Current Search: UWF Theses (x) » Prewitt, Terry J. (x)
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- Title
- LA QUINCEANERA: MAKING ETHNIC AND GENDER IDENTITY IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA.
- Author
- Bibby, Gloria Cuevas, Gougeon, Ramie A., Fisher, Rosalind A., Marten Meredith G., Prewitt, Terry J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis examines the importance of the quinceanera ritual in the Mexican immigrant community as an ethnic and gendering practice. Arnold van Gennep's (1960) three phases of rites of passage are used to elaborate the ethnic and gender markers that transition a young Mexican girl into young womanhood. Additionally, the ritual is explored as a redressive mechanism to counter the feelings of fear and uncertainty that Mexican immigrants often experience upon arriving on American soil. Research...
Show moreThis thesis examines the importance of the quinceanera ritual in the Mexican immigrant community as an ethnic and gendering practice. Arnold van Gennep's (1960) three phases of rites of passage are used to elaborate the ethnic and gender markers that transition a young Mexican girl into young womanhood. Additionally, the ritual is explored as a redressive mechanism to counter the feelings of fear and uncertainty that Mexican immigrants often experience upon arriving on American soil. Research for this thesis includedI questionnaires and interviews from participants in three separate Latino communities in Northwest Florida. Results show that the ritual is vital to the Latino community both as a marker for gender and ethnic construction and as a redressive act. Furthermore, the ritual unites families, builds communities, and provides a social field in which young girls can make their own identity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- WFE0000580, uwf:61177
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- MISSING THE TREES FOR THE FOREST: THE ARBOREAL "MAGIC" OF ROBIN HOOD.
- Author
- Hogue, Jason Charles, Yeager, Robert F., Prewitt, Terry J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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In the outlaw ballad tradition as well as in tales of chivalric romance, the greenwood often plays a crucial part and is integral to the Robin Hood legend. This thesis explores the narrative reverence of and meditation on the greenwood of early Robin Hood ballads, a reverence that hearkens back to ancient pagan tree worship. In spite of the Christian influence of the early Robin Hood poets, the very setting of the greenwood in the ballads preserves an eradicable trace of the legend's pagan...
Show moreIn the outlaw ballad tradition as well as in tales of chivalric romance, the greenwood often plays a crucial part and is integral to the Robin Hood legend. This thesis explores the narrative reverence of and meditation on the greenwood of early Robin Hood ballads, a reverence that hearkens back to ancient pagan tree worship. In spite of the Christian influence of the early Robin Hood poets, the very setting of the greenwood in the ballads preserves an eradicable trace of the legend's pagan roots. The outlaws are enmeshed within a framework that medieval and early Modern subjects would have identified with superstition, mysticism, and the spirit(s) of the wood, and thus, Robin Hood's literary incarnation in early ballads casts him as a representative of repressed paganism, through his proximity to and relationship with the greenwood.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- WFE0000339, uwf:60986
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- POSTMODERNISM AND THE THEORY OF SIGNIFICANCE.
- Author
- Smith, Benjamin Ashley, Prewitt, Terry J., Low, Douglas B., Power, Nicholas P., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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Commentators often construe postmodernism as a consequence of the modern “crisis of representation”. This makes it a troublesome philosophical notion because philosophy is often understood to center on representations. According to John Deely (2001), the theory of significance called “semiotics” explains representation and thus surpasses modernism. In this thesis, I critique Deely’s account of postmodernism as semiotics. I defend Deely’s claim that semiotics is the postmodern theory of...
Show moreCommentators often construe postmodernism as a consequence of the modern “crisis of representation”. This makes it a troublesome philosophical notion because philosophy is often understood to center on representations. According to John Deely (2001), the theory of significance called “semiotics” explains representation and thus surpasses modernism. In this thesis, I critique Deely’s account of postmodernism as semiotics. I defend Deely’s claim that semiotics is the postmodern theory of significance, but argue that his account is exclusivist and incomplete in part. I also propose the label “putative postmodernism” to name the typical construal of postmodernism. I explore, in terms of semiotics, its expression in the work of Michel Foucault and Jean-François Lyotard, though I conclude that putative postmodernism has only a superficial unity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- WFE0000014, uwf:60762
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- SOCIAL CONFORMITY AND NATIONALISM IN JAPAN.
- Author
- Jex, Chie Muroga, Philen, Robert C., Fisher, Rosalind A., Prewitt, Terry J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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It has been said that the thought processes and attitudes of Japanese people are distinctly different from those of people of other cultures. From the perspective of an anthropologist and a Japanese expatriate, I argue that the thoughts and attitudes of Japanese are profoundly correlated with pressure to conform with social norms and nationalism which are not usually discussed or apparent to outsiders. This paper describes Japanese culture and attempts to explain the conceptual differences in...
Show moreIt has been said that the thought processes and attitudes of Japanese people are distinctly different from those of people of other cultures. From the perspective of an anthropologist and a Japanese expatriate, I argue that the thoughts and attitudes of Japanese are profoundly correlated with pressure to conform with social norms and nationalism which are not usually discussed or apparent to outsiders. This paper describes Japanese culture and attempts to explain the conceptual differences in some major ideas between Japanese and Westerns. It also analyzes how Japanese language, education, and religions intertwine with each other, function, and are used as ideologies for building Japanese nationalism and shaping Japanese people. This paper is divided into four major sections: (1) The People and Nation of Japan, (2) The Religion of Japan, (3) The Socialization of Japanese Values and Nationalism, and (4) Social Conformity and Nationalism Today.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- WFE0000155, uwf:60831
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THE ROLE OF WONDER IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
- Author
- Means, Jonathan Pullen, Prewitt, Terry J., Philen, Robert, Lanier, Greg, University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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Wonder is given a role as a primary feature of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954). This emotion deeply affects the protagonists, and helps them in their efforts to accomplish the Eucatastrophe, or 'sudden joyous turn,' upon which the story hinges. The many instances of this dynamic can be seen as offerings-as invitations to readers-to participate in the tale through their own responses to wonder. This thesis will consider the theme of wonder, paying specific attention to its...
Show moreWonder is given a role as a primary feature of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954). This emotion deeply affects the protagonists, and helps them in their efforts to accomplish the Eucatastrophe, or 'sudden joyous turn,' upon which the story hinges. The many instances of this dynamic can be seen as offerings-as invitations to readers-to participate in the tale through their own responses to wonder. This thesis will consider the theme of wonder, paying specific attention to its powerful influences on Tolkien's characters. These effects are an important part of Tolkien's purpose, which includes his desire for The Lord of the Rings to help readers in every era to recover a vibrant sense of wonder.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- WFE0000069, uwf:60681
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THEMES INFLUENCING THE FUTURE OF BOOTH RENTAL IN HAIR SALONS.
- Author
- Lopez, Tomas Jose, Philen, Robert C., Fisher, Rosalind A., Prewitt, Terry J., University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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The practice of booth rental in hair salons in its present form is a relatively recent development that has met with wide acceptance by many self-employed cosmetologists on one hand, but with vocal opposition by other industry actors. In recent years, the social science literature devoted to beauty culture in the U.S. and to beauty salon culture in particular has improved both in quality and quantity; yet there is little available in this literature that addresses the cultural significance of...
Show moreThe practice of booth rental in hair salons in its present form is a relatively recent development that has met with wide acceptance by many self-employed cosmetologists on one hand, but with vocal opposition by other industry actors. In recent years, the social science literature devoted to beauty culture in the U.S. and to beauty salon culture in particular has improved both in quality and quantity; yet there is little available in this literature that addresses the cultural significance of how hairdressers get paid according to different remunerative structures. The greatest gaps in scholarship surround booth rental salons. The author uses his 20 years of experience as a licensed cosmetologist, a set of extended narrative-prompt and grand-tour interviews with regional salon owners, and a multi-disciplinary literature review to discover some of the cultural values or, in themes, that have made booth rental a common practice in the 48 states that permit it and that are likely to influence its continuation as a viable business organization model in U.S. hair salons.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- WFE0000209, uwf:60940
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- VOODOO IN NEW ORLEANS: THE IDENTITY OF A CITY AND THE REALITY OF HER RELIGION.
- Author
- Griffin, Lea Michelle, Prewitt, Terry J., Philen, Robert C., Curtin, A. Joanne, University of West Florida
- Abstract/Description
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When walking down the busiest streets in New Orleans, the word "Voodoo" can be seen everywhere. Voodoo is in the name of drugstores, bars, and even dishes in restaurants. Voodoo as a religion has been in existence in New Orleans for hundreds of years. However, Voodoo as a commodity of the city has developed more recently. This belief system not only serves many locals, but is also sold to many visitors to the city. Tourism is a reproduction of the concepts of a particular aspect of history or...
Show moreWhen walking down the busiest streets in New Orleans, the word "Voodoo" can be seen everywhere. Voodoo is in the name of drugstores, bars, and even dishes in restaurants. Voodoo as a religion has been in existence in New Orleans for hundreds of years. However, Voodoo as a commodity of the city has developed more recently. This belief system not only serves many locals, but is also sold to many visitors to the city. Tourism is a reproduction of the concepts of a particular aspect of history or culture based on the perception of a group or groups. As is the case with most reproductions, tourist attractions are not exact replicas but rather interpretations of the events or cultures in question. This study examines how closely related these reproductions are to the original. Through the testimonials of both locals and tourists, the author illustrates the relationship between the visitors and practitioners, in order to illustrate the ambiguous line between imitative and authentic Voodoo. Even those who have practiced for years find it difficult to define the difference between real and performance. Ultimately, Voodoo belongs to the locals. It is a characteristic that helps define the city itself and gives New Orleanians a way to identify with the city in which they live.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- WFE0000355, uwf:61035
- Format
- Document (PDF)