Brown, Susan Love

A combination of cross-cultural and symbolic methodologies suggests that
women warriors occur in societies where there is both an emphasis on the sacred
feminine that allows women greater access to positions of power and authority (as per
Peggy Sanday) and where marital residency rules permit female fighters (following
David B. Adams´s theory on women warriors). While neither theory can stand alone in
explaining the existence of women warriors, when combined both theories give a solid
picture of societies that allow for female combatants. In this paper I propose that by
combining Sanday’s work on female power and Adams’s work on women warriors we
can come to a better understanding about just what makes the cultures that allow for
women’s participation in warfare unique, and perhaps what characteristics must be in
place in order for a culture to have women warriors.

In the modern United States, the concept of food has become as much of a social
phenomenon as it is a biological need. The process of eating has become highly
structured into a system of communication. Food terms used to share ideas are referred to
as food buzzwords, terms rife with additional meanings whose values are continuously
debated, discussed, and altered. Such terminology has swayed how middle-class
Americans interpret the proper status quo of food consumption and production. This
thesis analyzes how middle-class Americans form their view of a proper diet based on
their understanding of food buzzwords and other factors that influence their food choices.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity of previous theories concerning women’s access to roles of power within hunter-gatherer societies. This study examines how accurately immanent social identity theory and bifurcated role circumstantiality predict women’s access to the role of healer (shaman) within California hunter-gatherer groups. A sample of 27 California hunter-gatherer groups was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Notably, chi-square tests of independence evinced a correlation between men’s and women’s circumstantial labor and observed healer gender. Through the statistical verification of such engendered ideas, this study tests notions concerning the strict binary division of labor and posits that gender may have operated as a role-based identity marker rather than one structured around innate characteristics. This research ultimately provides a better analytical framework from which archaeologists can interpret the past through the use of ethnographic analogies that are more inclusive of gender-enriched methodologies.

Each year over 300 million people visit theme parks, making them the major vacation destination worldwide. Theme parks are known for their elaborate spectacle, the creation of artificial realities through intricate immersive experiences including costumed characters, stage shows, and extravagant decor. Though many aspects of the theme park experience have been reviewed, little focus has been given to the role of food in the overall immersion, particularly how food extends the spectacle into a fantastical created reality. This study examined the function of food within a highly immersive theme park setting, and how it contributed to the overall illusion and immersion of the fantasy environment. Research was conducted from December 2014 to March 2015 at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort themed food served three overarching functions: (1) it operated as an experience, (2) it functioned as a conduit to authenticity, and, (3) it extended sensory perceptions. Food immersed tourists in the themed experience, though visual cues remained the primary sensory stimulus. However, guests considered the location to be more authentic when coupled with a themed food item, as opposed to the generic food choices found in other parks. Themed food functions as an extension of the spectacle by maintaining the illusion and contributes to the overall exhibition of the themed space.

This qualitative study was conducted to develop a better understanding of the
place of praxis in higher education women’s studies programs in the U.S. Built upon
theories of feminist pedagogy, feminist praxis, activism, experiential education, and
academic service-learning, the research explores how praxis is reflected and taught in
women’s studies programs, how these programs impact students’ understanding of
feminist theory and practice, and what factors affect the implementation of action-oriented
pedagogy. Examples of several action-oriented projects that have successfully
been implemented in women’s studies courses are offered, and a case study demonstrates
the impact of these projects. The methods used include document review of women’s
studies mission statements and syllabi, and interviews with women’s studies faculty and
alumnae. The interview data were coded and analyzed using a grounded theory approach.

This dissertation reconstructs and investigates the origins of the Pérez Art
Museum Miami. In 2013, the museum re-opened in a new, county-funded building to
great acclaim and international attention, but the museum’s origins in the 1970s have
been largely forgotten. A result of the 1972 “Decade of Progress” bond vote by county
taxpayers that allocated funds to build a new art museum, the museum opened as the
Center for the Fine Arts in 1983 as a non-collecting institution dedicated to displaying
traveling exhibitions. The new institution represented the combined efforts of local
government, business, and art to construct not only a place in which to view art but also
as part of an overall plan to create a great metropolitan area.

In America today, adolescent boys do not have a structured, ritualized or guided passage
From boyhood into manhood. Many young men feel unsure of their manhood even at
an age that signifies the transition. This causes young males to need a self--‐created rite of
passage. Tramping, the act of travelling by train, hitchhiking or foot, is one way in which
young males can independently achieve manhood. This is a literary account of the lives
of Jack Kerouac, Chris McCandless, and Zebu Recchia. Their personal stories allow a detailed view of the advantages and disadvantages found in a self--‐created rite of passage. While two of the accounts are successful, in Chris McCandless’s case the rite ends in a transition to death.Tramping as a rite of passage to adulthood seems effective but the danger in self--‐ creation appears to be the lack of guidance that comes in unstructured rites of passage.

To test the images and expand upon the knowledge of the African American grandmother as set forth in the scholarly literature, 13 African American grandmothers, who share a southern African American cultural heritage, were interviewed. First, this study explores how each participant developed her self-identify as a grandmother and the emotional depth of that identity. The development of the participants' self-identifies as grandmothers and the emotional depth of their identities are related to a tripartite model of child involvement articulated as "having," "raising," and "keeping" a child. Second, this study explores how each of the women defines the practice of "grandmothering." Third, this study explores which practices and values the women feel are the most important to pass onto their grandchildren. The findings are interpreted in terms of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, and the concepts of women-centered networks and other mothers as set forth by Black feminist theorists.

Teckno (or Rave) as a musical movement has rapidly spread across the globe. The youth culture that has developed has been sorely misunderstood by academia and media, often labeled as narcissistic, hedonistic, and lacking meaning. Contrary to these perceptions, Teckno culture is a collage of meanings. Long-term participation in Teckno culture has resulted in the development of new hybridized belief systems for many of the participants. Hybridization occurs as a result of exposure to multiple religious and mystic beliefs while in altered states of consciousness. This thesis explores the characteristics of these hybrids and identifies the seven elements that create and maintain the unique rave atmosphere in which this process is occurring. Further, the social impact of this culture is explored. In particular, the widespread unity in acceptante of diversity (UAD) arts to break down prejudice and is sustained outside Teckno culture as a lasting change in attitude and worldview.

Belly dancing is often believed to be a traditional Middle Eastern dance. Belly dance, though, developed in America and only recently appeared in the Middle East. The similarities between traditional women's dances in the Middle East and belly dance are minimal, but representations influenced by the concept of Orientalism have affected our perception of what we accept as Middle Eastern traditions. The concept of Orientalism holds that certain items are selectively chosen or formulated to depict Middle Eastern culture. Representations inspired by Orientalism do not rely on unbiased and truthful portrayals, but rather exaggerate or amplify particular cultural aspects to fashion an image of the Middle East that fits with carefully crafted Western expectations, resulting in stereotypes. Within such an environment, the ideas and beliefs that permitted the fantasy of belly dance as a expression of Middle Eastern culture grew and flourished to create the current attitudes about belly dancing.