Women's Studies Commons^™

Honour And Dignity: Trauma Recovery And International Law In The Issue Of The Comfort Women Of South Korea, Gudrun Getz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Despite the decades of work undertaken by the international legal community to attain full and satisfactory reparation for the consequences of Japan’s actions during World War II, the emotionally-charged bilateral dispute between Japan and South Korea over the issue of the so-called ‘comfort women’ continues to this day. This paper is focused on analysis of the discourses surrounding the issue through the lens of a psychoanalytic methodological framework. Based upon the therapeutic work of one of the world’s leading sexual trauma specialists Judith Herman and her text Trauma and Recovery (1992), the paper examines the issues at stake in the …

Bengali Art House Cinema, Women’S Subjectivity, And History: Satyajit Ray’S Use Of Silence In Charulata (1964) And Devi (1960), Lakshmi Quigley

Journal of International Women's Studies

Unmediated representations of women’s everyday subjective experiences of historical events are difficult to find in discourses about masculinity and femininity. Discussions often centre on normative expressions of sexual difference, explaining the ways in which patriarchy was reconstituted rather than focusing on women’s experiences. Late nineteenth century strands of nationalist thought in the Bengal relied on gendered ideas about the nation, self, and society in their representations of womanhood, which served as a symbol of the nation. Various historians have explored the idealised versions of women that these discourses presented, but often these studies fail to examine portrayals of the subjective …

Reconceptualising Foreign Policy As Gendered, Sexualised And Racialised: Towards A Postcolonial Feminist Foreign Policy (Analysis), Columba Achilleos-Sarll

Journal of International Women's Studies

How can we theorise more effectively the relationship among gender, sexuality, race and foreign policy? To explore this question, and to contribute to the nascent field of feminist foreign policy (analysis), this paper brings together two bodies of international relations (IR) literature: postcolonial feminism and post-positivist foreign policy analysis (FPA). This paper contributes a fundamental critique of both ‘conventional’ and ‘unconventional’ (namely post-positivist) FPA to demonstrate the lack of attention paid to postcolonial and feminist theories within FPA. In turn, this exposes the ways in which FPA marginalises, and renders inconsequential, the gendered, sexualised and racialised dimensions underwriting foreign policy …

The Merits And Limits Of A Gendered Epistemology: Muslim Women And The Politics Of Knowledge Production, Farhana Rahman

Journal of International Women's Studies

At their essence, feminist epistemologies argue that traditional male epistemologies have systematically removed the voice of women from knowledge production, effectively barring women from being “knowers”. How does the gendering of knowledge affect those with a particular perspective of viewing the world? This article explores the merits and limitations of a gendered epistemology by employing standpoint theory as a tool of analysis. Through the lens and context of the intersection of religion, gender, and Western academia, I trace the politics of knowledge production as it relates to Muslim women working within an Islamic paradigm. This article first explores gender as …

‘Freedom In Her Mind’: Women’S Prison Zines And Feminist Writing In The 1970s, Olivia Wright

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the under-researched and undervalued area of American women’s prison zines. It discusses three publications created at the California Institute for Women, Frontera, during the 1970s, placing them in the wider contexts of prison reform and the women’s movement. Through close analysis, it demonstrates the influences of, and connections to, the feminist print culture at the time and how groups such as the Santa Cruz Women’s Prison Project enabled their publication and influenced their ideology. Examining women’s prison zines can contribute to conversations about women’s liberation by offering new perspectives on what I call ‘collective autobiography’, and giving …

Introduction: New Writings In Feminist And Women’S Studies, Laura Clancy, Sarah Burton

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Espacios Alternativos Y Nomadismo En Tres Poetas Salvadoreñas De La Guerra: Leyla Quintana, Kenny Rodríguez Y Eva Ortiz, Juana M. Ramos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation analyzes the literary production of Leyla Quintana, Kenny Rodríguez, and Eva Ortiz, three Salvadoran poets who participated actively in the Civil War of El Salvador (1980-1992), and produced their literary work in that same period. It explores, from the perspective of Nomadism developed by Rosi Braidotti, the resignification of the feminine subjectivity, as well as the construction of new figurations in order to articulate a counter discourse that challenges the official hegemonic and heteropatriarcal narrative. In the same order, it questions the validity of the cultural codes established and imposed by those groups that hold the political and …

Transnational Nationalists: Cosmopolitan Women, Philanthropy, And Italian State-Building, 1850-1890, Diana Moore

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“Transnational Nationalists: Cosmopolitan Women, Philanthropy and Italian State-Building, 1850-1890” is a study of Protestant and Jewish transnational reforming women who took advantage of a period of fluidity to act as non-state actors and impact Italian unification and liberation, a process known as the Risorgimento, and subsequent Italian state-building. Inspired by Giuseppe Mazzini’s spiritual brand of romantic cosmopolitan nationalism, as well as Giuseppe Garibaldi’s military campaigns, and believing that women had a god-given duty to provide education, morality, and uplift to oppressed groups, they worked to provide Italy not only with physical unification but also moral regeneration. Through an examination of …

Female Autistic Perspectives: Limits In Diagnosis And Understanding, Alexandra Helmers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder has increased dramatically within the last two decades, with males being diagnosed, on average, four to five times more than females. Although researchers in the medical community have searched for a biological explanation for this discrepancy, no definitive cause has been found. I argue that our understanding of autism is primarily a social and cultural construction, in addition to a diagnosable medical disorder. The gender disparity in diagnosis reflects cultural narratives surrounding social interaction and the widespread belief in two distinct gender roles. Furthermore, narratives surrounding the topic of autism tend to unintentionally highlight …

Race, Sexuality, And Masculinity On The Down Low, Stephen Kochenash

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In a so-called post-racial America, a new gay identity has flourished and come into the limelight. However, in recent years, researchers have concluded that not all men who have sex with other men (MSM) self-identify as gay, most noticeably a large population of Black men. It is possible that a tainted history of Black enslavement in this country that is inextricably linked with ideas of space, surveillance, subversion, and survival inform a Black male’s self-identification as being “on the down low” (DL). This begs the question: What does mainstream society view as gay-ness and how is the DL constructed …

Women’S Suffrage In American Art: Recovering Forgotten Contexts, 1900-1920, Elsie Y. Heung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In 1920, women in the United States finally won the right to vote. The campaign for suffrage, which began in the 1848, with the first women’s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, NY, involved the efforts and enthusiasm of countless women who believed that they both deserved and needed the right to vote. This dissertation investigates the ways in which women artists both responded to and contributed to this divisive movement through painting and sculpture during the final decades of the campaign, when visual culture and propaganda played a crucial role in advancing the suffrage and anti-suffrage agendas. The literature …

Queer Repurposed Artifacts: The State Of New York City’S Contemporary West Village Bars, Stephanie Debiase

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, there has been a shift in queer bar culture in New York City’s West Village, and this thesis aims to explore what these changes are and why they are happening now. How do West Village bars survive when queer populations are forced out? While there are various ways to consider how and what survives in the Village, three variables will be addressed: queer history, or the history queer-identified groups using activism, safety measures, or collaborating with outside sources to secure their rights and overall wellbeing; (post)gentrification, beginning with the 90s when mainstream LGBT groups teamed up with …

Modifying The Qualitative Delphi Technique To Develop The Female Soldier Support Model, Daniel L. Roberts, Joann Kovacich

The Qualitative Report

The U.S. Army chaplaincy did not have a gender specific model for providing emotional and spiritual support to women soldiers. Such a model was needed because women often experience the military differently than men. The Comprehensive Female Soldier Support (CFS²) model was developed using a modified Delphi technique and a feminist theoretical framework. This study altered the Delphi design by using two successive panels of experts. The first panel, consisting of 10 wounded female soldiers, developed a list of pastoral needs experienced by the women. The second panel, composed of 11 female chaplains, provided solutions for those needs. …

The Floating Head Of Feminism: The Domesticated Domain And Erasure Of The Female (No)Body In Contemporary Television And Cinema, Alicia Brooke Turner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Floating Head of Feminism is a project that seeks to examine the concept of the abject as that which disobeys borders and blurs boundaries and to subsequently look at this conception through female-coded artificial intelligence. The AI abject is the part of the self that is cast off or removed so that one can claim an identity, which the abject, in turn, threatens. I discuss the importance of the female-coded AI’s digital embodiment in virtual spaces, and this idea is expanded on through an examination of the science-fiction film genre. This thesis serves to reveal the relationship of resistance …

Powerpoint: Critical Engagement: Colin Kaepernick, Mason Sargent, Tate Henrikson, Sean N. Bennington, Justin M. Porter, Nicolete D. Moyo

Womanist Ethics

Critical Engagement is the use of practical strategies and pedagogical methods [that] challenge dominant intellectual legacies, theological resources, and ideologies that undermine the goals of Womanist ethics, namely, the empowerment of black women. It is a concept created by Floyd Thomas, in whose writings, it is one of the five Womanist tenants. We decided to base Colin Kaepernick’s ‘take a knee’ movement as an example of Critical Engagement. Using this perspective, we examined the various aspects of the movement and analyzed the effects on American culture and society through a Womanist lens.

Magazine: Alice: A Womanist Ethics Magazine, Lucy Kebler, Grace Dematteis, Karli Stankus, Laurin Hopping

Womanist Ethics

Alice is an academic magazine that focuses on the topic of womanism and one of its primary tenets, radical subjectivity. Incorporating both historical womanist content, and modern womanist perspectives, Alice brings a modern twist to the idea of radical subjectivity. The magazine concentrates heavily on current womanist celebrities, who bring womanism to the public. Alice maps out both straightforward and ambiguous instances so that the reader can better understand them. The magazine also incorporates interactive material, such as a womanist quiz, and two womanist recipes.

Sr. Carolyn: Voice For The Voiceless, Michele Hill

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper discusses parts of an interview I conducted with Sr. Carolyn on the roles of women religious and how they, including herself, are involved in activism.

Sr. Christine: Immigration Reform, Ella Iacoviello

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sister Christine in December of 2017 about her lived experience as a woman religious. This paper includes segments of the interview in which she discusses her time helping new immigrants gain American citizenship.

Sr. Celia: Improving Education, Jackson Phillips

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Celia in January of 2018, where she discussed her life as a woman religious. The portion of the interview included in this paper involves her explanation of why she chose to become a teaching sister.

Sr. Roseline: The Role Of The Family And Education, Autumn Loucks

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper contains the interview with Sr. Roseline, a woman religious, who works in education, and her theory as to why the number of young Catholics has declined.

Sr. Hannah: Handling Change, Jakob Weiss

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

Sister Hannah is a woman religious I interviewed recently about her life and experiences. Our interview focused primarily on her thoughts about modern-day changes in the Catholic Church.

Sr. Sarah Grace: The Common Good, Caleb Wright

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview with Sr. Sarah Grace from January 2, 2018. She is a women religious who has worked in education for 25 years. This paper includes a portion of the interview where she shared her perspective on the common good.

Sr. Cynthia: Powerful Interactions, Chloe Griffin

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

The following paper includes portions of an interview with Sr. Cynthia Gray, a Salesian Sister who has worked in the education field for over 30 years. The paper focuses on the recurring theme of the important interactions and connections of women religious, specifically Salesians, with the rest of the world.

Sr. Estelle: When In Rome, Ashley Massey

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This is a two page excerpt from an interview conducted with Sister Estelle in December 2017. She worked for twelve years in Europe representing her Union, but now that she is back in the States, she focuses on vocational work and helping people find out where they belong.

Sr. Margaret: Christians And Political Participation, Giselle Loucks

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This is an excerpt of an interview with Sister Margaret, a sister in the Salesian order, in which she discusses the role of all Christians in regards to political participation.

Sr. Colleen: Teaching As A Passion, Keridwen Mcdaniel

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper dives into some of the adventures that Sister Colleen Clair has experienced throughout her life as a Catholic educator in America and across the globe.

Sr. Rebecca: The True Value Of Women, Shelby M. Burroughs

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview with Sister Rebecca, a Salesian who has worked in education for the last 10 years, and her views on the roles that women religious play in the lives of people

Technology Then And Now 2: Glass Beads, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

People at Fort St. Joseph used glass beads to embellish their appearance in the eighteenth century.

Technology Then and Now was developed by the students (Nicole Aquino, John Campbell, Patrick Dwyer, Abby Floyd, Jacob Kowalczyk, Allie Lewis, Amanda Owens, Brendan Sapato, and Callisto Wojcikowski) in the Museum Studies class (HIST 4080) at Western Michigan University under the direction of Professor Michael Nassaney. The research, contents, and design of the exhibit were made possible through the support and assistance of Christina Arseneau, David Brose, Mary Ellen Drolet, Joe Hines, Larry Horrigan, Cori Ivens, Erika Loveland, Meghan Williams and Michael Worline.

Full …

"If It's Not Right, You Have To Put It Right": The Play And Work Of Children In Matilda The Musical, Kristin Perkins

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Perkins considers issues of subversive theatrical criticism and exploitative child labor as they combine in Matilda the Musical, examining the performances as a holistic, if ambivalent, production. In a play where the lead figure is a little girl, this essay uses the lens of gender and age to provide context for the revolutionary character of Matilda in a female-dominated play that critiques established norms, at the same time that the play is produced in, and by, a system that reproduces troubling power structures.

What Is My Role In Changing The System? A New Model Of Responsibility For Structural Injustice, Robin Zheng

Women's and Gender Studies Program: Faculty Publications

What responsibility do individuals bear for structural injustice? Iris Marion Young has offered the most fully developed account to date, the Social Connections Model. She argues that we all bear responsibility because we each causally contribute to structural processes that produce injustice. My aim in this article is to motivate and defend an alternative account that improves on Young’s model by addressing five fundamental challenges faced by any such theory. The core idea of what I call the Role-Ideal Model is that we are each responsible for structural injustice through and in virtue of our social roles, i.e. our roles …