Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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 …

An Unlikely Ironic Intervention: Reimagining The Fourteenth Amendment Of The United States Of America, Jennifer Paola Hernandez

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The project of interest is an intervention in the United States of America to reform racial and minority vote dilution, along with systemic entrenchment of power within gerrymandering, to undo the legacies of colonialism and racism within the states. Holding the government accountable to Constitutional and human rights is a patriotic act, even if many Americans don’t see it that way. Though often linked to the Global South, peacebuilding can also include institutional reform in non-war contexts. Peacebuilding processes are intended to improve society’s institutional structures for the betterment and sustainability of its constituents. I argue that the United States …

The Iranian Uprisings And The Challenge Of The The New Media: Rethinking The Politics Of Representation, Henry A. Giroux

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

The Workers May Yet Unite: Media Misdirection Versus The Political And Cultural Economy Of The Us Auto Industry And Worker Attitudes, George L. Lundskow, Brian Phillips, Phyllis Curtiss, Katherine Rehorst, Allison M. Wehr Bennett

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Sign Story: Shifting Discourse On ‘Signage’ In Progressive Grocer Magazine, Or The Supermarket Under Late Capitalism, Mario Rodriguez

Fast Capitalism

The supermarket industry is an “industry in flux.”[1] Modern grocery stores face multinational opposition at the millennium paralleling the extinction of neighborhood “mom-and-pop” stores with the rise of chain stores of the late 19th century (Strasser, 1989). With this large-scale reorganization of the grocery store industry comes a concomitant restructuring of what constitutes a grocery store itself—its architecture, services, and signs. The following study analyzes the evolving discourse on signs—or ‘signage,’ as it is called in the industry—in Progressive Grocer magazine over the 12-year period from 1996 to 2008. First, signs are contextualized in terms of the history of in-store …

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 …

A Conversation Between Jackson Katz And Douglas Kellner On Guns, Masculinities, And School Shootings, Jackson Katz, Douglas Kellner

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Lies And Life: The Other Italians, 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.

The Mobile Phone In Everyday Life, Hannah Rippin

Fast Capitalism

This paper explores how ordinary people use their mobile phones [cell phones in the U.S. and Canada] to interact in everyday life. These people are virtual selves, but the impact of their mobiles is very real. Mobile phone technology, more than any other, has the ability to envelop its users in a sphere of perpetual contact and instant access, touching every aspect of their daily lives.

The virtual self is connected to the world by information technologies that invade not only the home and office but the psyche. This can either trap or liberate people… By virtual self, I am …

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. …

Speed: Through, Across, And In — The Landscapes Of Capital, Robert Goldman, Stephen Papson, Noah Kersey

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Fast Capitalism Editorial Team

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

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.

Downloading Is Killing Music: Napster And The Recording Industry’S Piracy Panic Narrative, David M. Arditi

Fast Capitalism

Beginning in the late 1990s and the arrival of the file-sharing program Napster, the recording industry used a “piracy panic narrative” in an attempt not only to prevent file-sharing, but also, to change the basic parameters of copyright law. In this piracy panic narrative, major record labels and their representative trade associations made the argument that file-sharing is piracy, piracy is stealing, and this stealing hurts recording artists. In this paper, I argue that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) used this narrative in the United States to change public opinion on file-sharing with the ultimate goal of changing …

Independent Music After Metallica V. Napster, Inc.: Seeking Liberation In The Music Streaming Simulacrum, Lukas Szrot

Fast Capitalism

In this brief paper, I note the ways in which being a musician has changed in the aftermath of the digital downloading and file-sharing developed by Napster pioneer Shawn Fanning, through the lens of the music streaming simulacrum—my term for what has unfolded since. I contrast the present environment with the potential that emerged with this technology. I theorize the music streaming simulacrum as opaque, flat, and hegemonic—a parody of both industry and culture that incomprehensible by a single human being, militates against deeper connectivity between artist and listener, and exerts outsized power over human behavior and decision-making in a …

Convenience Begets Capitalism, Jörgen Behrendtz

Fast Capitalism

This is a short polemical piece, and does not have an abstract as such.

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 "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, …

The Intergenerational Impact Of Parental Immigration Status: Educational And Health Outcomes Among Children Of Undocumented Immigrants, Igor Ryabov

Sociology Faculty Publications

This study examines how parental legal status operates as a fundamental social determinant of health and educational equity, focusing on long-term outcomes among U.S.-born and foreign-born children of immigrants. We hypothesized that intergenerational stress and institutional exclusion associated with undocumented status would lead to lower educational attainment and poorer health. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative cohort, participants were classified by inferred parental legal status: native-born, documented immigrant, and undocumented immigrant. Outcomes included high school graduation, college enrollment, depression scores, and chronic health conditions. Children of undocumented parents exhibited …

“She Was My Egg Donor, Not My Mom”: Using Attribution Theory To Understand How Adult Daughters Manage Their Low-Quality Daughter-Mother Relationship, Denise Alonso-Pecora, Crystal Nguyen, Jennifer L. Bevan, Michelle Miller-Day, Allison Alford

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study employs attribution theory to examine how adult daughters from low-income backgrounds perceive and manage low-quality daughter-mother relationships. Using in-depth interviews and flexible coding, we analyzed how daughters (n = 42) attribute locus, responsibility, specificity, and stability. Daughters often located control internally within their mothers, citing enduring traits as sources of conflict while noting external influences such as trauma or substance abuse. Responsibility was frequently self-assumed despite blaming mothers, positioning attribution as a means of asserting agency. Many saw their relationships as uniquely difficult and consistent, reinforcing perceptions of stability and specificity. Our study extends attribution theory to …

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 …

Wei Xiqin’S Evolutionary Plan For Modern China, Nianhong Qiu

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This study examines the thinking, practices, and significance of Wei Xiqin (1882- 1952). Born in Germany and educated in various European countries, Wei was a musician and educator who played an active role in the educational reform of the Republic of China. Wei was equipped with modern European thoughts but held deep reverence for Confucianism and other traditional Chinese classics. Examining this contentious figure in the wake of “Chinese Evolutionism” trend, this study investigates the differences between Wei’s evolution theory and the dominant evolution theory during early 20th-century China. Wei’s evolutionism, which I call a type of “Cyclic Evolution,” implies …

Lgbtq+ Communities, Fashion, Style, And Dress: A Scoping Review, Megan Romans, Kelly L. Reddy-Best

Faculty Publications - Family and Consumer Sciences

In our review, we assess the intersection of LGBTQ+ identities with fashion, style, and dress, providing a comprehensive overview of current peer-reviewed research on the topic. Drawing from a scoping review approach, we analyzed studies published between 2000 and 2024 that address the relationship between LGBTQ+ identities and fashion-related practices. The research identifies key themes and trends, highlighting the evolving academic landscape of LGBTQ+ fashion studies. By examining studies from a range of academic databases, we categorize the literature by theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and geographic contexts. Overall, most articles focused on negotiating identity via clothing of a variety of identities …

Disrupting Power Dynamics In The Archives: The Digital Pv Panther Project, Gatekeeping, And The Texas Black Cooperative Extension & Home Demonstration Collection, T. Dewayne Moore, Evelyn Todd

The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc.

This article examines the Texas Black Cooperative Extension & Home Demonstration Collection at Prairie View A&M University as both a major recovery of twentieth-century Black rural history and a contemporary intervention into archival power. Funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the Digital PV Panther Project employed undergraduate and graduate students to process sixty-three county-level finding aids, 163 archival boxes, and more than 3,200 folders documenting segregated Black Extension work from 1923 to 1963. Beyond preservation, the project challenges long-standing regimes of archival gatekeeping. Drawing on critical archival studies and Black Digital Humanities scholarship, the authors argue that …

Police Supervisor Selection Process And The Need For Uniformity In Practices To Improve Police Leadership In The Usa, Catrina M. Rhatigan

Theses and Dissertations

Effective police leadership is crucial to sustaining the culture shift in law enforcement. Leaders need to lead, and how the executive staff assess their leadership capabilities will determine whether they are up to the task. Police executives need to determine first what their motives are: to fill open supervisory spots? Promote the best leaders? This study and the results highlight the need to focus on the latter, identify the leadership qualities that best fit your department's needs, and work from there. A lack of oversight and inconsistent standards for police supervisors leads to poor policing and inadequate responses to significant …