- Minneapolis, MN, United States
Megan Sheehan
College of Saint Benedict/St. John's University, Sociology, Faculty Member
- University of Arizona, Anthropology, Graduate Studentadd
- University of Arizona, PhD 2016 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Latin American Studies Program, Lehigh University Re... moreUniversity of Arizona, PhD 2016
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Latin American Studies Program, Lehigh University
Research Assistant (2006-2015), Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizonaedit
Over the last three decades, Santiago, Chile has experienced rapid urbanisation. The city’s expansion has prompted the proliferation of high-rise residential buildings, mediated by spatial segregation along class lines and fragmented... more
Over the last three decades, Santiago, Chile has experienced rapid urbanisation. The city’s expansion has prompted the proliferation of high-rise residential buildings, mediated by spatial segregation along class lines and fragmented urban governance. Concurrently, economic opportunities in Chile have drawn regional labour migrants, resulting in an unprecedented increase in migratory flows. Drawing on ethnographic research, this article charts the everyday experiences of migrants in high-rise residences. As new arrivals seek housing, social networks channel migrants – particularly Venezuelans – into shared high-rise apartments, producing specific buildings as vertical enclaves. Lived experiences within the confines of verticality are frequently shaped by the challenges of overcrowding. As migrants craft daily practices to mitigate these limitations, their routines make full use of limited space and meaningfully engage with building common areas, public spaces and neighbourhoods. The...
Research Interests:
In this article we reflect upon recursive temporalities that shaped collaborative work on campus food insecurity. Our research examined disparities in access to food and dining services in order to understand the strategies college... more
In this article we reflect upon recursive temporalities that shaped collaborative work on campus food insecurity. Our research examined disparities in access to food and dining services in order to understand the strategies college students use to mitigate the challenges of obtaining food and to develop suggestions to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity at our school. This collaborative endeavor and our research findings are both framed by perceptions and limitations of time. Within our team, we navigated semester turnover, cyclical incorporation of student researchers, competing commitments, and different time frames for quantitative and qualitive data collection and analysis. Our research participants— college students— juggled multiple responsibilities and experienced temporal shifts by semester, advancement through their school years, and housing changes that significantly impacted their food practices. Time constraints and conflicting temporal rhythms shaped our research and contextualized student engagements with food, creating challenges for conducting collaborative research and for students’ everyday access to meals. We argue for a reflexive consideration of the multiple temporalities, countertempos, and hidden rhythms that shape collaboration and contextualize research conducted on college campuses.
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Castro's Shifters: Locating Variation in Political Discourse In his trademark speeches, Fidel Castro casts himself in a variety of roles: supreme leader, member of government, revolutionary, worker, member of the Cuban populace, and... more
Castro's Shifters: Locating Variation in Political Discourse In his trademark speeches, Fidel Castro casts himself in a variety of roles: supreme leader, member of government, revolutionary, worker, member of the Cuban populace, and the embodiment of the Cuban nation. Transcripts of Castro’s major speeches provide a rich data set that spans five decades (1959-present). Initial readings reveal his prominent use of the first person plural "nosotros", which suggests an intriguing discourse of inclusiveness for this long-time authoritarian leader. In this poster, we identify Castro’s variable discursive referents for nosotros verbs in relation to era and topic of speech (i.e., history of the revolution, national goals and progress, or trouble talk). Variable rule analysis shows that in Castro’s earlier speeches, use of the "royal we " variant is favored: "Llamábamos al Partido por la noche, y le preguntábamos si había llovido o no " ("We called th...
In his trademark speeches, Fidel Castro casts himself in a variety of roles: supreme leader, member of government, revolutionary, worker, member of the Cuban populace, and the embodiment of the Cuban nation. Transcripts of Castro’s major... more
In his trademark speeches, Fidel Castro casts himself in a variety of roles: supreme leader, member of government, revolutionary, worker, member of the Cuban populace, and the embodiment of the Cuban nation. Transcripts of Castro’s major speeches provide a rich data set that spans five decades (1959-present). Initial readings reveal his prominent use of the first person plural “nosotros”, which suggests an intriguing discourse of inclusiveness for this long-time authoritarian leader. In this poster, we identify Castro’s variable discursive referents for nosotros verbs in relation to era and topic of speech (i.e., history of the revolution, national goals and progress, or trouble talk). Variable rule analysis shows that in Castro’s earlier speeches, use of the ”royal we ” variant is favored: ”Llamábamos al Partido por la noche, y le preguntábamos si había llovido o no ” (”We called the Party the other night, and we asked if it had rained or not”). In contrast, the use of what we term...
This chapter explores Santiago’s Plaza de Armas as an emergent space of migration. Recent flows of migrants have made use of this central public space for diverse everyday activities. As migrant social practices have marked a shift in how... more
This chapter explores Santiago’s Plaza de Armas as an emergent space of migration. Recent flows of migrants have made use of this central public space for diverse everyday activities. As migrant social practices have marked a shift in how this historic and important national site is perceived, Chileans have discursively contested migrant presence in the plaza. I examine how discourses about the plaza circulate and craft spatial associations. As migrant use of the plaza is recognized and debated, a spatial association coalesces through the cumulative effect of these disparate discourses. I argue that the circulation of spatial tropes plays a central role in the remaking of emergent spaces and that debates over spatial associations highlight the multivocality of small urban sites—even as sites take on new meanings, emergent spaces may continue to hold divergent meanings and importance for different actors.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Latin American migration to Chile has increased exponentially over the past 20 years. As migrants settle in Santiago, they face numerous articulations of bureaucracy—at entry, in visa processing, in labor regulations, and in housing law.... more
Latin American migration to Chile has increased exponentially over the past 20 years. As migrants settle in Santiago, they face numerous articulations of bureaucracy—at entry, in visa processing, in labor regulations, and in housing law. This article charts a central paradox of migrant experiences with two discordant bureaucratic entities in Chile. Migrants are frequently able to acquire residency documents, yet they are often unable to enter into formal rental agreements or easily access adequate housing. Drawing on data collected during 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Santiago, Chile, I explore migrants’ lived experience of bureaucracy. As migrants navigate the processes involved in attaining visas and in securing housing, their experiences expose the interstices of bureaucracy, sites of disjuncture between contrasting bureaucratic entities and realms. These bureaucratic interstices are critical sites where structural violence is fostered, normalized, and made invisible.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Everyday Life of Urban Inequality explores how steadily increasing inequality and the spectacular pace of urbanization frame everyday life for city residents around the world. With case studies from five continents, this volume... more
The Everyday Life of Urban Inequality explores how steadily increasing inequality and the spectacular pace of urbanization frame everyday life for city residents around the world. With case studies from five continents, this volume explores what it means to live within cities marked by entrenched inequalities, situating daily life at the intersection between global processes and local histories. Drawing from ethnographic research, scholars in varied social science disciplines examine the reproduction of poverty and stratification, the creation of political and social marginality, and the destruction—and resilience—of communities. (publisher\u27s description)https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sociology_books/1012/thumbnail.jp
Research Interests:
In this article we reflect upon recursive temporalities that shaped collaborative work on campus food insecurity. Our research examined disparities in access to food and dining services in order to understand the strategies college... more
In this article we reflect upon recursive temporalities that shaped collaborative work on campus food insecurity. Our research examined disparities in access to food and dining services in order to understand the strategies college students use to mitigate the challenges of obtaining food and to develop suggestions to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity at our school. This collaborative endeavor and our research findings are both framed by perceptions and limitations of time. Within our
team, we navigated semester turnover, cyclical incorporation of student researchers, competing commitments, and different time frames for quantitative and qualitive data collection and analysis. Our research participants— college students— juggled multiple responsibilities and experienced temporal shifts by semester, advancement through their school years, and housing changes that significantly impacted their food practices. Time constraints and conflicting temporal rhythms shaped our research and contextualized student engagements with food, creating challenges for conducting collaborative research and for students’ everyday access to meals. We argue for a reflexive consideration of the multiple temporalities, countertempos, and hidden rhythms that shape collaboration and contextualize research conducted on college campuses.
team, we navigated semester turnover, cyclical incorporation of student researchers, competing commitments, and different time frames for quantitative and qualitive data collection and analysis. Our research participants— college students— juggled multiple responsibilities and experienced temporal shifts by semester, advancement through their school years, and housing changes that significantly impacted their food practices. Time constraints and conflicting temporal rhythms shaped our research and contextualized student engagements with food, creating challenges for conducting collaborative research and for students’ everyday access to meals. We argue for a reflexive consideration of the multiple temporalities, countertempos, and hidden rhythms that shape collaboration and contextualize research conducted on college campuses.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Latin American migration to Chile has increased exponentially over the last twenty years. As migrants settle in Santiago, they face numerous articulations of bureaucracy—at entry, in visa processing, in labor regulations, and in housing... more
Latin American migration to Chile has increased exponentially over the last twenty years. As migrants settle in Santiago, they face numerous articulations of bureaucracy—at entry, in visa processing, in labor regulations, and in housing law. This article charts a central paradox of migrant experiences with two discordant bureaucratic entities in Chile. Migrants are frequently able to acquire residency documents, and yet they are often unable to enter into formal rental agreements or easily access adequate housing. Drawing on data collected during eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Santiago, Chile, I explore migrants’ lived experience of bureaucracy. As migrants navigate the processes involved in attaining visas and in securing housing, their experiences expose the interstices of bureaucracy, sites of disjuncture between contrasting bureaucratic entities and realms. These bureaucratic interstices are critical sites in which structural violence is fostered, normalized, and made invisible.
Research Interests:
... We are situated in a unique position at the University of Arizona. Located in Tucson, the University is only a one-hour Megan Sheehan Page 2. Vol. 29, No. 3, Summer 2007 9 PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGY drive from the international border... more
... We are situated in a unique position at the University of Arizona. Located in Tucson, the University is only a one-hour Megan Sheehan Page 2. Vol. 29, No. 3, Summer 2007 9 PRACTICING ANTHROPOLOGY drive from the international border and Ambos Nogales. ...
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Interpersonal relationships are well-documented in the public health literature for their mitigating effects against behavioral risk taking. Interaction is vital to the formation of interpersonal relationships, as well as to the... more
Interpersonal relationships are well-documented in the public health literature for their mitigating effects against behavioral risk taking. Interaction is vital to the formation of interpersonal relationships, as well as to the development of individual identity. Interaction analysis has garnered much attention in social psychology and linguistic anthropology, two subfields whose parent disciplines are now considered core to public health research and practice. However, social worker client interaction is a rarely studied phenomenon, and what little research exists has often taken an outmoded perspective on these relationships. This study uses micro-analysis to explicate some of the ways that social worker client interactions resist, critique, replicate, and strategically utilize state and extra-state apparatuses such as welfare reform and structural determinants of health. The authors draw on two weeks of mixed methods fieldwork, during which time they interviewed, observed, and s...
This chapter explores Santiago’s Plaza de Armas as an emergent space of migration. Recent flows of migrants have made use of this central public space for diverse everyday activities. As migrant social practices have marked a shift in how... more
This chapter explores Santiago’s Plaza de Armas as an emergent space of migration. Recent flows of migrants have made use of this central public space for diverse everyday activities. As migrant social practices have marked a shift in how this historic and important national site is perceived, Chileans have discursively contested migrant presence in the plaza. I examine how discourses about the plaza circulate and craft spatial associations. As migrant use of the plaza is recognized and debated, a spatial association coalesces through the cumulative effect of these disparate discourses. I argue that the circulation of spatial tropes plays a central role in the remaking of emergent spaces and that debates over spatial associations highlight the multivocality of small urban sites—even as sites take on new meanings, emergent spaces may continue to hold divergent meanings and importance for different actors.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Colleges and universities have historically been leaders in fostering diversity and inclusivity. However, due to the secularization of American schools, religion has largely been overlooked as a significant structural barrier that... more
Colleges and universities have historically been leaders in fostering diversity and inclusivity. However, due to the secularization of American schools, religion has largely been overlooked as a significant structural barrier that underrepresented college students often face. In this chapter, we examine insights from interviews conducted with students at two Catholic colleges in the Midwest. Initial findings highlight how students from both Catholic and underrepresented spiritual backgrounds described complex relationships with organized religion and expressed their desire to engage in critical reflections on beliefs and religion, both through their academics as well as their extracurricular activities. Institutional structures and a campus climate that encourages students to not share their beliefs or discuss their religious practices are significant barriers to fostering inclusive practices on campus. In this chapter, we share both the challenges to religious inclusion that our campuses face as well as our research process in order to provide a model for researchers at other institutions. In doing so, we hope that the important, intersectional, and often underexplored topic of religion will be increasingly incorporated into efforts to make institutions of higher education more welcoming to all students.
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This chapter highlights one lived experience of inequality that migrants face in Santiago—that of housing. First, I outline the structures that produce housing disparity for migrant residents in Santiago. Next, I show how migrants... more
This chapter highlights one lived experience of inequality that migrants face in Santiago—that of housing. First, I outline the structures that produce housing disparity for migrant residents in Santiago. Next, I show how migrants mobilize varied resources to negotiate discrimination and structural exclusion as they seek housing, and, finally, I illustrate how Chileans understand and talk about migrant settlement in Santiago. In this chapter, I argue that these three elements—macro structures framing inequality, everyday experiences of housing, and circulating discourses of living conditions—coalesce in a self-reinforcing manner. The cumulative power of uncoordinated actions is evident as property owners ask for specific rental requirements, migrants look for an access point for housing, and Chileans share perceptions about their changing city, highlighting the ways in which multiple agents acting independently combine to produce urban assemblages—in this case, Santiago’s precarious spaces of migration.