Jamaicans, the largest group of English-speaking Caribbean people living in the United States (US), have a history of using bush medicine/complementary therapies (CT) in diabetes management. However, no research described the emic views of Jamaican adults regarding how they select the bush medicine they use or how they know these are suitable to manage diabetes. The purpose of this focused ethnography was to explore and describe how Jamaican adults with diabetes mellitus who live in South Florida select and use complementary therapies for managing their diabetes. The objectives were to: (1) Explore the emic views of Jamaican adults about using CT to manage diabetes mellitus; (2) Describe the rationale given by Jamaicans adults for using CT to manage diabetes mellitus; (3) Analyze and synthesize the data gathered about use of CT for diabetes by Jamaican adults to see if their actions have cultural components that can serve as a basis for providing culturally competent care. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

La Gendarmerie nationale est une institution militaire française qui œuvre dans le domaine de la sécurité. Opérant dans les espaces ruraux et suburbains, elle a historiquement adopté une configuration particulière centrée sur la disponibilité des forces et un déploiement élargi sur le territoire. Poussée par des logiques de rationalisation issues de la nouvelle gestion publique et par des mouvements internes de contestation sociale, l’institution s’est engagée depuis la fin du XXème siècle dans un processus de transformation qui influence en profondeur la gestion de ses personnels. On observe alors une modification des règles du jeu sur lesquelles se base l’exercice du commandement. La condition du gendarme intègre de nouveaux droits jusqu’alors refusés ou fortement restreints par le statut militaire, et les marges de manoeuvre traditionnellement admises, basées sur la soumission sans réserve aux modes de la discipline et de la disponibilité, sont relativisées. Dans ce contexte, l'étude s’est intéressée à la pratique quotidienne des officiers en position de commandement, ainsi qu’à la manière dont ceux-ci abordent les transformations contemporaines de leur institution. Construite à la manière d’une enquête de terrain ethnographique, la démarche de recherche a permis une analyse en détail du travail de ces « chefs » au travers d’un répertoire de rôles. Ces rôles ont été envisagés comme des moyens d’agir sur le collectif, et décryptés au sein d’une grille de lecture stratégique. L’étude a ainsi pu mettre en évidence le choix qui est fait par certains officiers d’adopter une posture de soutien en lieu et place de la posture d’autorité traditionnelle dans le monde militaire / The Gendarmerie nationale is a military institution and one of the two French national police forces, with responsibilities regarding population security in rural and suburban areas. Due to public management reforms and several social movements, this institution is currently experiencing important changes in people management. As a result, the set of game rules that applies to command itself is subject to modifications. The gendarme condition – meaning the entire scale of rights, obligations and missions attached to the position – is evolving and traditional postures, based on disciplinary attitudes and availability standards, are weackened. This study focuses on the day-to-day work of officers in command positions and how these chiefs handle their new situation. Based on an ethnographic approach, the research process analyzes chief-work throught a set of roles, which are discused as means for action in a strategy-based approach. It shows how certain officers in command position choose to reshape the way they make use of their roles, adopting a support based posture rather than a more traditional authority based posture

Thesis (M.A. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / The research reported in this mini-dissertation is an ethnographic case study which sought to investigate the development of biliteracy in one of the rural primary schools in the Limpopo province. Its focus is on how Grade 3 learners engage with texts and the strategies that teachers use to promote biliteracy (in English and Sepedi). Data collection methods included classroom observation, semi-structured teacher interviews and analysis of teaching and learning materials and the print environment. A brief analysis of the school’s language policy was also completed. The research revealed that the learners are hardly being taught to read and write whether in Sepedi, (their home language) or in English. While the school language policy states that English should be introduced in Grade 2, it is actually taught only in Grade 3. Additionally, as the learners do not understand English, the teachers frequently code-switch into Sepedi and therefore the learners hardly get any exposure to English. Many other negative aspects were uncovered. Out of the 28 lessons scheduled to be observed only 20 lessons actually took place. The learners are therefore not actually spending the allocated time on literacy development. The teaching is highly routinised with teachers, by and large, using an approach that emphasises repetition and rote-learning. The learners hardly ever get a chance to engage with texts independently. Even the textbooks available are not used but are stored away in the cupboards. Teachers painstakingly copy material from the textbooks on to the chalkboard and learners then copy this into their exercise books. The classroom environment is uninspiring, as there are hardly any learning materials on display. The interviews showed that the teachers had not been adequately trained to teach literacy and were in fact unaware of more effective ways of getting learners to engage with texts. They saw themselves as victims of frequent policy and curricular changes and blamed Government for poor training and lack of resources. The study in fact confirms findings of earlier research that the acquisition of literacy is simply not taking place in the poor, rural schools of South Africa and there is indeed a crisis in education in these schools.

TWO WAYS OF BURNING A COTTON FIELD is an ethnographic memoir concerning the narrator’s experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, South America. The plot is structured around a moral crisis in his rural Paraguayan village. The narrator’s neighbor, a man in his late twenties, threatened to kill his partner and her two children. The Paraguayan police were made aware of the situation but did nothing. Peace Corps management also instructed the narrator to do nothing. In TWO WAYS OF BURNING A COTTON FIELD, this moral crisis is explored within the contexts of post-colonial power structures, including economic and ecologic geographies, intersections of community and government, and the colonial-indigenous language continuum of Paraguay (Spanish-Guaraní). Further, these neighbors’ localized trauma is located within historical, colonial trauma. Of particular concern is the role that languages – English, Spanish, and Guaraní – play in constructing power, worldview, and relationships within the village.

Ligne continue, homogène et inhabitée, la représentation de l’autoroute se conçoit presque exclusivement comme un équipement fonctionnel du transport, traversant des territoires. Cependant, l’autoroute serait également traversée par ces mêmes territoires, donnant suite à l’émergence d’acteurs et d’une diversité de pratiques. Des problématiques locales, en apparence parfois anodines, finiraient par s’imposer et modifier la conception, la gestion et l’exploitation des infrastructures. Cette thèse s’interroge sur l’existence et la nature d’une dimension territoriale de l’autoroute, mais aussi infrastructurelle du territoire. Ce questionnement est supporté par deux ethnographies : l’une dans la société concessionnaire Vinci autoroutes, avec la Direction du patrimoine et de la construction de Cofiroute ; la seconde avec des acteurs, dont des habitants, des usagers et des élus locaux, situés autour d’autoroutes concédées par ce même gestionnaire privé, dans la région Centre-Val de Loire. Les ethnographies sont accompagnées d’un travail cartographique pour entrevoir les différentes articulations entre infrastructures et territoires. Finalement, la thèse montre la nécessité d’appréhender l’autoroute en tant que région autoroutière, comme un espace traversé par des questions territoriales faites de détails significatifs, au-delà de l’infrastructure elle-même, et d’une multitude d’objets, d’acteurs et de pratiques. Le réseau autoroutier est décomposé pour donner à voir un ensemble d’éléments, d’organisations et de codifications, en lien à des territoires. Ce changement de représentation met en perspective le positionnement des infrastructures autoroutières dans les collectivités locales, avec des formes d’appropriations, de coopérations, d’échanges ou de divergences. / A continuous line, homogeneous and uninhabited, the representation of the highway is often and almost exclusively conceived as a functional equipment of transport and engineering, crossing territories. However, the motorway would also be crossed by these same territories, following the emergence of actors and a variety of practices. Local issues, seemingly sometimes insignificants, would eventually impose and change the design, management and operation of infrastructure. This thesis questions the existence and the nature of a territorial dimension of the highway but also an infrastructural dimension of the territory. This questioning is supported and explored by two ethnographies: one within the private operator of highways, Vinci Autoroutes, with the Directorate of Heritage and Construction of Cofiroute; the second with actors, including inhabitants, users and local elected officials, located around motorways conceded by the same private concessionaire, in the Center-Val de Loire region. The ethnographies are accompanied by a cartographic work which allows to glimpse the different articulations between infrastructures and territories. Finally, the thesis shows the necessity to apprehend the highway as a highway region, that is to say, as a space crossed by territorial questions made of significant details, beyond the infrastructure itself; and a multitude of objects, actors and practices. To do this, the highway network is broken down to reveal a set of elements, organizations and codifications, related to territories. This change in representation puts into perspective the positioning of highway infrastructure in local communities, with forms of appropriation, cooperation, exchange or divergence.

Indigenous women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at a disproportionate and epidemic rate. A common thread among indigenous women's experiences is that of colonization, which has been linked to both IPV and other social ills. Many tools of domination and control used throughout colonization to subjugate and oppress indigenous peoples are consistent with the tactics of power and control used in IPV. Given the distinct history of colonization along with the absence of research on indigenous women from the Southeastern portion of the United States, the purpose of this critical ethnography was to understand the culture and context of IPV for women from a Southeastern tribe across the life course. Because they complimented and supplemented each other in their ability to increase understanding about indigenous women' experiences with IPV, critical theory, historical trauma, life course theory, and resilience theory guided this qualitative inquiry. Paulo Freire's vision of critical theory was used to conceptualize this dissertation within the specific historical context. Using Carspecken's critical ethnographic method, the relevant data collected for this study included 28 participant observation sessions with indigenous community members and 28 life histories with indigenous women. Data analysis followed Carpsecken's method of reconstructive analysis. The patterns of power and domination at the societal, community, and interpersonal levels were identified with the broader beliefs that might perpetuate IPV across generations. Results included key factors within the specific historical context of indigenous women that had salient linkage to IPV. The potential symptoms of historical loss and trauma, including alcohol abuse, IPV, and family breakdown, were highlighted. Women's emergent pattern of violence that occurred across the life course was delineated within the culturally specific family structure. Women's perceptions of experiences with the formal and informal support systems were explored. Likewise, the various coping strategies of women who experienced IPV were identified along with the culturally specific protective and risk factors across multiple levels. Women's suggestions for emancipation from oppression were highlighted along with the implications for social work practice and policy.

The purpose of this dissertation research was to bring voice to university custodians as blue-collar workers by exploring the manner in which four custodians interact with students on a university campus. The following research questions framed this study: 1) In what ways do four campus custodians interact with students during their work day at a large public university? 2) In what ways do those custodians talk about students and their interactions with students? This study adopted a critical philosophical lens that acknowledged the historically-marginalized voice of custodians as campus blue-collar workers. Extant research on blue-collar worker identity theory and college student-staff interactions and mentoring literature, as well as the author's own blue-collar background, informed and framed the study. Qualitative data sources for this ethnographically-grounded case study were four campus custodians employed in three residence halls during the academic year at a large, public university in the Midwest. A moderate participant observation strategy melded with a semi-structured interview protocol were employed. Data were collected and transcribed during seventy-five hours of observations throughout a six-week time span. Mutual benefits to both college student success and custodial staff occupational esteem were identified in custodial staff-student interactions. More specifically, custodial staff participants were found to indirectly support college student success via formally acknowledged and performed cleaning and maintenance duties of observing, protecting, and promoting the health of college students. Additionally, custodial staff directly supported college student success via informally-performed actions of remembering, comforting, advising, exchanging and keeping gifts, and participating in events with students. Based on these findings, this study advises college and university decision-makers to consider custodians as important mentors for, and allies to, college student success. Suggestions for professional practice include 1) Acknowledging and leveraging custodians' unique assets and contributions, 2) Fostering relationships between students and custodians, 3) Increasing custodian's opportunities for professional development, 4) Considering custodians' potential to support student success in custodian hiring decisions, and 5) Training Custodial Staff in Basic Crisis Intervention. Future research should examine custodians as formal mentors, explore social justice concerns relative to blue-collar campus workers, and study the influence of custodian-student interactions on custodial staff job satisfaction and performance.

Inadequate cancer pain management is a global problem. The problem is particularly worse in developing countries where the majority of patients present with advanced stages of the disease. Nurses play an important role in cancer pain management because they spend the majority of their time with patients. The purpose of the study was to examine role of unit cultures on cancer pain management practices among nurses in Kenya. A focused ethnography was used to explore cancer pain management practices of two different units (general and private) within the same institution. Data were collected for four months in a national referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. A total of twenty five nurses and fourteen secondary participants (e.g., nurse managers) participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document reviews. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The study findings show that the unit culture plays a role in cancer pain management practices. For instance, nurses on the oncology unit prioritize pain while nurses on the private unit prioritize overall patient satisfaction. Nurses in both units do not conduct a comprehensive pain assessment and they do not use validated pain assessment tools. Facilitators, such as availability of analgesics and palliative care training, were helpful in managing cancer pain especially in the oncology unit. Barriers such as, negative attitudes towards opioids and doubting patients’ report of pain continue to hinder adequate cancer pain management in the private unit. Other barriers including lack of pain management policies, assessment tools, and workload, influence cancer pain management practices negatively in both units. Understanding the role of unit culture in nursing cancer pain management practices has important implications for policy and practice. Findings in this study show a divergence of the prevailing training of nurses on pain management and practice. Findings could be used to develop pain management policies and protocols for nurses to use as a guide in cancer pain management. Also, nurse managers could use this findings to improve practice for instance, training in cancer pain management could be expanded to include nurses in the private unit. In terms of research, studies could be done to capture patients’ perspectives regarding cancer pain management, or implementation studies could be carried out to alleviate the barriers identified. Lastly, tailored strategies aimed at changing the culture in a unit to enhance change in practice are needed.

This thesis describes how politics shape vulnerability to climate change at the local level, based on an ethnography in Cortez, Florida. Focusing on a “traditional” commercial fishing village on the Florida Gulf Coast, my research indicates that such vulnerabilities are created at multiple scales of the nexus between governance and commerce. Moreover, a key finding is that, as a community closely linked to the health of local environments, the village in Cortez is largely organized to protect their commercial industry from regional economic overdevelopment; not in recognition of its role in contributing to global climate change, but because such overdevelopment is perceived as unjust and destructive to local environments. Further, through qualitatively examining the environmental values of a “traditional” fishing community located in a large metropolitan coastal area, my thesis confronts the responsibility that broader society may have to reevaluate economic growth in effort to truly foster sustainability and justice. Finally, the thesis describes how communities like Cortez may be repositories for locally developed, ecologically grounded resilience strategies, rendering their voice all the more crucial, beyond conventional stakeholder approaches, in public discussions about regional economic development and marine resource management.

This ethnography explores the varied contours of a national health care system and how it is used in conjunction with traditional forms of health care in Toledo District, Belize, focused on the largest town of Punta Gorda (P.G.), In a medically plural environment, a variety of health care options are used based on a wide range of social, economic, and structural factors that shape people's choices and decisions. The convenience of and experience with low-cost home- and self-care options make these the most common first choice during an illness event in P.G., however a deeper exploration of health behavior reveals that people will exhaust all options in their quest for health. In an era when neoliberal trends have a direct effect on people's lives, including a negative impact on health and well-being, Belize stands out as an interesting case. The small Central American/Caribbean nation has taken actions that appear to be contradictory to broader neoliberal policies that encourage privatization of government services, by implementing a national health care system that provides low-cost and free health services to its citizens. While new health facilities have been opened, and health services have become more widely available throughout Belize, an analysis of how and why the health care system functions shows that such programs may actually function as mechanisms of control and surveillance, thus aligning with neoliberal aims such as decentralization and privatization of services. As it has been implemented in southern Belize, the national health care system also replicates and extends an historic trend of marginalization and neglect to the region, showing that from the perspective of the State, and by extension, the powerful and elite of the nation, the citizens of P.G. are seen as less deserving of the quality of health care services that are necessary to lead healthy and productive lives.