Tag: Poster 126

Esperanza y Determinación (Hope And Determination): Conceptualizing Themes in Transit Migrant Narratives

Presenter(s): Carina Garcia − International Studies, Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): Kristin Yarris, Ellen Scott

Poster 126

Research Area: Social Science

Funding: McNair Scholarship

Mexican out-migration has traditionally received significant attention in news and scholarly writing. However, South and Central Americans migrating through Mexico to the United States have been less studied. Its geographical location makes Mexico an intermediary destination along migratory routes for Central and South Americans looking to gain access into the US. This research explores common themes in migrants’ experiences while transiting through Mexico en-route to the United States. The role of Mexico as a primarily migrant sending country has shifted to a much more complex state of transit and receiving migratory routes, yet we know little of the experience of migrants traveling through Mexico seeking to settle in the United States. Using interviews with migrants collected in Mazatlán, Sinaloa Mexico, this research will explore what migrants say about those experiences, and how those experiences differ from or are similar to those of Mexican migrants. The results clearly show a need for a better response to humanitarian needs and addressing widespread violence against migrants. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing knowledge of changing migration patterns of contemporary Americas.

The Impact of Foreign Involvement on Political Reform Organizations

Presenter(s): Sravya Tadepalli

Faculty Mentor(s): Dan Tichenor & Jane Cramer

Poster 126

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

This paper assesses the impact of foreign involvement on political reform organizations in Jordan. Through a comparative evaluation of the democratization work of completely foreign- funded international organizations, partially foreign-funded Jordanian organizations, and Jordanian organizations that do not receive foreign funding, derived from several interviews conducted with democracy practitioners in international and local NGOs, political activists, scholars, and others, this paper examines the effect of foreign involvement on organizational strategies, credibility, and effectiveness, ultimately arguing that foreign involvement (and conversely, the lack thereof) has a considerable impact on the way political reform organizations have been able to carry out their activities. This study can hopefully be used to help both foreign and Jordanian policymakers and activists understand the way in which foreign involvement can help and/or impede democratic progress in Jordan.