Folklore Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Folklore Theses and Dissertations by Author "Lowthorp, Leah"

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    Bridging the Gap: How the Digitalization of Language Revitalization Programs Can Connect the Displaced and Disconnected in Native American Communities
    (University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Miller, Gabrielle; Lowthorp, Leah
    This research examines how the digitalization of language classes that use communication technology can help bridge a gap between Native American community members who feel displaced or disconnected from their culture while understanding the relationship that language, place, and identity have on this issue. For this research, I conducted a series of ethnographic interviews with two participating groups: Two language teachers belonging to the Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw, and three participants who have expressed feelings of displacement or disconnection from their culture. Along with my interviews, I include my own experiences with this topic and feelings of displacement and disconnection. This study analyzes and explores these topics using a folkloric lens in order to understand the relationship that Native American language revitalization efforts have on identity, highlighting the importance of cultural and community connections. My analysis shows that there is a strong correlation between issues with identity in Native Americans and their connection to place, native language, and connections to culture. I conclude that the inclusion of online forums such as online classes, social media, and meetings that utilize communication technology such as Zoom, within Native American language revitalization efforts, aids in feelings of connection to culture, language, and community for displaced or disconnected community members, ultimately aiding in their views of identity.
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    Jimmying the Locke: On the 1982 Model Provisions for the Protection of Folklore, Decolonizing Intellectual Property Rights, and Forty Years of Stasis
    (University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) Travers, Benjamin; Lowthorp, Leah
    In this work I chart the past forty years of efforts towards developing international policy for the protection of cultural property. I do so by firstly examining the 1982 Model Provisions on National Laws for the Protection of Expressions of Folklore Against Illicit Exploitation and Other Prejudicial Actions, and then, secondly, I consider the current state of negotiations within the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). I also give significant attention the Eurocentric disposition of the global intellectual property regime and argue that the international IP regulatory system is a colonial apparatus and a potent modernizing technology of the West. I propose that there has been little meaningful progress in international forums to develop protective mechanisms over the past forty years and that, in light of this failure, resources and collective efforts must be reallocated accordingly towards alternative means of safeguarding cultural production and recognizing non-Western modalities of authorship and property.
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    ORGANIZING AND OCCUPATIONAL CULTURE AT AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTERS
    (University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) DeVane, Lillian; Lowthorp, Leah
    I argue that workers can find meaning in their work through the connective process of organizing. I demonstrate how metric-driven workplaces like Amazon severely impact worker culture. I discuss Amazon as a worksite both through outlining the economic forces that contributed to its rise as a uniquely powerful corporate employer and exploring the online laborlore of the Amazon worker on the social media site Reddit. Finally, I analyze my fieldwork with Amazon workers through a folkloric lens and center the contemporary worker within the boundaries of laborlore scholarship.
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    Representation of a Controversial Figure (Zwarte Piet) During a Time of Racial Injustice and Unrest
    (University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Teeuwen, Iris; Lowthorp, Leah
    This thesis considers the blackface holiday figure of Zwarte Piet, part of the Sinterklaas holiday tradition in the Netherlands, within a context of political unrest and broader questioning of institutional racism. It examines how an annual festival and parade connects to community identity and how the country’s history with colonialism and slavery influences institutional racism. It focuses on how representations of the Zwarte Piet figure is actively changing due to protests inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Research done on YouTube explores how towns and cities in the Netherlands choose to represent this controversial figure in the opening celebrations and arrival parade of the Sinterklaas holiday.