Lucumí (Yoruba) Culture in Cuba: A Reevaluation (1830S -1940s)

The status, roles, and interactions of three dominant African ethnic groups and their descendants in Cuba significantly influenced the island’s cubanidad (national identity): the Lucumís (Yoruba), the Congos (Bantú speakers from Central West Africa), and the Carabalís (from the region of Calabar). These three groups, enslaved on the island, coexisted, each group confronting obstacles that threatened their way of life and cultural identities. Through covert resistance, cultural appropriation, and accommodation, all three, but especially the Lucumís, laid deep roots in the nineteenth century that came to fruition in the twentieth. During the early 1900s, Cuba confronted numerous pressures, internal and external. Under the pretense of a quest for national identity and modernity, Afro-Cubans and African cultures and religion came under political, social, and intellectual attack. Race was an undeniable element in these conflicts. While all three groups were oppressed equally, only the Lucumís fought back, contesting accusations of backwardness, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and brujería (witchcraft), exaggerated by the sensationalistic media, often with the police’s and legal system’s complicity. Unlike the covert character of earlier epochs’ responses to oppression, in the twentieth century Lucumí resistance was overt and outspoken, publically refuting the accusations levied against African religions. Although these struggles had unintended consequences for the Lucumís, they gave birth to cubanidad’s African component. With the help of Fernando Ortiz, the Lucumí were situated at the pinnacle of a hierarchical pyramid, stratifying African religious complexes based on civilizational advancement, but at a costly price. Social ascent denigrated Lucumí religion to the status of folklore, depriving it of its status as a bona fide religious complex. To the present, Lucumí religious descendants, in Cuba and, after 1959, in many other areas of the world, are still contesting this contradiction in terms: an elevated downgrade.

Violência conjugal percebida por um menor em contexto familiar e suas consequências psicossociais

A violência como fenómeno social e familiar, não é um problema atual, desde sempre esteve presente, sendo que a sua exposição apresenta diferentes intensidades em diferentes momentos da sua evolução. Como fenómeno mundial, percorreu todas as culturas, etnias, tipos de economia e regimes políticos (Sagim, 2003). O objectivo da presente investigação é a violência conjugal percebida por um menor em contexto familiar e suas consequências psicossociais: estudo de caso. Método: A metodologia escolhida é qualitativa e é designada por naturalista. O método utilizado foi o estudo de caso e a recolha de dados foi a entrevista (semi-estruturada) e fez-se a descodificação desta através da análise de conteúdo, que foi organizada em várias categorias . Instrumentos: Questionário sócio demográficos (filha); Guião de Entrevista para adultos(mãe), semi-estruturada; Entrevista Clínica Semi–Estruturada (SCICA);A Escala de Sinalização do Ambiente Natural Infantil (S.A.N.I.); O teste projectivo Pata Negra de Corman (filha). Participantes: R de 12 anos de idade, sexo feminino, caucasiana, possui o 9º ano de escolaridade Resultados: Verificou-se que R tem uma boa capacidade de coping e resolução de problemas, indo do encontro referido por alguns autores nos meus estudos, sendo que noutros não se enquadra no perfil defendido pela literatura. Referindo segundo o DSM-5, R apresenta alguma sintomatologia clínica como a ansiedade de separação, revelando insegurança e medo da perda dos afetos por parte dos progenitores. Conclusão: : Concluiu-se ainda que alguns estudos referem que nem todas as crianças expostas à violência intrafamiliar responderão negativamente, uma vez que a presença de fatores de proteção tèm um papel fundamental. Entre estes, o ambiente escolar, o relacionamento com a vizinhança e o suporte advindo de demais membros familiares, entre outros (Sani, 2008).

African-Americans in Iowa, February 2016

To recall and celebrate the positive contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week beginning on Feb. 12, 1926. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month.

Latinos in Iowa, September 2016

Statistical snapshot and demographic profile of Iowa's Latino population in Census statistics.

Asian/Pacific Americans Strategic Plan 2013-2014, September 2013

Strategic Plan for Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Methods of earth building in the Huila Province, Angola

In Angola, the construction made of raw earth is a cultural heritage widely used by low income households, representing over 80% of the population [1, 3]. In Huila province is evident construction in raw earth in a large scale, either in urban or in periurban and rural areas. The construction methods follow the ancestral standards, distributed throughout the region of Huila, being built by the several ethnic groups. Among the construction techniques in earth, stand out: the adobe, wattle-and-daub and more recently on CEB (Compressed Earth Block). The type of soil used to make the adobes is mainly silty-clayed sand [1]. The most applied materials are: rods, reeds, wood, grass, straw, soil and stone, almost with the same characteristics [2]. The manufacture of adobe, consists essentially in mixing clay and grass (plant fibers), then put the mixture inside a wooden mold, having a size of 42 cm long and 18 cm high and taking three to four days to dry and be applied in housing construction. The application of these materials makes the construction less expensive because they are collected, transformed and applied by the owner himself of housing without any project, based only on the result of the practice and experience acquired from their ancestors. They are simple constructions, presenting a typology of grouped and isolated single-family housing, ranging between 2 and 3 bedrooms [2]. The construction techniques used in such small housings have positive environmental aspects, both as regards the materials employed, such as the manner in which the constructions are raised, showing special concerns for the quality improvement of them, as regards the resistance, durability and comfort [4].

“Biomarkers in a One Health perspective: current knowledge of their ability to merge human and animal health

Biomarkers are nowadays essential tools to be one step ahead for fighting disease, enabling an enhanced focus on disease prevention and on the probability of its occurrence. Research in a multidisciplinary approach has been an important step towards the repeated discovery of new biomarkers. Biomarkers are defined as biochemical measurable indicators of the presence of disease or as indicators for monitoring disease progression. Currently, biomarkers have been used in several domains such as oncology, neurology, cardiovascular, inflammatory and respiratory disease, and several endocrinopathies. Bridging biomarkers in a One Health perspective has been proven useful in almost all of these domains. In oncology, humans and animals are found to be subject to the same environmental and genetic predisposing factors: examples include the existence of mutations in BR-CA1 gene predisposing to breast cancer, both in human and dogs, with increased prevalence in certain dog breeds and human ethnic groups. Also, breast feeding frequency and duration has been related to a decreased risk of breast cancer in women and bitches. When it comes to infectious diseases, this parallelism is prone to be even more important, for as much as 75% of all emerging diseases are believed to be zoonotic. Examples of successful use of biomarkers have been found in several zoonotic diseases such as Ebola, dengue, leptospirosis or West Nile virus infections. Acute Phase Proteins (APPs) have been used for quite some time as biomarkers of inflammatory conditions. These have been used in human health but also in the veterinary field such as in mastitis evaluation and PRRS (porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome) diagnosis. Advantages rely on the fact that these biomarkers can be much easier to assess than other conventional disease diagnostic approaches (example: measured in easy to collect saliva samples). Another domain in which biomarkers have been essential is food safety: the possibility to measure exposure to chemical contaminants or other biohazards present in the food chain, which are sometimes analytical challenges due to their low bioavailability in body fluids, is nowadays a major breakthrough. Finally, biomarkers are considered the key to provide more personalized therapies, with more efficient outcomes and fewer side effects. This approach is expected to be the correct path to follow also in veterinary medicine, in the near future.

“Endogamia y exogamia en la sociedad colonial cartaginesa, 1738-1821”

ResumenEstudio sobre los patrones de matrimonio en la ciudad de Cartago, Costa Rica, en el período 1738-1821. El análisis de los matrimonios endogámicos y exogámicos permite explicar el proceso de mestizaje y el crecimiento diferencial de diferentes grupos étnicos que habitaban en la capital colonial.AbstractA study on marriage patterns in the city of Cartago, Costa Rica, from 1738 to 1821. The discussion of endodagamous and exogamus marriages helps explain the process of racial mixture and the differential growth of ethnic groups inhabiting of colonial capital.

"Ancestry, gender and language - The role of culture in economic development"

This thesis is a combination of research questions in development economics and economics of culture, with an emphasis on the role of ancestry, gender and language policies in shaping inequality of opportunities and socio-economic outcomes across different segments of a society. The first chapter shows both theoretically and empirically that heterogeneity in risk attitudes can be traced to the ethnic origins and ancestral way of living. In particular, I construct a measure of historical nomadism at the ethnicity level and link it to contemporary individual-level data on various proxies of risk attitudes. I exploit exogenous variation in biodiversity to build a novel instrument for nomadism: distance to domestication points. I find that descendants of ethnic groups that historically practiced nomadism (i) are more willing to take risks, (ii) value security less, and (iii) have riskier health behavior. The second chapter evaluates the nature of a trade-off between the advantages of female labor participation and the positive effects of female education. This work exploits a triple difference identification strategy relying on exogenous spike in cotton price and spatial variation in suitability for cotton, and split sample analyses based on the exogenous allocation of land contracts. Results show that gender differences in parental investments in patriarchal societies can be reinforced by the type of agricultural activity, while positive economic shocks may further exacerbate this bias, additionally crowding out higher possibilities to invest in female education. The third chapter brings novel evidence of the role of the language policy in building national sentiments, affecting educational and occupational choices. Here I focus on the case of Uzbekistan and estimate the effects of exposure to the Latin alphabet on informational literacy, education and career choices. I show that alphabet change affects people's informational literacy and the formation of certain educational and labour market trends.

Gender, age and ethnic aspects of analgesia in acute abdominal pain: is analgesia even across the groups?

Numerous studies have shown differences in pain perception between men and women, which may affect pain management strategies.

Tobacco use among U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups : African Americans, American Indians and Alaska natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics : a report of the Surgeon General.

Shipping list no.: 98-0250-P.

Who cares about human relations? A selective and critical bibliography deeply concerned with the human relations of family, community, ethnic, and racial groups, religion, education, business, and industry.

Mode of access: Internet.