In this article we explore the semantic space spanned by self-reported statements of Republican voters. Our semantic structure analysis uses multidimensional scaling and social network analysis to extract, explore, and visualize word patterns and word associations in response to the stimulus statement "I'm a Republican, because ..." which were collected from the official website of the Republican Party. With psychological value theory as our backdrop, we examine the association of specific keywords within and across the statements, compute clusters of statements based on these associations, and explore common word sequences Republican voters use to characterize their political association with the Party. (authors' abstract)

Poverty and underdevelopment are long standing concerns that characterise San communities in Botswana. Several policies and programmes have been put in place to address these concerns one of which is the Remote Area Development Programme (RADP), in place since 1974. Whereas past studies have reported on the failure of the RADP, this study employs it as a vehicle to understand the San’s development landscape. The main purpose of the study was to explore and describe the San’s perceptions and experiences of development A qualitative multiple-case study approach using semi structured interviews and focus groups were adopted to capture the experiences and perceptions of the San as they evolve within their environment. Critical social theory, which argues that all social relations are power relations and those who are dominant use their power to (re)produce their position of privilege, was used to construct the theoretical framework for the study. Data analysis produced three key findings. Key finding one was that development is a politicised concept interlocked within the politics of power. While the San are on the periphery of power as objects of the development process, the dominant Tswana speaking groups are located within the centre of power where they are privileged to control the development process, by deciding who gets access to resources. This creates a ‘virtuous cycle of self-reinforcing development’ for the dominant Tswana groups and a ‘vicious cycle of poverty’ for the powerless San. Key finding two was that poverty is a by-product of processes seated in unequal social relationships of power. Key finding three presents the politics of participation. Participation becomes evidence of the power and control of each group in the development process. This study thus concluded that poverty and underdevelopment are not economic in their mutation, but are by-products of unequal power relations embedded in a struggle of class interests.

The decomposition of plant litter is a critical biological function that aids in nutrient cycling and energy transfers within and between ecosystems. The primary decomposers of dead leaf material are bacteria and fungi, though there is no consensus as to which of these groups is dominant, nor is it known how the abundance and composition of these communities changes over time. The objectives of this study were to examine the relative contributions of bacterial and fungal populations to leaf organic matter (OM) decomposition and to consider the effect of moisture availability on the microbial community. The study was conducted across three habitats of differing moisture regimes: an upland terrestrial site, an emerging freshwater marsh, and an established freshwater swamp. Litterbags were constructed using two types of vegetation: a standardized substrate, maple leaves, and the site-specific vegetation, deployed in November 2007 following plant senescence, and retrieved after 0, 3, 6, 10, and 16 months of field incubation. The samples were then analyzed for decomposition as % OM remaining, total carbon and nitrogen content (C:N), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release, microbial respiration via 14C heterotrophic uptake of acetate, and microbial community composition via terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. The results demonstrated that moisture regime is a significant factor in decomposition, with high decomposition at wetter sites. Vegetation type also impacted decomposition, as maple leaves were found to decay more similarly across sites, while the breakdown of site-specific vegetation varied more. These findings lack evidence to suggest one variable, moisture or vegetation time, as the driving factor of decomposition. Respiration rates varied greatly between sites and over time. Surprisingly, fungi were found to be a significant contributor to respiration at sites of high moisture, which suggests a need to better incorporated their activity in carbon budgets. Microbial communities were unique at each site and shifts were observed over time for both the bacterial and fungal populations. Changes in community structure were well correlated with changes in OM quality and quantity, though specific relationships varied by site. Future work determining functional groups and taxa of these microbial assemblages would provide a deeper knowledge of the role of these communities on decomposition processes. A better understanding of how differences in soil moisture impact decomposition rates will provide greater insight on the carbon sequestered or released from a habitat, which may be particularly important with global climate change. Although sites of high moisture exhibited accelerated decomposition, moisture alone may not be the driving factor. In turn, variables associated with high moisture, such as increased nutrients, should be further researched as they may actually be behind the increase in decomposition.

The main aim of this thesis is to examine urban movements in Istanbul, Turkey. More specifically, the research has two principal objectives: first, to expand the existing conceptual framework of urban movement studies by critically examining the present literature on urban movements and considering people’s experiences in the cities of global South; and second, to make an empirical contribution to the literature on urban movements in general and the developing literature on urban movements in Turkey, in particular by analysing political mobilisation surrounding contested urban regeneration projects in Istanbul, Turkey. The thesis argues that the research framework of current urban movements’ literature is too static and limited to be able to develop a dynamic, relational and comparative approach to the analysis of mobilisation in urban space in different geographies. The case materials presented demonstrate that the political and social relations established between actors of urban politics are enmeshed in a dynamic political process, and that the motivations that inform the development of urban movements can change over time. In addition, the issues causing conflicts and political mobilisation are perceived and experienced differently under different conditions, which results in a diversification of the ways in which mobilisation is pursued. As such, a-priori assumptions about the emergence and goals of political mobilisation in urban space – for example, assumptions that urban movements necessarily are progressive and a part of a wider political agenda – is shown to be inadequate for examining the dynamics of mobilisation in different settings. In developing these theoretical arguments, the research constructs a dynamic relational framework to the analysis of political mobilisation in urban space, contributing in turn to the existing conceptual framework of urban movement and political mobilisation studies. Empirically, these issues were explored through case studies of two urban renewal areas in the historical neighbourhoods of Istanbul, Turkey, using a qualitative Critical Realist methodology. Like many other megacities, Istanbul has experienced an immense process of socio-economic and spatial restructuring in which the state has played a fundamental role. Moreover, in these new urbanisation dynamics, urban renewal projects have become conspicuously contested, leading to mobilisation at a variety of spatial and governmental scales. This thesis focuses on the different responses of local people in two urban renewal areas in order to examine the factors that enable and inhibit mobilisation. Specifically, the research is framed around two contrasting cases: the Fener-Balat-Ayvansaray renewal area, which is taken as a case of political action, and the Suleymaniye renewal area, which is taken as the case of inaction. The research findings show that the intervention of the state is not the only factor causing mobilisation in the localities. Other factors include: the condition of the built environment and the formation of spatial relations in the localities; the condition of the property market and how property owners value their assets in terms of its exchange and use values; the political relations between the state and the residents; social relations within the localities; and the implementation process of the urban renewal projects. These factors are derived from the empirical findings of the research and combined into a dynamic conceptual framework that contributes to reconfiguring existing analyses of urban movements. As such, by its critical relationship to existing urban social movement theory and through its novel methodology, the thesis aims to make significant contributions both to the conceptualisation and empirical analysis of contentious politics in urban space.

This research study sets out to identify and examine the ways in which the white majority have traditionally comprehended ethnic minority coninunities with particular reference to the role played by television in representing such coninunities. In the British context, television has come to dominate social and cultural life to the extent that the Reithian principles for television (that is, to educate, inform and entertain) have become crucially important in the maintenance, if not absolute creation, of notions of national culture. Given the concentration of ethnic minority corrinunities in mainly inner-city areas, for the majority of white people, their only contact with such corrrnunities is through the vicarious experience afforded by television. The medium's role in representing ethnic coninunities honestly and realistically is thus vital and if for no other reason deserves careful examination. My principal hypothesis is that television, through its characterisations of ethnic minority comunities, maintains, reinforces and perpetuates stereotypical assumptions already held by the white majority about such corrinunities, which hinder the pursuit of a harmonious and multi-cultural society. In order to test this hypothesis, a survey was conducted with 650 white students attending further education colleges in the Midlands which sought to ascertain their attitudes towards ethnic stereotypes and television. Professionals working in the television industry were also interviewed and a short monitoring study of contemporary television fiction was later conducted. The survey findings suggest, inter alia, that young white people do make stereotypical judgments about ethnic minority people which conform to traditional assumptions; that inter-ethnic friendship tends to mediate the propensity to make more unfavourable assessments of ethnicallyspecific characteristics; and that the perception of ethnic minority coninunities in the real world closely parallel those which exist in the world of television fiction. The specific merit of this study lies in its detailed examination of a significant and important sample population, the study both identifying general attitudes towards ethnic minority coninunities and also relating these general beliefs to student attitudes towards the ethnic portraits typically found in television. The study is thus able to establish that the ethnic stereotypes which exist in the popular white consciousness are regularly rehearsed through the contemporary medium of television.

In my thesis, I explore German-Turks’ social identity and research its impact on their financial investment decisions. A systematic literature review reveals a research gap on financial investment decision making, as well as on qualitative research on social identity. I collected primary data by means of semi-structured, in-depth, multiple interviews with German-Turkish participants, who are interested in and/or hold financial investments. I analyze the data using a phenomenological approach. Social identity is found to have many different bi-cultural shades, but financial investments are clearly viewed through the lens of professional German social identity. Notwithstanding, financial investments are found to be a family affair. This includes involving experienced family members in the decision-making process, as well as providing financial support to the extended family in order to maintain a web of loyalty. My study extends social identity theory to financial investment decision making of the ethnic Turkish population in Germany, identifies a new mechanism of social creativity and explains the mechanism of bi-cultural social identity. Practical implications of my study draw on the identification of decision making processes, which involve not only the customer herself/himself but also financially literate family members. Financial services institutions can gain better understanding and access to this target group. Appropriate communication with customers and those who significantly influence buying decisions can increase customer satisfaction. Social identity theory is usually associated with quantitative research, using questionnaires and experiments for generating data; therefore my qualitative approach is methodologically relevant. Thus, I demonstrate that a qualitative approach can be applied successfully and meaningful results are obtained.

This thesis draws from data collected over thirteen months of fieldwork working with “Boaters”, a boat-dwelling itinerant group on the waterways of Southern England. In the first of three parts, the thesis focusses on the individual motivations (economic, personal and political) behind becoming a travelling Boater, and on how one acquires the requisite skills and knowledge to become part of a community of practice on the waterways. Boaters on the whole do not have a sense of being an ethnically distinct group and, as such, this thesis interrogates what kind of an identity is being created or reinforced when individuals recognise themselves as Boaters. This part further deals with the specific temporal experience of boating (commonly known as “boat time”) that creates a shared experiential pattern between Boaters, and also examines the informal networks of trade, exchange and barter which enmesh Boaters in a web of reciprocal relationships. In the subsequent part, the focus of the thesis widens to take in the boating “community” as it is imagined. It asks how the concept of community is rhetorically constructed and corporately enacted on the inland waterways and identifies the creation of an emic and local conception of community. In the third part, the focus widens further still in order to interrogate the troubled relationships between Boaters and sedentary populations and between Boaters and agents of the State. By looking at Boaters’ different (essentially nomadic) understandings of locality and political organisation, this thesis attempts to more broadly explain the fraught relationship between state agencies and itinerant populations. The thesis concludes that the community of Boaters is constructed through the shared understandings which emerge due to the Boaters experiencing much of their world as being flexible, fluid and unfixed. Boaters are bound by acts of dwelling together on the waterways, acts that emerge from the specific material conditions of boat life, and further from acts of support where Boaters bind together for the security of the group against antagonistic outsiders and the interventions of agencies of the state.

The transformation of urban waterfronts is one of the key urban design and planning stories of the late twentieth century. The decline of the waterfront in post-industrial cities meant the deterioration of both a physical and social nature of significant portions of urban fabric. Cities have reacted to this state of affairs with substantial regeneration programs, approaching the decline of waterfront as an opportunity rather than a problem. However, since the success of early regeneration programs in North America, changing urban waterfronts on a global scale has led to a manifestation of globalisation, becoming a synonym of uniformity and monotony of cities. The urban waterfront also has become a battleground for a number of intersecting forces and different interests and desires. This research aims to study the phenomenon of urban waterfront regeneration, specifically analysing how it has operated within the UK context since the late 20th century until the present. It focuses on investigating the process of transformation of the urban waterfront in the city of Liverpool. Liverpool has suffered from a serious urban decline following the degeneration of its seven miles of docks due to a number of internal and external factors. However, since the 1980s, the image of an abandoned waterfront has started to change with massive waterfront regeneration schemes that aim to improve the physical, environmental, social and economic conditions of the area. This research argues that by understanding the process and the context of this regeneration, several lessons can be learned and models of good practice can be identified. The research is based on a series of lengthy interviews with key stakeholders closely linked with the development in the city, a review of documents related to the regeneration of Liverpool waterfront, including urban design policies and guidance, a substantial review of relevant news articles that were written throughout the periods of the recent transformation of the city, and numerous site visits to reflect upon the development carried out recently. The research also identifies and discusses a number of key urban issues such as image and identity, cultural built heritage, place marketing and branding, urban governance. The research identifies three distinctive eras of waterfront regeneration and several key regeneration schemes. Each of these eras reflects the many factors that shaped the urban landscape. The research argues that there are no specific models that can create successful waterfront regeneration, yet, what is important is ensuring the complexity and the inclusiveness of the process of the regeneration. An inclusive and a complex process will result in attaining urban competitiveness besides securing distinctive, genuine and imaginative urban identity. The research also highlighted the central role of urban design as a mediator between the numerous processes and different forces that shape the urban landscape.

Typically, ephemeral aspects of material culture, such as gestures and sound, are often overlooked in the reconstruction of culture history which is unfortunate since sound-related artefacts offer clues to our understanding of practices and interactions between groups of individuals. With a music archaeological perspective, my research discusses aerophones recovered from the G-752Rj site in the southern portion of the Greater Nicoya archaeological region associated with pre-Columbian Tempisque (500 B.C. to A.D. 300) communities. I examine variation and/or consistency within the production, consumption, and deposition of these instruments to investigate intra-site micro-scale levels of community of practice. I propose an innovative approach at identifying communities of practice by analyzing sound and gestures within an instrument’s construction. / Graduate / 2017-08-08 / 0324 / 0336 / 0986 / katrina.kosyk@mail.mcgill.ca

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01