Projects in Anthropology
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Donna O. Kerner
Professor of AnthropologyA development critique of micro-enterprise
Proposal
Background library research to support the writing of a draft of a book-length manuscript. The goal is to develop an annotated bibliography on micro-finance and micro-enterprise that incorporates critical perspectives on this “trickle down” development model. Ideally the assistant will have some background knowledge of, and interest in, development studies. Quick, critical reading and clear writing skills a must.
Academic year: 2011-2012 -
M. Gabriela Torres
Assistant Professor of AnthropologyNecrographic maps
Proposal
One of the principal means through which generalized fear was created in Guatemala was through the parade of cadavers and public assassinations in newspapers throughout the period know as “The Violence” or La Violencia (1978-84). In this project, students will work to digitize and code a collection of 3000 cadaver reports appeared almost daily in Guatemala’s main newspaper. Converting the collection of reports into digital format will allow for better searches of the data and allow for the online publication of the data and its analysis.
The student working on this project will use bilingual skills (Spanish/English) to construct a database and begin initial coding of the report elements. This activity will give the partner intimate knowledge of the research process behind academic writing and allow the student to engage with the construction of an online resource.
Academic year: 2011-2012 -
Bruce Owens
Associate Professor of AnthropologyReligious Devotion and Monumental Transformation in Nepal
Report
Over the past year I have collaborated with Nurit Applbaum on updating a new website-cum-archive of the material consequences of devotional processes that have transformed Swayambhu, a hilltop stupa that is one of the most sacred sites for Buddhists of the Kathmandu valley. Devotees have sponsored and undertaken transformative projects that range from building a mile and a half long circumambulation path and wall, punctuated by more than sixty new devotional structures, to installing small images within. The physical nature of these processes of devotion and their observable material consequences also provide a means for engaging students in my research without specialized linguistic knowledge, and the continuous nature of these processes and the importance of their spatial interrelationships make the internet an ideal environment in which to record them. Thus Nurit has been involved in archiving, organizing, and analyzing hundreds of photographs that I have taken of this site as it has changed over the twenty years that I have been recording its transformation. She was selected as a research partner because of her own deep engagement with Buddhism, but as Newar Buddhism is quite different from the Burmese Theravada Buddhism with which she is most familiar, the first part of our collaboration involved a tutorial on Newar Buddhism, stupa architecture, and the various forms of ritual practice associated with it. We also worked with Patrick Rashleigh who is helping us develop a new architecture for the site using WordPress, the present Wheaton standard, thereby engaging Nurit in the process of defining and identifying criteria according to which these visual data will be organized. In her final report, Nurit stated that this “experience has been especially valuable to me as a student of Buddhism and visual anthropology,” and that “[h]aving the opportunity to work with a professor on his research was one of the more gratifying experiences I have had while at Wheaton thus far and I look forward to future collaborations.”
Academic year: 2010-2011 -
Donna O. Kerner
Professor of AnthropologyThe Alchemy of Micro-finance
Faculty report (Donna Kerner)
This year long project entailed providing background research for a book manuscript I am preparing for publication that uses a case study approach to critique the popular model of micro-finance to solve a multitude of underdevelopment issues. Over the course of the year I delivered two papers at professional conferences, one in Puebla Mexico at the Universidad Benemérita Autónoma to the Anthropology faculty and one at the American Anthropological Association annual meetings in New Orleans.
The research assistant position for this project entailed in putting my bibliography into Zotero, searching for articles and books I needed for background research, and finding new databases and websites of interest to the project. Michelle met with me on a weekly basis to bring me new materials and commentary on the sites I requested. I think the learning opportunity for her, aside from learning to work with a new set of critical analytical concepts and frameworks, was in finding the most useful ways to summarize and present large amounts of data and to suggest trends over time. Her work was meticulous and really helped to move the project along. I think the topic also fit well with her interests in development and public policy and most of the case material she was assigned to deal with derives from Africa, which is her culture area of concentration in both majors. I look forward to working with this talented young (Presidential) scholar this summer in Tanzania and after she completes her junior year abroad.
Student report (Michelle Van Akin)
When I first found out that Professor Kerner wished to hire me as her research assistant, I was honored and, to be frank, nervous. I had no idea what being a research assistant would entail or if I would be up to the job. These fears were dispelled once I dove into working with Professor Kerner on her upcoming book on microfinance. Working as a research assistant, especially for Professor Kerner, has been one of the best experiences I have had at Wheaton to date. Through this job, I was given the opportunity to learn about microfinance and its global implications, develop research skills, and also to grow as a student and anthropologist. My work varied from crafting her bibliography, searching for books she wanted to read to support her own book, researching the Millennium Development Goals and reading articles she was using for her book to give her a second opinion and writing memos on them.
I found this work to be both challenging and rewarding. Challenging because I had to read, analyze, and interpret articles on a deeper level than what I was used to; something about trying to help a professor research for a book that would then be published made it more challenging than reading for classes. However, this work was also rewarding because I realized that this level of analysis was achievable not just for my work as a WRP but also for all of my classes. I developed research and analytical skills that I could apply to my academic work. Furthermore, working for Professor Kerner was one of the most rewarding experiences; she was an excellent boss and truly encouraged me to do more than I thought was possible. Professor Kerner gave me an outlet to explore new ideas and allowed me to bounce ideas off of her. I felt as if I really had an impact on her book and facilitated her writing of it. I can only hope that I will have another chance to be a research assistant at Wheaton, especially for Professor Kerner, because it was an incredibly fulfilling experience.
Original proposal
Student research partner is sought to provide bibliographic (print and web based) research and editorial assistance for book manuscript in progress. Donna Kerner is working on a book project that critically analyzes micro-finance and micro-credit approaches to poverty alleviation in the Third world. The student assistant can arrange hours flexibly and, under the supervision of Professor Kerner, would be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date database of micro-finance projects world-wide, retrieving useful case studies from different regional locations, checking bibliographic references, following the progress of the UN's Millennium Development Goals. This position is best suited to students with a keen interest in global development issues and who have good library and web-based research skills. Some familiarity with cultural anthropology and this discipline's approach to development will also be an important factor for recruitment.
Academic year: 2010-2011 -
M. Gabriela Torres
Assistant Professor of AnthropologyVancouver: Making an Olympic City
Faculty Statement (M. Gabriela Torres, Anthropology)
My partnership with Ian Lazzara ’12 supported my continuing research project into the changes in municipal and social policy that were made by the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia in preparation to showcase of Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics. This year Ian worked to scan and code documents, compile press coverage, government promotional material, anti-Olympic publications, academic literature that discusses the social changes that precede the 2010 Olympics, and the response to the Olympic games and its aftermath in various social media venues including facebook and twitter. The project assistant was responsible for coding and organizing the collected literature and media network information using qualitative data management software (Nvivo). This year, he truly partnered with me in thinking through data collection design: Ian was instrumental at developing practices to collate social media data and devising ways to archive the ephemeral data these forms produce.
Student Statement (Ian Lazzara ’12)
This past Fall I continued my work with Professor Torres as part of the WRP program. This semester was especially important because we began to explore concepts that elaborated on themes we drew out from the data collected in our previous semesters research. Since the Vancouver Olympics were over, we were also able to investigate and capture the public’s response and the social aftermath. We looked again at the ways people reacted to the games and the concepts that persisted. Approaching the topic in this way we began to realize some of the underlying problems within the city of Vancouver that were being affected by the sort of “catastrophic event” that was the Olympics.
We continued our approach using social media as a way to interpret the response of people as well as more traditional methods of research such as looking through newspapers articles and academic literature. Exploring these new mediums is a learning experience in research that will become more helpful in the years to come as more information becomes available on the internet. These changing methods of communication require innovative research skills that I got a change to work with. The project is also really helpful for me as a student because I get to apply the research skills learned in class to a real world event. The project is exciting to work on because I get to bring my own ideas to the table and think about the social media in a new light.
Original proposal
I am seeking funding for my continuing research project into the changes in municipal and social policy that were made by the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia in preparation to showcase of Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics. This project continues to require an assistant to transcribe interviews, scan and code documents, compile press coverage, government promotional material, anti-Olympic publications and academic literature that discusses the social changes that precede the 2010 Olympics. The project assistant will also be responsible for coding and organizing the collected literature using qualitative data management software (Nvivo). This is a great opportunity for a student who wishes to contribute towards the research and preliminary writing of an academic publication and wants learn how to construct research queries, use qualitative software, conduct a popular and academic literature review, and perform analysis of qualitative texts and images.
Academic year: 2010-2011
