MA IDS Thesis Projects
Title
Multiethnic Collaboration: Framing Similarities and Differences in the Pursuit of Social Justice through Citizen Mobilization in the United States and Colombia
Date of Award
1-1-2015
Document Type
Restricted Access Thesis
College
College of Theology, Arts, & Sciences
Department
International Development and Service
Degree Name
International Development and Service, MA
First Supervisor
Rev. Dr. Chad D. Lakies
Abstract
This study focuses on multiethnic collaboration as it relates to the pursuit of social justice through citizen mobilization. It aims to identify the elements involved in the process of building multiethnic collaboration and how similarities and differences are navigated to achieve social justice. The analysis collects qualitative, unobtrusive data from archival sources using a historical-comparative methodology. The investigation outlines collaboration patterns currently noted by scholars in the individual areas of social justice, multiethnicity, and citizen mobilization. Those patterns are then combined with the analysis of two historical examples of multiethnic collaboration. The first example presents the collaboration between African-American and Latino activists mobilizing for civil rights in the United States. The second presents the collaboration between Afro-Colombian and Indigenous activists mobilizing for land rights in Colombia. The comparison between the two events reveals 15 elements that influence multiethnic collaboration and gives light to the importance of recognizing both similarities and contextual differences in seeking social justice. As the growth of cross-cultural partnerships are spanning across the world, it becomes increasingly important to understand the relationship of multiethnic collaboration in citizen mobilization, not only to enhance inclusion but to better facilitate the contemporary pursuit of social peace and justice.