AbstractsAnthropology

As globalizations sweeps across the globe into places and communities that are tucked into hidden locations, like Sembalun - a rural village resting below Mt. Rinjani - development and change crash in. Rural poor communities and villages similar to Sembalun are caught up in a wave of dramatic change that comes in so quickly there is hardly any time to think and then respond. The exterior forces pressuring communities to change and to develop, which does not leave the community members with agency. Therefore, this thesis is introducing and explaining a new research method that will help both the researcher understand the communitys interest, concerns and needs, while providing the community members with a development tool that will aid communities with communication in regards to the concerns or interests of the community and the individuals in that community. Collaborative reflexive photography is a research tool for anthropologists to study an individual or a group of people and their culture, while being a tool for an individual or a group of people to use as a form of alternative communication regarding their concerns or interests related to development - particularly in regards to creating policies that will empower the individual or group of people. Advisors/Committee Members: Holcombe, Alec (Committee Chair).