Women's Studies Commons^™

Reimaging Feminist Futures Through Complaint-Jar Activity, Sritama Chatterjee

Feminist Pedagogy

In this article, I describe and reflect on my experience developing and implementing a “complaint jar activity”, in a writing-intensive, literature general-education class titled, “Women and Literature” themed on Feminist Futures: Place, Theory and Method. My article follows Sara Ahmed’s invitation to make space for the messy and complex nature of “complaint activism” as a form of feminist work in the academy while at the same time being attentive to the small transformations that the classroom can bring, at a time of increasing anti-intellectualism. Through a focus on the complaint-jar activity, I grapple with the tension between complaints as a …

Gender Washing Autocracies In Egypt: Drawing On The Presidency’S Of Anwar El Sadat And Hosni Mubarak, Menat Aly

Theses and Dissertations

Research Question:

The main research question this study seeks to address is: Why did the autocratic regimes of Anwar el Sadat and Hosni Mubarak choose to advance women’s rights?

Hypothesis:

Autocratic governments under Sadat and Mubarak used gender instrumentally, and their focus on empowering women in their societies was functional to promoting their vision of "modernization" internationally and to enhancing their image, while at the same time concealing their autocratic practices.

Research Problem

Authoritarian [1]systems in the Arab world have long used different tactics in order to consolidate their regimes. Indeed, one such tactic is the use of gender …

Benefits And Barriers: Women's Access To Mobile Tech In Iran And The Mena Region, Antonia Felix

Educational Leadership Department Publications

While the 17% gender gap in mobile internet use in the MENA region reveals that women have less access to the benefits of mobile money apps and other technology, 60% of women in the region do go online via mobile phones to make purchases, access credit, send money to family members, assist in their children’s education, receive government benefits, and engage in other activities that improve their lives. Barriers preventing women from mobile internet access, however, typically fall into three categories: lack of access, illiteracy and/or lack of digital skills, and safety concerns. The author participated in a panel presentation …

Journey, Movement, Affect And Rhythm: Migration Through North Indian Folk Songs, Sangeeta Gupta, Shambhavi Gupta

International Journal on Responsibility

This paper captures the lived experiences and affect associated with migration, through the folk songs of North India. While migration is usually studied as a larger demographic movement involving temporary or permanent displacement and departure, our project captures the pain and apprehension it entails. We have tried to retrieve the vital connection between gender and migration through an analysis of folk songs about the experiences of women. These songs passed down as a part of the oral tradition, articulate how a woman engages and interacts with migration – both due to her marriage and also when her husband leaves home …

“We Need To Have A Place To Vent And Get Our Frustrations Out”: Addressing The Needs Of Mothering Students In Higher Education Using A Positive Deviance Framework, Melissa León

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of mothering students at four different colleges using a positive deviance (PD) framework. PD is an approach that seeks to identify positive behavioral patterns that help members of a community overcome structural barriers (Gross, et al. 2017). The Positive Deviance Framework was applied to investigate how some mothering students are successful in college and how their experiences could potentially help new or struggling mothering students. Eleven mothering students were interviewed to determine what interventions could assist mothering students who lack representation in the traditional college environment, a situation that often leads to feelings of isolation. …

Desire: A Case Study, Shelby Perlis

Toyon: Multilingual Literary Magazine

None. :)

“She Was No Taller Than Your Thumb. So She Was Called Thumbelina”: Gender, Disability, And Visual Forms In Hans Christian Andersen’S “Thumbelina” (1835), Hannah J. Helm

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

This article explores representations of femininity and disability in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Thumbelina” (1835) and select examples of his paper art. In this article, I argue that, on one level, the fairy tale and Andersen’s own paper cuttings uphold feminine and ableist norms. However, on another level, these literary and visual forms simultaneously work to destabilise social prejudices and challenge bodily normativity. I explore how characters and themes associated with the fairy tale and paper art can be (re)read in strength-based ways. In the story, Thumbelina experiences the world through her smallness, and key themes including accessibility, physical …

Black Best-Selling Books And Bibliographical Concerns: The Essence Book Project, Jacinta R. Saffold, Kinohi Nishikawa

Criticism

On October 27, 2021, the Bibliographical Society of America (BSA) sponsored the first in a series of virtual interviews about the Essence Book Project. Founded by Jacinta R. Saffold, the BSA’s inaugural Dorothy Porter Wesley Fellow, the Essence Book Project is a database of the books that appeared on Essence magazine’s bestsellers’ list from 1994 to 2010. In talking about the project with Kinohi Nishikawa, Saffold highlights how Black best-selling books contribute new paths of inquiry to bibliographical scholarship and explains why it is important to archive contemporary Black print culture. Presented in this article is a modified version of …

Instances Of The Spirit (Glossary), Kamari A. Smalls

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a performative methodology to engaging with the worlds and ideas that these words have generated in the form of a glossary. The list of words include: Ancestor, Anointing, Attune, Breath, Conjure, Conversion, Dance, Erotic, Ephemera, Ethervism, God, Girlhood, Hallelujah, Imagination, Improvisation, Jazz, Knowledge, Love, Liturgical, Magic, Memory, Performance, Prayer, Remnant, Repetition, Ritual, Root, Sacred/Secular, Silence/Stillness, Sound, Spell, Spirit, Testimony, Water, and Witness. Personal reflections, contemplations and expansions from other writing, and passages that come out of Black feminist thought, Black girlhood studies, and Black performance theory exist here simultaneously. This glossary demonstrates the theory, theology and lineages …

Princess Chives, Yuxuan An

Masters Theses

Princess Chives is the greatest contemporary ruler of Chiveism. Princess Chives brilliantly, comprehensively, and resourcefully promoted and developed Chivesism, taking it to a whole new level.

Princess Chives ideology is a powerful ideological weapon against everything, and it serves as the foundation for all of the work of the entire party, army, and country.

We must always raise the great flag of Princess Chives’ ideology, to fortify the minds of the people of the country with Princess Chives’ ideology, and adhere to the use of Princess Chives’ ideology in all work. To militarize the mind is the fundamental mission of …

You Are Cordially (Un)Invited: My Korean Femme Strategy And Aspiration For Survival And Queer Futures, Nahyun Kim

Masters Theses

You are cordially (un)invited: My Korean Femme Strategy and Aspiration for Survival and Queer Futures documents a series of ceremonies dedicated to the years I have survived. This book has branched from a project of the same name that consists of a durational installation, performance, and series of events. The project and book are an aspirational gesture to send off the part of myself–that had to compromise, comply, and negotiate with institutions–for a rebirth to live a life beyond survival.

As a book and project, You are cordially (un)invited is a culmination of my experiences as a Korean femme, using …

Bridging Empathy, Qianwen Lu

Masters Theses

As a jeweler, ally, and sympathetic witness to the traumatic stories of survivors, my work aims to support the process of reconstruction and reintegration for victims and the greater community. To move beyond isolation, resentment, and debilitating helplessness requires care and support. I want my jewelry to act as catalysts in the healing process by straddling both sides of the trauma-induced situation, to create greater awareness and empathy. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence shows that women are more likely to become victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or other forms of physical and psychological abuse in unhealthy emotional relationships. These …

Book Review: A Miscarriage Of Justice: Women’S Reproductive Lives And The Law In Early Twentieth-Century Brazil, Paloma Czapla

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Jewish Women's History From Antiquity To The Present, Linor Kadoch

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Fierce And Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman Of Color In The Us Congress, Ashley Lee

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Film Review: Silent Beauty: An Autobiography On Healing From Child Sexual Abuse, Mohosin Mandal

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Film Review: Sonata—A Confluence Of Diverse “Female” Sensibilities, Avishek Deb, Pinak Sankar

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Film Review: Indigenous Epistemology, Media, And The Representation Of Women In Kantara, Argha Basu, Priyanka Tripathi

Journal of International Women's Studies

Cinematic works around indigenous lives in India have long been marginalized within the scope of “film as an entertaining art form.” Striking a balance between a faithful rendition of an indigenous community and the infusion of entertainment seemed impossible within the Indian film industry until Kantara struck the silver screen. Since its release, the film has been subjected to constructive and positive criticism, but the representation of women in the film has either remained unattended to or viewed negatively. This research paper intends to approach the use of indigenous media and epistemology in the film as a symptomatic representation of …

Film Review: What Makes Her A Maja Ma?, V. K. Karthika

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Born Into Expectations, Lyndah N. Wasike

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Global And Local Media Representations Of Malala Yousafzai, Aman Ullah, Zafar Khan, Mahrukh Shakir, Zahid Ali Shah, Rahman Ullah

Journal of International Women's Studies

During the War on Terror, when high rates of violence were occurring and schools were being forcefully torn down in Swat Valley of Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai fought for girls’ education rights. At just 17 years old, Malala Yousafzai has inspired people around the world with her passion and determination to make sure girls everywhere can get an education. When the Taliban tried to silence her, Malala answered their brutality with strength and resolve. Soon in the international media, she was acclaimed as a brave hero and later honored with a Nobel Prize. She received a mixed response for her efforts …

Happiness, Life Satisfaction, And Gender Equality At The Micro And Macro Levels, Aslı Ermiş-Mert

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study aims to examine the impact of gender inequality index (GII) values (UNDP) on happiness and life satisfaction overall, as well as the impact of selected demographic predictors (gender, educational level, income) and individual-level gender egalitarianism on these two components of well-being in gender equal and unequal countries. Partial proportional odds models are implemented to predict happiness and life satisfaction levels of respondents included in 7th wave of World Values Survey (Haerpfer et al., 2020). Main findings show that increasing gender inequality at the macro level increases the likelihood to be both very unhappy and very happy, and the …

Irigaray’S Feminine Language In Joyce Johnson’S Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir, Vida Rahiminezhad, Mahdieh Sadat Faal Nazari

Journal of International Women's Studies

This is a critical reading of Joyce Johnson’s memoir Minor Characters to investigate the ways women’s language is generated using philosopher Luce Irigaray’s feminist framework of language. This study is library-based research done by a close reading of the memoir. Joyce Johnson was part of the second generation of women Beat writers, and she had a love affair with the main male Beat figure, Jack Kerouac. In Minor Characters, she illustrates the history of the Beat Generation. Irigaray, a Belgian feminist theorist, discusses the concept of feminine language, gender roles, and women’s position in society. Findings illustrate that Joyce …

Women’S Resistance To Toba Batak Umpasa From A Feminist Perspective, Ratih Baiduri, Elly Prihasti Wuriyani

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Gender-Based Conflicts In Political Parties: Male Domination In Central Java’S Politics, Misbah Zulfa Elizabeth, Ririh Megah Safitri, Sholihan Sholihan, Arikhah .

Journal of International Women's Studies

Indonesian women’s active participation in the political sphere has been supported by national legislation. However, it remains challenging for women to position themselves in the political arena, especially in a specific party’s activities. There is contestation between male and female political cadres, which often escalates into conflict. Using a qualitative research method, this research aims to discover the root of gender-based conflicts within a political party context. This research found three kinds of conflict: overt, covert, and avoided. Overt conflicts occur in the official forum when women express their anger, dissatisfaction, and protests against their male counterparts. Covert conflicts occur …

Use Of Technology By Ecuadorian Teachers: An Exploratory Study About Gender Roles, Ximena D. Burgin

Journal of International Women's Studies

Since the 1970s, middle-class educated Ecuadorian women have engaged in activism for gender equality in civil, political, social, and economic sectors in Ecuador. Ecuador has enacted legal frameworks to promote equality between men and women in the workplace. However, women remain at a disadvantage regarding salaries, working hours, and access to education. Moreover, the current educational needs have accentuated the importance of integrating technology in the classroom which have changed teaching practices based on teachers’ pedagogical approaches as well as teachers’ gender. Teachers’ decision-making process is influenced by sociocultural norms about gender roles. This ethnographic case study explored the interactions …

Tackling Menstrual Poverty: A Substantive Equality Approach To The Right To Education, Aniketh Rao

Journal of International Women's Studies

The overall purpose of the paper is to analyze the free supply of menstrual items to primary and secondary school girls in New Zealand using the substantive equality principle. The New Zealand government’s incentive for free supply of the articles to menstruating girls was their worrying absenteeism at school due to menstrual poverty. Menstrual poverty limits school girls’ equal access to their fundamental right to education. In my analysis, I adopt a human rights approach, employing the substantive equality principle to reflect on this rationale to provide menstrual products to school girls who need them. My research cites scholarly texts, …

Do Women’S Education And Economic Empowerment Reduce Gender-Based Violence In Nigeria?, Adaobiagu Nnemdi Obiagu

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women’s education and economic empowerment are key measures to promoting gender equality and reducing gender-based violence (GBV) against women, which is one of the indicators of gender equality. Whereas women’s education has been shown to positively impact child’s health, women’s fertility, and women’s participation in civic life and paid jobs, evidence on the relationship between women’s education, economic empowerment, and women’s exposure to GBV is not sufficiently established. Mapping this relationship is important for informing effective gender policies and practices. Hence, this study used the Nigeria demographic and health survey data of 2008, 2013, and 2018 to investigate the direction …

Women’S Empowerment And Modern Contraceptive Use: Evidence From Four Southeast Asian Countries, Chiew Way Ang, Siow Li Lai

Journal of International Women's Studies

Modern contraceptive prevalence rates differ across Southeast Asian countries due to the different levels of socio-economic development, cultural practices, and women’s empowerment. This study investigates the relationship between women’s empowerment and modern contraceptive use in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, where Demographic and Health Surveys data are available. The main study variables include modern contraceptive use (as measured by the percentage of married women aged 15-49 currently using a modern contraceptive method) and women’s empowerment measures, which include asset ownership, household decision-making, and attitudes towards spousal violence. Binary logistic regression is used to assess the association between modern contraceptive …

Muslim Women’S Rights Discourses In Kerala: Case Study Of A Marginalized Group, P. Shabna

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper is a case study of NISA, an autonomous Muslim women’s organization in the South Indian state of Kerala. This paper elaborates on the limitations of the Islamic framework embraced by women’s associations affiliated with sectarian Muslim groups in Kerala by comparing NISA’s works and strategies and explaining their unwelcome position within the community. The paper also considers Muslim women's organizations in Kerala from a global perspective compared to international platforms like Musawah while exploring their limitations in forming a transnational alliance with such organizations.