Digital Commons Network^™

Unraveling The Roots: A Historical And Sociocultural Perspective Of Family Literacy Practices And Parent Involvement In Black Communities Through A Critical Lens, Tasean D. Baldwin

Theses and Dissertations

Family literacy plays an essential role in a child's educational journey by laying the foundation for their academic success and shaping their attitudes toward learning. Social and cultural factors influence the value of literacy and education within families and communities. In Black communities, literacy has significant social and cultural influences, acting as a tool for resistance, empowerment, cultural preservation, identity formation, community building, and social and economic mobility while also historically facing obstacles due to systemic and institutional racism, which continues to impact access to education, resources, and opportunities today. This qualitative study explores the relationship between home and school …

What We Talk About When We Talk About Race: Racial Discourses, Nationalism And Identity In Nineteenth Century Ireland, Timothy Werlinger

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The 19th century witnessed the rise of race and racism as a dominant framework of worldwide identity politics. These politics shaped the various social hierarchies and nationalist contexts across Europe and the world. Racial constructs adopted cultural, economic, and political components and did not rely exclusively on biological determinism. This had the effect of reinforcing or hardening boundaries between groups. This dissertation examines how racial identity was negotiated within an Irish context. It does this by considering social, scientific and nationalist discourses that engaged race as a device of inclusion and exclusion. By examining how racialized language permeated the Irish …

The Invisible Default: Examining Representation In Digital Collections, Kaylee P. Alexander, Dorothy Terry, Jasmine Kirby, Rachel Jane Wittmann, Anna Neatrour

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This mixed-method study investigates the representation of race and ethnicity within the J. Willard Marriott Digital Library at the University of Utah. The digital collections analyzed in this study come from the Marriott Library’s Special Collections, which represent only a fraction of the library’s physical material (less than 1 percent), albeit those most public facing. Using a team-based approach with librarians from various disciplines and areas of expertise, this project yielded dynamic analysis and conversation combined with heavy contemplation. These investigations are informed by contemporary efforts in librarianship focused on inclusive cataloging, reparative metadata, and addressing archival silences. By employing …

Seeking Safety And Losing The Self: Affirmative Action Bans And The Whitening Of Mexican American Identity, Bella Bennett

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

No abstract provided.

Selective Sisterhood: Power, Race, And The Internal Division Within Feminist Waves In The United States, Aara Nanavaty

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the complex power dynamics within the United States feminist movement across its four waves, focusing on the persistent marginalization of Black women. Challenging the notion of a unified feminist agenda, it applies Steven Lukes' three dimensions of power to analyze how dominant narratives, often centered on the experiences of White, upper-middle-class women, have shaped feminist discourse and outcomes. Through case studies of the division within the suffrage movement, the President's Commission on the Status of Women, and the “Lean In” phenomenon, this research reveals how power operates not only between men and women but also within feminist …

Trends In Missing Race And Ethnicity Data In A National Surgical Database, Kevin Gao Hu

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Accurate data collection on race and ethnicity is critical to detecting and characterizing disparities in surgical care. This study explores the prevalence and impact of missing race and ethnicity data in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Pediatric (NSQIP Pediatric) database. NSQIP Pediatric from 2016-2020 was assessed for patients who were missing data for race (RM), ethnicity (EM), or both (BM). Changes in proportion of RM, EM, and BM patients were assessed with Cochran-Armitage tests. Surgical outcomes were modeled using linear mixed-effects models, treating CPT codes as random effects. Models were bootstrapped with 1000 iterations for each outcome. Of 596,571 …

(Art) Education In The Afterlife Of Massive Resistance: Constructing, Capturing, And Commodifying Racialized Disability In Virginia’S Student Assignment Practices, 1956-1966 And Present Day, Jenna E. Gabriel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores discursive functions of disability in pupil placement decisions in Massive Resistance Virginia, the relationship between disability and race that was constructed through these moves, and how these relationships surface in the reflections, perceptions, and pedagogy of a practicing art teacher, Nathan, who works at Arts High School (AHS), a Virginia specialty center high school. Under the umbrella of the Discourse Historical Approach, which relies on multiple, interdisciplinary data sources to explore how discourses evolve, I connect a robust archival analysis of historical data collected in the records of Virginia’s Pupil Placement Board (746 boxes, 1956-1966) with present-day …

Stop Shying Away From Race: Black Americans’ Cultural Models For Shyness, Carrie Zack

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored how African American adults understand and experience shyness, with particular attention to the influence of race and racism. While most psychological research on shyness has largely centered white experiences and treated race as a peripheral variable, this study applied Critical Race Theory and Cultural Model Theory to investigate whether Black Americans share a cultural model for shyness. Using semi-structured interviews with sixteen African American adults, the study sought to uncover shared mental frameworks that guide interpretations of shy behavior, especially in contexts involving unfamiliarity or potential negative evaluation.

Contrary to expectations, the findings did not support the …

Pedagogical Idealism, Race, And The Specter Of Africa In Josefina Aldecoa’S Historia De Una Maestra And Donato Ndongo’S Las Tinieblas De Tu Memoria Negra, Parker Lawson

Funded Scholarship

This article examines two contemporary Spanish novels, Josefina Aldecoa’s Historia de una maestra (1990) and Donato Ndongo’s Las tinieblas de tu memoria negra (1987), to assess the status of pedagogical idealism and experimentation with particular attention to Equatorial Guinea. Where previous scholarly attention to Aldecoa’s novel focuses on the protagonist’s credentials as a progressive pedagogue, this article draws attention to Gabriela’s etapa guineana to argue that the text cripples under the weight of postcolonial analysis as regards race, religion, class, and language. Drawing the novel into comparison with Ndongo’s text, the article argues that Spanish colonial pedagogy flattened, or sought …

Outsiders On The Inside: Mestizaje And The Economics Of Colonial Desire In Sinibaldo De Mas And Francisco De Paula Entrala, Joyce Tolliver

Kritika Kultura

Throughout the last twenty-five years of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, Spaniards published essays and fiction that echoed the view that the colonial project was doomed to failure, clearly expressed in Sinibaldo de Mas’s 1843 Informe secreto (Secret Report). Less attention is paid to nineteenth-century works by peninsulares that mirrored Mas’s alternative plan preparing for Philippine “emancipation” and economically incentivizing mestizaje. Among these were the fiction and essays of the self-described “aplatanado” Francisco de Paula Entrala, which suggested that any failure of mestizaje as a normalizing colonial project was due to the shortcomings of the peninsular Spaniards themselves. In …

Navigating Displacement: Jewish-Brazilian Identity In Lasar Segall's Encontro, Kendall Evonne Da Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Jewish-Lithuanian artist Lasar Segall's 1924 painting Encontro has historically been interpreted as representing Segall's integration and assimilation into Brazilian society. This reading, however, generally overlooks Segall's experience as an Eastern European Jew living in Brazil during the early twentieth century. In this thesis, I examine the influence of Segall's ethnic background on his art and investigate how Segall appropriates pardo identity in Encontro, not unproblematically, in an effort to convey feelings of alienation and exclusion. Along with looking at his visual art, my analysis incorporates my translations of Segall's essays on Jewishness, which shed light on his relationship to Judaism …

Gender, Age, Class And Racial Stereotypes, And Power Relations In Television Ads: 2011-13 Vs 2021-22, Thomas D. Clark, Julie Stewart

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This article demonstrates how faculty and DEI experts can use resources included in this paper to highlight how a range of stereotypes are created and reinforced in television ads, and it identifies several topics for future analysis. To understand how depictions of gender, class, age, and race intersect in 8 television ads featuring the relationship between the race of individuals depicted in romantic and platonic relationships this article examines 4 pairs of commercials from 2011-2013 and 2021-2022. Drawing on concepts of intercategorical complexity, it describes product, setting, characters and relationships to help gain a deeper understanding of how various stereotypes …

Navigating Race, Equity, And Whiteness: A Case Study Exploring The Culturally Relevant Practices Of English And Social Studies Teachers In A Long Island School District, Betyne Bordes Farrell

Theses & Dissertations

Today, American K-12 classrooms are becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, creating a vital need for culturally relevant pedagogical (CRP) approaches and teacher training to support the achievement of all students. However, despite an expanding body of literature on creating culturally responsive schools, implementation remains challenging for many educators. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how, if at all, a group of six English and Social Studies teachers in two demographically different high schools, one a predominantly Black school and the other a predominantly Asian school, within the same district enact CRP and navigate issues of …

Understanding The Journey To Leadership For Asian American Women Who Ascended To Their First K–12 School Leadership Position: A Narrative Study, Binal Kumar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Little is known about the pathways Asian American women take to ascend to their first school leadership position in K–12 schools. This study explored the lived experiences of Asian American women who received their first school administrator job in New Jersey, the intersectionality of gender, race, age, and social norms and how these Asian American women developed as education leaders. This study explored the perceived barriers and the successful strategies Asian American women utilize to ascend to their first school administrator position. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 10 Asian American women in school leadership roles through the lens …

Child-Taking, Diane Marie Amann

Scholarly Works

A ruling group at times takes certain children from their community and then tries to remake them in its image. It tries to rid the child of undesired differences, in ethnicity or nationality, religion or politics, race or ancestry, culture or class. There are too many examples: the colonialist residential schools that forced settler cultures on Indigenous children; the military juntas that kidnapped dissidents’ children; and today’s reports of abductions amid crises like that in Syria. Too often nothing is done and the children are lost. But that may be changing, as the International Criminal Court is seeking to arrest …

Antiracism In Higher Education: An Integrated Psychological Perspective, Rhea E. Nesbitt

Dissertations, 2020-current

Antiracism is a complicated and important term with prominent, influential voices claiming that systemic equity and the reconfiguration of white identity are the central solutions to eradicating American racism. Within the profound sociocultural effects of the existing antiracist rhetoric, there is vagueness, conflict, and incoherence. Language serves as a fundamental aspect of human experience, facilitating individual meaning-making and comprehension. Effective communication hinges on the ability to articulate subjective experiences and justifications clearly, a challenge evident in discussions surrounding antiracism. Despite advocating for antiracism as crucial and unending work, scholars recognize significant hurdles, including unclear responsibilities for implementation and entrenched structures …

Schaechter, Rukhl, Sophia Maier Garcia

Bronx Jewish History Project

Summarizer: Sophia Maier

Rukhl Schaechter and her family moved from Brooklyn to Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx in 1966 to create a Yiddish-speaking community with two other families. At that time, classes in Yiddish at the Sholem Aleichem Folk Shul 21 supplemented their public school education. During the summers, she also attended Camp Hemshekh, a Yiddish camp founded by Socialist Holocaust survivors. At PS 96, Schaechter began to interact with Jewish and non-Jewish students that came from different background than her, that lived in apartment buildings unlike her private home, for example. She describes her home life as “traditional,” with …

Better Together: Attitudinal And Institutional Change For Stereotype And Prejudice Reduction, Diana Quito

Essays in Education

This article begins by examining the adverse effects of ostracization on students' mental health and academic performance. It identifies deficit thinking within educational institutions as contributing to the social exclusion experienced by students, leading to their psychological need for belonging going unmet. Deficit thinking, fuelled by racist and classist ideologies, theorizes that the blame for a student’s failure in school results from their inherent deficiencies. Deficit thinking oppresses and marginalizes students by justifying harmful practices such as school segregation and scientific racism. Schools serving communities of color are disproportionately impacted, compromising students’ educational achievement and prospects. To disrupt deficit thinking, …

Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Teaching In K-12 Education, Samantha Valenta

Graduate Teacher Education

Students of color have been historically underserved and underrepresented in the education system due to bias. To combat said racist system, teachers need guidance on how to teach their students of color in an equitable way. Every student deserves the chance to succeed. This paper synthesized multiple researchers’ findings over the effects of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT) on students of color via qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies. The findings concluded that CLRT was beneficial to students and would increase their academic achievement via improving their mental health, engagement, behavior, and literacy. A cyclical correlation was found between all …

Crafting Lives: Experiences Of Ethiopian Refugees In Cairo, Nayrose S. Abd El-Megid

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an ongoing influx of refugees for years driven by political instability, famine, and prolonged conflicts in the region, leading many individuals to seek sanctuary in other countries. Egypt has become a host country for many years, whether for settlement or transit, for various populations from different nationalities hoping to find refuge. However, amidst this influx, Ethiopian refugees often find themselves overlooked or usually associated on the sidelines with other African nationalities; their stories and struggles are marginalized in broader narratives of displacement. The experience of Ethiopians is heterogeneous and multidimensional in terms of their intersectional identities of …

Language Play And Racial Dysphemism In The Marrakchi Language Space, Spencer Fausel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study seeks to divulge the meaning and popular usage of two phonetically similar yet reportedly distinct dysphemisms spoken and understood in the Marrakchi dialect of Moroccan Arabic (Darija). Darija speakers across the North African lingua-space use the term "qlawi" to denote testicles. In Morocco, speakers utter "qlawi" to express negation or pejorative notions of being, the term commonly wielded to disparage or vituperate a frustrating person or object—drawing connections to the subaltern, the lowly, the destitute, the stupid, the possessionless, and potentially to the racialized (non)object. The word itself can stand as a syntactic substitute for “nothing” in certain …

Abriendo Puertas: Exploring The Challenges To Homeownership And Housing Stability For Latinos In Massachusetts, Lorna Rivera, Phillip Granberry, Bianca Ortiz-Wythe, Michelle Borges

Gastón Institute Publications

This report speaks to the current state of housing for Latinos in the Commonwealth; and it’s not great. Areas where Latinos still face inequities are compounded in a way that directly impacts access to housing and thus, ability to build generational wealth, or at the very least housing stability. We have solutions to these issues, like rent control, transfer fees, zoning changes, and even tax credits. What we lack is enough political power to have our voices make a larger impact, as Latinos own their homes at 32.7% , this issue is directly correlated to our low homeownership rates, often …

“Be Yo’Self. It’S Just A Show”: Performing Community Through The Comic Grotesque In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’S Neighbors, Annette Saddik

Publications and Research

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s play Neighbors, which premiered at the Public Theater in 2010, explores the history of Black representation in the theater and, subsequently, the performance of Black identity in the US through its depiction of a complex and contradictory minstrelsy that cannot easily be classified as satirical or subversive. Generating what Jacobs-Jenkins has called “wrong laughter” through contradiction, ambiguity, and ambivalence, Neighbors engages the unstable space of the comic grotesque in order to open up pathways for something new to emerge. In this play, the figure of the clown – a grotesque outlaw who moves between, within, across, and beyond …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Intersectionality Of Race, Gender, And Social Networks In Stem Education., La'ree Alexandria Shontee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the intersectional experiences of Black women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education by focusing on the strategic utilization of social capital to navigate systemic barriers and challenges. The unique struggles faced by Black women within predominantly white and male-dominated STEM programs are addressed in this study. Drawing on a growing body of literature, this research diverges from prevailing narratives of disinterest in or departure from STEM programs and instead illuminates proactive strategies employed by Black women. Through an exploration of social capital - encompassing networks, resources, and support systems - this study offers a comprehensive …

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …

Race And The Space In Between: Practitioner Reflections On Anti-Racist Practice In One Froebelian Early Years Setting, V Bamsey, L Mcnair, H Campbell, I Vašinová

Plymouth Institute of Education

The rise of ‘Black Lives Matters’ has brought to the fore a need to unsettle early years praxis that positions race as separate from the individual, as a problem to be solved through the tokenistic provisioning of resources. In this paper, we explore how a team of early years practitioners were able to bridge the space between themselves and the multicultural community in which they worked. An interpretative onto-epistemology supported the crafting of the research design as a case study that provided insight into multiple meanings through participants’ narratives during weekly informal anti-racist reflective meetings, focus group discussions and individual …

#Hotgirlsemestersyllabus, Katrina Marie Overby, Gheni Platenburg, Niya Pickett Miller

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Viewing The World Through The Prism Of Cross-Cultural Romances: Film Review Of Christmas As Usual (2023) And Further Reflections, Raja Ramanathan

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

Racial-Sexual Normativity In/As Narratives Of “The Human”, Jeri Brand

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis synthesizes Sylvia Wynter’s and Judith Butler’s models of identity-formation to analyze discourses of racialization and sex/gender difference in normative scientific theories of “the human.” I argue that eugenicist white supremacism and sex/gender normativity form a single conceptual framework – what I call “the racial-sexual matrix” – throughout these scientific narratives. I then trace an epistemological consistency across 18^th- through 21^st-century scientific literature as evidence for the ongoing legacies of coloniality, white supremacy, and eugenics in current hegemonic sex/gender ontologies. Finally, I contend that the racial-sexual matrix functions as an index of proper humanness not …

Staying Power: The Struggle For Space And Place In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Erin E. Lilli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation looks at how gentrification touches down, at the neighborhood and individual scale, in Crown Heights and reproduces experiences of racial inequality in home and place. Taking an historical materialist approach and drawing on residential oral histories, this study frames these reproductions of racial inequality as always-in-tension with ongoing acts of resistance from Black homeowners, renters, and long-term residents. Specifically, the research explores the conditions under which Black residents of a predominantly Afro-Caribbean neighborhood acquire and maintain—and in some cases lose—their housing and sense of place and belonging. These residents resist the varied tactics of anti-Blackness such as landlord …