Master's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

In Between: A Journey of Cultural Integration is a multimedia art installation that tells the story of a Korean girl’s cultural integration journey. The story was inspired from my personal experience of moving from South Korea to the U.S. In the 12’ x 14’ room, the narrative was delivered by media. The story was introduced by the projected text of a diary on a book in the middle of the room. The images that were projected on all four walls enhanced the narrative. The each viewer was forced to experience the installation alone and experience the loneliness of the journey. The successful collaboration between scenic and media was important for creating a cohesive design for this project. I worked with several projection designers to create the narrative development. Throughout the process, the boundary between scenic design and media design became blurry and I and my collaborators became a creative team as a whole. This project was intended to share my personal story of cultural integration with a broader audience by inviting them to have a different perspective view towards the immigration community in America. It also became my personal challenge to create a space that could tell a story without an actor. / text

This dissertation analyzes the discourse of Obama’s speeches to argue my thesis that Obama won election by virtue of his rhetorical speechmaking but more specifically, his ability to manage race in those speeches. I define and refer to Obama’s rhetorical handling of race in his speechmaking throughout the campaign as the rhetoric of race management. By rhetorical race management, I mean the strategic use of race (or obfuscation of race) in one’s discourse to manage or affect the audience’s beliefs or opinions of the listener. From a communication-based standpoint, understanding how race operated in this election requires us to examine the history of racism in the United States as well as critical scholarly work on the subject. Understanding how Obama was able to manage race in his rhetoric is necessary because it forces us to perhaps reexamine and scrutinize the 2008 Presidential election more carefully for several reasons. As rhetorical scholars, if we are in the business of understanding how our icons and politicians can potentially manipulate and use our rhetorical signs and symbols against us—or in spite of us--it is in our best interest to understand why the process occurred and why we allowed it to happen. I suggest that Obama’s deliberate attempt to weave ideological constructs like patriotism and the American Dream into his campaign strategy obfuscated his representation as the marginalized “other” and created a new political identity that has little to do with marginalization. By examining the theories of scholars like Kenneth Burke, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Walter Fisher, and Dana Cloud, I outline how race and racism historically operated in our political elections, from both a sociopolitical, or quantitative perspective, as well as a critical perspective. By using a multimethod analysis, we are better positioned to understand how Barack Obama successfully played the race card in the Presidential Election of 2008. More importantly, I argue in my conclusion why his use of rhetorical race management, was absolutely necessary if he were to become the first African-American president in a historically racist country. / text

During Soviet Russia, there was an active policy of forced assimilation of minorities into one cultural identity: Russian. This loss of cultural identity came in many forms of resettlement, deportation, discriminatory language policies and economic practices. All of these policies and actions led to large groups of people from the North Caucasus giving up their unique cultural identity and adopting the Russian cultural identity. Many of the policies and actions of the Soviet Union reflected the actions of the United States during the forced assimilation process of the Native Americans. Throughout this process of losing their cultural identity, the people of the North Caucasus could have maintained their unique cultural identity at home or in the local school system, but chose not to for various reasons. This choice to shed their own cultural identity and adopt the Russian identity has had detrimental effect s on the region and some cultures are on the brink of extinction. Not all the people of the North Caucasus willingly assimilated and accepted the Russian way of life; the Chechens have fought the Russians since their first excursion into the North Caucasus and continue to fight to this day for independence and freedom. / text

Denna uppsats är en kritisk granskning av Samuel P. Huntingtons modell att förstå världspolitiken utifrån, som han presenterar i boken The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Granskningen utgår från en analys av hans grundläggande begrepp, ”civilization” och ”clash”, och från ytterligare en analys av hur hans modell skiljer sig från andra modeller om världen. Med hjälp av dessa analyser diskuterar jag rimligheten i den tes som han ställer upp och konsekvenserna som hans förutsägelser och policyrekommendationer får, för att sedan kunna bedöma om hans modell är användbar eller inte. Min slutsats är att den inte är särskilt användbar, främst på grund av den oklara betydelsen av hans begrepp. En modell utifrån fler faktorer skulle istället ge oss en bättre förståelse av världen. / This paper is a critical examining of Samuel P. Huntington’s model for understanding world politics, that he presents in his book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The examining is based on an analysis of his basic concepts, “civilization” and “clash”, and on another analysis of how his model differs from other models about the world. With the help of theses analyses I discuss the reasonableness of the these he formulates and the consequences that his predictions and policy recommendations have, to be able to judge if his model is useful or not. My conclusion is that it’s not very useful, mainly because of the unclear meaning of his basic concepts. Instead, a model based on more factors would give a us a better understanding of the world.

Magistro darbo tema „Edukacinių programų įtaka kultūrinio identiteto ugdymui muziejaus veiklos kontekste“. Šio tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti muziejaus pedagoginės veiklos procesą ir jos dalyvių kultūrinio identiteto ugdymą edukacinių programų realizavimo kontekste. Tyrimo uždaviniai – išanalizuoti edukacinę veiklą Biržų krašto muziejuje „Sėla“. Atskleisti muziejaus lankytojų požiūrį į edukacinę veiklą ir ryšių su visuomene ypatumus bei ištirti muziejų edukacinių programų veiksmingumą ugdant kultūrinį identitetą. Nustatyti veiksnius, lemiančius edukacinių programų realizavimą. Remiantis tyrimo duomenimis, parengti rekomendacijas muziejų edukacinių programų rengėjams. Teorinėje darbo dalyje aptarta muziejaus samprata ir bendras kultūros švietimo kontekstas. Išsiaiškinta edukacinių programų funkcija, jų reikšmė bei įtaka įvairioms amžiaus grupėms, apibrėžtas kultūrinis identitetas. Buvo atliktas Biržų krašto muziejaus „Sėla“ lankytojų empirinis tyrimas. Gautos tokios pagrindinės darbo išvados, kad edukacinės muziejų programos, atlikdamos savo funkciją – padėdamos pajusti senuosius papročius, tradicijas, prisiliesti prie senųjų amatų, išsaugodamos kultūrines vertybes, senuosius papročius, įtakoja kultūrinio identiteto ugdymą ir formavimą. Gautos išvados patvirtina hipotezę. Edukacinės programos yra reikšmingos visiems bendruomenės nariams, nes padeda patenkinti žinių poreikį... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The topic of the Master degree essay is “Influence of educational programmes on upbringing cultural identity in the context of museum practice”. Aim of this research is to reveal the pedagogical aspect of museum practice and educational of cultural identity in the context of realization of educational programmes. Goals of the research are: To analyze educational practice of “The Sela”, A regional museum of Birzai region. To reveal attitudes museum visitors have towards the educational programmes and the peculiarities of public relations; to find out the efficiency of educational programmes in upbringing cultural identity: to measure elements for realization of educational programmes; to prepare recommendations for the organizers of future educational programmes using results of the research. Theoretical part of the essay speaks about notions of a museum and cultural context in general and function of the educational programmes is ascertained. There is also definition of cultural identity. Empirical research of museum visitors was held in “ The Sela” , Birzai regional museum. Some conclusions were made. They say that educational programmes in museums have done their function, helping to feel old customs and traditions, to touch old crafts, saving cultural values and old customs make influence on upbringing cultural identity and formation of it. All conclusions affirm the... [to full text]

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Im Zentrum der qualitativ ausgerichteten Studie stehen ein Einblick in die Lebenswelt und die biographische Entwicklung erwachsener Auslandsadoptierter. Berücksichtigung finden dabei das Merkmal der doppelten Elternschaft, der prozesshafte Umgang mit Rassismuserfahrungen sowie Möglichkeitsräume und Prozesse hybrider kultureller Identitätsbildung. Die theoretischen Ausgangspunkte umfassen das Phänomen ‚Auslandsadoption’, den Aspekt ‚Rassismus’, die Idee ‚hybrider kultureller Identität’ und das Konzept der ‚Biographie’. Mit dem Ziel, eine empirisch fundierte Theorie zum Forschungsgegenstand zu entwickeln, erfolgt der methodologische Zugang über die Grounded Theory. Als Instrument der Datenerhebung dient das autobiographisch-narrative Interview (vgl. Schütze, 1983). Um die subjektbezogene Perspektive der Informanten und die Rekonstruktion der jeweiligen lebensgeschichtlichen Erfahrungsaufschichtungen analysieren zu können, wird für die Auswertung der Interviews auf das von Schütze (1984) entwickelte Konzept der kognitiven Figuren des autobiographischen Stegreiferzählens zurückgegriffen. Das Sample der Studie setzt sich aus 19 weiblichen und männlichen Personen im Alter zwischen 18 und 37 Jahren zusammen: es sind 17 Auslandsadoptierte aus verschiedenen Herkunftsländern in Asien (Indien, Korea und Vietnam), Mittel- (Nicaragua) und Südamerika (Bolivien) sowie Afrika (Ghana); des weiteren zwei Vergleichsfälle, eine deutsche Adoptierte und eine aus Japan stammende, nicht-adoptierte junge Frau. Die Auslandsadoptierten der vorliegenden Studie unterscheiden sich phänotypisch sowohl von ihren jeweiligen Adoptiveltern als auch vom fiktiven Bild des blonden, blauäugigen „Standard-Deutschen“ (Mecheril, 2003); in der hiesigen Gesellschaft werden sie mehr oder minder intensiv als (unerwünschte) Fremde wahrgenommen. Mit allen Adoptierten ist den aus dem Ausland adoptierten gemeinsam, dass sie sowohl biologische als auch soziale Eltern haben. Die lebensgeschichtlichen Erzählungen der erwachsenen Adoptierten belegen, dass ihre Adoptiveltern eine unterschiedliche Umgangsweise mit der doppelten Differenz ihrer Kinder – gemeint ist die zweifache Elternschaft und die sichtbare ‚fremde’ Herkunft – pflegen. Typologisch lässt sie sich wie folgt charakterisieren: Die Adoptiveltern der vorliegenden Studie repräsentieren den Akzeptanz-Typus, den Minimierungs-Typus und den Ambivalenz-Typus. Je nach Elterntypus stehen dem Adoptivkind unterschiedliche Entwicklungsräume und -bedingungen im Hinblick auf den Umgang mit der doppelten Elternschaft, die Bewältigung von biologisch oder kulturell motivierten Rassismuserfahrungen und die Entstehung einer hybriden kulturellen Identität offen. Im Verlaufe des ‚biographischen Prozesses’ (vgl. Alheit, 1990) werden diese Ausgangsbedingungen vom Adoptivkind in zum Teil schwierigen und leidvollen Lernprozessen gemäß seinem individuellen ‚Eigensinn’ gestaltet.

Using feminist poststructuralist and postcolonial lenses, I explore how young Lebanese-Canadian women construct health, obesity, and the body within the context of the dominant obesity discourse, which over-emphasizes supposed links between inactivity, nutrition, obesity, and health. Participant-centered conversations were held with 20 young Lebanese-Canadian women between the ages of 18 and 25. The conversational texts were analyzed according to two consecutive methods: a thematic analysis which allowed us to focus on what the participants had to say about health, obesity, and the body followed by a poststructuralist discourse analysis which helped us to decipher how the participants spoke about these topics. The findings of this study attest that the young women construct health, obesity, and the body as matters of individual responsibility. They speak about achieving health and avoiding overweight/obesity through disciplinary practices such as rigorous physical activity and proper dietary restrictions. The participants also construct health in close linkage with the physical appearance of the body; moreover, they conflate the “healthy” and “ideal” female body, which they represent as thin. As such, the young women reject “fat” and portray obesity as a disease, a matter of lack of will, and an “abnormal” physical appearance. Finally, the young Lebanese-Canadian women report their involvement in various practices such as restriction of the quality and quantity of their nutritional intake, rare and non-organized forms of physical activity, and problematic practices such as the use of detoxes, dieting pills, and compulsive exercise, all in the name of health. Throughout this study, I highlight the participants’ multiple and shifting subjectivities: While the young Lebanese-Canadian women most often construct themselves as free neoliberal subjects re-citing elements of dominant neoliberal discourses (of self-authorship, self-responsibility for health, traditional femininity, and obesity), they at times construct themselves as “poststructuralist” subjects showing awareness of, and “micro-resistance” to such discourses. The impacts of the Lebanese and Lebanese-Canadian cultures on the participants’ constructions of health, obesity, and the body comprise an important part of this thesis. The participants accentuate the major importance of beauty and physical appearance—particularly not being fat—in the Lebanese and Lebanese-Canadian cultures. However, they also attempt to distance themselves from “Lebanese” ways of thinking about health, obesity, and the body, and in doing so they replicate homogeneous representations of Lebanese, Lebanese-Canadian, and Canadian women. I offer practical suggestions to inform health and obesity interventions that target Lebanese-Canadian women and women from ethnic minorities and I discuss future research possibilities that may stem from the present thesis.

China has become one of the world’s economic engines. One major driving force is the rapid urbanization. Such fast development results in resource and energy depletion, pollution and environmental deterioration. The government has recently endorsed green buildings and urged ministries to work out a national action plan. It is predicted that green building will be the next big thing in China. But before importing any foreign green technology and green designs, is there something to be learned from the Chinese ancestors? In the long history of China, the Chinese have always employed a system of construction with the influences of geography, climate, culture, philosophy, economy and politics deeply rooted in China, making the Chinese traditional architecture distinct. Embedded in the formation of the city, siheyuan 四合院, the courtyard house in Beijing was one exceptional dwelling example that inherited the quintessence of the thousand years of building experiences and knowledge of the ancestors. This traditional urban type not only celebrated the rich and unique cultural heritage of China, it also played an important role in maximizing the natural forces to create a pleasant and comfortable environment for living. Population growth, political and economic reforms over time however have drastically changed the fate of this historical heritage. Especially under the pressure of the fast development and economic boom after the introduction of the Open Door Policy in 1978, the traditional courtyards were the first to be demolished due to the lack of modern facilities and the inability to accommodate the growing population. They were often replaced by apartment blocks and high-rise towers – imported types based on planning regulations developed in the West, outside the cultural and environmental milieu of Beijing. As a result, the city is now filled with many energy intensive buildings that eat away both the “city’s essence” and the valuable natural resources. With the current policy and ambition of China, the teardown courtyard sites within the old city wall that are still waiting for development offer the potential to address the remediation and reinterpretation of the traditional typology in a contemporary city. The thesis investigates the essences of the traditional courtyard house and explores the way to apply such qualities to the design of a new courtyard typology in contemporary Beijing. The proposal anticipates a holistic approach on both environmental, social, cultural and economic level, so as to carry out preservation that manifests in experience rather than physical restoration, and to create a project that is truly sustainable.