Papers by Ludovica Pizzichelli
Since 2012, Catalans have been working harder towards independence from Spain through the use of ... more Since 2012, Catalans have been working harder towards independence from Spain through the use of mass demonstrations and various referendums, both referendums deemed illegal as well as legal. Civil society movements in Catalonia have been fighting for more and more autonomy under Spain, hoping to finally be able to form a state of their own, and as Spain has been ravaged by the economic crisis the movements have been increasingly gaining momentum in the Catalan region (Barcia, 2014). Beyond the natural right to independence, do Catalans have the right -- and the legal means -- to separate from Spain under international law? Not only does the rest of Spain not want to see Catalonia go, but Catalan independentists face two major issues: the vagueness of international law on self-determination of non-colonized groups, and the special case of self-determination under the existence of an EU system. This paper attempts to underline the ambiguity of independence under international law and suggests there should be more done to clarify the legality of independence under international law.
The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 saw the massacre of about 800,000 Tutsis, Hutu moderates, and politi... more The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 saw the massacre of about 800,000 Tutsis, Hutu moderates, and political opponents of the Habyarimana regime by an estimated 200,000 Hutu extremists (“Rwanda genocide of 1994,” 2015). The conflict was incredibly complex, with shifting power dynamics between ethnic groups (the two conflict parties of the Hutus and Tutsis), the presence, and lack thereof, of Western powers and the UN, media propaganda, and refugee spillover into neighboring countries. Though the genocide itself lasted about 100 days, the conflict itself had been unfolding for more than thirty years. In order to understand the genocide and preceding conflict it is necessary to examine the history of conflict that preceded it and the legacy of violence it left in both Rwanda and its neighboring countries. This paper analyzes the Rwandan Genocide's state, regional, and global factors.
Thesis Chapters by Ludovica Pizzichelli
The purpose of this study was to analyze the intersections of politics and psychology by examinin... more The purpose of this study was to analyze the intersections of politics and psychology by examining the way Native Americans use land and education activism to heal psychologically from the effects of historical trauma. Its scope was to underline how important it is to not divorce psychology from its political and cultural context. The study operationalizes historical trauma using the findings of Whitbeck et al. (2004) and Brave Heart, Duran, and Duran (1998). In the study, I examined the way Native American activists articulate historical trauma in their motivations through different case studies which draw on activist movements since the 1960’s. I then analyze Native American activism in light of the political liberation theories of Paulo Freire and Alschuler’s psychopolitics of liberation. This study concludes that Native Americans use political praxis in a two-pronged method: goal-oriented and process-oriented, and that the processes used are employed to alleviate the psychological suffering of historical trauma.
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Papers by Ludovica Pizzichelli
Thesis Chapters by Ludovica Pizzichelli