I Am a Shaman: A Hmong Life Story with Ethnographic Commentary.

The life story of a Hmong shaman, Paja Thao, living in Chicago in 1984, is presented here in the form of an epic poem, translated into English. Conquergood provides an accompanying ethnographic commentary on the role of the shaman in Hmong society, concluding with the life story of a Hmong woman shaman, Zoua Yang. Excerpts from the commentary are presented in the April 1989 CURA Reporter.Southeast Asian Refugee Studies Project. Occasional Papers, Number Eight

Magnetic Bearings And Dry Gas Seals - A Process Compressor Application.

LecturePg. 77-84The design considerations and features along with manufacturing and operating experiences encountered on a multistage centrifugal process compressor incorporating a dry gas seal and active magnetic bearings immersed in the process fluid are discussed. Starting with clearly defined process requirements, a close user-manufacturer working relationship was essential to assure that all of the potential operating conditions associated with hydrogen recycle service were evaluated and that the machinery was designed to accommodate them. Although the risks associated with the initial application of advanced concepts to a particular process cannot be totally eliminated, they can be minimized and successfully managed. Problems which occurred at several stages of the project are discussed, along with their solutions. Operating results to date are reviewed to provide a basis for continuing improvement in future installations of advanced centrifugal compressors

'The show must go on': Event dramaturgy as consolidation of community

Event dramaturgy and cultural performance have not been examined in the literature from a strategic standpoint of fostering the social value of events. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the case of the Water Carnival, a celebratory event in a rural community of Southwest Texas, demonstrating the essence of this event as a symbolic social space, wherein event participants instantiate a shared and valued sense of community. A hermeneutical approach was employed, interpreting the event and its symbolisms as a text, combined with findings from ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of archival documents. The study examines the ways that dramaturgy in the Water Carnival helps frame the ongoing public discourse for community improvement and enhances social capital. The implications of the study for social leverage of events are discussed. It is suggested that a foundation for strategic social planning is the understanding of events as symbolic social spaces and their embeddedness in community development, which can be accomplished when events are pertinent to public discourse, address community issues, represent an inclusive range of stakeholders, and promote cooperation

Locating the Social and Political in Secondary School Literacy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88064/1/RRQ.33.1.6.pd

Engaging the audience through videography as performance

The audience is an important part of videography, but its role tends to be seen as passive and unengaged. The audience’s experience is often guided in videography, with intended reaction made clear. Yet such an approach to the audience does not make use of the possibilities of videography for inciting active interaction and incorporating multiple interpretations. Previous research has suggested that videography has potential for interventional influence on audiences by taking on the performative turn in research. Developing more deeply the notions of performance and performativity in the context of videography, this paper proposes that one way to activate audiences, interact directly with them and engage them in meaning-making is to approach videography as performance. To provide practical suggestions for creating such performance, the paper contextualises videography as a recording medium, thus establishing its ontological position and ties to other media