Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Alternative Title

• Changing Meanings, Changing Locations

Abstract

• In this study, I complete in-depth qualitative interviews to understand the gender dynamics of female Kachin Baptist refugees at a Denver metro area community center from their time in Myanmar to their acculturation in the United States. This study aims to see if gender norms or practices change, and if so, by which mechanisms or processes causes persistence or change. Additionally, I am to understand how the perspective of masculinity is defined within an American and Burmese context. I discover that gender practices as a whole do not change greatly, but rather, the norms and value systems of the respondents do change, as motivated by gender egalitarian structures in the United States and church structures as a whole. Masculinity is viewed as a system of power, protection, and strength by the respondents. Relevant mechanisms of change and persistence are discussed, such as patriarchal church structures, refugee status, familial structures, and gender egalitarianism within the context of the church. I also discuss relevant findings from other similar research studies in an effort to show similarities in mechanistic behaviors. These findings can be utilized by a non-governmental organization or other support agencies to build programming and support for their arriving communities in aiding for their acculturation processes.

Creator

• Bajcar, Spencer

Date Awarded

• 2020-04-20

Academic Affiliation

• Sociology

Advisor

• Rinaldo, Rachel Ann

Committee Member

• Hunter, Lori Mae
• Fischer, Kate

Granting Institution

• University of Colorado Boulder

Subject

• kachin
• burmese
• myanmar
• sociology
• dramaturgy
• performativity
• migration
• baptist
• religion
• immigrant
• gender
• dynamics
• refugee
• Denver

Publisher

• University of Colorado Boulder

Last Modified

• 2020-05-05

Resource Type

• Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Rights Statement

• In Copyright

Language

• English [eng]

Citation

• Bajcar, Spencer. "Changing Meanings, Changing Locations: An Investigation into the Meanings of Gender in Female Kachin Baptist Refugees at a Denver Metro Community Center." Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Colorado Boulder.

Relationships

In Collection:

• Arts and Sciences Honors Program

Items

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