Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Munnar Plantation Strike, 2015: A Case Study Of Keralan Female Tea Workers’ Fight For Justice, Shoshana Levy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the southern state of Kerala, tea leaf pickers are nearly all women. They work 14 hour days, six days a week, rain or shine. What’s more, they earn the lowest minimum daily wage of any sector in the state, bringing home a meager average of Rs. 231 a day. With women constituting more than half of the workforce on tea plantations across India it is becoming increasingly crucial to understand the challenged, yet integral role they play. Through a case study of the Munnar Plantation Strike of 2015 - a strike organized by the Pempilai Orumai women, against the …

Gender Socialization In Chinese Schools: Teachers, Children And Gender Roles, Connor Swan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the first major social environment most children will encounter outside the family, school plays a pivotal role in the socialization of gender roles for young children. The aim of this research is to examine how young children learn and practice gender roles in Chinese school environments. In what ways do teachers and adults communicate messages about gender to children, and how do children receive and internalize these messages? What do teachers consciously intend to teach children about gender, and what do they unconsciously teach through their actions? Over the course of one month, I attended classes and observed teacher-student …

The Jagori Rural Charitable Trust Model: Menstrual Education Of Women And Adolescent Girls In The Villages Of Rural Dharamsala, Madelon Morford

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Reproductive rights and education of women in rural communities is of lesser importance in India’s patriarchal society. Reproductive health is a conversation that is rarely discussed, and the health status of women is of little priority behind that of men and children’s health. Education about the health and hygiene of menstruation allows for women and adolescent girls to play a role in their own health maintenance, as well as normalizes the discussion of menstruation and reproductive health. Studying Jagori Rural Charitable Trust’s efforts to disseminate knowledge about reproductive health, with specific focus on menstruation, allows for an understanding of the …

La Resistencia Cultural A Través Del Teatro De Las Oprimidas Para La Cultivación De La Subjetividad De La Mujer En Un Contexto De Violencia De Género: Un Estudio De Caso Del Colectivo De Mujeres Osadía / Cultural Resistance And The Cultivation Of The Subjective Through Theatre Of The Oppressed For The Woman In A Context Of Gender Violence: A Case Study With Colectivo De Mujeres Osadía In Jose Leon Suarez, Province Of Buenos Aires, Lela Biggus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hay en este momento en la historia una ola de movimientos feministas barriendo la vida política de Buenos Aires. Movimientos como Ni Una Menos busca, en una variedad de métodos, para interrumpir el discurso destructivo de la cultura machista que produce la violencia de género y hace que el acto de femicidio, el asesinato de una mujer por su género, sea común.

En mis investigaciones exploro cómo el Teatro del oprimido, una práctica teatral de Augusto Boal, puede transformarse en una experiencia de resistencia cultural y subjetivación de la mujer en un contexto de violencia de género. Yo pasé tiempo …

Being Transgender And Seeking Healthcare In The World’S Most Liberal City, Nicole Sharpe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The right to the highest form of healthcare is one of the most essential rights a person should have. It should be accessible to all human beings, and it appears this is not the case when it comes from the transgender population in the Netherlands and the U.S. In addition to transitional health care needs like hormonal treatment and surgery, transgender people require the same variety of general health care needs as many other groups of individuals. When obstacles create stigma within health care providing facilities, transgender individuals may be less inclined or discouraged to seek the care they need. …

Creating Safe Spaces In A Homonormative Society: A Study Of The Hang-Out 010, Taryn Urban

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During the month of April 2017, I interned with The Hang-Out 010, a nonprofit organization in Rotterdam that serves as a community center for LGBTQ youth. During this period, I assisted the volunteers and staff by attending events, writing blog posts, helping to plan future activities, and developing a feedback survey to be completed by visitors. My main objective was to gain a better understanding of the organization through immersive observation, feedback from visitors, and interviews with the volunteers and director of The Hang-Out 010. I analyzed the role of the organization in the context of a society characterized by …

Impacts Of Migration On Mosuo Cultural Identity: A Case Study Of The Mosuo People In Lijiang, Isabel Ullmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

China is currently in the midst of the largest labor migration in human history and yet we know very little about the cultural impact on the migrants themselves. For many ethnic minorities, like the Mosuo, who have been isolated from urban, if not Han, influence for much of their history, this migration is sure to result in some cultural disruption. As a matrilineal culture defined by large extended families traced by the matriline, a distinct, non-exclusive sexual-reproductive system, a housing layout that reflects religious beliefs and social structure, and a fluid interplay of the local ddaba religion and Tibetan Buddhism, …

Tourism And The Vrankrijk As A Safe(R) Space, Megan Adams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is a practicum-based study on the impact of tourism on the creation and maintenance of a safe(r) space at the Vrankrijk. The Vrankrijk is a former squat and current volunteer-run community center and café, which hosts WTF Wednesday, a weekly safe(r) queer night of a voku dinner and performances. This research explores the current definitions of safe space as applied to the Vrankrijk. The study’s main focus is the impact of tourism on the Vrankrijk as a safe(r) space.

The study finds its roots in four experiential interviews with members of the community including a visiting band member whose …

Regulating The Reguliers: How The Normalization Of Gays And Lesbians In Dutch Society Impacts Lgbtq Nightlife, Laura Jacobs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study Project explores how LGBTQ nightlife is impacted by the changing position of gays and lesbians in Dutch society. Specifically, this project seeks to explore how the normalization and popularization of certain subcommunities of LGBTQ individuals in Amsterdam, lauded as one of the most progressive and gay-friendly cities in the world, influences how people navigate LGBTQ bars, clubs, and parties. Data was obtained by conducting 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. This data was then analyzed using Judith Butler’s theory of normalization, recognition, and regulation and Gert Hekma’s theory of homonormativity. The research revealed that despite apparent advancements in LGBTQ …

Resilience Of Romanian Institutions During The Global Gag Rule: 20012007, Sara Hayet

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There is a wealth of literature about the negative effects of the executive order called the Global Gag Rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy, and its various manifestations. Despite this, there is a gap in the research about how institutions in affected countries respond to the Global Gag Rule’s family planning restrictions. This qualitative study seeks to provide some insight into how Romanian institutions responded during President George W. Bush’s reinstatement of the policy by using a model of social resilience. Through a literature review of three subjects (social resilience, the Global Gag Rule, and Romania’s family planning …

Queer And Shear Moroccan Societal Norms Impact On Queer Women, Catherine Pendry

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines how Moroccan societal norms and values hinder the recognition of queer women. Within this paper, family dynamics, language, and perceptions of homosexuality are discussed in order to highlight the lack of recognition that queer women receive in Morocco. Social norms in Morocco draw upon the conservative and traditional values, therefore queer women face societal persecution because they stray from the heteronormative culture and exist in a resilient patriarchal system. I will draw upon six personal interviews from queer women as they share their experiences and how they operate within their Moroccan families and Moroccan social norms. Throughout …

Identificando Los Limites Del Acceso A La Salud Reproductiva: Un Análisis Sobre Las Experiencias Vividas Por Las Mujeres Guaraníes Con Los Servicios De La Salud Reproductiva En La Villa 31 De Buenos Aires, Amelia Mitchell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In order to serve the ‘public’, public health services must be accessible to everyone, without discrimination based on race, gender, social class, or geographic location, among other facets of identity. Reproductive health services, in particular, are a key service that must be adequately supplied in order to guarantee the health and wellbeing of a population. Reproductive healthcare not only allows individuals to decide if and when they wish to have a child, it also contributes to cancer prevention and the detrimental effects of sexually transmitted diseases. This investigation examines the experiences of Guaraní women that live within “Villa 31” of …

“Todas Las Comunidades Tenemos Solo Un Espíritu:” Un Análisis Del Reciente Surgimiento En Activismo Político Y Social De Las Mujeres Indígenas De La Argentina Y El Discurso Sobre Si Existe Un “Feminismo Indígena.” / “All Of The Communities We Have One Spirit:” An Analysis Of The Recent Rise Of Political And Social Activism Of Indigenous Women In Argentina And The Discussion Of Whether An “Indigenous Feminism” Exists., Larissa Peltola

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En el siguiente trabajo, intento de presentar e identificar cuál es, en mi opinión, el movimiento social más reciente en la Argentina y estudiar el activismo de las mujeres Argentinas nativas, de comunidades indígenas y pueblos originarios[1] y las formas en que se encuentran participando en este movimiento social. El primer objetivo de este ensayo es identificar brevemente la manera en que las mujeres de estas comunidades han sido históricamente excluidas de las posiciones tradicionales de poder y las diversas formas de discriminación basadas en la raza, el género y el estatus socioeconómico. En segundo lugar, examinaré las formas …

Gëm Sa Bopp: A Case Study Of Peace Corps Senegal Girls’ Camps, Tesia A. Eisenberg

Capstone Collection

This research explores the design, curriculum, and monitoring & evaluation efforts of Peace Corps Senegal Girls’ Camps through the lens of Youth Program Leadership and Design theory. The literature review reveals a research gap in youth camp programming and hopes to draw attention to this fact to promote more literature on this subject in the future. Interviews were conducted to gain information on the design and monitoring & evaluation experiences of camp facilitators from the 2015 and 2016 PCS Girls’ Camps. This research draws upon data collected from literature, interviews, personal experience, and relevant documents from Peace Corps Senegal to …

Pink Parenthood: An Exploration Of Lesbian Parenting In The Netherlands, Sophia Ladner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This is an explorative study of Dutch Lesbian parents and their experiences having and raising children in Dutch society. This research explores the social attitudes surrounding lesbian parents in Amsterdam and another city to see how their experiences are shaped by factors including their sexual orientation, their construction of family, and the relationships and values they feel are important to impart on their children. 5 qualitative interviews, four with married couples, and 1 solo interview, laid the groundwork for the research. The data from the interviews was analyzed using existing texts on LGBTQ, within a framework of social constructionist theory. …

Así Que, ¿Qué Podía Hacer? / So What Could I Do?, Summer Brandimarte

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En primer lugar, comencé a ver campañas de violencia contra las mujeres en las calles, donde las mujeres tenían moretones en sus caras y había un número de teléfono para ayudar. Entonces, una noche le contaba llorando a mi madre anfitriona en Chile, reviviendo mi pasado y al mismo tiempo ella revivía el suyo. Ella me enseñó que "llorar es la limpieza del alma" así como la importancia de compartir mi historia. Más tarde, en una visita a una escuela veo a una muchacha jugando feliz con los demás niños mientras conversaba con la psicóloga de la escuela quien me …

Las Percepciones De Las Dinámicas De Género A Través De Los Niveles Socioeconómicos De Dos Liceos De Santiago De Chile / 119/5000 Perceptions Of Dynamics Gender Equality Across Socio-Economic Levels Of Two High Schools In Santiago De Chile, Sarah Kochanek

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La siguiente investigación se enfoca en el tema de género en el sistema educativo chileno. El objetivo amplio de la investigación es comparar las percepciones de género y reproducciones de roles de género en las opiniones de estudiantes de dos liceos de diferentes niveles socioeconómicos en Santiago y analizar las diferencias. Los métodos de esta investigación incluyeron observación participante, entrevistas con estudiantes y profesores de dos diferentes liceos de Santiago (una municipal y una particular pagada). Los principales hallazgos rechazaron la hipótesis planteada; se encontró que la conciencia del tema es más presente en la escuela municipal, de bajos recursos …

Una Mueca Irónica: !El Travestismo Como Recurso Artístico De Las Yeguas Del Apocalipsis / An Ironic Grin: ! Cross-Dressing As An Artistic Resource Of The Apocalypseof The Yeguas, Sophia Cantizano

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Yeguas del Apocalipsis (Mares of the Apocalypse), were an art collective consisting of two men, Pedro Lemebel and Francisco Casas, who revolutionized the way transvestism was used in performance art. Active between 1988 and 1997, the Yeguas lit the way out of the dictatorship and into the post-regime transition period. For this reason, the context in which Lemebel and Casas made their art was more conducive to their own open criticism and explicit commentary of the political and social landscape, than that of the performance artists who functioned during the authoritarian dictatorship itself. This gave the Yeguas’ performances a …

The Transgender Community In Bangalore: Health Issues And Factors Negatively Affecting Outcomes, Zayahary Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite their long history in India, transgenders continue being pushed aside depriving them of their basic needs, human rights, and their right to health. The present study aims to discuss the current health issues and factors affecting the health outcomes of the transgender community. This was accomplished through an investigation of social, economical, and political exclusions and behavioral patterns impacting and affecting health outcomes in the transgender (TG) community. The study was completed in Bangalore, Karnataka under the guidance of Swatantra, a rights-based organization seeking to empower the transgender working-class through the access to rights, education, employment, family acceptance, and …

The Spike Of Female Soccer Players In The Netherlands Since 2010, Morgan Colley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the Dutch society, the sport of soccer, also known as football, draws a lot of attention and has millions of followers when it comes to the men’s soccer clubs. The most common and widely celebrated soccer teams in the Netherlands are the major teams, such as, AJAX, PSV and Feyenoord, all being male soccer teams. There is a lack of female soccer clubs around the Netherlands when comparing it to the number of male soccer clubs. Women’s soccer is underrepresented in the news of Dutch sports media and obviously overpowered by the enthusiasm surrounding men’s soccer. Only in the …

“Mi Resistencia Me Nutre” Las Vivencias De Mujeres Matagalpinas De Acoso Callejero Y Sus Estrategias De Resistencia / "My Resistance Nourishes Me" The Experiences Of Female Street Killers Of Matagalpinas And Their Strategies Of Resistance, Olivia Linn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Según un estudio del Observatorio Contra Acoso Callejero de Matagalpa en 2015, acoso callejero es una experiencia casi universal para las mujeres en Nicaragua—el 96% de las entrevistadas reportaron que lo habían experimentado regularmente. Inmediatamente cuando llegué a Managua, descubrí que no era una excepción, pero la cifra no hizo justicia a lo que experimentaba como violencia descorazonadora. Lo que más me desalentó fue la minimización y normalización con que se encontraron mis expresiones sobre mi frustración. De mi lucha por encontrar estrategias adecuadas de resistencia para proteger mi salud mental y emocional, decidí estudiar las experiencias de acoso callejero …

Estigma Y Discriminación Hacia Hombres Que Tienen Sexo Con Otros Hombres (Hsh) Y Mujeres Trans: El Impacto En La Vulnerabilidad Y Riesgo Frente Al Vih/Sida / Stigma And Discrimination Against Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) And Transgender Women: The Impact On Vulnerability And Risk Of Hiv / Aids, Alessandra Scher

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question – How does stigma and discrimination toward men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women affect their vulnerability toward HIV/AIDS?

Background – Although there has been progress over the years on improving attitudes towards, and knowledge about, sexual diversity, LGBT persons continue to be harshly discriminated against and stigmatized. The conservative and machista nature of Chilean society, as well as a lack of information about sexual diversity, perpetuates this treatment and marginalization of those who do not conform to the social expectations surrounding sexual relations and strict gender norms, specifically homosexual men and other MSM, as …

Queer Connections: Social Media As A Versatile Tool Of The Marginalized Moroccan Lgbt, Savannah Vickery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the role of social media in the Moroccan LGBT sphere. It draws on personal narratives from LGBT men and women as well as activists in order to establish the various ways that social media is employed in the interests of the individual, the community, and the activist. While social media has been a tool to expand the LGBT community around the world, it is specifically and unusually useful in Morocco where there is considerable censorship of incoming and outgoing media. Additionally, many public displays of resistance are considered to be counter productive to the pro-LGBT movement because …

Ease On Down The Road: From Diagnosis To Graduation And Beyond, An Auto-Ethnography, Amber M. Alford

Capstone Collection

This study was envisioned following a personal acknowledgement of perceived suppression of the author’s “unorthodox” approach to the research design process resulting in the desire to explore the role of the researcher’s experience in research design and ultimately in higher education. The author began feeling lost and overwhelmed in the pursuit of her Master of Arts degree. She felt that her particular values and methodology were not being validated or supported. Through the use of narrative, the author analyzes her own experience navigating higher education as one of the first in her entire family to do so, with the added …

“It’S Not Important For You To Speak:” The Perception Of Purity And Its Power Over Women’S Reproductive And Sexual Health, Margot Radding

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There is a general silence in both society and academia surrounding women’s health and the social conception of purity. Purity myths and misconceptions have created stigmas that women of all backgrounds must navigate to manage and care for their reproductive and sexual health. This study investigates the importance of purity and how it is used to define, measure, and categorize women’s bodies and behaviors. Women’s perception of purity, specifically in regards to menstruation and pre-marital sex, were investigated using semi-structured interviews in Dehradun, Uttarkhand. This study analyzes how stigmatized conceptions of impurities manifest as silence in society. Data collected from …

Producing Knowledge: The Social Made Visible In The Division Of Environmental Biology Of The National Science Foundation, Patrick Southern

Capstone Collection

This inquiry explores how knowledge is produced in the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) of the National Science Foundation. Beginning from a poststructuralist understanding of science as firmly embedded in the unequal relations of society, this study sought to examine how the policies and procedures of funding research proposals in DEB influence and are influenced by those relations. Using an institutional ethnography approach to analysis, data were collected from analyzing publicly available texts from the division, NSF, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the research community. The analysis demonstrates how the activities of DEB could maintain or exacerbate …

“It’S Not The Pride Parade Model”: Investigating Changes In Queer Activist Practices In Sarajevo After 2008, Matthew Zarenkiewicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2008, a group of queer activists in Sarajevo organized the Sarajevo Queer Festival in an attempt to raise the visibility of queer people in Sarajevo, but the event resulted in a violent attack on the queer community. Since 2008, the actors and tactics of activists have changed, moving from the single, more radical, Organization Q, to the emergence of more groups with a more moderate approach. My research poses the question how have the tactics of queer activists in Sarajevo changed since the attack on the Sarajevo Queer Festival and the passage of the 2009 anti-discrimination law. Through semi-structured …

Where Women Stand In Rural Electrification Efforts: An Exploratory Study Within Gujarat, Meital Rosenberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since its 2003 village electrification scheme, the state of Gujarat has been acclaimed for providing rural households with 24-hour access and farmers with uninterrupted 8-hour power supply. The Government of India has emphasized goals of providing electricity for all of its citizens yet has been unable to address glaring discrepancies across the country. For those in rural areas, which is approximately 60-70 percent of India’s population, a varying degree of connection exists plagued by frequent outages, transmission losses, unreliable billing practices, and poor infrastructure maintenance. Gujarat has been reported to have overcome these obstacles with its bifurcation of electricity feeders, …

El Método Anticonceptivo Implante Subdérmico Para Prevenir La Repetición Del Embarazo Adolescente En La Provincia De Tucumán, Madelaine Hack

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Información Contextual: El método anticonceptivo implante subdérmico se utiliza para prevenir la repetición del embarazo adolescente entre mujeres de 14 a 24 años de edad que no tienen cobertura de salud (es decir, sin cobertura de una obra-social o pre-paga) y que han tenido un evento obstétrico (parto o aborto) en los últimos 12 meses. La prevención del segundo embarazo adolescente es una línea estratégica sumamente importante porque la tasa de embarazo adolescente ha mantenido su valor cercano al 15% por los últimos 20 años. En el caso particular de la provincia de Tucumán, está presenta un contexto interesante lo …

El Uso De Terapias Psicológicas En Mujeres Jóvenes En La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires (Caba), Argentina, Batsheva Honig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Información Contextual: Esta investigación se enfoca en el uso de terapia en mujeres jóvenes en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina. Argentina es el líder mundial de psicólogos por habitantes con una gran concentración de psicólogos en CABA (Alonso y Klinar 2014). El uso de terapia no es exclusivo de personas con trastornos mentales. En el ámbito privado son comunes las consultas por cuestiones generales de la vida. La población de este estudio son mujeres jóvenes entre 22 y 32 años. Este periodo es caracterizado como un tiempo de exploración y auto-reflexión. Además, esta franja etaria constituye un gran …