584 research outputs found

    Cinematic Kathmandu: Imaginaries of the City

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    This thesis is an analysis of the relationship between the imagined and material city of Kathmandu as represented in films. It centers on the main argument that cities from the Global South and those in the periphery such as Kathmandu can be studied as cinematic cities. By analyzing the screen depictions of migration and urbanization in Kathmandu, this study proposes to understand ‘new Nepali cinema’ as 'urban popular’ films. However, the twin tropes of maulikatā and nepālīpana attached to ‘new Nepali cinema’ complicate its understanding. These arguments are derived from visual and textual analysis, qualitative interviews, and participant observation. The study also locates the architectural identifiers of Kathmandu and analyses the screen images of Nepali women in films. Furthermore, it traces the history and patterns of film viewing practices in Kathmandu’s cinema halls, multiplexes, film festivals, and digital platforms. This research seeks to address the gap in the study of cinematic cities which is currently dominated by literature on cities from the Global North

    Marketing in North-Central Thailand. A study of socio-economic organisation in a Thai market town.

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    Anthropological studies of marketing have generally been both of theoretical and empirical importance, but in Thailand such studies have been very limited owing to a predominant interest in village studies, and the commercial domination of the Chinese. In this dissertation I discuss marketing organisation in Wang Thong, a small town in Phitsanulok Province in North-Central Thailand. Very little work has been done on the social organisation of Thai market towns. By concentrating on marketing and on the social structure of Wang Thong, I explore the pattern of interpersonal relationships between individuals and groups. A study of the market enables me to obtain insights into various aspects of social, economic and political activities. The marketing community can be viewed as a 'moral' community whereby traders are 'related' to each other through kinship, friendship and neighbourliness, though only siblings and parents children relationships are significant where marketing is concerned. I argue from an analysis of trader-customer relations that an emphasis on only one aspect of the relationship, i.e. the relationship based on universalistic or particularistic principles, is misleading, for in Wang Thong the two aspects co-exist as part and parcel of the overall marketing organisation. The market has been dominated by the Chinese and Sino-Thai who, unlike the Chinese in Bangkok where a high degree of 'Chinese-ness' has been preserved, have been largely assimilated into Thai society through education and inter-marriage. Marketing organisation is analysed to demonstrate the linkage between the Chinese in Bangkok, Phitsanulok, Wang Thong and the villages. Wang Thong town is a centre for social, economic and political activities. The analysis touches on the dynamic relationship between traders, officials, and farmers and among the traders themselves. The study shows that traders are also innovators introducing new cash crops and modern equipment to farmers, and thus social integration and economic development can be realised through the marketing network, i.e. by strengthening the links and feeding in information concerning marketing and production. Finally, the study sheds lights on mobility and change within the marketing community, this being a reflection of the general conditions of the rural economy

    Let\u27s Not Do Anything Drastic: Processes of Reproducing Rural Marginalization in Education Policy Decision-Making

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    At a school board meeting in micropolitan Athens County, parents of children attending the district’s smallest elementary school, Chauncey Elementary, packed in to defend the school against consolidation. They made calls for a levy to cover the impending budget shortfall and offered to reduce their classrooms by half if other schools would also bear some of the costs. They spent their holiday season defending their school, a source of vibrancy in the small town, from being closed. In the meeting, someone advocating for alternatives to closure suggested cutting administrator positions. The board response, according to one parent-leader? “Let’s not do anything drastic!”. As the U.S. urbanizes, rural autonomy over local institutions has dwindled and rural residents are marginalized by policies which govern those institutions. Recent work, some with a large public reach, has described contemporary rural politics as driven by resentment (Cramer 2016), rage (Wuthnow 2019), or something otherwise “the matter” with rural people (Frank 2005). Urbanormativity theory, with its focus on the cyclical relationship between representations of rurality and structural forces of urbanization, has the potential to shed light on how such ideologies develop and are reinforced through processes of marginalization from political and community life in rural places (Fulkerson and Thomas 2019). In this project, I use a mixed-methods retrospective case study of school consolidation in Appalachia as a way to understand the process by which local politics come to marginalize people and places along lines of rurality and social class. I also examine how this marginalization and loss of autonomy contribute to the development of rural politics and identity. Drawing from multiple methods, I examine the structural and social processes by which school consolidation was achieved, with alternatives to closure labeled as “drastic measures”. I pay particular attention to the shifting role of the state in curtailing decisions about rural schools and the ways neoliberal ideology lent itself to justifying rural marginalization. Further, I examine the impacts of these school consolidations on the rural community and its local politics. The concentration of negative outcomes in Chauncey constructed the community as a political “sacrifice zone” (Scott 2010). The processes and outcomes of this consolidation, I argue, serves as a useful case study to better understand political divisions along rural-urban lines

    Assumed identities and the construction of self among the West Indian diaspora in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

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    In this thesis I explore the (re) construction of identity and sense of self among members of the West Indian diaspora in the Greater Toronto Area. The research took place between October 2021 and March 2022, taking the form of semi-structured interviews with people who identify as West Indian and participant observation at various West Indian establishments. My objective is to show how the cultural elements of sport, food, and music are experienced and engaged with by the members of the West Indian diaspora, and the ways in which it allows for the development and expression of a West Indian identity. This was achieved by identifying and examining the depth of engagement with the West Indian cultural elements and the way members of the community highlighted the rearticulation of their West Indianness through the socializing dynamics afforded by the cultural elements to re-create a sense of self

    Carving out Possibilities : Refugee Background Young Men and Mundane Political Agency

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    Tutkimustani ohjaa kysymys siitĂ€, miten nuoret pakolaistaustaiset miehet pyrkivĂ€t vaikuttamaan elĂ€mÀÀnsĂ€ ja mahdollisuuksiinsa. MitkĂ€ asiat nousevat esiin ongelmallisina ja tĂ€rkeinĂ€ heidĂ€n jokapĂ€ivĂ€isessĂ€ elĂ€mĂ€ssÀÀn, joka tĂ€llĂ€ hetkellĂ€ paikantuu Suomeen joskin transnationaaleihin yhteyksiin kytkeytyen, ja miten he toimivat niiden suhteen? NĂ€mĂ€ kysymykset lĂ€htökohtanani avaan uuden nĂ€kökulman nuorten poliittiseen toimijuuteen. En mÀÀrittele etukĂ€teen mikĂ€ on poliittista ja miten poliittisia tekoja tulisi toteuttaa, vaan kysyn, mikĂ€ nousee esiin poliittisena nuorten arkielĂ€mĂ€ssĂ€. TĂ€mĂ€ mahdollistaa aiemmin katveeseen jÀÀneiden toimijuuden muotojen, syiden ja pÀÀmÀÀrien tunnistamisen. Suomessa – ja myös sen ulkopuolella – kĂ€ydÀÀn akateemisia ja yhteiskunnallisia keskusteluja, joissa nĂ€iden nuorten miesten osallistumista yhteiskuntaan pidetÀÀn ongelmallisena joko mÀÀrĂ€ltÀÀn tai laadultaan. HeidĂ€t kuvataan usein vĂ€hĂ€isessĂ€ mÀÀrin osallisiksi, osallistuviksi tai politiikasta kiinnostuneiksi, ja sen sijaan huolestuttavilla tai hĂ€iritsevillĂ€ tavoilla kĂ€yttĂ€ytyviksi. HeidĂ€n lĂ€snĂ€olonsa vaikuttaa nĂ€in usein hĂ€iriötekijĂ€ltĂ€; riskiltĂ€ heille itselleen tai muille. KyseisissĂ€ diskursseissa nĂ€itĂ€ nuorukaisia lĂ€hestytÀÀn usein suomalaisen yhteiskunnan Toisina, mikĂ€ jĂ€ttÀÀ syrjÀÀn heidĂ€n omat kokemuksensa siitĂ€ sekĂ€ heidĂ€n toimijuuteensa. Oma lĂ€hestymistapani nuorten pakolaistaustaisten miesten toimijuuteen ammentaa antropologisesta teoriasta, jossa poliittisuus ymmĂ€rretÀÀn sosiaalista elĂ€mÀÀ ja kĂ€ytĂ€ntöjĂ€ lĂ€pĂ€isevĂ€nĂ€ ilmiönĂ€, sekĂ€ antropologian ja feministisen uusmaterialismin kehittĂ€mistĂ€ toimijuuden teorioista. YmmĂ€rrĂ€n toimijuuden sekĂ€ monitahoiseen subjektiviteettiin pohjaavana kykynĂ€, joka ihmisillĂ€ lĂ€pikotaisin kulttuurisesti ja sosiaalisesti rakentuneina mutta myös resursoituina olentoina on, ettĂ€ materiaalisen kehon kykynĂ€, joka kumpuaa suhteista toisiin kehoihin. Metodologisesti tutkimukseni nojaa etnografiseen kenttĂ€työhön, jota tein yli kahden vuoden ajan erilaisissa sosiaalisissa ympĂ€ristöissĂ€ – nuorisotiloilla, ammattiopistossa, vapaa-ajan toiminnoissa ja julkisessa kaupunkitilassa – sekĂ€ tiiviissĂ€ yhteistyössĂ€ viiden keskeisimmĂ€n tutkimukseni osanottajan kanssa. KenttĂ€työllĂ€ni oli kaksi fokusta: ensinnĂ€, tarkka kehollisten koreografioiden havainnointi nuorten arkielĂ€mĂ€n kohtaamisissa, ja toiseksi, pitkĂ€jĂ€nteinen sitoutuminen heidĂ€n omien elĂ€mĂ€nprojektiensa eteen tekemĂ€nsĂ€ työn ja reflektoinnin seuraamiseen. YmmĂ€rtÀÀkseni nuorten pakolaistaustaisten miesten poliittista toimijuutta selvitĂ€n vĂ€itöskirjassani, miten muut Suomessa asuvat kohtaavat heidĂ€t arkielĂ€mĂ€n erilaisissa tilanteissa, miten he reagoivat nĂ€issĂ€ kohtaamisissa heille tarjolla oleviin subjektipositioihin ja minkĂ€laisia vaihtoehtoisia subjektipositioita he tavoittelevat. Ehdotan “arkisen poliittisen toimijuuden” kĂ€sitettĂ€ seuraavalle: 1) nuorten valppaudelle havaita heille arkielĂ€mĂ€ssĂ€ tarjolla oleviin subjektipositioihin ujuttautuneita valtasuhteita, 2) heidĂ€n vĂ€littömille kehollisille strategioilleen, jotka tĂ€htÀÀvĂ€t nĂ€iden positioiden uudelleen jĂ€rjestelyyn (usein hyvin hienovaraisesti), sekĂ€ 3) heidĂ€n pitkĂ€ntĂ€htĂ€imen projekteilleen, jotka raivaavat tilaa vaihtoehtoisille subjektipositioille. Tutkimukseni keskeiset löydökset rakentuvat tĂ€mĂ€n ehdotuksen pohjalle. VĂ€itĂ€n ensinnĂ€, ettĂ€ jokapĂ€ivĂ€isissĂ€ kohtaamisissaan nuoret pakolaistaustaiset miehet asemoidaan erilaisiksi toistuvin ja moninaisin tavoin. TĂ€ssĂ€ on usein, vaikkakaan ei aina, kyse rodullistavista kĂ€ytĂ€nnöistĂ€. Nuorille tarjotut subjektipositiot ovat erittĂ€in usein kategorisoiva ja rajoittavia, minkĂ€ suhteen he ovat valppaita – joskaan eivĂ€t aina tĂ€ysin tietoisesti. Toiseksi, jos nuorten pakolaistaustaisten miesten toimijuutta tarkastellaan heidĂ€n nĂ€kökulmastaan kĂ€sin, he osoittautuvat varsin aktiivisiksi toimijoiksi. He ovat alati valmiustilassa kohtaamisissaan suomalaisen yhteiskunnan ja sen muiden jĂ€senten kanssa, ja ponnistelevat vaikuttaakseen Toiseuttamiseen ja sen seurauksiin. He kamppailevat heille tarjolla olevista subjektipositioista pyrkien venyttĂ€mÀÀn, muuntamaan tai torjumaan niitĂ€ ja luomaan tilaa muille mahdollisuuksille. TĂ€mĂ€ kamppailu tapahtuu kahdella tasolla: materiaalisen kehon ja sen vĂ€littömien strategioiden lihallisella ja vaistomaisella tasolla sekĂ€ tietoiseen reflektioon kykenevien ihmisyksilöiden intentionaalisten ja tulevaisuuteen suuntautuvien projektien tasolla. Nuorten kĂ€yttĂ€mien strategioiden ja edistĂ€mien projektien kirjo on laaja. Tutkimukseni lisÀÀ ymmĂ€rrystĂ€ toimijuuden mahdollisuuksista sellaisten nuorten kohdalla, jotka ovat marginaalisessa asemassa, vailla vaivattomasti tarjolla olevia tilaisuuksia poliittiseen toimijuuteen. NĂ€in työni tarjoaa panoksensa toimijuuden kĂ€sitteellistĂ€miseen uudelleen ja alleviivaa kĂ€sitteen merkittĂ€vyyttĂ€ antropologiassa ja yhteiskuntatieteissĂ€ laajemmin. Tutkimukseni korostaa myös etnografian vahvuutta tiedon tuottamisen menetelmĂ€nĂ€ yhdessĂ€ tutkimukseen osallistuvien kanssa. VĂ€itöstutkimukseni esiintuoma, pakolaistaustaisten nuorten miesten kanssa tuotettu tieto kÀÀntÀÀ osallistumis-diskurssin pÀÀlaelleen. Se ehdottaa, ettĂ€ suomalaisen yhteiskunnan pitĂ€isi osallistua projektiin, johon tutkimukseni osanottajat ovat jo heittĂ€ytyneet: toisenlaisen yhteiskunnan toivomisen ja edistĂ€misen projektiin, yhteiskunnan, jossa niin vĂ€hemmistöjen kuin enemmistöjen edustajat kohdataan avoimella, vĂ€littĂ€vĂ€llĂ€ ja kunnioittavalla tavalla.The driving question of my research is how young refugee background men try to affect their lives and possibilities. What issues emerge as problematic and important in their everyday lives, currently based in Finland yet transnationally interlinked, and how do they act upon them? By taking these questions as the premise of my research, I open a novel vantage point on the political agency of such young people. I do not define what is political—and how one is expected to carry out political acts—in advance, which enables me to inquire into what emerges as political in their lives and to recognize ways, reasons and aims of acting that have previously been blind spots. There are prominent academic and public discourses―in Finland, but also elsewhere―that describe these young men as having worryingly low levels of participation in society and little interest in politics, and as acting instead in disturbing or worrying ways. Their presence appears frequently as disorderly; a risk to others or to themselves. In these discourses, the young men tend to be approached as Others of Finnish society, which leaves their own experiences of society and their agency out of sight. My approach to the young men’s agency draws theoretically from anthropological conceptualizations of the political as pervasive in the practices and relations of social life, as well as from anthropological and feminist new materialist conceptualizations of agency. I understand agency both as a capacity of human beings with complex subjectivities―of fully culturally and socially constructed, but also resourced, beings―and as a capacity of material bodies, relating with other bodies. Methodologically, my research relies on the ethnographic fieldwork I carried out over a time span of over two years, both in various social settings―such as youth spaces, a vocational school, free-time activities and public city space―and in close- knit cooperation with five key research participants. My fieldwork had two foci: first, detailed observation of the young men’s bodily choreographies in everyday encounters, and, second, sustained engagement in their efforts and reflections regarding their own life projects. In order to understand the young men’s political agency, I inquire in this dissertation into how they are encountered by other Finnish (non-)citizens in the surroundings of their everyday lives, how they react to the subject positions proposed to them in these encounters, and what kind of alternative subject positions they aspire and work for. I suggest conceptualizing “mundane political agency” in the following way: 1) the young people’s attentiveness to power relations vested in the subject positions available to them in everyday situations, 2) their immediate bodily strategies that aim at reconfiguring these positions (however subtly), and 3) their long-term projects that aim to carve out alternative subject positions. Building on this proposition, my key findings are twofold. First, in their everyday encounters the young refugee background men are constituted as different recurrently and in multiple ways. These are often, but not always, directly linked to racialization. The subject positions proposed to them are strikingly often both categorizing and constricting, something to which they are attentive, if not always consciously aware. Second, if the political agency of refugee background young men is investigated from their vantage point, they appear to be highly active: dealing with Othering and its implications is all but perpetual. In their encounters with Finnish society and its other (non-)citizens the young men are almost incessantly alert. They struggle with the subject positions that are available for them and attempt to stretch, transform or reject them, or to carve out other possibilities. This struggle happens on two levels: the visceral level of the material body and its immediate choreographies, and at the level of the intentional, future-oriented projects of human beings capable of conscious reflection. The repertoire of strategies the young people deploy and of the projects they further is large. My research sheds light on the agentic capacities and strategies of young people in a disadvantaged situation where there is no readily available space for political agency. It thus contributes to new conceptualizations of agency and underlines the importance of the concept in anthropology and the social sciences at large. It also highlights the potency of ethnographic fieldwork as a method of producing knowledge together with research participants. The knowledge produced with young refugee background men brought forwards in the dissertation turns the tables on the discourse on participation. It suggests that Finnish society could and should participate in the project my research participants are engaged in: a project of desiring and working for another kind of society, one in which representatives of minorities as well as the majority are encountered in an open, caring, and respectful manner

    Anonymous Point Collection - Improved Models and Security Definitions

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    This work is a comprehensive, formal treatment of anonymous point collection. The proposed definition does not only provide a strong notion of security and privacy, but also covers features which are important for practical use. An efficient realization is presented and proven to fulfill the proposed definition. The resulting building block is the first one that allows for anonymous two-way transactions, has semi-offline capabilities, yields constant storage size, and is provably secure
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