Despite the ever-expanding criticism of the way the international community conducts its aid missions, it remains clear that humanitarian intervention is necessary for the successful rebuilding of post-genocide nations. As such, the interactions of the international aid community with the national governments and local communities of Cambodia, Guatemala and Rwanda are of particular importance to this thesis. By analyzing these relationships and their resulting policies, it becomes clear that peace cannot last if the survivors are unable to relate to the justice and reconciliation measures implemented. Local cultural norms and traditions, as well as input from survivors, must be the foundation from which national and international policies are built. Furthermore, the goal of international intervention must focus on rebuilding the legitimacy of the nation-state in the eyes of both the local citizens and the international community. As it is oftentimes the state itself that commits genocide against its own people, it is imperative that the new government be seen as separate from the old, that the state itself institute justice and reconciliation policies with the aid of the international community, and that the international community adhere to a “light footprint” policy.Ultimately, the most effective solutions are those that have cultural and historical meaning for the affected local communities, are implemented by the state and are supported by the international community. To establish sustainable initiatives the international community must adopt a human rights oriented policy that addresses the underlying causes of genocide and encourages the local appropriation of human rights dialogue. Using an analytical framework derived from anthropology’s foci on human rights, politics and law, I argue that the recognition of overarching themes across these case studies can help improve the way international, national and local post-genocide justice, reconciliation and state-building policies are formed.

<p>The social organization of Carrier bands is found to have been functionally dependent on a network of relations with coastal groups and other interior bands, including Carrier. This network involved kinship ties, economic exchanges between affines, coastal and interior trade, and participation in common ceremonial activities. The social organization of each Carrier band depended on the total set of participant communities within a ceremonial and social network specific to each band. By means of published sources and unpublished manuscripts the approximate extent and chronology of introduction of coastal features is traced and the arrangement of social units described. Ecological and historical factors in the formation of Carrier social organization are described. Due to differential contact with coastal groups, there is a west to east decrease among the northern Carrier bands in the incorporation and importance of matriliny as a structuring mechanism. Among the southern bands, a bilateral form of social organization was prevalent. Historical documents and jourrials provided a base line for tracing the development and incorporation of coastal features in the interior, the whole process a function of the increased importance of the fur trade, commencing in the late eighteenth century, and shifts in population centres and density.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Outward Bound wilderness school uses experiential, adventure-based learning strategies to facilitate personal transformation for its students. While this process has been well-researched from an individualistic, psychology-based perspective, the possible influence of cultural factors has not yet been well-addressed. This ethnography explores the cultural dimensions of transformation at Outward Bound, using a constructivist, narrative-based approach, as well as employing theoretical notions such as: rites of passage, communitas, experiential education, generative education, and 'border intellectual' in the interpretation of the narratives. Selfnarratives were co-constructed with twenty Outward Bound students at three points: before, at the end of, and three months after their courses. The research confirms that transformational learning was accomplished by 18/20 participants, in at least one of eight general areas that emerged from their narratives. A further eight cultural factors were identified which contributed to students' willingness and ability to undertake personal transformation in that environment: a culture of support for success and failure, intrinsic adventure, acceptance of diversity, open communication with others, improved communication with self, a culture of possibility, simplicity, and patience. Alternatives to the rites of passage model for post-industrial society are discussed. The overall learning is that it is possible to improve the likelihood of generating transformational learning, through managing the cultural factors indicated, in the learning environment.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p> By now scholars, practitioners, government officials and others in the global community have witnessed a number of countries and their populations going through extreme destruction and trying to rebuild in the aftermath. Country case studies are invaluable for their in-depth, continuous look at how a nation-state collective and the individuals who make up that collective recover, regroup, develop, but also remain very harmed for a long time. They must live among and beside their former enemies.</p><p> Studies of the resettlement of refugees in a third country offer a different view: there are varied populations arriving with different socio-cultural and economic histories and experiences, and different definitions of a normalcy to which they aspire. They are in a setting that is much different than what characterized their pre-war experiences, and they do not have to rebuild out of ashes in the place that they were born.</p><p> Refugees from various countries resettling in a third country have so much in common with each other from the experience of extreme violence and having to resettle in a foreign land that one key informant suggested that we think about a &ldquo;refugee ethnicity.&rdquo; Though they would not have wished for them, they have gained numerous new identification possibilities not available to those in the country of origin: U.S. citizen, hybrid, diaspora, cosmopolitan global citizen; refugee/former refugee survivors.</p><p> But the &ldquo;fit&rdquo; of these identities vary, because the receiving society may perceive individuals and families along a continuum of belonging vs. &ldquo;othering.&rdquo; In the post-9-11 era in the U.S., the &ldquo;belonging&rdquo; as a citizen and member of the imagined community of the nation that a refugee or former refugee is able to achieve may be precarious. Will refugees resettling turn out to be vectors of socio-political disease, infecting the new host? Or will they be vectors of development and agents of host revitalization as they realize adversity-activated development in a new environment?</p><p> The U.S. &ldquo;host environment&rdquo; has changed considerably since the modern era of resettlement began in the 1970s and then passed through the dramatic incidents of 9-11. The &ldquo;hosts&rdquo; have now also undergone an experience of extreme political violence. U.S. institutions are responding to the events and subsequent wars, and have themselves been changed as they adjust practices and policies in response to the trauma experienced by the people they are meant to serve.</p><p> Much is in play. The times beg for a better understanding of refugees&rsquo; social experiences of resettlement in a new country, the forms of suffering and marginalization they face, and the healing processes in which they engage. We need a far better understanding of what it takes to assist refugees as they work to re-constitute social networks, recover economically, find opportunity and meaning, pursue goals, and&mdash;with receiving communities--express solidarity across social dividing lines.</p><p> This dissertation calls out this problematic; and analyzes it at the multi-stakeholder site of refugee resettlement.</p>

The Nigerian city of Jos used to be seen as a peaceful place, but in 2001 it was struck by clashes that arose from what was largely understood as issues of ethnic and religious belonging. The event, which would become known as ‘the crisis’, was experienced as a rupture and a loss of what the city had once been, and as the starting point of a spiral of violence that has continued up to today. With the crisis, Jos changed. Former friends became enemies, and places that had been felt to be safe no longer were so. Previous truths were thrown into confusion, and Jos’s inhabitants found themselves more and more having to manoeuvre in an unstable world coloured by fear and anger. Life in Jos became increasingly hard to predict, and people searched for different ways forward, constantly trying out new interpretations of the world. This book, which is inspired by pragmatism, analyses the processes that were shaping the emergent city of Jos and its inhabitants in the aftermath of the crisis. At its core are some of Jos’s practitioners of traditional medicine. As healers, diviners, and providers of spells to protect from enemies or solve conflicts, they had special skills to influence futures that were becoming more and more unpredictable. Still, the medical practitioners were as vulnerable to the changing circumstances as everyone else. Their everyday lives and struggles to find their footing and ways forward under the changing circumstances are used as a point of departure to explore larger wholes: life during times characterised by feelings of uncertainty, fragmentation, fear, and conflict – in Jos as a city and Nigeria as a nation.

<p> In this thesis, the Palio horse race and the contrade (neighborhood) structure of Siena Italy are examined. Using thick description and grounded theory, ideas of residency, age, and identity construction are investigated among the contradaioli of Siena. It is of interest to see how these factors affect identity performativity on an individual and societal level. The value and increasing role of contradaioli women will also be discussed, as it is a topic that contradicts initial perceptions of women as a suppressed group. Although residency status within the contrada was previously known as the focal point of identity, over time its significance has shifted to account for a modern world with increased population mobilization. Residency patterns found to exist in Siena are reflected in the type and level of labor contributions made based on how far they lived from their contrada. Despite the initial perception that gender was the main factor that impacted participation and labor contributions, it was revealed that it was not the only significant variable and, in fact, age and residency was a more prominent dynamic to consider. </p>

<p> The Maya site of Lamanai, located in northern Belize, exemplifies one of the longest occupation spans in the Maya Lowlands. First occupied in the Preclassic (ca. 1500 B.C.) and continuously inhabited through the Classic period &ldquo;collapse,&rdquo; Lamanai was thriving when the Spanish arrived in A.D. 1540. Lamanai&rsquo;s lagoon-side location at the head of the New River, with direct access to the Caribbean Sea, allowed for cultural and economic exchange well beyond the immediate region. The N10[3] architectural group (aka Ottawa Group), located in the Central Precinct of Lamanai, has been interpreted as an administrative and elite-residential complex, or palace, of some significance due to its lengthy occupation span and its location adjacent to two important ceremonial plaza groups in the Central Precinct. During the Late to Terminal Classic period (A.D. 624&ndash;962 at Lamanai), the Ottawa Group underwent a major architectural transformation, which may be an indication of changing functions and strategies on the part of Lamanai elites. These modifications may have played a role in Lamanai&rsquo;s persistence during the transition from the Classic to Postclassic periods in Mesoamerica&mdash;a time when other cities were abandoned in the Maya Lowlands. </p><p> During the massive remodeling of this Ottawa Group, some masonry structures were razed, while others, such as Structure N10-15, continued to be remodeled. This thesis gives a fresh assessment of the function of the Ottawa Group, describes the architectural sequence of Structure N10-15, and examines the caching patterns present throughout the different architectural stages. When considered together, the architectural changes at Structure N10-15 and associated changes in cache composition and placement signal a change in emphasis shifting away from exclusive elite-led activities associated with divine kingship toward those of a more inclusive and public nature.</p>

<p> Treating aging as a disease has led to what Carrol Estes termed &ldquo;the aging enterprise:&rdquo; the development of services to house and care for elders. Much is known about the power structures in such facilities, but the issue of socio-economic decline and its relation to elder health has not received a great deal of attention. This thesis analyzes interview and participant-observation data from a sample of residents in an assisted living facility (ALF) to ethnographically explore the way physical and socio-economic experiences of decline emerge in participant narratives. Findings indicate elders construct identities of illness that draw from institutional discourses that diminish their personhood. The narrative structure of declining health is also found to be compatible with other socio-economic descriptions of decline. The multiple discursive patterns of decline culminate in a model of ALF resident dependency. Based on this model, recommendations are made to affirm elder personhood and enact agency in ALF.</p>

<p> With all the discussion surrounding the significance of culture within the realms of professional services organizations, this researcher was curious as to how to improve the quality of a culture. A higher quality culture, evidenced by a more positively energized work force, serves to improve competitive advantage for a concern, in a commoditized world. The following qualitative case study, a thirty-five day intervention in the months of May and June, 2016, with nine participants, that happened at Think Creative, Inc., of Orlando, Florida, intends on shedding light on how and why professional services organizational leaders should consider instituting a regimen of <i> Creative Gestures Beyond Self,</i> to clients, prospects, colleagues, suppliers, and whomever else germane to the enterprise. Several critical considerations emerged and will be discussed at length. Most notably, it is imperative for leaders to earnestly resolve to establishing an environment where ideas to delight constituents, <i>beyond the business at hand,</i> are balanced by the paradox of structure and light-heartedness. Also emerging from the data of discussion and observation, was the need for the right leader, who spearheads the meetings for CGBSs, with an appropriate blend of strength and grace. Nine participants engaged in the study, and several ideas for further scientific exploration hatched, and will be discussed.</p>

This research focuses on the transactional nature of sexual and non-sexual relationships between certain young women in Cambodia described as ‘professional girlfriends’, and their ‘western boyfriends’. In this case, the term ‘transactional’ refers to the initial material motivation behind their interactions. While the majority of women are employed as bartenders or waitresses in tourist areas of Phnom Penh, outside observers tend to erroneously label them as ‘prostitutes’ or ‘broken women’ because of the gift-based nature of the intimate exchanges. Ethnographic evidence demonstrates, however, that they make up a diverse and nuanced group of individuals who engage in relationships more complex than simply ‘sex-for-cash’ exchanges, and often seek marriage and love in addition to material comforts. Though they do not view themselves as ‘prostitutes’, the distinction of the term ‘professional’ is used to emphasize that 1) they do rely on the formation of these relationships as a means of livelihood and their motivations are initially materially-based; 2) they engage in multiple overlapping transactional relationships, usually unbeknownst to their other partners; 3) there is a performance of intimacy, whereby the professed feelings of love and dedication lie somewhere on a continuum between genuine and feigned, and where the term ‘love’ itself carries multiple meanings. The research further reveals not only the stereotypes, contradictions, and structural constraints experienced by these young women, but also their entrepreneurialism, determination and creativity. Despite trauma related to recent political past, sexual violence, stigma, depression and self-harming, they use tools of global feminine youth culture, consumption, linguistic ability, ‘bar girl’ subculture, and interpersonal relationships to make socioeconomic advancements and find enjoyment in their lives. The practice of 'intimate ethnography' also illuminates the negotiation of intimacy and friendship between the participants and researcher, as well as the general materiality and exchange of everyday sex and relationships around the globe.