three analytic chapters; the first historicizes how education was used as a tool of the nation-state in the early formation of U.S. territories, the second chapter applies discourse analysis to link contemporary political rhetoric with color-blind ideologies. The third analytic chapter is a critical review of existing quantitative findings on the effects of legal status on educational attainment for Mexican and Central American immigrants and their descendants living in the United States. Challenging the dominant narrative around immigrant “illegality”, this work highlights the racist formation and continued application of unequal access (to both education and citizenship), further demonstrating how structural inequalities remain racialized.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Routine Dental Care Utilization Among South Koreans, Korean Immigrants and Korean Americans

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Description

This study analyzed the different impacts of COVID-19 on dental care utilization in South Koreans living in Korea, Korean Immigrants in America, and Korean Americans. Many variables were looked at, observing how cultural differences between South Korea and the United…

This study analyzed the different impacts of COVID-19 on dental care utilization in South Koreans living in Korea, Korean Immigrants in America, and Korean Americans. Many variables were looked at, observing how cultural differences between South Korea and the United States may impact other dental habits. These variables included: COVID impact, brushing and flossing habits, individually ranked general health and dental health, personal opinion of the dentist and dental health, routine dental care and time between last visit, dental insurance, and sociodemographic factors. A binational survey was opened and distributed for five consecutive weeks with both an English and Korean version available. Recruitment for the survey was conducted through the convenient sampling method. An analysis of the weighted descriptive statistics data found that Korean Immigrants felt the greatest negative impact on dental visits due to COVID (59.3%) compared to Koreans in Korea and Korean Americans subgroups. Koreans in Korea had the largest number of participants exceeding the recommended six months since their last dental visit (56.7%) and Koreans in Korea were also least likely to have additional dental insurance (25.3%), as their national healthcare program covers general cleanings. Koreans in Korea had the largest proportion of unfavorable attitudes towards the dentist (29.3%), possibly giving indication into why they had the smallest number seeing the dentist every six months. The majority of participants, regardless of residency or immigration status, cited “fear of contracting COVID” for why they had gone to the dentist less frequently, among other reasons. Understanding these habits will allow for more personalized care for specific groups. Both Korean Americans and Korean immigrants may more consistently go to their routine dental care visits, possibly due to their paid dental insurance encouraging them to stay accountable.

Date Created
2021-12
Agent

(Re)Mapping the Border: Mobility and Survival Across a Geography of Borders

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Description
This dissertation examines the San Diego border region to understand migrant construction worker’s mobility, autonomy, and labor power. San Diego County is enclosed by a network of internal immigration checkpoints and roving patrol operations that constrain migrant worker’s labor power…

This dissertation examines the San Diego border region to understand migrant construction worker’s mobility, autonomy, and labor power. San Diego County is enclosed by a network of internal immigration checkpoints and roving patrol operations that constrain migrant worker’s labor power to the territorial boundaries of the county. The project uses ‘differential mobility’ as a strategic concept to highlight the ways in which borders differentiate, sort, and rank among noncitizen migrant construction workers to meet local labor demands. The project reveals worker’s collective struggle to evade and cross border enforcement operations to maintain consistent employment across a border region that is marked by internal immigration checkpoints, roving patrol stops, and state surveillance measures. In addition, the project examines migrant men’s emerging workplace narratives about the body and penetration that symbolize workers’ understanding of social domination in a global economy. These expressions open up a critical space from which migrant men begin to critique a global economy that drives men northbound for employment and southbound for retirement—inhibiting a future that is neither entirely in the United States or Mexico.
Date Created
2020
Agent
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