Date of Award
1-1-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Richard Clemmer-Smith
Keywords
Neo-liberal, Non-profit, Political economy, Social capital, Urban agriculture
Abstract
In 2013, a non-profit, Re:Vision, established the Ubuntu Farm to work with the local Somali Bantu refugee population. It was supposed to improve access to fresh produce, offer educational opportunities, skill training and more. Early on in 2014, it became clear Re:Vision was not delivering on its promises, and by 2015 the farm had ceased to exist. Using participant observation, interviews with farm participants and staff and a review of publicly accessible financial documents, I argue that Re:Vision maintained a conflict of mission, which contributed to their farms' failings, despite their ability to grow plenty of vegetables. From there, I attempt to identify which shortcomings were singular to Re:Vision and which were influenced by neo-liberal governance. My findings suggest that non-profits often have to choose between serving funders and their target communities. This choice can disadvantage the community, while the non-profit reaps the benefits of association with wealthy foundations and donors.
Recommended Citation
Pang, Raymond Alexander, "Crafting Local Food Narratives with Immigrant Voices: Participatory Ethnography Among Somali Bantu Farmers in West Denver" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1407.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1407
Provenance
Recieved from ProQuest
Rights holder
Raymond Alexander Pang
File size
143 p.
Copyright date
2018
File format
application/pdf
Language
en
Discipline
Cultural anthropology
Comments
Copyright is held by the author.