Digital Commons Network^™

"What Are They Going To Do? Fire Me?" The Paradoxical Empowerment Of Nonbinary Teachers In Rural South Carolina, Chris Cyan Divens, Jonathan M. Coker

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Nonbinary teachers are seldom the focus of teacher studies, particularly in challenging places such as the rural Southeastern United States. Through a critical ethnographic case study, we explored the stories of two nonbinary teachers who grew up and worked in rural South Carolina. We examined their cultural contexts, including legislative factors, school policies, and school cultures, and we highlighted how these systems created a hostile environment for queer and trans* individuals. Our participants shared how their lived experiences as queer and gender-diverse individuals provided them with an insider perspective about rural South Carolina culture and its limitations. We also found …

Sissies At The Cafeteria Table: Toward A Queer Black-Town Sense Of Place, Education And Life, Ezekiel Joubert Iii

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Contemporary research has shown rural communities to be places with diverse identities and ideologies, disrupting much of the mainstream images of rural spaces as isolated, White, monocultural, and conservative. However, the persistent tendency to imagine racial inequality and queer life as urban contributes to the invisibility of intersectional struggle. Drawing from Critical Pedagogy, Black geographies, Black Queer Studies, and Mobility Studies, this study examines the collective educational experience and storytelling of Black rural queers in a Metro-Rural community in the Upper Midwest. Using an autogeographic approach, building from auto-ethnography and archival praxis reveal how the spatial structures that reproduce educational …

Queer Methods And Rural Education: Studying The Foxfire Program, Brooke Boling

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

During the summer of 2023, I conducted a study in rural Rabun County, Georgia, with a cohort of high school students as they worked to create a magazine focused on Appalachian culture. The magazine, known as Foxfire, has been published since 1966 by rural high school students who were led by writing teachers. In its heyday, the Foxfire Magazine was seen as a bastion of critical education, as its teachers and founder implemented Deweyan pedagogy and asked students to critically reflect on issues of rural Southern Appalachian culture in their writing. The Foxfire Magazine was wildly successful, resulting in a …

Reading About Gender Identity In A Rural Community: Discourse Around Young Adult Literature And Social Justice, Ashley S. Boyd, Rachael R. Wolney

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This study explores how a rural adult book club engaged with gender identity through young adult literature (YAL), focusing on Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All the Best. Facilitated by two teacher educators, the club brought together local residents and a guest speaker from a regional support organization to discuss gender, pronouns, and the experiences of nonbinary youth. Using critical discourse analysis and thematic coding, the authors examine how participants, cisgender adults, navigated unfamiliar concepts, reflected on their own beliefs, and considered implications for their personal and professional lives. Findings highlight the power of YAL to serve as a …

Beyond The City Limits: Representations Of Rurality And Lgbtqia+ Youth In Young Adult Literature, Michelle L. Page

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Narratives of flight from rural to urban areas predominate in research related to LGBTQIA+ communities. Thus, rural LGBTQIA+ young people rarely see representations of themselves or their environments, especially positive portrayals. Such representations are important in that they are productive of identities, not just reflective of them. This study examines a collection of young adult literature with LGBTQIA characters and rural settings, analyzing the portrayals of place (rurality) and identity (LGBTQIA+). In this paper I will demonstrate how current LGBTQIA+ young adult literature reinforces dominant narratives that privilege urbanity and I assert that counternarratives to the rural flight story are …

Rural Geographies, Queer Youth And Metronormativity, Fenton Litwiller

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In 1995 Weston articulated an oft recited story where queers move from persecutory rural geographies to the more accepting city. While Weston interrogated this spatial binary and demonstrated failed promise of the metropolis to deliver, particularly across intersections of gender, the urban flight narrative persists. Jack Halberstam (2005) used the term ‘metronormativity’ to illustrate the power of this narrative that influences a research focus on urban queers. This study contributes insights on how queer youth who live in remote Canadian geographies navigate and express gender and sexuality. Eight participants (12 – 24) attended an informal educational space, a genderplay workshop, …

Queer Of Color Critique And The Politics Of Epistemic Agency: Rural Educators Desettling Curricular Expectations, C.A. Langerud, Madelaine Adelman, Daniel D. Liou

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

The purpose of this research is to use queer of color critique (QOCC) as an analytical framework to explore rural K-12 educators’ epistemic agency. The research focuses on educators’ engagement with a national initiative by an advocacy organization to distribute LGBTQ+ and racially diverse books to K-12 schools. The analysis centers on the educators’ praxis of epistemic agency against settled expectations associated with including queer and trans People of Color’s (QTPOC’s) stories in their schools. Our findings on educators’ epistemic agency center on three areas of knowledge and activity. First, educators demonstrate their ability to be aware of their local …

Rotating Along The Borderlands: Contextualizing Border Rurality Among Queer Transfronterizxs College Students, Carlos A. Fitch

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Queer Transfronterizx students at rural higher education institutions experience an array of systemic and racialized inequities related to Queerphobia, residential nativism, and immigration challenges. Through a Critical Race Feminista Methodology (CRFM), seven Queer Transfronterizx college students engaged in testimonios and a Queer plática to shed light into the navigation of their rural higher education contexts and lived experiences. The findings note the collaborators’ experience of (1) endangered educational oases, (2) the dual identity isolation pertaining to Queer and Latinx belongings, (3) transborder hypervigilance emerged from border- crossings practices, and (4) a rural border flexibility that provides Queer privileges. Recommendations for …

A Trans Youth’S Encounters With Queerness In Puerto Rico, Gabriel T. Acevedo

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This article explores the lived experiences of Pedro, a transgender youth from rural Puerto Rico, to examine how queer and trans identities are negotiated within contexts shaped by colonialism, Catholic traditions, machismo, and rural community life. Drawing on queer theory, Latinx studies, rural education research, and narrative inquiry, the study highlights Pedro’s voice through interviews, self-narratives, and reflections, positioning youth as knowledge creators rather than passive subjects. Findings reveal three interconnected themes: (1) the importance of educational relationships in fostering belonging and dialogue, (2) the disruption of normative expectations around adolescence, queerness, and urban migration, and (3) the expression of …

“Fairy-Tale Beginnings Are Often Pretty Bad.” Filling The Gaps Of The Adoption Experience With Narrative Inquiry, Christina B. Gunther, Michelle A. Cole, Robin L. Danzak

The Qualitative Report

This study utilized narrative inquiry to delve into some of the less-celebrated experiences of adoptees and their families. Drawing on focus group data from 17 adult participants with various connections to adoption, we co-constructed three composite narratives centering on darker aspects of the adoption experience: adoptees’ sense of loss, adoption as a secret or taboo, and the challenging implications of interracial adoption. By weaving together participants' authentic voices, the study provides rich insights into the multifaceted experiences of those touched by adoption. The narratives reveal complex emotional journeys of adoptees, including feelings of rejection and grief, identity struggles, and the …

Review Of Thomas P. Wheatland, The Frankfurt School In America: A Transatlantic Odyssey From Exile To Acclaim. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University Of Minnesota Press, 2009, Douglas Kellner

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Café Narcissism, Jamie Dangler, Mark P. Worrell

Fast Capitalism

The 1979 Cortland Conference marked a decisive shift in the adventures of Telos by opening up a debate on narcissism that would pave the way for later contests that, in turn, symbolize in the eyes of many, the errant swerve of Marxism and post-Marxist critical theory. In what follows we examine the vibrant theoretical community at Cortland during the late-70s and early 80s, revisit the conference itself, and reflect on the narcissism concept and its relationship to anti-capitalist struggle in a way that is both attuned to debates surrounding the 1979 conference as well as its ongoing relevance for critical …

Absolutizing The Particular, Robert J. Antonio

Fast Capitalism

From the late-1960s to the mid-1980s, Telos brought the Frankfurt School, Western Marxism, and other critical Continental thought to North America and the English speaking world; it was the critical theory organ of that era and best ever English language journal on the topic. Its left lean did not compromise its critical view of communist regimes and left-wing parties and thinkers. Its contribution with regard to critical theories, with Hegelian-Marxist roots, was so substantial and widely acknowledged that many former readers and, I expect, even some journal editors, who have advertised in Telos, during the last 25 years, did not …

Lies And Life: The Other Italians, Charles Lemert

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Betty Friedan And Simone De Beauvoir, Charles Lemert

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Landscapes Of The Social Relations Of Production In A Networked Society, Robert Goldman, Stephen Papson, Noah Kersey

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Timescapes Of The Network Society, Robert Hassan

Fast Capitalism

Since the late ‘70s, the mutually reinforcing interaction between neoliberal economics and the revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed the world in many ways. “Globalization” is what we have come to call this process, and many aspects of its profound effect have been analyzed from a range of perspectives (e.g. Appadurai 1990; Robertson 1993; Omahe 1993; Waters 1995; Bauman 1998; Steger 2003). This paper discusses a central element of this change through globalization that has so far received relatively little attention—our relationship with time and how this is changing, in turn, the nature of power and politics. …

C. Wright Mills: A New Left For A New Day, Charles Lemert

Fast Capitalism

Thomas Paine, during a crucial moment in the American war against its colonizers, said famously: “These are times that try men’s souls.” Many think, I among them, that these too are times that try men’s souls. At such a time, one must look back for clues as to what to think and do. One from not that long ago who lends us wisdom of a sort is C. Wright Mills, who in the 1950s, tried to make sense of America’s changing culture. However, a bad heart killed him in 1962, just after he wrote of the possibility of a New …

Fighting For Justice In The Neoliberal University: The Promise Of Reflexive And Flexible Solidarity, Timothy Gibson, Bethany Letiecq

Fast Capitalism

In the neoliberal university, faculty are encouraged to build strong connections in virtually every way except one: as workers. In this paper, we will discuss our experiences as leaders of the XXX chapter of the American Association of University Professors, with a focus on our campaign to build across-campus labor coalition connecting faculty, students, staff, and contract workers in the struggle for economic and social justice. We will begin by examining the constellation of structural forces and professional hierarchies that amplify labor exploitation on campus, subvert shared governance and academic freedom, and cultivate a campus culture of disconnection, competition, and …

Full Issue, Fast Capitalism Editorial Team

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

The Artificiality Of Digital Scarcity: Contradictions Between Code, Law, Norms, And Value(S), Anthony Jack Knowles

Fast Capitalism

The rise and fall of Napster represented a major turning point in the history of the internet as it simultaneously paved the way for peer-to-peer filesharing as well as ushered in a backlash from incumbent media companies backed by an army of lawyers. This essay grapples with the ramifications of this struggle against filesharing and piracy that forever changed the internet. Much of how and why the internet is structured as it is can be explained through recognizing that this contradictory state of affairs is due to the inherent properties of the internet and digital files when "forced" to fit …

Napster's Mediations, Gavin Mueller

Fast Capitalism

While Napster has often been understood as a force for disintermediation, this essay examines three possible levels that Napster could be theorized as engaged in mediation: the level of protocol, the level of interface, and the level of culture. Each has implications for how we understand the politics of Napster, and peer-to-peer more generally.

Napster "Freedom" At Northeastern University: A Distanced Ethnography, Marcus Breen

Fast Capitalism

This article offers a critical first hand account, from an academic at Northeastern University after Napster's creator Sean Fanniong left the campus in 1999. Reflecting on the impact of Fanning on the campus, drawing on the history of community computer innovation in Boston as a means of activism, the article identifies through Marx, the way monopoly capitalism destroyed Napster's capacity for free music culture. The impact of Intellectual Property law in shutting down digital innovations such as Napster, is considered for the impact it had on the ideals of the liberal university in the United States.

Classroom To Campus: A Qualitative Case Study Of Exemplary First-Year Seminar Instructors In Student Transitions At A Louisiana University, Brianna J. Doucet

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how exemplary first-year seminar (FYS) instructors design and implement pedagogical strategies that support students’ transitions into higher education through the lens of Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory. Conducted at a public university in Louisiana, the study explored how university-identified, award-winning instructors foster academic, social, and emotional adjustment among first-year students, a critical priority amid the impending enrollment cliff and the growing need to retain enrolled students. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, findings revealed exemplary instructors design intentional, relational, and reflective learning environments. They view transition as a shared institutional process, model adaptability and lifelong learning, …

Conducting A Qualitative Umbrella Review For Novice Researchers: A Critical Reflection Of Primary Documents, Mónica Fontana, Celia Camilli Trujillo

The Qualitative Report

The need for scientific evidence in education has accelerated systematic reviews. However, the practice of conducting umbrella reviews is not yet common in education. Among the possible reasons for the scarce number of umbrella reviews in education is the lack of knowledge of the steps required to conduct them and the specific challenges of this method. Their usefulness in the educational context lies in their ability to offer new findings of great scope and transferability based on evidence from multiple systematic reviews in an efficient and in-depth manner. This study provides a critical reflection on the methodological implications of conducting …

Book Review Of Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, And The Rise Of The Right By Arlie Russell Hochschild. New York: The New Press. 2024, Roger Clark

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Teaching Numeracy For Social Justice: Educational Equity, Esther Isabelle Wilder, Crystal C. Rodriguez, Caterina Shost, Eduardo Vianna, Frank Wang

Numeracy

The special collection, “Teaching Numeracy for Social Justice: Educational Equity,” focuses on how quantitative reasoning (QR) can function as a vehicle for equity, empowerment, and democratic participation. Building on a longstanding tradition that treats numeracy as inseparable from social justice, these contributions highlight how progressive pedagogies (e.g., active learning, authentic research, and equity-oriented assessment) have the potential to broaden access for students historically excluded from quantitative fields. The studies span a variety of conceptual frameworks, introductory and advanced quantitative instruction, and interdisciplinary applications, showcasing how inclusive QR practices can build confidence, agency, and real-world understanding. These articles demonstrate that when …

A Comparison Of First- And Continuing-Generation Students Completing A Project-Based Introductory Statistics Course, Susan A. Dumais, Naomi J. Spence, Lisa Dierker

Numeracy

Traditional introductory statistics courses that focus on techniques are not engaging for many college students; this may be especially true for first-generation college students, who generally have more difficulty engaging in the college environment than continuing-generation students. We study first-generation college students’ experiences in a course-based undergraduate research experience called Passion-Driven Statistics. Passion-Driven Statistics is a multidisciplinary, project-based introductory statistics course where students develop their own research topics, analyze publicly available quantitative data, and focus on conceptual understanding of statistics rather than hand calculations. Using pre-course and post-course surveys from students taking Passion-Driven Statistics in colleges throughout the United States, …

Latin American Refugees To The U.S. Experience More Discrimination Than Refugees From Other Regions, Sobia Mushtaq, Janet M. Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Discrimination is a serious challenge for refugees trying to rebuild their lives in new countries. This data slice presents findings from the 2022 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR), a nationally representative survey of refugees who arrived in the United States between 2017 and 2021 (N=1,364). The probability of experiencing discrimination was substantially higher among refugees from Latin America compared to other origin regions. Latin American refugees have a 62.4% probability of experiencing discrimination, compared to 12.6% for Southeast Asian refugees. The findings suggest that service providers and policymakers should not assume that all refugees face the same challenges.

Affect Regulation In The Context Of Sexual And Gender Minority Stress: A Scoping Review Protocol, Daphne Y. Liu, Benjamin A. Swerdlow, Shao Yuan Chong, Nadia Kako, Alex Rubin, Nicholas S. Perry

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Objective

To provide a broad, comprehensive picture of affect regulation in the context of sexual and gender minority stress, this scoping review aims to identify and synthesize methods, methodologies, and available evidence pertinent to emotion regulation and coping in the context of minority stress among sexual and gender minority (SGM) people.

Introduction

SGM people face disproportionately high rates of mental health problems due to experiences of minority stress and lack of social safety. Theories and growing evidence suggest that affect regulation plays a critical role in SGM people’s well-being in the face of minority stress. Researchers have largely studied emotion …