Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study is an interpretative phenomenological analysis that explored the meanings homeowners associated with their lived experience of foreclosure. In the wake of the 2006 housing crash and 2008 Great Recession, questions have been posed about the continued efficacy of homeownership as an asset-based strategy. In addition, the conversation has been dominated by traditional economic and business interests. Discussions about housing policy and foreclosure response have marginalized the voice of vulnerable populations. The literature on housing policy reflects a positivist perspective that privileges analysis of unit production, economic costs and benefits. Secondary attention is given to exploring housing and foreclosure from a critical and constructivist standpoint. Consequently, this study intentionally engaged people who have experienced foreclosure. Depth and meaning were uncovered through interpretative phenomenological analysis. A purposive sample of five homeowners who experienced foreclosure was identified. The five homeowners participated in semi-structured interview. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using the six-step process articulated for interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA combines three philosophical foundations—phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography—to approach qualitative and experiential research. The findings of this study discovered that foreclosure represents disconnection for the participants. Specifically, due to experiencing foreclosure, participants felt separated from their self-identity, from housing finance literacy, from their relationship with their mortgage lender and servicers, from the benefits of homeownership and from self-sufficiency due to their social service-based, helping-based, and/or low-wage employment. Study findings both affirm and challenge relevant theoretical frameworks. In addition, this research underscores the need for social work education to address financial literacy. Further, social work practitioners should be prepared to either provide or refer consumers to home-buyer education and training. Social workers should also challenge exploitative consumer practices and offer empowering alternatives in their place. Lastly, this research offers strategies and practices to strengthen housing policy and foreclosure response for the benefit of consumers.

The aim of my thesis is to discuss the possible uses of the concept of autonomy in the study of conversions of Roma to Charismatic/Pentecostal Christianity. Focus on empowerment and social inclusion has been prevailing in the field, and critical reflection of questions of governance and oppression is lacking. I use the thesis by Patrick Williams (1987; 1991; 1993a), according to whom the French Gypsies who converted to Pentecostalism achieved autonomy or at least a sense of autonomy, which allowed them to downplay the role of structural factors and other people behind their actions. Through a case study from ethnographic fieldwork in a Romani Charismatic congregation in Western Bohemia I extend and refine the concept. The main theoretical innovations come from the contemporary moral philosophy, especially the theory of autonomy (of the oppressed) by Christman (2014) who defines autonomy as a reflexive affirmation of an assumed practical identity, a "life worth living". The story which missionaries in Márov, the place of my fieldwork, put forward, was that Roma converted from being pimps and drug dealers. The empirical realities and narratives about the change cast doubt on the easy account of radical change through the religion. Based on a detailed focus on conversion of one former drug addict I...

PhD Thesis Summary: Imagining the West: Marginality and Possible Lives at the Outskirts of a Mexican City Mgr. Marie Heřmanová The thesis aims to develop various results of a long-term fieldwork in the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, where rural-urban migration was pervasive since the 1960s. The research concentrated on the second generation of Tzotzil and Tzeltal migrants living at the suburbs of the city. Young indigenous people, whose parents came to the city to seek jobs, are now completely bilingual (they speak their maternal language - mostly Tzotzil as well as spanish they have learned in the school in the city). They mostly work in the same areas as the first generation migrants - as shop-keepers, souvenirs sellers or street-food vendors. They are thus in everyday interaction with both tourist and expats in the city centre. These interactions and meetings are in the context of the thesis seen as a consitutive element to imageries of mobility, modernity and Western lifestyles developed by the the young indigenous people from the suburbs. The concept if "Imaginary West" (Yurchak 2005) is central in the thesis, an unseen and yet ever-present homeland of the tourists and most importantly a place where "better lives" happen. The text explores how the search for...

In several medieval written sources an area called Ragundaskogen (Eng: Ragunda Forest) is documented in eastern Jämtland. The references in the sources are general and lack specific information about location, meaning and the extent of this area. This thesis uses a theoretical framework based on niche construction and a method employing written sources, place names and archaeological remains to better understand the medieval concept of the Ragunda Forest. The study will reconstruct and discuss the area’s geography, but also provide insight into the people who lived there, their relationships with each other and places in the landscape, as well as their relationship to the church in Uppsala and the monarchy in Norway. The Ragunda Forest was a niche in a border area and during certain periods seems to have had a certain form of independence. The Middle Ages are a period characterised by a series of crises due to climate change and diseases such as the plague. The Ragunda Forest will be used as a background to discuss how the medieval population and landscapes were affected. The thesis suggests that interdisciplinary studies of delimited and local landscape spaces are an effective method for better understanding historical human-environment relations. / I flera skriftliga källor från medeltiden omnämns Ragundaskogen i östra Jämtland. Hänvisningarna i källorna är generella så det är svårt att avgöra Ragundaskogens exakta betydelse, läge och utbredning. Denna uppsats använder ett teoretiskt ramverk som bygger på nischkonstruktion och en metod som omfattar skriftliga källor, platsnamn och arkeologiska lämningar för att bättre förstå det medeltida begreppet Ragundaskogen. Studien kommer att rekonstruera och diskutera områdets geografi, men också ge insikt till människorna som levde där, till deras relationer sinsemellan och till platser i landskapet, samt till deras förhållanden till kyrkan i Uppsala och kungamakten i Norge. Ragundaskogen var en nisch i ett gränsområde och verkar under vissa perioder också haft en viss form av självständighet. Medeltiden är en tidsperiod som kännetecknas av en rad kriser till följd av klimatförändring och sjukdomar som pesten. Ragundaskogen kommer att användas som en bakgrund för att diskutera hur medeltidens människor och landskap påverkades. Uppsatsen föreslår att tvärvetenskapliga studier av avgränsade och lokala landskapsrum är en effektiv metod för att bättre förstå historiska människa-miljö relationer.

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Previous literature, although helpful in demonstrating the insidious nature and effects of Islamophobia on Muslims, does not underscore the varying forms and intensities of Islamophobia that a diverse range of Muslims in the West face and the powerful ways in which race and socio-economic class factor into their experiences, coping mechanisms, and stigma responses. This dissertation contributes to the literature on Muslims in The West in three ways: (1) offering a qualitative approach to understanding the ways in which Islamophobia is perpetuated through media discourse and coinciding political legislation, and is experienced differently by a diverse range of Muslims in Canada, (2) adding the concepts of spiritual marginalization, spiritual homelessness, and social status optimization to the analytic vocabulary on integration and articulating their relationship with identity, and (3) making a connection between race and social class and the response to Islamophobia and articulating their relationship with human agency. In chapter one, I provide an in-depth literature review on Islamophobia in the West. In chapter two, I present the results of a discourse analysis study that highlights the structural dimensions of Islamophobia through media representations and framing of incidences involving Muslim vs. non-Muslim perpetrators of violence. In chapter three, I present the results of a study that showcases group level experiences of racism amongst a relatively powerless group of Muslim refugee youth in Hamilton Ontario and St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador. In chapter four, I provide a contrasting response to stigma by reporting on the experiences and mobilization of a socioeconomically privileged group of first, second and third generation Muslims in Edmonton. Finally, I summarize the conceptual findings of each paper, review and discuss the general theoretical and conceptual contributions of the dissertation to existing literature, and provide suggestions on future directions for studying Islamophobia and Muslim integration in The West. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation analyses the varying forms and intensities of Islamophobia that a diverse range of Muslims in Canada face and the powerful ways in which race and socio-economic class factor into their experiences, coping mechanisms, and stigma responses. The thesis explores three themes: 1) how Islamophobia may be structurally maintained and propagated through media discourse and coinciding political legislation, 2) how Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate is experienced differently by different groups of Muslims in Canada, and (3) how there may be a connection between race and social class in individual responses to Islamophobia. By adding the concepts of spiritual marginalization, spiritual homelessness, and social status optimization to the analytic vocabulary, this work is a unique contribution to existing literature, and to our understanding of the differing lived experiences of being Muslim in the West and the varying ways in which Islamophobia informs the day to day lives of Muslim Canadians.

[ES] La investigación de la ciudad informal ha ido priorizando el estudio de la disyuntiva aparente entre teoría y praxis en el análisis de las transformaciones socioespaciales. Si bien este enfoque investigativo ofrece una posición crítica para la revisión de las buenas prácticas públicas, relega de la reflexión dos temas consustanciales y articulados: la actualización de la marginalidad urbana como categoría conceptual y analítica vigente, y las transformaciones del tejido residencial que recrean matices de marginalidad urbana a pesar de la intervención. La tesis propone un marco explicativo para la actualización del concepto que sirva como categoría de análisis de la intervención pública, a través de un estudio crítico de los hechos constitutivos de la ciudad informal en correlatos afines a la marginalidad urbana. Para ello adelanta una revisión centrada en la significación e interpretación de paradigmas de las ciencias sociales y el urbanismo vinculados al espacio de la ciudad informal con herramientas cualitativas y cuantitativas. Lo anterior, con el fin de establecer la cercanía conceptual acudiendo a dimensiones, escalas y a la producción del espacio para, de este modo, determinar los niveles de heterogeneidad de la marginalidad urbana. Posteriormente, se presenta el contexto de la marginalidad urbana en Medellín como proceso histórico que se reproduce con matices actualizados y con la paulatina consolidación de la ciudad informal en el paisaje. Finalmente, a través de cartografía temática sobre los correlatos más cercanos a la dimensión físico-espacial, se verifican los tímidos efectos de la intervención para la transformación de la marginalidad en la ciudad informal en un sector de Medellín. En consecuencia, los modelos de gestión se implementan con diversos niveles, según el alcance del concepto de la marginalidad, y sus efectos suelen ser acciones restringidas y parcializadas. Esta paradoja no dialoga con el carácter procesual de las manifestaciones espaciales de la marginalidad, razón por la cual la ciudad informal de hoy es heterogénea, con una complejidad teórica anclada en nuevas marginalidades, en diversos ámbitos del desarrollo de la vida en la ciudad. Estos modelos, en síntesis, apuestan en la actualidad por cambios paisajísticos a través de piezas, abandonando premisas valiosas ya ensayadas y la riqueza semántica del término, a pesar de su capacidad de vincular diversos aspectos que le atañen a la ciudad informal. En ese sentido, la replicabilidad de la intervención debe pasar por la contextualización específica de las condiciones de base, la amplitud del concepto de marginalidad urbana y sus manifestaciones, especialmente en comparación con el resto de la ciudad, para de este modo fomentar diálogos más equilibrados entre la ciudad formal, la informal y el paisaje. / [CA] La investigació de la ciutat informal ha anat prioritzant l'estudi de la disjuntiva aparent entre teoria i praxi en l'anàlisi de les transformacions socioespacials. Malgrat que aquest enfocament de recerca ofereix una posició crítica per a la revisió de les bones pràctiques públiques, releguen de la reflexió dos temes consubstancials i articulats: l'actualització de la marginalitat urbana com a categoria conceptual i analítica vigent, i les transformacions del teixit residencial que recreen matisos de marginalitat urbana malgrat la intervenció. La tesi proposa un marc explicatiu per a l'actualització del concepte que servisca com a categoria d'anàlisi de la intervenció pública, a través d'un estudi crític dels fets constitutius de la ciutat informal en correlats afins a la marginalitat urbana. Per a això avança una revisió centrada en la significació i interpretació de paradigmes de les ciències socials i l'urbanisme vinculats a l'espai de la ciutat informal amb eines qualitatives i quantitatives. L'anterior, amb la finalitat d'establir la proximitat conceptual acudint a dimensions, escales i a la producció de l'espai per a, d'aquesta manera, determinar els nivells d'heterogeneïtat de la marginalitat urbana. Posteriorment, es presenta el context de la marginalitat urbana a Medellín com a procés històric que es reprodueix amb matisos actualitzats i amb la gradual consolidació de la ciutat informal en el paisatge. Finalment, a través de cartografia temàtica sobre els correlats més pròxims a la dimensió física-espacial, es verifiquen els tímids efectes de la intervenció per a la transformació de la marginalitat a la ciutat informal en un sector de Medellín. En conseqüència, els models de gestió s'implementen amb diversos nivells, segons l'abast del concepte de la marginalitat, i els seus efectes solen ser accions restringides i parcialitzades. Aquesta paradoxa no dialoga amb el caràcter processal de les manifestacions espacials de la marginalitat, raó per la qual la ciutat informal de hui és heterogènia, amb una complexitat teòrica ancorada en noves marginalitats, en diversos àmbits del desenvolupament de la vida a la ciutat. Aquests models, en síntesi, aposten en l'actualitat per canvis paisatgístics a través de peces, abandonant premisses valuoses ja assajades i la riquesa semàntica del terme, malgrat la seua capacitat de vincular diversos aspectes que li concerneixen a la ciutat informal. En aquest sentit, la replicabilitat de la intervenció ha de passar per la contextualització específica de les condicions de base, l'amplitud del concepte de marginalitat urbana i les seues manifestacions, especialment en comparació amb la resta de la ciutat, per a d'aquesta manera fomentar diàlegs més equilibrats entre la ciutat formal, la informal i el paisatge. / [EN] Informal city research has been prioritizing the study of the apparent dilemma between theory and praxis in the analysis of socio-spatial transformations. Although this investigative approach offers a critical position for the review of good public practices, it relegates reflection to two consubstantial and articulated themes: the updating of urban marginality as a current conceptual and analytical category, and the transformations of the residential grids that recreate nuances of urban marginality despite the intervention. The thesis proposes an explanatory framework for updating the concept that serves as a category of analysis of public intervention, through a critical study of the constitutive facts of the informal city in correlates related to urban marginality. To this end, it advances a review focused on the meaning and interpretation of paradigms of social sciences and urbanism linked to the space of the informal city with qualitative and quantitative tools. The foregoing, to establish the conceptual closeness by going to dimensions, scales, and the production of space to, in this way, determine the levels of heterogeneity of urban marginality. Subsequently, the context of urban marginality in Medellín is presented as a historical process that is reproduced with updated nuances and with the gradual consolidation of the informal city in the landscape. Finally, through thematic cartography on the closest correlates to the physical-spatial dimension, the timid effects of the intervention for the transformation of marginality in the informal city in a sector of Medellín are verified. Consequently, management models are implemented at various levels, depending on the scope of the concept of marginality, and their effects are usually restricted and biased actions. This paradox does not dialogue with the procedural character of the spatial manifestations of marginality, which is why today's informal city is heterogeneous, with a theoretical complexity anchored in new marginalities, in various areas of the development of life in the city. These models, in short, are currently betting on landscape changes through pieces, abandoning already tested valuable premises and the semantic richness of the term, despite its ability to link various aspects that concern the informal city. In this sense, the replicability of the intervention must go through the specific contextualization of the basic conditions, the breadth of the concept of urban marginality and its manifestations, especially in comparison with the rest of the city, to promote more balanced dialogues. between the formal city, the informal city, and the landscape. / Montoya Arenas, C. (2022). Aproximación a la actualización del concepto de marginalidad urbana y sus rasgos espaciales en la ciudad informal [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/185138

The thesis is a qualitative study from critical theory perspectives to enhance understanding of how systemically mainstream organizations marginalize social work practice with ethno-racial minorities. It also explores strategic implications for systemic change based on field research findings. Ten social workers from Edmonton – the provincial capital city of Alberta, Canada - participated in investigative dialogues for the thesis field research. These research participants’ workplace stories lend themselves to explore three questions: what does marginalization of practice with ethno-racial minorities look like in mainstream organizational settings; what is there to understand about it as a systemic issue and what the research findings imply for change strategies. A critical analysis of dialogic data thematically identifies everyday work issues that describe how practice with ethno-racial minorities is kept at the operational and service-delivery fringe of individual workplaces. These thematic findings point to broader issues of the mainstream human service organization sector. These broader issues further highlight how the practice marginalization of concern in this thesis is a systemically constructed issue. These broader issues are mainstream benevolence, social work as an employment regime, multicultural service delivery as a thrill and clientization of ethno-racial minorities. In consideration of these sector-wide issues, implied change strategies reveal three thematic directions for systemic transformational change: (i) continued dialoguing involving concerned social workers and ethno-racial minority community leaders, (ii) community social work to build and foster coalitionary activist work and organizations, and (iii) participatory research involving a community sharing concern of the practice marginalization issue so as to build a strong knowledge-base to support and empower broad-base activist endeavour to effect change about mainstream human service organizations. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

<p>In today’s world, exposure to other cultures has become a symbol of increasing globalization processes. Many people leave their home area to embark on a voyage of discovery and learning that affects their original cultural identity.</p><p>This study explores the life experience of independent transcultural sojourners, i.e. people who freely decide to relocate to different cultural contexts after their formative years. The inquiry covers three major themes of their intercultural experience: Multicultural identity, processes of intercultural adaptation, and change and transformation ensuing from multiple intercultural relocations. The aim of this study is to show the effects of multiple intercultural experiences on the identity of transcultural sojourners, and how they dealt with relevant emerging processes of intercultural adaptation.</p><p>Following a format suggested by Seidman (1996), five respondents were asked to recount and reflect on their transcultural experience in three separate, asynchronous interviews that covered three dimensions of their intercultural experience: past, present, and reflections. The ensuing text comprised about 16,000 words and was analyzed using both a narrative and a thematic approach using a mixed typology of categories and sub-themes made up of indigenous typology stemming from relevant scholarly literature and researcher-constructed typology suggested by the researcher and the respondents.</p><p>The analysis indicates that personal factors like mindfulness, motivation, resourcefulness, and intercultural awareness strongly influence processes of Intercultural communication competence and Multicultural identity development. Contextual factors are also relevant, as they include issues of avowed and ascribed identity. The analysis also shows no specific, generalizable link between the presence of intercultural stimuli in the original cultural milieus and the decision to relocate across cultural boundaries. Furthermore, it points to a strong relation between Piagetian constructivist learning theories and the development of ICC competence. The study also indicates that independent transcultural sojourners are in a position to negotiate the level of their integration and marginality, which in turn affects the spectrum of their Intercultural communication competence.</p><p>Finally, this study indicates the limited applicability of traditional functionalist approaches to understanding and conceptualizing processes of intercultural adaptation and multicultural identity building. It also suggests the need for a shift towards a dialogical perspective informed by systems-thinking and Chaos theory.</p> / The author would like to acknowledge the inspiration and passion for intercultural issues provided over the years by the Intercultural Insights on-line community.Seattle, summer 2010.