Digital Commons Network^™

Natsukashii – Time And Place, Yvonne Blomer

The Goose

A woman walks her dog along Fort Street in Victoria, BC and ponders the senses, the past and present while her son is in music therapy class.

Adding Women To The Conversation On Safe Consumption Sites: A Qualitative Interview Study With Poor And Marginalized Women Who Use Illicit Substances, Kaitlin Waechter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Women’s erasure from discourses pertaining to substance use and safe consumption sites (SCSs) means harm reduction efforts are developed through the male lens. This research seeks to discover why women do (or do not) access SCSs so as to determine if and how SCSs address the unique gendered needs of women who use illicit substances. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 women-identified individuals who use illicit substances. Participants were recruited from a non-profit organization that offers harm reduction, but is not itself a SCS in order to capture a full range of perspectives on the SCS in their community. …

Messages From The Margins: How Mature Women At Risk Of Homelessness Sustain Their Psychosocial And Spiritual Lives, Catherine E. Tovell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This community based qualitative study examined the psychosocial and spiritual lives of 10 mature women (age 50 and older) who were at risk of becoming homeless, in other words, the hidden homeless. A narrative inquiry research design was employed to explore the lived experiences of these women. Voluntary participants were recruited through Life*Spin, a community based non profit organization that works primarily with low income families and individuals in London, Ontario. The Executive Director of Life*Spin circulated the recruitment flyers and handbills throughout her networks of social agencies. Individual interviews were arranged with participants who met the inclusion categories of …

The Experiences Of Women Who Have A Child Diagnosed With An Eating Disorder: A Narrative Inquiry, Jennifer Scarborough

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious, life-threatening illnesses that typically occur in adolescence. Immediate intervention is necessary in order to interrupt the associated behaviours. Typically, adolescents struggling with EDs minimize the severity the illness has on their psychological and physiological wellbeing. For this reason, family involvement in the intervention is strongly recommended. Additionally, family involvement has shown to increase the likelihood of better outcomes. Parents are typically tasked with the responsibility of making and monitoring meals and/or interrupting compensatory behaviours. These tasks often lead to high conflict. Despite the importance of parental involvement, predominantly, it is mothers who fulfill the intensive …

“Just Give Us A Chance”: Supports And Challenges To Maintaining Employment As Experienced By People Who Have Been In Prison, Amy Moore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

People who have been in prison tend to struggle to find meaningful employment (Opsal, 2012). While research delves into the topic of how criminalized people attain employment (Ricciardelli & Mooney, 2017; Anazodo et al., 2017), there is little known about their experiences maintaining employment. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the supports and challenges to maintaining employment after release from a Canadian women’s federal prison.

Following Research Ethics Board (REB) approval, semi-structured interviews lasting up to 90 minutes were completed with each of six participants. Participants included two Indigenous women, three White women, and one White transgender …

100 Maasai Women’S Perspectives On The Impact Of Female Genital Cutting On Social And Economic Wellbeing, Rebecca Vandekemp-Mclellan

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Interviews with 100 Maasai women in Narok District, Kenya, explored FGC, early marriage, and financial autonomy, among other topics. Respondents drew a telling picture of the significant social value that FGC holds for the Maasai communities in this study, namely, that FGC is an initiation ceremony that turns children into adults, and is an eligibility requirement for marriage and childbearing. Not only does circumcision create multiple opportunities for increased social status, but it also represents increases in economic security through its power to bring about marriage and reproduction. The overall perspectives of the women on the FGC procedure itself showed …

Stray Thoughts And Desire Paths—A Dialogue, Jenna Butler, Yvonne E. Blomer

The Goose

In this dialogue, authors, teachers, and environmentalists Yvonne Blomer and Jenna Butler discuss the ways in which our desire paths—our intents for our lives—have changed since the start of the pandemic. Covering women's writing, feminism, daily life during the pandemic, environmentalism, and race, this dialogue is an act of allyship from two women of different backgrounds writing together.

East Asian "China Doll" Or "Dragon Lady"?, Joey Lee

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper argues that the representation of East Asian women in popular media is harmful through its exaggerated portrayal of the ‘China Doll’, and ‘Dragon Lady’, ultimately further exoticizing and dehumanizing East Asian women, ensuring the dominance of the West. I will study these portrayals and their impacts through historical and modern film, modern magazines, and intersectional oppression that the restrictive categorizations place upon women of East Asian descent.

A Discourse Analysis Of Gender Perceptions, Twitter, The 2018 Progressive Convervative Leadership Race, And The 2018 Provincial Election, Mary E. Chamberlain

Social Justice and Community Engagement

The research seeks to bring awareness to how online discourse on Twitter can contribute to the reinforcement of unequal power relations against female electoral candidates. This project is a discourse analysis of gender perceptions of the 2018 Progressive Conservative Leadership Race and the 2018 provincial election as portrayed on Twitter. Using understandings of Liberal Feminism and Intersectionality, this project demonstrates the struggle of gender discrimination against women in political life and attempts to recognize the efforts of women attempting to shatter the glass ceiling. The findings suggest female candidates experienced Twitter as a gendered and bullying platform, while male candidates …

"A Meruelous Thinge!": Elizabeth Of Spalbeek, Christina The Astonishing, And Performative Self-Abjection In Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms Douce 114, Murrielle Michaud

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Contributing to the spirited discussion regarding feminist and pro-feminine readings of Middle English hagiography, this dissertation challenges the tradition of grouping accounts of medieval holy women into a single genre that relies on stereotypes of meekness and obedience. I argue that fifteenth-century England saw a pro-feminine literary movement extolling the virtues of women who engaged in what I term “performative self-abjection,” a form of vicious self-renunciation and grotesque asceticism based on Julia Kristeva's model of the abject. The corollary of women's performative self-abjection is ex-gratia spiritual authority, public recognition, and independence, emphasized in the English corpus of fifteenth-century women’s hagiography. …

Navigating Risks Across Borders: The Lived Experiences Of Central American Women Migrants, Carla Angulo-Pasel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The journey for ‘unauthorized’ migrant women from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) through Mexico dangerous and violent. In hopes of achieving safe passage to the United States (U.S.), women migrants will have to navigate borders. In this dissertation, I use the concept of borders to reveal the gendered experiences of (im)mobility. I argue that navigating borders throughout the migratory journey is not simply about experiencing the risks and vulnerabilities associated with restrictive border enforcement policies and practices implemented by the nation-state. (Im)mobility for women migrants is equally about the boundaries and/or barriers that are created by oppressive systems …

Confronting Sexism In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem): What Are The Consequences?, Eden J.V. Hennessey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Disparaging remarks that female scientists are ‘Distractingly Sexy’ (Waxman, 2015) and ‘Too Pretty to Do Math’ t-shirts (Amazon.com) highlight the common belief that women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) violate perceived gender norms. However, by confronting these beliefs, women may incur a ‘double-dose’ of hostility; once for being present in science, and again because of the confrontation itself (Kaiser & Miller, 2001). Across three studies, this research tested how women confronting sexism in STEM contexts would elicit and anticipate social costs. Study 1 showed that male participants rated a hypothetical female confronter in STEM higher in bossiness and …

Women, Priests And The Anglican Church In Southern Africa: Reformation Of Holy Hierarchies, Miranda N. Pillay

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Communal Self: Reading The Autobiographies Of Two Indian Christian Women, Mrinalini Sebastian

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Reformation Is Germane To African Women: An African Lutheran Woman’S Imagination, Faith Laguzia

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Exploring Women’S Perspectives Of Living With Mental Illness, Stigma, And Receiving Community Services, Alexa L. Stovold, Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) (2015), one in five individuals will experience mental illness personally, which means that all Canadians will be indirectly (or directly) influenced by mental illness at some point in their life. Unfortunately, due to historical trends and negative stereotypes mental illness has become heavily stigmatized (Camp, Finlay, and Lyons, 2002; Chernomas, Clarke, and Chisholm, 2000; Link, Struening, Neese-Todd, Asmussen, and Phelan, 2001; Sands, 2009; Szeto, Luong & Dobson, 2013). Although many studies have assessed the relationship between mental illness and stigma, little research has included a gender lens when exploring these topics. Therefore, …

The Works Of Edna Staebler: Using Literary Journalism To Celebrate The Lives Of Ordinary Canadians, Bruce Gillespie

Journalism

Edna Staebler’s legacy as one of Canada’s early, mainstream literary journalists has been overshadowed by her later success as a cookbook writer and philanthropist. But her magazine profiles from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s deserve more recognition for their richly detailed narrative style and focus on ordinary Canadian families that lived in isolated communities or were members of marginalized cultural, ethic, and/or religious groups.

An Exploration Of Employment Services For Survivors Of Domestic Violence In The Region Of Waterloo, Alishau Diebold Mrs.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The ability of survivors of domestic violence to secure employment once they leave their vulnerable situations has been identified in the existing knowledge base as a significant issue, and one that urgently needed to be addressed. This qualitative applied social policy research study was undertaken to derive recommendations that could improve the current state of employment services available to women who had survived domestic violence residing in the Region of Waterloo. This was accomplished by determining which employment services align with the needs of a survivor as they began to seek employment. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect information from …

Affective Migration: The Role Of Food Preparation And Visceral Experience For Egyptian Migrant Women Settling In The Region Of Waterloo, Mary Neil

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examining Egyptian migrants settling in Canada is exploratory in nature and is intended to initiate a conversation about the personal experience of transnationalism and the value of the body as an instrument of research. A semi-structured interview approach was designed to prompt the evocation of deep personal thoughts, experiences, and sensations in response to questions surrounding migration to Canada through the shared performative act of cooking and the visceral experience of eating in the private space of the migrant kitchen. Using a grounded theory approach, several adaptive mechanisms were identified such as the creation of manageable daily routines, …

Thoughts On Islam, Gender, And The Hizmet Movement, Semiha Topal

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Everyday Confrontation Of Discrimination: The Well-Being Costs And Benefits To Women Over Time., Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Taking action against discrimination has positive consequences for well-being (e.g., Cocking & Drury, 2004) but most of this research has focused on collective actions and has used methodologies assessing one point in time. This study therefore used a diary methodology to examine how women’s everyday confrontations of discrimination would affect measures of subjective and psychological well-being, and how these relationships would change over time. In a 28-day online diary study, women indicated their daily experience of discrimination, described their response, and completed measures of well-being. Results showed that at the beginning of the study, using indirect confrontation predicted greater well-being …

The Evangelical Lutheran Women Of The Elcic: Vitality And Fragile Presence On The Margins , Vida Jaugelis

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Mind Over Matter: A Qualitative Examination Of The Coping Resources Used By Women With Cancer, Margaret A. Schneider, Paula C. Fletcher, Hannah Snider

Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty Publications

Aim: This exploratory study investigates the coping resources used by six women diagnosed with cancer.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide these women with the opportunity to discuss their cancer experiences along with the specific coping methods they found to be helpful throughout their journey.

Methods: The participants, ranging in age from 25 to 63, completed a background questionnaire, followed by either a semi-structured interview (n=3) or an interview via written response (n=3).

Results: Several key coping methods were described as being helpful to these women, and these methods fell into three major categories: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and …

Broadening Our Perspective On Spirituality And Coping Among Women With Breast Cancer And Their Families: Implications For Practice, Margaret A. Schneider

Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the role of spirituality in coping among women with breast cancer and their families. This phenomenological study was guided by family systems theory and the recognition that a family is a complex system whereby family members interact with one another as well as with the outside world. A change in any of these interactions/relationships can affect the rest of the system, and the diagnosis of breast cancer in mothers within the family system is no exception. Five families (five women, five men and six children) comprising a total of 16 participants took …

1 Corinthians 11:2-16: Exegesis Case Study, Roger J. Humann

Consensus

Corinthians 1: 11-14. However one chooses to outline 1 Corinthians, it is evident that ch. 7-10 basically revolve around questions put to Paul by the congregation in Corinth. Ch. 11-14 focus on the worship life of the church: women in the church1 Cor 11:2-16 (cf. 14:33-36); the Lord's Supper, 11:17-34; and the use of spiritual gifts, 12:1-14:40. Whether in 11:2-16 Paul is answering a question put to him by the church or simply directing himself to a particular irregularity of which he had become aware, we do not know. In this section the apostle interweaves two themes, one dealing with …