Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons^™

The Intersection Of Consensual Non-Monogamy, Black Identity, And Power Dynamics: A Review And Proposal For Therapeutic Models, Casey Nelson

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and polyamory are types of relationship structures that differ in many ways from monogamy. CNM is becoming more prevalent (Moors, 2023; Scoats & Campbell, 2022). In the United States and Canada, 1 in 5 people have engaged in some form of CNM (Moors, 2023). As more individuals engage in CNM relationships and potentially seek out couples therapy, therapists will be tasked with assisting individuals navigating relationship distress occurring within these unique relationship structures. There is limited research, or empirically validated, treatment models for working with couples with intersecting identities. To date, there has yet to be an …

The Shaping Of Masculinity In Jamaica: A Historical Perspective, Jovanne Josephine O'Connor

Theses - ALL

ABSTRACT Jamaica, strategically located in the Western Caribbean, has historically been a coveted prize for European colonial powers due to its geopolitical positioning and reliance on tourism and agriculture (The World Factbook 2023, pg. 23). This research delves into the complex dynamics of masculinity in Jamaica, exploring how historical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors intersect to shape gender identities and behaviors. The colonial history of Jamaica, transitioning from Spanish to English rule, has left indelible marks on its culture, including language and social hierarchies. The evolution of Jamaican Patois reflects a history of linguistic and cultural exchange, serving as a marker …

Anderson, Kindle Mackenzie, B. 2002 (Fa 1415), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1415. Audio interviews by WKU student Kindle Anderson with two former students of Union High School, an African-American High school in Gallatin, Tennessee. The informants discuss race relations, athletics and other school activities, and the community at large. One interview includes a transcript, and the other includes an index/log. Also includes Anderson’s brief reflection on the project.

Promoting Emergent Literacy In Preschool Through Extended Discourse: Covert Translanguaging In A Mandarin Immersion Environment, Robin E. Harvey, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Rich oral language practices, including the opportunity and ability to participate in cognitively and linguistically challenging extended discourse, are foundational to early literacy development. To meet children’s needs in their first exposure to the languages of schooling, educators may engage students in extended discourse multilingually. The current study focuses on student-centered translanguaging conversations to examine strategies that preschool teachers employ to support young children’s emerging bilingual and biliteracy development in a Mandarin immersion preschool serving primarily nonheritage learners of Mandarin in the United States. Findings indicate that, despite the school’s Mandarin-only policy, teachers engaged in covert translanguaging practices to extend …

Heroes Of The Memphis Civil Rights Movement: Maxine A. Smith And Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr., Elizabeth Gritter

Heroism Science

Two intertwined leaders of the modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in Memphis, Tennessee, were Maxine Atkins Smith and Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr., both of whom were African American. Both were born in Memphis in 1929, and they shared commonalities in their personal histories and rose to become key leaders of the Memphis movement. Along with displaying courage and persistence, they were true pioneers in the Black freedom struggle in Memphis and Shelby County who employed organizational skills and community involvement as key to their social activism. This article examines their early activism from the mid-1950s until …

Ua21 What's New, Wku Institutional Equity

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about WKU Institutional Equity.

• Title IX Updates
• Americans with Disabilities Act Updates
• New Web Accessibility Regulations
• Pregnancy/Parenting Fairness Act
• Need Supportive Services?
• Meet the Team

Carceral Liberalism: Feminist Voices Against State Violence, Andrea Michaels

Feminist Pedagogy

The following book review of Shreerekha Pillai’s Carceral Liberalism: Feminist Voices against State Violence (2023) is an expansive and timely collection of essays on the carceral state in its implications for feminist educators. This review focuses on the connections and connectivity of two essays in the collection that attempt to address a minor examination of the person as political.

Feminist Iterations Of “The Implosion”: New Techniques For Teaching About Science, Technology, And Society Through The “Implosion Project”, Maya Cruz

Feminist Pedagogy

This article outlines a new and explicitly feminist iteration of Professor Joseph Dumit’s (2014) “Implosion Project.” The “Implosion Project” is a classic pedagogical technique used widely in the field of Science and Technology Studies as an innovative way to teach students to critically engage with the complex relationships of science, technology, and society, and provides an important opportunity to center an explicitly feminist pedagogical approach when teaching students about the systems of power that shape, and are shaped by, the complex relationships between science, technology, and society. Since the “Implosion Project” does not center an explicitly feminist pedagogical approach, this …

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Role Of Misogynous Rap Music On African American Married Millennials, Louisa Antwanett Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the influence of misogynistic rap music on self-image and objectification within the context of African American married millennials. Grounded in exposure theory and objectification theory, the study adopted a quantitative nonexperimental design. Data were collected from a sample of 101 participants while exploring how exposure to misogynistic music might shape individuals' self-perceptions and views of their partners, potentially contributing to adverse relationship outcomes such as domestic violence and infidelity. The survey instruments encompassed the Exposure Measurement Scale, Self-Objectification Scale (SOS), Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBSC), Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), Self-Image Scale (SIS-D), Music Preference Questionnaire (MPQ-R), and …

Suspense, Eartha M. M. White

Eartha M. M. White Monographic Material

Manuscript: Early African American history of Jacksonville covering antebellum Jacksonville through the early twentieth century. Undated.

Factors That Influence Elementary School Teachers Who Refer Students To Special, La' Trina Dudley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an overrepresentation of African American students in special education classes; placing African Americans disproportionately in special education classes lowers their self-esteem and compromises their academic performance. This study aimed to increase understanding of the meaning-making processes elementary school general education teachers use to refer African American students for special education services. I used critical race theory (CRT) to support the study, which suggests that structural racism in schools harms African American students' self-esteem and academic achievement. Two research questions directed the study: What are the decision-making processes of elementary school teachers who refer African American students for special …

Place And Placelessness: An Ecocritical Approach Towards The Mountain Imagery In Country Music, Siyuan Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing upon cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan’s frame of place and placelessness, this ecocritical project explores how the mountain landscapes serve to construct regional, national, cultural, spiritual, religious, even racialized identities in various human societies. Using the U.S. country music as a primary example, I argue that what country music fundamentally draws from the imagery of the Appalachian Mountains is not the Anglo-Saxon ballad music or pastoral lifestyle of/from the mountains, but the powerful sense of place and placelessness (arguably only) the mountainous scenes are capable to provoke. This exploration serves to illuminate the commonalties between humanities of different cultures and …

Unveiling Healthcare Disparities By Addressing Historical Traumas To Build Inclusive Spaces For Marginalized Communities: An Autoethnographic Study, Helena Humphreys

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper delves into the pervasive disparities within the healthcare system, rooted in historical injustices that are perpetuated by systemic biases, particularly affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, as well as the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Through a comprehensive literature review and autoethnographic study, the paper examines the deep-seated issues faced by these marginalized groups, including access barriers, discrimination, mistrust of healthcare providers, and the enduring impact these have on health outcomes. Historical traumas such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the use of HeLa cells underscore the enduring impact of past injustices on present-day healthcare experiences. Moreover, the …

A Reexamination Of The Colonization And Emigration Efforts Of Early Black Bostonians, Karen My Hien Luu

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The topic of colonization and emigration is complex, nuanced, and debated by historians. Colonization and emigration were options considered by Africans and African Americans since the pre-Revolutionary period, and that legacy has been shaped to fit the historical narrative. It is important to examine early support for this movement by African Americans as well as how the opposition to this polarizing topic developed. This can be done by understanding the environment of these individuals at the time to understand that it was perhaps not as polarizing as it may seem on the surface.

This thesis attempts to help fill the …

Thinking Blue / Writing Red: Marxism And The (Post)Human, Stephen C. Tumino

Publications and Research

Thinking Blue/Writing Red interrogates contemporary culture across a range of texts, from the pandemic (‘Covid’ and ‘Trump Speak’) to high theory (Melville's narratives) and popular culture (Beyoncé's ‘Formation’ and Super Bowl performance, Twin Peaks , metamodern ‘cli-fi’ films). Inspired by Derrida’s idea of the secret, Tumino examines the significance of social movements (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, alter-globalization) and naïve art (Darger, Ryden) to argue that these texts speak of the secrets that capitalism cannot speak. Contending that the cultural surfaces narrate only the ‘nonsecret,’ that to see the social logic of the culture one must dig into what Bruno Latour …

A Native American Perspective On Navigating The Academic World With Resilience And Honoring The Wisdom Of Native Elders, Shani Renee Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

The graduation percentage among Native American students has consistently remained at a discouraging 50 %, both in the past and at present. This study employed a narrative inquiry approach to investigate the low graduation rates among Native American students, from the perspective of a Native American educator and mother. This study examined the historical trauma and colonization experienced by Native Americans and how it has affected Native American families and communities, resulting in low rates of graduation among Native students. In addition, this study examined factors contributing to resilience by acknowledging Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Ways of Knowing …

Self-Defense In The Face Of Genocide: A Comparative Study Of The Rwandan Patriotic Front And The March 23 Movement, Frank Okyere Osei, Samuel Budoi

The Microdynamics of Mass Atrocity Working Paper Series

This paper examines the narratives underpinning two cases of self-defense in response to the threat or occurrence of genocide. It delves into the nuances of two movements: the Rwandan Patriotic Front in Rwanda (RPF) and the March 23 Movement (M23) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both movements emerged in response to perceived genocidal threats and adopted self-defense narratives to justify their actions. The paper traces the historical contexts, key actors, and agendas that shaped these movements, highlighting the RPF's evolution from a military group into a dominant political force in Rwanda, and the M23's role in protecting Tutsi communities …

In Defense Of Identity: A Comparative Analysis Of Indigenous Self-Defense Movements In North America, Chloe Cairncross, Dana Dougherty

The Microdynamics of Mass Atrocity Working Paper Series

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of two significant historical events of Indigenous resistance in North America: the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 in Canada and the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973 in the United States. The Métis during the Northwest Rebellion and the Lakota Oglala along with American Indian Movement activists during the Wounded Knee Occupation both sought to assert their rights against encroaching government policies and settler expansion. By examining the actors, agendas, actions, and outcomes of these movements, the paper explores the nuanced nature of self-defense within a settler-colonial context. Comparative analysis highlights the persistent efforts of Indigenous …

Sexual Surveillance: Morality Policing Of Greeks And Italians In The Early 20th Century, Isabella Ferrell

Digital Legal Research Lab

The Petitioning for Freedom Project under Dr. Jagodinsky is a database of habeas corpus use in the West. It examines legal action by marginalized individuals. This project focuses on how Greek and Italian petitioners used habeas to challenge sexual policing in a xenophobic context.

Research poster titled Sexual Surveillance: Morality Policing of Greeks and Italians in the Early 20th Century; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Advisors: Katrina Jagodinsky and William Thomas

The Harding Brothers And Underage Enlistment In The Age Of American Expansion, 1851–1857, Ryan Minton

Digital Legal Research Lab

The Petitioning for Freedom Project is an NSF funded database project that seeks to collect and encode carceral, institutional, and interpersonal habeas corpus petitions from county, state, and federal courts all throughout the American West.

This research project explores and analyzes the twenty-four habeas corpus petitions that were submitted between 1851 and 1857 to the Saint Louis County Law Commissioners Office to challenge the enlistment of underage recruits stationed at Jefferson Barracks.

Research poster titled The Harding Brothers and Underage Enlistment in the Age of American Expansion, 1851–1857; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of …

A Flood Of Consequences In Louisville, Kentucky: Using Hgis To Track Refugees Impacted By The 1937 Ohio River Flood, Trevor Harry

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Ohio River flood of 1937 was the most devastating flood in the recorded history of the Ohio River Valley and is commonly referred to as the “Great Flood of 1937”. In January 1937, after nearly two months of continuous precipitation, over 60% of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, was flooded and at least 23,000 residents were displaced. The purpose of this research was to document, map, and compare the pre-flood residential locations, evacuation destinations, and post-flood residential locations of African American and White Louisville refugees from the 1937 Ohio River flood. Socioeconomic information from the manuscript versions of the …

Maternal Chains: Black Women's Legal Battles For Freedom In Pre-Emancipation America, Roshawnna Brinkley

Digital Legal Research Lab

This research examines the use of habeas corpus petitions by Black Women in antebellum America to secure freedom for themselves and their children. Given that slave status was inherited matrilineally, these legal actions had implications for generational freedom. In Dr. Jagodinsky’s Petitioning for Freedom project there are numerous cases of Black Women utilizing Habeas Corpus. This study focuses on these Women's agency in navigating a hostile legal system.

Research poster titled Maternal Chains: Black Women's Legal Battles for Freedom in Pre-Emancipation America; via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Advisors: Katrina Jagodinsky and …

To Have And To Hold: Habeas Corpus And The Mobilization Of Female Petitioners, 1832–1924, Miranda Martinez

Digital Legal Research Lab

Dr. Jagodinsky’s Petitioning For Freedom (PFF) is an open-access database of habeas corpus petitions from the American West. It aims to further our understanding of the United States legal landscape in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Research poster titled To Have and To Hold: Habeas Corpus & the Mobilization of Female Petitioners, 1832–1924; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Advisors: Katrina Jagodinsky and William Thomas

Profiled Pickpockets: Seattle's Black Community & 1890s Habeas Mobilization, Zoë Williams

Digital Legal Research Lab

The Petitioning for Freedom project examines habeas corpus in the American West, 1812–1924 to highlight the legal mobilization of marginalized people. This study uses habeas petitions to identify Black people's response to racial profiling in Seattle.

Research poster titled Profiled Pickpockets: Seattle's Black Community & 1890s Habeas Mobilization; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Advisors: Katrina Jagodinsky and William Thomas

Legal Proxies And Advocates: Exploring Inter-Case Relationships In 19th- And 20th-Century Habeas Corpus, Ethan Reiter

Digital Legal Research Lab

• The Petitioning for Freedom Project (PFF) is an open access database that details the use of habeas corpus in legal proceedings in the American West from 1812 to 1924.

• A writ of habeas Corpus is a challenge by a petitioner that alleges that someone is detained unlawfully.

• In certain instances. a petitioner is petitioning on behalf of someone who is held illegally. This study examines the nature of the relationships between petitioner and bound party and how those relationships reflect historical and legal developments over time.

Research poster titled Legal Proxies and Advocates: Exploring Inter-Case Relationships in 19th- and 20th-Century …

Equal Protection Of Life, Liberty, And Labor: Habeas Corpus & The 14th Amendment, 1901–1904, Madison Mendiola

Digital Legal Research Lab

Presents and synthesizes three cases demonstrating the use of habeas corpus in the contect of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution between 1901 and 1904.

Research poster titled Equal Protection of Life, Liberty, and Labor Habeas Corpus & the 14th Amendment, 1901–1904, presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2024.

Advisors: Katrina Jagodinsky and William Thomas

Shared Shame And Affect In Nella Larsen's Passing, Claudia Ludwick

All Theses

This project focuses on the negative affect of shame in Nella Larsen’s 1920s American novel, Passing. While shame is a universal feeling everyone feels, the project argues that Larsen’s two main characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, feel a specific type of invisible shame that pulls on them differently. For Irene, this shame is reactive and aggressive, but for Clare, this shame is passive and often ignored. The project details where and how the shame manifests for each character, particularly focusing on how shame can be seen visibly and invisibly in and on the body. Because no other character recognizes …

Advertising The West: The History Of La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, Monique Davila

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In February 1925, Tucson celebrated the first La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros with a three-day rodeo that ended with a huge parade through the city center. Created by Philadelphia-born and new resident of Tucson Frederick Leighton Kramer and other Tucson city boosters, the event became an annual fiesta with the hopes of not only promoting Tucson and a fundraiser for the University of Arizona’s newly established polo team, but also a way to share Kramer’s newfound enthusiasm for Tucson’s beauty and history. However, the history the fiesta presented centered around the Anglo-American pioneers of southern Arizona. This approach ignored the …

On An Unshakeable Foundation: An Archaeological Investigation Of The Postemancipation Black Community Of Bass Street, The Church They Built, And The Lasting Identity They Formed In Nashville, Tennessee, Clélie Elizabeth Cottle Peacock

Master's Theses

The Bass Street Community lived along the northern base of St. Cloud Hill in Nashville, just below the Civil War-era Union fortification, Fort Negley. The fort was built and defended by conscripted free, enslaved, and self-emancipated Black/African Americans and soldiers from the U.S. Colored Troops; some of whom stayed, built residences, founded a church, and established a shared community identity. The objects they left behind reflect a time of transition in the postemancipation urban South.

The former Bass Street Community enclave is a subset of the Fort Negley archaeological site (40DV189). My thesis examines artifacts from the Bass Street Baptist …