Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Dear Mama: An Exploration Of Trauma And Black Feminist Healing Practices Through Letter Writing, Bria Nickerson

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Final Projects

This autoethnographic project delves into the multitude of strategies I've employed over the past decade since my mother's passing to confront and heal from my trauma. Through a series of original letters spanning from girlhood to early adulthood, I narrate my journey, delving into the depths of my emotions, thoughts, and coping mechanisms as I navigate through various traumatic experiences. Guided by Black Feminist Autoethnography as its methodology and anchored in Black Feminist Thought as its theoretical framework, this project also explores the profound impact of transgenerational trauma on the psychological well-being of Black women. From enduring slavery and racialized …

Liberation’S Love-Language: The Politics And Poetics Of Queer Translation After Stonewall, Eric Keenaghan

English Faculty Scholarship

Poetry served gay and lesbian liberationists in the years following Stonewall as a mechanism for translating queer experience into a language shared amongst the members of emergent sociopolitical LGBTQ+ communities. Poetry figured prominently in the historical period's activist little magazines, newsletters, and other periodicals as means of doing this work of self-construction and world-building, a simple fact largely unappreciated by both queer studies (which overlooks non-narrative forms) and contemporary American poetry studies (which dismisses much activist poetry as identitarian agitprop). But poetry, due to its formal differences from narrativity, has been a site for queer revolutionary action and imaginaries because …

Acquitted By Reason Of Paroxysmal Insanity? Science And Gender In The Nineteenth-Century Murder Trial Of Mary Harris, Emmalee Morgan

History Honors Program

The acquittal of Mary Harris in 1865 demonstrates the culmination of new social and scientific ideologies through the strategy of her defense counsel and the utilization of expert medical witnesses. While at the same time, the prosecutorial strategy embodied the opinions of gender and insanity that were being phased out.

The aim of this project is to demonstrate the overlap and reciprocal influence of science, law, and society, with narratives of gender acting as consistent undertones in these three realms. The trial and acquittal seem to fall in line with the idea that the insanity plea is a sham — …

Describing Participation In Veteran Peer Support : A Secondary Analysis Of Women Veterans' Experiences, Amanda L. Matteson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research explores peer support described by women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Women military veterans are a growing subpopulation with unique experiences and challenges as women who have served in a male-dominated warrior culture. Understanding women veterans’ experiences and how they view peer support will help improve their mental health and well-being. Research questions included: (1) How do women veterans describe peer support for their mental health and well-being? (2) What does peer support mean to the woman veterans in this study? (3) For what life situations is peer support helpful for women veterans? (4) …

Feminist Critiques Of Ecofascist, Nativist Appropriations Of Indigeneity Since 2016, Breana Lynch

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Final Projects

This project explores recent manifestations of ecofascism within right-wing movements that deploy environmental concerns and rhetoric. Immigrants in the United States and in Europe and other global North countries have long been targeted by xenophobic policy and rhetoric guised as environmental protection. Although investigations by critical scholars including feminists on right-wing environmentalism unveiled the nativism and hate behind green agendas that are inherently anti-immigrant, I analyze recent ecofascist rhetoric and visual discourse for their harm to Indigenous communities, which is equally insidious, if less overt. This project engages with manifestos of extremists, right-wing political websites, and on-the-ground footage of alt-right …

Little Interventions Everywhere: Wielding Intersectionality To Reclaim Socialist Feminism, Siiri E. Koski

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Final Projects

Responding to the increased visibility of socialist politics in the United States following the 2016 presidential election, this study explores current expressions of socialist feminism and socialist feminist perspectives on and experiences with electoral politics, political action(s), and identity mediation. Nine organizers were recruited from socialist organizations to participate in a onetime, semi-structured, in-depth interview and speak on their experiences in the current moment (2015-present). The data reveals that organizers in socialist spaces have easily reconciled their socialism with their feminism and reclaimed socialist feminism as a distinct theory and practice dispersed across several social justice issues, organizations, and campaigns. …

Queer Outings In Imaginary Spaces, Nicole Cosentino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Picture this: Marcel Proust, Roland Barthes, and Djuna Barnes walk into a book. And stay there.

Essentialism Predicts Attitudes Toward Gender Non-Binary People, Tianny Stephanie Ocasio

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Few studies have examined attitudes toward gender non-binary people (i.e., individuals who do not consider themselves as strictly men or women). I hypothesized that essentialism (i.e., the belief that social categories and group differences are inherent, informative, and immutable) might be a key predictor of these attitudes. Moreover, I predicted that essentialism would interact with how gender non-binary identity is defined, with essentialist thinkers finding the idea of a full rejection of the gender binary particularly unpalatable. In two studies, cisgender participants (Study 1 N=496; Study 2 N=227) read a definition of gender non-binary identity as representing a third gender …

Female Superheroes, Rhetorical Reading, And Feminist Imagination : A Study Of College-Aged Readers And Comic Book Reading Practices Using Eye Tracking And Cued Retrospective Interviews, Aimee Vincent

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation uses feminist analysis and rhetorical genre studies to analyze the strategies used by college-aged students to read female superhero comic books. The dissertation responds to the growing trend of literature and writing instructors assigning comic books and graphic novels under the untested assumption that these texts are readily accessible to college students. This assumption contradicts what we have learned from studies of rhetorical reading strategies that found that readers analyze texts most effectively when readers are familiar with the text’s genre. In addition, the assumption ignores the specific rhetorical contexts of comics, including a problematic but powerful narrative …

A Statement From The Department Of Women's. Gender And Sexuality Studies In Reposne To The Majority Opinion Draft From The U.S. Supreme Court On Roe V. Wade, Department Of Women's, Gender And Sexuality Studies (Wgss), University At Albany, State University Of New York

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Scholarship

In response to the May 3rd, 2022 leaked draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court on Roe v. Wade, the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at the University at Albany, State University of New York, affirms the right for women and all people with the capacity to become pregnant to have access to safe and legal abortions. We acknowledge that this is a basic right, which is part of the full reproductive freedoms under the rubric of “reproductive justice,” defined by the women-of-color-led SisterSong Collective as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, …

Institutionalized Normative Heterosexuality : The Case Of Sexual Fluidity, Nicole Lamarre

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since Alfred Kinsey’s early exploration of sexual behaviors, identities, and desires, there has been a proliferation of studies on what is generally regarded today as sexual fluidity. Inquiry into sexual histories that are neither wholly heterosexual nor homosexual (or even bisexual) has been incredibly well documented by this time. Generally, theories about sexual fluidity have taken one of two positions. The first camp interprets sexual variance as a sign of changing times and crumbling sexual and gender binaries. The second group of theorists postulate that sexual fluidity is neither new nor a particularly positive or liberating social trend. Instead of …

Latina Faculty In Academia : Support Factors And Socio-Environmental Challenges In Their Path To Achieving Promotion And Tenure, Karen Raquel Ferrer Muniz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Uncle Tom's Women : Slavery And Black Female Sexuality, Natalia Davila

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the United States, Black women grapple with harmful cultural representations of their womanhood and sexuality that are rooted in the minstrel tradition. Specifically, Black women are represented as objects of consumption or hypersexual. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin reveals an engagement with the minstrel tradition that has demonstrated both a perpetuation of negative portrayals of Black women but also a departure from these images. This paper focuses on the responses to Stowe’s characterization by the authors Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Gayl Jones in Corregidora that reclaim the minstrel tradition to reveal the …

Flexible Lives On Engineering's 'Bleeding Edge' : Gender, Migration And Belonging In The Semiconductor Industry, Sarah E. Appelhans

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation explores gender, flexibilization, and belonging within professional high tech employment, particularly amongst women and migrant engineers. Prior studies of women in the “integrated circuit” focused on low-skilled factory labor (Nakamura 2014, Grossman 1980); however, women are increasingly choosing careers in the male-dominated engineering workforce, which designs and manufactures semiconductor technology. Fieldwork for this dissertation took place between May 2018 – Aug 2019 in the Northeastern US, a regional hub for semiconductor manufacturing companies. Thirty-eight life history interviews were conducted with participants from several companies in the area, along with frequent follow ups and participant observation with seventeen engineering …

Aids, Act Up, And Activism Within The Albany Community, Kimberly Eastlick

Library Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research

This research, completed in the senior-history capstone course, follows a feminist LGBTQ+ activist local to Albany, NY. Her and fellow activists worked during the 1980’s and 1990’s to provide awareness and resources following the outbreak of the AIDS crisis. I examined the Albany community’s (and the national government’s) response to the rise in LGBTQ+ violence and hate-crime cases. I also examined how activists were working to address the lack of serious response on behalf of local/national government, and the solutions they offered to Albany’s community. Therefore, my project is essentially an assessment of the work done by activists such as …

Cuerpos Femeninos En Concursos De Mujeres O 'Reinados' En Colombia, 1991-2018, Ernesto L. Ebratt

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Incorporando perspectivas sociológicas y feministas sobre el cuerpo e información clave obtenida durante el trabajo de campo realizado en Colombia (entrevistas cualitativas y búsqueda de archivos), esta disertación explora las dinámicas entre las experiencias de los cuerpos femininos y fuerzas sociales en el contexto de la globalización neoliberal durante el periodo de 1991 a 2018 en Colombia. Este proyecto se concentra en tres competencias de mujeres: el Reinado Nacional de Belleza, el Reinado de la Independencia y el Reinado Wayyú. Documenta las experiencias o historias individuales de las concursantes acerca de sus cuerpos dentro y fuera de las competencias, sus …

The Societal Perception And Judgements Of Sexual Violence Targeting Victims From Varying Demographic Backgrounds, Hanna Bogart

Psychology

Abstract Sexual violence affects people of all color and gender, but extant research has mostly focused on reactions toward female (and often White) survivors. With a sample of 77 undergraduate University participants (Mage = 18.82), the current study examined the effects of survivors’ race and gender on recommended punishment of the sexual violence incidents. The results indicated that severity of the assault and recommended punishment for the perpetrator had a significantly positive relationship, such that individuals’ recommended more severe punishments for more severe sexual violence incidents. Furthermore, sexual violence incidents involving female victims were recommended more severe punishments than those …

Girls In Wonderland: The Male Gaze, Disordered Eating, And Bad Women In Alice’S Adventures In Wonderland & Spirited Away, Arielle Westcott

English

This project aims to examine gender as perpetuated in the “Wonderland” trope, paying specific attention to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. At the surface level, these works seem like they don’t have much in common—they come from different cultures, different time periods, and different social contexts. However, to say that these stories are too dissimilar to compare is simply incorrect as both deal with the transitional periods of young girls who are approaching adolescence. Because both stories contain an alternate world in which the main little girl character wanders into and journeys through, …

Gender Journeys : Arts-Based Participatory Action Research With Non-Binary Young Adults, Darren Thomas Cosgrove

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Increasing attention to the social and health disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people has ushered in much needed attention to issues related to sexuality and gender diversity within social work literature. Among this burgeoning focus has been a particular emphasis on the experiences of transgender people. Such work is particularly relevant to social workers given the heightened rates of harassment and discrimination that transgender people face. Increased scholarly attention presents opportunities for new knowledge to inform social work policy and practice in service to transgender communities. While this expansion in literature addresses several significant needs, …

The Albany Birth Justice Storytelling Project, Emily Tineo, Jessica Ramsawak, Jae Rosenberg, Stephany Solis, Sarah Valdez, Dynito (Didi) Wiles, Tianna S. Brown, Mahalia Cummings, Ola Kalu, Chloe Anne Blaise

Library Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research

The ABJS Project is participatory action research that combines a photovoice and transformative storytelling approach to collect qualitative data on the experience of Black birthing people from Albany who are impacted by racial inequities in birth outcomes. The methodology promotes self-reflective, trauma informed education and care among co-researchers, including undergraduate students and storytellers from Albany County.

Sample photovoice narratives are included, along with an annotated bibliography.

The Method In The Madwoman : Functions Of Female Madness And Feminized Liminality In Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, And "The Yellow Wallpaper", Ivy Elizabeth Poitras

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This critical thesis explores how three literary portrayals of “madness” in female characters of the mid-to-late 19th century written by women writers (Bertha Mason of Jane Eyre, Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights, and the Narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper”) operate as instruments within their work to provide commentary on the anxieties, fears, and ideological stereotypes of women and femininity of the era, as well as contradictions and concepts pertaining to confinement, the female body, gendered Gothic tropes, and societal oppression. The significance of this analysis lies in the consistency and endurance of these issues as they withstand modern development, making …

The Influence Of Ethnic Identity Commitment, Discrimination, And Sexism On Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Latina College Students, Melissa M. Ertl

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to intersectionality theory, exposure to experiences of oppression predispose individuals from disadvantaged groups to experience disparities in health. Such disparities are evident in the sexual health outcomes among college student-age Latina women living in the US, who tend to report significantly worse sexual health outcomes than their peers. Guided by intersectionality frameworks, the present study examined Latina college students’ sexual risk behaviors in relation to ethnic identity and experiences of discrimination and sexism. Commitment to ethnic identity was expected to negatively relate with sexual risk, and experiences of discrimination and sexism were hypothesized to moderate the association between commitment …

Real Men Don't Get Lipos : Gender, Political Economy, And Biomedicine In Colombia's Male Beauty Industry, Jose Alejandro Arango-Londono

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The last few years in Colombia have seen the rise and expansion of male beauty industry. Such growth seems to suggest a shift from entrenched gendered ideas as well as new markets and economic opportunities to pursue. This dissertation is the result of eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Cali, Colombia focusing on how the development of male beauty has emerged in a context that is profoundly shaped by the legacy of armed conflict and drug-trafficking. The expansion of male beauty industry flourishes in a political and economic moment in Colombia where neoliberal policies are prevalent in the state’s agenda.

Navigating The Binary : Gender Presentation Of Non-Binary Individuals, Sharone Amalia Horowit-Hendler

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Much of linguistic study of gender has focused on the binary: “men’s language” and “women’s language”. Similarly, most of society recognizes only two genders with the assumption that gender is connected to body and that everyone will map onto this binary. How then do non-binary individuals present themselves when they desire to be perceived outside of this dichotomy? This study re-examines the question of which masculine, feminine, and non-binary markers exist, and explores the ways that participants are aware of and utilize these signifiers in performing their gender identities.

What Does "Caliban's Woman" Sound Like? : A Study Of Indo-Guyanese Women's Emergent Voice In The Us, Caitlin Irene Janiszewski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

“Queen Of The Underworld And Mistress Of The Labyrinth;” An Exploration And Critique Of Females In The Bildungsroman, Melissa Aucompaugh

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

I explore the female bildungsroman expressed as a Counter Bildungsroman, the coming of age through a singular sexual event, coupled with a “a fall” and the Contra Bildungsroman, a more complex entrance into womanhood that reconfigures the female coming of age as rebirth instead of a fall. The first chapter, The Counter Bildungsroman, exposes how the Counter Bildungsroman’s coming of age scenario portrays the problematic expression of sexuality (or lack thereof) and entrance into womanhood in the film Labyrinth and the poem “Goblin Market.” Symbols emerge as supplements for the denied sexuality: the consumption of fruit …

The Equal Rights Amendment: Why All U.S. States Have Not Ratified, Gina Tan, Mirren Galway

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

Currently, enacted legislation for the equality of men and women in the United States does not exist. Despite many advancements, as of 2018, the equality of men and women is not explicitly stated in the U.S. constitution. There is a long history of discrimination against women in the U.S., and for some time now, there have been pushes toward constitutionalizing equality based on Sex. One such push came in 1923, shortly after women were granted the right to vote and The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced. This amendment mandates that the “Equality of rights under the law shall not …

A Renewed Call For Feminist Resistance To Population Control, Anne Hendrixson, Ellen Foley, Rajani Bhatia, Daniel Bendix, Susanne Schultz, Kalpana Wilson, Wangui Kimari

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Scholarship

We are feminist advocates for reproductive, environmental and climate justice who are deeply concerned about rising sea levels and rising inequalities. We are troubled that population numbers, composition and movements are often seen as causing or worsening climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, war and conflict. For instance, the United Nation’s 2019 World Population Prospects says that rapid population growth will stand in the way of accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty, equality and hunger.

Coming Out Online And On Campus : Queer Perspectives On Identity Work, Ian Callahan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research aims to describe the experiences associated with coming out—both on campus and online—for sexually and gender nonconforming college students. In 2014, I conducted a pilot version of this study at a public American university in the Northeast, utilizing data from semi- structured in-depth interviews and a demographic questionnaire. A thematic analysis using open and axial coding techniques found that social media interactions contributed to ‘outing’ students on campus. This finding inspired a second iteration of the study, which replicates the original research design and expands its interview script to include a more expansive series of questions related to …

Queering Sexual Development Frameworks : A Dynamic Systems Approach To Conceptualizing Other-Sex Sexuality Among Lesbians, Kolbe Franklin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Essentialist models of sexual identity development have dominated social discourse and public opinion since the 1980s. This perspective posits that sexual orientation is an intrinsic, core identity that has roots in specific biological factors. Based on this perspective it is assumed that a person’s sexuality will manifest in a linear fashion throughout the life course. Notably, this model positions individuals with same-sex sexual attractions and behaviors as specific “types” of people. While this perspective has become largely institutionalized in public opinion, within academic research on sexual orientation, there has been little consensus on the veracity of this model. Specifically, the …