Using personal narratives, this thesis theorizes the lived experiences of attempting to align one’s consumption choices with the principles of food sovereignty in a place like Victoria, BC. First, to provide a detailed summary of the problem, a thematic analysis is used to identify and describe the tensions that arise throughout this journey. Second, drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), this thesis explores the various ruling relations that coordinate the (mis)understanding of the political potential of food sovereignty. By critically and reflexively analyzing my personal experience of engaging with food sovereignty I will suggest how others who are entering the study of alternative food initiatives can be more effective in their engagement with such movements. Furthermore, I suggest potential ways for those who have a relatively good understanding of alternative food movements to engage more effectively with others who share an interest in these initiatives, but who perhaps lack the accessibility to academic literature and/or the knowledge of how to participate politically in such initiatives. When we are able to see our shared interests and political connections, we are able to build political alliances. This then creates the potential for transformational change in the current industrial food system to one that is socially just and environmentally sustainable. / Graduate / 2018

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This thesis explores the politics of drugs and addiction in Iran in light of processes of state formation. The case of Iran provides a paradigm of what has come to be known as the 'War on Drugs' in a political and cultural setting that has been characterised, by most of the area studies literature, by other investigations and scholarly questions. Iran, nevertheless, represents an outstanding case for the study of the War on Drugs; it is at the geopolitical crossroads of international drug routes, it has one of the world highest rates of drug 'addiction' - estimated at between 2-3% and 6-7% of the entire population - and it has progressively seen the rise of synthetic, industrial drugs, such as methamphetamines (shisheh). The thesis situates the phenomenon of drug use in the social and political history of Iran with a particular attention to the transformations taking place after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. It provides a genealogical map of policy experimentations in the field of drugs, while it also casts light on the rationale that governs the formation and transformation of state practices vis à vis drugs, especially during the reformist and post-reformist period (1997-2013). To do so, the research combines extensive archival research using Persian sources (newspapers, reports, films, memoires, etc.) starting from the early 1900s, with ethnographic fieldwork in public clinics, rehab centres, drug using hotspots and, more generally, the street. The outcome is an in-depth engagement with narcotic politics, which unearths unstudied dynamics of Iran's contemporary politics and society. Instead of moralising approaches, what is unveiled is a state that adopts both rhetoric and practice that are secularised and in tune with Western models of policymaking. Eventually, the thesis reveals how the image of the Iranian state has not only been misplaced, but it has also been a myth.

This ethnographic study examines the relationships between cultural commodities and identity formation in a Jamaican rural locale. This study represents 24 months of participant observation, participant interviews and artifact analysis in St. Thomas, Jamaica. This study provides analytic descriptions of how identity development is experienced by youth in St. Thomas during the era of Gaza vs. Gully. Chapter one outlines the statement of the problem and the research questions. Chapter two frames the literature and theoretical frameworks utilized in the study. The methodology of the study and the case for the utilization of ethnography is explained in Chapter three. The social, cultural, and political context of St. Thomas as well as the Gaza vs. Gully era is discussed in Chapter four along with the introduction of the four main participants of the study. Chapter five utilizes examples and experiences from the lives of the four main participants to analyze the features of identity development in this specific “time and space”. Conclusions about and implications of the data from the participant observation presented will continue to be addressed in Chapter six. The study’s findings should interest anthropologists focused on popular culture, globalization, and development as well as educational researchers who seek to understand the role cultural commodities play in identity formation and the conceptualization of youth cultures. / Urban Education

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal