Mirrors Of The Reel: Black Women's Identity In American Cinema (2009-2024),
2025
Antioch University
Mirrors Of The Reel: Black Women's Identity In American Cinema (2009-2024), Melanie-Penny Harrison
Antioch University Dissertations & Theses
This study investigates whether white supremacy structures, embodied in Hollywood’s predominantly white leadership, drive negative portrayals of Black women in 31 mainstream American films from 2009 to 2024. Employing a mixed-methods approach—quantitative content analysis, qualitative content analysis (QCA), and narrative methodology—I code portrayals for racism, patriarchy, heterosexism, colorism, and internalized racism, classifying them as progressive (e.g., empowered roles), regressive (e.g., subservient stereotypes), or hybrid. Guided by Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, the analysis examines narrative structures, character agency, symbolism, and dialogue to uncover intersectional patterns (e.g., race, gender, class) across three periods: 2009–2013, 2014–2018, and 2019–2024. Across these periods, cultural …
Not Everyone Had Glass Slippers: A Black Feminist Trauma-Informed Literary Analysis Of Cinderella, Snow White And Alice In Wonderland,
2025
Antioch University
Not Everyone Had Glass Slippers: A Black Feminist Trauma-Informed Literary Analysis Of Cinderella, Snow White And Alice In Wonderland, Marcia Lynn Dinkins
Antioch University Dissertations & Theses
This dissertation reimagines Cinderella, Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland through a Black feminist, healing-centered lens to examine how Black girls and women have been erased, misrepresented, and silenced within dominant literary traditions. Through creative retellings, cultural remembrance, and critical analysis, it introduces the Soulforger, a new archetype and methodological figure who refuses erasure, reshapes silence, and forges meaning out of rupture and scar. Developed uniquely within this study, Black Feminist Trauma-Informed Literary Analysis merges Black feminist theory with transformative approaches, material culture, and embodied knowledge to position storytelling as both scholarship and transformation. The retellings—Mari’Ella: A Black Cinderella, Sola …
The Progressive Potential Of The Horror Arg: A Digital Ethnographic Analysis Of Instagram Account Sabrinamiller230,
2025
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Progressive Potential Of The Horror Arg: A Digital Ethnographic Analysis Of Instagram Account Sabrinamiller230, Matthew N. Wiebe
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Alternate reality games (ARGs) are transmedia games that exist and operate utilizing a number of digital communication platforms. These games see players employing their digital literacy skills in order to solve narrative puzzles and craft theories with other ARG players – through engaging with the alternate reality fiction presented to them. sabrinamiller230 is a horror themed ARG that takes the appearance of an Instagram profile and presents players with a speculative alternate reality world featuring an alien who critiques humanity’s many injustices. This research paper seeks to address a key problem regarding the lack of digital ethnographic studies of ARG …
Operationalizing Intersectionality Analysis For Urban Agriculture In Quito, Ecuador,
2025
Wilfrid Laurier University
Operationalizing Intersectionality Analysis For Urban Agriculture In Quito, Ecuador, Laine N. Young
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
This thesis outlines the results of a case study in Quito, Ecuador with the municipally led participatory urban agriculture project, AGRUPAR, an internationally recognized project that promotes women’s empowerment, traditional knowledge, agroecology, and livelihoods. It works to improve the lives of those experiencing high levels of poverty in Quito. This dissertation applies an intersectional analysis to urban agriculture research to enhance attention to power relations, social justice, and equity within its scholarly and practical realms. Intersectionality is an understanding that people have unique experiences of oppression based on their unique social location (what intersecting social categories they belong to) and …
A Feminist Narrative Shaped By Bangladesh’S Threads,
2025
Georgia Southern University
A Feminist Narrative Shaped By Bangladesh’S Threads, Salma Akter
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
This thesis explores the intersection of feminist theory and artistic practice, examining how materiality and abstraction reflect gender norms within the socio-political, religious, and colonial context of Bangladesh. It is grounded in four key theoretical frameworks: judith butler’s gender performativity, bell hooks’ intersectional feminism, julia kristeva’s abjection and systems theory. Together, these frameworks provide a comprehensive lens for analyzing how gender inequality is constructed, maintained, and resisted within the socio-political, religious, and colonial context of Bangladesh. Textile-based media serve as a means to engage with these layered systems, drawing from traditional nakshi kantha embroidery to explore patterns of labor, domesticity, …
Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition: Unpacking Gender Roles In Social Media Performances Of "The Good Life",
2025
Claremont Colleges
Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition: Unpacking Gender Roles In Social Media Performances Of "The Good Life", Lauren Mar
Scripps Senior Theses
What do JD Vance, tradwife influencers, and the “sprinkle sprinkle” movement have in common? They all have something to do with the increasing popularity of an apparent return to traditional gender roles. This thesis is an intersectional investigation of women’s gender roles in relation to class and race as they appear in different performances of “the good life” on social media. Through a series of personal essays, this thesis explores how these media examples represent a deeper political unhappiness with present conditions. This thesis takes the time to unpack the different sides of discourse surrounding each subject, and counters the …
Let's Talk About Sex: Investigating Radical Feminist Theories On Prostitution In The United States,
2025
Scripps College
Let's Talk About Sex: Investigating Radical Feminist Theories On Prostitution In The United States, Anna E. Peterson
Scripps Senior Theses
This paper explores the feminist debates surrounding prostitution through an analysis of Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin’s abolitionist theories, juxtaposed with critiques from Wendy Brown, Janet Halley, Susie Bright, and Marxist feminist abolitionist Esperanza Fonseca. The text examines the systemic forces of patriarchy and capitalism that commodify women’s bodies and the challenges of legislative approaches to the sex trade. While MacKinnon and Dworkin identify the structural inequalities underpinning prostitution, their legislative proposals often fail to address the stigma and systemic conditions that perpetuate the marginalization of prostituted people. Critics like Brown and Halley highlight the limitations of punitive measures, calling …
Grieving In Doorways: A Critical Autoethnographic Exploration Of Embodied Knowledge Amid Shifting Reality And Radical Possibility,
2025
Cal Poly Humboldt
Grieving In Doorways: A Critical Autoethnographic Exploration Of Embodied Knowledge Amid Shifting Reality And Radical Possibility, Holly Rae
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
This thesis is a critical autoethnographic exploration of embodied knowledge amid shifting reality and radical possibility. Beginning and ending with my own body, I explore how grief, as an embodied companion, offers wisdom and power in moments of profound change. Rooted in a methodology of slowness, rest, walking, and active listening, this work resists the extractive pace of modernity and instead invites building a relationship with grief and discomfort. This research is an experiment in co-creating knowledge with bodies and their intersectionality within systems that would keep us separate from knowing our embodied knowledge. As a location of research for …
True Crime Podcasts As A Scene Of Feminist Reckoning: A Comparative Analysis Of My Favorite Murder And Sistas Who Kill,
2025
Cal Poly Humboldt
True Crime Podcasts As A Scene Of Feminist Reckoning: A Comparative Analysis Of My Favorite Murder And Sistas Who Kill, Rachel C.C. Matteri
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
This research examines the cultural impact and ethical implications of true crime podcasts (TCPs). In recent years, TCPs have become a powerful cultural force, with White women often emerging as the primary storytellers and most visible participants in the genre. Their dominance in this space is not neutral and it carries representational weight. It explores the potential for feminist activity made possible by the auditory, self-publishing genre of podcasting. This work focuses on the buddy-comedy subgenre of TCPs. The concerns of this text are that TCPs are dominated by White feminist values and are not an intersectional feminist project. Textual …
The Personal, The Political, And The Hope For A Better Future: Disrupting The Traditional Rape Narrative In Young Adult Fiction,
2025
West Virginia University
The Personal, The Political, And The Hope For A Better Future: Disrupting The Traditional Rape Narrative In Young Adult Fiction, Melissa Roberson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
This dissertation critically examines the current state of young adult rape fiction to explore the ways in which contemporary young adult rape novels engage with different aspects of rape culture and the systems in place that sustain it. Prioritizing issues related to disclosure, hope, healing, and justice, my investigation into these novels demonstrates the importance of attending to both the framing of rape and the challenges associated with narrativizing sexual violence in the context of adolescent literature. Ultimately, I argue that in order to challenge and disrupt the further entrenchment of societal attitudes and (mis)perceptions of rape that perpetuate the …
Reclaiming Myth: Feminist Reinterpretations And The Creation Of A More Inclusive Narrative,
2025
Governors State University
Reclaiming Myth: Feminist Reinterpretations And The Creation Of A More Inclusive Narrative, Isabella Iurillo
All Student Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examines the role of mythological reinterpretation and its expansion of the literary canon to inclusively reflect human experiences. According to scholars of myth such as Kalloli, Tyagi, and Armstrong, myths are meant to reflect enduring human experiences, making them relatable classics even after thousands of years. However, as the majority of mythological women are largely silenced, misrepresented, or villainized in ancient myth, this reflection is both incomplete and distorted. This thesis examines three contemporary feminist reinterpretations-- Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, and Circe by Madeline Miller—each of which gives a voice …
Intersectionality And The Canon Of Romanticism,
2025
Illinois State University
Intersectionality And The Canon Of Romanticism, Serenah Minasian
Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation discusses the origins of the canon and the place it has in British Romanticism studies both past and present. This research begins unpacking what has already been done in this sector of study and takes it steps further by the use of Crenshaw’s “intersectionality” theory. The “Introduction” unpacks past scholarly work and its role in the present studies and how we must move beyond the past. “Chapter I” serves as a historical breakdown of the canon’s role and impact in both literary studies and Romanticism studies in specific. “Chapter II” provides an in depth analysis of two major …
Lady Macbeth's Maternity And Morality,
2025
Illinois State University
Lady Macbeth's Maternity And Morality, Lauren Johnson
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores the ways in which adaptations of Lady Macbeth from the seventeenth century to modern day have functioned to vilify or redeem Lady Macbeth based on her connection with her maternity as well as on the contextual, cultural, and political opinions surrounding both a woman’s place in society and the importance of maternity. This thesis examines William D’Avenant’s 1674 stage adaptation of Macbeth, Han Tae-Sook’s 1998 stage adaptation Lady Macbeth, and Lisa Klein’s 2009 novel adaptation Lady Macbeth’s Daughter to capture a range of cultures and the evolution of the character.
Cultural And Counter-Cultural Contexts In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club And Cristina GarcíA'S Dreaming In Cuban,
2025
Montclair State University
Cultural And Counter-Cultural Contexts In Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club And Cristina GarcíA'S Dreaming In Cuban, Melinda M. Ninewise
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
This thesis explores the cultural and counter-cultural narratives presented in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Cristina García’s Dreaming in Cuban, examining how these works impact the literary canon and redefine the immigrant experience through a distinctly female lens. Both novels share themes of generational conflict, fragmented identities, and the struggles of communication shaped by cultural and linguistic divides. While these works feature distinct cultural backgrounds, Chinese American and Cuban American respectively, the authors challenge patriarchal norms by privileging female voices and presenting nuanced portrayals of mother-daughter relationships. The analysis highlights shared literary techniques and thematic parallels, including identity …
Y’All Means All: Pro-Choice Abortion Activism In West Texas Post-Dobbs,
2025
University at Albany, State University of New York
Y’All Means All: Pro-Choice Abortion Activism In West Texas Post-Dobbs, Hannah S. Noblewolf
Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)
In the spring of 2021, a six-week abortion ban passed by popular vote in the city of Westerburg, Texas. It had a civil enforcement mechanism, allowing someone to collect a reward of $2,000 if they successfully sued someone they reported for “aiding and abetting” abortion. The ban, called the Westerburg Sanctuary City ordinance, was referred to as “bounty hunting.” When the ban passed it became the template for the state-level Texas Heartbeat Act, which provides a greater financial reward for a successful civil suit, with a minimum of $10,000 plus legal fees. In the face of this ban, pro-choice activists …
Liner Notes On Black Trans Girlhood: Afrofuturist Affect & Black Popular Music As A Praxis Of Self-Fashioning,
2025
Virginia Commonwealth University
Liner Notes On Black Trans Girlhood: Afrofuturist Affect & Black Popular Music As A Praxis Of Self-Fashioning, Shawn J. Williams
Theses and Dissertations
Liner Notes on Black Trans Girlhood: Afrofuturist Affect & Black Popular Music as a Praxis of Self-Fashioning interprets Black musical performance in identity-making, with a focus on how music and Black trans identity intersect and informs Black trans girlhood. As such, Black trans girls render ourselves legible, i.e. understood without shame or judgment, by constructing our identities through the music by Black women we listen and dance to, or watch and sing. These musical connections affirm the possibilities of Black femme expression. This expression of Black femininity is due to what I call an Afrofuturist affect, by which I refer …
Post Opera,
2025
Virginia Commonwealth University
Post Opera, Suzy Lykins
Theses and Dissertations
Post Opera is a spell and work of embodied research which explores medicalization, desire, labor, and belief. Through methods of performance, sound, text and installation, I facilitate encounters of trans-femininity, spiritual power and connectivity. An opening wound, a set of psychic scalpels, sutures and bandages prepare this text for your consumption, take care to digest her well.
The Reel Narrative: The Portrayal And Consequent Archetypes Of Women In Selected Mainstream Philippine Romantic Cinema,
2024
De La Salle University
The Reel Narrative: The Portrayal And Consequent Archetypes Of Women In Selected Mainstream Philippine Romantic Cinema, Ma. Beatrice P. Pilar, Nathaniel Rey D. Ferrer
Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students
In Philippine society, media, particularly romance films, shapes and reinforces audiences’ perspectives, perpetuating preconceived notions and stereotypical beliefs. However, there is a lack of textual analysis within Filipino films, especially regarding female representation in media. Hence, our study explores the portrayal of female main characters in romance films. Textual film analysis, grounded in Carl Jung’s Jungian archetypes and Jean Shinoda Bolen’s female archetypes in media, was implemented on the six Filipino highest-grossing romance films from 2014 until 2019. This analysis, further supported by a feminist lens, aimed to identify the character portrayal and archetypes of the main female characters in …
Jumping Pens And Historical Vertigo: Teaching Cavendish In The Twenty-First Century,
2024
National University of Singapore
Jumping Pens And Historical Vertigo: Teaching Cavendish In The Twenty-First Century, Anne M. Thell
ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830
"Jumping Pens" considers "historical and epistemological vertigo" as a useful pedagogical rubric for teaching the works of Margaret Cavendish (1623-73) in contemporary university classrooms. Specifically, it looks back across more than a decade of teaching Cavendish in diverse settings in order to show how exciting this author can be for students who are just starting out in the discipline of literary studies. As this essay argues, Cavendish can make us all better, more self-aware instructors, while also developing critical and historical acumen in our students.
Toxic Varnishes: Perfumes, Stench, And Glow In Eighteenth-Century French Salons,
2024
Université Grenoble Alpes / LARHRA
Toxic Varnishes: Perfumes, Stench, And Glow In Eighteenth-Century French Salons, Érika Wicky
ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830
As several historians, including Alain Corbin, have noted, a new sensitivity to odors emerged in the 18th century that increased people’s negative responses to strong smells and heightened the demand for fragrances that were not only pleasant but also light and subtle. Some scholars see this period as a true “olfactory revolution.” How was this expressed in the salon, perceived both as a luxurious space and a site of elite sociability? This focus on the smell of varnish aims to illustrate how the scent of materials intertwined with the pleasures of decorative arts, both in the entire space of …
