Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100428

This digital collection includes theses and dissertations from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Due to departmental name changes, materials from the following historical department are also included here: Foreign Languages, Foreign Languages and Literatures.

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Open Access
An analysis of the developing se passive construction with a por-phrase
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Rauch, Jacwylyn Laci, author; Delahunty, Gerald, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; Berry, Nancy, committee member
This research proposes to characterize a particular type of se construction as a developing se passive construction with a por-phrase and attempts to address what linguistic niche it inhabits. The construction addressed has an argument as its subject that is the patient of the clause and a por-phrase that contains either an instrument or an agent that contributes to the event denoted by the verb phrase. In this paper, I give an overview of the different se constructions, followed by a discussion of voice. Next, I review literature on the passive and adopt a working characterization of the Spanish passive. I then look at development of the passive over time and the constraints typically associated it. For this research, I use a corpus to get a data set of fifty entries that I analyze qualitatively and compare using simple percentages. Those data entries are then analyzed using three separate analysis tools that were adapted from Hopper and Thompson's transitivity categorization and Dowty's Proto-Agent Properties. Those tools allow me to develop theories on the niche that the developing se passive with a por-phrase inhabits with respect to the periphrastic passive. This research suggests that the developing se passive construction with the por-phrase fills some gaps left by the periphrastic passive. For that reason, it does not seem unlikely that the developing se passive construction with a por-phrase will become more common over time. Whether or not it will become a part of every variety is yet to be seen, but at the very least it is becoming a part of some varieties.
Open Access
Basura del mundo, La: cambio social, distopía y consumo en las novelas futuristas Waslala y Zombie
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Losada-Carballares, María, author; Esch, Sophie, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee member
The yearning to find utopia is a feeling shared by humanity for centuries. Science fiction and futuristic novels –such as Waslala, memorial del futuro by Gioconda Belli and Zombie by Mike Wilson- have been some of the most prominent literary genres to portray that longing. However, most of the novels focus their narrative on dystopias. Both Waslala and Zombie use dystopian elements to portray the present –or past- with the goal of making dystopias disappear in the future. In this essay, the intent is to analyze the representation of dystopia in these futuristic novels, as well as to show how some characters have the ability to build micro-utopias in unfavorable surroundings. Firstly, I will explain why I do not consider Waslala and Zombie to be science fiction novels –a genre in which science and technology are the main elements that maintain the narrative- and are futuristic novels instead. I will also explore the motivation of finding a utopia. In Waslala it starts with the construction of a Latin American identity, as well as with the elimination of impositions from the North and from local dictatorships. In Zombie, on the other hand, some characters are able to build their own utopias thanks to the perception of what surrounds them. However, the depiction of dystopias is what characterizes both novels, especially through the imposition of northern capitalism on the Global South. Consumerism stands out among those capitalist impositions; Wilson criticizes it through the figure of the zombie and Belli denounces it through the representation of Engracia's landfill, for consumerism produces large amounts of garbage, which is sent to the Global South to secure the North's comfort. The authors are therefore providing a social critique, and also appeal to the readers to change their current situation and behavior.
Open Access
Caricature et censure du dessin politique en France: ou le rôle de la liberté d'expression au sein des médias français de la révolution à l'affaire des caricatures de Mahomet
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Henry, Nicolas Christian, author; Malpezzi Price, Paola, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, committee member; Margolf, Diane, committee member
The goal of this thesis is to analyze the various changes that led France to become a true democracy by allowing its citizens to express themselves freely. Through social, political, and judicial battles, France successfully gained the right to self-expression without fearing the consequences of potential censorship. However, the war for freedom was never completely acquired. I will emphasize the most notorious cases in which the press was silenced by the censors. I will especially insist on the most modern example with defied French justice. I will provide a historical analysis to understand what led to a unique trial that ignited so much controversy. I will conclude that the legislative and democratic solution reflects the very principles of an independent and egalitarian society.
Open Access
Comida y los orishas de Santería, La: alimentando el bienestar de los creyentes
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Ellis, Riley, author; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, advisor; Suárez-García, José Luis, committee member; Snodgrass, Jeffrey, committee member
This thesis addresses the interconnections between food, religious myths of the deities, called orishas, and well-being in Cuba, demonstrated through the ritualistic practices of Santería, specifically in La Habana. A parallel exists between the mythological world of the orishas and our own world, a relationship of give and take. Upon investigating the relation between ceremonial food, the mythological appetites of the orishas, and the practice of Santería in Cuba, I discovered a correlation between the nourishment of the orishas and the strengthening of believer´s well-being. This work focuses on Ochún, Yemayá, Changó and Orula, as they were the deities mentioned most frequently during my visit to the island. The methodology consists of the use of two disciplines: a literary analysis of Natalia Bolívar Arosteguí joined with an anthropologic investigation, incorporating ethnography via participant observation and formal interviews. The theoretic framework finds its base in the study of mythology by Roland Barthes, the culinary triangle of Claude Lévi-Strauss, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of food consumption and relevant literature concerning subjective well-being, such as Ed Diener. What I argue is needed is an ethnographically informed exploration of the culinary identity of Cuban Santería, framing it as a source of well-being.
Open Access
Comparación razonada de 4 ediciones del Diario del Che en Bolivia
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Mortenson, Adriana Arguedas, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Purdy, Andrea, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; VanBuren, Mary, committee member
The Bolivian diaries of Che Guevara was first published in Havana, Cuba on July 1st 1968, and up to this day there has been several editions in Spanish as well as other languages. As a result of its distribution, Latin America was captivated by its content and it inspired many authors to write about the historical and political events that surrounded it. Some have written in favor of Che while others wrote against his Bolivian guerrilla. Likewise, one can find many theoretical analyses of the manuscript, as well as different arguments as to why the document represents the fall and/or victory of Che Guevara. Nevertheless, its literal content was never questioned once the authenticity of the text was proven, and everybody assumed that no modifications had been introduced between the first Cuban edition and the subsequent publications. The main objective of the present study is to contrast and compare four different editions of the Diary, published in different years and locations, in order to evaluate the differences between them, and to asses whether the editorials stayed true to the Cuban publication, as they have claimed, or if they made any changes (from spelling to formatting). Based on the findings, three main categories were created to indicate their nature: 1) grammatical (punctuation, spelling and agreement); 2) differences that affect the content (omissions and additions); and, 3) footnotes (similarities, differences and missing data). This thesis backs up the necessity to produce a new publication of the Bolivian Diaries of Che Guevara that should be a trustworthy edition of the manuscript, and should contain updated footnotes with explanatory information. The methodology used for this study, comes from the following four editions: 1) Instituto del libro cubano (ICL); 2) the Chilean magazine Punto Final (PF); 3) editorial Siglo XXI (XXI) from Mexico City; and 4) the compilation from the Bolivian Carlos Soria Galvarro (SG). The closest source to the original manuscript was used as the base for the comparison, mainly the Cuban edition ICL, however, whenever possible, photocopies of the original manuscript included in ICL and SG were used. The publication by the newspaper El Diario from La Paz, Bolivia, on July 12th, 1968 was used for the 13 missing pages or dates. In order to keep track of the variances, a table was created for each category and for each day during the 11 months of guerrilla, where the changes where marked in bold letters to help the differentiation.
Open Access
Construcción de la identidad sexual en la novela y película "El Beso de la Mujer Araña"
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Mayora Soldevilla, Milia, author; Valerio-Holguín, Fernando, advisor; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Velasco, Marcela, committee member
Kiss of the Spider is one of the most studied novels of Latin American literature since its publication. Its wide acceptance among readers and critics encouraged Héctor Babenco to adapt the novel into a film that would win many international awards. Despite these awards, the adaptation has not been studied as thoroughly as the novel, which is why in this work I will try to study which elements from the novel Babenco deleted when adapting it into the movie and what he chose to replace them with. It is intended, first, to study the construction of Molina's sexual identity in the novel and discuss the oppositions of male/female, masculinity/femininity, etc., and, then, to see how Babenco does it in the film, because it deletes one of the main elements of the novel that allows the construction of sexual identity: the bolero. Second, I will discuss the possible double meaning of one of the elements that Babenco chooses to replace. Considering that the political situation in which both the novel and the movie were created was similar, he makes a political statement and complaint.
Embargo
Decodificando la salud mental: effective Spanish communication and cultural understanding in a therapy session with the Hispanic community
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) García Faúndez, Catalina, author; Miller De Rutté, Alyssia, advisor; Velazquez-Castillo, Maura, committee member; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, committee member
This project addresses the need for linguistic and cultural competence between U.S. mental health providers and Spanish-speaking clients. There is an increasing need for mental health providers to conduct therapy sessions in Spanish, but there is a lack of programs that train these professionals to provide successful sessions. This project presents results from a language needs analysis that was conducted to determine the linguistic and cultural needs required to have therapy sessions in Spanish. Data was triangulated using different methods and sources, including on-site therapy session observations, a survey for Spanish-speaking university students, a survey for graduate students studying psychology, and interviews with both mental health providers and Spanish-speaking community members. The results show the language tasks and functions and the cultural components and considerations necessary to interact successfully in Spanish in the context of mental health. This project illuminates the urgent need for a comprehensive Spanish program for mental health professionals. This research aims to start bridging the language and cultural gap for Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. when they access mental health services.
Open Access
El teatro de los siglos de oro y sus influencias temáticas en El esclavo del demonio de Antonio Mira de Amescua
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Despain, Elisabeth, author; Suárez García, José Luis, advisor; Leal, Francisco, committee member; Ehlers-Zavala, Fabiola P., committee member
The daily life of the Spanish golden age, with its history, society, and socioeconomic problems, presents itself in a particular genre of theater produced during this era. The Baroque theater breaks the Aristotle formula used until this time, and defines the Spanish comedy as the voice of the people. Antonio Mira de Amescua's El esclavo del demonio is a clear representation of this style. It addresses the topics of honor and religion, two popular topics among the Spanish people during the Baroque period, through the ancient theme of selling your soul to the devil. This topic has been used in literature at different times, including Goethe's Faust two centuries later. El esclavo del demonio has the polished form and content for the Baroque literature enthusiast.
Open Access
El voseo in los medios de comunicacion, el cine y la literatura de Guatemala
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Tricola, J. Makenzie, author; Velázquez-Castillo, Maura, advisor; Correa, Maite, committee member; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, committee member
The voseo, that is, the use of the pronoun vos and its corresponding verb forms for the second person singular in Spanish, has been the subject of a large number of studies. Its use varies according to the region or country studied. In Guatemala, there appears to exist a special situation where the decision of which pronoun to use (usted, tú or vos) depends, in part, on the gender of the speaker and the interlocutor. In spite of this interesting situation, the voseo in Guatemala has not received sufficient attention. In fact, only two previous studies on the current situation of the voseo in Guatemala exist. These two studies are based on surveys with small numbers of participants. These surveys do not necessarily reveal the everyday uses of address forms and furthermore, the numbers of participants are too small to be able to generalize the results of these studies. Therefore, in the present study, I analyze the uses of the voseo in communication media (written and oral) cinema and literature in Guatemala with the objective of establishing the contexts in which the voseo appears and how it is represented, and with a focus on the factors of gender and linguistic register, and the two scales closeness/distance and hierarchy/equality. The four main conclusions of the present study are: (1) There exists a diglossia in which the voseo is part of the system of address in everyday speech but not in the formal register. For this reason, the voseo appears most in contexts which represent everyday interactions. (2) The voseo has masculine connotations. (3) The voseo is used in various types of relationships determined by the factors of closeness/distance and hierarchy/equality, but in all of the contexts in which it appears, it serves to reduce the social distance between the interlocutors.
Open Access
Examining listening skills of diplomatic French as foreign language learners: an angle for languages for specific purposes
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Zecher, Eryth, author; Grim, Frédérique, advisor; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, advisor; Becker, Anthony, committee member; Brazile, William, committee member; Vogl, Mary, committee member
Listening comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are closely intertwined. Vocabulary knowledge (size) has been found to be a strong predictor of successful listening comprehension even when listening is done under adverse conditions. Previous research has focused on advanced proficiency, or native level listeners. This study aims to fill a research gap by studying the improvements to listening comprehension in speech-shaped noise of ten intermediate level French as foreign language learners enrolled at French courses at an American university. This study focuses on whether a 4-hour instruction on diplomatic French vocabulary terms, using a background speech-shaped noise presented at a +5dB signal-to-noise ratio would increase the comprehensibility of unfamiliar accented speech, from nine different speakers in intermediate level learners of French as a foreign language. The results show that intermediate level listeners improved their listening comprehension skills, and that vocabulary training was the most important factor. Findings also show that intermediate-level listeners can adapt to unfamiliar accented speech, and that the listeners can be taught advanced-level vocabulary when it is presented as language for specific purposes and under adverse listening conditions.
Open Access
Hacia una poética emancipadora: la creación del future nuevo en la obra poética de Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo y Miguel Hernández
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Devlin, Colin, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; Velasco, Marcela, committee member
This work has as its goal the investigation of the intersection where literature and politics crosses. This space is thought provoking because it represents a new function for art, an art that instead of concerning itself with the representation of beauty and what can be considered "good", it arms itself with a political end. This is to say, this literature tries to perturb the reality that defines the lives of the marginalized populations. Using the political philosophy of Jacques Rancière, a politics that can be defined by its activity instead of its passivity, as well as an introduction to the relationships within being, doing and saying, I argue that the political poems about the Spanish Civil War found in the work of Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo and Miguel Hernández succeed in being called political poetry. I advance that these poems, for having portrayed reality through a new language and for being militarized poetry, introduce a new relationship in what is implied by being a political poet.
Open Access
Histoire à travers identité et mémoire dans Ce que le jour doit à la nuit de Yasmina Khadra
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Benkamla, Amina, author; Vogl, Mary, advisor; Hirchi, Mohammed, committee member; Duffy, Andrea, committee member
The purpose of this research is to demonstrate how history can be represented in literary fiction by providing the example of the Francophone Algerian novel What the Day Owes the Night. Published in 2008, Yasmina Khadra's novel inscribes itself in the literary history of the novelists who wrote on the troubled past of France and Algeria. Fictional literature has been a way to lift the veil on France's colonial past in Algeria and has given a voice to those whose lives have been impacted by the war. By combining historical research and literary analysis, I have been able to identify two prominent concepts in Khadra's work: identity and memory. The question of identity is omnipresent and the different characters represent the different populations involved during the conflict. Identity is strongly linked to the characters' memory of the war and French and Algerian collective memories reflect in the characters themselves.
Open Access
Historias del Kronen: análisis de las diferencias argumentales entre la novela y la adaptación cinematográfica, y su impacto en la recepción
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Mena Molina, Sofía Margarita, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee member
This research paper has the purpose to analyze the literary work of Stories from the Kronen (1994) from José Ángel Mañas, as well as to create a more in-depth search of the topic using the film adaptation by director Montxo Armendáriz (1995) in which Mañas participates in the creation of the plot. This collaboration generates changes in the final product, some of such changes caused the novel to be far apart from the film, and some others reinforce the novel in a strategic way. In order to succeed in the analysis, it is necessary to establish a historical, sociological, political, and psychological frame. And to this end, it will be discussed the phenomenon of the Transition, the Disenchantment, the "pasotismo", the Spanish "Movida", the Generation X, the racism, the migration, and the misogyny of the Spain represented in Stories from the Kronen.
Open Access
Hochbegabte kinder - das unterdrückte genie -- was treibt Hans Giebenrath unter das rad?: eine neuere perspektive zu Herman Hesses Unterm Rad, in bezug auf die idee ,das lernen als strafe'
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Riggs, Kaysha, author; Hughes, Jolyon, advisor; Kirby, Rachel, committee member; Hulpke, Alexander, committee member
The current discussion on Hermann Hesse's 1906 book, Unterm Rad, leaves many open-ended questions. Because the storyline so closely follows Hermann Hesse's personal biography, it obfuscates his authorial intentions and makes it difficult for scholars to differentiate between the two. Many critics also claim that the correlations between Unterm Rad's protagonist, Hans Giebenrath, and Hesse's personal life have actually stagnated later research about the book, as discussions always circle back to Hesse's personal struggles in the Prussian school system. This thesis, although acknowledging the similarities to Hesse's personal timeline, aims to frame the book in historical context in order to discuss its importance in a literary context. This thesis begins by analyzing the norm of educational methods in the early nineteenth century, and establishes that they are strongly based on a long tradition of child rearing by using force. This can be traced back to some accounts from 1752, and are based on a history of bourgeois childrearing. The headmaster and pastor's treatment of Hans in Unterm Rad clearly demonstrate the force and suppression of new ideas, used as modes of teaching to ensure students conformed to societal norms: this is historically reconcilable. Hesse's fictional story is thus the ideal basis for an analysis of childrearing methods used during that time. In order to effectively introduce a new perspective on the discussion, this paper uses the New Historicism approach and begins with Roland Barthes's theory of authorial intention. It analyses the text within the constraints of The Death of the Author, and continues with Michel Foucault's What is an Author? The goal is to evaluate what Unterm Rad says about the child rearing at the turn of the century in southern Germany, particularly for gifted children, and how it can be applied to what is already known from a historical standpoint. This idea is then applied from Hans Giebenrath's point of view to German psychologist Katharina Rutschky's concept of "Schwarze Pädagogik" or "Black Pedagogy" and her theories of suppression. This idea is further supplemented by Alice Millers research on childrearing, in relation to Hans's experience at the school in Maulbronn.
Open Access
Honor, la honra y la Iglesia, El: el caso de la opresión de las mujeres castellanas de los siglos XII y XIII
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Alvarado Xospa, Courtney Milia, author; del Mar López-Cabrales, Maria, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; DeMirjyn, Maricela, committee member
One cannot underestimate the impact that the 12th and 13th centuries had on the Castilian women of that time, and those of the future. Already considered dangerous and as a source of wickedness, various changes and events during those same centuries subjugated them even more. Under patriarchal and ecclesiastic control, women were immobilized without the possibility of being liberated until many centuries after. Within the changes and events that supplemented this oppression, those that stand out are the consolidation of the canonical judicial texts, the strengthening of the Church's power, the conversion of marriage into a sacrament, and the peak of Marianism. As slaves within their gender roles and the chastity honor code, created and maintained by the Castilian Monarch and the Catholic Church, married women lived in a discouraging world. It's time to shed light on their case and the forces that oppressed them to reveal the processes that managed to dominate them.
Open Access
Imaginario y silencios en la literatura sobre tres paramilitares líderes de las "Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia" (la autobiografía de Carlos Castaño, la biografía de Salvatore Mancuso y la novela sobre Rodrigo Tovar Pupo)
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Jiménez Alfonso, Camilo Alberto, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; López, Maria del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee member
In this paper I analyze three books an autobiography, Mi confesión: Carlos Castaño revela sus secretos; a biography, Salvatore Mancuso su vida; and a novel, Líbranos del bien. Each one of them tells the life of one of the bosses of the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia, an organization that coordinated many paramilitary groups in Colombia. The questions of this investigation are: What images do these books create about the figure of the paramilitary whose life is narrated? And what image do those books create about the paramilitary group as a phenomenon? The main claim of this work is that the three books present an indulgent image of both the character and the phenomenon. On one hand, the three books justify in one way or another the existence of the paramilitary groups; on the other hand, all of them emphasize the human aspect of the characters and reduce their crimes. Two of these books are directly related with a political discussion that was born around the demobilization process of the paramilitary groups related with the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia between 2002 and 2006. One of the main points of this discussion was to establish if the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia was an armed criminal organization or a political organization, and for this reason this thesis should be framed in a wider context, with the use of literature as an ideological vehicle.
Open Access
Implementación de las bellas artes en la enseñanza de segundas lenguas, La
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Dorado-Budia, Manuel, author; Suárez-García, José Luis, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; Prince, Eric, committee member
Throughout the late decades of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century, the concept of how a language should be taught has changed significantly in response to different aspects of it, and it paying special attention to the various needs of each individual in class. In an era in which learning and teaching theory are urging the educational community the integration of different academic disciplines, it is not surprising that the role of fine and performing arts in language learning appears as a key and innovative reason to engage our students in the classroom. It is, therefore, the result of the combination between language and the arts that matters, applying the knowledge of a language to the culture that radiates each of the artistic disciplines, so that students, not only learn the linguistic and grammatical elements but also are capable to know and understand cultural aspects in a transverse way, develop creativity and open their minds to a new world. For all these reasons, the interest of this thesis lies in being aware of which are the connections between the use of artistic areas and the acquisition of a second language, as well as the benefits of its use in language teaching, obtaining better and more satisfactory results.
Open Access
Imposición identitaria durante el Franquismo y la Transición en las novelas de Rosa Montero
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Cabañes-Martínez, Aintzane, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Leal, Francisco, committee member; Yarrington, Doug, committee member
Despite the considerable critical reception that Rosa Montero's journalist work has achieved, her novels have not been received with equitable acceptance by critics. One of the main reasons why her novels have not been equally valued is that their study is very limited. Thus, most of the analyses that have been published about the novels of the Spanish novelist are focused on examining aspects that are connected to feminism. The present study is aimed to analyze the identity conflict that the characters of some of Rosa Montero's novels develop. In order to do so, the framework that Vanessa Knights establishes in her book The Search for Identity in the Narrative of Rosa Montero will be expanded from being centered in the search for identity in women to the search for identity in the individual. The analyzes will build a direct connection between the construction of identity and the historical and social context in which the novels that are going to be analyzed are framed, since it is my opinion that the previous studies have not paid enough attention to the influence of the context. This is why, apart from making reference to the identity theories upon which the study will be based, the present work also examines the implications that the history and context have in the construction of identity. Due to the fact that the characters of the analyzed novels are influenced by two main periods -the Francoist dictatorship and the Transition together with the first years of the Spanish democracy-, the analysis has been divided in two main sections: the novels that deal with the past -Bella y oscura and La hija del caníbal-, and those that deal with the present -Crónica del desamor, Te trataré como a una reina y Amado amo. This research proposes that the novels break with the traditional conceptions of identity as static to promote a fluid and constantly changing conception.
Open Access
Justicia ambiental en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial y su realidad pos-petróleo
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Spence, Laura Elizabeth, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Lopez-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Saagás, Ernesto, committee member
After gaining its independence from Spain in 1968 and the subsequent discovery of some of the largest offshore oil reserves in Africa in 1995, the socioeconomic reality of Equatorial Guinea has transformed dramatically in the past decades. Once considered an economically stagnant and politically corrupt country, today the Equatoguinean economy is categorized as one of the fastest growing in the world. Yet in spite of all these changes —that initially seem positive— the current political powers have perpetuated a state structure that hinders the great majority of the country’s population, creating a state of environmental injustice in which the Equatoguinean people suffer the consequences of the exploitation of their natural resources without the opportunity to benefit from the positive development that the hydrocarbon industry brings to the nation’s economy. The present investigation focuses on the factors that have contributed to this imbalance between social and economic sectors in Equatorial Guinea, and also how this “negative development” has affected the reality and identity of the nation’s people in modern times. This work will also highlight the evolution of the servile relationship between the Equatoguinean government, other international political entities, and the transnational oil corporations that have established themselves in the region, with special attention to the indifference that they have shown for the overall welfare of the Equatoguinean people. To conclude, I will consider the country’s possible future socioeconomic trajectory in light of all of this information, focusing primarily on its overall relevance in the field of Environmental Justice.
Open Access
La crise de la Francite: une critique de la langue Francaise, l'etat et l'identite nationale a travers les siecles
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Passie, Kris Allen, author; Vogl, Mary B., 1967-, advisor; Malpezzi-Price, Paola, 1948-, committee member; Browne, Katherine E., 1953-, committee member
This paper deals with the contemporary issues related to French national identity and suggests that they have reached a socio-cultural crisis. It traces the development of French nationalism and the factors that have determined it over the course of the past four centuries. Through an historical lens, the findings suggest that the fortification and increased centralization of the State apparatus coupled with carefully orchestrated state-sanctioned programs pointed at language development have largely been responsible for the construction of the contemporary French nation state entity, its value structure and assertions of uniqueness and singularity. The study follows the historical trajectory of France as it became an icon of the modern era through its leading role in the Enlightenment, its colonial pursuits and domestic nation building efforts. Taking the position that the present can only be understood by a thorough unearthing of the past, this paper holds that current socio-cultural problems in France related to immigration, regional identities and assertions of a threatened national culture are best understood through a holistic archeology of the French national entity.