Browsing by Subject "Intersectionality"
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Item African American Women in Appalachia: Personal Expressions of Race, Place and Gender(2014-06-04) Barbour-Payne, Yunina CarolAfrican American women in Appalachia have lived, survived and long been overlooked by dominant narratives that support stereotypical depictions of the Appalachian region and its inhabitants. A little over twenty years ago, poet and scholar Frank X Walker coined the term ?Affrilachia? to describe people of African American decent in the Appalachian region. Though Walker?s term announces the presence of blacks in Appalachia, in a multidimensional sense of cultural identity place is a central theme, along with race, gender, and class, in the identity experiences of Appalachia?s African American women inhabitants. As a marginalized group in the region of Appalachia, Black Appalachian women discussed in this work provide a compelling case for understanding identity experiences within the region. This thesis works to acknowledge and analyze the ?intersectionality? in the personal expressions, poetry and creative works of Black Appalachian women. This thesis investigates the personal expressions of four modes of survival by African American women in/of Appalachia to understand the multiple dimensions of Affrilachian identity and memory. This research project brings together scholarship of performances studies and Kimberle Crenshaw?s notion of intersectionality to explore the unquestionable intersection of place and other dimensions (race, class, gender) of the African American women?s experience in Appalachia. This thesis explores how themes of survival and place manifest in the oral history, personal narratives and creative works of Black women in Appalachia. The investigation and analysis of Affrilachian women?s identity from the point of view of Affrilachian women, offers an opportunity to exponentially increase our understanding of the intersections of class, gender, race and place in performances of the everyday life.Item Challenging the Devadasi System from a Framework of Intersectionality(2014-12-17) Anne, MrudulaThe practice of marrying girls to deities or priests existed historically in many cultures across South Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. In India alone, this system is known by different names like Devadasi, Mathamma, Jogini, Basavis. Through this study, I represent the unheard voices of Devadasi women from South India and use HRD concepts and principles to synthesize the findings. The field of HRD is not confined to the boundaries of an organization and can play a critical role in community development. This is the first step towards empowering the members of this system and it is hoped that the findings from this study will help inform the organizational practices of NGO?s working with this populace. This study includes a unique set of participants whose experiences have not been captured and examined using intersectionality and Bourdieu, thus contributing to literature. Data was collected through interviews with Devadasi women from South India, specifically Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar, and Tirupati. Five themes emerged from the data ? dichotomy, identity, status, fear and locus of control. The theme ?status? refers to the participant?s intersecting identities as women and as people from lower castes. The themes ?identity? and ?dichotomy? indicate cultural and economic capital respectively. It is the intersections of these forms of capital that create intersections in statuses, which collectively result in symbolic violence. This is evident from the last two themes, fear and locus of control, which were identified from the data.Item Deaf-Latina/Latino critical theory in education : the lived experiences and multiple intersecting identities of deaf-Latina/o high school students(2014-05) García-Fernández, Carla Marie; Urrieta, LuisDeaf-Latina/Latino Critical (Deaf-LatCrit) Theory in Education is a new theoretical proposition for this qualitative study. Deaf-LatCrit recognizes and validates Deaf-Lat epistemology and challenges the topic of racism and linguicism in educational research. This study explores the multiple identities and experiences of five Deaf-Latina/o (Deaf-Lat) high school students. Deaf-Lat students reside at a residential school for the Deaf, "Rainy State School for the Deaf" (RSSD), during the week and go home for the weekend, traversing from the margin to the center of educational scholarship and discourses. The intention of this research is to explore the singular Deaf identity discourse and its inter-group diversity in the field of Deaf Studies, particularly in education. This study examines the main question: What are the intersectional identities and experiences of high school Deaf-Lat students enrolled in a residential school for the Deaf? The methods include demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and cultural documents/artifacts. Using Deaf-LatCrit ethnographic techniques, the researcher worked with Deaf-Lat students and their families for over one year at each Deaf-Lat student's home and RSSD. This study emerges with two themes: cultural-emotional ties and microaggressions. First, it discusses how Deaf-Lat students' cultural-emotional ties in certain spaces make reference to their multiple intersecting identities. The second theme discusses how Deaf-Lat students experience multiple microaggressions and how their agentic behaviors help them cope. The findings suggest the need to look beyond Deaf identity by embracing the multiple intersectional race, class, gender and sexual orientation identities of Deaf-Lat students, particularly in schools. Understanding the experiences and overlapping identities of Deaf-Lat students can promote that residential school administrators and classroom teachers explore into their privilege(s) and learn about the history of institutional and individual racism and linguicism. These findings can push for the creation of safe spaces for Deaf-Lat students in the field of education and other multiple disciplines.Item Defining the role and experiences of service-learning faculty : a qualitative study at The University of Texas at Austin(2014-05) Ortego Pritchett, Katie Elizabeth; Reddick, Richard, 1972-Over the past two decades researchers have analyzed motivating factors and institutional barriers that influenced a professor's initial decision to utilize a service-learning pedagogy. The majority of this research has been quantitative in nature, surveying faculty members' initial attitudes around service-learning. However, the extant literature fails to qualitatively examine the experiences of faculty members who successfully integrate service-learning, especially at a public research institution with civic-engaged mission. Because a public institution relies upon a critical mass of faculty members to support its civic engagement mission, this study focused on explaining the lived experience of exemplar professors in service-learning to understanding their motivations, barriers, and experiences. Faculty members are important to study because service-learning is a form of community engagement that cannot happen without sustainable efforts from professors. Moreover, students and communities cannot derive the benefits of service-learning, nor can civically minded institutions achieve their goal, if faculty members do not incorporate service-learning into their classrooms. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of service-learning faculty members at a four-year public research institution where community engagement is a stated priority. Utilizing a recently developed faculty engagement model (Demb & Wade, 2012) as the guiding theoretical framework, this research study seeks to understand the lived experience of faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin by inquiring 1) how faculty members implement meaningful community engagement through their service-learning classes, 2) how service-learning may shape a faculty members' professional and personal identity at a research institution, and 3) how service-learning fits into faculty members' larger scholarship agenda.Item School's Out : a comparative study of workplace sexuality through the experiences of gay and lesbian teachers in California and Texas(2010-05) Connell, Catherine Elizabeth; Williams, Christine L., 1959-; Gonzalez-Lopez, Gloria; Young, Michael; Carrington, Ben; Cloud, DanaThis dissertation investigates the workplace experiences of gay and lesbian teachers. In-depth interviews and field observations were conducted with 51 teachers in Texas and in California, two states with different legal approaches to gay rights and worker rights. This comparative study highlights the importance of social, political, and cultural context in individual decision-making about sexual disclosure and performance, explores the consequences of "normalization" of LGBT experiences in the classroom, and addresses the role of identity politics in social change. By taking an intersectional approach to gay/lesbian identity construction, this dissertation considers how race, class, gender, and sexuality inequalities are expressed and reinforced in the experiences of gay and lesbian teachers.Item Social design as violence(2015-05) Nasadowski, Rebecca Shannon; Gorman, Carma; Lee, Gloria; Gunn, JoshuaFaculty in art schools, colleges, and universities have increasingly begun institutionalizing and professionalizing "design for good" in their curricula. Students are currently being taught that social design is good--or at least preferable to working for large corporations--but are not being urged to question this feel-good assertion. When the trendy phrase "design for good" is used, for whom is it good? Though social design can result in powerful, laudable work, it often escapes critical scrutiny--particularly in educational settings--for two reasons: 1) by default, many consider non-commercial (broadly defined) work de facto virtuous and thus assume that any and all partnerships with non-profit organizations, for example, must be ethically commendable; and 2) many consider good intentions sufficient and do not inquire about actual effects and consequences. My thesis work proposes that social design is just as ethically fraught as other kinds of design, if not more so, as any unintended harmful consequences of projects lie unnoticed and unchallenged under the guise of "doing good." Social designers' analyses of sociopolitical dynamics and histories of conflict are often thin. In some instances, their projects may actually enact violence, maintaining imbalances of power and perpetuating the oppression of the very individuals and communities they try to serve. I argue that insights regarding power, state control, and privileges afforded by race, class, and gender should form a critical foundation for designers seeking to work in this field. If designers and design educators are serious about design providing a "social good," it is essential that they broaden their scope of analysis and critique to include the insights and strategies that activists and academics in other fields can offer.Item This Is ?Ladies? Night?: A Case Study of a Grassroots Golf Program for Black Females(2014-07-24) Rosselli, Anthony CWhile there is a growing body of literature concerning the experiences of racial minorities in the mainstream sports of basketball and football, less is known of the experiences of Black females in non-traditional sports such as golf. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of Black females engaged in the Ladies? Night golf program with a specific focus on how gender, race, and social class interact to shape their experiences, as well as if a sense of community is experienced, and if present what contributes to this. In order to address the purpose and research questions, I conducted an intrinsic qualitative case study of a golf program founded and run by a Black female in which the majority of the participants are Black female beginner golfers. Individual interviews with the golf instructor and seven of her participants were conducted. These women were self-identifying Black and female who attended at least three of the original ladies? clinics. Additional data were gathered through two observations of the ladies? clinics, pictures and commentary placed on social media, demographic information, and my reflexive journal. The findings revealed four main themes. First, the participants described the challenges associated with being both Black and female in golf. Second, the ladies? clinics serve as safe spaces where Black females can learn the game of golf in a non-intimidating and relaxed environment. This safe space environment is created through the instructor being relatable, the TopGolf environment contributing to a relaxed atmosphere, the participants feeling as though they belong to a sisterhood, and empowerment. Third, participation in these clinics is rewarding as it meets a need the ladies have. Finally, the clinics make golf appealing to the participants. This research demonstrates examples of sense of community amongst Black females in a non-traditional sport setting, as well as examines how race, gender, and social class interact to shape these experiences. The practical implications include the importance of creating non-intimidating environments, the impact of a relatable instructor, and emphasizing a lack of competition for underrepresented minority female groups in sport.Item "We kind of bro out with each other too." Gender, race and sexuality on and off the rugby pitch(2013-05) Adjepong, Anima; Williams, Christine L., 1959-This study examines the experiences of women rugby players to understand how gender informs their participation in a sport described as masculine. Considering how race, gender, and sexuality constitute women’s identities is important when answering the question of how women experience playing “masculine sports.” This project examines how race, specifically whiteness, and sexuality inform the gendered experiences of women athletes. Using interviews with women rugby players, I consider how women who play a sport characterized by masculinity describe their experiences as rugby players. I argue that reflecting on how race and sexuality constitute these athletes’ experiences illuminates the different ways in which the categories of masculinity and femininity are racially constructed, constantly in flux, and contested.