Papers by sebahattin ziyanak
Research in social sciences and technology, Feb 3, 2024
Great Plains Research- University of Nebraska, 2024
This study employs qualitative fieldwork experiences to assess the role of Native American prince... more This study employs qualitative fieldwork experiences to assess the role of Native American princess pageants in maintaining tribal cultures and Native American identity. We first defined and described the term “princess” and the institution that is the Native American princess pageant. After completing an extensive literature review of beauty contests, Native American culture, Native American history, and Native American pageants, we developed seven themes and seven subthemes accounting for the role of the Native American princess pageant in the maintenance of tribal cultures. We employed participant observation to collect data over 28 hours of activities related to the public 2022 Miss Indian World pageant and the Gathering of Nations powwow, which included the introduction of the pageant contestants and crowning of the 2022 Miss Indian World. We focused on performances of culture and verbal depictions of culture. Our findings aligned with the seven themes and seven subthemes derived from our literature review and supported the role of the Native American princess pageant in maintenance of tribal and pantribal cultures.
Media Viewing, Child Development and Policy Implications: The Impact of Covid-19, 2022
The issue of media use among the young children is a hot topic for child development professional... more The issue of media use among the young children is a hot topic for child development professionals and parents due to the controversies over media usage. For some families, the use of electronic media such as TV shows, cartoons, applications designed for mobile devices, or child-friendly mobile devices are important learning tools, while for some others it is a no-no for their parenting approaches (Rideout & Hamel, 2006). As the opposition from both parties rises, whether the use of media should be limited or not even allowed for children under two-year of age as American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) recommend, and the number of electronic media viewing sources increase every day, the families become more and more concerned about electronic media exposure in the early years of development for the children and possible effects later in life.
The Native American Contest Powwow: Cultural Tethering Theory, 2021
The first author, Aicinena, worked with Native American students from 1979–1986 at Crownpoint Hig... more The first author, Aicinena, worked with Native American students from 1979–1986 at Crownpoint High School in New Mexico as a biology, earth science, and physical education teacher. Aicinena also coached the sports of football, track and field, basketball, and volleyball during his tenure. Aicinena is married to a member of the Navajo Nation who worked with him at Crownpoint. Crownpoint is located on Navajo owned lands and Aicinena developed an interest in Native cultures while there. It was clear to Aicinena that although his athletes practiced and competed hard, there was still a palatable difference between what guided their behaviors and competitive attitudes and those which he held as a competitive high school and collegiate athlete. Aicinena attributed the differences to a variance in cultural values. Rather than recoil against the differences, Aicinena accepted them. His experiences with Native American athletes served as the present study’s genesis. The second author, Ziyanak, has published several papers in the areas of culture and acculturation. As Ziyanak was raised outside the United States, the prospect of the current study was of great interest to him and the project falls within his primary research interests. Because interdisciplinary research is of interest to both authors, we agreed to work together. Since Ziyanak did not have personal experience with Native American groups, he was able to provide an additional level of objectivity for reexamining methodological and analytical research procedures. Ziyanak also served to ensure that ethical standards of research were adhered to.
Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies
Discrimination is still a prominent and widely faced issue on college campuses across the United ... more Discrimination is still a prominent and widely faced issue on college campuses across the United States, especially regarding gender and sexuality. In this research, we utilized autoethnography as a pedagogical methodology to illustrate and understand students’ experiences in the college environment, such as feelings of invisibility, isolation, being unsafe, danger, and unaccepted. This study explores the use of autoethnography to improve campus environments and analyzes perception changes within autoethnography as they relate to gender and sexuality. Data were collected from 146 students in SOC 3010 Social Inequality in the Fall of 2019 and Spring of 2020 courses at Utah State University. Participants were asked to write a term paper in which the provided topics included gender, sexuality, religion, race, and mental health. We used content analysis to evaluate the students’ submissions, which included themes such as exposure to people of different genders, limited perspective, lear...
Fluid transport can be improved by nanoparticles when they help stimulate a reservoir's rheol... more Fluid transport can be improved by nanoparticles when they help stimulate a reservoir's rheological properties, which involve flow, viscosity, and permeability, among other parameters. First, this work reviews the literature regarding nanotechnology in the oil and gas sector. Then, it examines a few potential nanoparticle applications that have shown varying degrees of potential to improve colloid transport mechanisms in porous media. This list includes, but is not limited to, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, silver, silicon dioxide, pyroelectric nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes, all of which help stimulate a reservoir, which in turn leads to better fluid transport and an enhanced rate of recovery. The authors find that, compared to a baseline scenario that applies no nanotechnology, silicon dioxide, also known as silica, offers interesting advantages when used in laboratory settings. For example, in the case of low permeability limestones, silica helped transport fluids through the fractured rock at a better rate than without nanoparticles. Similarly, aluminum oxide shows the potential to improve rheological and filtration features inside a reservoir, stabilizing the flow of material from a well. Despite the high promise, however, it is still an early stage for field applications, where only a few trials for the use of nanoparticles have been experimented with, especially in porous media. Nanotechnology has become a favorite topic of research across many disciplines. This work is one of the first to offer a comprehensive look at the literature on nanoparticles in the oil and gas industry while also reviewing the applications of different ultrafine elements and their potential for future research endeavors in reservoir optimization and fluid transport in porous media.
Readers of the related literature are confused about the various descriptions of the transnationa... more Readers of the related literature are confused about the various descriptions of the transnationalism phenomena. The main question they seek to answer is “Can every immigrant be categorized as a transnational immigrant?” This paper critically discusses different approaches concerning immigrant transnationalism. This paper aims to define the terms immigrant transnationalism, transnational migrant and the transnational community. This paper specifically focused on the extent to which studies of transnationalism challenge the existing concepts and theories of international migration. In order to address these issues, transnational ideology is examined in terms of the dynamics of transnationalism. This paper also provides in depth insight as to how transnationalism is different from other concepts described in the history of migration
Teaching Sociology
This article explores the outcomes of using community-engaged learning in a sustainability-focuse... more This article explores the outcomes of using community-engaged learning in a sustainability-focused social sciences research course titled Methods of Social Research. The integrated components of the course were designed to teach students about the research process while addressing sustainability issues at Utah State University. Throughout the course, students learned how to collect, analyze, and interpret data; work in research teams; write a grant; and write and present a final research paper. Student sustainability surveys and the final course evaluation were used to analyze student learning outcomes. We found that students demonstrated increased confidence in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and an improved effectiveness and enjoyment in working in teams toward a final product. Students also exhibited their knowledge of small- and large-scale sustainability challenges as well as a decisiveness in answering questions related to sustainability. These outcomes resulted i...
This book focuses on the sociological dynamics of two of the most important Turkish immigration w... more This book focuses on the sociological dynamics of two of the most important Turkish immigration waves to the United States. It describes the wave of early Turkish immigration during the early 19th century and the most recent from the late 20th century. Although a few historians have studied the topic (Karpat, 1985; Acehan, 2005; Micallef, 2004; and Akcapar, 2009), this study utilizes extant international migration and adaptation theories to explore issues related to Turkish immigration to the United States and the outcome explains Turkish immigration to the United States from a distinctly sociological point of view. This book also enlightens the concepts of identity formation across Turkish American generations and analyzes vital distinctions between first and second generation immigrants with regard to their acculturation. Moreover, this book contributes to discussions on cultural tourism, international business relations, and the cultural market. In addition to that, the meaning o...
During the last two decades the re_emergence of homelessness as a salient social problem has draw... more During the last two decades the re_emergence of homelessness as a salient social problem has drawn the attention of many scholars and policy makers. In this study I emphasize the importance of grass roots organizations that help the homeless and show the difference that such organizations can make. Specifically, this thesis develops the general knowledge of grassroots organizations using the case of Crossroad, a Houston-based organization established in 2001 as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. Crossroad helps homeless people to attain better opportunities. In particular, the Crossroad organization provides services, including meals, hygiene, counseling, medical services etc. Utilizing a case study approach with extensive ethnographic observations and interviews, I collected information from homeless people and service providers who volunteer at Crossroad. The data were derived from my field observations from Fall 2004 to Fall 2006. In addition, I try to understand to what extent...
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Tennessean newspaper The City Paper and its reade... more The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Tennessean newspaper The City Paper and its readers ’ comments frame the coverage of the Kurdish Pride Gang. This study observes how news coverage regarding the Kurdish Pride Gang (KPG) influences reader’s opinions in Nashville, Tennessee. This research focuses on how readers vary in their interpretation of news coverage of the KPG in the newspaper. A single article can generate many unique interpretations. This research does not suggest that the news coverage directly causes racist attitudes. Conversely, this study examines the trigger effects of news coverage, including the construction of readers’ interpretation of the news. Moreover, this study tests how news coverage about the Kurdish Pride Gang is constructed in media coverage. In this regard, the theory symbolic interactionism is applied to study interpretation of media coverage among the individuals. Content analysis technique is employed to analyze data and in addition, coding...
The proposed study contributes to our understanding of social bonding theory’s explanatory power ... more The proposed study contributes to our understanding of social bonding theory’s explanatory power among Kurdish teenagers by focusing on its applications in a non-western, Turkish Islamic society. There is no literature testing the relationship between social bonding theory and delinquency among Kurdish teenagers. Involvement in minor delinquency is dependent variable for this research project. Findings suggest a strong relationship between the Gülen movement and Kurdish adolescents’ probability of involvement in minor delinquent activities. Several directions for future research on Hirschi’s social bonding theory are recommended and some implications are drawn for deterring Kurdish adolescents from becoming involved in delinquent actions.
Frontiers in Sociology, 2021
Reproductive hardship is highly stigmatized, which leads to such struggles being relegated to the... more Reproductive hardship is highly stigmatized, which leads to such struggles being relegated to the private sphere. At the same time, numerous studies show links between toxic chemicals and reproductive hardship including miscarriage, infertility, and birth defects. There thus exists a disconnection between structural contributors to reproductive challenges and the fact that such hardship is frequently viewed as a personal problem. Considering this tension, this qualitative study sought to examine how women who had both experienced reproductive difficulty and lived proximal to hydraulic fracturing operations made sense of their experiences. Analysis revealed that participants emphasized hydraulic fracturing as economically essential at the same time that they tended to minimize fracking as a potential contributor to reproductive hardship.
European Review Of Applied Sociology, 2017
Immigration studies still investigate immigrants’ offspring and later generations’ socioeconomic ... more Immigration studies still investigate immigrants’ offspring and later generations’ socioeconomic upward and downward motilities. When it comes to early Turkish immigrants, there is an unfilled “missing link” from a sociological point of view. This study explores early Turkish immigrants’ adaptation experiences in the United Sates through qualitative triangulation and the methods of observation. This article utilizes “Straight-line theory”, “decline theory”, and “segmented assimilation to expound early Turkish immigrants’ adaptation experiences in the United States. Drawing on archival documents next to meetings with immigrants’ off springs, this study finds evidence that immigration occurred during the second wave to the United States from Europe, among Turks from Anatolia and Rumelia and they successfully adapted their new social environment. Rather, the findings provide novel evidence on the role of religious view and their social interaction. When seeking early Turks’ socio educa...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
At the core of the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) debate is the level of perceived risk involved... more At the core of the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) debate is the level of perceived risk involved with extractive industries, such as the release of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, increased population growth, and truck traffic. However, industry supporters of fracking acclaim the benefits of oil and gas drilling, such as energy independence and economic gains. In this study, we examine the perceived impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on community health and well-being based on interviews with anti-fracking activists in Denton, Texas who were active in the “anti-fracking” community organization, Frack Free Denton (FFD). Emergent from the interviews, we discuss the socio-psychological stressors these community members experienced following the introduction of hydraulic fracturing in the region. Some of the major socio-psychological impacts included perceived physical health risks through anxiety surrounding toxins and carcinogens that may be released through this process. P...
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Papers by sebahattin ziyanak