Tout Moun Bezwen Lave Tet, Everyone Needs to Wash Their Head: An Analysis of Foreign Relations between the US and Haiti

Description
After the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti was a hot topic in American news outlets. Soon after, there was footage released of Haitian migrants attempting to cross the border while border patrol agents on horseback charged at…

After the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti was a hot topic in American news outlets. Soon after, there was footage released of Haitian migrants attempting to cross the border while border patrol agents on horseback charged at them, whipping them and shouting obscenities. Following this event, Donald Trump went on Fox News announcing old stereotypes about Haitians bringing AIDs to the US. He degraded Haiti similarly to how he did in his 2018 comments from an oval office meeting, when he stated that their country was a “shithole.” Following these comments and events, Haitian migrants were being refused Temporary Protected Status “TPS,” and being deported back to Haiti - the treatment they received was as congresswoman Alexandia Octavio Cortez described, in “stark contrast,” to that of the Ukrainian refugees who were automatically being granted TPS at the time. This thesis analyzes the history of Foreign Relations between the US and Haiti in order to understand the US’s involvement and responsibility for Haiti’s current state. I start with a historical analysis of American Occupation of Haiti in 1914, and continue through the Duvalier dictatorship, NGO involvement in Haiti, up until Haiti’s current political state, in order to give the socio-political context for the image portrayed of Haitians in American news, social media, film, and TV outlets. My thesis contends that racist stereotypes have been used in media and government alike to dehumanize Haitians and justify exploitative foreign policy.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Chinatalian Choreographies of Rome

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Description
This dissertation examines practices of belonging in contemporary Italy as a fluid process. I examine the Chinatalian experience in Rome, Italy. I am interested in the ways that a Chinatalian phenomenology creates a discursive space for myriad practices of being…

This dissertation examines practices of belonging in contemporary Italy as a fluid process. I examine the Chinatalian experience in Rome, Italy. I am interested in the ways that a Chinatalian phenomenology creates a discursive space for myriad practices of being both Chinese and Italian. “Chinatalianess” is an elastic process and a way of life unique to the individual and the historic and geopolitical context of the moment; it is not definable by nationality, biological characteristics, or even shared cultural practices. “Chinatalian choreographies” are sets of literal and symbolic bodily operations that resist exclusion and generate material and symbolic support for Chinatalians. I would argue that “Chinatalian choreographies” also create the potential for a more just Italy. I analyze actual choreographed events —for example, a happy hour in Rome and a dance performance by a Sicilian dance company — and autobiographical texts written by Chinatalians. My theoretical and practical approach is interdisciplinary and intersectional; I use critical ethnography as a primary method, which builds on theories and practices in critical dance studies, feminist geographies, and postcolonial Italian studies to engage the ways that Chinatalians in Rome are contributing to new forms of “Italian” culture. The recent resurgence of anti-Chinese sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic lends urgency to this project which asks: What are the lived conditions of Chinatalians in contemporary Italy? Who is allowed to contribute to “Italian” culture? This thesis demonstrates that the notion of Italianess and Chinatalianess, are cultural fictions. Not only is Chinatalian identity and culture an invention but its performance is situated in the specific historical and geopolitical context in question. Rome provides the backdrop to this project, and it is against and alongside this history and contemporary context that my argument for a more just Italy emerges.
Date Created
2023
Agent

LGBT+ in Africa: Gay Rights Through the Lenses of Law and Colonialism

Description

The perception that homosexuality is an immoral affliction and an innovation from Western cultures is prevalent throughout Africa, specifically in six case countries: Togo, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that homophobia, not homosexuality, is…

The perception that homosexuality is an immoral affliction and an innovation from Western cultures is prevalent throughout Africa, specifically in six case countries: Togo, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that homophobia, not homosexuality, is the true Western import. Additionally, it will analyze the background and colonial histories of my six dossier countries, their current laws surrounding LGBT+ rights, the social and legal repercussions of being LGBT+, and the consequences of state-sponsored homophobia in terms of justice, international law, and the future of each country. Based on my research, all these case countries use colonial-era provisions, penal codes, and religious norms to discriminate against homosexuals, which operate under legally-mandated “morality,” a notion inherently subjective. Additionally, the most targeted groups are gay men and transgender people, while lesbians and bisexual women are rarely targeted and convicted compared to homosexual men. This is due to various social, legal, and religious factors regarding the high importance of patriarchy and masculinity. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that European colonization in Togo, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Namibia introduced new legal norms that persecuted pre-colonial practices of homosexuality under the guise of morality. Now, the repercussions are rampant and dangerous (especially for homosexual men and transgender people) and cannot be overcome without radical changes to local legal and social systems.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Infection of a Nation: Vigilantism in Modern Mythos as Seen Through Batman and the Ku Klux Klan

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Description
Vigilantism has existed in the United States since the Revolutionary War. Ever present in popular culture and other media, vigilantes are presently revered for taking the will of the people into their own hands to exact justice as they deem…

Vigilantism has existed in the United States since the Revolutionary War. Ever present in popular culture and other media, vigilantes are presently revered for taking the will of the people into their own hands to exact justice as they deem necessary. However, the vigilantes who impose this justice can take many forms, going so far as to act using their own prejudices and claim that it is justice. The Ku Klux Klan did just this, as a Christian white supremacist organization with a history of targeting black individuals in the South on the basis of race alone. The media paints a distinctly different picture, with Batman as one of the most prominent vigilante figures in popular culture. Batman’s narrative is notably based on ideas of contagion in urban landscapes, criminalizing the downtrodden members of society, such as in the 2019 film "Joker." These vigilantes are founded upon the idea of America under siege by the perceived "Other," whether this be based on race, class, or other factors. This thesis serves to explore the themes at play for both the KKK and Batman to better understand the source of these narratives as well as the roles played by these figures in light of the current political landscape, in which we confront race socio-culturally and politically. In this thesis, I discuss the ideas of vigilantism, terrorism, and heroism through the case studies of the Ku Klux Klan and Batman: two entities that act violently outside the law yet are received drastically differently from one another due to their respective senses of morality.
Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Identity and Power: Language Politics in Colonial and Post-Colonial Algeria

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Description

Considered by colonists as an extension of France, Algeria was subjected to more than 125 years of French control. The Algerian people were thus heavily influenced by the French language and were required to abandon their native language in many…

Considered by colonists as an extension of France, Algeria was subjected to more than 125 years of French control. The Algerian people were thus heavily influenced by the French language and were required to abandon their native language in many aspects of their life such as government and education. This thesis aims to highlight the linguistic power relations established by the French in Colonial Algeria. Language usage and policies leading up to the Algerian War for Independence are critical to understanding the successor government. Analyzing three sections of language in Colonial Algeria- radio, language of instruction, and literature- I find that the language of instruction in education is the most influential in determining and formulating identities and power relations. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that language, power, and identity overlap and influence each other in several ways, producing a complex post-colonial society

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Talking Politics: The Influence of Colonialism on Political Language Usage

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Description
The legacy of colonialism has left a lasting cultural and linguistic impact on much of the world. In the case of Francophone Africa, and Morocco and Senegal in particular, language occupies a unique social space as usages of indigenous languages…

The legacy of colonialism has left a lasting cultural and linguistic impact on much of the world. In the case of Francophone Africa, and Morocco and Senegal in particular, language occupies a unique social space as usages of indigenous languages persists, but European languages like French and English hold major social importance both nationally and internationally. This thesis will focus specifically on the usage of language in the Moroccan context by the Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires, a popular left-leaning party, and examine how the usage and discussion of language on the Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires website reflects the way in which language is used both as a political symbol to appeal to local communities and is pragmatically used to appeal to international audiences. This concept will be explored through a theory section discussing influential works on the subject of post-colonial and political language usage and furthered through a case study of two articles from the USFP website that discuss the inclusion of the Amazigh and Spanish languages and a shadow study of Senegalese government websites.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent
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