THE ROLE OF FOOD AND CULINARY CUSTOMS IN THE HOMING PROCESS FOR SYRIAN MIGRANTS IN CALIFORNIA

This interdisciplinary thesis explores the foodways of six Syrian migrant families, both immigrants and refugees, in California and the role that culinary customs play in their homing process. The homing process is the dynamic way in which people create home according to their life circumstances: food, eating, and culinary customs after migration in this case. Home is not only the place where people live, but also, where they come from and how they feel comfortable; home is both a physical space and an abstract concept. Home, and the various definitions of home, are mapped out in this project because understanding these various meanings allows for a clear understanding of the homing process for migrants. To explore Syrian migrants’ foodways in California, I conducted interviews with these six families, and, in analyzing the interviews, chose four salient culinary customs to demonstrate the role of foodways in the homing process. The four culinary customs are: the distinct morning coffee ritual; mealtimes and meal routines imposed by work or school; lunch as the day’s main meal, which must be tabekh (cooked food); and the importance of handmade food. Taken together, the consistent patterns followed, and energy devoted towards food and culinary customs provide evidence that effort expended in maintaining customary foodways is effort in recreating home. This project adds to existing scholarship on the relationship between foodways and migrant communities’ identity maintenance in that it demonstrates a unique and particular devotion to the rhythm and ritual of foodways that allows Syrians to not only make a new home, but to also feel at home in a new land

Social Network Analysis and High Velocity Learning

NPS NRP Executive SummarySocial Network Analysis and High Velocity LearningN1 - Manpower, Personnel, Training & EducationThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Social Network Analysis and High Velocity Learning

NPS NRP Project PosterSocial Network Analysis and High Velocity LearningN1 - Manpower, Personnel, Training & EducationThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Creating and Maintaining a Specialized Occupational Force: Marine Information Environment Operations

NPS NRP Executive SummaryCreating and Maintaining a Specialized Occupational Force: Marine Information Environment OperationsMarine Corps Information Operations Center (MCIOC)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

THE ROLE OF FOOD AND CULINARY CUSTOMS IN THE HOMING PROCESS FOR SYRIAN MIGRANTS IN CALIFORNIA

This interdisciplinary thesis explores the foodways of six Syrian migrant families, both immigrants and refugees, in California and the role that culinary customs play in their homing process. The homing process is the dynamic way in which people create home according to their life circumstances: food, eating, and culinary customs after migration in this case. Home is not only the place where people live, but also, where they come from and how they feel comfortable; home is both a physical space and an abstract concept. Home, and the various definitions of home, are mapped out in this project because understanding these various meanings allows for a clear understanding of the homing process for migrants. To explore Syrian migrants’ foodways in California, I conducted interviews with these six families, and, in analyzing the interviews, chose four salient culinary customs to demonstrate the role of foodways in the homing process. The four culinary customs are: the distinct morning coffee ritual; mealtimes and meal routines imposed by work or school; lunch as the day’s main meal, which must be tabekh (cooked food); and the importance of handmade food. Taken together, the consistent patterns followed, and energy devoted towards food and culinary customs provide evidence that effort expended in maintaining customary foodways is effort in recreating home. This project adds to existing scholarship on the relationship between foodways and migrant communities’ identity maintenance in that it demonstrates a unique and particular devotion to the rhythm and ritual of foodways that allows Syrians to not only make a new home, but to also feel at home in a new land

Peacekeeping and women's rights: Latin American countries rise to the challenge

United Nations peacekeepers did little in the 20th century to protect individuals, as they focused mainly on reducing large-scale conflict. Many of the nations in which peacekeepers served, such as the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sudan, suffered under governments that intentionally and often viciously violated the rights of their own people. United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, rather than intervening to save civilians, had occasionally been perpetrators of violence, especially against women. Eventually, public pressure led the United Nations Security Council to pass a series of resolutions demanding protection for civilians and inclusion of women during peacekeeping operations. By June of 2014, about 4.5% of deployed UN peacekeepers were women, and UN mandates had begun to include protection of civilians

Armenian Recovery and Development

A long bridge connects Georgia’s and Armenia’s border-control stations. Knowing that Armenia has not fully recovered from the economic and political devastation of the Soviet occupation, we expected militaristic customs agents and degrading roads. We found neither. Friendly border guards processed us quickly into Armenia, responding with broad smiles when Sally asked how to say “thank you” in Armenian. Faced with the long and unpronounceable response, Deborah settled for the European-influenced alternative, “merci.

Implementation of the Chief Management Officer in the Department of Defense, An Interim Report

This report addresses how the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the three service components have to date implemented the statutory requirement for Chief Management Officers (CMO) and offices of business transformation. Specifically, we examine..

Gaining middle managers' support for strategic change: literature review

Middle managers play a central role in the success or failure of strategic change. Senior leaders often refer to those who are reticent to support change as the “frozen middle.” This report reviews the extant literature on middle managers’ resistance to change. The literature describes middle managers as the central gatekeepers and boundary spanners in the organization. They are ultimately the sensemakers in the organization, taking information from senior leaders and interpreting it for others. Likewise, they receive an abundance of information from subordinates, peers, and outsiders and interpret that information for their superiors. When middle managers resist change, there are often compelling reasons for that reticence. These reasons often stem from a number of issues including poor communication from senior leadership, lack of clear goals, inadequate leadership development for implementing a change effort, fear of the unknown, lack of involvement in the early stages of the change, lack of authority or autonomy to execute the change, and lack of clear role expectations with respect to the change. Organizations that excel at middle managers’ support for strategic change have processes in place to develop both senior leaders and middle managers to aid them in creating a system for rapid change implementation.CDR Chris Servello, US Navy, CDR Nate ChristiansonApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Building Skills to Integrate, Protect, and Empower Women During Peacekeeping

For twenty years, the United Nations has strongly supported the deployment of women in peacekeeping units and has urged peacekeepers to protect women and girls during peacekeeping operations. Nevertheless, integration of women lags and violence against women and girls persists. Official training for peacekeepers often addresses integration of women and protection of civilians, but peacekeepers receive little instruction about how to foster the necessary social and organizational changes. This article identifies key issues and relevant skill-building approaches to equip peacekeepers to support integration of women in peacekeeping and improve the security and safety of local women