Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Beloved Other: (Re)Creating Theories Of Language, Time, And Embodiment For Queer Liberations, Salem Murray

Honors Theses

Through Beloved Other, I offer a story of difference retold. A reimagination of the harsh drape of embodied difference as defined by White hegemony. Through Part I, I will lay out the theoretical foundations for my process of (re)telling. Beginning with intersectionality, difference is (re)defined as a site of potential energy, then further clarified through the lens of Queer Phenomenology by Sara Ahmed. In this section I will use my theory to disidentify difference, relying on the work of Jose Esteban Muñoz, to reveal the life-saving impulse toward connection between individuals, and the potential energy between bodies that can help …

Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer

Honors Theses

Mississippi House Bill 1125 (MS HB1125), also known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act,” was signed into law by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves in early 2023 (REAP Act, 2023). It is one of multiple policies passed into law that limit the rights of transgender people. This thesis aims to clarify the history of the trans community, dispel myths around gender-affirming health care and the trans identity, and discuss the current state of anti-trans laws and transgender rights. Using a policy analysis framework by DiNitto (2011), MS HB1125 is analyzed on points like its social and economic costs, the …

Rewriting Women: The Narratives Of Angela Carter And Kathy Acker, Marcella Rea

Honors Theses

This paper outlines the significance of contemporary readings of feminist writers Angela Carter and Kathy Acker and traces the genres and theories they utilize: magic realism, pastiche strategy, and postmodern feminism. Through their employment of these aesthetic and expressive strategies, they position themselves kairotically as writers conscious of the context from which they are writing in. This paper explores Acker and Carter’s adherence to the arguments of postmodern feminism through their navigation of feminine identity, sexuality, and their critiques of patriarchy and capitalism. For this paper’s argument that contemporary audiences should continue to read Acker and Carter, the evidence drawn …

Lgbtq+ Friendly End Of Life Essentials, Natalie Witt

Honors Theses

Without someone else being chosen to handle end of life care decisions and funeral arrangements, these decisions go to the person’s legal next of kin. Many people are not close with their next of kin, such as their parents, siblings, or children. Spouses are also legal next of kin. There are many reasons not to want your next of kin making these important decisions, one of which may be that you are not close with or do not trust that person.

For many transgender people, bad relationships with their families can mean violence and transphobia, even after death. Transgender people …

Women In Dentistry At The University Of Mississippi: Increasing The Confidence And Skills Of Future Women Dentists, Lakin Cramer

Honors Theses

Women in Dentistry became a registered student organization in February 2022. The purpose of the organization is to encourage and promote the professional and personal success of women in dentistry on the University of Mississippi Oxford campus. The historical and current literature of Women in Dentistry serve to provide a framework for the importance of uplifting women as they prepare for a career in dentistry. During my time as Founder and President of Women in Dentistry, my goal was to establish the organization, provide mentorship to prospective female dental school applicants, and increase the confidence and skills of future women …

« Iel Dit Quoi ? » : A Study Of The Origins And Evolution Of Francophone Gender-Neutral Pronouns And Inclusive Language And A Discussion Of French Versus Canadian Acceptance, Alyssa Claire Langlois

Honors Theses

Our interpretation of human gender identity has never been constant. And with it, language has always shifted in order to best represent the many different gender identities and expressions that people associate with themselves. This research examines the current gender-inclusive and gender-neutral French language that exists in both France and Canada. I use three factors: occupational nouns, l’écriture inclusive, and neopronouns, especially iel, the most common. In this thesis, I evaluate what exists, what has yet to be accepted, and the many different public reactions. I analyzed statements from official language offices, current event articles, and opinions pieces, as well …

Tea Service: Queering Time And Creating Community, Lauren Wheeler

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the concept of queer temporality and the importance of community in a person’s quality of life. Contrast between traditional English tea service and unconventional, queered tea service is used in dualistic metaphor to explore the contrast of community with people who seek to uphold cisheteronormativity and with people who disrupt it. Further, tea can be seen in various contexts as a site of social resistance. Queer temporality can be defined as the nonlinear and unconventional uses of time which are experienced in opposition to cisheteronormative temporalities. The importance of community amongst queer individuals is emphasized through shared …

Queer Representation: Revitilizing F. Scott Fitzgerald’S Place In The American Literary Canon, Olivia Wallace

Honors Theses

F. Scott Fitzgerald is colloquially known as one of the great American writers. His acclaim is most commonly attributed to his depiction of heterosexual romances set during the Jazz Age. However, under the surface, many of the male characters that he represents display queer behaviors that subvert this idea. The texts analyzed here include “The Rich Boy” (1926), Tender is the Night (1934), and The Great Gatsby (1925). These men commonly avoid perpetuating heteronormative culture, projecting a general air of cynicism towards the institution of marriage, and a subtle inclination towards feminine characteristics and queer love. Overall, the inclusion of …

Algorithms And The Alphabet Mafia: How Tiktok Influenced Gender, Sexuality, And The Lgbtq+ Community During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hope Smith

Honors Theses

A massive surge in popularity of the social media app TikTok coincided with the first major surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States. As U.S. Americans began leaving their houses again and the U.S. approaches a semblance of a “post-pandemic” era, many LGBTQ+ social media users, particularly TikTok users, have mentioned the influence social media had on understanding their queer identity. This study seeks to contribute to a larger field of research into how social media is affecting identity development in adolescents and young adults. This study employs an anonymous online survey to ask undergraduate students at the University …

Ricucire Il Tessuto Della Società: L’Intersezione Di Moda Femminile E Femminismo, Caroline Grace Bisese

Honors Theses

La moda è tutt'altro che una conseguenza frivola e accidentale dell'abbigliamento disponibile e del luogo in cui si va a fare shopping. L’abbigliamento è una forma di retorica corporea che evoca un ampio dialogo non verbale. Una narrazione che va ben oltre il materiale e lo stile, sebbene entrambi questi dettagli sono fondamentali, la moda al livello più elementare è essenziale per capire chi sono le persone, perché sono come sono e in cosa credono. Queste sono alcune dei capisaldi per capire una persona in relazione alla cultura e una cultura in conseguenza delle persone che la compongono. È una …

Gender And Sexuality In Desperate Housewives, Berkley Smith

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Environmental Art: The Multidimensional Relationship Between Black Communities And The American Landscape, Sophia Perkins

Honors Theses

Contemporary environmental art can be inspired by personal experience and reflections between the artist and their surroundings. Black women have a unique interaction with and relation to their environment. I would like to unpack the relationships between Black women and the environment by exploring a few different artists’ work, and by dissecting the effects race and gender have on one’s view of the natural world. I have studied the work of four artists: Torkwase Dyson, Allison Jane Hamilton, LaToya Ruby Frazier, and Calida Garcia Rawles. Environmentally, I have a specific interest in bodies of water / Black waterways because of …

Fight Like A Ya Girl: Fourth Wave Feminism, Defense, And Weaponization Through The Lens Of Object Relations, Amanda Blakeman

Honors Theses

This thesis will discuss how the genre of Young Adult (YA) fiction, more specifically Fantasy YA fiction, reflects the major goals and objectives of fourth wave feminism, ultimately arguing for the need for more intersectional representation in heroine characters. YA Fantasy fiction consistently features a strong heroine in both spirit and body, one who uses weapons to take on systems of injustice in their respective worlds, from systematic child murder to modern slavery. What and how, then, are these books teaching the next generation about feminism? I attempt to answer this question with this thesis, looking at three YA female …

How Translations Affects Understanding In Euripides’ Medea, Alexis Nicole Candido

Honors Theses

This thesis considers Medea, from Euripides’ Medea, in her role as mother, wife, and a Woman of Corinth. Previous literature has considered the context within which Medea can be viewed as an icon for feminism in the modern world. Utilizing the translations from George Theodoridis, David Kovacs, Gilbert Murray, E. P. Coleridge, and Cecilia Luschnig, as well as my own translation, I investigated how Medea’s story can be viewed differently when carefully selecting words as a translation of the original Greek from her famous “Women of Corinth” speech. Each translation has similarities and differences, but they all portrayed a slightly …

Los Defectos De La Perfección: Un Análisis De Los Temas Recurrentes De Secretos, Traumas Intergeneracionales E Identidades Biculturales En Yo No Soy Tu Perfecta Hija Mexicana, Tiffany Vembenil

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the social critiques by author Erika L. Sánchez in her debut novel Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana (2017). This is a fictional coming-of-age story of teen Julia Reyes, who is grieving the death of her “perfect” older sister. Sánchez explores intersectional feminism, describing Julia’s struggles with gender roles, power dynamics, race, and socioeconomic status.

Sánchez employs imagery and irony to critique how the judging, silence, and secrecy that younger generations learn from their community permit predatory behavior, sexual assault, and victim-blaming. However, she also shows how keeping secrets can be a necessary evil to protect …

The Effects Of “No Pro Homo” Policies On Lgbtq+ Perceptions In The American South, Isabella L. Brocato

Honors Theses

Five states in the American South currently have “no pro homo” policies in place, while an increasing number of bills targeting discussions about sexuality and gender identity in public schools are being introduced to House floors around the country. Although there is extensive research on the ways in which these policies put the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ students at risk, there is little to no research about how they shape public perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community collectively. With inspiration from Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s social science study cited in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), this study works …

Women Without Bodies: Autonomy, Empowerment, And Embodiment In Southern Women, Martha Peyton Ford

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between rural, upper-class, Southern, white women and their bodies. In my attempts to understand this relationship, I analyze sources from the fields of gender studies, philosophy, and psychology, utilizing concepts such as the Cult of True Womanhood, the newly-emerging field of body memoirs, and the long-lasting but elusive idea of Southern ladyhood to make sense of cultural expectations of Southern women and their bodies. This research, alongside my use of autoethnography and oral history, serve as an anchor for my analysis of women’s relationships to their bodies, in which I use myself, my mother, and …

Hecabe: The Dog-Queen In Contemporary And Ancient Mythmaking, Makayla Steede

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the character of Hecabe from Greek mythology as she is depicted in both ancient and contemporary sources. The sources feature both literary and scholarly work relating to Hecabe and Greek mythology. The primary source texts are The Iliad by Homer, Hecabe by Euripides, Trojan Women by Euripides, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, and The Women of Troy by Pat Barker. The goal of the thesis is to examine the roles Hecabe plays in each book and examine the similarities and differences in how her story is told across the various texts.

Hey Queens!, Grace Temple

Honors Theses

Drag has been a part of society since as early as Ancient Greece. However, the art form has evolved throughout the centuries and is still evolving today. Modern day drag is commonly associated with RuPaul Charles and his achievements as a drag performer. He has helped pave the way for present and future drag performers to express themselves through the art form. The mainstreaming of drag has had numerous positive and negative impacts on the LGBTQIA+ community. This thesis documents the history of the art form and how it interacts with individual performers and society. This thesis consists of two …

The Implications Of Colorism On Black Women From The Early 20th Century To The Present, Allaija Briann Williams

Honors Theses

Colorism, a term first coined by novelist Alice Walker in 1983, is a systemic issue plaguing the black community because it demonstrates unequal treatment of people with different skin tones and hair. Although colorism is present among people of other races and black men, this thesis explores black prejudice towards dark-skinned black women in the 21^st century as compared to the 20^th. This study illustrates the historical continuity of the colorist narrative of dark-skinned women as ugly, angry, and incompetent. As a dark-skinned woman, I was inspired to write this thesis from my own experiences and observations. …

No One Leaves The Stage: An Analysis Of How Queer Dance Strengthens Individual Identities And Communal Bonds, Katie Milligan

Honors Theses

The senior choreographic project Isolated Together focuses on the way in which creating a safe space to share individuals’ authentic selves allows for the growth and development of the entire community. Within the live performance of this work, all individuals are essential to the unified whole; therefore, once visible to the audience, no dancer leaves the stage. Along with the choreographic intentions, the choreographer develops a unique understanding of queer dance based on Clare Croft’s ideas to frame a proposal for how dance practices can be inclusive of all individuals. This paper explores how the project allowed the choreographer to …

"A Woman's Lot To Suffer" : Recognizing The Intersectionality Of Oppression And Resistance In Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, Elianna Srikureja

Honors Theses

Min Jin Lee's novel Pachinko (2017) portrays the historically based lives of a displaced Korean family during Japan's colonization of Korea from 1905-1945. The novel's attention to the ways that colonial endeavors complicate Confucian family and national structures exemplifies the interrelation between gender and racial oppression facing Lee's Korean women in both the public and private domain.

However, by centering female voices all too often silenced, Lee also depicts resistance modes that subvert such oppression. Using feminist and postcolonial theory, historical analysis, and close reading analysis, this project examines both the construction of oppression and the subversive resistance measures taken …

Examining Katniss Everdeen's Gender Ambiguity In The Hunger Games : How Suzanne Collins Utilizes The Ya Genre To Resist Feminine Stereotypes, Moriah K. Mcdonald

Honors Theses

Even those who passively engage with modern media are likely to notice a binary frequently imposed on young adult women—that of the kind, reputable and trustworthy “good girl” or the mean, scandalous and deceitful “bad girl.” Such themes remain significantly featured in young adult (YA) literature, a genre specifically aimed at teenagers. Thus, in analyzing The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, I undertake a twofold analysis. I illustrate how Collins’s works tackle the specific issue of binary representation of women in the media, thereby validating the usefulness of the YA genre in commenting on current day issues facing teens.

The Multifront Battle Waged Against Female Autonomy: A Comparative Study Of Ancient Medical And Literary Texts, Leah K. Montello

Honors Theses

Male authors have long waged a multifront campaign against female independence. In this thesis, I focus on two specific fronts: literary and medical texts of the Classical Greek period. This thesis intends to explore the varying strategies in a selection of works, employed to reinforce prescribed gender norms. I approach this with a feminist lens to critique attempts made by elite educated Greek men to define what a woman ought to be like. I do not, however, explore every single tactic a medical and literary writer has applied to uphold patriarchal norms. My two body chapters revolve respectively around two …

Ecoturismo Y Empoderamiento: La Ecoinnovación De Las Mujeres Indígenas En América Latina, Kathleen Sinatra

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the role of indigenous women in relation to ecotourism efforts and ecoinnovation. Through an analysis of three case studies, I discuss the need to account for both indigenous people and gender when engaging in ecotourism efforts. I first engage in a literature review that develops the complex relationship between the identity factors of indigeneity and gender. I then look at a case study of the hotel Taselotzin in Cuetzalan del Progreso, Mexico in which a cooperative group of indigenous women founded a hotel. I then turn to the Kichwa community in Ecuador and the organization Amukishmi …

A Translation Of Some Works Of Louise Michel, Early French Feminist, Militant Anarchist, And Socialist Visionary, Julianna Kramer

Honors Theses

The socialist progressive Louise Michel infused her beliefs of equality and liberty from repressive governments into her daily life and career. Michel was a major leader of the Paris Commune, a revolutionary socialist government that controlled the city of Paris for roughly two months in 1871. She deployed militant tactics to defend the poor and demand legal and economic equality of the sexes.

She was a prolific writer, using writing as a revolutionary tool to disseminate socialist ideas to children and adults alike. A short story for children, titled Les dix sous de Marthe (Marthe’s Ten Coins), shows the ripple …

"Gone, But Never Forgotten:" Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls In The United States, Julianna Kramer

Honors Theses

Native women and girls in the United States are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted compared to white women, and murder rates on certain reservations can be tenfold higher than the national average. This pervasive violence traces back to colonialism. Native women have historically been abused, exploited, and neglected by America’s institutions, and lasting prejudice against Native peoples endures.

The United States government has stripped tribal governments of their ability to seek justice for their women. The Major Crimes Act of 1885, Proclamation 280, and the Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe (1978) decision place responsibility for investigating and prosecuting …

Who Is Most Likely To Stereotype The Lgbtq+ Community?, Shelby Smith

Honors Theses

There exists an extant literature investigating sexuality, gender, and stereotypes. It has examined how accurate people are at predicting sexual orientation and if there is an ability that can be developed, usually referred to as gaydar, to be able to tell if some is gay or not by looking at them. A lot of these finding suggest that participants are using societal stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender to identify people. Participants were sent a survey where their demographic information was collected. They read several vignettes and identified traits of the described individuals including sex and gender. It was hypothesized …

Clothing: The Gateway To Trucks Or Tiaras, Riley Mccormick

Honors Theses

This research observes and analyzes the gendering of children’s clothing and how this affects how adults see children and gender, how children will grow to view one another, as well as how the children will eventually see themselves. For the purpose of this research, I am analyzing clothing for children of the ages two to eight because that is when a child begins to recognize themselves as their own person, begins to understand their personality, and starts to understand their own sex (Capsi, Roberst, Shiner 256). Children’s clothing often expresses messages that assert a masculine or feminine gender. These messages …

Greco-Roman Paganism And Women Leaders: The Foundation Of Early Christian Art, Rowan Murry

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I explore the impact of Greco-Roman pagan motifs as well as women leaders and officials on the development of Early Christian art by analyzing catacomb paintings, sarcophagi, and minor arts such as finger rings and carved gemstones. I also discuss surviving primary sources written by Tertullian, Eusebius, St. Jerome, and Clement of Alexandria, to gain a better understanding of anti-art views in the first few centuries of the Church’s rise to power. These anti-art sentiments were often rooted in attempts to disassociate themselves from pagan practices while Early Christian art was emerging amongst the lower classes who …