Arts and Humanities Commons^™

¡Sí Se Puede!: Understanding The Experiences Of Latina Students During Their Doctoral Journey At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Flor Del Rocio Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The existing body of literature on Latinas has mostly been focused on the undergraduate student experience (Hernandez, 2002; Hurtado et al., 1996; Kena et al., 2016; Tinto & Goodsell, 1994; Torres, 2004). Additionally, despite the increasing participation of women in graduate education since the 1980s (Walker et al., 2008), Latinas have been and continue to be underrepresented in doctoral programs and the professorate (Myers, 2016). In spite of recent increases in enrollment, Latinas attained just 8.8 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded from 2018-2019 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). As Latinas are projected to account for a third of …

Leading In Gendered Spaces: Women Presidents' Perceptions Of Their Experiences In Community Colleges, Keri Moe

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gender inequality in leadership is an ongoing challenge found in higher education, including community colleges. Since women remain underrepresented in leadership positions at community colleges, specifically as college presidents, the purpose of this study was to document and better understand the experiences of women in these roles by focusing on three research questions:

• RQ 1: How do women presidents describe their experience in male-dominated community colleges?
• RQ 2: How do gender identity and gender expectations of women impact the behavior of women community college presidents?
• RQ 3: How do women presidents navigate their role within male-dominated community colleges?

Through the …

Rewriting The Graduate Experience: A Study Of The Writing Experiences Of University Of Texas At El Paso Graduate Students Across Disciplines, Jennifer L. Wilhite

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Graduate writing can manifest as a barrier to successful and timely degree completion as writing is the primary modality in which graduate programs use to evaluate depth of learning and quality of knowledge created. Native language status, inexperience with advanced academic genres, time away from the academy, and socialization struggles are factors that can aggravate writing challenges. The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the graduate writing experiences of twelve women returning to the academy. The study asks if writing manifests as a barrier to completing their graduate programs, ascertains what kinds of graduate-level writing supports they …

Queering The Metanarrative Of Domesticity: Chosen Families In Late Nineteenth- Century American Women's Literature, Sharla Rosenbaum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My primary purpose in this project is to dispel the notion that the white, bourgeois, patriarchal, nuclear family believed by millions of US citizens to have once monopolized the United States’s cultural landscape through an examination of how women authors in the United States constructed families in literature immediately following the Civil War. Not only do the novels under examination reflect diverse representations of families, but they also reflect those images from diverse perspectives. I will use a Marxist lens to explore class and ideologic interpellation; a renegade global feminist lens to explore failure and differential consciousness; a queer and …

The Women Organizations And Activism In Combating Domestic Violence In The North Caucasus, Saida Sirazhudinova

Journal of International Women's Studies

There are a wide range of forms of domestic violence in the North Caucasus. Recent years have shown the scale of its spread and the complexity of the fight against domestic violence in the region. The spread of domestic violence in the region is facilitated by the residents themselves, traditional institutions, and religious structures that increase their influence. In addition, the authorities are not interested in solving the problems of domestic violence, and they hinder the work of human rights organizations and activists in every possible way. This article describes the features of the fight against domestic violence in the …

Period Poverty: Achieving Menstrual Equity In Bowling Green, Ohio, Courtney Foerg

Honors Projects

Period poverty is the persistent lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, and sanitary facilities (Alvarez, 2019). Until quite recently, it has received very little attention in the United States. This project proved the prevalence and relevance of period poverty in the United States. As an applied research project this project acted upon this finding and aimed to help combat period poverty in the Bowling Green, OH community. This paper details the process and results of a campus menstrual products drive and social media advocacy campaign to address the stigma of menstruation in the United States. The overall …

Demigods And Gender Roles: Non-Heteronormative Gender Expressions And The Works Of Rick Riordan, Lee M. Witkowski

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Gender serves as a powerful ideology to systematically oppress minorities, such as women and people within the LGBTQ+ community. This ideology is learned at a young age through media such as fantasy literature. By analyzing several fantasy texts through a lens of gender politics, I track the history of gender in the fantasy genre and posit that inclusive works such as those of Rick Riordan influence children and adolescents to become more accepting of sexual and gender minorities.

Gormley, Quinn, Liam Dunn, Katherine Sucy

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Quinn Gormley, who uses she/they pronouns, is 27 years old and lives with their husband and dog in Auburn, Maine. Quinn became involved in activism and trans liberation in 2011 after attending a support group with Maine TransNet, a grassroots trans organization serving Mainers. Since then, they have been highly involved with the organization and took on the role of Executive Director in 2016. Prior to Maine TransNet, Quinn worked in public health managing an HIV testing program for the Health Equity Alliance, one of the state’s main AIDS service organizations. She attended the University Church of Chicago for Percussion …

Edwards, Florence, Roukia Houssein, Annie Karim

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

The interview was conducted in a USM classroom Roukia and Annie. Florence is a 40 years old dentist who also served in the military. In this interview, Florence shared their journey in being a queer black woman in the military. Florence was asked about their identity and their story on coming out as their preferred sexuality. In the interview, Florence also talks about being a dentist in the military and also outside of the military. In the interview, Florence puts important people in their life in specific stories. They also touched on their education and difference in living in NY, …

Listening To Queens: Ghana's Women Traditional Leaders As A Model For Gender Parity, Kristen M. Vogel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A movement begun in 2011 inspired multilateral organizations such as the United Nations to collaborate with Ghana’s women traditional leaders on an inherently postcolonial indigenous and transnational feminist project, promoting Queens’ national recognition. Despite the initial power of the movement, it faded over time. Yet it spurred the formation of various new Queens’ associations throughout Ghana. The associations have grown and continue to grow, and the National Council of Women Traditional Leaders that spurred the first movement has returned stronger and with new strategies. As Ghana’s Queens seek their traditional right, an equal voice at all levels of leadership, it …

A Full-Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial Of Adjunct Couples Hiv Testing And Counseling Components Addressing Drug Use And Communication Skills Among Sexual Minority Male Couples, Tyrel J. Starks, Kory D. Kyre, Christine B. Cowles, Juan Castiblanco, Catherine Washington, Jayelin N. Parker, Erin M. Kahle, Rob Stephenson

Publications and Research

Background: The past decade has seen increasing attention directed to the development of HIV prevention interventions for male couples, driven by epidemiological data indicating that main or primary – rather than causal – partnerships account for a substantial number of HIV infections in this population. Couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC) has emerged as a standard of care in the US. This protocol describes a study that aims to evaluate the efficacy of two adjunct components to CHTC – communication training (CT) videos and a substance use module (SUM) – to reduce drug use and sexual HIV transmission risk …

Feminist Knowledge, Self-Empowerment And Sisterhood, And Safe Space: How The “Perempuan Berkisah” Community Group Empowers Indonesian Women In The Pandemic Era, Rouli Esther Pasaribu

Journal of International Women's Studies

This research aims to understand how the Perempuan Berkisah community group empowers women during the pandemic in Indonesia and how to critically interpret the phenomenon of women’s empowerment. The research employed a content analysis method investigating Perempuan Berkisah’s Instagram account and interviewing and distributing a questionnaire to the community’s founder, committees, and general members. This study analyzed the kinds of empowerment narratives offered, identified the dynamic narratives on the Instagram account since its first establishment in 2019, and critically read the results of Instagram feed content analysis and interviews about women’s empowerment. This research revealed three elements to build a …

Survival Strategies Of Hiv-Positive Transgender Women During The Covid-19 Lockdown In A South African Rural Community, Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi

Journal of International Women's Studies

South Africa, as a country where there is a gross gap between the rich and poor, has seen the worsening of inequality during the Covid-19 lockdown. The lockdown impacted different groups in various ways including transgender women living with HIV. This interpretative phenomenological analysis study presents the experiences and survival strategies of HIV positive transgender women during the Covid-19 lockdown in a South African rural community. Data were collected through in-depth individual telephone interviews from ten transgender women selected through the snowballing technique. Data were analysed guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework. The findings revealed that transgender women living with …

Lesbian Single Parents: Reviewing Philippine Covid-19 Policies, Hazel T. Biana, Rosallia Domingo

Journal of International Women's Studies

The novel coronavirus pandemic magnifies existing inequalities experienced by single lesbian parents in the Philippines. While single parents already face huge challenges with having to combine work and care for children, dealing with inadequate income and social security, lack of childcare facilities, and debt, the unrecognized subgroup of lesbian single parents also have to deal with the detriments of a heterosexist and homophobic society. Reflecting on the countries’ existing Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE)-related single parent policies and possible inclusive strategies that may address such vulnerabilities, an analysis is done on the concerns faced by Filipino lesbian …

The Efficacy Of Turkish Metropolitan Municipalities On Combatting Violence Against Women Within The International And National Legal Framework, Ayşe Güneş, Feriştah Yılmaz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Gender equality policies make women’s subordination visible in both private and public spaces in local governments. Local governments have important roles and policies, such as gender awareness-raising public meetings, promoting women’s participation in the labour force, and advocating for women’s empowerment. These seek to build gender-inclusive and democratic urban centres and municipalities. Failure to achieve these objectives lead to deepened inequalities between women and men during times of crisis. The effects of measures taken to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, including stay-at-home orders, lockdowns, temporary school closures, along with increasing unemployment rates, have made women's private space open to male violence. …

Covid-19 And Domestic Violence In Pakistan: An Analysis Of The Media Perspective, Rabia Ali, Asma Khalid

Journal of International Women's Studies

There has been an alarming increase in domestic violence (DV) cases in different parts of the world amidst COVID-19 related lockdowns in 2020-2021. This paper aims to understand the prevalence of DV in Pakistan through the analysis of online media sources published during the lockdown period. The objectives of this research include the questions (1) how was the issue of DV presented in the Pakistani media during the lockdown period? and (2) what messages were conveyed by the media discourses? A summative qualitative content analysis was used as a method for data collection and analysis. Three national newspapers were selected …

Case Study: Effects Of The Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions On Eight Mongolian Single Mothers, Khongorzul Amarsanaa, József Rácz, Mónika Kovács

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article discusses a comparative case study of eight single mothers’ lockdown experiences during COVID-19 in Mongolia. The case study investigated single mothers’ experiences and the psychological impact of the lockdown. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight single mothers, four of whom were survivors of intimate partner violence. All interviews were carried out online. Thematic analysis identified patterns and themes regarding lockdown experiences. The four months (from late January to early May 2020) of lockdown had both positive and negative psychological consequences for these single mothers. For both survivor and non-survivor single mothers, uncertainty was the primary psychological state reported, …

Diminishing Inequalities? A Study On Reconstituted Gender Relations In Bangladeshi Households During The Covid-19 Crisis, Soma Dey, Sanzida Akhter, Tasnim Nowshin Fariha

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores the gendered impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Bangladesh by analysing everyday practices within the household. Conceptually, we have followed R.W. Connell’s model of the structures of gender and Naila Kabeer’s perspective on women’s power to examine how a normative gender order involving heterosexual marital partners tends to be sustained during ‘normal’ times but can often be destabilised in the context of an unprecedented crisis. Based on an analysis of data collected through an online survey and in-depth interviews, our findings show that the COVID-19 crisis has generated an opportunity for challenging gender inequalities by diminishing the …

Virus, Violence And (In)Visible Women: #Lockdownmeinlockup And Embodied Resistance During Covid-19, Ishani Mukherjee

Journal of International Women's Studies

Drawing on the #LockDownMeinLockUp visual campaign against domestic violence, this paper conceptually leverages embodied resistance, performed connectivity, and (in)visibility politics to explore how gender, body, power, affect, celebrity, performance, and injustice are framed by digital media in the context of an unprecedented global health crisis. The forms, forces, and incidences of domestic violence (DV) are rooted in local power relations and unique cultural practices and so should their interventions and representations be. Since the March 2020 lockdown, the pandemic worsened the conditions of DV victims in India. Many women were forced to cohabit with abusive partners and families. Data on …

Diffusion Of #Niunamenos In Latin America: Social Protests Amid A Pandemic, Adriana Piatti-Crocker

Journal of International Women's Studies

Using archival documentation, digital platforms, and reports, this paper explores the diffusion of #NiUnaMenos [“Not One (woman) Less”] in Latin America, a social movement conceived first in Argentina to protest misogynist violence. To explain diffusion, this paper will explore the role of social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, in helping spread messages, strategies, and the goals of the movement with unprecedented speed (Tarrow 2005, Hanson and Piatti-Crocker 2020). Five years after the first protest, the COVID-19 pandemic had two contrasting effects on the #NiUnaMenos movement. On the one hand, when the virus began spreading around the world, it …

Introduction To Journal Of International Women’S Studies Special Issue Covid-19: The Impact On Women And Girls Around The World, Fikresus Fikrejesus Amahazion

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Nero, Dr. Charles, Hana Elabe

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Charles Nero was born in Decatur, Alabama and was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He discusses discovering at a young age that he was not heterosexual but not acting on that until college. Nero also talks about the challenges he faced when he came out to his parents. During his time at college, he made decisions that led him away from organized Christianity. He discusses the HIV/AIDS epidemic and his work with the Ithaca NY AIDS Taskforce. He also discusses some of the challenges presented by racism and homophobia. He and his husband have adopted two children and he talks …

Clough, Travis, Josh Allen, Rachel Shanks

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Travis Clough is a 44 year old trans man who grew up in the small town of Bucksport, Maine. He uses the pronouns he/him/his, and identifies as queer or trans. From a young age, Travis felt different with his gender identity. He attended the University of Maine Farmington in the late 1990’s, and was the only school he applied to because it was “where all the queers went”. Having been into music since the age of 14, he began playing in bands while in college. Him and his band would make the long drive from Farmington to Portland every week …

Williams, Maya, Daisy Pelletier

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

*Included at the end of the interview is an original poem read by Maya.

Maya Williams is a 25-year-old Black, queer, trans, Christian person who grew up in North Carolina. Ey moved to Maine to attend grad school at the University of New England. They worked at Maine Inside Out as an intern while at the University of New England. She has also worked at Equality Maine, and now works at Maine Trans Net. Her Christian faith is important to her, and organizations like ChIME (Chaplaincy Institute of Maine), and interfaith organization that educations and ordains chaplains, and The BTS …

Twomey, Danielle, Elizabeth Cantey

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Danielle Twomey is a trans woman who was born and raised in Maine. She was born into a working class home and has four other siblings. Her mother died when she was seven and her father’s second wife helped to put the family into a better class. Her father was abusive, as were her peers, and her younger years were “brutal” as she was “physically small”, “effeminate”, and “clueless” when it came to fighting. She watched the world around her to learn how to fit in. She knew she was expected to be like the little boys her age but …

Ekart, Donna, Gretchen Muehle, Brooke Hall

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Donna Ekart is a 53-year-old queer, femme woman living in Portland, Maine. Ekart grew up in Manhattan, Kansas surrounded by both her immediate and extended family. Ekart moved to Portland, Maine with her wife when she was in her mid-forties. Ekart came out as queer to her friends and family when she was 40-years-old. She has been involved in LGBTQ+ organizations including Equality Maine, which is Maine’s biggest queer organization whose aim is to secure full equality for the LGBTQ+ community in Maine through political action, community organizing, education, and collaboration. Ekart’s religious identity and relationship with the Catholic Church …

Fra-Molinero, Baltasar, Sandra Jose

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Baltasar Fra- Molinero grew up in Northern Spain with his four siblings and his parents.

Baltasar Fra- Molinero grew up in Northern Spain with his four siblings and his parents. He attended college in his hometown and out from the watchful eyes of his parents began to explore his sexual identity. Baltasar received a fellowship to study in the United States at the University of Bloomington in Indiana. It was during his first week in the United States that he met his now-husband, Charles. They knew right away that this relationship was forever. Together, they also knew that they wanted …

Deep North: Assistant Professor Of Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Sonja Tomas Pushes Students To Confront The Uncomfortable, Mareisa Weil

Colby Magazine

Many of those white students are uncomfortable, Thomas said. “I hear a lot of, ‘I don’t want to say something if it’s not on the right track.’ I have to push back and say, ‘Silence is not a right track either.’”

Humor As A Defense Mechanism In 19th-Century Women's Writing, Hannah Mae Shelby

Student Theses and Dissertations

Women in Western societies have been repeatedly placed into inferior, gendered roles by their patriarchal societies, which often left them with little hope of autonomy apart from a male companionship. Women writers during the nineteenth century, especially, were chastised for daring to write beyond the sentimental because many male critics and writers believed that women were not capable of complex writing. The women featured in this thesis weaponized humor—such as irony, sarcasm, and narrative quips—to create intriguing narratives while also commenting on gendered oppression. Works by women from the British Regency era to the American fin-de-siècle center on female characters …

Authenticity And Humanity: Women In Ming Dynasty Theatre, Sarah Rogers

Symposium of Student Scholars

Since the dawn of theatrical performances, women had very limited opportunities for participation and presence in productions, often being portrayed onstage by male actors in untruthful, borderline degrading drag, which fortunately was not the case for the Ming Dynasty. My research investigates the societal roles and customs that women in the Ming Dynasty were initially assigned to and the shift they experienced in these roles; this shift empowered women to have more agency in every aspect of their everyday lives, especially in participating in performances. Methodologically, I consider the feminist/gender lens of Karl Marx’s Critical Theory and the opera The …