Article Database

Early Mathematical Experiences: Observing Young Black and White Children’s Everyday Activities

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Children’s early mathematical experiences play an enormous role in the development of their understanding of mathematics, and serve as a foundation for their cognitive development. In this descriptive study, we observed the naturally occurring mathematical activities engaged in by thirty-nine 3-year-olds, equally divided by race/ethnicity and social class. We observed each child for 18 hours over the course of a single week, in such a way as to cover the equivalent of a complete day in its life. The children varied a good deal in the extent to which they were observed engaging in mathematical activities, but the variation was not explicable by race/ethnicity or class. For comparative purposes, we also report on the literacy-related activities in which the children were engaged.

Structured Abstract: Y Usted? The Effects of Social Influence on Consumers’ Service Language Preference

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Knowledge, Access and Practice: Understanding the Affordable Care Act from the Voices of Somali Immigrant Women in the United States

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Previous literature acknowledges a lack of insurance as a deterrent in seeking healthcare, thus impacting the overall health status of Somali immigrant women (Fran- cis, Griffith, and Leser 2014). This paper builds on the previous literature and addresses the following: a) understand the link between the social determinants of health frame- work and the Affordable Care Act; b) explore Somali women’s attitudes about the feasi- bility of access and knowledge of the Affordable Care Act, specifically the Medicaid ex- pansion and health insurance marketplace; c) address Somali women’s encounters with doctors and practitioners post-enactment of the Affordable Care Act. Using interview data from twenty Somali women, common themes elicited were the following: mis- communication among Somali immigrant women and their healthcare providers, feel- ings of social anxiety and other mental health issues, as well as poor patient and doctor relationships. The project is a community-engaged research study that collects data on individuals’ knowledge with the Affordable Care Act by working with members of sev- eral Somali led organizations to identify additional key issues within the community. Furthermore, this project challenges the complexity of adapting and integrating into an unfamiliar culture due to language barriers and approach to medical practices, i.e. views about medical practices may be due to cultural values and beliefs about health. In con- clusion, this paper provides demographic data about the impact of health disparities on Somali refugees and immigrants by including how they view access to healthcare, iden- tify barriers to information and care provided by health practitioners, and examine their needs in terms of preventive care.

Hijacking #myNYPD: Social Media Dissent and Networked Counterpublics

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In this article we investigate the hijacking of the Twitter hashtag #myNYPD following the launch of a public relations campaign by the New York City Police Department in April of 2014. Theorizing networked counterpublics, we examine how Twitter was used as a platform to generate and promote counterpublic narratives about racial profiling and police misconduct. Through a combination of large-scale network analysis and qualitative discourse analysis, we detail counterpublic structure and leadership, discursive strategies deployed by crowdsourced elites, and the reception of counterpublic activism in mainstream media. We conclude with implications for understanding the evolving nature of counterpublics, with particular consideration to the roles of new and old media in (re)shaping public debates around marginalization, profiling, and policing.

Alterity and Innocence: The Hunger Games, Rue, and Black Girl Adultification

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Critically analyzing Rue’s characterization in The Hunger Games, Toliver investigates how societally embedded discourses can influence a reader’s ability to perceive Black girls as young, childlike, and innocent.

(Re)Writing Reality: Using Science Fiction to Analyze the World

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When a student in a community-based writing program asked to write science fiction, rather than a personal essay, he prompted the staff to expand the scope of the program’s curriculum.

Breaking Binaries: #BlackGirlMagic and the Black Ratchet Imagination

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Afrocarnival: Celebrating Black Bodies and Critiquing Oppressive Bodies in Afrofuturist Literature

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Afrofuturism often acts as an experiential portal that guides readers to reflect on the current state of the world, to hypothesize about the trajectory of society, and to challenge any possible future that continues the subjugation of Black people. As a genre that is concerned with the elevation and liberation of Black people, Afrofuturism aligns with Bahktin’s carnivalesque, the area between art and life that provides a temporary space to venerate imaginative freedom. Specifically, while they uplift and celebrate Black bodies, Afrofuturist authors use the carnivalesque concept of grotesque realism to critique dominant bodies that elevate anti-Blackness in society. In this way, Afrofuturists bring abstract concepts of systemic and institutional oppression to the sphere of earth and body by presenting intangible ideas through their characters, conflicts, plots, and settings. Focusing on three Afrofuturist texts written by Black female authors that feature Black adolescent female protagonists, the author highlights how each book portrays the celebratory aspects of Black existence and imagination and critiques oppressive ideologies that have historically attempted to thwart Black celebration and creativity.

“We Wouldn’t Have the Same Connection”: Using Read-Alouds to Build Community With Black Girls

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In this article, I discuss how a group of Black girls and I built community in an after school book club through communal read-alouds.

Work at the Periphery: Issues of Tourism Sustainability in Jamaica

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The tourism industry in Jamaica, as elsewhere in the Caribbean, has provided government interests and tourism stakeholders with increasingly profitable economic benefits. The development and prosperity of the ‘all-inclusive’ vacation model has become a significant aspect of these benefits. Vacationers from North America and Europe are particularly attracted to tourism destinations providing resort accommodations that cater to foreign visitors, offering ‘safe spaces’ for the enjoyment of sun, sand, and sea that so many leisure-seekers desire. Safety and security are progressively becoming more relevant within the contexts of poverty, crime, and tourist harassment that are now commonplace in many of these island destinations. This model of tourism development, however, represents a problematic relationship between these types of hotels and the environmental, political, and economic interests of the communities in which they are located. The lack of linkage between tourist entities and other sectors, such as agriculture and transportation, leaves members of local communities out of the immense profits that are generated. Based on a review of relevant literature and ethnographic research conducted in one of Jamaica’s most popular resort towns, this paper considers the ways in which the sociocultural landscape of a specific place is affected by and responds to the demands of an overtly demanding industry. Utilizing an anthropological approach, I explore local responses to tourism shifts, and analyse recent trends in the tourism industry as they relate to the concept of sustainability.