In collaboration with Dr. Piekielek in the Sociology and Anthropology department at Southern Oregon University we worked on a literature review of digital anthropological resources. This literature review encompasses articles from ethnographic methodology to a review of fandoms in digital spaces. This is important because this literature review is being used as the first part of a larger project as a senior capstone where I will conduct a multi-sited digital ethnography into the “My Little Pony” roleplaying community. All this literature will be synthesized in a way that fits in line with preparations for this ethnography and informs what the outline and parameters of the larger project will be.

The Lincoln Park neighborhood in El Paso, Texas served as the foundation for what is now a living museum of murals dedicated to Chicano culture and identity. Previous work has focused on urbanization and the effects of freeway construction. My work will draw parallels between the Chicano parks of San Diego and El Paso, using an ethnohistorical analysis to determine the entities that played a role in creating the space and those that continue to play a role in maintaining the park’s significance to a Chicano sense of identity. I aim to examine the significance of Lincoln Park and its respective history as has been defined. I will utilize primary and secondary sources to analyze the park’s significance in constructing and reflecting the fluidity of Chicano identity within its spatial boundaries. The data that will be analyzed includes primary sources such as approximately thirty murals, artists, and site visits. I will engage in formal analysis of artworks to trace expressive culture and the use of symbolic language. The foundation of my research includes archival holdings at Benson Latin American Studies and Collections Library and the Harry Ransom Center. Murals that Speak will provide a greater understanding of how and why space was taken and reclaimed to both create and reinforce Chicano culture within the park. By tracing the creation of Chicano space, culture, and identity through public murals and the use of landscape, I will also contribute to continuant efforts to preserve these murals and places of belonging.

The rise of digital globalization via social media has helped spawn a new appreciation for African culture within the Western media landscape in the last 10 years. Young African immigrants and second-generation Africans are a growing population—having risen from 800,000 to 4.6 million since 1980—particularly impacted by these African images and discourses' current relevance in the social media landscape. This study aims to discover how second-generation Africans interact with popular online images of African identity to uncover how it reflects their own cultural connection. The subjects integral to this project will be second-generation Africans aged 18-22, as this demographic actively participates in African-centric social media trends as both consumers and producers. Our grounded theory analysis will include 10-15 in-person interviews with African youth at local African cultural organizations in a 4-year university and a comprehensive media analysis of recurring African-centric trends/dialogue based on those interviews. I anticipate that these children of African immigrants will discuss turning to social media to circumvent the lack of accurate representation of African culture. Alongside feelings of confusion regarding their Black American and African identities— themes of reclamation, newfound pride, and acceptance may also be present. Overall, exploring Western social media's popular cultural messaging and its impact on Africans in the West will advance discussions of media, culture, and identity across racial-geographic lines.