Honors Theses (Romance Languages)

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    Exploring the Impact of Neoliberal Economic Development on Poverty in Costa Rica: What Went Wrong?
    (2006-05) Lubliner, Paul Brandon
    Neoliberal economic development has in many ways hindered poverty reduction in Latin America. Costa Rica is a prime example of this. As one of the least poor countries in the region, Costa Rica might be seen as evidence of the success of neoliberal economic development. However, such a perception is generally misleading. In Costa Rica, neoliberal economic policies leave many people poor through uneven growth. In fact, the most significant neoliberal economic reforms in this country are on balance aggravating poverty levels. Ultimately, however, in its attempts to reduce poverty in an atmosphere of increasing neoliberal globalization, Costa Rica should continue to liberalize select aspects of its economy while strengthening social services for the poor and vulnerable. At the same time, the state should try to link these disadvantaged people into fruitful niches of the international and domestic economies while simultaneously increasing their social and political participation in development. Ultimately, in order for economic development to complement poverty reduction, the state, as a democratic entity, should have more rather than less control over the economy than is currently the case.
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    French language purism: French linguistic development and current national attitudes
    (University of Oregon, 1998-06) Scheel, Sonya Lynn
    An impulse to protect the French language and exclude foreign languages, specifically English, has become prominent throughout France in the last two decades. This movement for linguistic purism, rooted in historical encounters with foreign languages and cultures, is motivated more by nationalistic sentiment and cultural pride than linguistic concerns. By consulting numerous French articles and commentaries on the recent developments in France, French language purism can be seen most prominently as a ancient cultural struggle to preserve French national identity. A discussion of the passage of the loi Toubon in 1994 and the surrounding controversy illustrates the current national attitudes concerning French culture and the French language.
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    Point of conjecture : defining convivencia through the secular Hebrew poetry of al-Andalus
    (University of Oregon, 1998-06) Leben, Sarah J.
    During the eleventh century in al-Andalus, Jews living under the rule of Islam, amongst Muslims and Christians, experienced a cultural rebirth known as the Golden Age of Hebrew poetry (c. 1000-1 090). Yet there is no clear understanding of the coexistence of Jews and Muslims at this time; a relationship which contributed to Jewish cultural development. Through analysis of secular Hebrew poetry of the Jewish courtier poets of al-Andalus and evaluation of the historical evidence of the time, the nature of convivencia is revealed. The courtly poetry of Samuel Ha-Nagid (c.993-1055) and Moses Ibn Ezra (c.1055-1138) expresses the viewpoint and experience of the Jewish courtier poets of the Muslim courts of al-Andalus. Borrowing from Arabic culture poetical conventions and scholastic standards, the Jewish courtier poets created a new form of Hebrew high culture that called for a mastery of Hebrew culture and the sophistication of courtly standards. In a balanced coexistence of ethnicities, the Jewish courtier poets created and pursued secular Hebrew poetry in order to re-establish themselves as learned people.
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    Relato del nacimiento de Jesus. English
    (University of Oregon, 2009-06) Mason, Katelyn Sarah
    This paper is a translation and study of El Relato del Nacimiento de Jesus, an aljamiado story of the birth of Jesus, written by underground Muslims in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition circa the sixteenth century. Main findings include parallels between the text, the Bible, the Qur'an, and other traditional Islamic texts. In general, the narrative favors Muslim principle over Christian parallels, though the two are interwoven in order to reconcile the dual Catholic/Islamic identities of the sixteenth century Moriscos.
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    Silence Like Blood: A Translation
    (2003-03) Manes, Lauren Meredith
    Le Silence Comme Le Sang, by Marie-Celie Agnant, a Haitan writer living in Quebec, recounts the semi-autobiographical stories of the author's youth and her flight from her native country. Throughout the stories run the common themes of violence, familial ties, oppression, and fear, particularly of speaking out. Societal norms are challenged and traditions questioned. This translation includes a translator's introduction about both the process and theories of translation.
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    The spirit of Don Quixote in the Zapatista revolution
    (University of Oregon, 2007-05) Krogh, Julie Anne
    In 1605, Miguel Saavedra de Cervantes published the literary masterpiece Don Quixote that has impacted the literary, political, and social world. Cervantes created the crazy knight-errant Don Quixote and his humble peasant sidekick Sancho Panza in order to criticize the popular tales of chivalry ofthe time. Additionally, Cervantes effectively commented on the social, economic, and political condition of 1i h century Spain. While many of his observations are negative criticisms, the character Don Quixote encourages the reader as a living example of hope in the ability of an individual to shape his own reality. On January 1, 1994, the Ejercito Zapatista Nacional de Liberaci6n (EZLN) seized San Crist6bal de Las Casas of the Mexican region Chiapas and declared war on the Mexican Army demanding rights such as liberty, land, democracy, health, and education for indigenous people. While the EZLN has roots in indigenous traditions and Marxist ideologies, the hope of Don Quixote that people truly do possess the ability to change their condition permeates the Zapatista movement. The writings of the most prominent EZLN leader, Subcomandante Marcos, help to reveal the influence that Don Quixote has had on the Zapatistas and their mission.
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    To say what is not being said : the radical literary strategies and sexual politics of Ana Castillo's Sapogonia
    (University Of Oregon, 1993-07) Albrich, Lisa Rene
    In her second novel, Sapogonia, Ana Castillo challenges and confronts the canon by dismantling and defying the dominant ideologies of Westem androcentric literature. Using Castillo's first novel, The Mixguiahuala Letters, as the framework within which to read Sapogonia, we discover that Castillo's experimentation with different genres, narrative voice, and intertextuality allows her to mock and to subvert male-authored texts. Castillo's literary strategies also facilitate her critique of the mestizo who denies his indigenous American ancestry. Finally, Sapogonia is a critique of the discourses and ideologies of patriarchal authority that have been used to oppress women. Despite the fact that Castillo's literary strategies and sexual politics establish her novel as feminist literature, Castillo refuses to romanticize the position of women in Sapogonia. Committed to telling the truth, Castllo presents a disturbingly realistic vision of society.