International Development Studies Graduate Theses
This collection features MA theses completed in the department of International Development Studies (IDS) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. For program details on the MA in IDS please see the departmental website.
Recent Submissions
-
The Cuban Recipe for Food Sovereignty: Investigating the contextual variables that shape Cuba’s cuisine and food culture
This thesis investigates the linkages and contradictions between Food Sovereignty and Slow Food’s principles within Cuba. The Cuban food system is influenced by external factors including the US embargo, broader international ... -
LEARNING LESSONS THROUGH EXPERIENCES WITH DISASTERS: Exploring Institutional Memory-Building and the Informing of Disaster Relief in Nova Scotia and Beyond
This thesis explores the central research question: how are lessons learned from experiences with disasters? Based on three case studies detailing Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office’s experiences responding to the ... -
BORDER TRANSGRESSIONS AS A FORM OF SURVIVAL FOR THE DOWNTRODDEN ZIMBABWEANS: THE CASE OF BEITBRIDGE BORDER POST, 2000 – 2020
The economic meltdown in Zimbabwe forced many people to engage in informal livelihood pursuits. This thesis documents the dynamics of informal cross-border trade and extends a justified contextualisation of this phenomenon ... -
A DIFFICULT LINE TO WALK: NGO AND LGBTQ+ REFUGEE EXPERIENCES WITH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN CANADA
This thesis project explores the uses of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) between SOGIE asylum seekers and refugees in Canada and Canadian NGOs who work with these populations. Based on interviews, this ... -
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT IN CANADA’S OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE: GAPS BETWEEN THEORY, POLICY AND PRACTICE 1970-2019
The main argument of this thesis is that the gaps in the practice of equality have limited Canada’s capability to transform inequality. The research is What are the policy gaps and problems weakening Canada’s transformative ... -
Disaster Preparedness and Response in Cuba: The Impact of Solidarity on Disaster Management
This thesis examines Cuba’s disaster response and preparedness measures. The central research question asks: Is Cuba’s disaster management model effective in protecting and enhancing the livelihoods of its citizens? Following ... -
Looking to the Future with the Burdens of the Past: Exploring the Systems of Mental Health Treatment for War-Affected Youth in Northern Uganda
Conflict-related trauma is linked intrinsically to mental health. This reality remains ever-present in Northern Uganda, as war-affected youth continue to suffer from the lingering effects of the LRA insurgency. With ... -
COMMUNICATING DEVELOPMENT: EXAMINING THE TENSIONS BETWEEN EFFECTIVENESS AND ETHICS IN THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NGOS
Over the last two decades, development scholars and communication practitioners have become increasingly aware of the relevance of communications in marketing development issues, as well as the influence these approaches ... -
Enacting Change: Theatre for Development and Former Child Soldiers
Enacting Change investigated if Theatre be used to activate Psychological processes to change attitudes toward child soldier reintegration and post-conflict community reconciliation. Twenty Lord’s Resistance Army returnees ... -
THE HURDLES OF MEDIATING WITH HUMANITARIAN LENS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY AND DEVELOPMENT’S FAILED SOUTH SUDAN 2015 PEACE AGREEMENT
This thesis examines IGAD humanitarian focused mediation in the South Sudanese conflict that blames the warring parties entirely for failing to end the war. It particularly looks at mediation strategies deployed by IGAD ... -
Grassroots Peacebuilding in Colombia: Layers of Peacebuilding and Their Intersections
This thesis discusses the role of grassroots organizations in peacebuilding at multiple levels of society. It also examines the challenges and potential of elite-level peacebuilding, looking specifically at the case of ... -
Empowering Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Training Programs Targeting Women Farmers in Uganda
Wakiso District in Uganda is undergoing rapid urbanization which is disrupting traditional agricultural livelihoods. As land and other resources become increasingly scarce, farmers are turning to urban agriculture techniques ... -
The Pains of Labour: How the Commodification of Nursing is Costing the Lives of Mothers in the Philippines
The Philippines, as the largest exporter of nurses, faces challenges in its own maternal health needs. The Philippines has enormous capacity to train nurses, yet few ever care for maternal health needs in domestic communities ... -
GENDER DYNAMICS BETWEEN INTIMATE-PARTNER BUSINESS OWNERS. A CASE STUDY OF COPRENEUR AND SOLO ENTREPRENEUR SPOUSES IN UGANDA.
Despite being a unique category of family businesses, intimate-partner business owners, such as copreneurs and solo entrepreneurs are under-investigated - especially in the Global south. This thesis looks how gender relations ... -
National Food Security in Cuba: By What Means?
Using data retrieved from the FAO’s food database (FAOSTAT), food security is calculated in Cuba as the annual average recommended daily dietary needs (RDDNs) consumed from imported and domestically grown foods. Domestically ... -
Best Practices for Human Rights Education in Atlantic Canada
The purpose of this thesis is to determine the best practice for human rights education (HRE) in Atlantic Canada. Through secondary data collection and analysis, this thesis also explores if HRE should be implemented in a ... -
STRATEGIES TO TACKLE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN CUBA: COMMUNITY-LEVEL EFFORTS AND CHALLENGES
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is the most prevailing form of Violence Against Women (VAW). Due to this common occurrence, it is essential to develop effective measures to combat IPV. Through field research conducted in ... -
Violence Against Refugee Women and Mitigation Programs: Highlighting the Perspectives of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Refugee women and girls are among those most vulnerable to violence. This thesis examines how Syrian refugees view efforts to prevent and address such violence in their host community. Through interviews with both NGO staff ... -
Decolonizing Childbirth: Inuit Midwifery and the Return of Delivery to the Canadian North
Since the 1970s, the mandatory evacuation of Inuit women to southern Canada for hospitalized childbirth has resulted in many negative impacts on communities including a loss of culture in the form of traditional knowledge ... -
Understanding Ecologies: Post-Conflict Service Provision and the Resilience of Children Born in Captivity
The conflict in northern Uganda often provokes images similar to those in the 2012 viral video of a warlord abducting young children and forcibly recruiting them to battle in a civil war. While these images helped to garner ...