Social media is considered a particularly conducive arena for hate speech. Counter speech, which is a "direct response that counters hate speech" is a remedy to address hate speech. Unlike content moderation, counter speech does not interfere with the principle of free and open public spaces for debate. This dissertation focuses on the (a) automatic detection and (b) analyses of the effectiveness of counter speech and its fine-grained strategies in user-generated web content. The first goal is to identify counter speech. We create a corpus with 6,846 instances through crowdsourcing. We specifically investigate the role of conversational context in the annotation and detection of counter speech. The second goal is to assess and predict conversational outcomes of counter speech. We propose a new metric to measure conversation incivility based on the number of uncivil and civil comments as well as the unique authors involved in the discourse. We then use the metric to evaluate the outcomes of replies to hate speech. The third goal is to establish a fine-grained taxonomy of counter speech. We present a theoretically grounded taxonomy that differentiates counter speech addressing the author of hate speech from addressing the content. We further compare the conversational outcomes of different types of counter speech and build models to identify each type. We conclude by discussing our contributions and future research directions on using user-generated counter speech to combat online hatred.

The study explored experiences of hate, hate crimes and microaggressions among diverse Asian adults living in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic for a sample (N = 831) that was 26.7% Chinese, 13.6% Japanese, 13.4% Korean, 12.4% Taiwanese, 10.6 % Filipino, 10.3% Indian, 8.5% Thai, 54.9% female, and 86.8% U.S. born—with a mean age of 33. Findings showed participants had: better overall physical health before COVID-19 pandemic versus currently; mental/emotional health declined from before the pandemic to currently; moderate social support; closest to moderate past-year mental distress; closest to “more than once” for experiences of microaggressions; a high level of ability for perceiving racism and oppression; and were in the action stage for coping and responding to racism and oppression. Also, 79% (N = 831) personally experienced hate once to a great number of times, and 43.5% (N = 362) endorsed moderate to very high impact; 79.2% (N = 664) witnessed hate against someone else once to a great number of times, and, 44.5% (N = 370) endorsed moderate to very high impact. Those who received counseling in the past experienced more microaggressions than those who did not seek counseling. The higher the frequency of experiencing microaggressions then higher the age, darker the skin color, lower the self-rating of mental health pre-COVID-19, lower the self-rating of physical health pre-COVID-19, lower the self-rating of mental health during COVID-19, higher the past year depression, anxiety and trauma and overall mental distress, greater the feeling of being unable to control important things in life, higher the ability to perceive racism and oppression, higher the stage of change for coping and responding to racism and oppression, greater the impact of hate, and lower the social desirability. Backward stepwise regression showed significant predictors of a higher frequency of experiences of microaggressions were being born in the U.S, not being a student, past year counseling, older age, lower education, higher overall mental distress, and higher ability to perceive racism and oppression—with 77.4% of variance explained by the model. Implications of findings and recommendations are provided for addressing anti-Asian hate.

Few figures in the history of the Americas are surrounded with more colorful lore and acclamation than the Cuban politician, teacher, patriot, and poet Jose Marti. Among Marti's literary contributions, his Ismaelillo, a collection of fifteen poems published in 1882, claims prominence as both Marti's first book of poems and as a seminal Latin American text. Celebrated for its sincere communication of paternal love and lauded as the genesis of Hispanic literary modernism, Ismaelillo captures the longing of an exiled father separated from his son and homeland. Its language is at once evocative of classical Spanish literature and innovative, incorporating allusions to Golden Age drama while introducing neologisms and oneiric imagery that were daring for Marti's time. Despite the significance of Ismaelillo in Latin American literature, no complete English translation of the work has yet been published. The foremost aim of this thesis project, then, is to fill this lack. The English translation seeks to reflect Marti's meaning, rhythm, and additional phonological effects such as alliteration, rhyme, and anaphora. It balances primary concerns of fidelity to the original text with concerns of accessibility and satisfaction for a contemporary English audience. To reveal further the meaning of Marti's Ismaelillo, annotations and a critical introduction explore the text's historical and literary contexts.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: Veiled Muslim women are particularly vulnerable to hate crime vic-timization. This is both due to the visibility of the veil and to Islamophobic stereo-types. Islamophobic hate crimes target a central part of these women’s identity and have the potential to affect both actual and potential victims in a multitude of ways. However, research on this particular group is limited, especially in Sweden. Aim: The aim was to explore how Islamophobic hate crimes are experienced by veiled Muslim women in Malmö. Method: Eight veiled Muslim women were re-cruited through Muslim associations in Malmö and interviewed through focus group interviews and individual interviews. Three of the women wrote diaries about their experiences. The interview data was analysed through thematic analy-sis. Results: Four themes were identified in the analysis: a) Islamophobia is a part of veiled Muslim women’s everyday lives and is experienced both in public places and in formal settings, b) experiences of Islamophobia restrict the women’s lives, both through limiting their behaviours and through creating geographical boundaries in the city, c) awareness of Islamophobic hate crime against other Muslim women induces a feeling of “if it can happen to her, it can happen to me too”, finally, d) international and political issues increase Islamophobia toward these women. Discussion: Islamophobia permeates the lives of veiled Muslim women across a multitude of arenas. Due to fear of victimization, Islamophobia and hate crimes threaten Muslim women’s liberty in their day-to-day lives. Thus, there is a need for authorities across a variety of domains to be aware of these women’s vulnerable position in society and work towards providing the support veiled Muslim women need.

“Our Voices Matter” is my own reckoning as a music educator with homeplace in my music classroom using autoethnography as a method. My research is guided by the question “What is homeplace — for myself, my students, and for us together?” Data were collected through personal recollection, journal writing, vignettes, written interviews, public videos of student performances, blog posts, and news articles over a span of ten years of teaching at New Bridges Elementary in Brooklyn, NY. Data were analyzed through bell hooks’ definition of homeplace and Bettina Love’s usage of homeplace. I reckoned with the extent to which I experienced homeplace, perceived homeplace for my students, and actualized a homeplace that is welcoming of both my students and myself. Findings showed that my understanding of homeplace shifted over my ten years of teaching through the interactions with my students, and societal and cultural reckonings that inevitably affected the shared classroom space with my students. My use of language, content I taught, and personal voice were affected by pivotal experiences throughout my teaching career and personal life that started separately but ultimately intersected in my music classroom. The Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements collectively played active roles in the lived experiences of my students and me. The influences and intersections of these two movements in my elementary classroom led to multiple reckonings through unapologetic freedom dreaming where my students and I visioned futures that prioritize our racial identities, whole selves, and joy through music making, creating, and coexistence in shared space. In this study, I illuminate the complexities of my personal teaching practice and experience as a music educator that is inclusive of but also goes beyond music for music’s sake. The findings of my study may spark new understandings for educators about the ways that one’s positionalities and lived experiences affect the music classroom space. The findings may also be useful for those teachers grappling with the critical movements in our society which affect both our students and ourselves and require discussion and reckoning within the classroom. Although the findings are not meant to be extrapolated to any reader’s own classroom or students, this study reflects the emotional and mental shifts that have occurred in my teaching and being and as such may ignite personal reflection and shifts for the reader.

This study sought to investigate the effect of state-level policies, pertaining to hate crimes and mental health care, on the association between sexual orientation and the prevalence of depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and bullying amongst adolescents. State-level policies included whether hate crime laws included sexual orientation as a protected category, and rates of follow-up care after hospital discharge amongst acutely mentally ill youth covered by public health insurance (Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program; CHIP). Data were from the 2019 State-Level Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), completed by a representative sample (N = 153,215) of U.S. students in grades 9-12 across 44 states. The YRBS is one of the few population-based studies to gather sexual orientation data in a youth sample. Compared with living in states with hate crime laws extending protections to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people, living in states without inclusive hate crime laws did not predict a significantly stronger association between LGB status and mental health. However, the association between LGB status and electronic (i.e., cyber) bullying was significantly greater in states with hate crime laws that excluded sexual orientation as a protected category than in states with inclusive hate crime laws. The association between LGB status and suicide attempt was significantly greater in states with lower rates of follow-up mental health care for acutely ill youth than in states with higher rates of follow-up care. This is the first known study to find an association between residing in a state with higher quality government-funded mental health care for acutely ill youth and reduced suicide attempt among LGB youth. These findings underscore the urgent need for state-level policies that increase legal protections and improve access to mental health care for sexual minority youth. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study investigated the relationship between state-level policies, mental health, and bullying among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school students. State-level policies included whether hate crime laws included sexual orientation as a protected category, and rates of follow-up care after hospital discharge amongst severely mentally ill youth enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Data were from the 2019 State-Level Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), completed by 153,215 U.S. students in grades 9-12 across 44 states. The YRBS is one of the few large studies to gather information about sexual orientation in a youth sample. Participants were more likely to be cyber-bullied if they lived in states that didn't include sexual orientation as a protected category. LGB high school students living in these states were at even greater risk of being cyber-bullied than their heterosexual peers. Youth residing in states with better follow-up care were less likely to attempt suicide. LGB youth living in states with worse follow-up care were at even greater risk of attempting suicide than their heterosexual peers. This is the first known study to find a relationship between residing in a state with higher quality government-funded mental health care and reduced suicide attempt among LGB youth. These findings underscore the urgent need for state-level policies that increase legal protections and improve access to mental health care for sexual minority youth.

No / Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in society, offering a range of benefits and opportunities. However, with the rise of AI comes new challenges, particularly in hate speech. Hate speech, a type of expression that incites hatred or violence against individuals or groups based on ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics, has become a growing concern in Malaysia, with social media and online platforms becoming a breeding ground for such speech. In this context, AI technology has emerged as a potential solution for monitoring and regulating hate speech, but it also presents legal and ethical challenges that must be addressed. In view of double edge sword roles played by the development of AI, this article analyses the legal recourse available in Malaysia for disruptive AI technology and hate speech. The authors claim that AI systems are prone to errors and biases and that there is a risk of relying too much on such plans at the expense of human judgement. There are also concerns regarding the impact of AI on free expression and privacy rights. In addition, the author suggests that artificial intelligence be appropriately regulated to ensure that it is consistent with international human rights standards and national laws. / This research was supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE) through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2020/SSI0/MSU/03/1).

This thesis investigates the impact of traditional societal norms on LGBTQ+ hate crimes in Armenia. Grounded in anthropological and human rights theories, it employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing semi-structured interviews and secondary sources such as human rights reports and academic literature. The research reveals that deeply entrenched societal norms and institutional barriers significantly contribute to the prevalence of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals. Findings indicate that while LGBTQ+ organizations provide essential support and advocacy, their efforts are often hindered by legal and societal challenges. This study concludes that comprehensive legal reforms and increased societal awareness are crucial for improving the safety and rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in Armenia.