This essay explores ten articles or letters to the editor, written by women who sympathize with the Swedish extreme right-wing party Nordic Resistance Movement. The purpose of the essay is to examine what arguments women bring forward to explain their commitment to the movement, despite its misogynist roots. The texts, along with an article, written by a man who is a party member, and the party manifesto, are examined mainly with the help of discourse analysis. Yvonne Hirdman’s theory on gender systems, Edward Said’s notion of orientalism and Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities have all been crucial to the theoretical framework of the essay. The results show that the women emphasize how their unique female qualities give them an elevated position in the organization, that they complete men, that they are in need of protection and, finally, that they have reached a higher level of understanding of society than other women. However, they contradict themselves when they reveal how they feel diminished and treated with scorn by men from the party.

<p> Now more than ever, it is imperative that we provide spaces for our students to share and witness testimonies of trauma, specifically about losses that they may experience. With little room in the curriculum for these important avenues of expression, students are grieving in isolation without support. Black male students, who are often seen as &ldquo;problems&rdquo; or &ldquo;trouble,&rdquo; are especially not provided with the spaces or moments necessary to understand and write about death experiences or impactful moments in their lives. With a theoretical framework derived from critical race theory, trauma studies and relational teaching, I argue that spaces for sharing and building communities of loss are critical for Black male students who are particularly deprived of these opportunities. The primary goal of this study was to improve the schooling experiences for Black male students who are grieving from trauma, especially the death of a family member, by examining what happens when they are provided with space to share their stories and witness others&rsquo; testimonies. For this study, students at an all-boys&rsquo; charter high school in a large Northeast city met weekly during the Spring 2017 semester to write and share about their lived experiences. This qualitative study employed research methods from the fields of practitioner inquiry and narrative inquiry. The findings from this study revealed that: 1. Certain pedagogies lend themselves to sharing written and spoken narratives about lost loved ones and critical witnessing and reciprocal witnessing are necessary parts of these student communities. 2. When faced with loss, the students sought support structures and experienced both positive and negative support from their families, peers and school staff. 3. There was a range of emotions, from anger to joy, when remembering through writing and speaking about their deceased family members. For students who experienced loss, especially those who are marginalized and silenced because of their identities, testimonials of trauma are necessary to share, but are often suppressed and not witnessed by others. This study acknowledges the affordances of a classroom where trauma narratives are shared and witnessed. </p><p>

No description available.

After shifting to an all-volunteer force (AVF) in 1973, the U.S. military was forced to expand recruiting efforts beyond the ideal figure of the white male soldier in order to meet personnel needs. Shaped by the economic realities of the AVF, such recruiting efforts sought to show individuals historically excluded from military service, namely women and people of color, that there was a place for them in the military. The presence of women and people of color in recruitment materials contributes to ideals of citizenship and articulates understanding of gender, race, sexuality, and class in relation to military inclusion. Focusing on recruitment advertisements published in three consumer magazines—Sports Illustrated, Ebony, and Cosmopolitan—from January 1973 to December 2014, this dissertation argues that the project of military inclusion is driven by a need to recruit bodies in maintenance of the military institution and obfuscates class inequalities critical to recruiting, reconfigures ideas about military masculinity, promotes ideologies of colorblindness, and regulates ideas about gender and sexuality.

abstract: This thesis addresses the concept of "silence" in Vercors' 1943 novel on resistance in occupied France, The Silence of the Sea, contesting the arguments of scholars who designate silent resistance as expressly "female" and applicable only to women. Although women in France were supposed to be apolitical and removed from activities such as public debates and direct warfare, an examination of allegorical and historical female figures, together with male and female interpretations of those figures, suggests that men and women in France understood patriotism, and especially female patriotism, through a conceptual framework that was informed by and manifested itself in female images of the French Republic. My study on the gendered applications of female images focuses upon the French use of female allegorical figures, and resistance symbols such as the Lorraine Cross, to denote opposition to the Prussian/German acquisition of lands that the French people perceived as French, exploring commonalities between images from the Franco-Prussian War and World War II. Utilizing images relating to the republican values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, including Marianne, the female allegory of the people's Republic, and Joan of Arc, a historical character who became a female allegorical figure, this thesis argues that female allegories of republican resistance to tyranny were combined with resistance to Prussia (Germany) during the "Terrible Year" of 1870-1871. Furthermore, these images combined masculine militant elements, with perceived feminine qualities such as purity and saintly endurance, giving rise to divergent interpretations of female imagery among men and women, and a perceived association between women and silent, indirect resistance. Bourgeois men applied the militant aspects of female images to real women in abstract form. However, with the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, resistance techniques and symbols that had been gendered feminine gained precedence and became associated with men as well as women. Recent scholars have utilized the masculine/feminine dichotomy in French female allegories to classify World War II-era resistance as either "active" or "passive," failing to consider the conflation of the masculine/temporal and feminine/spiritual spheres in Vercors' novel and in documents such as "Advice to the Occupied." / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. History 2011

abstract: This thesis examines the use of the earth goddess figure in John Varley's Gaean Trilogy (1979-1984). In the figure of Gaea (Varley's alien goddess villain), the reader is presented with a host of popular culture feminine archetypes with connotations connected to the long-standing tradition of associating femininity and materiality, and Varley's literary examination, operating through the exaggeration of these archetypes, displays their essential flaws. The ultimate antagonistic functions of these archetypal figures, relative to the human characters occupying the world underwritten by them, suggests that Varley uses such figural archetypes to deconstruct, via their varied failures, both the archetypes themselves and the evocative symbolic contexts associated with them, therein demonstrating their inherent limitations and providing a cautionary tale that highlights the fallibility of projective archetypal construction-even seemingly positive ones. By examining these archetypes as performances of gender, the thesis illustrates Varley's integration, at the end of the 1970's, of second-wave feminist theoretical ideals into science fiction (a genre with a long history dedicated to the experimental examination of all social typology) initially sets up and then subsequently breaks down the archetypal villain, thus pursuing a political dimension as well. The narrative experiment in typology promotes a turning away from the ancient symbolic associations of femininity to explore a new kind of goddess, one not reliant on pre-existing archetypes but one more attuned to the emergence of "gender" itself as a construct used to define the feminine itself. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. English 2012

abstract: While numerous studies have examined the nature of masculinity, scholars seldom seek to determine the meaning of manhood or to explore which types of individuals are culturally permitted to call themselves men. One scholarly approach suggests that the meaning of a cultural category can best be illuminated through examining marginalized examples within that category. Based on this assumption, this project illuminates cultural understandings of manhood in the United States by examining the experience of men within two marginalized categories--gay and transsexual--who have often found themselves fighting for the right to call themselves men at a time when hegemonic assumptions about manhood have required that one had been designated male at birth, claims a heterosexual orientation, and exhibits characteristics that are stereotypically masculine. For gay men who were born male, social marginalization could result from one's gay orientation as well as from a perceived lack of masculine traits. For some transsexual gay men, all three of the traditional markers of manhood may be absent or deemed insufficient. This scenario calls into question what it is that all men have in common if the concept of manhood is to be associated with any stable definition. Within rhetorical analysis, the concept of textual fragmentation suggests that a rhetorical critic performs an analysis of a text by examining dense textual fragments; the critic's audience members then produce what they perceive to be a finished discourse in their own minds. Along these lines, this project illuminates the concept of manhood by examining dense textual fragments found within mass media representations and personal narratives, and concludes that one's manhood is determined based on the degree to which one identifies with others who call themselves men. Therefore, manhood can best be framed, not as a specific identity with a stable definition, but as a body of intersecting identifications specific to a particular cultural location and time period. As such, it is linked to cultural systems of power and oppression, illustrating that the claim to manhood as an identity is a rhetorical act that is not free from controversy. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Communication 2012

<p> Contrary to the rhetoric around a post-racial United States, Black male students are not experiencing equitable outcomes in higher education. Community colleges are a critical access point to higher education for Black males; however, they are not graduating, transferring, or entering the workforce at an acceptable pace. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore Black male students&rsquo; perceptions of their community college experience. The Five Domains Conceptual Model is a holistic framework utilized to address inequitable outcomes for Black males in community colleges. A constructivist approach to this qualitative inquiry reveals unique strengths and challenges of 17 Black male students as they navigate the community college environment for success. Findings from this study illuminate the importance of human agency (e.g., background factors, self-efficacy, and aspirations) coupled with institutional responsibility (e.g., faculty engagement, campus climate, and campus resources) to improve academic outcomes for this disproportionately impacted student group. Recommendations for addressing inequitable outcomes for Black male students include policy to sustain funding for Black Male Initiatives, equity-minded practices for faculty hiring and professional development, and future research that extends this inquiry to other marginalized student populations. </p><p>

<p> Many Black boys become detached from their classrooms and disengaged from the learning process altogether. Irrelevant curriculum, systemic discriminatory K-12 experiences, and poorly staffed and resourced schools are among the various historical, educational, and socio-economic factors that contribute to the 31% drop out rate among Black students, particularly males. Those who drop out of school often experience unemployment, economic struggle, and in many cases, incarceration. In an effort to explore engaging instructional approaches that address the cultural needs of Black boys, a qualitative case study was conducted to explore the cultural responsiveness of Linked Learning. An emphasis was placed on identifying specific instructional strategies that impact the engagement levels and overall academic performance of Black boys. </p><p> A combination of interview, observational and documented data were collected with participants consisting of 10 Black, male high school students, 3 Linked Learning teachers, and 2 administrators. The following themes resulting from the data were evident within participants&rsquo; interview responses, observed behaviors and practices, and analyzed lesson plans and student work samples: (a) Caringclassrooms were critical to the success of Black boys, and (b) The Linked Learning promise positively impacted the academic experience of Black boys. An integration of two theoretical frameworks, Invitational Theory and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, served as this study&rsquo;s conceptual frameworkand guided the exploration of the Linked Learningmodel.</p><p>

<p> After the largest one-time release of federal prisoners in October 2015, community colleges were charged with retooling and preparing individuals for careers. Community colleges were designed to provide individuals an entryway into higher education. Formerly incarcerated Black males seek community colleges to assist in transitioning into their communities, society, and family life. Community colleges are a good place to provide these transitional and academic resources. </p><p> This qualitative study explored the shared experiences of 16 formerly incarcerated Black male students attending 3 California community colleges. The study provided a better understanding of their background, experience while in college, and their desire to complete college. Utilizing the Strayhorn and Johnson&rsquo;s Community College Satisfaction Model as the conceptual framework, this dissertation study examined their (a) background traits <i> At Entry</i> of college, (b) Student engagement <i>Within</i> the college, and (c) overall satisfaction with the <i>Outcomes</i> of college. </p><p> The study used a phenomenological approach through qualitative interviews to capture the resources needed for formerly incarcerated Black male students who attended college in urban South Los Angeles, California. The interview questions were aligned with the research question, sub-questions and conceptual framework. Findings revealed 7 themes: Social Environment, Prison Industrial Complex, Perceptions of Education, Campus life, Aspirations, Activating Student Support, and Mentoring. Drawing from Yosso&rsquo;s Community Cultural Wealth, the study revealed participants had aspirations and used their social capital. </p><p> Findings indicate that they experienced some type of trauma and that faculty and student support services staff were key support in their community college experience. Further their experiences in prison affected their community college experience in these ways: hindered their social adaptation and maturation, prevented them from obtaining life skills, and blocked their educational attainment and continued stereotypes and stigmas. Programs like Umoja, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) and Formerly Incarcerated Student clubs were instrumental to student persistence. </p><p>