Clinton Agresti, University of Puget Sound
Beneath the Sounds: Exploring and Preserving the Music of Community
Mongolia, Ukraine, Ghana, Bolivia
Each traditional musical culture flows from a way of life, deeply rooted in geographical and cultural context. But as globalization advances, the world’s diverse musical traditions are changing and fading, as are the unique worlds that inspire them. I will visit four countries to explore and document a selection of vibrant yet little known musical cultures that carry on in the face of modernization. I will delve into each community by playing its music, and I will strive to promote the preservation of these traditions by publishing or archiving my results.

Roxanna Azari, Wheaton College
Voices Behind the Veil
France, Morocco, Turkey, India, United Arab Emirates
How can one piece of fabric render images of oppression, power, piety and protection all at the same time? More importantly, how do the women behind that fabric feel? I intend to explore the various connotations of the Islamic Veil. I am interested not only in how social, political and historical contexts influence the vast interpretations of veiling but also the intersections of media, tradition and culture. I plan to lead poetry workshops and also film women's stories to bring back a tangible piece of my experiences with the diverse voices behind the veil.

Carina Baskett, Rice University
Exploring and Sharing Nature and Culture through Bilingual Podcasting
Ecuador, Chile, Panama, Spain
Natural history is the observation and description of plants and animals. Despite its importance for ecological theory and conservation, it is a neglected science because comparatively little funding exists for its study. As a lover and avid student of both natural history and radio documentaries, I will study natural history in six distinct ecosystems in four Spanish-speaking countries and create a bilingual podcast to share my ecological and cultural adventures, in the hopes of exciting non-scientists and scientists alike about natural history.

Seth Bergeson, Whitman College
Kids at Play: A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Games and Childhood
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Kenya*, India
I will explore the games children play and what these games reveal about continuities and changes in societies and childhood experiences. In each community I visit, I will observe games and try them out myself, use informal interviews, and volunteer with schools and NGOs working with kids. I will pay particular attention to the effects of ethnicity, class, and gender on the games children play, how they play them, and--importantly--why some do not play them.

Robert Best, Harvey Mudd College
Visions of Green: Eco-Cities and Sustainability Across Cultures
China, United Arab Emirates, Kenya*, United Kingdom, Ireland
I propose to study the cultural and political factors which contribute to sustainability through examination of the challenges of eco-cities. As nations seek methods of reducing their environmental impact in accordance with international treaties, eco-cities are being planned as models for expanded urban sustainability. By studying these utopias, I hope to draw broader conclusions about the role of cultural and social interactions on sustainability initiatives. Combining this with a knowledge of sustainable technologies can help create viable solutions for the future.

Andrey Bilko, Ursinus College
Rebirth of Judaism in the Post-Soviet World
Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Russia
The Soviet Union prohibited all religious practices including Judaism. As Jews were persecuted and discriminated against for almost fifty years, the freedom to practice Judaism openly in the post-Soviet world originated less than twenty years ago with the collapse of the communist regime. I aim to examine the revival of Judaism in the post-Soviet world, by interviewing older and younger generations of Jews about their experiences to better understand the persistence of Jewish cultural and religious identity in the face of oppression.

Simone Biow, Bryn Mawr College
Creative Destruction: How Developing Nations Weather Climate Changes
Bangladesh, Mozambique, Vietnam, Ecuador, Nicaragua
Major global climate changes are profoundly impacting lives all over the developing world: states, NGOs and people in already struggling nations have had to quickly adapt to longer rainy seasons and more severe droughts. I will document the creative responses and modes of resilience that emerge in reaction to various natural disasters. Accordingly, I will travel to regions of the tropics where entire towns appear and disappear with the tide, and where communities ebb and flow with seasons, to discover how people survive, and even thrive, in adverse weather conditions.

Maia Brown, Oberlin College
Sumud with Tzedek: Can Ireland and South Africa Inform Palestine-Israel?
Ireland, South Africa
Ireland and South Africa have become iconic of “conflict resolution.” Their oft-studied political development can overshadow the underlying process of grassroots reconciliation. Inherent in that process are narratives of remembrance and profound reimagining. Working with NGOs focused on reconciliation, I hope to explore their successes and limitations; collaborating and collecting oral histories, I seek to engage with participants’ ongoing understanding of what enables an end to violence—understandings that might be applied to peace initiatives in the Middle East.

Charles Cavness, Middlebury College
Beyond the Bottom Line: A New Definition of Success in Geothermal Energy
Iceland, Australia, China, Japan, Kenya*
Our environment, political security, and economy demand that we generate alternatives to coal and imported hydrocarbons. Entrepreneurs have risen to the challenge by harnessing geothermal energy at every scale. These energy entrepreneurs act for reasons beyond profit—they seek environmental remediation, political stability, and social equity. I aim to resolve my heritage in oil with my environmental idealism. Through researching the successes and failures of entrepreneurs, I hope to answer my deepest personal questions regarding values and motives in business.

Jeanette Charles, Scripps College
Afro-American Voices through a History of People's Literature
Venezuela, Peru, Nicaragua, Martinique, Ecuador
Literature comes in a variety of forms, and its relevance to identity in the Americas is paramount. With this project, I will explore the articulation of Afro-Latino communities and identity through people's poetry, written literature and oral histories in countries where the imposition of "mestizo" identity does not stand as the cultural or social reality throughout the region and its African descended populations.

Lisa Chung, Oberlin College
The Medium and the Message: Mapping Electronic Art Around the Globe
Brazil, China, Japan, Germany, Netherlands
A mixed culture of idealism and skepticism has long surrounded popular views of technology. Yet it is important to remember the human aspect: technology inherently contains the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the people who created it. I intend to spend my Watson year immersed in electronic art, attempting to find out who is actively shaping technology and our experience and perception of it. I plan to find technologically-based artists, participate in sharing artistic ideas, and be an active part of a community that exists both locally and internationally.

Nadim Damluji, Whitman College
Following Tintin’s Footsteps: Reconciling the Charm of Hergé’s Racism
Belgium, France, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, India
I will trace the colonial implications of Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin by reconciling how the comic is both beloved and ultimately racist. First, I will study the cultural impact of Tintin as a beloved European icon. Second, I will retrace Tintin's travels through the "Orient" to see how modern cartoonists in these locations resist Hergé’s Orientalist representation. Through a series of interviews in these five countries I will examine how modern readers make sense of Tintin.

Sarah Ebel, Bowdoin College
In Motion with the Ocean: Environmental Education in Coastal Communities
Belize, Argentina, New Zealand, Tanzania
Oceans connect every region of the world as a living, breathing organism. As fisheries around the world collapse and community economies decline, it is imperative that we promote biological integrity and enhance the valuable ecosystem services the ocean provides us. I will explore the ways coastal communities are implementing experiential environmental education to create solutions to environmental and economic degradation. I will work with NGOs to understand other teaching techniques to increase my knowledge and creativity of curriculum development

Blakeslee Evitt, Davidson College
Making the Jump: Exploring the Evolving Role of Parkour in a Global Context
United Kingdom, Denmark, New Caledonia, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Italy
My project seeks to go beyond the high-flying moves of parkour to search for the philosophy that unites practitioners around the globe. My global tour will encompass a wide spectrum of training environments; urban jungles, forest paths, municipally-funded training facilities, beach-side dunes, and the gritty, “under-developed” neighborhoods that were the birthplace of parkour. While searching for the emerging identity of parkour, I will also investigate why it appeals to people and how best to use the philosophy at the heart of parkour as an agent for social change.

Frederick Franke, Union College
Out of the Kitchen and Into the Fire: Exploring Open-Fire Cooking Methods
South Africa, New Zealand, India, Jamaica, Turkey
People don’t generally like to eat alone; food is a necessity, but it also serves to bring us together, reinforcing and creating social bonds. As a result, food, and even cooking methods reflect cultural identity. I intend to explore the open fire cooking methods—hangi, tandoor, braai, doner kebap, and jerk—in their corresponding countries, finding out how each method draws people together. I will examine more than just the method of cooking, but also the markets, butchers, fishmongers, and farms, to immerse myself in the global society of food.

Shae Frydenlund, Colgate University
The Yarsagumba Effect: Documenting the Ecology of Medicinal Plant Markets
Ecuador, Russia, China, Tanzania, Albania
Yarsagumba is a fungus prized by South Asians and is valued at $1000 per kilo. Every spring, thousands flock to Tibet and Nepal to collect the fungus, which is nearly extinct due to overharvesting. This is not an isolated phenomenon, and during my Watson year, I plan to explore other countries engaged in the medicinal plant trade and investigate the environmental impacts of the demand for valuable plants. I will create a documentary that captures the rich and complex ecologies of medicinal plant markets while promoting sustainability and conservation in the industry.

Taliesin Gilkes-Bower, Bard College
Beats, Bits and Space: Digital Mediation of Youth Voices
Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, Mexico
Around the globe, marginalized young people utilize inexpensive computers to communicate through electronic music. Whereas once the guitar was a common instrument the world over, its role is being supplanted by the personal computer. As a Watson Fellow, I will join the communities creating this music to study their work and to share my own. I will achieve this through collaborative live performance and studio production. In addition, I will observe and explore the urban spaces and social networks that form the context of this music.

Nathan Hall, Berea College
Inspiring Vision for a New World: Rural Economies as Sustainable Pioneers
Argentina, India, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The global community is inextricably linked, both in problems and brave new solutions. We are increasingly more vulnerable to a non-local food network that is poisonous both to ourselves and our environment. Addiction to fossil-based energy is ravaging our landscape while causing irreversible harm to the climate. As a Watson Fellow, I will immerse myself in localized solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. I will enrich my global understanding while gaining a new take on the ills that plague my native coalfield, Appalachia.

Alison Harrington, Wellesley College
Rewriting the Rules: Muslim Women in Policing and Peacekeeping
Turkey, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Bangladesh
The image of a female police officer not only contradicts the traditional domestic role for women in Muslim societies but also challenges the status quo by redefining power and authority itself. I plan to investigate the responsibilities and contributions of policewomen in urban as well as rural communities across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. As a Watson Fellow, I intend to reflect upon my own experience working in law enforcement and hope to better understand the challenges faced by women around the world in entering traditionally male-dominated fields.

Maya Higgins, Scripps College
Islands in Paradise or Islands in Peril? Ecotourism in Fragile Environments
New Zealand, Madagascar, Yap, Ecuador
As conservation trends blossom throughout the world, ecotourism is becoming increasingly popular as a method of encouraging protection of unique species and cultures. Some areas, such as islands, are filled with vulnerable species which are unable to easily adapt to change. In these areas, increased foot traffic from ecotourism may threaten ecological health. I will explore whether ecotourism can serve as a conservation strategy on islands or whether it merely accelerates environmental degradation in these fragile habitats.

Jonathon Jenner, Earlham College
In Search of Responsible Labor: Worker-Owned Firms and Their Communities
Argentina, Spain, Italy, India
In my project, I will examine how worker-owned firms affect social and cultural life beyond the bounds of the workplace in their surrounding communities. I will be looking at relationships with/in the firm, using the lens of responsibility to understand firm-community dynamics. My project will be centered around the question: How is responsibility understood and expressed relationally in worker-owned firms and what does this responsibility 'do'?

Jody Joyner, Colorado College
The Art of Place: Where We Are
United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Canada
How do artists convey visually their perceptions of and connections to the natural world? How does their artwork reflect ways of knowing local geographies? Can art cultivate a sense of place? During my Watson year, I will investigate pre-historic, traditional and contemporary artistic traditions that incorporate nature. Immersed in unique landscapes—from the deserts of Central and Western Australia to the lowlands of the United Kingdom—I hope to better understand how artists respond to the lands they inhabit and how their response reflects their community and culture.

Madeline Kreider Carlson, Haverford College
To Craft a Community: Women's Craft Organizations and Sustainability
Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia
I propose to study the art and socio-economic importance of crafts, exploring women’s craft organizations and the ways they create economic vitality and affect community value systems. I am interested in women’s craft organizations that enact sustainability in multiple ways: by providing equitable livelihood, by sustaining cultural artisan traditions, and by incorporating sustainable materials. By learning crafts, I will grow as an artist, become an inheritor of craft traditions from women across the world, and envision new ways of crafting community.

Skye Lawrence, Bowdoin College
Public Health Projects: Searching for Sustainability
Guatemala, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand, Morocco
Public Health projects frequently fail or never achieve their transformative potential, yet little time or energy is dedicated to studying why. I believe project failure is the result of ignored cultural context, and I plan to test this hypothesis by studying health projects in 5 culturally distinct locations. I hope to discover what role culture plays, how it is included or ignored, and what this means for project success and failure. I ultimately hope to come away with new and creative techniques for ensuring health project success.

Benjamin Lownik, Hendrix College
(**deferral from 2009-2010 Class)
A Revolutionary Vehicle:
How Bicycles Transform Lives Throughout the World
Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, China, Hungary
Transportation not only provides access to our vital needs but facilitates the exploration and transformation of who we are and the world we live in. The bicycle’s simplicity allows it to be easily transformed to meet these needs, and because people’s needs vary tremendously, the ways bicycles are used differ radically. I will explore how bicycles are adapted to address the needs of people in the substantially different socio-economic conditions of Europe, Africa, and Asia to study how bicycles transform people’s lives throughout the world.

Jose Martinez, Williams College
Alienation or Liberation? Migration, Politics, and the Printed Press in Middle Eastern Communities
Jordan, Dubai, Argentina, Chile, Sweden, Holland
The political emotions undergone during migration are an often-ignored element of the difficulties intrinsic to this experience. Aspirations to assimilation in adopted countries are assumed, and loyalty to the new nation-state is indisputable. In response to this vacuum, my project hopes to closely examine the interaction between politics and the printed press in Middle Eastern immigrant communities while mirroring the long journey taken by my ancestors so to better understand the intentions that triggered their life-altering decisions and that of so many others.

James Morton, Union College
Large Format Cargo: Photographing the Shipping Industry
South Korea, Australia, India, Singapore, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
The maritime shipping industry transporting the majority of global trade is essential to our modern economy. Despite being vital to the consumer style in which so many of us live, the industry is rarely given a second thought. My project combines my passions for photography and the sea. I will photograph and explore, using large format color film, the modern merchant trade. I will look at the life cycle of merchant ships from construction, to active use, and to scrapping. I will also explore working ports around the world as well as the surrounding industrial areas.

Lauren Nutter, College of the Atlantic
Voices for the Future: Youth, Passion, and Sustainable Change
Turkey, Mexico, India, Maldives, Netherlands
Today’s decisions, especially irreversible decisions concerning resources and the environment, are vital to the future livelihood of young people. Since it is their future, and since nearly one in five people are between the ages of 15 and 24, youth must be included and empowered in the decision-making process. By focusing on how major international events or significant national initiatives impact youth locally, I will gain an understanding of the catalysts, sustained models, and successful approaches for youth participation in protecting the environment.

Frances O'Connell, University of the South
Girls Who Boof
Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Norway
Following seasons of snowmelt and rainfall across mountainous regions of the globe, I will explore a unique sense of place and community through creek boating, a type of whitewater kayaking specialized for navigating technical headwater creeks. I will explore and document the emerging female presence in the sport and the female experience of creek boating in a male-dominated community.

Timothy Richards, Haverford College
Holistic Environmentalism: Community Approaches to Sustainability
Argentina, Australia, India, New Zealand, Nicaragua, United Kingdom, Thailand
Permaculture communities, ecovillages, and Transition Towns are three types of communities that have emerged as international movements in order to attempt ecologically, economically, socially, and spiritually sustainable lifeways. I will travel to five continents, living in these three types of communities, to study the theory and practice of sustainability in intentional and conventional communities across cultures. I intend to explore the ways in which human life can become more holistically sustainable with respect to environment, economy, society, and self.

Kevin Rowe, Hamilton College
Farm to Table: New World Cities and the Changing Landscapes of Cuisine
Cyprus, India, China, Nicaragua, Chile
More than ingredients and methods of preparation, a cuisine is a body of wisdom for maintaining an enriching harmony with fellow inhabitants and with nature. Every traditional dish tells a story about a human food chain that progresses from farm, to market, kitchen, and table—and, more importantly, about all the human relationships and interactions with nature along the way. I will follow this food chain for one traditional dish in each of five cities, learning how new technology and systems are altering the ways we eat and ways we live together in and around cities.

Jennifer Rusciano, Colgate University
Bittersweet: Exploring the Light and Dark Sides of Cocoa Production
United Kingdom, France, Ghana, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador
Chocolate has long connected communities and cultures. These relationships shape modern cocoa production and, like chocolate itself, have both light and dark sides. Through the Watson year, I will explore how the ideas and values of consumers, manufacturers, and organizations in the developed world impact the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities in the developing world. These effects are revealed in the ways cocoa is produced, the health of communities who grow it, and in the flavors of the chocolate itself.

Anson Stewart, Swarthmore College
School Bus Migrations: Recycling Transit in the Global South
Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil
I plan to investigate the use of buses and jitneys purchased used from the United States and Europe. A complex set of economic relations and environmental policies has led to a global southward migration of used buses and minibuses. I aim to achieve a deeper understanding of how the reuse of these vehicles relates to personal mobility, urban form, global sustainability, and environmental justice.

Andrew Terwilliger, Carleton College
Silk and Bamboo: Chinese Music in Diaspora
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan
I will continue my lifelong passion for playing in musical ensembles by joining musicians of the Chinese tradition in East Asia. By playing with these groups, as I learn to play in each tradition, I will discover firsthand the differences between each. To fully understand the musical environment of each location, I will learn from both nonprofessional Silk and Bamboo ensembles and professional musicians and will contrast the repertoire, musical styles, and group dynamics of each country.

Nathan Thomas, Hendrix College
Educational Prosperity: Cultural Education in Four Metropolitan Schools
India, South Africa, Australia, Finland
Educational institutions create students who are prosperous not only in academics but also in character. On my Watson year I will visit Currambena Primary School in Sydney, Australia; Grove School in Cape Town, South Africa; Arabia Comprehensive School in Helsinki, Finland; and Bokaro Elementary in New Delhi, India. All of the schools are public primary schools in major metropolitan areas, and each has established an educational philosophy that broadens its academic focus, and is renowned for capitalizing on its educational culture.

Filippos Rodger Tsakiris, Grinnell College
No Island is an Island: An Alternative Approach to Global Sustainability
Bahamas, United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden, Maldives, New Zealand
Island communities worldwide are threatened by their limited physical resources, small populations, need to import staples, and rising sea levels. Given their nature, however, they can serve as scaled-down models of our “island in space,” offering valuable insights into global sustainability. In an attempt to ensure the sustainability of my own small Mediterranean island, Chios, I will visit island communities that have innovatively adapted to their environmental challenges.

Max Wall, Hamilton College
Preserving Cultures: Exploring Fermented Foodways
Ghana, India, France
Traditional methods of fermentation are important nutritionally and culturally. By working alongside people who ferment using traditional techniques, I will explore why people ferment their food and how communities create, negotiate, and sustain cultural identity through fermentation. I will also investigate what motivates people to employ techniques that rely more on industrial and technological systems. I hope to gain a clearer understanding of the consequences produced by our choice of fermentation techniques.

Corey Watts, Williams College
No One to the Rescue: The Experience of Emergencies
Peru, Ethiopia, South Africa, Turkey
I will engage with people from different societies through the universal context of emergencies. Beginning in each country with contacts in emergency services in a major city, and subsequently exploring rural areas where such services scarcely exist, this project draws on my experiences as a firefighter, EMT, and wilderness ranger. I’ll ask questions about the universal experience of emergency situations as a window into personal and cultural concepts of life, death, risk, responsibility, and community.

Alex Winter, Lawrence University
Video Game Culture Studies in East Asia
Korea, China, Japan
I will visit three East Asian countries which celebrate the video game community in the mainstream much as we do athletic sports. I will spend my time studying cyber athleticism, performance, economics and addiction in places where they are exceptionally visible: internet cafes, game centers, arenas and conventions. My time will be spent immersing in the culture, performing observational studies and interviews whenever possible.

Liana Woskie, Wesleyan University
Bringing Primary Healthcare Home: The Community Health Worker
Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Tanzania, Lesotho
Community Health Workers (CHWs) are able to act as bridge between patients and biomedical care. When successful, they can be an effective and vital part of health provision systems; they have the unique ability to reach populations that have been deemed medically unreachable. However, their success varies across cultures and program models. During my Wanderjahr, I would like to gain an understanding of what resources and structures are necessary to make a CHW both be and feel successful in reaching their patients comprehensively and effectively.

Alternates, listed in alphabetical order:

Christian Anayas, Reed College
Food On The Move: A Global Gastronomic Ethnography
India, Ghana, Spain, Brazil, Vietnam
Rice, black pepper, chocolate, coffee and olive oil seem to be staples of a well-stocked pantry. But how can uncovering the stories of these products and the people who produced them provide insight into how people across the globe are connected? As a Watson Fellow I will travel as a commodity coursing through the streams of production and distribution. I will seek to better understand individuals’ differing perspectives on food as they are shaped by their position in the global food system and to challenge my own assumptions about food and the world.

Rebecca Fowler, University of the South
Eden Again: The Serpent's Lure
Australia, Honduras, Brazil, Bolivia
I will travel across hot spots of biological diversity teeming with exotic and rare herpetofauna. My route follows not only the warm seasons ideally suited to "field herping," but the habitats and ranges of the snakes in my personal collection. As I observe these majestic creatures in the wild, I will gain an understanding of their ecological and cultural niche as I seek to establish my own place within the global herpetocultural community.

Saila Huusko, Middlebury College
So That Your Children May Live in Peace: Women as Peace Builders
Israel*, Cyprus, Uganda, Liberia, Argentina, Guatemala
The impact of violent national and regional conflict on women is distinct, and reaches beyond victimhood. Yet we rarely hear women’s visions on how to effect change. On my Watson project, I will visit communities that have been ravaged by cultural and political conflict to study women’s perspectives on peace work. Through interviews, photos and writing, I will compare narratives to sketch a global portrait of the female peace activist. I will explore the roles women play in peace building, how women in different cultures envision peace, and why it matters.

Margaret Longley, College of the Atlantic
Weapons, Weeds, and Waste: Exploring Anthropogenic Pollution and Health
Costa Rica, Ghana, Ukraine, Russia, Canada
Anthropogenic pollutant-related disease is found universally throughout human societies and ecosystems, yet some communities bear greater burdens of risk. I will engage and learn from those affected by industrial anthropogenic pollution and explore how polluting technologies impact human health and the environment. I want to understand to what degree the health-risks associated with anthropogenic pollution are balanced with benefits of modern industry and to what degree those risks are borne by those with muted voices in distant lands.

Benjamin Mirin, Carleton College
How to Play in an Evolving Tradition: Learning the Cultures of Flamenco
Spain, Morocco, Argentina
As a Watson Fellow, I will travel where Flamenco’s essential musical and cultural traditions are still nourished and developed. By playing with local groups and masters, I will learn how local players’ influences on the music are changing with Flamenco’s assimilation into the international music scene. Using the universal language of the guitar, I will learn to interpret Flamenco as they do, investigating how we as musicians of different backgrounds can jointly treat an evolving tradition.

*Travel to this country is permitted only if the U. S. State Department lifts its travel warning.