View All Items

Title: THE EFFECTS OF HEGEMONIC SUPPORT OF ENDANGERED LANGUAGES ON LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES.
Creator: Box, Christy, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Endangered languages are those that are spoken by a very small percentage of the population and are at risk of disappearing with all the knowledge and diversity they contain. Endangered languages often become endangered because the speakers and the society perceive the language as low status or of little use, and a positive change in perception of the language could aid in revitalizing the language. Institutions such as governments, businesses, and universities have recently begun supporting...
Show moreEndangered languages are those that are spoken by a very small percentage of the population and are at risk of disappearing with all the knowledge and diversity they contain. Endangered languages often become endangered because the speakers and the society perceive the language as low status or of little use, and a positive change in perception of the language could aid in revitalizing the language. Institutions such as governments, businesses, and universities have recently begun supporting endangered languages in several areas, and this support could greatly affect language ideologies, perceptions of and attitudes about the language. In this research project, I intend to explore the effects on how an endangered language is viewed by both speakers and non-speakers when it is supported by linguistically dominant institutions such as business and higher education. This research was conducted in various areas of Scotland and Ireland and consists of survey data, ethnographic interviews, and participant observation. Specifically, this research aims to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the relationship between institutional support and language ideologies? 2) How do different forms of institutional support affect language ideologies? Institutional support of endangered languages could provide these languages with validity and recognition as a language, as well as offer economic and status advantages to speakers, creating positive attitudes about speaking and learning the languages. This positive change in the way these languages are perceived could be a crucial step in revitalizing endangered languages and preserving the linguistic diversity of the world.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFH2000177, ucf:45999
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000177

Title: THE EFFECTS OF WESTERN MEDICINE ON THE LIVELIHOOD OF ZULU TRADITIONAL HERBAL HEALERS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Creator: Bahamonde, Holly, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The majority of South African citizens experience inadequate healthcare due to underfunding, mismanagement, staff shortages, and infrastructure problems. Before a healthcare system was created, the sick turned to traditional herbal healers for care. South Africa's Zulu healers possess specialized knowledge of local plants and medicine thought to have physical and spiritual healing properties. The country's increasing reliance on Western biomedicine has created a current concern from...
Show moreThe majority of South African citizens experience inadequate healthcare due to underfunding, mismanagement, staff shortages, and infrastructure problems. Before a healthcare system was created, the sick turned to traditional herbal healers for care. South Africa's Zulu healers possess specialized knowledge of local plants and medicine thought to have physical and spiritual healing properties. The country's increasing reliance on Western biomedicine has created a current concern from indigenous medicine conservationists regarding the future of this kind of knowledge. In order to assess the effects of Western medicine on traditional healing practices, I collected data on the various uses of traditional medicine, the frequency in which it is used relative to Western medicine, and how it is maintained in the community. The data identified the various uses and potential problems of Western medicine and Zulu traditional herbal practice in helping the community. The traditional herbal healers revealed close connections between the informational, spiritual, physical, and cultural components of the practice that characterize its livelihood and practice for generations to come. This information allows for a greater understanding of how culture and medicinal knowledge can be entwined together and the positive or negative effects of biomedicine interacting with traditional medicine to help solve sicknesses in not only South Africa, but potentially in our global community.
Show less
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004892, ucf:45419
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004892

Title: PLAYING WITH FIRE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC LOOK AT HOW POLYAMORY FUNCTIONS IN THE CENTRAL FLORIDA BURNER COMMUNITY.
Creator: Mikesell, Maleia, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis asks the question as to whether polyamory functions as a community glue or solvent for the Central Florida Burner Community. It explores the definition of polyamory and how it relates to the Burner counter-culture. This thesis explores what polyamory's effects are on the individual and community levels for those who participate in it. The findings concluded that overall the participants reported a perceived positive impact on both the individual level and on community cohesion in...
Show moreThis thesis asks the question as to whether polyamory functions as a community glue or solvent for the Central Florida Burner Community. It explores the definition of polyamory and how it relates to the Burner counter-culture. This thesis explores what polyamory's effects are on the individual and community levels for those who participate in it. The findings concluded that overall the participants reported a perceived positive impact on both the individual level and on community cohesion in this case. The participants also revealed that the environment Burning Man provides is generally open and welcoming of polyamory.
Show less
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004852, ucf:45459
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004852

Title: LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY AND MULTILINGUALISM.
Creator: Casorio, Nicholas, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Over the last decade, linguistic relativity has seen a resurgence in research and discourse on thought, language, and culture. One particular facet of this research, multilingualism, has been relatively sparse in comparison to the wealth of research available focusing on individual languages and monolingual speakers. This study represents a preliminary investigation that enters this arena by focusing specifically on how speakers of English as a second language use English basic color terms in...
Show moreOver the last decade, linguistic relativity has seen a resurgence in research and discourse on thought, language, and culture. One particular facet of this research, multilingualism, has been relatively sparse in comparison to the wealth of research available focusing on individual languages and monolingual speakers. This study represents a preliminary investigation that enters this arena by focusing specifically on how speakers of English as a second language use English basic color terms in respect to monolingual speakers. This is done by using a modified methodology from the World Color Survey as a comparative model of a speaker's division of colors. Participants in this study illicit responses for 160 color tiles taken from the Munsell color chart used as the basis of the World Color Survey. The results of this study show that three of the ten multilingual participants division of the color space per English color terms falls outside of the normal range of variation between the monolingual English speakers who participated in this study. Though future research is needed to definitively posit the reasons for those participants color maps, this study provides a new window and inquiry into an under-researched area of linguistic relativity.
Show less
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004885, ucf:45431
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004885

Title: NATIVE AMERICAN AND ALASKAN NATIVE YOUTH SUICIDE.
Creator: Yurasek, Emily, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Indigenous populations in the U.S. have been suffering from a youth suicide epidemic for decades. The epidemic and risk factors associated with it can be connected to the mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history which has caused their communities to suffer from numerous inequalities such as poverty, inadequate housing, loss of land, and destruction of culture. Using the concepts of biopolitics, post-colonialism, and structural violence, I argue that the social and political...
Show moreIndigenous populations in the U.S. have been suffering from a youth suicide epidemic for decades. The epidemic and risk factors associated with it can be connected to the mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history which has caused their communities to suffer from numerous inequalities such as poverty, inadequate housing, loss of land, and destruction of culture. Using the concepts of biopolitics, post-colonialism, and structural violence, I argue that the social and political institutions forced upon Native American communities have led to increased alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, and disempowerment, all important factors that aid in the youth suicide epidemic. I also suggests that preventative programs not only focus on suicide but other risk factors involved such as alcohol and drug abuse.
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFH0004592, ucf:45230
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004592

Title: FORCED MOTHERHOOD? AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON STATE GENDER EXPECTATIONS IN NICARAGUA.
Creator: Mendoza-Cardenal, Mikaela M, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The dominant Sandinista party discourse of Nicaragua designates the family as the country's base social institution, but the prevailing machismo threatens the family's structure. Men - fathers - leave, either literally as migrant laborers or in the abandonment of their family responsibilities. In order to counteract the men's socially sanctioned absence, the state deploys a hegemonic expectation of motherhood in the passage of its complete abortion ban, one of the strictest in the world. All...
Show moreThe dominant Sandinista party discourse of Nicaragua designates the family as the country's base social institution, but the prevailing machismo threatens the family's structure. Men - fathers - leave, either literally as migrant laborers or in the abandonment of their family responsibilities. In order to counteract the men's socially sanctioned absence, the state deploys a hegemonic expectation of motherhood in the passage of its complete abortion ban, one of the strictest in the world. All forms of abortion, including saving the life of the mother, are banned in Nicaragua and both doctors and women are heavily penalized if an abortion is performed. The denial of this vital health service becomes much more threatening in the context of Nicaragua's increased maternal mortality and the highest adolescent fertility rate in Latin America. However, this thesis focuses on abortion within the social context of idealized maternity; here, abortion is not simply the removal of a fetus but a rejection of motherhood, a dangerous option to normalize when women are seen as those primarily responsible for the family's well-being. This study draws on seven weeks of fieldwork in early 2016 in Managua, Nicaragua and interviews with sixteen women to advance the argument that the abortion ban is a form of reproductive governance implemented to maintain a hegemony of maternal expectations in order to preserve the family.
Show less
Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFH2000128, ucf:46045
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000128

Title: Reproductive Rights and Justice Advocacy in Central Florida: Who is Represented?.
Creator: Hager, Mary, Mishtal, Joanna, Harris, Shana, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines the racial understanding and social relationships of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida staff and volunteers. As well, this research explores how Planned Parenthood supporters organize and promote diverse advocacy work to promote reproductive justice in social media and volunteer education. Planned Parenthood has been at the forefront of reproductive rights campaigns for over a century, and their work has often tied into contemporary feminist and...
Show moreThis thesis examines the racial understanding and social relationships of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida staff and volunteers. As well, this research explores how Planned Parenthood supporters organize and promote diverse advocacy work to promote reproductive justice in social media and volunteer education. Planned Parenthood has been at the forefront of reproductive rights campaigns for over a century, and their work has often tied into contemporary feminist and political issues. Of note, feminists of color have called for a shift from advocacy for (")reproductive choice(") to (")reproductive justice(") as a way to identify the needs and predicaments of a wider range of women and to promote advocacy that is more representative of the population it aims to serve. Yet, how key non-governmental organizations such as Planned Parenthood engage with intersectional issues of ethnicity, race, sex, gender, and socioeconomic class in their advocacy work has been understudied. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this research examines how volunteers and staff apply their understandings of racial disparities and inclusive advocacy efforts to better aid Central Florida's marginalized communities and communities of color. This project contributes to the greater call for policy and organizational analysis through applied anthropology and feminist studies in the United States and addresses how organizations balance the desires of their funders against the diverse needs of their patients.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007011, ucf:52048
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007011

Title: Mirrors as Portals: Images of Mirrors on Ancient Maya Ceramics.
Creator: Rogers, Julie, Callaghan, Michael, Kovacevich, Brigitte, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Maya believed there were multiple worlds in addition to the human world. Portals connected these worlds and allowed active engagement between the Maya and their gods. Without portals and the ability to communicate between the worlds the Maya belief system could not function. Evidence suggests the Maya believed reflective surfaces (-) mirrors and water surfaces (-) were portals to spiritual worlds. In this thesis, I examine the portrayal of mirrors as portals in Maya art, focusing on...
Show moreThe Maya believed there were multiple worlds in addition to the human world. Portals connected these worlds and allowed active engagement between the Maya and their gods. Without portals and the ability to communicate between the worlds the Maya belief system could not function. Evidence suggests the Maya believed reflective surfaces (-) mirrors and water surfaces (-) were portals to spiritual worlds. In this thesis, I examine the portrayal of mirrors as portals in Maya art, focusing on mirrors in scenes painted on ceramics. Combining archaeological, iconographical, and linguistic data I argue that mirrors functioned in service to ritual as an essential gateway between humans and the gods and were two-way portals between earthly and spiritual worlds. I specifically examine fifty-one scenes on painted ceramic vessels involving mirrors to interpret and document their function as portals between worlds, how they were used in courtly life and what they may have meant to the people who used them. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between the Maya, their gods, and a particular aspect of material culture (-) mirrors (-) and how the elite used mirrors and their relationship with the gods as a source of power. I conclude that the gods are not omnipresent and that mirrors portals are always active and strategically placed for the gods to have the best view of the world of humans.
Show less
Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007857, ucf:52799
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007857

Title: Trouble in Paradise: Impacts of Theme Park Tourism on the Mental Health of Employees in Orlando, Florida.
Creator: Harvey, Lea, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Falu, Nessette, Harris, Shana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Tourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a...
Show moreTourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a lack of anthropological consideration for the relationship between tourism and mental health experiences of employees within the tourism industry. One specific region that is rife with information on tourism and its effects is Orlando, Florida. This research employs participant observation and semi-structured interviews to analyze the lived mental health experiences of current/former Disney cast members as a direct result of their employment within Disney and the Orlando theme park tourism industry. Not only does this thesis aim to backtrack the erasure of the perspectives of tourism employees and help create a space for them to make their voices heard, but it also attempts to bridge the gap of consideration for the impacts of tourism on the mental health of tourism employees within anthropology and touristic studies. Through the application of my own research as well as the minimal amount of relevant anthropological and touristic studies literature, I argue that Orlando theme park tourism exists as a type of structural violence that utilizes performativity and a neoliberal market to cast tourism employees in a slot of servitude that is nearly impossible to escape. As a result, this research possesses great potential to highlight the ways in which Orlando can become the happiest place on earth for its residents and employees, not just those who engage with it for their own leisurely gain.
Show less
Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007815, ucf:52336
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007815

Title: Currency in Transition: An Ethnographic Inquiry of Bitcoin Adherents.
Creator: Fletcher, Justin, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Sinelli, Peter, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Internet and other telecommunications systems have reshaped the means by which markets are accessed, generated, and transformed. Recent innovations in computer science have led to the development of a virtually bound, decentralized, encrypted currency system known as bitcoin. Unlike conventional currency systems, the Bitcoin protocol is cryptologically defined with a virtual structure that allows it to simultaneously operate as currency, commodity, and market shaping socio-political force...
Show moreThe Internet and other telecommunications systems have reshaped the means by which markets are accessed, generated, and transformed. Recent innovations in computer science have led to the development of a virtually bound, decentralized, encrypted currency system known as bitcoin. Unlike conventional currency systems, the Bitcoin protocol is cryptologically defined with a virtual structure that allows it to simultaneously operate as currency, commodity, and market shaping socio-political force. Its decentralized design permits it to function as a free-market response to fiat currencies vulnerable to inflation, regulation, and manipulation. Given the cultural significance anthropologists and other social scientists have assigned to various modes and mediums of exchange over the years, the socio-economic impact of this novel currency system warrants particular consideration. This research describes the Bitcoin community that has emerged alongside the currency, including the entrepreneurs, developers, and consumers who are dedicated to bitcoin's perpetuation and acceptance as an internationally recognized medium of exchange. Ethnographic interviews and participant observation were utilized to collect information from users in the Central Florida area, detailing their experiences and interactions with the Bitcoin protocol and its associated community. This research provides new levels of anthropological insight into currency development, market interaction, and economically embodied social commentary. Moreover, its exploratory nature helps create a viable framework around which qualitative inquiry of virtual crypto-currencies may be designed in future studies.
Show less
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004997, ucf:49550
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004997

Title: Twentieth Century Maya Worldview.
Creator: See, Mackenzie, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Maya Folktales offer insight into how twentieth century Maya worldview is a hybrid of indigenous Maya and European beliefs. Analysis was conducted on twenty-eight Maya folktales from the highlands of Guatemala found in folklore anthologies. Stories like The Spirits of the Dead in folklore anthologies can reveal new perspectives on how the Maya feel about rituals spaces, the fabric that separates the land of the dead from the land of the living, and the importance of showing respect to the...
Show moreMaya Folktales offer insight into how twentieth century Maya worldview is a hybrid of indigenous Maya and European beliefs. Analysis was conducted on twenty-eight Maya folktales from the highlands of Guatemala found in folklore anthologies. Stories like The Spirits of the Dead in folklore anthologies can reveal new perspectives on how the Maya feel about rituals spaces, the fabric that separates the land of the dead from the land of the living, and the importance of showing respect to the dead in one's community. Other stories, show the connection the Maya feel with their heritage and the connection they feel with the area where their ancestors lived. Twentieth century Maya folktales can provide insight into how the Maya view their landscape, including the realm of the dead as a part of the physical landscape and the belief that the landscape itself is a living spiritual entity.
Show less
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004934, ucf:49620
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004934

Title: Sharing Aloha on the mainland: Cultural Identity and Connecting to Heritage through Commercial Luau Shows in Central Florida.
Creator: Hoback, Brittany, Howard, Rosalyn, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Polynesian luau is one of the most well-known examples of cultural tourism. As such, it has accrued plenty of criticism, from issues of authenticity to primitivizing stereotypes and bodily framing. Lost in these critiques, however, are the voices of Polynesian performers who have chosen to participate in this form of cultural presentation. Based on ethnographic research with Polynesian performers employed in tourist luau shows in Orlando, Florida, from 2012 to 2014, I argue that not only...
Show moreThe Polynesian luau is one of the most well-known examples of cultural tourism. As such, it has accrued plenty of criticism, from issues of authenticity to primitivizing stereotypes and bodily framing. Lost in these critiques, however, are the voices of Polynesian performers who have chosen to participate in this form of cultural presentation. Based on ethnographic research with Polynesian performers employed in tourist luau shows in Orlando, Florida, from 2012 to 2014, I argue that not only are performers presenting their culture in a way that is meaningful for them and their audience, but that they are also using their employment as a way of connecting to their cultural heritage and reifying their cultural identity. By looking at performers' perspectives within cultural tourism, scholars can perceive the agency those performers use to assert their cultural identity and connection to their heritage.
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005505, ucf:50359
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005505

Title: Gourmet Food Trucks: An Ethnographic Examination of Orlando's Food Truck Scene.
Creator: Hawk, Zachary, Matejowsky, Ty, Geiger, Vance, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Gourmet food trucks have emerged as increasingly popular dining alternatives for consumers in today's urban landscape. Existing literature, as well as my own ethnographic research within Orlando, Florida's mobile food vending scene, reveals that food truck owner/operators utilize various strategies to establish a viable niche for themselves in this diversified and burgeoning market. Among other things, these strategies include online social networking, creating and maintaining a recognizable...
Show moreGourmet food trucks have emerged as increasingly popular dining alternatives for consumers in today's urban landscape. Existing literature, as well as my own ethnographic research within Orlando, Florida's mobile food vending scene, reveals that food truck owner/operators utilize various strategies to establish a viable niche for themselves in this diversified and burgeoning market. Among other things, these strategies include online social networking, creating and maintaining a recognizable brand identity, collaborating with local retailers and bar owners, and incorporating organic and locally produced ingredients in their dishes whenever possible. As in other parts of the country, there appears to be a growing concern in greater Orlando about local diets and the profound and subtle messages it conveys about contemporary eating habits. I contend that dining at gourmet food trucks represents a legitimate declaration of consumer identity about individual beliefs and values. In my thesis, I examine how Orlando's gourmet food trucks offer consumers a greater selection of food options and allow locals to participate in a viable social network and community.
Show less
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005003, ucf:49981
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005003

Title: Catholic Healing Masses: Intersections of Health and Healing in Yucat(&)#225;n.
Creator: Draper, Suzanne, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The conception of illness and healing in contemporary Mexican Catholic discourse highlights both particular and ubiquitous instances of a health experience perceived locally and widespread. Catholic healing masses are utilized as supplemental methods of individual health restoration coupled with Western medicinal techniques in Catholic dramas. Aside from the spiritual and religious significance of this practice, the use of healing masses as an additional means to achieving an optimal health...
Show moreThe conception of illness and healing in contemporary Mexican Catholic discourse highlights both particular and ubiquitous instances of a health experience perceived locally and widespread. Catholic healing masses are utilized as supplemental methods of individual health restoration coupled with Western medicinal techniques in Catholic dramas. Aside from the spiritual and religious significance of this practice, the use of healing masses as an additional means to achieving an optimal health status implies that something is lacking in current biomedical models. The purpose of my research is to explore the humanistic terms under which healing masses operate and translate these terms into a biomedical conversation towards enhanced secular medical care
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005484, ucf:50332
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005484

Title: Speaking with the Orishas: Divination and Propitiation in the Lukumi Religion.
Creator: Marrero, Kristi, Howard, Rosalyn, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Lucum(&)#237; religion was born in Cuba from African and European religious systems. The enslaved Yoruba were brought to the New World through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. They were taken from their homes, family, language, and religion and brought to countries like Cuba to provide free labor to growing agricultural markets that benefited European colonizers of the Americas. The Yoruba would hold on to their religion, but in order to keep it alive, they would have to make it into a new...
Show moreThe Lucum(&)#237; religion was born in Cuba from African and European religious systems. The enslaved Yoruba were brought to the New World through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. They were taken from their homes, family, language, and religion and brought to countries like Cuba to provide free labor to growing agricultural markets that benefited European colonizers of the Americas. The Yoruba would hold on to their religion, but in order to keep it alive, they would have to make it into a new religion. This new religion would become the religion known as Lucum(&)#237;. In Cuba, Lucum(&)#237; practitioners would hide their religion beneath the fa(&)#231;ade of Catholicism. The orishas were associated with Catholic saints with similar attributes. The orisha Chang(&)#243;, who governs war and presides over lightning, became associated with Saint Barbara who is the patron saint of artillerymen and is linked to lightning. The Yoruba could be seen praying to a saint but were actually praying to an orisha. This practice became ingrained as a part of Lucum(&)#237; tradition. Divination and propitiation are at the center of the Lucum(&)#237; religion. Divination determines the course of a practitioner's life and can reveal whether practitioners are in a good or bad position in their lives. Propitiation will ensure that good fortune will remain or that bad omens will disappear.
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005526, ucf:50325
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005526

Title: "What We Eat Matters": Perspectives on Food and Health in the Mexican Im/migrant Farmworker Communities in Indian River County, Florida.
Creator: Puerto, Hugo, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The dramatic increase of type-2 diabetes within the Latino community is of great concern in the U.S., especially among Mexican im/migrant farmworkers. Anthropological scholarship shows that health issues within im/migrant groups in the U.S. are poorly understood from a sociocultural and local perspective. In Indian River County, Florida, farmworker leaders created a community garden in response to health problems in this community. This initiative was launched to educate families about the...
Show moreThe dramatic increase of type-2 diabetes within the Latino community is of great concern in the U.S., especially among Mexican im/migrant farmworkers. Anthropological scholarship shows that health issues within im/migrant groups in the U.S. are poorly understood from a sociocultural and local perspective. In Indian River County, Florida, farmworker leaders created a community garden in response to health problems in this community. This initiative was launched to educate families about the health and economic benefits of growing their own food. The Indian River County Health Department and the local leaders are working collaboratively to inform the community about the risks of type-2 diabetes by providing educational lectures about health, food, and nutrition, in an effort to engage the farmworkers to actively participate in community gardens. However, little engagement to this initiative has been observed within the farmworker community. This ethnographic investigation examines the challenges of involving Mexican im/migrant farmworkers in community-based solutions to health problems. Based on participant observation, survey, and interview data with farmworkers and key informants from the Farmworkers Association of Florida, this project examines the perspectives of health concerns and the role of grassroots initiatives in addressing health needs. Specifically, it analyzes barriers to healthy eating and explores how community gardens can improve health outcomes in farmworker communities. This research contributes to the understanding of Mexican im/migrant farmworkers' health in Indian River County, and it has the potential to guide health-related policies pertaining to im/migrant communities in general.
Show less
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005692, ucf:50114
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005692

Title: Managing an Epidemic: Zika Interventions and Community Responses in Belize.
Creator: Gray, Deven, Mishtal, Joanna, Harris, Shana, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Branting, Scott, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Implementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country,...
Show moreImplementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country, particularly on the island of Caye Caulker. With one locally confirmed case of microcephaly on this small island already, this disease has the potential to severely impact the health and wellness of pregnant women and future generations. Based on ethnographic and Geographic Information Systems research conducted primarily in 2017, I examine how perspectives of Zika-related health risk are shaped, and how state interventions to manage Zika are understood. I argue that despite its declared endemic status, Zika is not perceived as a true health concern for community members due to numerous neoliberal structural challenges. Moreover, the state's restrictive form of reproductive governance which limits family planning services is forcing individuals to weigh conflicting conceptions of health consequences. This also contributes to an ambiguous healthcare environment for health practitioners, giving them an unclear picture of the scope of Zika as a public health concern and limiting their ability to treat patients. This thesis also considers how critical medical anthropology and feminist analytical approaches are useful in exploring these questions and contributing to understandings of the health impacts of Zika.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007402, ucf:52068
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007402

Title: Teach them to eat: Complexities of Community Based Organization and Nutrition Education Initiatives in the Prevention of Chronic Disease.
Creator: Matos, Allison, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Harris, Shana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines how participants of an eight-week nutrition education class utilize disseminated information to manage chronic disease, as well as explores the challenges a community based nutrition education resource center faces in the arena of chronic disease prevention. Per the World Health Organization's Global Report on Diabetes, 422 million adults currently live with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, a four-fold increase since the 1980s. Within the U.S., approximately nine percent...
Show moreThis thesis examines how participants of an eight-week nutrition education class utilize disseminated information to manage chronic disease, as well as explores the challenges a community based nutrition education resource center faces in the arena of chronic disease prevention. Per the World Health Organization's Global Report on Diabetes, 422 million adults currently live with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, a four-fold increase since the 1980s. Within the U.S., approximately nine percent of the adult population suffers from diabetes, and obesity, a major contributor to the disease, afflicts nearly thirty-five percent. While medical professionals frame the controlling of chronic disease from a pathophysiological perspective by promoting self-care methods and using language rooted in personal responsibility for successful treatment plans, implementation of such strategies by patients is more nuanced. In Orlando, Florida, staff at a community based, non-profit, nutrition resource center, Hebni Nutrition Consultants Inc., has played a key role in advocating for African-American community health in Central Florida, educating clients about chronic disease prevention and management since their establishment in 1995. Using ethnographic methods of participant-observation and semi- structured interviews, this project explores the challenges the staff of Hebni face operating at the intersection of the public and private sectors, as well as how participants of Hebni's programming understand discourses of empowerment, neoliberal ideas of self-care, and individual versus collective identity, when navigating the biomedical world. This project contributes not only to the growing body of research surrounding health disparities in minority communities, but also how neoliberal policies have shifted responsibility of community health and wellbeing from the state and onto private organizations.
Show less
Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006478, ucf:52893
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006478

Title: The Wonder Women: Understanding Feminism in Cosplay Performance.
Creator: Grissom, Amber, Mishtal, Joanna, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Harris, Shana, Tollefson, Kristina, Falu, Nessette, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Feminism conjures divisive and at times conflicting thoughts and feelings in the current political climate in the United States. For some, Wonder Woman is a feminist icon, for her devotion to truth, justice, and equality. In recent years, Wonder Woman has become successful in the film industry, and this is reflected by the growing community of cosplayers at comic book conventions. In this study, I examine gender performativity, gender identity, and feminism from the perspective of cosplayers...
Show moreFeminism conjures divisive and at times conflicting thoughts and feelings in the current political climate in the United States. For some, Wonder Woman is a feminist icon, for her devotion to truth, justice, and equality. In recent years, Wonder Woman has become successful in the film industry, and this is reflected by the growing community of cosplayers at comic book conventions. In this study, I examine gender performativity, gender identity, and feminism from the perspective of cosplayers of Wonder Woman. I collected ethnographic data using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with cosplayers at comic book conventions in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, about their experiences in their Wonder Woman costumes. I found that many cosplayers identified with Wonder Woman both in their own personalities and as a feminist icon, and many view Wonder Woman as a larger role model to all people, not just women and girls. The narratives in this study also show cosplay as a form of escapism. Finally, I found that Wonder Woman empowers cosplayers at the individual level but can be envisioned as a force at a wider social level. I conclude that Wonder Woman is an important and iconic figure for understanding the dynamics of culture in the United States. In the era of #MeToo and TimesUp, Wonder Woman is a character that defies normative boundaries of gendered expectations.
Show less
Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007641, ucf:52515
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007641

Title: Devising Strategies, Managing Needs: A Multi-Level Study of Homelessness in Central Florida.
Creator: Young, Rebecca, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Donley, Amy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The homeless are a marginalized population vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Homelessness is commonly medicalized (linked to individual deviancy and mental illness) by service administrators and policymakers, causing structural causes to be overlooked. A (")vertical slice(") approach is particularly useful to show perspectives and strategies that affect homelessness from...
Show moreThe homeless are a marginalized population vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Homelessness is commonly medicalized (linked to individual deviancy and mental illness) by service administrators and policymakers, causing structural causes to be overlooked. A (")vertical slice(") approach is particularly useful to show perspectives and strategies that affect homelessness from multiple levels.Using ethnographic research methods, this project explores homelessness in Central Florida from three distinct but interrelated angles: (1) the perspective of homeless persons, (2) the perspective of staff members at Hope Helps, a non-profit organization seeking to help the homeless, and (3) the perspective of policymakers. Methods include participant observation at Hope Helps, interviews with people from each group, and policy document analysis. Specifically, I examine how perceptions and discourses of homelessness affect the strategies of these three groups, and ways in which these strategies intersect. Findings demonstrate that while homeless persons view the reasons for their own homelessness as economic, they perceive other people to be homeless for individualized reasons, including the use of medicalization and criminalization. Many perpetuate rhetoric that blames immigrants, minorities, and other poor persons for the lack of assistance services and jobs available. This greatly reduces homeless persons' ability to collectivize, support each other, and protest for change. Staff at Hope Helps also uses individualized discourses, focusing on helping homeless and low-income persons budget resources, rather than working towards systemic change. Policymakers in Orlando, which in 2009 was considered the third (")meanest city(") in the nation due to criminalization measures, are now focusing on a new Housing First approach, though the efficacy of this approach and their motives remain questionable.This research has potential to make politics behind policies affecting the homeless more transparent. It would further identify a common language and interests, which can serve as the bridge between homeless seeking services, and service providers. Thus, results of this research have potential to improve the way services for the homeless are structured, and to inform policy relevant to the homeless in Florida. Further, it contributes to anthropological literature on discourse and neoliberalism, and how discourse can be used to justify particular policy directions.
Show less
Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006202, ucf:51115
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006202

Anthropology (2)	+ -
Maya (2)	+ -
anthropology (2)	+ -
cultural anthropology (2)	+ -
feminism (2)	+ -

health (2)	+ -
hegemony (2)	+ -
medical anthropology (2)	+ -
African Diaspora (1)	+ -
African-American Communities (1)	+ -
Alaskan Native (1)	+ -
Basic Color Terms (1)	+ -
Belize (1)	+ -
Biopolitics (1)	+ -
Bitcoin (1)	+ -
Catholicism (1)	+ -
Central America (1)	+ -
Community Health Programs (1)	+ -
Cuba (1)	+ -
Cuisine (1)	+ -
Cultural tourism (1)	+ -
Currency (1)	+ -
Diabetes Management (1)	+ -
Divination (1)	+ -
Don Quijote (1)	+ -
El conde Lucanor (1)	+ -
Financial Regulation (1)	+ -
Food Truck (1)	+ -
GIS (1)	+ -
Gourmet (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (16)	+ -
Honors Collection (6)	+ -

Reyes-Foster, Beatriz (22)	+ -
University of Central Florida (22)	+ -
Matejowsky, Ty (8)	+ -
Mishtal, Joanna (8)	+ -
Harris, Shana (5)	+ -

Falu, Nessette (2)	+ -
Howard, Rosalyn (2)	+ -
Bahamonde, Holly (1)	+ -
Box, Christy (1)	+ -
Branting, Scott (1)	+ -
Callaghan, Michael (1)	+ -
Casorio, Nicholas (1)	+ -
Chase, Arlen (1)	+ -
Chase, Diane (1)	+ -
Cruz, Nicole (1)	+ -
Donley, Amy (1)	+ -
Draper, Suzanne (1)	+ -
Fletcher, Justin (1)	+ -
Garcia, Martha (1)	+ -
Geiger, Vance (1)	+ -
Gray, Deven (1)	+ -
Grissom, Amber (1)	+ -
Hager, Mary (1)	+ -
Harvey, Lea (1)	+ -
Hawk, Zachary (1)	+ -
Hoback, Brittany (1)	+ -
Kovacevich, Brigitte (1)	+ -
Marrero, Kristi (1)	+ -
Matos, Allison (1)	+ -
Mendoza-Cardenal, Mikaela M (1)	+ -

Search In

Pages

Pages

Sort Results By:

Narrow results by:

Topical Subject

Collection

Type of Resource

Language

Creator

Format

Owner