Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

Fall 11-19-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

December 2025

Department

Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Adriana Garriga-López

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

Katharina Rynkiewich

Abstract

This thesis examines the dynamics of care in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) using the care circle model to highlight common experiences and themes during chronic kidney disease (CKD) management. Combining the theoretical frameworks of structural violence, social suffering, and care allowed the analysis of caregiving dynamics in the EAA, a community distressed by a history of structural violence that manifests today as poverty, environmental pollution, inadequate education, and poor health outcomes. Thematic analysis synthesizing the experiences of the care circles identified four themes: Geographical, logical, and economic constraints to healthcare; Cultural, linguistic, and educational barriers; Informal and formal support systems; Lived experiences of chronic kidney disease. These results encourage the incorporation of collective disease experiences into interventions aimed at increasing access to medical treatment.

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