The purpose of this study is to try to get an insight into how Pippi Longstocking (Lindgren 2005) can be used for the purpose of working didactically regarding gender and value-based issues. This is a literature study where the first book of Pippi has been analyzed from a feminist perspective and from a gender perspective. Of interest to the study was also to analyze how gender is presented in the book, in order to create a deeper understanding of the book's characters related to gender. A delimitation was made at the first book when the characters and their characteristics became sufficiently clear, to create a picture of how they could help to create meaningful conversations with the students. The results of the study revealed a wide range of normative and human events that show that a single girl has a strong belief in herself, and an ability to act and be who she is without being restricted by others. Pippi and the people she meets present actions that are suitable for discussion, and thus can broaden views and create awareness among both teachers and students. / Syftet med den här studien är att försöka få en inblick i hur Pippi Långstrump (Lindgren 2005) kan användas i ett syfte att arbeta didaktiskt gällande genus och värdegrundsfrågor. Metoden som används i studien är en litteraturstudie där den första boken om Pippi har analyserats ur ett feministiskt perspektiv samt ur ett genusperspektiv. Av intresse för studien var också att analysera hur genus presenteras i boken för att genom det kunna skapa en djupare förståelse för bokens karaktärer kopplat till genus. En avgränsing gjordes vid den första boken då karaktärerna och deras egenskaper blev tillräckligt tydliga för att kunna skapa en bild om hur de skulle kunna bidra till att skapa meningsfulla samtal med elever. Resultatet av studien visade upp ett brett spektrum av normbrytande och medmänskliga händelser vilka visar sig genom att en enda flicka har en stark tro på sig själv, en förmåga att kunna agera och vara den hon är utan att begränsas av andra. Pippi och de personer som hon möter visar upp sidor som lämpar sig bra för diskussion och också därigenom kan vidga vyer och skapa en medvetenhet bland såväl lärare som elever.

Concepts of mental health and normality cannot be understood apart from cultural norms and values. The most significant of cultural constructions that shape our view of madness is gender. Madness has been perceived for centuries metaphorically and symbolically as a feminine illness and continues to be gendered into the twenty-first century. Works of art and literature and psychiatric medicine influence each other as well as our understanding and perception of mental illness. Throughout history, images of mental illness in women send the message that women are weak, dangerous, and require containment. What are the cultural links between femininity and insanity, and how are they represented? Through the lenses of disciplines such as theatre criticism, feminist theory, and psychiatry, this thesis examines the history of madness as a gendered concept and its depictions in art and literature. Additionally, it will explore the representation of female madness in contemporary dramatic literature as compared to the medical model used during the era in which it was written as well as the social and cultural conditions and expectations of the period. The three plays under consideration are: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, written in 1941 by Eugene O’Neill; Fefu and Her Friends, written in 1977 by Maria Irene Fornés; and Next to Normal, produced on Broadway in its current form in 2009 and written and scored by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitts. None of these plays tell a tidy story with a straightforward ending. In none do treatment facilities offer refuge or health professionals offer answers. Struggling characters resort to drug abuse, fall prey to internalization, or leave treatment all together, having been subjected to enough victimization. The relationship between patient and physician is depicted to be, at best, ambivalent. The themes in these plays illuminate women’s mental illness as an extensive problem with many contributing factors, and the origins of which are quite complex.

Formulated as a feminist project, written as a pulp fiction, Architectural Flirtations: A Love Storey begins with our claim that the architectural discipline is centered around a culture of critique, which is based in what bell hooks calls “a system of imperialist, white supremacist, heterosexist, capitalist, patriarchy,” and that the values instilled by this culture not only begin with, but are reinforced and reproduced by, the education of young architects. Sounds serious. Right? In a move toward a more vulnerable, ethical and empowering culture of architecture, the project aims to displace the culture of critique, by questioning and undermining relationships of power and privilege through practices that are explicitly critical, queer feminist, and Campy. In other words, it takes seriously, in an uncertain, improper and playful way, what is usually deemed unserious within the architectural discipline, in order to undermine the usual order of things. All of the (love) storeys take place on March 21st, the spring equinox, in and around a 1977 collaborative row house project called Case Unifamiliari in Mozzo, Italy, designed by Aldo Rossi and Attilio Pizzigoni. Beda Ring, PhD researcher, constructs a Campy renovation of one of these row houses, full of theatricality, humor, and significant otherness; while architectural pedagogue, Brady Burroughs, guides a student group from KTH in an Architecture and Gender course; and Henri T. Beall, practicing architect, attends to the details upstairs. / <p>QC 20161025</p>

Women are more at risk of experiencing violence involving people at home or close acquaintances, than from virtual strangers and outsiders. Domestic violence affects as many as one in two women in South Africa. Most women may keep secret abusive relationships and this might reside in a deep-seated fear of further abuse or as be frowned upon by a community that endorses social taboos which prohibit speaking about or even implying the reality of incidents of domestic violence. This phenomenological study investigates the actual experiences of women staying in physically abusive relationships. In this study a qualitative approach, involving thorough research, are presentation has been adopted in order to discuss, in a meaningful manner, the suffering of women who have experienced physically abusive relationships. The participants in the study include eight women who have been involved and suffered physically abusive relationship and these, living in Pretoria and suburbs, comprise an age category ranging from between twenty five to fifty. Data gathered and utilised has been accumulated by means of semi-structured open ended interviews. Hermeneutic phenomenological analysis was used to analyse and come to a conclusion regarding the data obtainable. The findings of the study have highlighted the role played by power and control, gender inequality and patriarchy experienced by women involved in these intimate relationships. The study further revealed the complexities surrounding the reasons and motives contributing to women staying in and suffering physically abusive relationships / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology: Research consultation)

This project examines the presence and significance of ecofeminism and pedagogy within contemporary Young Adult literatures, particularly girls’ ecofantasy literatures. Specifically, I examine the role and representations of the female body in nature and any real or perceived connections between them. To accomplish this, I bring the theories of several feminist, ecofeminist, and environmental studies scholars together with my primary texts, Green Angel and Green Witch by Alice Hoffman, to examine the depiction of the female body in nature through interconnectedness and reciprocity between human and non-human nature, green transformations, and the archetype of the witch. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

RuPaul's Drag Race is one of the few realilty television shows focusing on QLGBT (queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) identified individuals that has made it into mainstream consciousness. Drag Race provides a unique perspective on the ways that gender identity, sexuality, size, class, race, and ethnicity intersect and interact in people's lives.The television show augments many of these intersedtions and the challenges related to these identities while still reflecting the daily struggles that people experience.The show works to promote messages of self-love and acceptance ; however, it also promotes many problematic and damaging stereotypes. This thesis conducts a feminist analysis in order to answer the question: How does RuPaul's Drag Race relate to hegemonic and oppressive stereotypes and roles associated with gender identity, sexual orientation, size, class, race and ethnicity? Does it challenge or reinforce such hegemonies? In order to answer these questions, this thesis examines visual imagery, narrative, and dialogue in the show, utilizes theories from cultural and women's studies, English and communications. It concludes that although Drag Race does engage in some subversive behavior, it ultimately reinforces harmful hegemonic stereotypes. / by Sarah Tucker Jenkins. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

This thesis seeks to explain why it is seen as possible and meaningful for Western countries to deny IS women to return home after the fall of the Caliphate. Earlier, IS women have been allowed to return. According to previous research, women in war are commonly constructed as innocent victims within the “beautiful soul” narrative. Violent women interrupt this narrative and have traditionally been seen as deviant. Female terrorism is often explained by sexual obsession or dysfunction. Both these narratives construct women in war as apolitical without agency. Accordingly, women have not been viewed as security threats since their motives are personal rather than political. If that is still the case, there should be no obstacles for IS women to come home. The thesis use Faircloughs critical discourse analysis to examine western media coverage in order to explain why Western countries deny IS women to return. The empirical analysis displays a discursive transformation, where IS women are described as dangerous, decision-making political agents which could compose national security threats. This shift has made new political practices possible.

The aim of this study was to examine how women’s sexuality is constructed in consent research, and to discuss hypothetically how this construction could come to affect practical social work. We believe that the way that sexuality is defined and discussed can have an impact on how professionals treat women who have been subjected to sexual assaults and rape, and work with adolescents in the field of social work. We wanted to explore this further. By doing a critical discourse analysis on research articles about women’s sexuality and consent, we found that traditional sexual scripts were widely reproduced and the concept of women’s own desire was nonexistent. We then problematised this by discussing how it might be affecting practical social work in a negative matter, whilst trying to formulate possible reforms. Our conclusion was that it is possible that the discourses presented in the examined articles could contribute to retrogressive perspectives on women’s sexuality, which in turn could influence the practical social work and its approach to female clients.

This thesis adopts critical feminist theory, which is a combination of both critical theory and feminist theory, to explore the nature and experiences of Omani women involved in tourism entrepreneurship with particular regard to empowerment. Several studies have identified the potential role of tourism entrepreneurship to empower women due to the many benefits that it provides. However, this potential, and the extent that it empowers women, has been questioned. A review of the literature on women in tourism entrepreneurship reveals that there are several issues that have theoretical and practical implications for women's empowerment through this activity. Furthermore, a review of the development studies literature indicates that there are many prevailing issues and debates surrounding the concept of women's empowerment thatmerit further investigation. The fieldwork for this research took place in Oman during 2013-­‐2014 and included an examination of a hosting group, sewing group and a number of women tourism entrepreneurs. Participant observations and semi-structured/unstructured interviews were conducted to collect information about these women. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected information and to develop three ethnographic case studies. The findings of this research reveal that tourism entrepreneurship does not inevitably bring about empowerment for Omani women. It is far from being an activity for women's individual and collective empowerment, given that the scope for such remains dependent on the embedded environment and is influenced by the nature of tourism enterprise work. An empirically informed conceptual framework was developed from the data to present this phenomenon. A grounded conceptualization was also developed from the data to conceptualize the process of women's empowerment for Omani women in tourism entrepreneurship. Theoretical implications of the findings areidentified in relation to the appropriate use of the concept of women's empowerment in tourism research. Practical implications of the findings are also identified in relation to local and international tourism organisations that utilises tourism entrepreneurship opportunities for women's empowerment purposes.

While Black women have etched a place for themselves as leaders within colleges and universities, few have advanced to the most senior levels of postsecondary administration and they remain underrepresented in those type of roles (Gamble & Turner, 2015; Jackson & Harris, 2007; West, 2015). Scholarly research has explored Black women’s experiences as institutional leaders (Davis & Maldonado, 2015; Smith & Crawford, 2007; Waring, 2003); yet the phenomenon of executive-level higher education administration, specifically as it relates to Black women’s perspectives, is not well known (Enke, 2014; Jean-Marie, Williams, & Sherman, 2009). Moreover, research that directs attention to Black women’s unique leadership experiences as executive-level leaders within a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) is scarce (Gamble & Turner, 2015; Mosley, 1980; West, 2015). This transcendental phenomenological study examined the perceptions of Black women’s leadership experiences in their roles as executive-level higher education administrators at a PWI and strategies they used to cope with their experiences. Black Feminist Theory, which centers the narratives of Black women and explores how intersecting oppressions impact their everyday lives, was used to frame the study. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and a review of relevant documents were used to collect the voices of four Black women executive-level leaders. Data collected were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological method of analysis and synthesized to reveal an essence of the experience of an executive-level higher education administrator at a PWI from the Black woman’s vantage point. Results indicated the meaning ascribed to the experience of being an executive-level higher education administrator were rooted in: Knowing Who You Are, Developing as a Leader, Engaging in the Rules of the Game, Building Relationships, and Navigating Bias and Conflict. Further, Finding Strength through Spirituality, Relying on Family and Friends, Pursuing Enjoyable Activities emerged as strategies used to manage the phenomenon. This study offers a unique view into Black women’s lived experiences and their perspective on leading at a PWI as an executive-level higher education administrator. Findings contribute to building transformative change at colleges and universities by providing insight and knowledge about the experiences of Black women in higher education administration.