Copyright (c) 2009 Macalester College All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors Recent documents in Honors Projects en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:58:33 PST 3600 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/18 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/18 Wed, 20 May 2009 14:12:38 PDT This project engages the formation of place-narratives within the Metro Transit bus system by examining the structural factors and individual agents shaping a passenger's experience of the bus. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, I bring together the literatures of transportation geography, and cultural/feminist geographies. Major themes from my research include the bus as a theater of performance/theater of conflict, the bus as a gateway to public life for those with limited mobility, and the bus as a relational space for specific passenger groups. Additionally, this project explores the significance of place within transit justice work in the Twin Cities. I propose that the concept of mobility, focused through the bus as a place of struggle and empowerment, allows for non-essentialist alliances within a diverse collection of stakeholders working to build a more just society. Megan A. Macpherson http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/17 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/17 Fri, 08 May 2009 13:24:18 PDT Urban refugees in Egypt are at high risk for HIV/AIDS because of the lack of adequate health resources, social stability and the intense stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews conducted in Cairo, Egypt, this paper uses a vulnerability perspective to examine the challenges facing HIV-positive refugees in accessing necessary medical care. The combination of policy, structural forces and social relations results in a chain of causation that marginalizes refugees in Egyptian society. These social processes results in unequal access to health resources for refugees, thereby increasing their potential exposure to HIV transmission. This contextualized analysis of vulnerability and access to medical care highlights the potential to not only address the issue of HIV/AIDS services for refugees, but also to improve the economic, social and cultural standards of living for refugees in Cairo. Therefore a multi-faceted approach is necessary in order to find comprehensive solutions to address these underlying factors. Anna Popinchalk http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/16 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/16 Wed, 06 May 2009 11:30:58 PDT While the causes of foreclosure are generally well understood, the outcomes of foreclosure have been poorly documented. Although rare, home redemptions - when foreclosed homeowners retain their home after it has been sold in a foreclosure auction - are a possible outcome. This paper explores the occurrence of foreclosure redemptions in Hennepin County, Minnesota in the year 2005, and examines how and why some homeowners were able to keep their house after being foreclosed upon. Using GIS data from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and County Assessor, this paper analyzes the likelihood and spatial patterns of redemption. Michael Samuelson http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/15 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/15 Mon, 04 May 2009 13:09:46 PDT Young females are at three times higher risk of contracting HIV than their male counterparts in Jamaica. Using Jamaica's 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky behaviors of young females. Risk perception as a function of knowledge and as an influence on behavior is also examined. The findings reveal that only older females, 25 to 49 years, practice safer behaviors in response to increased knowledge. This highlights the disjunction between knowledge and behavior, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to addressing the social context within which adolescents are put at risk. Christine E. Chung http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/14 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/14 Fri, 16 May 2008 11:34:14 PDT After the official end of apartheid in South Africa, land reform was one of the most highly prioritized items on the new ANC government's agenda, both as a matter of economic restructuring and redressing past injustices. Although numerous land reform programs and initiatives have been implemented since 1994, they have largely failed to reach any of the redistribution goals set forth for them. There is a high rate of failure among land redistribution projects, which are often managed by up to one hundred people. This complicated group management situation is necessitated by the combination of the small grant size available to individual applicants and the high price of agricultural land and implements. In addition, the grants are often contingent upon the participants' adherence to a large-scale, chemically- and mechanically-intensive farm business model with which they have little, if any, experience. In light of the problems with the current land reform programs in South Africa, I assess the viability of small-hold farming as an alternative to the current focus on large-scale commercial farms using a political ecology framework. As very few small-hold redistribution projects exist, my project focuses on examining one such project in depth. I examine the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm, in addition to the level of satisfaction of the beneficiaries. The assessment of these factors gives an indication of whether land redistribution programs in South Africa could improve their success rates by offering the option of small-hold projects to land grant applicants. It also provides a narrative of the many obstacles encountered in the beneficiaries' struggle to make a farm of their own--a narrative that reveals many shortcomings in the government's land redistribution policies and support infrastructure. Megan Grinde http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/13 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/13 Wed, 14 May 2008 09:00:48 PDT Agricultural Transformation and Livelihood Struggles in South Africa's Western Cape South Africa's post-Apartheid land reform programs redistribute previously white-owned farmland to a small percentage of blacks, and provide these new farmers with agricultural extension services that promote large-scale agriculture. Due to the national legacy of racial oppression and an international pressure for neoliberal development policies, there is scant infrastructural support for small-scale agriculture. Despite the government's vision, most black farmers produce for local consumption because competing internationally is unfavorable, especially since the removal of agricultural subsidies in 1994. The shortcomings of the agricultural transformation program are apparent in the village of Genadendal, a former mission reserved for coloureds and a historical agricultural community in the Western Cape. The author's field-based research conducted over the past two years evidences that while valuable resources such as land, water, and farming knowledge are locally available, gardeners cannot put them to full use. Genadendal's rich resources are unique in South Africa, its problems, however, stem from the national legacy of Apartheid. The case study of Genandendal demonstrates that a national agricultural transformation program for an elite class of black commercial farmers does not address the real problem. South Africa's land reform programs fall short of dismantling the inherited structures of economic and power inequality, while it creates a façade of racial equality in land ownership. This paper shares the specific challenges faced by South African small-scale farmers, argues that these problems can be overcome with a new government vision for small-scale agriculture, and, in a broader sense, enumerates the advantages of small-scale farming over the industrial model. Michaela B. Palchick http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/12 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/12 Thu, 24 May 2007 09:23:24 PDT Ethnic identity affected urban planning and architecture to varying degrees across the Soviet Union. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the landscapes of cities located within its former boundaries have undergone dramatic change. In some cases these changes have been heavily influenced by the surge of ethnic identity and nationalism prevalent across the former Soviet bloc. This project specifically looks at the roles ethnicity and nationalism have had in determining the development of the Soviet and Post-Soviet urban landscapes in Tallinn, Estonia and Kazan, Russia. Curran F. Hughes http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/11 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/11 Thu, 17 May 2007 10:42:18 PDT The country of Ecuador, while it possesses rich societal and environmental diversity, is challenged by political instability, economic crises, and areas of severe environmental degradation. For many reasons, including global economic flows, agricultural change, and economic collapse within the country, the participation and recognition of indigenous agricultural groups in rural areas of Ecuador has been transformed such that the roles, actions, and goals of women in many rural areas of Ecuador have evolved. This project examines changing agricultural systems in a highland region of Ecuador, focusing on the participation and experiences of indigenous agriculturalists, especially the participation and experiences of women in this group. The project considers the sustainability of this region's human/environment relationships and alternative development strategies that take into account changes in agriculture practices and participants. Clare H. Jacky http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/10 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/10 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:53:20 PDT Agriculture is a central part of Tanzania's economy. Both within Dar es Salaam, its primate city, and in the city's peri-urban zone, agriculture is an important part of the livelihood strategy for people of all social classes. However, because the peri-urban zone is one of transition from urban to rural, it tends to undergo more pronounced changes in land use over time than do the city and rural area it borders. This paper examines recent changes in agriculture, land use and livelihoods in the peri-urban zone of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews conducted in three peri-urban villages, this paper argues that structural adjustment policies and changing land tenure regimes are impacting the presence and practice of agriculture in peri-urban Dar es Salaam. This paper further argues that because agriculture provides a means of investing in the future, it is an essential part of the livelihood strategy for middle and upper class residents of peri-urban areas. Sara C. Nelson http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/9 http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/geography_honors/9 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:51:08 PDT Over one and a half million Hmong refugees have arrived in the United States since the end of the "Secret War" in 1974. The Saint Paul and Minneapolis metropolitan area is home to the largest urban population of Hmong immigrants in the United States. A significant number of Hmong refugees living in the Twin Cities metropolitan area have chosen farming as both a primary and supplemental source of income. While living in the metro area many Hmong rent land in peri-urban areas to farm and subsequently sell at local markets. Employing a cultural and political ecology framework, this research critically examines this phenomenon. By exploring farming in the context of assimilation theory, the socio-economic forces as well as the cultural and historical forces that bring these refugees to farm are uncovered. Additionally, this research reveals the agricultural systems and marketing strategies employed by Hmong growers. These techniques have enabled Hmong farmers to resist the pressure from organizations assisting them to adopt western agricultural techniques, and thus avoid agricultural assimilation. Laura M. Kerr