My Masters thesis focuses on socialist Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s memory in contemporary Pakistani Punjab. I use the analytical category of memory to argue that Bhagat Singh is invoked by various groups and individuals, specifically those who identify as leftists or Marxists, in contemporary Pakistan to serve a range of political purposes. My analysis particularly sheds light on how activists and writers use the figure of Bhagat Singh to highlight the erasure of regional and lingual identities in Pakistan. Their remembrances underline a perceived historical injustice; the imposition of a national identity based on Urdu language and Sunni Muslim-ness, which tended to marginalize Punjabi ethno-lingual identities. Using my ethnographic research, I further argue that Bhagat Singh and his afterlives in leftist progressive narratives also capture the tensions and differences among the Punjabi intellectuals and activists themselves. Due to the lack of adequate archival sources, my research draws heavily on oral history and contemporary Punjabi poetry and prose that I meticulously collected during my trips to Lahore in the past two years. I transcribed and translated this material from Punjabi into English on my own. Finally in my analysis of gendered literary language, I also demonstrate how mourning, and hope coexist in the Punjabi contemporary emancipatory imagination. Such overlaps illustrate how the past is continuously in dialogue with the present.

<p>This study treats the "feminism" of Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743-1825), a middle class English woman who is notably responsible for refashioning children's literature and for advocating the teaching of conformity in childhood education. Though her work has been relatively unexplored, Barbauld was one of the most versatile and prolific writers of her time. This thesis explores what proves to be her most pivotal text, "Washing-Day" (1797), a poem that is particularly indicative of Barbauld's "feminist" and poetic ingenuity. I begin with an introductory chapter that discusses the exclusion of Barbauld and her female Romantic counterparts from public discourse. In this discussion, I consider strategies for integrating these "new" poets into literary studies, and suggest that we must read their texts closely-which entails isolating the ambivalences and self-differences wherein the breath of the poetry subsists. I then turn to a tropological manoeuver inherent in Barbauld's poetry, which I have called "interruption," and examine how this manoeuver operates within and without "Washing-Day." In Chapter One, I theorize the "breath" of "Washing-Day"-that is, how Barbauld performs and occupies the texts of her forefathers in the process of authorizing herself to write. The second chapter circles back to the poem's beginning and analyzes Barbauld's "interruption" of patriarchal texts and discourses. Having worked through the poem in two close analyses, I arrive at the conclusion that Barbauld's feminism is performative, that it tacitly operates at the level-or movement-of difference.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The intent of this thesis and thesis project was to execute a successful run of the play, Stop Kiss by Diana Son while achieving the playwright’s intended message. Opal Clark directed this production of Stop Kiss at East Tennessee State University under special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. It was performed to sold out audiences in ETSU Theatre and Dance Studio 205 October 2-7, 2017. The play explores experiences and hostility toward same sex couples, their relationships with one another and how one individual discovers sexuality. The discovery and actualization of the characters’ struggles were communicated in the play using student performers and crew members. The project was documented through a series of journal entries written by the director, who was guided by mentor Professor Robert Funk. The director details the exploration and process in daily journal entries. Additionally, a feminist criticism of the script further explores the portrayal of the plotline. The consequences and implications of dramatic choices within the context of the play are analyzed within this section.

<p>This thesis examines fictional representations of Indian women’s responses to trauma in the background of communal violence. It argues that fiction allows for the reimagination of women’s conditions during communal riots, and their responses to trauma as a result of those riots. While ethnographic research seeks answers from traumatized victims, a fictional text can open up spaces for debates about conditions of women and their responses to trauma in the background of communal violence. Through Manju Kapur’s <em>A Married Woman</em> and Anita Rau Badami’s <em>Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?</em>, this project examines women’s negotiations of their religious and national identities within the private and the public and their responses to trauma caused by communal violence.</p> <p>The Introduction draws on texts on gender and diaspora theory as well as scholarly work on the evolution and history of communalism in India. It also looks at the historical backgrounds of two events of communal violence that underpin Kapur’s and Badami’s texts, namely, the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy and the resulting 1992 riots, and Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the resulting 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Chapter 1 examines Indian women’s negotiations of religious identities in <em>A Married Woman</em>. Through the characters of Astha, Pipee and Sita, I argue that Kapur draws parallels between women as Other and religious minorities as Other. Her text shows the ways in which trauma crosses religious borders of Hindu-Muslim, and opens up possibilities for envisioning ways of ethically coexisting with the Other. Chapter 2 investigates communal violence in India and Canada in <em>Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?</em> Focusing on the characters of Bibi-ji, Leela and Nimmo, I argue that communal violence subsumes class, religion and location. Her text highlights how trauma crosses national boundaries and how the three women are torn apart by their losses.</p> <p>In my Conclusion, I suggest for new avenues of research that might contribute to a further understanding of the dynamics of communal violence and trauma, and a future investigation into the negotiation of male religious identities in the background of communal violence.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

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.

The research on sex-role development, psychological androgyny, and personality variables in lesbian women was reviewed. Since previous research suggested that lesbian women tend to have characteristics which might be labelled androgynous, a study was undertaken to assess the presence of androgyny among lesbian and heterosexual women and to cross-validate the findings on the relationship between androgyny and self-esteem. In order to assess sex-role classification, the PRF-Andro Scale was administered to 30 lesbian and 30 heterosexual women. The Texas Social Behavior Inventory was used to measure self-esteem. Results showed that a significantly greater proportion of the lesbians were androgynous, and a significantly smaller proportion were feminine as compared to heterosexual women. No differences were found in the proportion of either group classified as masculine and indeterminate. A complex relationship was found between samples, sex -role classification, and self-esteem. An attempt was made to integrate and interpret the results of this study. Suggestions were made for future research in this area.

This thesis deals with the “item number” genre of Bollywood song and dance sequences. I argue that the item song has evolved from a combination of the historically rich culture of prostitution in old India and the western influence of modern times; and that it contributes highly to the male dominated patriarchal society perpetuated by Hindi films by means of the voyeuristic male gaze and objectification of the female body. In conjunction with this research I choreographed a dance called Item No. 3 that was performed in Scripps Dances 2013. A discussion of the significance and decisions behind the choreography is also included in this written document. A record of the performance as available on DVD through the Scripps College Dance Department or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNztFuezEc.

This thesis explores how the material reality of Germany's women's prisons has been largely determined by their ideological foundations, and by the historical developments that have produced these ideologies. The German women's prison system is complex and imperfect, yet in many ways very progressive. It is the result of the last sixty years of tumultuous German history, and has been uniquely shaped by the capitalist and communist histories of the once-divided state. In its current state, it seems to have incorporated elements of a supposedly “rational” or individualistic conception of humanity as well as one that is relational and interdependent, thus promoting independence while still fostering and supporting care-based familial and social support systems. In this way, it reflects the remarkable development of Germany since the end of the horrific Second World War, providing a window into ideologies of gender, crime, and incarceration as they evolved and eventually merged. Germany serves as an excellent case study of the ways in which prisons are a product of their countries' histories, and is a model for understanding how prisons around the world must be analyzed in the context of their nations' past. Any attempt to compare prison systems across international borders must be centered around the unique contextual development of each country and its prisons.

This thesis deals with the “item number” genre of Bollywood song and dance sequences. I argue that the item song has evolved from a combination of the historically rich culture of prostitution in old India and the western influence of modern times; and that it contributes highly to the male dominated patriarchal society perpetuated by Hindi films by means of the voyeuristic male gaze and objectification of the female body. In conjunction with this research I choreographed a dance called Item No. 3 that was performed in Scripps Dances 2013. A discussion of the significance and decisions behind the choreography is also included in this written document. A record of the performance as available on DVD through the Scripps College Dance Department or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNztFuezEc.

This thesis project is comprised of a partial Chinese translation of The Awakening, a translator’s introduction in Chinese for Chinese readers, and an accompanying critical analysis for my translation. My Chinese translation is guided by feminist translation theory. Its central ideas are that translations should expose and redress gender-based prejudices, challenge and subvert male-dominated linguistic and cultural systems, and promote gender equality in cross-cultural communications. The Awakening is a pioneering feminist novel written by the American author Kate Chopin and published in 1899. It centers on protagonist Edna Pontellier’s gradual departure from her socially conventional roles as a mother and wife and her unfolding awakening to her individuality and sexuality in the late Victorian era. My partial Chinese translation focuses on the gender and sexuality-related excerpts in the novel, which include the depictions of the female body, the Victorian patriarchy, the inner emotions of the protagonist, and the intimacy and sexuality displayed between the protagonist and the male characters in the novel. The translator’s introduction aims to introduce Chinese readers to Kate Chopin and her works and explain the translation interventions I have made in my translation. The accompanying critical analysis discusses my translation approaches and the decision-making process to foreground the feminist themes and convey them to the Chinese readership while preserving the language texture of an English novel from the 19th century in its Chinese rendition.