Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Publication Voces para intentar escribir otra historia: Niños, Cine y Conflicto Armado Colombiano(University of Kansas, 2019-12-31) Garces Sierra, Luisa; Garibotto, Verónica; Caminero-Satangelo, Marta; Falicov, TamaraThis work focuses on how art, especially cinema, has portrayed the Colombian internal conflict. It is important to notice which stories were chosen to be depicted, and how certain situations, such as the creation of new Film Laws, have affected the narrative. I seek to understand how these stories have evolved in the last decade, and how they have become the platform through which to analyze the conflict from the point of view of the victims; from the children’s perspective, more specifically. This thesis wants to shed light on the new discourses from films produced during the first decade of the 21st century, examining how they portray previously marginalized perspectives, and exploring how the figure of the innocent victim impacts on the representation of collective memory. Children´s perspective allows the audience to recognize and validate circumstances related to the internal conflict, which are otherwise alien to the viewers´ realities, but that contribute to the country´s collective memory. In order to accomplish this, the following work will focus on three films produced between 2011 and 2015: the animated documentary Little Voices, Alias María, and Los Colores de La Montaña. These three movies have been selected because all of them share common plots of children who were victims of the armed conflict.Publication The Connection of Power, People, and Place: Evaluating Environmental Equity Content in the 100 Resilient Cities Strategies of Latin America(University of Kansas, 2019-05-31) Giraldo, Katelynn Faith; Lyles, Lindsey W.; Lagotte, Brian W.; Caminero-Santangelo, MartaThis study explores the frequency and depth of equity content within nine 100 Resilient Cities (100 RC) Latin American resilience plans. The research contributes to previous academic discussions by showing how often and how substantively proposal phase resilience plans from Latin America communicate equity and justice, topics of human identity, and the pursuit of citizen inclusion through resilience proposals. Environmental Justice Theory (EJT) posits people cannot experience a positive relationship with the environment if procedural, geographic, or social inequities prevent them from participating in the environmental decision-making process. To conduct the study, I embedded the framework of EJT into an original analysis instrument to search for and quantify the equity terms within each plan from the sample. Alongside a second plan coder, I reviewed each occurrence of equity vocabulary and thematically coded each substantive instance as exemplative of equity and justice, topics of citizen identity, or inclusion. This combination of quantitative and qualitative coding facilitated analysis of equity patterns across 100 RC’s sample of Latin American strategies and verification of 100 RC’s alignment on strategy content with the organization’s mission statement. The analysis results present a wide variation of content breadth and depth across all plans, apart from the plans’ immense consistent content focused on topics of citizen identity. The implications of the analysis include advocating for increased pairing of substantive equity passages with actionable language and the pursuit of increased consistency of inclusion content within resilience plans.Publication Universalism and Targeting the Poor: A Dual Approach to Fight Poverty in Brazil (1988-2001)(University of Kansas, 2018-12-31) Gregoire, Joao; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Reich, Gary; Birch, MelissaWhile much of the analyses on cash-transfer programs have focused on the governments of former Brazilian presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, this study shifts the focus to the regional programs developed in Brasilia and Campinas. Their revolutionary initiatives were the basis for this type of social policy. With this specific goal in mind, to undergo an historical study on the genesis of cash-transfer programs in Brazil, the focus of this research is to trace the origins of the convergence point, when the fight against poverty in Brazil aligned universal social rights jointly with a federal cash transfer program (Bolsa Escola).Publication A Woman's Place: The Cuban Revolution and Gender Inequality in the Home(University of Kansas, 2003-05-31) Ross, April KathleenThis thesis is an empirical study of changes in Cuban women's public and private lives from the 1959 Revolution to 1990. It describes the colonial gender ideology that has influenced present-day male and female relations, behaviors, and gender roles, and has perpetuated sexual stereotypes. It also discusses how this ideology has prevented women's full equality in the home and gives examples from interviews, films, and literature to show where these inequalities in the home are still evident. The interviews, films, and literature utilized in this study represent both Cuban and North American perceptions of women's status in Cuban society and in the home. In using these sources, the author is able to examine Cuban women's postrevolutionary roles, relations, and experiences in the most balanced way possible without first-hand travel to Cuba. The author includes Cuban women's (and a few men's) voices as much as possible through the use of previously conducted interviews. This study concludes that Cuban gender inequality still exists in both the public and the private spheres, though more acutely in the private, and that this is the result primarily of the perpetuation of Spanish gender ideology. This ideology has placed women in a subordinate position vis-a-vis men and has assigned men and women unequal roles in society and the home. Women traditionally have been associated with la casa (the home) and men with la calle (the street), which has made it difficult for women to escape their domestic obligations.Publication DEFINING PERCEPTIONS OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN A GREAT PLAINS AND IN AN ANDEAN WATERSHED(University of Kansas, 2014-08-31) Restrepo-Osorio, Diana L.; Brown, J. Christopher; Najafizadeh, Mehrangiz; Timm, Robert MThe goal of this thesis project was to explore the perception groups related to watershed management in a Great Plains and in an Andean Watershed. It is essential for watershed stakeholders to acknowledge that there are different perceptions about watershed management among themselves. The Q methodology is an innovative and dynamic interview method that uses qualitative and quantitative data to interpret participants' perceptions. In Kansas, the stakeholder group displayed three perception groups: hands-on rural residents; detail oriented urban and suburban residents; and pro data collection and conservation of natural functions government official. The Andean watershed also displayed three perception groups: Manizales needs proactive measures to prepare for future landslide events; it was not waters of Manizales, it was nature; and preventing the incrimination of specific institutions. A better understanding of the contrasting perceptions of individuals making up both of these stakeholder groups can substantially improve water resource management.Publication The Making of a Crisis in Mexico: An Inductive Analysis of Media Sentiment and Information Cascades on the Value of the Mexican Peso during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis(University of Kansas, 2014-08-31) Vachalek, Lisa Marie; Birch, Melissa H.; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Metz, Brent E.In the two decades prior to the 2008 financial crisis, the Mexican government pursued policies aimed at liberalizing markets, while simultaneously trying to ensure the stability of the peso. These policies consisted of monetary and fiscal controls to keep inflation low and free trade agreements to reduce Mexico's dependence on the United States. The policies significantly reduced the country's public deficit and were implemented in hopes that they would help reduce the country's exposure to currency crises. Yet, despite all provisions the Mexican government put in place, the country's peso still lost two percent of its value in the first three days following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the US-based investment firm. The loss was significant given the average appreciation of the peso in the months leading up to the crisis was one percent per month, and given that not enough time had passed to fully understand the impact that bankruptcy would have had on Mexico. By the following Monday, the peso recovered all of its lost value, suggesting that investors were uncertain about the true impact the events unfolding in the United States would have on Mexico's economy. It also suggested that the uncertainty and negative sentiment within the market during the initial week of the global crisis played a stronger role in the rapid depreciation and recovery of the peso than changes in market fundamentals. Using an inductive analysis of the historical events, this thesis suggests the circumstances in which sentiment engendered by mainstream media and distributed through digital channels during the financial crisis could have contributed to the dramatic short-term swings in the price of the peso. Specifically, this paper focuses on the new, digital information technologies, their use among investors as a means for financial research, and the role of high-frequency trading (HFT) algorithms in initiating information cascades. HFT algorithms account for nearly 70 percent of daily trading volume in financial markets and can magnify negative market sentiment among rational investors. Utilizing historical trading data for the peso and headlines and tweets published by the Thomson Reuters news group during the crisis, I seek to illustrate the correlations between market sentiment manifest in digital media and the price movements of the peso, indicating possible herd behavior tendencies in the form of information cascades. Though it is not possible to empirically separate the market movements of informed decision-makers from the information cascades of investors and HFT algorithms reacting to media, the fact that information cascades can and do exist as demonstrated by specific examples in this paper has significant implications for the Mexican peso. The existence of information cascades implies that having strong macroeconomic fundamentals is no longer an adequate safe guard against the immediate impacts of external crises. As social media becomes the main source of breaking news and market sentiment for mainstream media and investors, it becomes vital for emerging countries such as Mexico to monitor social platforms for sentiment related to the domestic economy in order to proactively address investor pessimism. Finally, emerging country governments can utilize these platforms to push out relevant and truthful information about the economy in order to diminish investor uncertainty and minimize the impact of externally-induced information cascades.Publication De Ambitu Et Leges De Ambitu(University of Kansas, 1914-05-15) Magnuson, Joseph S.Publication To Spain and Back: Changing Roles and Identities of Ecuadorian Female Migrants(University of Kansas, 2013-05-31) Dudley, Lindsay Erin; Najafizadeh, Mehrangiz; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Rosenthal, AntonIn the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ecuadorian migration to Spain expanded due to economic and political push and pull factors between the two countries. Through the feminization of migration, women came to represent approximately half of all Ecuadorian migrants in Spain. During the migration process, women who lived in Spain experienced reconfigured identities with respect to their roles as migrants, employees, wives, and mothers. Beginning in 2008, the economic crisis and rampant unemployment in Spain forced many Ecuadorian migrants to return to their native country. As women came home to Ecuador, they reconciled the migration experience with their transition back to Ecuador. This paper focuses on the migration and return processes for Ecuadorian women and examines the challenges and opportunities that females confront with respect to identity reconfiguration when they are abroad and when they come home to Ecuador. Additionally, this paper highlights to what extent public and private organizations in Ecuador provide opportunities for support for Ecuadorian women when they return from Spain. Analysis is based on qualitative research stemming from 24 interviews: eight conducted via internet with Ecuadorian migrant women living in Spain, ten with Ecuadorian migrant women returned from Spain and living in Quito, and six with representatives from Ecuadorian government offices and NGOs offering programs for returned migrants. This research emphasizes the need for readjustment support for returned migrant women to facilitate sustained empowerment throughout their return to Ecuador.Publication Affirmative Action in Higher Education and Afro-Descendant Women in Bahia, Brazil(University of Kansas, 2011-05-31) Aubel, Maraci G.; Najafizadeh, Mehrangiz; Herlihy, Peter H.; Sneed, PaulAffirmative Action in Higher Education and Afro-Descendant Women in Bahia, Brazil In 2001, the federal government of Brazil under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995 - 2003) passed laws to remedy racial and socioeconomic inequality. Responding to pressure from civil society and especially from black feminist and black social movements, Cardoso's affirmative action policy set quotas to expand access to Brazil's public services and universities for blacks, women, indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities. My thesis focuses on affirmative action in higher education and examines to what extent Afro-descendant women can actually attain upward mobility, and to what extent Cardoso's program enhances educational opportunities, closes socioeconomic gaps, and decreases racial inequalities for black women in southern Bahia, Brazil. Through qualitative research interviews, I present the perspectives of university female students regarding Cardoso's reforms and their impact on Brazil's higher education system. This research illustrates central aspects of Brazil's racial dilemma--a dream of racial democracy versus the reality of racial inequality.Publication The Microfinance Marvel: Where Does Hope Meet Reality?(University of Kansas, 2010-12-15) Hoge, Matthew David; Birch, Melissa H; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Metz, Brent E.There is an immense worldwide focus on microfinance as a means to abate poverty. What began as small loans provided to microentrepreneurs for business purposes has come to include consumer loans and other financial services for the poor, provided in an increasingly commercial environment. Microfinance has experienced rapid growth and created high expectations due to its perceived ability to produce economic benefits and lead to improvements in areas like gender relations and health and education. Microcredit has been especially useful for vulnerable, self-employed individuals working in the informal economy. However, microfinance is not an effective tool to spur economic growth on a national or even regional level, and cannot live up to the hopes it has produced. This thesis will look at important concerns and limitations related to what has become a global microfinance movement. The analysis is influenced by experiences as an intern in Paraguay with Fundación Paraguaya, a development organization that offers group and individual microloans.Publication CURRICULAR CHOICES FOR ELITE BILINGUAL SCHOOLS ON COLOMBIA'S CARIBBEAN COAST: AMERICAN ACCREDITATION OR THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE(University of Kansas, 2010-06-14) Nalley, Joel Josiah; Metz, Brent; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Stansifer, CharlesDiscusses the movement towards international recognition among "elite" bilingual schools on Colombia's Caribbean coast, with a special focus on U.S. accrediting agencies and the International Baccalaureate.Publication Misión Madres Del Barrio: A Bolivarian Social Program Recognizing Housework and Creating A Caring Economy in Venezuela(University of Kansas, 2008-08-20) Fischer-Hoffman, Cory; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Falicov, Tamara; Najafizadeh, MehrangizABSTRACT: This thesis began as a project about Misión Madres del Barrio; and it quickly transformed into a glimpse of the Bolivarian Revolution underway in Venezuela. Misión Madres del Barrio (MMB) is one of the pioneering social programs in Venezuela that is confronting the poverty that years of underdevelopment, debt crisis and corruption have left behind. Misión Madres del Barrio is best described as a short-term community directed public assistance program that incorporates poor mothers into political organizations, socio-political schools and other social programs that tend to basic primary care. Ultimately the Mission provides training and no-interest loans for the formation of small-scale cooperative businesses for mothers in extreme poverty. The overtly anti-capitalist elements of MMB set it apart from other public assistance programs because the program re-defines labor relations, emphasizes the value of unpaid domestic work, and provides the skills, training, and financing for poor women to become self-employed in small-scale cooperatives, as opposed to low-wage employment. MMB's emphasis on socio-political formation, political enfranchisement, basic primary care, and training and financing affirms that the cash assistance is only one element of the program. MMB does not actually remunerate women for housework, more accurately it is a complex poverty reduction program that examines the root causes of the extreme poverty of female -headed households and proposes a multi-faceted strategy for addressing it.Publication Afro-Peruvian Identity and Its Connection with the Land:The Guayabo-Chincha Case(University of Kansas, 2009-01-29) Ramirez Castello, Carola Lucia; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Brown, Christopher; Metz, Brent E.Most contemporary Afro-Peruvian communities suffer social, spatial and economic discrimination. The country's hierarchical social structure is the legacy left by the Spaniards since the colonial period. National rhetoric on race also disparages the contribution of African descended communities to Peru's culture. By contrast, the community of El Guayabo in southern Peru has developed a strong, positive identity. This thesis presents an analysis of the attributes of positive identity developed in El Guayabo, researched through a process of interviews and participant observation. This thesis will investigate how the community of Guayabo could develop such a positive self identity as compared to other Afro-Peruvian communities, mainly those in the capital of Lima. For the people of El Guayabo this positive identity is focused on the organization of their community with a social and economic attachment to land, work, music, and cultural heritage.Publication The Commercialization of Microfinance: Efficiency or Exploitation?(University of Kansas, 2009-12-18) Carrillo, Ian Robert; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Birch, Melissa; Herlihy, Peter H.This thesis seeks to analyze the commercialized developments of the microfinance industry in Mexico. Additionally, I will trace the history of poverty and inequality in Mexico, with an emphasis on urbanization and the informal sector. This thesis will also explore the parallels between the philosophies behind commercialized microfinance and neoliberal economics. Utilizing industry literature, academic sources, and personal interviews, this thesis analyzes the contemporary for-profit microfinance industry in Mexico, by addressing themes such as operating practices, regulation, consumer protection, collection methods, and interest rates. The microfinance institutions Banco Compartamos, Financiera Independencia, and Banco Azteca, among others, will receive considerable focus. The author concludes that a commercialized approach could potentially expand the scope of microfinance activities in a significant way, but that some operating practices are harmful to poor clientele. In order to increase consumer protection for poor customers, the author recommends that transparency laws and regulations be more strictly applied.Publication In the Womb of the Earth: Sex in the Maya Cave Setting(University of Kansas, 2009-08-28) Saffa, Sarah Nicole; Metz, Brent; Herlihy, Peter H.; Hoopes, John WIn this thesis, I investigate how caves, both spatially and symbolically, have been associated with sex among Maya groups, examine whether the link between landscape features and sex can increase our understandings of Mayan worldviews, and explore how the connection between caves and sex can be applied to future research. I conclude that among Maya groups, real or symbolic caves will likely have a sexual element associated with them and the link between the landscape and sex can expand our knowledge of Mayan worldviews. Lastly, I discuss the various ways caves' ties to sex could provide a basis for future research. For this thesis, I used sources from multiple disciplines, reviewed primary and secondary sources that relate to Maya and/or other Mesoamerican groups, read sources not specific to the Maya or greater Mesoamerican area, looked at both English and Spanish sources, and used ethnographic analogy.Publication Family, Work, and Migration: Transborder Networking among Tlapanecs from La Montaña(University of Kansas, 2009-01-20) Blanchon, Grant Anthony; Kuznesof, Elizabeth; Metz, Brent E.; Rodriguez, RobertWithin the last decade, members of indigenous Tlapanec households in Guerrero, Mexico have increasingly participated in network migration between La Montaña and the United States for job opportunities. Social networking and family-based social capital are highly important for Tlapanecs in Guerrero. For non-English speaking Tlapanecs who migrate to the US, networking among family members remains highly important. Through participant observation and bibliographic research conducted during 2008, this thesis examines household networking strategies in the sending community and in migration to the US to explore some of the potential effects of migration on family ties among Tlapanecs in La Montaña . While the new ties created abroad, individual agency, the length of time away, and other circumstantial variations may lead to less locally available networking opportunities, migration often serves as a form of socio-economic mobility for households in the sending community, and may serve as a form of development for the community as a whole.Publication Enterprising Women and Village Banking in Urban Paraguay: Current impacts and future implications for social change(University of Kansas, 2008-07-29) Heter, Amanda Marie; Birch, Melissa H; Najafizadeh, Mehrangiz; Albrecht, Sandra LThis thesis examines Fundación Paraguaya's Comité de Mujeres Emprendedoras (village banking) program and analyzes its potential as a tool for poverty alleviation, female empowerment and social change in Paraguay. The data for this thesis was collected over a three month period in 2007, and is based on interviews and file data from clients of the CME program. The research focuses on clients' work histories, their roles as micro-entrepreneurs and caregivers, and their experiences within the CME program. This thesis argues that in order to comprehend the significance of village banking in Paraguay, one must take into consideration the importance of self-employment for women who balance family and work, as well as the impact of capital and non-financial services. Although the CME program appears to be contributing to poverty alleviation and empowerment in Paraguay, this thesis contends that by adopting a more gender-oriented approach, and incorporating aspects of the "feminist empowerment paradigm," Fundación Paraguaya could create a more complete development tool, thereby increasing the potential benefits to women and promoting greater social change.