abstract: A new sect of Swaminarayan Hinduism emerged in the late eightieth century. This sect rapidly grew into a global organization due their highly structuralized nature. Fascinatingly, the new sect was able to create the feeling of home away from home in multiple countries. Through the establishments of mandirs, Hindu place of worship, practitioners were able to solidify the feeling of home away from home. Through books, magazine articles and letters the evidence of the new sect creating this feeling is overwhelming. Diaspora theory is woven within the thesis due to the global nature of the sect. This thesis uses a broad definition of diaspora to encompass the change in literature due to the ability of one to maintain close ties to their old homeland. The Swaminarayan sect treaded through diaspora by assimilating to their new homeland all the while keeping a close tie with their old homeland. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Religious Studies 2016

abstract: This dissertation uses the narrative practice of chorography as a genre for assessing the history of placemaking in the Salt and Gila River region of central Arizona from the late seventeenth century through the mid-nineteenth century. Chorography concerns the descriptive representation of places in the world, usually of regions associated with a particular nation. Traditionally, chorography has served as a written method for describing geographical places as they existed historically. By integrating descriptions of natural features with descriptions of built features, such as ancient ruins, chorography infuses the physical landscape with cultural and historical meaning. This dissertation relies on a body of Spanish- and English-language chorographies produced across three centuries to interpret how Euro-American descriptions of Hohokam ruins in the Salt and Gila River valleys shaped local placemaking. Importantly, the disparate chorographic texts produced during the late-seventeenth, eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries reflect ‘discursive continuity’—a continuity of thought spanning a long and frequently disregarded period in the history of central Arizona, in which ruminations about the ruins of ancient cities and irrigation canals formed the basis for what people knew, or thought they knew, about the little-known region. When settlers arrived in the newly-formed Arizona Territory in the 1860s to establish permanent settlement in the Salt and Gila River valleys, they brought with them a familiarity with these writings, maps, and other chorographical materials. On one hand, Arizonans viewed the ancient ruins as literal evidence for the region’s agricultural possibilities. On the other hand, Aztec and Cíbola myths associated with the ruins, told and retold by Europeans and Americans during the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, offered an imaginative context for the establishment and promotion of American settlement in central Arizona. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation History 2017

abstract: The American-led 'war on terror' affected how media outlets and some contemporary literature addressed and stereotyped Islam. One of the most common stereotypes regarded the status of women in society. The constant images of oppressed Afghani women generated a wave of negativity toward Islam. Afghani women were portrayed as passive characters during the Taliban rule awaiting liberation from the west. Defending their rights became one of the moral justifications for waging the 'war on terror' after the tragedy of 9/11. Gender politics in Afghanistan is closely tied to the regime in power. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the social and cultural transformation of society that followed also directly affected women and their identity as Muslims. Both the Soviet and the Taliban regimes envisioned a drastic transformation of women's participation in the public sphere. Each regime's gender politics oppressed Afghani women and sought to take away their agency. Some women welcomed the freedom under the Soviets, but others found the freedoms to be oppressive. The Taliban aimed to preserve men's authority over women. However, Afghani women never gave up the hope of freedom and equality. My main argument is to challenge the contemporary belief that Afghani women were passive characters in their history. This study introduces a fresh perspective on to women's role as change makers in the society. I argue that Afghani women maintained their autonomy and fought for their rights, before the rest of the world rushed to liberate them. They engaged in different forms of resistance from directly attacking the oppressors to keeping their resistance hidden. This thesis challenges the notion of Afghani women as victims in need of saving. On the contrary, they were the agents of change in their communities. On the basis of ethnographic interviews and three memoirs written by women who lived in Afghanistan during Soviet and Taliban rule. Their resistance against the oppressors is an affirmation of their courage and bravery. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Religious Studies 2017

abstract: Relevant literature was analyzed alongside interview data from participants concerning issues of anti-Semitism, Israel affiliation, and Jewish identity. Qualitative coding and theme identification were used to determine possible relationships among the variables, with special attention to the role anti-Semitism plays in influencing Israel affiliation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 young American Jews (18-24) currently enrolled as undergraduate students in universities. The results revealed that continuity of the Jewish people is a core value for many American Jews. Anti-Semitism is often under reported by young American Jews, but for some anti-Israel sentiments are conflated with anti-Semitism. It was also observed that knowledge of anti-Semitism plays an integral role in shaping Jewish identity. Finally, it was found that Israel affiliation polarizes the Jewish community, often resulting in the exclusion of left-leaning Jews from the mainstream Jewish community. These results were analyzed within racial, social, and political frameworks. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Justice Studies 2018

abstract: This study analyzes competing forms of Protestant Christianity within the Bible Belt of the Upper South (Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina). On one hand, a conservative “culture war” version of Christianity has dominated the South, and deeply influenced national politics, for almost fifty years. This form of Christianity is predicated on white supremacy and heteropatriarchy and regulates religious, as well as sexual, gender, and racial norms. On the other hand, an emerging movement of those once socialized in the culture war version of Protestantism is now reconfiguring the regional traditions. Through ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative interviews, and historical analysis, this study explores the ways these post-culture war Christians are navigating and negotiating relations with family, church, and politics and society more broadly. This work argues that Protestantism in the Upper South is being re-landscaped from the inside by individuals staying within the tradition who seek to reorient regional, national and religious identities. This study goes beyond generalizations about changes in American religion to shed light on the specific motivations, conflicts and dynamics inherent in shifts in lived religion in this particular region. In so doing it also contributes to deeper understanding of processes of religious change more generally. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2018

abstract: Cecil Rhodes said, "I would annex the planets if I could." This attitude epitomized the views of the white people who colonized Zimbabwe starting in 1890, and thus society was built on the doctrines of discovery, expansion, and subjugation and marginalization of the Native people. For white Zimbabweans in then-Rhodesia the institutionalization of racism privileged their bodies above all others and thus they were collectively responsible for the oppression of black people through white complacency in allowing that system to exist and active involvement in its formation. For my family, who has a four-hundred year history in Southern Africa, coming to this realization - this critical consciousness of their positionality as oppressor - has been a difficult road. Through their struggle made evident is the potential for change for both individuals and nations fighting to overcome the effects of colonization / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Social Justice and Human Rights 2013

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / O objetivo da presente dissertaÃÃo foi compreender o processo de construÃÃo de ideias e crenÃas sobre o padre CÃcero a partir das narrativas da experiÃncia religiosa de nove professores da rede pÃblica municipal de educaÃÃo de Juazeiro do Norte â CearÃ, para, em seguida, analisar como estas repercutem nas prÃticas pedagÃgicas, contribuindo ou nÃo para o diÃlogo inter-religioso. As disciplinas curriculares focadas foram Estudos Regionais e Ensino Religioso, ministradas nos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental. Tratou-se de uma investigaÃÃo qualitativa (BOGDAN e BICKLEN, 1994), fundamentada nos aportes teÃrico-metodolÃgicos da pesquisa (auto)biogrÃfica em educaÃÃo (JOSSO, 2007, 2010); (DELORY-MOMBERGER, 2008, 2012, 2014). As narrativas dos docentes foram tecidas no dispositivo de pesquisa e de formaÃÃo denominado CÃrculo Reflexivo BiogrÃfico (OLINDA, 2010) e foram interpretadas no cÃrculo hermenÃutico proposto por Moraes (2003), intitulado AnÃlise Textual Discursiva. Todo o processo foi acompanhado da tÃcnica do diÃrio de itinerÃncia (BARBIER, 2007). Quanto ao padre CÃcero, o trabalho encontra-se essencialmente fundamentado em Dumoulin (2017). Tanto as narrativas quanto o tratamento didÃtico-pedagÃgico em torno dessa figura pÃblica polÃmica refletem contradiÃÃes, incompreensÃes e impasses que dificultam o diÃlogo inter-religioso, tratado no presente trabalho na perspectiva dos direitos humanos e do processo de espiritualizaÃÃo do ser (TEIXEIRA, 2003, 2014); (WOLFF, 2014); (PANIKKAR, 2007). Ficou evidente a necessidade de investimentos na formaÃÃo dos professores e no aprimoramento/aprofundamento nos processos de ensinar e de aprender. O mito padre CÃcero precisa ser problematizado, fazendo surgir o sacerdote e polÃtico que deixou exemplos significativos sobre os caminhos a serem percorridos por uma igreja que respeita a fà popular e se compromete com a reversÃo de quadros de subalternizaÃÃo e desigualdades sociais. Ainda hà muito a se realizar no sentido de haver uma maior abertura para prÃticas pedagÃgicas que contribuam com o diÃlogo inter-religioso e, consequentemente, com a construÃÃo da paz social no contexto das religiÃes. / The objective of this dissertation was to understand the process of constructing ideas and beliefs about Father CÃcero from the narratives of the religious experience of nine teachers from the municipal public education network of Juazeiro do Norte - CearÃ, and then analyze how these repercussions on pedagogical practices, whether or not they contribute to interreligious dialogue. The curricular subjects focused were Regional Studies and Religious Education, taught in the final years of Elementary School. It was a qualitative research (BOGDAN and BICKLEN, 1994), based on the theoretical-methodological contributions of (self)biographical research in education (JOSSO, 2007, 2010); (Delory-Momberger, 2008, 2012, 2014). The narratives of the teachers were woven into the research and training device called Biographical Reflective Circle (OLINDA, 2010) and were interpreted in the hermeneutic circle proposed by Moraes (2003), entitled Discursive Textual Analysis. The entire process was accompanied by the roaming log technique (BARBIER, 2007). As for Father CÃcero, the work is essentially based on Dumoulin (2017). Both the narratives and the didactic-pedagogical treatment around this controversial public figure reflect contradictions, incomprehensions and impasses that hinder interreligious dialogue, treated in the present work in the perspective of human rights and the process of spiritualization of being (TEIXEIRA, 2003, 2014); (WOLFF, 2014); (PANIKKAR, 2007). The need for investments in teacher training and improvement / deepening in the processes of teaching and learning was evident. The myth Father CÃcero needs to be problematized, giving rise to the priest and politician who left significant examples on the paths to be followed by a church that respects the popular faith and commits itself to the reversion of cadres of subalternization and social inequalities. There is still much to be done in the sense of greater openness to pedagogical practices that contribute to interreligious dialogue and, consequently, to the construction of social peace in the context of religions.

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abstract: James Baldwin (1924-1987) was one of the most well-known African American fiction and nonfiction writers of the twentieth century. Throughout his life and career, he earned a worldwide reputation as a respected novelist, memoirist, and essayist who contributed to a wide array of artistic movements and intellectual discourses. Many scholars have noted the particular African American religious and cultural influences upon Baldwin’s work. More recently, scholars have additionally noted the importance of Baldwin’s globally-engaged thought and internationalist life. Throughout all of his work, Baldwin wrote extensively on the subject of religion. This dissertation posits the topics of religion, violence, and marginalization as integral to his nonfiction writings and speeches, particularly after 1967. As such, it argues that Baldwin in his early career established four distinct discourses on morality, evil, scapegoatism, and purity that he came to connect in his later writings on the intersection of religion, violence, and marginalization. Within these writings, Baldwin also displayed a rigorous engagement with multicultural and multireligious artistic and literary canons, along with the evolving academic study of religion. Therefore, not only should the intersection of religion, violence, and marginalization be a central consideration for Baldwin scholarship, but scholars of religion and violence in particular would benefit from engaging Baldwin’s addressment of this intersection. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2019

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