Goucher College MA in Cultural Sustainability
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/2181
In this era of increasing homogeneity and globalization, local history, traditions, and ways of life are among our most endangered resources and precious assets. By strengthening and building on the foundations of these resources-whether artistic, linguistic, musical, economic, or environmental-we can begin to counter the powerful forces that endanger communities around the world.
Our M.A. in Cultural Sustainability brings together knowledge from anthropology, history, folklore, ethnomusicology, communications, business and management, linguistics, and activism to teach students how to effect positive, community-driven change in the cultures they care about most-whether it be an African village, an American inner-city neighborhood, a remote tribe in Asia, or a threatened public space just down the street. The discipline of cultural sustainability can be and will be applied wherever valued ways-of-life are at risk.
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Item Steps Towards Liberation: A Roadmap for Voluminous Arts(2024-11-28) Giovanna Russom; MA in Cultural SustainabilityItem Darling Daughter; See the World Again: Examining Transgenerational Practices in African American Mother-Daughter Relationships(2023-12-21) Amacker, April; Barry Dornfeld; Sue Eleuterio; Amy Millin; MA in Cultural SustainabilityMother-daughter relationships are a crucial means of transferring family customs, knowledge, and traditions in African American communities. Daughters receiving these customs and traditions often form their identity and a sense of autonomy based on what they observe and learn from their mothers. However, African American women live at the intersections of overlapping systems of oppression and privilege; privileged to experience motherhood but oppressed by the racial and social injustices within our society. This very experience translates into a trauma response expressed through resiliency to protect and advance the future generation of African American women. In this study, I interviewed African American mothers to gain an understanding of how cultural traditions and beliefs have been created to sustain future generations. In addition to the interviews, I reviewed scholarly sources and testimonials from anthropologists, African American mothers and adult daughters, sociologists, psychologists, and folklorists. After gathering my data through interviews and observations I planned the foundation for a proposed workshop to help future mothers navigate through motherhood and understand the power of influence through culture. These workshops will focus on the intersectionality of being African American and female is a testimony of what shapes her and why she engages in specific traditions. In addition, participants will discover that the African American female’s values and beliefs tell a story, which will be captured through story prompts in a workshop full of women of color reared in an urban community. Addressing this issue from the lens of cultural sustainability helps to employ versatile appropriate resolutions in which the individuals will be assisted versus addressing one aspect of the issue, like the psychological or physiological. This perspective provides a perspective of depth and cultural breadth to the issue being addressed. Additionally, personal values can be addressed since the goal is to sustain generations. Through this discipline, connectedness to oneself is discovered through the voice of the individual rather than strictly relying on data. It should be noted that intersectionality serves as the lens through which African American women perceive and engage with the world. Their viewpoints as African American women, women of color, often living in marginalized communities, and especially as mothers, have often been shaped by different traditions and rituals that intersect within their day-to-day lives. These include foodways, shared traditions, rituals, belief systems, and the methods through which these traditions are passed down through generations. For instance, in Harris-Perry’s Sister Citizen, she references an African American feminist scholar by the name of bell hooks who emphasizes African American women of lower economic status desire recognition and placement amongst society and their social group (Harris-Perry 1973 41). hooks believe this leads to these women detaching from issues connected to poverty and focusing more on racial identity. The feminists have observed that African American women prefer to be recognized as Black due to the assumption that race is the primary identity unrecognized and celebrated. As a result, women develop a racial bias and lean more toward traditions and customs that celebrate their race and neglect how this affects their economic status and gender (Harris-Perry 1973 41).Item BARRED: William J. Durham and Public-School Integration(2024-05) Hinkle, Alicia; Sue Eleuterio; Rory Turner; Linda Shopes; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis project explores the enduring legacy of attorney William J. Durham, including his advocacy and legal work for the educational integration of African American students in public schools. Rooted in the historical context of the civil rights movements in Texas, my research employs a multifaceted methodology to uncover the complexities of Durham's contributions, to deepen current students’ understanding of his impact, especially regarding integration of the education system, and of the value of oral history.Item A Woman in Sheep's Clothing(2024-05-18) Allison Kimeri Parrott-Puffpaff; Rita Moonsammy; Amy Skillman; Sue Eleuterio; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis Capstone explores gender bias of women in sheep raising careers through the lens of ecofeminism and reflexive methodology It also identifies the importance of community in the fiber arts and production, and sustainability of heritage breeds of sheep. The main reason for this research was to capture the voices of women’s involvement in sheep raising in the United States, as there is a lack of literary sources on this topic. This capstone draws on nine interviews conducted over the course of seven months from women across the country with various years of experience and roles in their community with their breed of sheep. I examined each woman’s personal experiences in community and sustainability, demonstrating the importance of reciprocity, education, and livelihood in community as well as the preservation of heritage breeds for genetic diversity and self-reliance in a rapidly modernizing world. When examining the issue of gender bias in the wool industry, it is more complex in the fact that there are various forms of bias depending on region, breed of sheep, size of flock and the age of the individual. In conclusion, women’s roles in sheep raising shows diversity and intersectionality in the perspectives of the interviewees and their preservation of rare sheep. It also shows the complexity of the wool industry in the United States based on region and occupation.Item You Come Before the Class(2024-05-13) Kahler, Stacey; Moonsammy, Rita; MA in Cultural SustainabilityWhat is belonging and how do you cultivate it in a middle school classroom community? This capstone's goal was to create and implement a middle school curriculum that will explicitly teach belonging to a group of students through a variety of lessons. The goal of these lessons was to build a community of belonging and respect. The lessons were implemented and included reflections by the teacher-researcher and the students. The data from the teacher-researcher was based on reflections of what was observed during the lessons. The data from the students was based on what was said during the lessons, post-lesson exit tickets, and interviews that occurred before and after the range of lessons. Educational programs are part of Cultural Sustainability, which impacts all of society because educating future generations about belonging will help students become engaged participants in their community. Delving into their identity will allow students to authentically belong, which also encourages a sustainable culture. Investigating and cultivating a culture of belonging in a middle school setting fostered relationships, impacted students, and cultivated attitudes of understanding and community in diverse and ethical ways.Item THE ART OF COMMUNITY-BUILDING - CONVERSATIONS ON SUSTAINABLE WAYS TO CO-EXIST(2023-12-06) Prudente Gustavo; Skillman Amy; Turner Rory; Walker Thomas; de Soysa Lilamani; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThe Art of Community-Building is a book for leaders and group facilitators with reflections on how to develop culturally sustainable community-building. It was carefully crafted based on three pillars: the author's personal and professional experience, recollected as auto-ethnographic notes that are used as research data; interviews with leaders who have other experiences with communities that converge with and diverge from the author's; and the readings the author has have done independently and during the Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability at Goucher College. The combination of these pillars resulted in six chapters. In chapter one, the author delineates the positive impact of becoming more awake to what communities are and how they affect our lives. In chapter two, the author describes several political agendas behind how we use, or erase, the word “community”, and proposes we make this use in an intentional and generative way; the author also elaborates on his definition of community, so we can find community dynamics in any group we are part of, including our families and work teams, amongst others. In chapter three, the author explains what he believes are the three pillars of a culturally sustainable community culture—authenticity, authority, and sense of place—and how we can identify the multiple ways in which they could be expressed or repressed. In chapter four, the author details three roles we can perform in a community—member, leader, and facilitator—and how we can use them to create positive change in our lives and those of others; this chapter is enriched by the unique ways in which five inspiring people perform those roles. In chapter five, the author shares the needs, beliefs, and strategies map, which is the framework he uses to facilitate community-building initiatives. Though the author does not offer a step-by-step methodology, they serve as an open guide for those searching for something a bit more concrete on which to base their own action. In chapter six, the author explains his journey to becoming an active member of a cultural sustainability community and offer his reasons why he thinks readers should also join or be more active in this community.Item Agroecocultural Sustainability: Intercultural Land Stewardship in Auroville, India(2023-05-19) Wittelsberger, Morgan; Skillman, Amy; Baron, Robert; Eleuterio, Susan; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThe objective of this capstone is to explore how intercultural influences and dynamics shape land stewardship models within the international intentional community of Auroville, India. This research specifically attempts to delineate how culturally diverse agriculture and reforestation practices have contributed to both the sustainability and regeneration of Auroville's ecosystem and the development of a sense of community among its members. The overarching goal of this research is to examine how intercultural land stewardship contributes to the creation of ecocultural civilizations. This work draws from twenty interviews conducted with various land stewards in Auroville and is informed by six months of participant observation research collected while living in the community and volunteering on farms/reforestation projects. This project is presented as an ethnography that elevates the lived experiences of land stewardship embodied by co-collaborators who shared their knowledge, belief, and practices through reciprocal ethnography. The analysis examines the complex sociocultural environment of Auroville and the multitude of sustainability ideations shared with me by participants. Cultural collaborations and conflicts are engaged through a lens that explores Auroville within its regional context and history. Cultural Sustainability as a field is engaged through multiple interpretations, including how cultures can be sustained in an intercultural utopian project as well as how cultures of sustainability can be formed through alternative societal structures. This capstone concludes with recommendations that suggest ways the community might resolve internal issues and deviations from its original values. The conclusion also provides insights into how the information gathered during this research project can be applied to the development of urban agricultural models in Baltimore, Maryland.Item Cultural Sustainability on Campus: An Exploration of the Visiting Artist and Residency Program “Arts Transcending Borders” at the College of the Holy Cross(2022-12) Beyer, Marta; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis capstone thesis examined the visiting artist and residency program Arts Transcending Borders (ATB) at the College of the Holy Cross to better understand how this initiative, which has an eight-year history, contributes to sustaining and supporting culture on campus and beyond. Interviews, a focus group, and a survey were used in September and October 2022 to hear from ATB directors, Holy Cross students employed by the program, faculty and staff who had taken part in ATB residencies, local partners, and ATB artists. Findings showed that ATB has enhanced the arts scene on campus by bringing diverse artists and issues to the fore, offering opportunities for intellectual engagement and participation in the arts, and contributing a unique interdisciplinary focus. Student employees noted specific ways their awareness of the arts, connections to campus, and career skills had been increased. Artists emphasized the value of residency opportunities to develop art work and engage with students. Additionally, partners highlighted ATB’s positive impact on Worcester constituents. Participants felt some of the challenges for ATB included raising the visibility of the program, involving more of the campus community, and addressing venue concerns and staff support needs. They saw ATB as a vital program which can encourage and sustain arts engagement into the future. These findings led to a list of considerations for ATB and other college visiting artist and residency programs. As assistant director of ATB, I hope to use the study’s insights to support this vibrant program.Item A Rooted Reflection: A Cultural Report on a Weekend for Community(2022-05-22) Kristoffersen, Mallorie; Baron, Robert; MA in Cultural SustainabilityItem Exploring the Necessity for Alternative Perinatal Care for Black Women in the United States(2022-05-22) Burke, Velesha; Eleuterio, Sue; Cultural Sustainability; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThe Capstone reflection explores the need for alternative perinatal care for black women in the United States.Item Ethical Considerations and Methodology for Documenting Deaf Cultural Data(2022-05-03) Brockway, Kathleen; Eleuterio, Susan; Gerhart, Heather; MA in Cultural SustainabilityFor years, documentary research methods have focused on hearing-world-centric techniques. There has been very little research up till now on identifying problematic and in some cases, unethical practices in documenting deaf culture by researchers who lack knowledge of deaf culture. This paper makes the case for developing culturally responsive methods for documenting deaf culture, and seeks to break new ground by developing a deaf-world centric course that reflects the ethical considerations for documenting deaf culture and using appropriate interview technology. This paper primarily focuses on documenting name signs through signed narratives, and uses Lantz Mills deaf village as a case study for using a multi-sited ethnographic approach to responsible data collection. it includes a syllabus and a sample module for an online course which will introduce researchers to appropriate methodologiesItem Culture Sustaining Arts Economies(2022-05-13) Kurtz, Asiyah; Morales, Selina; MA in Cultural SustainabilitySince the 1980s cities across the United States have discovered the potential of using art as an economic driver for community development. In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis tracks cultural commodities and found that arts and cultural production accounted for $877.8B of gross domestic product in 2017. Because cultural industries and the economy are intertwined, any serious economic development work must incorporate culture as an asset to be identified and strengthened. A review of arts economy reports shows that current indicators to define economic impact include quantitative data such as number of full-time jobs, dollars spent in the arts and tourism industries, household income, and local and state revenues. However, no current assessment tool exists that uses a cultural sustainability lens to measure a community’s economic viability. Nor do current tools include independent artist perspectives in their assessments. The risk in only relying on myopic quantitative data is that it can negatively reinforce data and perspectives that are decidedly wealthy and white. This capstone explores the inequity of arts economy tools in assessing the vitality of the arts in communities with fewer financial resources. One such place is Camden, New Jersey, a post-industrial town described as a city “past the point of no return”. Communities like Camden that seek to understand and contextualize the lived experience of artists can begin to engage their own neighborhoods with a simple question: In what ways are the arts and artists here thriving? Using a black feminist epistemology from Patricia Hill Collins, this paper uses personal reflexivity to offer a new tool called Culture Sustaining Arts Economies (CSAE). CSAE identifies gaps in economic indicators where culture is omitted but also highlights the places where culturally-specific indicators should beItem Side Hustle-Main Hustle(2022-05) Korenstra, Christina; MA in Cultural SustainabilityCommunities on every level in the United States have been plagued by racism for two and a half centuries. The systems in place in our country perpetuate the racial injustice which continues to this day. Because the injustice and inequities in our country are rooted in our very structures and systems of functioning, systemic change is required. Ultimately, it would be ideal to maximize resources and provide education as to how to secure and access resources that have historically been unattainable for African American communities. Furthermore, identifying community networks of Black-owned owned businesses that can rely on each other for cohesion and support can in turn strengthen communities and aid them in becoming more sustainable and self-reliant. Understanding the dynamics of racial disparities becomes essential to finding solutions and achieving equality. Funding leaders of color then becomes an essential factor as African American leaders bring strategies that offer an intimate understanding of the racial experiences of communities of color and the associated issues these communities face. I have documented Black-owned side businesses, conducting ethnographic research through photographic and video documentation of some of the businesses and interviews. Due to the impact of COVID-19, observation and documentation of locations was modified to observe the current health and safety protocols of the business and community. It was preferable to interview as well as to actively observe the businesses but in some cases the only option was to rely solely on proprietor interview. The result has been the development of a comprehensive business plan for a resource center that will pool resources for business owners and offer networking support for mentorship to aid leaders of color to follow a trajectory for success to develop businesses, grow businesses or make their side hustle their main hustle.Item Afro Amelioration Introspection(2021-12-10) Hopkins, Khamar; Catera, Damian; Skillman, Amy; Forloney, Robert; MA in Cultural SustainabilityAfro Amelioration Introspection is a projected video artwork, abstract sound piece, and solo art exhibition with a digitally interactive component focused on the topic of Black mental health. Using ethnographic methods, I conducted a series of six interviews where I questioned participants on their personal feelings and narratives covering but not limited to the issues of COVID, family, police brutality, racism, intergenerational trauma, and the stigma on the subject of mental health in the Black community. I video documented the conversations and transmogrified them into nonrepresentational art using the programming language, Processing. Next, I produced a conceptual soundtrack using the audio from the interviews. Finally, I organized a synergistic art show in Baltimore to showcase the project and create a safe space for conversation on the topic. The purpose of Afro Amelioration Introspection is to reflect the type of work I want to do in the future, let the African American community know they’re not alone even if they’re struggling with addressing the concept of mental health, sustaining culture by approaching an issue that harms a community, and make the topic less taboo so people can have a better quality of life.Item Reimagining Resistance: Rest as Reparations(2021) Turk, Jasmine; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis project explores "How rest could serve as a mode of resistance and reparations for Black people in American". By providing readers with a review of relevant literature, social media analysis, and reflexive writing this research peers into the topics of the nuanced relationship that Black people in American have with rest and the resource and opportunity gaps that follow as a result. Furthermore, this project explores the concept of how the recognition of where this nation has been could possibly inform where we go. Throughout this project, the researcher suggests that recognition of harm and racially charged inequities, paired with the enacting of rest could potentially lead towards Black healing and repair, ideally serving as an effective cultural and community-based healing instrument and reparations for Black people in America.Item New Directions in Tourism in Guanajuato(2021-03-15) Aguirre Oliver, Klaudia; Baron, Robert; MA in Cultural SustainabilityPost-Covid, an opportunity that presents itself is, the ability not to reset, but to significantly upgrade tourism from mass tourism to culturally sustainable and beneficial tourism in what Anna Pollock (2020) of Conscious Travels says is "not different software but a whole new operating system." This paper peers through the cracks, revealing small pockets of passion, resilience, and collaboration necessary for survival and upgrade to the emerging tourism model. The paper achieves this by discussing and providing recommendations for a regenerative tourism model in Guanajuato centered on local traditions, with educational and experiential experiences in areas of the state where tourism has not yet been developed. I will examine emergent locally-generated micro-initiatives that began during the pandemic, and which have generated benefits that will remain in the community.Item Cultural Sustainability: Neighborhood Planning Toolkit(2021-05) Panetta, Daniela; Rathje, Elizabeth; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis paper offers a Cultural Sustainability-focused toolkit that can be used as a blueprint for future redevelopment community-based work. This toolkit is based on an 18-month summary of a 2-year neighborhood redevelopment plan project in the Prairie Creek Run neighborhood in Indiana. It looks at the researcher’s self in work; how to recognize your own bias as a researcher and how to avoid having your bias interfere with the research itself, how to build a mindful rapport with community members, knowing what research and information is needed, and through what lens are you viewing the community you are working with. The toolkit also looks at partnerships; how to define what success looks like among stakeholders, how to recognize a shared vision, and how this has led to collaborative planning. Lastly the toolkit looks at engagement; what ways can you build social capital and what infrastructure needs to exist to make this work more sustainable. Throughout my research I found, ● Being aware of self in the work or research not only helps you create a practice of learning and recognizing personal bias, but it also protects against potential harm to the community. ● The research process takes many different forms as the engagement with community grows deeper. The researcher moves from learning and interpreting, to building an analysis of that interpretation. ● Building a mindful rapport with the community is essential in this work and the approach to building that relationship is just as important as it can determine the kind of relationship that will be constructed. ● Be mindful of what lens you as the researcher are viewing the community through because the lens can either blind you or enlighten you about the assets and gifts the community holds. ● Assess and recognize what stakeholders are bringing to the project and partnership. Items that require particular attention may include: What are the multiple visions that people may be bringing, what are their power/resources, how they define success, and how all of these points can lead to a collaborative planning space? ● Sustainable engagement includes building social capital for residents and appropriate infrastructure for residents or other stakeholders.Item Seymour In My Shoes: Challenging Invisible Power & Bringing Plurality of Voice to Children's Media(2021-02) Reed, Cody; Dornfeld, Barry; Gerhart, Heather; Morales, Selina; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThrough the summer of 2020, I worked with 16 Baltimore City high school students to create a pitch for a new kind of cultural learning show for kids. This project reflects on that work and examines how we can use the tools of audio/visual media to build capacity with local communities, open a wider platform for people to tell their own stories, and create a more human-centered learning for audiences to ultimately increase the representation of marginalized groups in the media.Item The Public Park as Liminal Space: A Study of Spontaneous and Intentional Behavior and the Impact on Community(2020-12) Millin, Amy S.; Rathje, Lisa; Forloney, Rob; Gerhart, Heather; MA in Cultural SustainabilityPublic spaces, such as parks, provide a space and time that exists outside of the familiar. They are set apart from the everyday, thus providing opportunity for engagement in activities, exploration of behaviors, and interactions with others. They are temporal spaces - ones that are intentionally entered and left. I posit that parks are liminal spaces which provide opportunities – expected and the unexpected. Felix Rosch states that “it is in these liminal spaces that societal changes are being triggered and new collective identities can emerge” (Rosch 2017, 290). The thesis strives to answer the question “how do we encourage cultural health and equity in a diverse and unequal world through the use of public space?” Furthermore, I begin to explore what this means for surrounding communities. Field documentation in Patterson Park (Baltimore, MD) provides current data to augment academic research. The data will be used to support academic research and conclusions. An historical overview of the intended purpose and actual use of public parks is included. Observing happenchance intersections, or avoidance, of park participants begins to inform and answer questions related to whether public parks fulfill their missions, hints to how they could adapt, and provide information about the impact on communities. The Capstone Project serves to further my growth as an academic researcher and strengthen my skills in the application of theory. Extending my skills of being a thoughtful listener and ability to lean into silence is especially important for this project. I envision the outcomes of the Capstone Project to be considered for multiple types of public spaces. This is not an ethnographic report of Patterson Park. Instead, it uses data observed in Patterson Park in partnership with conclusions drawn from academic research. The thesis may be used to inform future programming and approaches of engaging community. Academically, the research will support the development of the field of cultural sustainability by striving to build understanding within and among cultural groups in public spaces. The research will further support the study of whether public spaces, which provide opportunity for spontaneous and intentional intersection, ultimately fulfill their stated missions.Item Investigating Cultural Sustainability and Identity by Analyzing my St. Thomian Family through Autoethnography(2020-07-28) Corley, Alaysia; Kymaani, Dr. Roxanne J.; MA in Cultural SustainabilityThis capstone explores what aspects of culture, if any, have been sustained, lost, or transformed within my St. Thomian family. This paper is split into two sections, themes from literature and takeaways from dialogues. “Themes from Literature” highlights commons topics from St. Thomas’s history that have possible implications on my family. The paper further analyzes how each theme was sustained, lost, or transformed within my family based off the dialogues conducted. My work incorporates interviews with my mother, grandmother, two great-aunts, and five cousins. “Takeaways from Dialogues” are significant concepts centering around community and the difficulties of sustaining culture that were discovered and developed during and after having conversations with my family. Lastly, my reflection ends by me discussing how I plan on sustaining my family’s culture.