An examination of the origins of female genital mutilation and the reasons why mankind has an obligation to ensure that adolescent females are protected from undergoing this barbaric procedure.
Abstract The paper discusses female genital mutilation, or 'circumcision' and states that it is a deeply-rooted cultural and religious practice found in African countries,parts of the Middle East and Asia. The paper states that the custom, although seemingly barbaric to many westernized countries, is seen as a rite of passage into womanhood, as making a young woman marriageable, as a means to curb sexual desire among adolescents before marriage, and as a protection for virginity. The paper then gives insights into the medical complications it causes, the ethical considerations nurses face regarding the procedure and argues that nurses have a legal and ethical obligation to ensuring that these young girls and adolescent females are protected from undergoing a procedure that will change their lives forever.
From the Paper "As Muslim women living in a third world country, 90% of northern Sudanese women are subjected to FGM as a cultural and religious rite of passage (Almroth et al., 2005, p.385). Girls may be circumcised at any time from infancy through adolescence, and even occasionally as mature adults. As a result, these women bring with them a unique set of potentially serious medical consequences with regard to obstetric and gynecological care when they enter the healthcare system in the United States. These consequences include not only shock and hemorrhage in the short term, but infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease in the long term. Therefore, these women must be assessed with both medical and cultural sensitivity when they are accessing the health care system."
Tags: female, genital, mutilation, women's, health
Abstract The paper presents the definitions of culture and culturally competent care and examines the patient population demographics of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The paper centers on the Hispanic population and their vulnerability and discusses the fourteen standards of cultural competence as identified by the Office of Minority Health (OMH). The paper also evaluates the VHA's performance to meet these standards and looks at the implication for nursing and at potential solutions for areas were standards are not met. The paper concludes that as the healthcare industry moves to a more culturally competent delivery method, healthcare quality and effectiveness will improve.
Outline:
Culture
Population Demographics
Cultural Vulnerability
Standard One
Standard Two
Standard Three
Standard Four
Standard Five
Standard Six
Standard Seven
Standard Eight
Standard Nine
Standard Ten
Standard Eleven
Standard Twelve
Standard Thirteen
Standard Fourteen
Conclusion
From the Paper "Culture is defined as the incorporated pattern of human behavior that encompasses languages, values, thought, beliefs communication, customs, rituals, practices, relationships, courtesies, role, mannerisms and expected behaviors of an ethnic, social, racial or religious group (Hepburn, 2005). Cultural competence is a set of attitudes, policies, structures, practices and behaviors that collaborate in or between professionals, agencies, or systems that produce an increase in effectiveness to work with cross-cultural situations (Hepburn, 2005). The cultural competence standards used for this paper will be the OMH's National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). The CLAS's primary focus is organizational healthcare application and is designed to encourage the evaluation and development of culturally and linguistically congruent care (Office of Minority Health [OMH], 2007)."
This paper provides a comprehensive look at the realities of the Basque struggle and the way that it is perceived according to international media groups.
6,145 words (approx. 24.6 pages), 18 sources, 2000, $ 144.95
From the Paper "The Basque nationalist movement is rapidly rising to the top ranks of separatist movements in Europe. However, it is one of the least understood among them. With the peace process in Northern Ireland slowly but steadily taking hold and the situation in the former Yugoslavia shakily maintaining the appearance of being under control, a vacuum has been created for the study of another European nationalism. In conjunction with this vacuum, the most brutal offensive by the Basque terrorist group ETA -Basque Homeland and Liberty- since 1992 has brought the Basque question into the spotlight. While most media sources report on only the current violence conducted by extremists, this paper will explore the various faces of Basque nationalism throughout its history."
Tags: batasuna, carlists, eta, franco, herri, pnv, spain, basque, nationalism
From the Paper "Even before the 1600s, before the introduction of the fur trade in North America, the Chippewa and Cree tribes resembled each other culturally, linguistically and geographically, give or take a few hundred miles. They controlled areas in the Great Lakes region up to the southern edge of the Hudson Bay Company hunting, fishing, trading, warring with other Indian tribes and harvesting small crops of maize and wild rice. The European fur trade, made particularly competitive by the establishment of the Hudson Bay Company in 1670, pushed both tribes westward in their quest of furs which the Indians traded for guns, alcohol, and horses around the end of the 18th century. But as the furs depleted in the east and northcentral part of the continent and ?the Great White Father,? and ?her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland,? extended their reach further into North America, the tribes felt even more pressure to migrate West."
From the Paper " Next to the legendary Shaka, no other Zulu monarch in South Africa was feared and revered as much as Cetewayo, the oldest son of Mpande, one of Shaka's half-brothers. Cetewayo was successful in his campaign to revive the Zulu military tradition instituted during the reign of Shaka."
An examination of the book, not only about chocolate, but about the connection of 'human history', including religion, art, war, food, sex, politics, medicine, agriculture, environmental issues, weather, economics, and geography.
2,350 words (approx. 9.4 pages), 3 sources, 1999, $ 72.95
From the Paper "The late Sophie Coe's book, "The True History of Chocolate" which her husband Michael Coe completed after her death is a history of the journey of chocolate from its origins in the lowland jungles of southern Mexico to the European continent, its future African and Indian colonies, finally returning full circle to the Americas. But the journey of chocolate is only one of the many aspects portrayed in their book. By using chocolate as the vehicle, the Coes have also exposed the 'human history' that is intimately connected to this journey. A journey that progresses through three thousand years in time as well as spanning most of the world."
A comparison of the Pueblo culture and the Hispanic culture found in the American Southwest, concerning their cultural differences in their practice of witchcraft.
4,640 words (approx. 18.6 pages), 13 sources, 1999, $ 120.95
From the Paper "There is a virtually universal belief that humans are able to use super- natural techniques to bring about misfortunes such as illness, death, loss of a spouse, or loss of property and on the lighter side, these techniques can also be used to create love potions and the retrieval of a lost heart. These supernatural abilities are commonly attributed to the practice of witchcraft and although there is no definitive definition for witchcraft, it seems that because it is a universal belief the only apparent differences in this belief system are found within the traditions particular to each specific culture. These traditional belief variances can be seen when comparing the Pueblo culture and the Hispanic culture found in the American Southwest. Although these two cultures exist side by side, the cultural practices concerning witch craft are definitely different, with the only similarities being of Spanish origin."
Tags: cults, folklore, indians, luis, myth, pueblo, san, spanish, valley
From the Paper "What is so special about humans anyway? From Mother Nature's point of view all parts of the ecosystem are equal. And when I say equal, I mean that the basic principal of equality does not require equal oridentical treatment; it requires equal consideration. We all evolved from the same beginnings, we are all made of the same stuff and we all belong to the same biosphere. The world wasn't made for any one species. It's here for all of us. And it is nothing but pure arrogance and prejudice to think that we are the pinnacle of creation, that we have the right to treat the rest of creation anyway we want. It's time we recognize that we are a part of nature, not lords over it. "
From the Paper "Dennis and Barbara Tedlock have dedicated a significant portion of their lives studying both the ancient Maya and the contemporary Maya of Guatemala. Each is an expert in their own right and each is able to shed light on the mysteries of the Maya people. They both draw their information from the field of archaeology, pre-Spanish chronicles, and contemporary beliefs. When looked at together, the Tedlock's, books create a living picture of both the ancient Maya and the contemporary Maya of Guatemala. "
Tags: archaeology, astronomy, myth, ruins, tedlock, time, maya, culture, history, indian
Abstract An examination of how Nigerian author Chinua Achebe was influenced by his experiences and how that is reflected in his novel, "Anthills of the Savannah".
From the Paper " 'We . . . are committed to reclaiming the rich heritage of Africa, every inch of it, and redrawing the contours of African history which in the hands of others had been drawn . . . with great malice and lurid falsehood' (Achebe, Colonial Criticism, Hopes and Impediments, 85). Upon examination of Anthills of the Savannah and Achebe's earlier works, this quotation from a 1974 essay proves to be a mission statement for the author. Achebe writes out of an African experience and of a commitment to an African destiny (Achebe, Colonial Criticism, Hopes and Impediments, 74). While his earlier themes concern a clashing of cultures between European colonists and African traditionalists and the emergence of national independence from Western regimes, Anthills of the Savannah deals with Africa's post-colonial political and cultural turmoil. His greatest endeavor is to tell Africa=s story from the point of view of the African; he aims to set the record straight, for prior to his literature most African tales were told from a Western perspective, (Wren, p.77)."
Abstract This paper talks about the communal identity of the blacks that helped them become stronger and more powerful during the hardships of the 1930s. The picture of ?Mrs. Mary Willis,? by Jack Delano, represents a strong and determined black woman, not needing any type of help or support, and able to deal with the adversities of the economic crash and the natural disaster of the Dust Bowl. On the other hand, Richard Wright's article, ?Joe Louis Uncovers Dynamite,? represents the communal identity of the blacks, and how unstoppable and overpowering they can be once they come together as a collective group. The paper discusses how the blacks were represented differently by different people, why Delano portrayed blacks as powerful individuals, while Wright portrayed blacks as having a potential identity as a community that could have an impact in their social status during the 1930s.
Abstract In this essay, the author uses the supporting evidence of Mark Reisler and his book, and lectures from Professor Gutierrez's to explain what kinds of perceptions of Mexicans were formed during the 1920's and why. The author explains why most Americans formed negative opinions of Mexicans, and offers an explanation of what effects these negative opinions have on social relations.
Abstract This term paper is an overview of the photographic work of Edward S. Curtis, the famous (and infamous) photographer of early 20th Century Native Americans. His photographs today are extremely sought after and widely recognized, yet also despised by many as dishonest depictions rather than an accurate visual historical record. While written from the perspective of visual anthropology, this paper discusses the long history of his work, his controversial methods, and its widely varied public reception.
From the Paper "Throughout the 20th century Edward Sheriff Curtis and The North American Indian have been both adored and abhorred within various contexts for diverse reasons. While almost all who are interested in Native American culture are familiar with his 30-year photo-documentary project recording all "vanishing" tribes west of the Mississippi River, their acknowledgement does not necessitate acceptance of the scientific or academic accuracy nor the ideological terms of production. While ubiquitous within museums, galleries, textbooks, and the media, his photographs have, since inception, maintained a contested ambivalence between art and science. Much of the controversy and the ebb and flow of popularity has been historically determined to an extent by social, cultural, and economic conditions. Curtis? project began just as Anthropology as a profession was coming of age in the United States, desperate to distinguish itself as a scientific discipline. Simultaneously, photography had become more technologically sophisticated as well as accessible, and began to consciously figure itself both as art and science."
Abstract This study takes the literary approach in unraveling the Maguindanaon character and sees what their literature says about them.
From the Paper "In Mindanao, southern part of the Philippines, and particularly in the Province of Maguindanao, a tribe known as the Maguindanaon has since been stereotyped by the mainstream population as being uncivilized, violent, war-like and with criminal tendencies. However, the educated members of the Maguindanaons resisted such characterization of their people and instead argued that like their majority brothers they too possess positive characteristics."
Abstract This essay examines the role of women in Ancient Mali society through the legend of ?Sundiata.? It also briefly examines the role of legends as an appropriate source for a historian. The author portrays the use of an oral folk tale as a social source.
From the Paper "In any society with a fairly low literacy rate, oral tradition becomes the most important way to pass down the history of that society, and it generally plays an important part in the education of the members of that society. This can be seen in virtually any ancient culture: Homer's Iliad, the legends revolving around King Arthur, even large parts of the Judea-Christian Torah and Bible are all meant not only to entertain, but to impart tradition, moral lessons, and history to younger generations, who, in turn, will pass it down to their children and grandchildren. Sundiata, an African tale about the great king of that same name in the ancient empire of Mali, is another epic story in this tradition of mythical historical tales."
