Kirwan Institute Brown Bag - May 2009
May 15, 2009 - Racial/Ethnic Intermixing in Urban Residential Space: From Metro to Local: A Mixed Method Approach
By Madhuri Sharma, graduate research associate in the Geography Department
(Presentation material - 2.8MB .pdf file)
This research examines patterns and processes of changing racial/ethnic intermixing in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (49) and census tracts (2 MSAs), and underlying reasons. Racial/ethnic categories include African American, American Indian, Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic. Intermixing is calibrated by Theil’s Entropy index that treats all five groups simultaneously, and at different scales of geography by producing measures of an MSA’s diversity (Diversity Score) and its level of intermixing (Entropy). For phases one and two, Entropy Index serves as a dependent variable in regression analyses, wherein independent variables include demographic, socio-economic, and built-environment characteristics. In the third phase, emphasis is on analyzing primary data collected through household surveys, open ended interviews, and focus groups with households in Columbus and Milwaukee. This helps in expanding the newly published framework of Market-Led Pluralism from a household perspective – by assessing the influences of contemporary housing market elements on their decision making process. Findings suggest that all MSAs have become more intermixed, and MSAs that lagged in racial/ethnic intermixing in 1990 experienced the greatest change during 1990-2000. Considering housing market elements, household perspectives suggest that while there is substantial decline in discriminatory practices, there are subtle ways in which realtors impose their ideas on consumers. Realtors sometimes make assumptions about consumer choices based upon the color of their skin. Market-makers often tend to steer people into bad mortgages through aggressive lending practices. Concerning the influence of developers/builders, findings suggested by Market-Led Pluralism fair well from household perspectives too. Also, class is increasingly gaining in significance in explaining segregation patterns.
Madhuri Sharma is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Geography, currently working as a graduate research associate at Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) and the Department of Geography. She has a Master’s in Geography from The Ohio State University, a Master’s in Rural Development from Xavier Institute of Social Service, India, and a Bachelor of Science (Physics Honors) from Utkal University, India. Sharma’s broader research interests include understanding patterns and processes of racial/ethnic residential intermixing, poverty, and inequality. At CURA, she provides assistance with data analysis and research work on various projects that deal with changing dynamics of residential intermixing. She uses mixed-method approaches such as statistical analysis of census data, qualitative tools such as surveys, open ended interviews, focus groups, etc. to conduct this research. She is writing her dissertation and plans to graduate in summer of 2009.
May 22, 2009 - Seed Governance, Food and Farming in Turkey
By Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Geography Department
Developments in agriculture over the last fifty years, mainly due to patterns of industrial agriculture and the Green Revolution, have brought significant increases in global food production. Yet the challenge of ensuring everyone can eat sustainably and well still exists. Combined with the effects of various international negotiations in trade, environment, agriculture, and intellectual property that govern the ownership and control of genetic resources, the future role of hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers in meeting this challenge remains unclear. By addressing legislation changes that affect smallholders’ access to seeds in Turkey, I will address conservation-development (more food) tension.
Nurcan Atalan-Helicke is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Geography. Her research interests include political ecology, agricultural biodiversity and farmers’ livelihoods, the neoliberal state, and Turkey. She has worked several years in the environment and development sectors for non-profit organizations in Turkey, and in projects for rural communities, children, and marginal urban communities.
May 29, 2009 - A Brownbag Workshop: Talking About Race Constructively in ‘Real Life’ Situations
By Stephen Menendian, research associate-law, and Cheryl Staats, research assistant, both from the Kirwan Institute
Talking about race can be a daunting task; even those of us who are well equipped to do so may occasionally feel inadequate or ineffective. Yet as Kirwan Institute representatives and adherents to the Kirwan mission and vision of “reframing the way that we talk about, think about and act on race and ethnicity,” the imperative to talk about race constructively in a variety of contexts is magnified. In this interactive Brownbag workshop, participants will practice talking about race constructively by addressing fictitious ‘real life’ situations that arise beyond the walls of Kirwan. This collaborative exercise is intended to help us all become more comfortable addressing race in situations where the audience may hold dissimilar views.
Stephen Menendian works as a senior legal research associate for the Kirwan Institute. His work involves analysis and advocacy around civil rights, human rights, anti-discrimination law, and citizenship. Stephen is a licensed attorney and a proud member of the Ohio Bar. He received his Juris Doctorate from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ohio University.
Cheryl Staats is a research assistant at the Kirwan Institute. She provides research support for a variety of projects, most notably a recent project that explored alliance-building efforts between African American and immigrant communities. Cheryl has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Dayton and a Master of Arts in Sociology from The Ohio State University.
All sessions will be held in room 423 Mendenhall Laboratory at noon.
For more information, please contact Elsadig Elsheikh.
