Tag: Yvonne Braun

Legislating Identity – Saami Development and Self-Determination in Sweden

Presenter: Bennett Hubbard

Mentor: Yvonne Braun

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 16

The Saami, an ethnic group indigenous to a large portion of land that stretches from Norway into Sweden, Finland, and Russia, have persevered under harsh assimilation regulations enforced by the nation-states in which they have resided in for centuries. While significant improvements have been made, Saami communities within northern Sweden, where some research was conducted, have suffered under legislation that has been deemed “progressive” by the Swedish Riksdag, in which the Saami have no representation. This legisla- tion is both an improvement of previous policies maintained by the Swedish government and yet is still limited in their understanding of Saami identity and culture and presupposes that all Saami communities have the same needs and values. Examples of such legislation include the Reindeer Act of 1971, which recently has served as a catalyst for towns in northern Sweden and the Swedish Supreme Court to forbid Saami reindeer herding in several areas. Industrial growth in northern Sweden has also impacted Saami livelihood and has influenced legal perceptions regarding Saami identity, as shown with Sweden’s reluctance to sign on to ILO Convention 169, which recognizes the rights that indigenous peoples have regarding land use. As such, this legislation of identity has caused much distress for Saami communities, many of which are rural and underdeveloped. This raises questions regarding the role that indigenous peoples have in a democratic society and how legislation can inform those roles.

Benefit Corporations for the Environment: Avenues for Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in the Pacific

Presenter(s): Ana Garibay Mares − International Studies, Planning, Public Policy And Management, And Chinese

Faculty Mentor(s): Yvonne Braun, Kathie Carpenter

Poster 121

Research Area: Social Science

Funding: Ford Family Foundation Scholarship (funding provided for the independent study period, including travel), and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (employment to continue to pursue relevant research).

China’s unprecedented economic growth has raised concerns about the world’s natural resource reserves; as small island developing states, Pacific Island nations bind in solidarity to address concerns regarding their economic and environmental vulnerabilities as well. This is the era where merging the Chinese State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) model with Benefit Corporations (B Corps) will help facilitate China’s push for green economic growth along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This unique combination can strategically address the triple bottom line that green economies are applauded for: social, economic, and environmental growth. The BRI offers opportunities for China and the Pacific to use SOE funding to address sustainability goals under a B Corp business model. More specifically, the Maritime Silk Road, which forms part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), offers opportunities for China and the Pacific to promote a holistic sense of development, reduce the island’s loan dependency, and propel the island nations towards self-sufficiency. This model equates economic growth to both social and environmental capital. In other words, Chinese SOEs can help standardize green economies by merging the BRI with B Corps to tackle mutual concerns in the Asia-Pacific region.

Belt and Road Initiative: The Sino-Samoa Pact

Presenter(s): Ana Garibay Mares

Faculty Mentor(s): Yvonne Braun & Yizhao Yang

Oral Session 4 M

The Independent State of Samoa faces intersecting environmental, economic, and social vulnerabilities as a small island nation. Regionally, the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an infrastructure and tourism-oriented project proposed to increase Samoa’s development. My research examines these development plans with a focus on local sustainability. I employ the three pillars of sustainability in my analytical framework, including innovative social enterprise projects for generating money, maximizing mutual benefits, reducing Samoa’s need for loans, while also staying aligned with the traditional way of life – the fa’asamoa. As such, I spent three months in Samoa investigating whether the BRI can maximize sustainable development through the hybridization of the Chinese State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) system and the “social enterprise” business model. I conducted field research using purposive sampling methods whereby I identified key informants, such as traditional, private sector, and governmental community leaders. I conducted semi-structured interviews for participants to share their suggestions and stake regarding BRI engagement, as it pertains to their respective sector. I focus particularly on the intricate social enterprise model executed by the Poutasi Development Trust (PDT). Data collected suggest the PDT offers indigenous communities the platform to directly benefit from the BRI by using funds gathered from the seasonal workers program to establish family businesses, exporting goods to niche communities along the BRI, and enhancing the range of goods and services offered by the tourism sector. Its operations also work to promote environmentalism and preventative health outcomes, while reducing Samoa’s dependence on remittances, including international assistance loans.

Abortion legalization in Spain: A window into the history of Spanish reproductive rights

Presenter(s): Monica Silverman—International Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Yvonne Braun

Session 3: The Way We Were

My thesis research analyzes the social and political history of abortion legalization in Spain, and explores the implications of this history for modern reproductive health discourse and policy throughout the country . Abortion was officially legalized in Spain for the first time in 2010 and saw much political and social backlash . The contemporary policies regarding reproductive rights in the

country are deeply connected to events during the almost 40-year-long dictatorship of Francisco Franco . From 1939, right after the Spanish Civil War, up until his death in 1975, Francisco Franco ruled Spain under a fascist dictatorship, maintaining control through repressive means and implementing a politically and socially conservative plan for Spain in collaboration with the Catholic Church . This relationship between church and state produced an environment in which a narrow version of religious morality dictated women’s autonomy in the public sphere and over their own bodies . This thesis explores the historical ties to the gendered policies and societal norms which were constructed in Franco’s Spain and largely persisted through democratization . Drawing on secondary sources, I specifically argue that rigid gendered ideologies and systematic disenfranchisement of women has been pervasive in Spanish society under both fascist and democratic regimes . Patriarchal systems of oppression have thereby persisted despite political change . Additionally, I have discovered that Spain has made enormous progress relating to reproductive justice even as there are still significant areas for improvement . A strong Spanish feminist movement continues to fight for these improvements, including equitable access to reproductive healthcare and education .

“Peace Canal?”: Conflict, Cooperation, and the Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance

Presenter(s): Abigail Keep—International Studies, History

Faculty Mentor(s): Yvonne Braun

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories are among the most water poor nations on earth . In coming years, climate change, population increases, economic development, and the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis will exacerbate water scarcity–and tension–in the region . The Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance, a proposed pipeline that would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, intends to solve this problem by providing all three nations with potable water . Additionally, the reject brine created during the desalination process will be deposited into the Dead Sea, stabilizing its water level . The project is also intended to generate electricity . Ultimately, the project holds the potential to transform a situation of potential conflict into one of cooperation .