Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Book Review: Challenges For Chinese Women In The Early Twenty-First Century, Zakiyah Zakiyah

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Body Politics In Contemporary Irish Women’S Writing: The Literary Legacy Of Mother Ireland, Taylor Follett

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

A Feminist Analysis Of Post-Independence Administrative Reforms In Bihar, Shrey Sharma, Rajeev Kumar Jain, Ashutosh K. Pandey, Shashikant Nishant Sharma

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper critically examines the administrative reforms in Bihar since India’s independence, focusing on the evolution of women’s roles and representation in state governance. Drawing on historiographic and textual analyses of academic scholarship, government reports, reform commission findings, and policy documents, the study uses the case of the Indian state of Bihar to explore how political leadership, bureaucratic structures, and gendered hierarchies intersect in shaping postcolonial governance. Bihar, historically marked by institutional fragility and social inequality, provides an illustrative context for assessing how national-level reforms— such as the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, civil service modernization, and e governance—have attempted …

The Role Of Tribal And Dalit Women In Water Conservation: A Case Study Of The Western Indian Trans-Himalayan Region, Vivek Kumar, Anuradha Choudhary

Journal of International Women's Studies

Water scarcity and environmental degradation are pressing contemporary issues, and the Himalayan regions are especially at risk. The Trans-Himalayas in particular face severe resource scarcity as water availability is totally dependent on the now dwindling supply of glacial meltwater. Women in the Spiti Valley in the Trans-Himalayan region are particularly exposed to these issues because they spend significant time collecting water and fodder for domestic animals and managing agricultural irrigation. As the primary caregivers and managers of households, women in this region face greater challenges in adapting to and mitigating resource scarcity. This study focuses on the role of Dalit …

Twitter’S Role In Challenging The Marginalisation And Subjugation Of Women In Northern Nigeria, Tioluwalogo Olakunbi-Black

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper aims to examine social media’s role in advocating against the marginalisation and domination of women in Northern Nigeria with a focus on Twitter (X). This study analyses women’s strategies of digital advocacy drawing on feminist theory, specifically difference feminism, intersectional feminism, and post-structuralist feminism, alongside theories of technological determinism. Difference feminism argues that women possess distinctive qualities, experiences, and perspectives that differentiate them from men, and that these differences can be a source of strength rather than a basis for disadvantage. Intersectional feminism foregrounds intersecting identities such as race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality, emphasising the multiplicity of women’s …

Women’S Employment And Intrahousehold Bargaining Power: Evidence From Nigeria, Temitope O. Olalude, Olanrewaju A. Olaniyan

Journal of International Women's Studies

Although women’s participation in paid employment has increased in recent years, the extent to which this improvement correlates with increased intrahousehold bargaining power (IHBP) remains understudied. Women’s intrahousehold bargaining power plays a critical role in achieving a more inclusive and sustainable economy. This study therefore investigates the relationship between women’s employment status and IHBP in Nigeria using data from the 2013 and 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) to evaluate progress over time. We measured women’s employment status and assessed women’s intrahousehold bargaining power using two indices: the direct bargaining power index (DBPI) and the indirect bargaining power index …

The Social Reproduction Of Filipina Migrant Workers Represented In Ten Filipino Films, Elora Francisco, Precious Lois Layas, Karlena Ameina Saturnino, Leo Vicentino

Journal of International Women's Studies

The growing phenomenon of the Philippines’ high labor export has contributed not only to the country’s economy but also to that of countries all over the world who are receiving these migrants. With the demand for labor exports increasing, film narratives concerning overseas Filipino workers offer important insight into the experience of migrants. In particular, Filipina migrant workers (FMWs) face gendered socio-cultural constraints in their pursuit of financially supporting their families. While gender migration has been examined across various disciplines, the representation of the Filipina diaspora in mainstream contemporary Filipino films remains insufficiently explored. Thus, this study aims to determine …

The Making Of A Woman Superstar: An Analysis Of The Superstardom Of Malayalam Actor Manju Warrier, Sangeetha Ps, Jais Merlin P. Augustine

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines the construction and development of women’s superstardom in Malayalam cinema, drawing on the example of Manju Warrier, one of few Indian regional actresses to achieve sustained celebrity status that goes beyond youth and glamour. We draw upon Richard Dyer’s star theory, particularly his notion of the star as “structured polysemy,” a constellation of meanings that are produced by film roles, publicity, and audience reception (Dyer, 1998). This article examines how Manju Warrier’s star image is constructed through a productive interplay of film roles, mediated representations, public persona, and audience reception. The discussion also adopts a feminist film …

Brown Women, Cyberspace, And The Scopophilic Male Gaze In Hari Kunzru’S Transmission, Ayesha Perveen

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study draws upon gaze theory to explore the cinema-cyberspace-gender nexus presented in British Indian writer Hari Kunzru’s novel Transmission (2005). While Arjun Mehta is widely considered the protagonist of the novel, I focus instead on the representation of the character Leela Zahir both as an individual and as a virus. Although the virus unleashed by Arjun is the novel’s main source of cyberterrorism, I analyze cyberterrorism in terms of the cyberspace representation of women as scopophilic objects for the male gaze. For this purpose, I discuss the mindset behind the use of the “she” pronoun for the virus as …

Quantitative Comparison Of Writing Styles Among Indonesian Women Novelists: A Corpus Linguistics Approach, Vicno Triwira Dhika Jr, Ermanto Ermanto, Hasanuddin Ws, Ridha Hasnul Ulya, Aditya Rachman, Selfi Mahat Putri

Journal of International Women's Studies

Using the KORTARA Korpus Nusantara application, this study employed a quantitative corpus linguistics approach to examine the lexical density and average sentence length in nine novels by Indonesian women authors. The results indicated that each work differed greatly with respect to average sentence length and lexical density. When lexical density was analyzed through TTR, the results displayed a sufficiently wide range, suggesting the absence of a uniform women’s writing style in terms of vocabulary. For example, Dee Lestari’s Supernova: Roots (2002) achieved the highest TTR of 23.59%, which indicates an extensive and diverse vocabulary. Alaska Bay (2019) by Eka Aryani, …

Narrating Otherwise: Analysing Nancy Spero’S The First Language As Historiographic Metafiction, Ipek Ebru Yildiz, Rifat Sahiner

Journal of International Women's Studies

Through a feminist reading grounded in the framework of historiographic metafiction, this article aims to analyze pioneering feminist U.S. artist Nancy Spero’s The First Language (1981). Throughout the history of Western art, women’s bodies have been predominantly represented through the male gaze, reducing women to passive objects and excluding them from consideration as full subjects in historical and artistic narratives. In response to these modes of representation, Spero constructs a unique visual language that reclaims the female body from historical silence and repositions it as a political and narrative subject. The First Language brings together women figures from different cultures …

Between Tradition And Expression: The Mother–Daughter Relationship In Druze Women’S Artworks, Shahar Marnin-Distelfeld, Ebtesam Barakat

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines how young Druze women artists in Israel depict their relationships with their mothers through visual art. Drawing from a broader study of fifteen artists from the Carmel, Galilee, and Golan Heights, it focuses on two whose work most directly engages the mother–daughter bond. Using interviews and visual analysis, the study explores how these artists express cultural values, tensions, and expectations shaping this relationship in contemporary Druze society. The research is a bilingual, bicultural collaboration between a Druze Arabic-speaking sociologist and a Jewish Hebrew-speaking art scholar. Both artists’ work highlights generational and cultural divides, depicting mothers as central …

Feminist Knowledge Production And Editorial Praxis: A Bibliometric And Qualitative Analysis Of The Journal Of International Women’S Studies (2014–2024), Naresh Prajapati, Rupinder Singh, Mukesh Behera

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study presents a bibliometric and editorial analysis of the Journal of International Women’s Studies (JIWS) from 2014 to 2024, examining its scholarly output, citation impact, and evolving feminist priorities. Drawing on Scopus-indexed data, we analysed 1,255 articles authored by 1,705 contributors using SciVal, Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel. Findings indicate a 7.05% annual growth in publications and a consistent citation rate of 2.84 per article, highlighting the journal’s expanding academic engagement. Single authorship dominates at 48.7% with international co-authorship at 8.1%. The journal’s reach extends widely into the Global South, particularly to India and Indonesia. Our keyword analysis identified …

Editorial Introduction, Diana Fox

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

The “Campification” Of Old-School Broadway: Review Of Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, And Abe Burrows’S Guys And Dolls, Kara Riley

Best Integrated Writing

This review examines the Stratford Festival’s 2026 production of Guys and Dolls and argues that director Donna Feore transforms a familiar Golden Age Broadway musical through a distinctly camp aesthetic. It explores how set design, costumes, and performances exaggerate mid-twentieth-century gender conventions and theatrical traditions, creating a playful reinterpretation of the source material. Special focus is given to the production’s visual design, its treatment of gender roles, and the standout comic performances of Jennifer Rider-Shaw as Miss Adelaide and Mark Uhre as Frank Detroit. Through close analysis of performance elements, the review demonstrates how contemporary productions can renew as well …

Best Integrated Writing Fall 2026 - Complete Edition, Wright State University School Of Humanities And Cultural Studies, Kristie Mckiernan

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University.

Animus And Heightened Scrutiny: A Way Out Of The ‘Dead End’, Steve Sanders

Texas A&M Law Review

Laws or government actions that are grounded in animus rather than proper public purposes violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. This principle arises from four canonical cases decided by the Supreme Court between 1973 and 2013. These cases remain good law. Yet in the past decade the Roberts Court has given scant attention to the animus doctrine, and lower courts appear to be in a muddle about how to use it. As a result, the animus doctrine has reached what one prominent scholar calls a “dead end.” The animus cases are often described as exhibiting a more skeptical, more …

"From An Activist Spirit And History": An Examination Of Midwest Professors Who Teach Gender Studies In The Current Political Climate, Mena Faber

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary field spanning higher education institutions globally. Yet the experiences of scholars within specific regional contexts remain understudied. This study examines the lived personal and pedagogical experiences of gender studies and gender communication scholars in the Midwest. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences, perceived pressures, and responses to the current political and academic climate. Interview questions focused on the challenges scholars face as well as the communicative practices they adopt in response to shifting attitudes toward gender studies. This research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of how scholars …

Inculiable: Hacia Una Mirada Glotopolítica Del Léxico Tabú Sexual, Gabriel Alvarado Pavez

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

No abstract provided.

"Two Different Histories": Lgbtq Educator Identity In An Era Of Policy Precarity In Further Education, Liberty Heath-Tavener

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In Zadie Smith’s debut novel White Teeth (2000) she writes: ‘every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.’ (p. 532) Although this notion related to the struggles of global majority people in Britain after decolonisation, I liken it to the concept of identity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) educators within further education, where their internal thoughts, feelings and reality are often in conflict with external norms, ideals and policies, all of which are geared towards heteronormativity and cisnormativity. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) argue that metaphors transcend rhetorical devices and are an essential …

Occupational Therapy Student Perceptions Of Sexuality And Intimacy Education: A Cross-Sectional Study, Jennifer H. Barnett, Amanda K. Giles

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Sexuality and intimacy are meaningful activities within the scope of occupational therapy (OT), encompassing valued roles and occupations that contribute significantly to a person’s health, well-being, and identity. Despite acknowledgement of their importance, many occupational therapists overlook these areas during routine assessment and intervention because of feelings of insufficient knowledge, comfort, and confidence. This study used a cross-sectional design to electronically survey 149 occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students across their first, second, or third year of education to determine their perceptions of sexuality and intimacy education. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed via codebook …

Policy Brief: Closing Egypt’S Boardroom Gender Gap, Auc Egypt Women On Boards Observatory, Dcode Consulting

Faculty Journal Articles

Egypt has more than doubled women’s board representation since 2019, but the pace has slowed to 0.5 percentage points a year, less than half of what is needed to reach 30% by 2030.

Since the Women on Boards indicator was established, Egypt has made measurable progress in women’s board representation, rising from 10.0% in 2019 to 24.8% in 2025. This is a 14.8-percentage-point increase, equivalent to a 148% increase from the 10% baseline. Across the four sectors monitored in the AUC Women on Boards Observatory’s 2025 Annual Monitoring Report (banking, non-bank financial services (NBFS), EGX-listed companies and public enterprises), representation …

Digitalverse And The African Narratives: Ai As A New Platform For African Cultural Preservation, Mudasiru Babatunde Sulaiman Mr, Tajudeen Salaudeen

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

Abstract

This article delves into the concept of digital universe as a transforming digital system for the preservation of African culture, with a target on the unique role of artificial intelligence (AI) as a means of storytelling and cultural continuity. For long, there have been problems of availability of sustainable digital infrastructure where African storytelling can be preserved. This study therefore examines the intersection of AI and African storytelling through emerging digital projects, virtual storytelling spaces, and tools that digitize and translate African languages and oral traditions. It argues that AI not only expands the reach of African cultural narratives, …

Cultural And Social Inclusion In Sexe Et Mensonges: La Vie Sexuelle Au Maroc By Leïla Slimani: A Critical Perspective, Juliet N. Elikwu Dr.

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

Several published studies on Leïla Slimani's Sexe et Mensonges: La Vie sexuelle au Maroc have extensively examined the themes of sexual taboos and the challenges facing women in Moroccan society. But, limited attention has been given to her portrayal of cultural and social inclusion through the testimonies and narratives of marginalized women in academic discourse. This study seeks to analyze the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion within the framework of cultural norms and patriarchal structures depicted in the work. The study draws on a qualitative methodology centered on close textual analysis. The theoretical framework integrates Michel Foucault’s concepts of power …

Ancestors, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Ancestors (2026), directed by David Turpin.

Idda, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Idda (2026), directed by Irene Dionisio.

Cloud: Between Paris And Tehran: Kiarostami/Corbin/Lacan, Heba Arafa Abdelfattah

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Joan Copjec, Cloud: Between Paris and Tehran: Kiarostami/Corbin/Lacan (MIT Press, 2025).

Unidentified, Candace Mixon

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Unidentified (2026), directed by Haifaa al-Mansour.

Piercing The Veil In Sinners: Theological Insights From The Juke Joint, Antonio D. Sison Cpps

Journal of Religion & Film

Celebrated as a critical and commercial success, Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying opus Sinners has also been considered as one of the most culturally significant films of 2025. It also promises to be one of the most theologically resonant films of the year. This is evinced not only in its thematic and literary bases but, importantly, in its very audiovisual language and grammar, its stylistic strategies qua film. As reasoned in this essay, Coogler’s film is a rich locus theologicus, a nexus for theological discovery and insight.Sinners kindles the hermeneutical impulse to dialogue with African American/Pan-Africa theologies exemplified by the …

On Black Speculative Feminisms: Memory And Liberated Futures In Black Women’S Fiction, Aisha Matthews

Criticism

Black Speculative Feminisms: Memory and Liberated Futures in Black Women’s Fiction by Cassandra L. Jones. Ohio State University Press, 2024. $29.95 paperback