While both localisation and gender were major topics at the World Humanitarian Summit of 2016, they have largely been considered in isolation. Yet, the underlying issue in both cases are power inequalities, which this research seeks to highlight through an intersectional feminist perspective. Based on a qualitative case study on Oxfam Canada, this research thus aims to understand how social locations based on gender and their intersections with other social locations are integrated into Oxfam Canada’s discussions around a feminist approach to localisation. Based on a thematic analysis, this paper evaluates the main proposition that Oxfam Canada’s feminist approach to localisation is largely based on a conceptualisation of gender as a binary and as an isolated category. This was largely confirmed by the empirical findings that revealed that Oxfam Canada’s focus clearly lies on “local” (presumably cis-gender heterosexual) women. Nevertheless, the empirical analysis also showed burgeoning aspects of intersectional feminist perspectives such as the focus on power analyses that at times span across different levels (i.e. household, community, societal, and global), their emphasis on the importance of acknowledging their own positionality, as well as their commitments to coherence between their objectives and ways of working.

An extensive body of knowledge points to the intersection of violence against women and HIV as it is well-established that violence is ubiquitous in the lives of women living with HIV. Experiences of violence exist within a socio-legal context that criminalizes HIV non-disclosure. In Canada, the federal law requires people living with HIV to disclose their HIV positive status before a sexual encounter with a partner that may pose, according to the Supreme Court of Canada, a “realistic possibility of transmission.” The criminalization of HIV non-disclosure carries particularly negative consequences for women living with HIV. This thesis includes an analysis of data from the Women, ART, and the Criminalization of HIV (WATCH) Study, a qualitative, arts-based research study on the impact of the HIV non-disclosure law on women living with HIV in Canada. Grounded in an intersectional feminist framework, this thesis presents findings from the narrative and visual data collected from the three Ontario workshops in the WATCH study. This thesis explores how women living with HIV visually and narratively express and describe their experiences of violence in the context of the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure. The stories and artwork shared by participants demonstrate how the law used to criminalize HIV non-disclosure creates and exacerbates experiences of interpersonal and structural violence and surveillance in the lives of women living with HIV. This thesis offers important insights for reconceptualising violence against women living with HIV from a structural lens. This project demonstrates how violence stems from legal institutions that do not respond to the needs of women, and instead, further exacerbate marginalization, violence, and surveillance in the lives of women living with HIV. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The gaming industry is a multimillion-dollar industry that is male dominated. The games contain mostly male protagonists and the few female protagonists that makes it to the shelves are met with criticism from the players. I have taken an interest in how the protagonists are portrayed by reviewers. For example, when it comes to age and use of name, if there is any difference between genders and if there is any kind of discrimination like sexualizing in the text. In this study, I use critical discourse analysis to study game review articles of six different games, three with female protagonists and three with male protagonists. The reviews are from two different gaming magazines. The results are that the protagonists are rarely represented as the stereotypical hero to the readers and there is not a big difference between genders. An observation is that the male protagonists are described and depicted as ideal men that are supposed to be aggressive, violent and dominant. The female protagonists are described with similar traits as the male protagonists. The conclusion is that the female protagonists are fitted into the stereotypical main character role. This role is built up by hard traits where softer traits like passive, pacifistic and submissive, which are more considered stereotypically female, is absent from main protagonists.

[pt] O objetivo desta pesquisa é entender a socioconstrução de identidade de três professoras de inglês como língua estrangeira em relação a seus atravessamentos interseccionais (Ferreira, 2012, 2015; Collins;Bilge, 2016), por meio de uma análise micro, utilizando o sistema de avaliatividade da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional (Halliday;Hasan, 1989; Halliday, 1994; Martin;White, 2005), e de uma análise macro, em um processo de reflexividade crítica que visa o amadurecimento de um sentir crítico (Borges, 2016), pautado na sensibilização quanto a questões de sofrimento humano, estigma, ideologia e relações de poder (Foucault, 1969; Goffman, 1963; Butler, 1993). Assim, analiso narrativas de momentos críticos vivenciados pelas professoras e histórias de agentividade em suas práticas pedagógicas cotidianas, com base na metodologia qualitativa de pesquisa, em especial no conceito de conhecimento situado (Haraway, 1988), e em alinhamento à epistemologia feminista interseccional (Lykke, 2010). Os resultados indicam a influência direta das identidades sociais de gênero, raça/etnia e classe social na construção discursiva de suas práticas identitárias de professora, reforçando a importância de compreendermos os atravessamentos identitários que nos configuram, no mundo e com o mundo (Souza, 2011), para a promoção de uma consciência crítica (Freire, 1987) e de lutas hegemônicas (Fairclough, [1992] 2001) possíveis no cenário da sala de aula de língua estrangeira como um lugar de dissenso e desaprendizagem (hooks, 1994, 2003; Moita Lopes et al, 2006, 2013). Reforço ainda que a contribuição deste trabalho está não em dar voz a essas mulheres, mas, sim, em nos permitir ouvir as representações que fazem da realidade (Riessman, 1993) da sala de aula, visando a coconstrução e ressignificação dessa experiência, para fomentar o devir do sentir crítico que defendo neste trabalho. / [en] The aim of this research is to understand the socioconstruction of the identities of three EFL teachers in relation to their intersectional crossings (Ferreira, 2012, 2015; Collins;Bilge, 2016), through a micro analysis, which makes use of the Systemic-Functional Linguistics Appraisal System (Halliday; Hasan, 1989; Halliday, 1994; Martin; White, 2005), and a macro analysis, in a process of critical reflexivity that aims at the ripening of a critical feeling (Borges, 2016), which is based on the awareness of issues related to human suffering, stigma, ideology and power relations (Foucault, 1969; Goffman, 1963; Butler, 1993). Thus, I analyze narratives of critical moments experienced by teachers and stories of agentivity in their daily pedagogical practices, under the premises of the qualitative methodology of research, especially the concept of situated knowledge (Haraway, 1988), and in alignment with intersectional feminist epistemology (Lykke, 2010). The results indicate the direct influence of social identities of gender, race/ethnicity and social class in the discursive construction of their identity practices as teachers, reinforcing the importance of understanding the identity crossings that shape us, in the world and with the world (Souza, 2011), to promote critical conscience (Freire, 1987) and the possible hegemonic struggles (Fairclough, [1992] 2001) in the setting of the foreign language classroom as a place of dissent and unlearning (hooks, 1994, 2003; Moita Lopes et al, 2006, 2013). I also stress that the contribution of this work does not lie in giving voice to these women, but rather in the chance of allowing us to listen to the representations they make (Riessman, 1993) of the classroom reality, aiming at the co-construction and re-signification of this experience so it helps develop the becoming of the critical feeling I defend in this paper.

The starting point of this study is the common assumption that the Italian society is based on a patriarchal ideological system in which racism is often normalized. The binary distinction between women and men in Italian society has evolved into discussions and awareness raising on genderbased violence or violence against women. As intersectionality has become a central point in Italian contemporary feminism, this study uses the analysis of topics related to the historical creation of the idea of Italian-ness, migration and the influence of right-wing politics in current gender related issues as the basis of a feminist Critical Discourse Analysis. With this in mind, using intersectional theory, postcolonial feminism, and studies of whiteness, the study aims at exploring as to which extent the discourses of three white Italian women, who identify as feminist activists, influence the presence of racialized Italian women in their work. This study should create academic data and contribute to a research that is extremely limited on these topics.

No description available.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present thesis bridges questions regarding type, race and class, with the objective of carrying out a cultural analysis, at the centre of which are the queens and princesses of the beauty contests carried out by the Treze de Maio Club, in the city of Saint Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, in the decades of 1960, 1970 and 1980. This research is anchored in the theory of culture according to Raymond Williams – the cultural hypothesis of structures of feeling and three levels of the culture: lived culture, recorded culture and the culture of selective tradition in order to talk about the space given to these women in the social column of the newspaper A Razão, given that fact that it is a vehicle of communication that selects cultural traditions. Our investigation is carried out in the context of qualitative inquiry, with a theory and methodology based on what Williams called his "position": cultural materialism. Results of our analyses point toward the selection of a ―desirable femininity‖, in addition to the segregation between women from "downtown" and women from "the neighbourhood" as well as between black women and white women, thus showing the racist and segregationist hallmark of Santa Maria society and the newspaper A Razão. In an attempt to decolonize our thinking, our investigation includes theories offered by black intellectuals like Sueli Carneiro, Angela Davis, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Lélia Gonzalez, Bell Hooks and Neusa Santos Souza. This allowed to us to identify several forms of combined or mutually intercrossed oppression within the Black club and the wider Santa Maria society. Our study is also anchored in the concepts of identity and representation according to Stuart Hall. The Treze de Maio Club represented a second home and a place for the affirmation of the "race". It was there that these queens and princesses built friendships and secured lifelong commitments, romantic relationships, engagements and marriages, all in a constant, persistent incentive toward the reconstruction of the Black couple and the ideal Black family, the Treze de Maio family. / O presente estudo articula questões de gênero, raça e classe com o objetivo de realizar uma análise cultural em que são centrais as rainhas e princesas dos certames de beleza realizado pelo Clube Treze de Maio, da cidade de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, nas décadas de 1960, 1970 e 1980. A pesquisa ancora-se na teoria da cultura de Raymond Williams – a hipótese cultural de estruturas de sentimento e os três níveis da cultura: cultura vivida, a cultura registrada e a cultura da tradição seletiva para discutir qual era o espaço dado àquelas mulheres na coluna social do jornal A Razão, já que se trata de um veículo de comunicação que seleciona as tradições culturais. A investigação inscreve-se no âmbito da pesquisa qualitativa, cujo percurso teórico-metodológico se fundamenta no que Williams chamou de sua ―posição‖, o materialismo cultural. Como resultado das análises se aponta a seleção do ―feminino desejável‖, bem como a segregação entre as mulheres do ―centro‖ e as mulheres do ―bairro‖ e entre as mulheres negras e as mulheres brancas, evidenciando o cunho racista e segregacionista da sociedade santa-mariense e do jornal A Razão. Na tentativa de descolonizar o pensamento a investigação alia-se às teorias preconizadas por intelectuais negras como Sueli Carneiro, Angela Davis, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Lélia Gonzalez, bell hooks, Neusa Santos Souza, o que nos permitiu perceber as várias formas de opressões combinadas ou entrecruzadas no interior do clube negro e na sociedade santa-mariense. Essa investigação ancora-se, ainda, nos conceitos de identidade e representação de Stuart Hall. O Clube Treze de Maio representava a segunda casa e o lugar de afirmação da ―raça‖. Era lá que as rainhas e princesas construíam amizades, firmavam compromissos para vida, namoros, noivados, casamentos, num constante incentivo à reconstrução do par negro e na persistência por um ideal de família negra, a família Treze de Maio.

There has been little research conducted in general that explores the impact of sexualized violence on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. There is even more limited qualitative research, and almost none of it from a therapeutic perspective. This led me to engage with the fictionalized stories of LGBTQ youth characters who have survived sexualized violence to learn how these stories might inform the work of helping professionals. This thesis provides a reflexive thematic analysis of three novels written by queer authors. Through the lens of response-based therapy, intersectional feminism, and queer theory, it considers the ways in which the characters are impacted by their experiences with sexualized violence and their responses to it. Findings indicate that the characters were affected by childhood sexual abuse at a time in their lives when their sexual identities were on the cusp of being formed. Their experiences with sexualized violence impacted the ways that the characters learned to live with contradictions; experienced ambivalence in the relationships with the adults who caused them harm; and engaged in small acts of resistance against the impact of sexualized violence in their lives to create futures in which they could thrive. The characters’ experiences with casual sex and sex work are shown as an act of resistance against violence. This research aims to queer the discourses on LGBTQ youth who have experienced sexualized violence, expose the small acts of resistance that they perform against the impacts of sexualized violence, and transform the ways that child and youth care workers, therapists, social workers, and other helpers understand the resilience and experiences of LGBTQ survivors. / Graduate

As a popular historic work with constant and worldwide performances, the sexist and racist narratives disseminated by Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly causes harmful social and political ramifications. Many scholars point to this opera specifically when discussing the fetishization of Asian females, and mention the title character as the quintessential example of damaging stereotypes. Thus, I conduct a postcolonial and feminist reading of Madama Butterfly, through analysis of the opera's libretto, the libretto sources, and the opera's score. I unravel the Orientalist assumptions that make up the foundation of the Butterfly narrative, and trace them as they make their way into Puccini's opera. I re-read Madama Butterfly as a metaphor for imperialism, and its effects on the colonized psyche. I examine Lieutenant Pinkerton and Butterfly's characters with specific attention to the power dynamics of their relationship in the context of colonization. I emphasize gender, race, and class tensions evident within the white male and white female gazes on the bodies of third world women of color. I present Puccini's musical choices in the operatic score as supplementary to my postcolonial-feminist reading. Puccini's use of pentatonic scales to evoke "Oriental" sounds, as well as his appropriation of Japanese folk tunes and "The Star Spangled Banner" into the score serve to supplement my basic contentions that Madama Butterfly is a product of Oriental discourse and a metaphor for imperialism and its effect on the colonized psyche.