ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS PRESENTED at the 6th Annual Conference on Ethnic and Minority Studies

Before developing programs to help minority women, program developers should assess themselves. White men usually create problems that cause minority women to need programs developed. White men who have had minimal social contact with minority women are not qualified to solve minority women\u27s problems. White men ask white women and minority men to give assistance in solving minority women\u27s problems. White women, who have been considered superior to minority women because of social, educational, or economical circumstances, are not qualified to solve minority women\u27s problems. Minority men who have chauvinist values and do not have minority women\u27s concerns at heart are not qualified to solve minority women\u27s problems. Minority women are best qualified to solve minority women\u27s problems

Evaluating Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia as a Mediator of Relations between Minority Stress and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minorities

Compared with heterosexuals, those with sexual minority identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual) are at significantly greater risk of psychopathology, including depression—the most common mental health disorder in the general population. A large body of research suggests that disparities in depression between heterosexuals and sexual minority groups are due, at least in part, to minority stress. Minority stress includes stressors unique to minority groups, such as marginalization and discrimination based on race or sexual identity. To date, most work demonstrating associations between minority stress and depression has used retrospective self- reports of minority stress exposure, so little is known about acute effects of minority stress exposure on physiological functions. In this study, I examine the potential moderating or mediating effect of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—the high frequency component of heart rate variability associated with breathing—on associations between minority stress and symptoms of depression. Heterosexual (n = 43; 62.5% women) and sexual minority (n = 24; 59.3% women) college students viewed films designed to induce minority stress and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results indicated no differences in RSA reactivity or BDI scores between heterosexuals and sexual minority group members.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog

Quantitative Analysis of Disparities in Juvenile Delinquency Referrals

Minority youths in Anchorage are referred to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for delinquent behavior at rates much higher than white youths. This report, presenting the first findings from an extended examination of extended examination of race, ethnicity, and juvenile justice in Anchorage, provides a broad overview of the level of disproportionate minority contact in the Alaska juvenile justice system and examines whether disproportionate minority contact occurs (1) for all minority youth, (2) for both males and females, (3) for both youth referred for new crimes and youth referred for conduct or probation violations, and (4) throughout the Municipality of Anchorage or in specific geographical areas within the Municipality of Anchorage. By developing a detailed understanding of the scope of disproportionate minority contact, we become much better prepared to identify its causes and to develop promising evidence-based solutions. The sample in this analysis includes 1,936 youths who resided in Anchorage and were referred to DJJ in Anchorage during fiscal year 2005 for new crimes, probation violations, or conduct violations.National Institute of Justice Grant No. 2005-IJ-CX-0013Table and Figures / Acknowledgments / Executive Summary / Quantitative Analysis of Disparities in Juvenile Delinquency Referrals / Sample and Data / Geographic Data / Census Data / Juvenile Justice Data / Analysis / Results / Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Composition of Referred Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact in Anchorage / Rates of Referral by Census Tract / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for All Minority Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Black Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Native Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Asian Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Pacific Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Other Minority Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Multiracial Youth / Disproportionate Minority Contact by Census Tract, for Hispanic Youth / Summary of DMC Analyses by Census Tract / Summary and Conclusion / Appendices A. Technical Notes on Relative Rate Indices B. Technical Notes on Relative EB Rate Indices C. Type of Analysis by Census Trac

Relative group size and minority school success: the role of intergroup friendship and discrimination experiences

From an intergroup relations perspective, relative group size is associated with the quantity and quality of intergroup contact: more positive contact (i.e., intergroup friendship) supports, and negative contact (i.e., experienced discrimination) hampers, minority identity, and school success. Accordingly, we examined intergroup contact as the process through which perceived relative proportions of minority and majority students in school affected minority success (i.e., school performance, satisfaction, and self-efficacy). Turkish minorities (N = 1,060) were compared in four Austrian and Belgian cities which differ in their typical school ethnic composition. Across cities, minority experiences of intergroup contact fully mediated the impact of perceived relative group size on school success. As expected, higher minority presence impaired school success through restricting intergroup friendship and increasing experienced discrimination. The association between minority presence and discrimination was curvilinear, however, so that schools where minority students predominated offered some protection from discrimination. To conclude, the comparative findings reveal positive and negative intergroup contact as key processes that jointly explain when and how higher proportions of minority students affect school success

Minority consultative bodies in Kosovo: A quest for effective emancipation or elusive participation?

This paper examines the extent to which effective political participation can be achieved through minority consultative bodies, and what obstacles and shortcomings can potentially occur in practice. It explores the Kosovo case, where a variety of minority consultative bodies were established in recent years to ensure effective minority participation and representation at the highest decision-making levels. It will be argued that despite the prospects of the established legal and institutional framework, these bodies have fallen short in providing meaningful representation of minority interests and needs in Kosovo. This is largely affected by the intermeshed interests of elites among the majority and minority communities that prioritize their narrow interests to the expense of the developmental and emancipatory needs of marginalized minorities in Kosovo. Hence, higher commitment and cooperation between governmental authorities and minority representatives, together with adequate resources, are critical for ensuring effective minority participation in the public sphere

Still no place to go: nomadic peoples’ territorial rights in Europe

The purpose of the article is to focus on the role of European institutions working on human rights related issues – such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the EU – in the protection of nomadic peoples’ way of life. In particular, the Council of Europe (CoE) has adopted several resolutions and recommendations specifically concerning nomadic communities in Europe. This article focuses on the situation of the Roma and the Travellers who are facing threats to their nomadic lifestyle, which often leads to violent confrontation with the settled communities of the different European countries. The Roma / Gypsies especially have been the victims of discrimination in several European countries. In 1993 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a report highlighting that as “one of the very few non-territorial minorities in Europe Gypsies need special protection”. This article explores how European institutions working on issues related to minority rights are trying to establish a balance between the need to provide appropriate accommodation for nomadic peoples – while preserving their right to remain on the move – with the need for mechanisms to be in place to address illegal encampments. It will then be examined how these institutions have developed an approach based on a right to halting facilities under which states have a duty to ensure halting facilities for nomadic peoples. A Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the movement and encampment of Travellers in Europe highlights the dual legal approach to the right for nomadic peoples to remain nomads. The Committee’s Recommendation mentions the right to freedom of movement and the right to preserve and develop specific cultural identities as a basis for a right for Roma / Gypsies who wish “to continue to lead a traditional nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle”. The article explores how European institutions have developed such a dual approach to the right of nomadic peoples to remain on the move. It argues that a territorial right for nomadic peoples has been developed, firstly, through references to cultural rights and, secondly, under the banner of freedom of movement. Thus, based on this assumption, the article examines, first, the legal approach based on the right of nomadic peoples to enjoy their own way of life and, second, the interaction between freedom of movement and the right of nomadic peoples to remain nomads