Other Than a Citizen: Vernacular Poetics in Postwar America

Few symbols of 1950s-1960s America remain as central to our contemporary conception of Cold War culture as the iconic ranch-style suburban home. While the house took center stage in the Nixon/Khrushchev kitchen debates as a symbol of modern efficiency and capitalist values, its popularity depended largely upon its obvious appropriation of vernacular architecture from the 19th century, those California haciendas and Texas dogtrots that dotted the American west. Contractors like William Levitt modernized the historical common houses, hermetically sealing their porous construction, all while using the ranch-style roots of the dwelling to galvanize a myth of an indigenous American culture. At a moment of intense occupational bureaucracy, political uncertainty and atomized social life, the rancher gave a self-identifying white consumer base reason to believe they could master their own plot in the expansive frontier. Only one example of America’s mid-century love affair with commodified vernacular forms, the ranch-style home represents a broad effort on the part of corporate and governmental interest groups to transform the vernacular into a style that expresses a distinctly homogenous vision of American culture. “Other than a Citizen” begins with an anatomy of that transformation, and then turns to the work of four poets who sought to reclaim the vernacular from that process of standardization and use it to countermand the containment-era strategies of Cold War America.

In four chapters, I trace references to common speech and verbal expressivity in the poetry and poetic theory of Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka and Gwendolyn Brooks, against the historical backdrop of the Free-Speech Movement and the rise of mass-culture. When poets frame nonliterary speech within the literary page, they encounter the inability of writing to capture the vital ephemerality of verbal expression. Rather than treat this limitation as an impediment, the writers in my study use the poem to dramatize the fugitivity of speech, emphasizing it as a disruptive counterpoint to the technologies of capture. Where critics such as Houston Baker interpret the vernacular strictly in terms of resistance, I take a cue from the poets and argue that the vernacular, rooted etymologically at the intersection of domestic security and enslaved margin, represents a gestalt form, capable at once of establishing centralized power and sparking minor protest. My argument also expands upon Michael North’s exploration of the influence of minstrelsy and regionalism on the development of modernist literary technique in The Dialect of Modernism. As he focuses on writers from the early 20th century, I account for the next generation, whose America was not a culturally inferior collection of immigrants but an imperial power, replete with economic, political and artistic dominance. Instead of settling for an essentially American idiom, the poets in my study saw in the vernacular not phonetic misspellings, slang terminology and fragmented syntax, but the potential to provoke and thereby frame a more ethical mode of social life, straining against the regimentation of citizenship.

My attention to the vernacular argues for an alignment among writers who have been segregated by the assumption that race and aesthetics are mutually exclusive categories. In reading these writers alongside one another, “Other than a Citizen” shows how the avant-garde concepts of projective poetics and composition by field develop out of an interest in black expressivity. Conversely, I trace black radicalism and its emphasis on sociality back to the communalism practiced at the experimental arts college in Black Mountain, North Carolina, where Olson and Duncan taught. In pressing for this connection, my work reveals the racial politics embedded within the speech-based aesthetics of the postwar era, while foregrounding the aesthetic dimension of militant protest.

Not unlike today, the popular rhetoric of the Cold War insists that to be a citizen involves defending one’s status as a rightful member of an exclusionary nation. To be other than a citizen, as the poets in my study make clear, begins with eschewing the false certainty that accompanies categorical nominalization. In promoting a model of mutually dependent participation, these poets lay the groundwork for an alternative model of civic belonging, where volition and reciprocity replace compliance and self-sufficiency. In reading their lines, we become all the more aware of the cracks that run the length of our load-bearing walls.

Return Migration in the Ecuadorian and Bolivian population: motivations, strategies and discourses

This article analyses the motivations for return migration among the Ecuadorians and Bolivians who, after living in Spain, returned to their countries of origin during the economic crisis that started in 2008. From the analysis of 22 interviews in-depth which took place in Ecuador and 38 in Bolivia to women, men and young people from migrant families, this decision-making process is shown to be embedded into a gendered dynamics of relationships. Particular detail is given to affective and economic elements that had an influence on the decision to return, as well as to the strategies deployed to project their readjustment back in origin. Males and females occupy differential positions within the family, work and social circle, their expectations being built in a gendered manner. Despite the fact migration has brought women greater economic power within the family group, their reintegration upon return redefines their role as main managers in the household and the dynamics that allow their social reproduction. Men, for their part, aspire to refresh their role as providers in spite of their frail labour position upon return. Social mobility for females is passed on through generations by a strong investment on education for their daughters and sons, while for males this mobility revolves around setting up family businesses and around their demonstrative abilities.

Arteterapia en el final de la vida

El arteterapia permite una aproximación creativa biográfica particularmente valiosa en la etapa final de la vida. La persona enferma presenta múltiples necesidades – físicas, emocionales, sociales y espirituales – que solo una atención holística puede pretender abarcar, tal como lo contempla la filosofía de los cuidados paliativos. El arteterapeuta integrado en el equipo interdisciplinar contribuye a aliviar y acompañar el sufrimiento del paciente y su familia. Se presentan aquí las bases teóricas y la metodología de la intervención, así como el marco sanitario en el cual se inscribe.

Latina Super-heroines: Hot Tamales in Tights vs. Women Warriors, Wrestlers and Guerrilla Fighters of La Raza

The year 1977 saw the making of the first Latino superhero by a Latino artist. From the 1980s onwards it is also possible to find Latina super-heroines, whose number and complexity has kept increasing ever since. Yet, the representations of spandexed Latinas are still few. For that reason, the goal of this paper is, firstly, to gather a great number of Latina super-heroines and, secondly, to analyze the role that they have played in the history of American literature and art. More specifically, it aims at comparing the spandexed Latinas created by non-Latino/a artists and mainstream comic enterprises with the Latina super-heroines devised by Latino/a artists. The conclusion is that whereas the former tend to conceive heroines within the constraints of the logic of Girl Power, the latter choose to imbue their works with a more daring political content and to align their heroines with the ideologies of Feminism and Postcolonialism.

Barriers and facilitators to cooking from 'scratch' using basic or raw ingredients: A qualitative interview study

Background: Previous research has highlighted an ambiguity in understanding cooking related terminology and a number of barriers and facilitators to home meal preparation. However, meals prepared in the home still include convenience products (typically high in sugars, fats and sodium) which can have negative effects on health. Therefore, this study aimed to qualitatively explore: (1) how individuals define cooking from ‘scratch’, and (2) their barriers and facilitators to cooking with basic ingredients.
Methods: 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants (aged 18-58 years) living on the island of Ireland, eliciting definitions of ‘cooking from scratch’ and exploring the reasons participants cook in a particular way. The interviews were professionally transcribed verbatim and Nvivo 10 was used for an inductive thematic analysis.
Results: Our results highlighted that although cooking from ‘scratch’ lacks a single definition, participants viewed it as optimal cooking. Barriers to cooking with raw ingredients included: 1) time pressures; (2) desire to save money; (3) desire for effortless meals; (4) family food preferences; and (5) effect of kitchen disasters. Facilitators included: 1) desire to eat for health and well-being; (2) creative inspiration; (3) ability to plan and prepare meals ahead of time; and (4) greater self-efficacy in one’s cooking ability.
Conclusions: Our findings contribute to understanding how individuals define cooking from ‘scratch’, and barriers and facilitators to cooking with raw ingredients. Interventions should focus on practical sessions to increase cooking self-efficacy; highlight the importance of planning ahead and teach methods such as batch cooking and freezing to facilitate cooking from scratch.

Cultivating Subjectivities: The Class Politics of Convivial Labor in the Interstitial Spaces of Neoliberal Neglect

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Effektivisering av en tjänsteleverantörs processer : Genomfört som en fallstudie på köksprojekt

Produktionskostnaderna i byggbranschen ökar ständigt och i en rapport utgiven av Sveriges byggindustrier kartläggs att uppemot 30-35 % av den totala produktionskostnaden i ett byggprojekt kan betraktas som slöseri. Slöseri kan beskrivas som de förbrukade resurser som inte skapar något värde för kunden, såsom förflyttning av material, väntan, avbrott, lagerhållning och överproduktion. Studien är genomförd på köksprojekt där Peab byggservice agerar tjänsteleverantör och bistår Ikea med monteringstjänster. Studien baseras på ett rikstäckande avtal som rör all typ av montering av Ikeas sortiment, dock har i denna studie endast monteringen av kök studerats. De förbättringsområden som har identifierats i rapporten har sedan analyserats och diskuterats med hjälp av verktyg från Lean. I rapporten benämns Peab byggservice som tjänsteleverantör och Ikea som leverantör. Syfte: Syftet med arbetet är att effektivisera en byggtjänsteleverantörs processer för att uppnå en ökad lönsamhet. Metod: För att uppnå målet och besvara frågeställningarna har arbetet utförts som en fallstudie av köksprojekt. Kvalitativa intervjuer och dokumentinsamling har använts som metoder och har varit en del av fallstudien. För att inhämta stöd i teorin och metoder som lämpar sig i det aktuella fallet har en litteraturstudie gjorts. För att identifiera slöseri i den befintliga processen har en värdeflödesanalys uppförts, det är ett verktyg från Lean med syfte att synliggöra köer, och andra icke värdeskapande aktiviteter. Resultat: I rapporten har: ● Processen gällande ett köksprojekt kartlagts. ● Olika former av slöseri identifierats. ● Verktyg från Lean analyserats för att minimera slöseri. Detta har lett till förslag på: ● Reducerade ledtider genom kombinerade aktiviteter. ● Kortare processtider genom effektivisering. ● Metoder för långsiktiga lösningar för att på sikt uppnå en effektivare process. Konsekvenser: Utifrån rapportens resultat konstateras möjlighet till förbättring. Slöseri har identifierats och förbättringsåtgärder med hjälp av framtagna teorier bedöms vara möjligt. Begränsningar: Resultatet är kopplat till generella problem och ger förslag på förbättringsarbete i de fall där en entreprenör agerar tjänsteleverantör åt en leverantör. Nyckelord: Processeffektivisering, Lean Production, Slöseri, Värdeflödesanalys.

Da cozinha ao terreiro em Mutamba da Caieira (RN) : cotidiano, espaço doméstico e sociabilidade

In this work we thought about the social use of the domestic space and, specifically, the space destined to the preparation of food. The kitchen is a creative space of social relationships. There the families exchange daily interaction with the neighbors, in a collective of the space reserved to the making of food. Our empiric research was in the Mutamba da Caieira community, located in the county of Assu (RN). The data was collected through the etnographic method aided by the photographic resources. In the discussion, we delimitated at the house three types of kitchens: one reserved to the family, another kitchen in the terrace and yet another kitchen in the yard. They are kitchens that link amongst themselves with activities and differentiated temporalities. In the daily social exchange, the kitchen imposes itself as a social space through the conditions that it offers for the production of the foods, the circulation of domestic objects, the communication of knowledge around the cookery, operating a group of symbolic and ritual actions combined with appropriate techniques for the transformation of the foods. The study reveals that the domestic chores accomplished amon relatives and friends form webs of intracommunitary relationships in the use of the three kitchens, and that the social network is updated in a singular moment that usually happens in the community, the Game of Pacará

Selenium in dysphagic patients who underwent endoscopic gastrostomy for long term enteral feeding

Background and aims - Endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) patients usually present protein-energy malnutrition, but little is known about selenium deficiency. We aimed to assess serum selenium evolution when patients underwent PEG, after 4 and 12 weeks. We also evaluated the evolution of albumin, transferrin and Body Mass Index and the influence of the nature of the underlying disease. Methods - A blood sample was obtained before PEG (T0), after 4 (T1) and 12 (T3) weeks. Selenium was assayed using GFAAS (Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy). The PEG patients were fed through homemade meals. Patients were studied as a whole and divided into two groups: head and neck cancer (HNC) and neurological dysphagia (ND). Results - We assessed 146 patients (89 males), between 21-95 years old: HNC-56; ND-90. Normal values of selenium in 79% (n=115); low albumin in 77, low transferrin in 94, low values for both serum proteins in 66. Low BMI in 78. Selenium has slow evolution, with most patients still displaying normal Selenium at T3 (82%). Serum protein levels increase from T0 to T3, most patients reaching normal values. The nature of the underlying disease is associated with serum proteins but not with selenium. Conclusions - Low serum selenium is uncommon when PEG is performed, after 4 and 12 weeks of enteral feeding and cannot be related with serum proteins levels or dysphagia cause. Enteral nutrition using customized homemade kitchen meals is satisfactory to prevent or correct Selenium deficiency in the majority of PEG patients.

Les stratégies d’exploitation de l’archipel côtier du Labrador : une étude de cas du 18e siècle au site d’Ikkeghasarsuk

La fin du 18e siècle était une période dynamique au Labrador. À cette époque, le phénomène climatique nommé le Petit Âge glaciaire affectait grandement l’étendue de la banquise côtière. L’arrivée des missionnaires et des objets européens enclencha une réorganisation des rôles sociaux chez les Inuits. L’établissement hivernal d’Ikkeghasarsuk, connu sous le code Borden HdCg-23 et le nom de site officiel Koliktalik-6, est composé principalement de deux maisons semi-souterraines construites avant 1776 sur un site dorsétien. La présente étude explore les stratégies d’occupation du territoire par l’analyse des restes fauniques de ces deux maisons. Les espèces de phoques chassées et leurs niches écologiques indiquent que les occupants du site exploitaient surtout les phoques présents dans les eaux libres de glace à l’automne, les phoques annelés au sina l’hiver et les phoques annelés sur la banquise côtière au printemps. Le site d’Ikkeghasarsuk, placé sur une île dénudée et balayée par le vent, aurait permis d’avoir un accès privilégié aux ressources marines diverses, peu importe les conditions climatiques.

Fatores associados e preditores de quedas em idosos domiciliados de acordo com a Classificação Internacional da Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde

Objetivo geral da pesquisa foi identificar os fatores associados e preditivos de quedas em idosos domiciliados em uma cidade do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, considerando as características sociodemográficas e epidemiológicas e utilizando-se de fatores ambientais da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF). Objetivos específicos: identificar as características sociodemográficas e epidemiológicas de idosos domiciliados em uma cidade do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil; descrever os fatores sociodemográficos e epidemiológicos que influenciam nas quedas em idosos domiciliados; Relacionar os fatores ambientais da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde em idosos domiciliados com riscos de quedas. Pesquisa epidemiológica transversal, ocorrida de junho a julho de 2013, com 167 idosos das áreas de abrangência de uma unidade básica de saúde. Critérios de inclusão na pesquisa: ambos os sexos, cadastrados e com residência fixa nas áreas de abrangência de uma unidade básica de saúde. Critérios de exclusão: idosos com alterações cognitivas. Utilizou-se entrevista estruturada com três etapas: levantamento das características dos idosos investigados; questões relacionadas às quedas; informações sobre os fatores ambientais da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde. Os dados foram agrupados para tratamento estatístico/descritivo. A média das idades 71 anos, com desvio padrão de 7,1. A maioria dos idosos era do sexo feminino, casados, com escolaridade de quatro e oito anos, residindo com filhos e companheiro, aposentados e com renda de um salário mínimo. As doenças mais prevalentes foram circulatórias, osteomusculares, e endócrinas e os idosos apresentaram pelo menos uma comorbidade. Dos 167 idosos, 65 caíram nos últimos doze meses, no ambiente domiciliar, com prevalência em: banheiro, cozinha e na rua, sendo as calçadas as mais destacadas. A maior proporção de permanência no chão foi de dez minutos, e a maioria dos idosos, após as quedas, não procuraram os serviços de saúde. Como tratamento para as quedas, obteve-se o não cirúrgico. Quanto à Classificação Internacional da Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde, houve destaque para o uso de medicações como fator influente nas quedas dos idosos domiciliados. Percebe-se a importância de avaliação constante por parte dos profissionais de saúde sobre os idosos caidores e não-caidores, no sentido de identificar os fatores de riscos intrínsecos e extrínsecos para implementar estratégias de prevenção que compreendam reabilitação da força muscular, equilíbrio e capacidade funcional, redução da polifarmácia, educação para o autocuidado e um olhar do enfermeiro voltado para os períodos e locais de maior incidência de quedas, melhorando desta forma a qualidade de vida dos idosos residentes em diferentes contextos. A pesquisa traz como contribuição social um re-olhar acerca do redimensionamento do cuidado à pessoa idosa que teve queda no próprio ambiente, a partir da Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde.

Air fungal contamination in ten hospitals’ food units from Lisbon

A descriptive study was developed to monitor air fungal contamination in ten food units from hospitals. Fifty air samples of 250 litres were collected through impaction method. Samples were collected in food storage facilities, kitchen, food plating, canteen and also, outside premises, since this is the place regarded as reference. Simultaneously, environmental parameters were also monitored, including temperature and relative humidity through the equipment Babouc, LSI Sistems and according to the International Standard ISO 7726.

Assessment of fungal contamination in a Portuguese maternity unit

A descriptive study was developed to monitor air fungal contamination in one Portuguese maternity. Sixty air samples were collected through impaction method. Air sampling was performed in food storage facilities, kitchen, food plating, canteen, pharmacy, sterilization areas, genecology wards, intensive care unit, operating rooms, urgency and also, outside premises, since this was the place regarded as reference. Besides air samples, forty three samples were collected by swabbing the surfaces using a 10 by 10 cm square stencil. Simultaneously, temperature, relative humidity and particles counting (PM10) were registered. Twenty three species of fungi were identified in air, being the two most commonly isolated the genera Penicillium (41,5%) and Cladosporium (28,4%). Regarding yeasts, only Rhodotorula sp. (45,2%), Trichosporon mucoides (51,6%) and Cryptococcus neoformans (3,2%) were found. Thirteen species of fungi were identified in surfaces, being the most frequent the Penicillium genus (91,6%). Concerning yeasts found in surfaces, four species were identified being Rhodotorula sp. (29,1%) the most frequent. There was no coincidence between prevailing genera indoors and outside premises. Moreover, some places presented fungal species different from the ones isolated outside. In the inside environment, Aspergillus species were isolated in air and surfaces. There was no significant relationship (p>0,05) between fungal contamination and the studied environmental variables. Keywords: air, surfaces, fungal contamination, environmental variables, maternity.

Comparison of fungal contamination between hospitals and companies food units

A descriptive study was developed to compare air and surfaces fungal contamination in ten hospitals’ food units and two food units from companies. Fifty air samples of 250 litres through impaction method were collected from hospitals’ food units and 41 swab samples from surfaces were also collected, using a 10 by 10 cm square stencil. Regarding the two companies, ten air samples and eight surface samples were collected. Air and surface samples were collected in food storage facilities, kitchen, food plating and canteen. Outdoor air was also collected since this is the place regarded as a reference. Simultaneously, temperature, relative humidity and meal numbers were registered. Concerning air from hospitals’ food units, 32 fungal species were identified, being the two most commonly isolated genera Penicillium sp.

Estudo de caso: minimização e reúso de água em shopping center da região sul do Brasil

The main issues related to water conservation in urban centers are the increase in water supply cost, demand growth, pollution and differences in the distribution of water resources. Water conservation, the controlled and efficient use of water, includes both measures as reasonable means of water reuse. Thus, conservation practices are an effective way to meet demand and supply water to new activities and users without jeopardizing the supplying water bodies and preserving the natural environment. This study aims to examine the water management of a shopping mall and the use of rainwater harvesting combined with greywater reuse. For buildings in general, water loss is common due to leaks in the hydraulic and restroom equipment. These losses, which are caused by a high volume of water used and wasted in the system, are often the result of design errors, incorrect maintenance procedures and users' bad habits In southern Brazil, where there is rainfall almost all year long, water shortages occasionally occur, particularly in some winter mouths. One difficulty that appears on rainwater studies is the proper determination of rainwater volume that can be used to address water supply systems. In this work, the simulation method was used to determine this volume. Thus, simulations with the following variables: rainfall, catchment area and water consumption were performed. For mall's hydraulic systems, segmented alternatives are adopted. That is, focusing on the use of rainwater or greywater reuse. Other alternatives of effluent reuse have been slightly discussed due to sanitary issues, those are effluents from toilets and kitchen sinks. The adoption of greywater may be feasible if there is a significant flow of greywater to comply water demand for toilet flushing. The inspections made in this study found that the quantity of sinks was insufficient to supply an adequate amount of water to toilets and urinals. The greywater reuse system was found to be infeasible in terms of demand and supply of water. Conversely, the rainwater harvesting system was entirely feasible and easily supplied water to all restrooms and contributed to the cooling of the air conditioning system with a short payback period. One of the challenges of this work was the need to compare the actual water consumption with a water consumption parameter used in buildings. Thus, a method that addresses the generation of specific consumption indexes for specific activity (like a mall) was used. The water consumption indices showed that this mall has a satisfactory water management program.