Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'American Heritage'

Ethnic identity is dynamic social construction. Ethnic groups define and display their heritage to meet the social, economic, and political interests of the group. Tourism is one outlet for ethnic groups to express their identity while stimulating local economies. Ethnic tourism is becoming more popular in urban settings, as municipal governments attempt to compete for tourism income and establish a unique brand. Placing ethnic tourism within an urban setting creates additional layers of complexity that have the potential to alter the way ethnic groups interact and are perceived by locals and visitors. Tourism involves the construction of expectations through deliberate representation. When the object of expectation is an ethnic or minority group, the creation of symbols to enhance the exotic appeal can have unintended consequences for the performance of ethnicity within urban structures. This paper attempts to document the effects of urban ethnic tourism on the ethnic group that is the subject of tourism by applying a new framework for urban ethnic tourism to the ethnic festivals of Milwaukee, WI.

Composer Howard Hanson played a pivotal role in both the development and promotion of American concert music in the twentieth century. Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, to Swedish immigrants, Hanson grew up surrounded by people who followed Swedish customs (including folk song and dance), yet exhibited strong feelings of American patriotism. Hanson's earliest works, left unpublished, display the influence of Swedish folk music traditions in either direct quotation or stylistic imitation.

As the winner of the first American Prix de Rome, Hanson traveled to Italy to study at the American Academy, affording him the opportunity to travel for the first time to Sweden. While in Europe Hanson wrote some of his most important compositions, including the Scandinavian-inspired First Symphony ("Nordic") and the symphonic poem North and West. The former pulls heavily from Swedish folk music, and the latter is autobiographical, representative of the composer's identity struggles as he explored the role his heritage should play in what he increasingly realized was Americanist music.

After he assumed the directorship of the Eastman School of Music, a position he held for forty years, Hanson's music lost explicit programmatic elements inspired by Scandinavia. Hanson wrote hundreds of articles and speeches about the importance of furthering American music, became a community leader in Rochester and on a national level, and transformed Eastman into a vital center for the promotion of American composers. His affinity for Swedish music continued to be an important factor in his compositional process, as evidenced by his Third Symphony and the popular comparison of his music to that of Jan Sibelius. Despite this association Hanson is remembered as a transformative figure in American music.

This research stems from my questioning regarding the lack of research of precolonial archaeological sites and their almost complete absence in the new industry of tourism. I chose my field site on the city of Granada because of the historical importance in the economy of the country, its foundation as the first establishment of Spanish colonizers, and its centrality today in Nicaraguan tourism. Babb (2004) argues that the introduction to tourism industry provides the opportunity to the Nicaraguan government to remake its image to the outside. This remaking of the country’s image will affect how Nicaraguans view themselves. In that sense my main question is: what are the effects of tourism on the identity of granadinos? I argue that the Nicaraguan government takes an active position in presenting tourists with a modernized (not indigenous or black) Nicaraguan community by silencing their past and present, and presenting to tourists only the European heritage of the country; such narratives gives a partial representation of the Nicaraguan identity to foreign visitors; at the same time it projects and naturalizes Nicaraguan identity as “mestizo.” I conclude tourism narratives are reinforcing a mestizo identity through the colonial heritage. Young mestizos as well as indigenous people continue to admire and emulate foreigners’ accents, clothing, sports, hairdo, etcetera.. I believed that the reason for these changes were rooted in the introduction of tourism and new cultural expressions, however, from this research I concluded that is rooted in the effects of the colonial period on the identity of the population. For centuries the Spanish crown and later the national governments eroded the foundation of the indigenous identity, thus the origins of mestizo identity as well. Thereby creating an identity crisis among both ethnic groups and a deep tension on the subject of identity, furthering the racialization of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Mestizaje successfully silenced indigenous populations, and ignored the indigenous origin of mestizos. However, currently mestizos do participate in indigenous cultural expressions departing from the hegemonic concept of mestizo - as in complete opposition to indigenous identity -, although they deny or ignore and racialize indigenous people. I consider that the introduction of tourism has brought changes in the Nicaraguan population. The government narratives based on colonial identities create a new environment where colonial relationships are reproduced. In my opinion this is a negative impact of tourism, however, it may lead to new conversations about colonialist interactions, ethnic identity and racism that remain covert in the everyday lives of Nicaraguans.

Culturally sensitive care is thought to take into account a person's specific cultural values and preferences when providing mental health care services. Latinos currently comprise 17% of the total U.S. population at 50.5 million and persons of Mexican heritage constitute over 66% of all Latinos in the United States. Persons of Mexican heritage experience higher rates of mental health issues and illness with 30% lifetime incidence versus 20% incidence for Anglos. Few studies have focused on the mental health treatment preferences for persons of Mexican heritage. Treatment preferences could reflect personal characteristics, acculturation perspective about mental health issues and illness, and experience with treatment. Mass media may also influence treatment preferences and mental health information-seeking. The purpose of this study was to describe preferences for mental health treatment services for persons of Mexican heritage living in the Southwest along the United States-Mexico border. Twenty-one participants were interviewed individually and their responses analyzed using Atlas-ti qualitative analysis software. The participants reported twenty-five mental health treatment preferences. The top six preferences—medication, going to the doctor, social and family support, counseling and herbal medicines, were consistent throughout demographic categories of age, gender, income, generational status, insurance status, education, and acculturation. Self-management interventions and integrative medicine were also reported as treatment preferences. Participants reported media use of television, internet, books and magazines, in-person interaction, and radio as primary mental health information sources. Media influences on mental health included education/information, hope, normalization, and a catalyst for conversation. Ascribed meanings for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder included cognitive, behavioral, and interactional reports. Mental health services for persons of Mexican heritage should include varying holistic mental health treatment practices, recognizing the need for understanding of potential meanings for mental health issues and illness. Persons of Mexican heritage report the desire for the same types of allopathic care including medications and counseling as Anglos in the US. Additionally, self-management interventions and integrative medicine therapies, as well as innovative media outreach methods were reported as integral to the holistic treatment process of obtaining help for mental health issues and illness.

The degree of accuracy in portrayals of Navajo culture at Salmon Ruins Heritage Park and Rock Art Ranch was assessed by comparing the Navajo structures assembled at each site to archaeological, ethnographic and historical data for traditional Navajo construction practices. Comparison and analysis revealed different degrees of accuracy in the portrayal of features with cultural and functional importance. Authentic practices were presented in a historical framework to permit the temporal characterization of each site. The aggregate of the temporal data from features at both sites was consistent with Navajo sites of the early twentieth century. The results of this study suggest a bias in contemporary portrayals of Navajo culture favoring the most extensively documented, and the more recent, aspects of Navajo culture.

Two-hundred twenty-eight U.S. Mexican-heritage children, ages 8–10 (110 boys & 118 girls) whose mothers varied in familiarity with Indigenous practices and experience with schooling were videotaped while playing a computer game to study cultural patterns in collaboration and communication. The children played in groups of 4 on 2 computers. Interaction was coded in 5-second segments involving: teamwork, attempts at collaboration, turn-taking, competitive play, or neutral play. Communication was coded as either verbal or nonverbal, including what was communicated. Some results among middle class children were consistent with our expectations; for example, higher rates of solo play, however, the majority showed no difference between the groups. I discuss the shifting cultural practices in both groups as possible reasons for this pattern of results. Lastly, discussing possible cultural shifts pertaining to children’s experience with school in addition to their mothers formal schooling experience.

Chronic illnesses, such as cancer, are considered sources of stress as they are associated with losses of physical, psychological, social, and financial resources. The consideration of cultural resources is particularly important among ethnic minorities, low acculturated individuals, and immigrants, populations usually associated with a lack of many resources. The connections between acculturation, the changes made when accessing a new cultural context, and health have been extensively studied from a quantitative perspective, usually concentrating on one acculturation domain and without reference to a specific theoretical background. A qualitative approach was utilized in this study involving a multidimensional concept of acculturation with an examination of potential theoretical connections within the theory of conservation of resources (COR). COR is a type of integrative stress theory in which the mobilization of resources and influence of culture, community, and self are emphasized within the stress process. Ten first generation low acculturated Hispanic women diagnosed and undergoing cancer treatment participated in this phenomenological study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were voice-recorded, transcribed, translated, and analyzed following the protocol for interpretative phenomenological analysis. The participants identified the heritage culture resources of past experiences, family, motherhood, faith, social network, language, and cultural identification, which they accessed to manage stress during their cancer experience. Four superordinate themes emerged from the analysis of the heritage culture resources and emergent themes. The superordinate themes revealed the sources of reliance, support, strength to endure, and moving forward and giving back that these heritage culture resources represented during the cancer experience. Under COR theory, clarification was gained as how long-standing resource gain, represented by heritage culture resources, may counterbalance and aid in response to resource loss represented by chronic illness. Suggestions for future research are repeating the study with low acculturated Hispanic men, comparing access and use of heritage culture resources between low and high-acculturated individuals during chronic illness, and examining the impact of time of exposure to the mainstream culture on the different acculturation domains among low acculturated individuals.

This dissertation assembles a case study of Iranian immigrant families in the United States conducted in the northeast. This work addresses the transnational diasporic global identity of second-generation Iranian-Americans. The literature reflects on the exile experience, concluding that Iranian identity is a disputed problematic issue. I argue hybridity pens the migratory process, building links and relationships at the material and cultural levels from the sending and receiving countries. To reveal these connections, I use the funds of knowledge/identity approach to demonstrate how families reach self-understanding and communicate that understanding to others. By examining Persian culture and traditions, this approach sheds new light on the cultural transformations and cultural preservations valued among the second generation. The study shows that complex webs of factors continue to be at work in the shaping of the sociocultural dynamics of Iranian-Americas.