Browsing by Subject "Race relations"
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Item A sociological comparison of the color and racial preferences of children in integrated and segregated kindergartens(Texas Tech University, 1979-08) Rogers, Carol AnnNot availableItem America's new racial heroes : mixed race Americans and ideas of novelty, progress, and utopia(2007-05) Carter, Gregory Thomas, 1970-; Foley, NeilMy dissertation, "America's New Racial Heroes," is the first full-length intellectual history examining the fascination with mixed race people that has been concurrent with the stereotypes that pathologize them. Through five moments in United States history, this project asks what the idea of racially mixed people does for America, uncovering a set of vanguards who suggested that, rather than fear racial mixing, we should embrace it as a means to live up to ideals of equality and inclusion, thus benefiting the nation as a whole. Whether the subject is abolitionist Wendell Phillips's defense of racial amalgamation, the popularity of the Melting Pot trope, Time Magazine's 1993 New Face of America issue, or the promises of a "Multiracial" category on the 2000 census, similar notions regarding novelty, progress, and utopia repeat themselves. Rounding out "America's New Racial Heroes" is an examination of contemporary praise of ambiguity at the same time Americans wish for quantifiable racial makeup. Overall, this project warns against the giddy hope that racially mixed people alone can solve America's racial problems. I have several models in bringing together these five cases, including George M. Fredrickson's The Black Image in the White Mind, Philip J. Deloria's Playing Indian, and Robert Lee's Orientals. Each of these shows how discourses of science, nationality, and popular culture shape the identities of dominant and minority groups concurrently. Like these works, my project brings together archival research, cultural studies readings, and theories of racial formation to examine how pro-mixing advocates situate themselves within their own contexts and resonate through time. This work on mixed race identity has many intersections with both fields, accentuating the richness that can result from comparative, ethnic studies work across disciplinary boundaries.Item Brazil’s whiteness unveiled : a discussion on race with Cooperifa participants, Capelinha residents and Universidade Federal de Bahia (UFBA) students and professors(2010-12) Martinez, Lorena M.; Smith, Christen A., 1977-; Hale, CharlesThis thesis analyzes attitudes about race in Brazil in three research sites conducted in 2008 and 2009. The first research site was Salvador, Bahia where I asked a total of twelve students and professors their opinions about the importance of discussing race relations in Brazil and their views on Affirmative Action. These participants were mostly white middle-class students and professors. The second site was in the periferia of Zona Sul in the neighborhood of Capelinha, São Paulo. I interviewed four residents about the importance of race in Brazil. Here, the residents were mostly non-white, from various states in the north and northeast, and were working class. The last research site was Cooperifa, which is a spoken word movement located near Capelinha in Zona Sul. I found that non-white periferia residents subscribed to the same racial attitudes as the middle-class white participants when discussing the importance of race as a social phenomenon. In turn, I found that Cooperifa participants perceived white privilege as a social phenomenon that needs to be challenged. This thesis examines the links across these three sites and draws from theories of whiteness to understand them.Item Exit over voice in Dominican ethnoracial politics(2015-12) Contreras, Danilo Antonio; Madrid, Raúl L.,; Philpot, Tasha; Dietz, Henry; Brinks, Daniel; Mahon, JimWhat explains why ethnoracial identity is of low salience in elections in Latin America, particularly in Afro-Latin America? Marginalized individuals in ethnoracially diverse societies, especially stratified ones, would seem most likely to mobilize politically along ethnoracial lines. I argue that, under certain conditions, individuals will deal with ethnoracial discrimination and stratification through exit rather than voice. That is, they will reclassify their way out of marginalized ethnosomatic categories instead of voting for candidates and parties that share their ethnoracial identities. This tends to be the case where ethnoracial group identity is inchoate and group boundaries are permeable. High levels of stratification combined with low degrees of ethnoracial group consolidation will typically prevent the activation of ethnoracial identity in elections. Whereas ethnoracial stratification provides the incentive structure for individuals to switch ethnoracial categories, inchoate ethnoracial group identity and permeable ethnoracial boundaries lower the transaction costs to doing so. I also argue that individuals may emphasize national origin over race or ethnicity where ethnoracial group loyalties are weak and immigration is widespread. I test my argument against competing approaches using quantitative, qualitative, and experimental evidence from the Dominican Republic. The evidence suggests that the confluence of stratification and inchoate ethnoracial group identity indeed has prevented the activation of ethnoracial cleavages in elections in the DR. This same combination, however, has not impeded the activation of national origin in elections. Rather than strengthening the salience of ethnoracial cleavages in elections, nationalism has helped to redirect those cleavages.Item God, children and country : an in-depth study of the condition of immigrant illegality through the experiences of Mexican domestic workers in Dallas, Texas(2015-08) Lugo, Betsabeth Monica; Rudrappa, Sharmila, 1966-; Rodriguez, Nestor; Young, Michael; Gonzalez-Lopez, Gloria; Cuellar, GregoryIn this dissertation I examine the lived experiences of 43 undocumented Mexican women working in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, particularly, the ways that these women navigate and make sense of what I identify as environments of vulnerability -social contexts characterized by local configurations of migrant “illegality” (a paradigm-in-progress). In Article 1, I analyze three in-depth interviews with undocumented Mexican domestics to understand how they use religious stories and symbols to help them make sense of and cope with the uncertainties and vulnerabilities they face living in the United States. Findings from this article indicate that women 1) draw from religious discourses to actively interact with their social environments and 2) construct narratives that allow them to create an alternative version of the social world and a coherent sense of self. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of the ways that religion shapes undocumented immigrant women’s lives outside of religious institutions and religious contexts. In Article 2, I examine the strategies that 40 undocumented Mexican women use to mother in environments of vulnerability. Findings from this article reveal that these women use two key strategies to protect their children’s well-being: 1) moving out of neighborhoods with undesirable “others” (i.e., the poor, Blacks, and “less worthy” Mexican immigrants) and 2) withholding information from their children regarding their legal status. These findings contribute to an increased understanding of the mothering practices of women who face multiple structural oppressions. Finally, in Article 3 I examine the factors that influence undocumented Mexican women’s decisions to stay in the United States, even as they face the uncertainty associated with deportability -- that is, even as they traverse environments of vulnerability. Two factors primarily underlie women’s decision to stay in the U.S.: the availability of quality public education and educational opportunities for their children and the fear that they or their children will be the targets of violence in Mexico. These findings add to research on family and migration and extend previous research to reveal how Mexican women and their children navigate the shifting terrain of state power as they build their lives in the United States.Item Media construction of U.S. Latina/o identity as dIfference : the rhetoric of Arizona Senate Bill 1070(2011-05) Razo, Eliana; Cloud, Dana L.; Stroud, Natalie J.This thesis focuses on the rhetorical formations of identities of people of color through news media coverage. Specifically, I investigate news media coverage of the Arizona immigration legislation, Senate Bill 1070. Major commercial media and Spanish-language media systems associate the immigrant identity to the U.S. Latina/o identity and position U.S. Latina/os as second-class citizens in American society. The language of the legislation, in addition to media coverage of it, works to reinforce race relations and the ideologies of meritocracy and cultural difference in the United States. Chapter one presents up-to-date demographic data, stressing the continuing growth of a diverse American people. Specifically, I use data on the U.S. Latina/o population as a way to establish this reality given that the data are recent. This chapter also presents the argument that current norms and standards in political opinions, such as those considered by policy makers, excludes opinions deriving from people with distinct cultural backgrounds. I present this argument in order to define and exemplify contemporary U.S. culture. The next chapter is a comparative close-textual analysis of news media coverage of Arizona SB 1070. Chapter two also outlines a theoretical framework in order to understand the functions of the media in society in relation to the rhetorical forms of reinforcing dominant ideological values. Chapter three utilizes survey data that speaks to the identity of U.S. Latina/o college students. As part of the questionnaire, I pose questions regarding language preference, generational status, media consumption and political knowledge. The results exemplify the prevailing bicultural component of U.S. Latinas/os and suggest that this ethnic group draws from different and contrasting ideologies. When comparing the identities presented by the media to the results of the questionnaire, discourse analysis suggests the notion that bicultural Americans are not acknowledged fully as citizens.Item "More than classes in swimming and making hats": the YWCA and social reform in Houston, Texas, 1907-1977(Texas Tech University, 2004-05) Wille, Pamela FaithThe Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) began in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. It had as its purpose the assistance of young, single women who sought employment in the many urban areas throughout the nation. The association spread from the northeastern United States throughout the country. The Houston YWCA began in 1907, as the city began its tremendous growth into a major metropolitan area and at the height of the Progressive Era. The association quickly involved itself in many of the social reforms of the day. As it did so, the Houston YWCA Board of Directors found itself struggling to meet the directives of the National YWCA Board, the needs of its paid membership, and the demands of the local citizens who funded its programs. This dissertation explores the role of the YWCA as an agent of social reform in Houston from 1907 through 1977. Recent studies of the YWCA have focused on various aspects of the organization, ranging from its religious teachings, its attempts to organize and African-American branch, to its program offerings to the local citizens. No study to date has explored the activities of the Houston YWCA. The city of Houston boasted a diverse population with a large number of African-American and Latino citizens. The opening of a city YWCA in 1907 coincided with the phenomenal growth of Houston. The association quickly became a prominent women's organization and gained the respect of city leaders. In addition, no study has explored the impact of funding on the activities of a city association. This dissertation explores the attempts of a women's organization to act as an agent of social reform in a major metropolitan city. It also attempts to show how the dictates of a national organization don't always come to fruition as quickly at the local level. The demands of funding agencies and the apprehensions of local citizens regarding change often dictated the success or failure of social reform programs. For the women associated with the Houston YWCA, the decision to adhere to national dictates or acquiesce to citizens concerns fell on the shoulders of the volunteer Board of Directors. In many ways, the actions of the Houston association were the actions of the Board of Directors.Item Racial attitude and receptivity to attitude change as a function of integrated experience.(Texas Tech University, 1975-12) Burtis, Thomas R.Not availableItem Racial Consciousness and Fertility Control(Texas Tech University, 1972-08) Green, James ThomasNot Available.Item The white media : politics of representation, race, gender, and symbolic violence in Brazilian telenovelas(2010-05) Ribeiro, Monique H.; Smith, Christen A., 1977-; Vargas, João Helion CostaBrazil was the first country in South America to launch a television network and air television shows. Television programming was designed to develop national capitalism and to foster a national identity. Although Brazil is composed of an overwhelmingly large population of African descent, they are usually underrepresented in mainstream media, chiefly in telenovelas (soap operas). This research examines what happens when a telenovela attempts to portray issues of race relations and tensions in contemporary Brazil. Duas Caras (“Two Faces”), a TV Globo telenovela aired October 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008. The show was a turning point in Brazilian programming because it was the first prime time soap opera to present audiences with an Afro-Brazilian as the main hero. It was also the first novela das oito (“eight o’clock” or “primetime soap opera”) to openly address racial issues through its plot and dialogue. However, in depth critical and theoretical analysis of different episodes demonstrates that instead of debunking the myth of racial democracy, this soap opera in fact helps to further reproduce it through the portrayal of interracial relationships amongst the characters. As shown here, interracial relationships between white and Black Brazilians was used as a strategy of erasing African ancestry traits from the population through a process of whitening. This report combines a traditional textual analysis of Duas Caras with theoretical frameworks about race relations, gender and anti-Black racism in Brazil. The investigation revealed how telenovelas contribute to social ideology and hegemonic discourses in a way that has not been properly recorded. This discussion contributes to Latin American media studies generally, and the scholarship on interracial relationships in Brazilian media particularly.