College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item CHRONIC SUFFERING: CHRONIC ILLNESS, DISABILITY, AND VIOLENCE AMONG MEXICAN MIGRANT WOMEN(2022) Guevara, Emilia Mercedes; Getrich, Christina M; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation seeks to better understand how Mexican migrant women who work in the Maryland crab industry make sense of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, and musculoskeletal pain while at the same time living spatially and temporally complicated lives as circular temporary migrant laborers. I explore how immigration and labor policies and practices, constrained and conditional access to resources and care, and exposure to multiple forms of violence structure their chronic illness experiences and entanglements of biological and social processes that intersect. Together, these embodied biological and social processes coalesce into what I describe as problemas crónica-gendered “chronic problems” – and other disruptions that migrant women endure across time and transnational space. I describe how problemas crónicas manifest themselves throughout the lives and migratory careers of Mexican migrant women and how they grapple with obstacles as they seek care, renegotiate their identities, and re/build their lives.Item LOST LABOR: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERPRETATION OF IRISH CANAL WORKER HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL(2022) Hauber, Samuel; Palus, Matthew M; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal would not exist without the labor of thousands of Irish immigrants in the 19th century. Through a framework of labor history, critical archaeology, and public history this study sought to improve interpretation of these canal workers. Archaeological and visitation data were analyzed to form recommendations for improvements to the parks interpretive materials on this subject. Labor history may have begun with the intent to balance historical narratives which had previously focused on powerful individuals. But continuing the trend of narrating specific groups experiences within history limits the perspective on these groups and perpetuates the issue of narrow, marginalizing, perspectives on complex history. The archaeological record from the C&O Canal construction can fulfill the parks interpretive mission through critical archaeology and labor theory. The interpretive potential of the archaeological findings, combined with the knowledge of visitation trends, form an exciting opportunity to build upon an evolving interpretive art which began with Freeman Tilden.Item Typologies of Forced Labor Exploitation in Brazil(2021) Hickman, Shelby Nichole; Simpson, Sally; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Forced labor exploitation is the most common element of present-day institutional slavery. Despite the pervasive nature of this crime, little is known about the ways that perpetrators recruit workers and keep them in exploitive situations. Further, forced labor exploitation cases are rarely brought forward for prosecution and even more rarely receive a conviction. In this dissertation I examine the characteristics of forced labor exploitation in Brazil. Additionally, using a Focal Concerns framework, I examine the factors that influence the decision making of key investigative and court practitioners involved in processing forced labor exploitation cases. To do this, I analyzed administrative data from all (n=1,764) forced labor exploitation cases processed in the criminal and civil court systems in Brazil between 2008 and 2020. I also conducted 28 interviews with labor inspectors, federal police, and judges and prosecutors from the civil and criminal court systems. Using latent class analysis, I identified three typologies of forced labor exploitation: degrading conditions and debt servitude, degrading conditions, and degrading conditions and weapons and surveillance. I then examined the factors associated with different typologies of forced labor exploitation as well as the association between type of forced labor exploitation and sentencing outcomes. Respondents described several factors that increase uncertainty in forced labor exploitation cases, including: subjective interpretations of the criminal code, lack of formal training in handling forced labor exploitation cases, and uncertainty about who should be held accountable in larger organizational schemes. Interview participants further reported that cases that include physical violence, weapons, and ostensive surveillance are more likely to receive a conviction. In my analysis of the administrative data, I find that cases in the degrading conditions and weapons class are no more likely to receive a criminal conviction; however, cases in the degrading conditions and weapons class that received a conviction received more severe punishments. I discuss ways to improve investigation and prosecution of forced labor exploitation cases based on the study findings as well as potential alternatives to criminal court processing that may be more effective in reducing the burden of forced labor exploitation.Item The Politics of Population Aging in Germany, Italy, and Japan(2008-08-18) Sciubba, Jennifer Dabbs; Pirages, Dennis; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which population aging has led to the emergence of age-based politics in Germany, Italy, and Japan. Many argue that the increase in the share of aged relative to youth has led to the development of gerontocracy--as aging has intensified, so has the political power of the aged. I argue that assuming political power from the size of demographic groups is flawed because political institutions are important vehicles that mediate and articulate the myriad interests of a population. The first pillar of the study explains how different party systems create different pressures for the emergence of age-based politics through the ways they articulate these interests. A second pillar of the study uses recent labor reforms to examine the trajectory of generational winners and losers within the labor policy arena. The study compares quantitative data and includes qualitative reviews of primary source material, such as party doctrine. In Germany, Italy, and Japan, there are few signs that older groups are hijacking the political agenda--gerontocracy is mostly a myth. Labor policy in all three states is adjusting to bring youth into the labor market and reforms often go against the interests of the aged. Though aging issues are present in politics in all three states, the competitive multiparty system in Germany encourages parties to appeal to particular age groups, while Japan's more limited system encourages broad appeals. The fractured Italian system shows signs of both types of appeals. Aging issues do not dominate the agendas of these states and in some cases regional identities are more important than age-based identities. As aging intensifies we should expect that institutions will continue to mediate the interests of different age groups the way they have over the past decade. External pressures, such as those stemming from globalization, will likely continue to encourage convergence in labor policies that bring underutilized groups of all ages into the workforce.