Abstract This microhistorical study examines the local circle of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in Växjö during the years 1935 to 1967. The purpose of the essay is to contribute to research in women’s history by describing and analyzing some of the association’s members and activities. The unprinted source material consisting of the association’s protocol books provides the basis for this study.  The theoretical basis is a gender perspective and a microhistorical perspective. Short biographies highlight the background and roles of the individual members in the association. The association’s organization and activities are described too. The analysis shows the members’ solidarity with other women, for instance through helping refugees. It also shows how the members used their economic, social and cultural capital in their peace efforts, and in forming networks both among themselves and with other organisations. In short, the members’ economic, social and cultural capital enabled them to work for peace. In their efforts they both came to challenge and maintain the gender system of their time.

Members of Greek Life organizations consume more alcohol and participate in risky drinking behaviors at higher rate than their non-Greek counterparts due to deep rooted social norms within this population. Undergraduate sorority women at college and universities are often overlooked in research regarding trends in alcohol use in Greek Life organizations. However, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are more vulnerable to the consequences of heavy alcohol use compared to men, including liver disease, sexual assault, poor academic outcomes and post-collegiate alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Although higher education institutions are tasked with educating their students about safe alcohol use and protecting students from harm, these interventions are often inadequate in decreasing alcohol related consequences. Among students, sorority women consistently consume higher amounts of alcohol and exhibit higher rates of risky drinking behavior. This thesis aims to examine the unique alcohol-related consequences and risk factors sorority women face. Implications are discussed to guide college administrators, counselors and other supports that are likely to encounter issues associated with alcohol use within this population.

No description available.

Ce projet de maîtrise portera sur le Journal intime (1984) de Nicole Brossard, une œuvre singulière et peu connue de cette autrice majeure de la littérature féministe québécoise. Dans Journal intime, deux mécanismes animent le texte : la construction d'un sujet féminin écrivant et l'édification d'une communauté d'écrivaines sororales autour de la diariste. En brossant un portrait historique et esthétique de « l'écriture au féminin » (Boisclair, 1984 ; Lamy, 1984 ; Smart, 1988), j'examinerai la façon dont Journal intime s'inscrit dans l'œuvre de Brossard et, plus largement, dans le paysage littéraire et féministe québécois. En m'appuyant sur des notions de la poétique des genres (Auger, 2017 ; Hébert, 1983) et sur l'histoire des pratiques du journal intime au féminin (Didier, 1976 ; Roey- Roux, 1983), j'étudierai la façon dont Brossard utilise ou détourne les codes génériques et les pratiques conventionnelles du genre diaristique pour se construire une identité de sujet féminin écrivant, afin de transmettre son expérience sensible du monde. Je m'intéresserai également, à partir des notions de liminarité (Biron, 2000) et de sororité (Delaume, 2019 ; Ledoux-Beaugrand, 2013) à la manière dont se constitue dans le Journal intime une communauté de créatrices, basée sur la solidarité littéraire, artistique et politique. Dans une visée féministe, Brossard inscrit sa pratique d'écriture dans ce que Lori Saint- Martin appelle le « métaféminisme », mouvement des années 1980 au Québec, particulièrement en littérature, qui se propose de « réécrire les métarécits patriarcaux » (Saint-Martin, 1992). J'avance l'hypothèse qu'en construisant une communauté de femmes et une filiation intellectuelle horizontale (Biron, 2000) plutôt que verticale, Brossard participe à la réécriture des métarécits patriarcaux de la société québécoise en y inscrivant un récit collectif féminin, voire féministe, à la fois individuel et collectif, ancré dans cette communauté intellectuelle féminine. Il s'agira de montrer comment, dans le journal de Brossard, l'individuel peut s'allier à la communauté, comment l'intime peut servir de tremplin vers le collectif et le social, afin de comprendre ce que cette ouverture implique pour le « féminin » et les « femmes » dans la société québécoise. / This master's thesis will focus on Nicole Brossard's Journal Intime (1984), a singular and little-known work by this major author of Quebec feminist literature. In Journal Intime, two mechanisms animate the text: the construction of a female subject and the building of a community of sororal writers around the diarist. By painting a historical and aesthetic portrait of “feminine writing” (Boisclair, 1984; Lamy, 1984; Smart, 1988), I will examine how Journal Intime fits into the work of Brossard and, more broadly, into the literary and feminist landscape of Quebec. Based on notions of genre poetics (Auger, 2017; Hébert, 1983) and on the history of feminine diary practices (Didier, 1976; Roey-Roux, 1983), I will study the way Brossard uses or diverts the generic codes and conventional practices of the diaristic genre to build an identity as a female subject writing, in order to transmit her sensitive experience of the world. I will also be interested, based on the notions of liminarity (Biron, 2000) and sisterhood (Delaume, 2019; Ledoux-Beaugrand, 2013), in the way in which a community of creators is constituted in the Journal Intime, based on literary, artistic and political solidarity. In a feminist perspective, Brossard inscribes her writing practice in what Lori Saint- Martin calls “metafeminism”, a movement of the 1980s in Quebec, particularly in literature, which proposes to “rewrite patriarchal meta-narratives” (Saint-Martin, 1992). I put forward the hypothesis that by building a community of women and a horizontal (Biron, 2000) rather than vertical intellectual filiation, Brossard participates in the rewriting of the patriarchal meta-narratives of Quebec society by inscribing a collective feminine, even a feminist narrative, both individual and collective, rooted in this female intellectual community. The aim will be to show how, in Brossard's Journal intime, how the individual can unite with the community, how the intimate can serve as a springboard towards the collective and the social, in order to understand what this openness implies for the “feminine” and “women” in Quebec society.

This dissertation study was conducted in order to examine and gain an insight on two topics that are considered to be highly under researched: American historically black fraternities and sororities and colorism within the back American community. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact that colorism has had on black American collegiate Greek letter organizations. Using the qualitative phenomenological approach, 18 graduate or alumni members, two from each of the nine historically black Greek letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellanic Council were interviewed using open ended questions to see what impact (if any) colorism has had on historically black fraternities and sororities. During the interviews the following five major themes emerged: discriminatory practices between black Americans, stereotyping black Greek letter organizations, stereotyping skin tones, colorism as a part of American history, and colorism as being permanently a part of the black American community. The following theories were also explored during the study: Social Identity Theory, Double Consciousness, Primary Identification Theory, and Conflict Caused by Colorism, to further see what impact colorism had on historically black fraternities and sororities. Through these five themes and theories, it was found that colorism has had and continues to have a significant impact on not only members of historically black fraternities and sororities, but also that of members of the black American community as a whole.

<p> </p> <p>Traditional kinship systems involve the organization of individuals who are biologically connected. However, such systems have evolved beyond bloodlines to incorporate individuals that are biologically unassociated but operate in familial-like roles due to shared spaces and/or experiences. Historically, kinship systems or cultural networks have functioned as the cornerstone of survival for those of the Black lived experience. From the days of legalized human chattel slavery to present-day movements seeking justice for the minoritized, the foundation of kinship was typically built through the local church, the assumed maternal positions by Black women, Black secret societies and more. They each served, and continue to serve, as a means for survival and success against a systemically oppressive society. This study explores the notion and existence of kinship systems at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It specifically examines how fictive kinships through the lens of faculty-student dynamics, religion, and social activities, potentially influences the academic experience of Black students at HBCUs that currently have an above average retention rate. As America’s educational institution has lacked diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity for Black people for countless years, the primary mission of this study was to amplify Black student voices which have traditionally been suppressed. A supplemental goal of this study was to offer Black students tools for introspection that will aid them in navigating possible barriers to (post) educational success. In turn, this study gives insight to predominantly white institutions of higher learning on how to positively enhance the experience and retention of Black students, and the overall structure of diversity and inclusion on campus.</p>