This dissertation examines the efforts and motives of conservation actors on Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, and situates these actors within the larger context of the Caribbean Netherlands. The... Show moreThis dissertation examines the efforts and motives of conservation actors on Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius, and situates these actors within the larger context of the Caribbean Netherlands. The main research question addressed is: How are the efforts of conservation actors to protect the environment of the Caribbean Netherlands affected by the recent social and political changes and their (post) colonial context? To get at these issues, this dissertation combines insights and approaches from environmental psychology, anthropology, and Caribbean studies to investigate how and why residents of the Caribbean Netherlands engage in conservation actions. Situated in social history, cultural and environmental anthropology, public administration, and environmental science, this research aims to create a broader, less compartmentalized, picture and also addresses societal concerns. Because of its multidisciplinary and multi-method character, this dissertation produces information that will be useful in engaging more people in environmental conservation In the (Dutch) Caribbean. Show less
The moral imperatives of kinship in Italy today articulate state law and market in measurements of closeness for access to resources and care. The negotiations of insurance payouts for road crash... Show moreThe moral imperatives of kinship in Italy today articulate state law and market in measurements of closeness for access to resources and care. The negotiations of insurance payouts for road crash victims offer a privileged vantage point to study this articulation and, specifically, how laws and welfare policies are reproduced through financial products. In these negotiations, insurance companies, state agencies, lawyers, and families employ different measurements of kinship as closeness. The notion of ‘kin enough’ indicates thresholds of belonging reached when degrees of closeness measured through different indicators add up. Two case studies show how concrete negotiations of measurement reinforce inequalities of gender, class, and age, and help to moralize kinship according to ideals of middle-class propriety. Show less
This introductory piece outlines the lens adopted in this special issue, which foregrounds the examination of language and semiotics as a means of revisiting the concept of diaspora. Guided by... Show moreThis introductory piece outlines the lens adopted in this special issue, which foregrounds the examination of language and semiotics as a means of revisiting the concept of diaspora. Guided by posthumanist applied linguistics,the papers here envision human experiences as more complex than critical social theory may suggest; moreover, grass-roots agency–a focus that may be inadvertently overlooked in work that adopts a solely critical perspective–representsan important area of attention. Such an approach is grounded in the diversity of human realities that emerge from dif-ferential interfaces between structures and individuals who, themselves, possess the capacity to recognize these struc-tures and respond to them in unique ways. Together, the diverse pictures of inventive, creative, and, in some cases,dynamic constructions of diasporic identity presented here supplement, broaden, and challenge common conceptual-izations of diasporic positionality. Show less
This chapter focuses on interreligious encounter in contemporary Nigeria with the notion of ‘religious field’ at the forefront. This analytical frame acknowledges how lived religious experience can... Show moreThis chapter focuses on interreligious encounter in contemporary Nigeria with the notion of ‘religious field’ at the forefront. This analytical frame acknowledges how lived religious experience can cut across multiple religious traditions, which leads to a more holistic understanding of everyday lived religion. The bulk of the chapter is split into two sections. The first section utilizes two case examples from the Yorùbá region of Nigeria. Both case examples are based on participant observation and in-depth, longitudinal interviews that explore how two individuals, Ṣadé and Agbo, negotiate multiple religious belongings and identities within the multireligious milieu of contemporary Nigeria. The final section of the chapter shifts the discussion to case reflections, paying close attention to the methodological lessons related to World Christianity that can be gleaned from these cases. While it is recognized that every religious field is distinct and needs to be contextualized, the methodological lessons offered on religious belonging and identity, everyday lived religion, entangled religion, bias and hierarchy, and multi-directional exchange can be applied broadly in World Christianity scholarship. Show less
In October 2019, massive demonstrations took place in the streets of Santiago, Chile. The demands were varied, addressing several aspects of the acute social inequalities that characterise Chilean... Show moreIn October 2019, massive demonstrations took place in the streets of Santiago, Chile. The demands were varied, addressing several aspects of the acute social inequalities that characterise Chilean society. Protests were met with a brutally violent response by the police forces deployed to control them. What was more difficult to regulate was the explosion of graffiti and street art that accompanied the social unrest. These mobilisations speak of the repolitisation of the civil sphere through the occupation of public spaces. In this article, I propose to look at the role public spaces have played in these events not only from the perspective of public spaces as sites of political encounter and counter-hegemonic mobilisations, but mostly as borders. I contend that public spaces act as material and symbolic borders where the struggles over practices of ordering and othering take place. By looking at the history of a square in Santiago’s city center—Plaza de la Dignidad—and a selection of the graffiti in its surroundings, I explore how the square acts as a border and, in doing so, enables an alternative spatial imagination that feeds new possible political and social orders. Show less
This book presents a mode by which to discuss and assess Jewish religious participation and religious group membership as a social phenomenon through the lens of social identity theory. It... Show moreThis book presents a mode by which to discuss and assess Jewish religious participation and religious group membership as a social phenomenon through the lens of social identity theory. It includes analyses and discussion of minority groups’ self-perception within broader national contexts, self-esteem as a result of religious group membership, and the dichotomy between religious in-group identity and active belief. If we are able to distinguish ‘belief’ from ‘belonging’ relative to institutional religions, we might better accommodate the needs and values of these groups. This book focuses on a Canadian group of secular Jews, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to illuminate how religious identity, connection and membership affect daily modern life. Show less
