Global Studies Theses and Dissertations
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Note that prior to Fall Term 2023, the department was known as International Studies.
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Browsing Global Studies Theses and Dissertations by Author "Braun, Yvonne"
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Item Open Access Gender and Plastic Bag Pollution: Consumption, Globalization, and Environmental Justice in Mali(University of Oregon, 2014-06-17) Sylla Traore, Assitan; Braun, YvonneThis study focuses on women vendors' perspectives on plastic bag consumption in markets in Mali. It also investigates how women across the urban and rural divide are affected by plastic bag pollution and to what extent women in Mali are included in policy formulation addressing plastic bag issues. I interviewed thirty women vendors in three research sites: Bougouni, Koulikoro and Bamako. In addition, I interviewed five Mali Officials including the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment. Plastic bags continue to be used widely in all African countries, including Mali. This has created increased environmental pollution as there is no recycling due to the lack of appropriate technology or political will. Reducing the use of plastic bags, and thus pollution, requires social and economic change that may be difficult to implement without involving one of the largest consumers of plastic bags, women, specifically those selling at the market.Item Open Access Gender, Education and the One-Child Policy: The Lived Experiences of Young Chinese Women in Urban China(University of Oregon, 2014-09-29) Gammons, Samantha; Braun, YvonneMany studies have interpreted the positive and negative consequences of China's One-Child Policy on Chinese women, but few have relied upon contribution from Chinese women and only children themselves. However, by valuing personal, lived experience, researchers may discourage the propagation of Western media stereotypes of what it means to be a young Chinese woman in urban China. The use of an intersectionality framework showcases how Chinese women's lived experiences must be framed more widely than a single aspect of their identity and that gender, educational experiences, family dynamic, and single child status (among other identity markers) form a more complex and holistic identity than any marker considered individually. This thesis argues that the intersectionality of lived experience makes it necessary to consider each individual's story as valuable and that commonalities and differences are both crucial to understanding how individual's lives intersect in the context of this complex birth policyItem Open Access Negotiating Security: Gender, Economics and Cooperative Institutions in Costa Rica(University of Oregon, 2018-09-06) O'Quinn, Caitlin; Braun, YvonneCosta Rica is heralded as a leader in social and environmental issues and an example of a successful development story. However, how does this singular narrative minimize the more complex lived experiences of people? I introduce nuances to the story of Costa Rica by centering the lived experiences of women, drawing on primary data from questionnaires and interviews, and situating my research within the long history of cooperatives in Costa Rica, to learn more about issues women face and opportunities these institutions may offer. When looking through the lens of everyday experiences, we see that despite the significant progress in creating a safe country for all, women still experience inequality, discrimination, and violence. My hope is by including women’s voices, we move beyond the “single story” toward a more nuanced understanding of multilayered lives of Costa Rican women and an appreciation for the opportunities they seek and create.Item Open Access Post-Rape Care and Justice in South Africa: Improving Support Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence.(University of Oregon, 2020-09-24) Lechlech, Lina; Braun, YvonneThe purpose of this study is to explore and describe the current experience of sexual violence survivors in Sexual Offences Courts and Thuthuzela Care Centres in South Africa. While these two models were developed as a way to alleviate rates of sexual violence and encourage reporting, they have strayed from their original purpose, creating additional stressors for survivors wishing to access support services. Literature on this topic from the perspective of survivors is still scarce. This study aims at giving a voice to a community of women-identifying survivors of sexual violence who have accessed these services, in order to determine how they operate and to identify ways to improve service delivery. I posit that the current obstacles to a smoother service provision for SOCs and TCCs are multi-layered, ranging from their spatial implementation to poor training of specialized personnel, to post-apartheid deeper-rooted societal issues creating racial, gender and economic divides.Item Open Access Show Me the Money: Understanding FATCA - United States & CARICOM Relations(University of Oregon, 2021-04-27) Hall, Jeffery; Braun, YvonneThis study explores the provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Services’ Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and its demands to increase disclosure and transparency pertaining to the financial data of foreign account holders who are American citizens and corporations. This study specifically analyzes the cultural and economic impact of FATCA on Caribbean nations.Item Open Access Show Me the Money: Understanding FATCA- U.S. & CARICOM Relations(University of Oregon, 2019-04-30) Hall, Jeffery; Braun, YvonneThis study explores the provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Services’ Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and its demands to increase disclosure and transparency pertaining to the financial data of foreign account holders who are American citizens and corporations. This study specifically analyzes the cultural and economic impact of FATCA on Caribbean nations.Item Open Access Sowing the Seeds of Resistance: Agrarian Reform, Political Violence, and Popular Mobilization in the Aguán Valley of Honduras(University of Oregon, 2014-09-29) Wolford, Heather; Braun, YvonneThe agrarian conflict in the Aguán Valley of Honduras is among the most violent and distressing in contemporary Latin America. It has roots in both local and global political economic processes, including structural adjustment and the proliferation of neoliberal economic policies in the region. In particular, the Ley de Modernización y Desarrollo del Sector Agrícola, or Law of Modernization and Development of the Agricultural Sector, drastically altered the landscape in rural Honduras, both literally and figuratively. An analysis of this policy reveals much about the nature of the current conflict, as well as that of the campesino (small farmer) movements that have organized to regain their land. This thesis seeks to shed light on the interconnectedness of economic policy, political violence, and popular resistance in the Aguán Valley and to examine the ways in which campesino movements frame their struggles and assert themselves as legitimate actors in the policy realm.Item Open Access Visibility and Vulnerability: Deconstructing Representations of Rape in the Context of War in Democratic Republic of the Congo(University of Oregon, 2017-09-27) Silvestri, Frankie; Braun, YvonneMy work explores protracted conflict in DR Congo representationally, considering ways in which conflict is thematized in Western media around sexual violence. I use content and text mining to think through the role of framing in media, and conduct discourse analysis tracing how rape in the context of war has become instrumentalized by Western media to make sense of and justify interventions in the conflict in DR Congo. Specifically I examine forty-two articles published in diverse sources containing the phrase "rape capital of the world" to uncover links between violence, gender, and power. This thesis is generally situated within a postmodern feminist critique of overemphasis on rape and sexual violence as a universal narrative about women’s lives. My policy recommendation is stop implementing laws singling out rape in the context of war as a unique assault, because they enforce female vulnerability and injurability by representing women as victims/pre-victims of SGBV.Item Open Access Words Between Lines: Development Discourse on Dams for Sustainable Development and a Climate Change Future in Pakistan(University of Oregon, 2017-09-06) Houston, Henry; Braun, YvonnePakistan currently experiences a deficit in its energy supply and upcoming water shortage. Lack of energy negatively impacts the country's economy, and water shortage would put stress on its agriculture, for example. Furthermore, climate change will further exacerbate these two problems. Dams are considered as a solution because of their ability to manage water resources while generating electricity. Informed by Michel Foucault's power/ knowledge, the purpose of this thesis is to understand how energy and water professionals in Pakistan view sustainable development, and if dams can be considered as sustainable development and climate change adaptive infrastructure. Drawing on interviews in Pakistan, I found that professionals supported dams through mobilizing technocratic discourses that were perceived as apolitical. Yet, I also find that these discourses are political, and I discuss the ramifications of the mobilization of technical discourses that claim to be apolitical for future energy policy decisions in Pakistan.Item Open Access Youth Empowerment and Community Wellbeing: The Case of Ophelia's Place(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Shannon, Taylah; Braun, YvonneAdolescence is a time of change and exploration, and youth today experience adolescence in world of hyper-connectedness and unlimited access. Post COVID, the adolescent experience comes with its own unique challenges, encouraging communities to reflect on the ways in which they are supporting and empowering their youth. Through a case study analysis of the local Eugene non-profit organization, Ophelia's Place, communities must be implementing services that work to empower their youth in order to reach levels of community wellbeing. Through highlighting a gap in community wellbeing literature where the youth experience is not discussed in community wellbeing indexes, it is paramount that moving forward youth empowerment should be at the forefront of community projects. Various interviews, participant observations, and examinations of survey data at Ophelia's Place exemplify that by providing spaces for youth outside of the home and school, youth can better navigate adolescence and engage with their communities.