Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing The Social Responses Of Aids And Covid-19 Through Oral History, Elise Lee

Women's and Gender Studies Theses

In the past 40 years, the United States has faced 2 major public health crises: the AIDS epidemic, and the global COVID-19 pandemic. In this project I consider the various aspects of these public health emergencies such as sharing the burden of survival, the role of fear, the bastardization of identity politics, and queerness as a political project. I do this by analyzing oral histories and I argue that we can look at the AIDS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic in parallel. During both AIDS and COVID, despite severely lackluster governmental responses, we saw overwhelming amounts of community organizing and …

Saint Brigit And Her Habits: Exploring Queerness In Early Medieval Ireland, Jacqueline K. Stephenson

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Saint Brigit's behavior and reception by society highlight an avenue by which women in the early medieval period could escape societal strictures, exercising agency over their bodies and their romantic choices, and carve out a distinct and unexpected place for themselves in a Christian patriarchal society. In Saint Brigit’s case, this is especially demonstrated by the breadth of her portrayed power as not just a nun but a saint, her extreme resistance to marriage, and her frequent comparisons to men. Indeed, her hagiography, written by Cogitosus in the seventh century, positioned her as one of the three principal and earliest …

A Journey To A Black Woman’S (Read Black Girl’S) Joy And Her Story Of Coming Home, Brittany Lauren Brock

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This is an auto/ethnography about the self-actualizing journey of reclaiming storytelling as my native tongue and my journey to joy. Throughout, using my story and the stories of so many others, I not only lay out the wounds (the pain, the loss, then the hope that comes) within the academy and outside in the world but I also use storytelling as a tool of healing—my tool of healing—to show how I wrote myself free.

When Black women (read Black girls) go through The Reckoning (the moment we realize something isn’t right with how we are perceived by others) …

Looking For A Better Chair: The L Word And Learning How To Sit, Beans Fernandez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the 20 years since the initial airing of Showtime’s The L Word, the series has garnered a massive following among the sapphic and queer community and has cemented itself as a staple of queer media canon. Beyond the basic queer plotlines, though, The L Word captures lesbian and queer identity, politics, and livelihoods while using a seemingly superficial medium to portray queer bodies in a way that brings it to mainstream and cisheteronormative culture. Further, queer media like The L Word is able to guide members of the LGBTQ community into a queer consciousness and existence.

Grieving: A Record Of My Becoming, Neyshka Diaz Maldonado

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This memoir travels into my experience growing up in Puerto Rico throughout moments of joy, sorrow, triumph, and growth. Through memorable recollections and introspective thoughts, the memoir navigates memory, offering insights into my relationships, aspirations, and struggles. Each chapter unfolds and captures the essence of my life up until this moment.

I explore my ability to overcome challenges with resilience and grace, discovering strength in vulnerability and wisdom in the face of adversity. Through moments of self-discovery and profound transformation, they unearth the threads of my resilience, embracing both the light and shadow that define my life experience.

This memoir …

Threading With Hair // Intertwined Stories, Cloris Ding

Masters Theses

“Threading with Hair // Intertwined Stories” is a poignant exploration that navigates the nuanced landscape of women's growth and identity recognition amidst biased societal influences, tracing the trajectory from the artist’s mother's generation to her own. Through a deeply personal lens, the thesis transcends individual narratives to articulate some shared female experiences. Employing reflective works in the form of jewelry, objects and writings, the study delves into female-centric topics, including the fluidity of identity, the transformative journey through various life stages, and the profound impact of societal expectations and family heritage. At the heart of this exploration is the metaphorical …

Uses Of The Intuition: The Role Of Intuition In Birth Work (Towards An Intuitive Epistemology), Kayla R. Reece

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Intuitive knowledge ought to be esteemed, practiced, and integrated alongside traditional forms of knowledge. The coloniality of knowledge has structured our society’s ways of thinking to suppress knowledges which reside in non-hegemonic formations and sources, such as our bodies and intuitions. This paper assesses the uses of the intuition as potential sites of an intuitive epistemology through the author’s experience as an intuitive tarot card reader and through the experiences of six BIPOC birth workers living and working in the United States. I conceptualize the intuition as embodied, relational, and predictive, which offers a framework that privileges information one can …

Perreando To New Lyrics: Integrating Feminist Reggaeton In Expressive Art Therapy A Literature Review | Perreando A Nueva Lírica: Una Revisión Literaria Sobre Integrar El Reggaetón Feminista A Las Terapias Con Artes Expresivas, Marilina Arsuaga

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper presents how feminist reggaeton can be used as a creative tool for women's empowerment. The literature review explores the work that has been done with feminism in expressive arts therapies, defines what feminist reggaeton is, and presents different considerations to incorporate the musical genre into a therapeutic intervention. Among these considerations, there is the social stigma that is held about the musical genre and female gender; the community-based work; the importance of cultural identity centered on the Latinx, more specifically Puerto Rican; and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community in the creative spaces. To navigate these issues, the author …

Menstrual Pads On Parliament: Women’S Activist Strategies In Challenging Conservative Gender Ideologies In Kosovo (2020s)., Djellza Pulatani

Senior Theses

Two decades after the gender-based violence weaponized in the Balkan Wars, women in the region have acted as catalysts for social and political change. In Kosovo, the journey of women in challenging patriarchal ideologies exemplifies this broader movement. This study examines one feminist NGO, QIKA, tracing its multiple strategies ranging from protests to menstrual product distribution to respond to aspects of violence against women and girls. The cultural qualities in Kosovo reflect both Albanian and Islamic influences, embodying conservative patriarchal norms. In this research, I explore the ways in which women activists employ certain strategies in addressing gender inequalities within …

Good Girls Don't, Tess Fresco

English Honors Theses

Set in the year 1980, "Good Girls Don't" is a bracing coming-of-age story about Cathy, a young woman in Los Angeles who dreams of escaping the city yet feels intimately bound to it. Los Angeles as a terrifyingly beautiful place, in this specific time, figures prominently in this novella; even as Cathy enjoys smoking pot with her best friend Heather, rolls her eyes at her boss at Jack In the Box, and moons over sexy surfer boys, the threat of a serial murderer targeting young women hangs over her mind. On a date one night with Jim, an older boy …

Gender And Social Media: Delving Into Young Adults’ Daily Participation On Facebook, Masa Tantawy

Culture, Society, and Praxis

With the prevalence of social networking platforms, it is crucial to study the role that gender plays in its use, for gender, which is continuously shaped by society, plays a critical role in our identities and daily lives. This paper explores how the social construction of gender affects and is affected by social media through discussing the usage of Facebook by young adults, especially Middle Eastern cisgender males and females, and women’s limited freedom on this social networking site in the Arab countries. It is argued that despite individuals having some freedom online compared to offline, their choices, specifically that …

List, Jacksonville Citizens

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Names and addresses of Jacksonville citizens. No date given.

Leaflet, Women's Mass Meeting For Voter Registration

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Women's mass meeting for non-partisan voter registration meeting for men and women held in Pythian Temple, August 20th. Miss Eartha M. M. White, Chiarman. No date given.

Program, An Exposition "The Negroes' Making In America"

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Program for exposition entitled "The Negroes' Making in America" under the auspices of The Choir of Laura Street Presbyterian Church sponsored by The Florida Sentinel, June 14th. Handwritten note on back: is that a new piano Old [very] No date given.

List, Prominent African Americans In Jacksonville

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Names and addresses of prominent African Americans in Jacksonville, Florida. No date given.

Adolescent Mothers In South Africa: Examining Their Stigmatization And Violence, Tahiyya Khan, Allison Groves Dr, Ana Martinez-Donate Dr

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Membership Card, Voters League

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Card: Blank membership card for the Voters League, Jacksonville League, Jacksonville, Florida, Duval County. No date given.

Newsclipping, Benefit Concert, Odd Fellows' Temple

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Notice of benefit concert in Odd Fellows' Temple given by the Colored Citizens' Protective League. Program directed by Miss Eartha M. White. No date given.

Membership Drive Form, Colored Branch Young Woman Christian Association

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Form: Blank membership form and membership fee pledge for Y.W.C.A., Jacksonville, Florida. No date given.

Newsclipping, Notice Of Meeting Of Patrons Of Community Affairs

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Notice in the Jacksonville Journal calling all principals, patrons, boy and girl patrols of the city to meet at the Clara White Mission, 611 West Ashley Street, Jacksonville, Florida. Handwritten note stating the date as April 30, 1941, but the Jamboree was canceled during World War II, article was most likely from an earlier date. Circa 1937.

Newsclipping, Playground For Negroes Will Be Secured At Once

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Report of the City Playground Commission meeting. Handwritten note on fron states Metropolis, April 28, 19--? Metropolis renamed Jacksonville Journal in 1922. Eartha White was on the committee - see paragraph one. No date given.

Letter From John W. Gregg To Eartha White, John W. Gregg

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Correspondence: Letter from John W. Gregg, Midway, Florida, to Eartha M.M. White, Jacksonville, Florida, regarding adoption appeal for a boy 3-7 years of age. Envelope included. Date: November 16, 1931.

Letter From Sterling Name Tape Company To Orphans' And Industrial Home, Sterling Name Tape Company

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Correspondence: Advertisement letter from Sterling Name Tape Company, Winsted, Connectiicut to Orphans and Industrial Home, Jacksonville, Florida, regarding samples and order form for washable name tape used in institutions. Envelope included. Handwritten notes on back of envelope. No date given.

Paper, Diet Suggestions For The Growing Child Paper

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Typed paper listing diet suggestions for a growing child. Handwritten note on back. No date given.

Newsclipping, Big Convention Is [Secured] For City By [Fagg]

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Partial article regarding the annual meeting of the Southern division of the National Children's Home Societies organization to be held in Jacksonville, Florida through the efforts of Marcus Fagg, superintendent of the Children's Home Society of Florida, and Colonel Robert Tyler. Receipt from Daylight Grocery Company included. No date given.

"Because They Recognized Us": Triangulated Perspectives Of Syrian Mothers' Resettlement Experiences In The Eastern United States., Kayte Thomas

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Research indicates that post-resettlement experiences can be particularly challenging for people with refugee status. Despite finding safety in and adjusting to their new home, former refugees have indicated that this time can be stressful and even traumatic. The current Syrian crisis has created the largest wave of refugees ever known, and Syrian women are amongst the most vulnerable. However, women’s needs and preferences are often not taken into consideration during the resettlement journey and when they are, there is no distinction between mothers and their childless counterparts. As social workers strive to empower the individual person within their environment, it …

“The Way To Dusty Death”: The Feminist Revision Of The Western In Nomadland (2021), Lucas Cicarelli Vieira

FIU Undergraduate Research Journal

The Western film genre is founded upon patriarchal and capitalist conditions embedded deeply within structuralist analyses. The portrayal of the solitary, white male cowboy—with its themes of rugged individualism and phallocentric mannerisms—has affected the depiction of women, people of color, and other marginalized groups across media. These prejudicial structures, though applied throughout the genre, has seen revision in recent productions, most notably by feminist directors of the modern era. In Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, Western narrative elements and cinematic techniques have been amended to favor genuine testimonials from affected individuals of economic collapse caused by the hubris of industrialists and the …

Eng 155: Introduction To Literary Studies, Joseph Donica

Open Educational Resources

An OER syllabus covering the ways humans have read and continue to read literature from a variety of critical and theoretical perspectives. An emphasis is placed on the application of critical thought to writing expository essays and responding to readings.

A Foray Into Love: Feminism In The Romance Novel, Kiersten Holland

Honors College Theses

In this paper, I am examining the relationship between the waves of feminism and the evolution of the romance novel, by focusing on themes of sexual identity, financial independence, societal roles, and free thought within the text. The romance genre is overlooked and underestimated, despite it being one of the largest and best-selling genres in publishing, because of its inherent relationship with women. By analyzing it, I hope to educate people about the genre, as well as highlight the key parts of its importance to women’s rights and the feminist movement. By doing a close reading of novels ranging from …

Old Wives’ Tales: Collections From Beneath The Floorboards, Layla Barnes

Student Research Submissions

Old Wives’ Tales: Collections from Beneath the Floorboards draws on the rich tradition of feminist speculative fiction, particularly in the genre of the fairy tale. It responds to Walidah Imarisha’s idea of “visionary fiction,” a kind of fiction which seeks to participate in “the decolonization of the imagination.” Using an experimental fragmentary form, it explores themes of story and counter-story, maternal legacy, female interconnectedness and community, and magic as a form of female empowerment in opposition to patriarchal control and surveillance.