Political aspects

The thesis provides a cultural analysis on the micropolitics of Yugoslavia wars in 1992-1995, examining local and global media coverage along with grassroots and historical dimensions. The study offers an extensive overview of scholarly literature on the Balkans, arguing that often omitted local, cultural and historical narratives of the war events reveal complex perspectives on the rationales provided on civil war. Investigating the nationalist social movements in Yugoslavia (1992-1995), the thesis articulates the need to revisit Deleuze and Guattari's framework of micropolitics to understand the cultural and historical dimensions operational in such movements. The study presents local media coverage in Nasa Borba, Borba, and Hrvatsko Slovo, focusing mainly on two major atrocities committed during the Balkan conflict, in order to shed light on the complex role of discourse emerging in war environments.

This thesis examines identity as a process, how it is a reflection of, or reaction to, social, economic, and political circumstances. Identity is examined, through an ethnographically informed analysis, as it is represented, contested, and focused in the visual discourse of a small population. The research suggests that identity manifests at specific and strategic moments within the symbolic practices of resistance in coastal Ecuador. Grievances to economic and political power structures are acted out in clear-cut identity terms, or motifs, and function to organize diverse interests into social action. The study illustrates two identity motifs that are commonly asserted in the local context: depictions of being indigenous and of being the underdog. Using local examples, this thesis addresses the complexities of identity formation, examines the strategic capacity of identity, and offers insight into the relationships between identity, resistance, and power.

The primary objective of this research was to investigate the effects of passive exposure to actual media primes on several measures of attitudes. Participants rated the aesthetic properties of a series of Time magazine covers prior to completing measures of ambivalent sexism, narcissism, system justification, and personality traits. Ambivalent Sexism (AS) includes two positively correlated components, benevolent sexism and hostile sexism. System Justification may be defined as a motivated investment in the status-quo and includes both gender-specific and diffuse forms. Participants exposed to the AS prime scored higher on Ambivalent Sexism, lower on Narcissism, and lower on several facets of the five factor model of personality. Exposure to this condition was unrelated to measures of System Justification. The research is grounded in a feminist theoretical framework and contributes to the limited pool of experimental knowledge concerning the relationship between ambivalent sexism, system justification, narcissism and personality traits.

Since its inception, the domestic corn ethanol industry in the United States has been dependant on federal subsidies and trade restrictions to keep afloat. Although this political support has allowed the industry to grow, there have been a number of negative externalities as a result, namely the growing demand for corn causing significant increases in the prices of many consumer goods. Despite the fact that consumers are facing rising prices in agricultural and energy markets, ethanol still maintains a level of support around the general American populace that is counterintuitive given its economic reality. In this paper, I contend that much of ethanol's support is maintained through the intentional manipulation of the product's public perception on behalf of politicians and industrial superpowers. I will demonstrate this phenomenon through the use of both Stigler's (1971) and Pelzman's (1976) model of iso-majority.

The media has a significant influence on any political process. In Venezuela, particularly, the media plays an important rold in defining the electorate's political opinion and attitude toward the political process. This thesis analyzed how the media's preference for conflict and individual personalities exacerbated overall societal tensions and polarization in Venezuela since 1999. I suggest a framework for a future content analysis of news coverage of the 2012 presidential election in order to quantify and qualify the evolution of bias and balance in Venezuela's mass media.

Hosting an Olympic Games has a major impact on the city and its people. I compared the Barcelona 1992 and Athens 2004 approaches to "legacy," the lasting impacts of a Games. I grouped my comparison into three categories : Economic, Urban and Environmental Impacts, and Global and Social Identity. In Olympic circles, few cities live up to the long-term planning standard set by Barcelona, especially in urban regeneration. However, most scholars agree that Athens did not plan for the post-Games period as effectively as they could have. Barcelona had better organization and cooperation, while the Athens organizers and the government disagreed on various issues. Though Athens wanted to leave a positive legacy and did in many ways, they were not as focused on that aspect. Athens shined in the concept of "heritage," which encompasses bringing the past into the present as a "legacy." Because of their h istory, they were able to bring historical meaning to their Games.

Limestone Creek is an unincorporated community existing within the planning and zoning boundary lines of Jupiter, Florida. Contrasting the economically flush and rapidly developing surrounding municipality of Jupiter, Limestone Creek is a predominantly African American community with an apparent economic gap that leaves the community untouched by development. This thesis project attempts to capture the voices of Limestone Creek and Jupiter residents pertaining to their accounts with an unincorporated area surrounded by a much wealthier municipality. Interviews were conducted with the residents of the community, Palm Beach County and the Town of Jupiter residents and officials, in an effort to explore the existence of an isolated African American community. The research resulted in varied responses to the idea of incorporation because of lack of funds. Conclusions to this research reveal that, to the members of the community, while race underlies all discussions of incorporation the more immediate issue is about securing basic services and infrastructure.

The Marvel character Captain America was created in 1941 as an unabashed, patriotic icon who was meant to inspire Americans in the face of war. At the end of World War II, however, American identity underwent a split between diplomatic "prophetic realism" and aggressive "zealous nationalism." The inherent dilemma for Captain America quickly became which side of the American psyche he was to represent. Marvel has dealt with the problem of representation by allowing the original Captain America to be a prophetic realist, while introducing "doubles" of Captain America who act as zealous nationalists. In each era of Captain America's publication, the conflict between the real Captain and his zealous doubles has provided a dialogue on the American spirit, while allowing for meaningful speculation on what the future holds for this country.