This qualitative study draws on intersectionality, antiracism, and anticolonialism to unpack the long history of colonial violence in the mental health and social service fields, such as counselling, victim services, social work, and child and youth care. In addition, this thesis explores and interrogates the use of narrative therapy by white and Indigenous sexualized violence practitioners who work specifically with Indigenous girls and women. Narrative therapy is a non-individualistic and non-pathologizing approach that has shown potential with Indigenous girls and women. However, while it holds promise, how sexualized violence practitioners interact with narrative therapy and critical frameworks is less known. In this study, experienced practitioners were asked how they draw on narrative therapy and critical frameworks, how they grapple with narrative therapy’s complicity in colonial violence, and how they resist, contest, and reproduce colonial violence in their own practice. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) narrative therapy as useful but not enough; (2) deconstructing and unsettling narrative therapy; and (3) smuggling practices and double practice. Discussion of these themes demonstrates and explores the complex and multifaceted issues practitioners are engaging with in their practice and suggests great promise for a future narrative therapy that involves critical frameworks and attends to body, ethics, accountability, and ongoing colonial violence. / Graduate

Sexualized violence is a citizenly issue. It is a phenomenon that, in the Canadian context, is formed and informed by the settler-colonial nation-state. Yet, as the spike in attention to instances of sexualized violence in news media suggests, sexualized violence is also a sociopolitical ill, one that causes harms to persons who experience it and those who care for them. How, then, might we ensure that sexualized violence is no longer a possibility? Feminist anti-sexualized violence advocates have created or contributed to several identifiable approaches to sexualized violence prevention: education about consent, teaching self-defence, and implicating bystanders in the continuation of sexualized violence. In this dissertation, I focus on two of these approaches to sexualized violence prevention – consent discourse and fighting strategies – and consider how their amenability to a normative form of rationality that governs conceptions of citizenship – neoliberalism – might not only limit the preventative efficacy of such approaches, but also work to (re)produce the very conditions that allow sexualized violence to occur in the first place. Analyzing these prevention approaches through close readings of academic theories of prevention and practical mobilizations of these approaches (i.e. a poster campaign, a short independent film), I ultimately argue that while neoliberalism’s idea(l)s of individualism, personal responsibility, and normative interpretations of ‘equality’ function to potentially limit or contradict a feminist anti-sexualized violence goal of emphasizing the structural causes of sexualized violence, it is also the case that these theoretical and practical projects can produce alternative understandings of what it means to be ‘human’ and to ‘live together.’ / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Today, one can scarcely turn on a television, open a newspaper, or visit an online news source without some mention of a case of sexualized violence. What are we doing to prevent this social ill? In this dissertation, I analyze two approaches to sexualized violence prevention: strategies that encourage the import of communication during intimate encounters (consent discourse) and strategies that encourage persons most vulnerable to sexualized violence to engage in defensive measures (fighting strategies). Through an investigation of academic theories and practical mobilizations of these prevention approaches, I consider their connection to dominant conceptions of the human and what it means to ‘live together.’ From these analyses, this dissertation ultimately argues that we must be attentive to the ways we think about, talk of, and implement prevention strategies so that we do not inadvertently reproduce the very oppressive conditions that enable sexualized violence to occur in the first place.

Sexualized violence continues to threaten the autonomy of individuals and violate human rights. Scholars debate the effectiveness of international treaties in addressing this problem. The Convention on Elimination and Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of 1979 requires ratifying countries to uplift equality and denounce discrimination of women nationally, in public and private spheres. Examining Bosnia and Herzegovina as a case study shows the effectiveness CEDAW has in creating political and social change. In addition, the Bosnian War illustrates the threat sexualized violence has on individual autonomy. Findings show that CEDAW and grassroots feminist activism are successful together in advocating for social and political change. These results support the power of international treaties when combined with grassroots support for the cause. Over time, social change is possible as a consequence of international jurisprudence, which will help end sexualized violence globally, one individual at a time.

This work examines the literary English traditions of four Virgin Martyrs: Agatha of Catania, Agnes of Rome, Juliana of Nicomedia, and Katherine of Alexandria. The primary focus surrounds the narratological developments and alterations of these women’s sex-specific or -emphasized tortures. In addition to torments, other details, which may not initially appear sex-specific in nature, are also considered. As recent scholarship has shown, Virgin Martyrs’ lives tend to conform to a relatively standardized core narrative by the later Middle Ages. This study considers to what extent the lives of these four saints actually conform and to what extent they retain individualism despite this homogenizing trend. An analysis of each narrative’s progression from early Latin sources, when available, through fifteenth-century English texts, which supplements the current scholarly trend of examining Virgin Martyrs as a collective group, is also provided. The tracing of these legends’ sex-specific characteristics allows for clear identification of similarities and deviations within various sources. Five appendices, each including an analytical table, are included to aid in the visualization of this progression. The tables, which allow for quick and easy identification of variations through chronologically listed sources, demonstrate this process in a concise and user-friendly manner and should be utilized alongside examinations of these legends as presented in each of the central chapters. The first chapter, on Agatha, addresses her breast amputation and its symbolic implications for femininity and motherhood, as well as the argument that Virgin Martyrs ‘Become Male’ during their passiones. The second chapter, on Agnes, explores her traditionally eroticized relationship with Christ, the motif of concealment, and Virgin Martyrs’ conventional brothel experience. The third chapter, on Juliana, focuses upon the Warrior Virgin Martyr tradition, her physical and spiritual struggle with the devil, and the tradition of familial rejection. The final chapter, on Katherine, considers her position as supreme Bride, her limited physical trials, and her relationship with the Blessed Virgin. The final appendix contains a comparative chart of Virgin Martyr legends within the Legenda aurea, which indicates the frequency of motifs and plot devices in these lives.

This work examines the literary English traditions of four Virgin Martyrs: Agatha of Catania, Agnes of Rome, Juliana of Nicomedia, and Katherine of Alexandria. The primary focus surrounds the narratological developments and alterations of these women’s sex-specific or -emphasized tortures. In addition to torments, other details, which may not initially appear sex-specific in nature, are also considered. As recent scholarship has shown, Virgin Martyrs’ lives tend to conform to a relatively standardized core narrative by the later Middle Ages. This study considers to what extent the lives of these four saints actually conform and to what extent they retain individualism despite this homogenizing trend. An analysis of each narrative’s progression from early Latin sources, when available, through fifteenth-century English texts, which supplements the current scholarly trend of examining Virgin Martyrs as a collective group, is also provided. The tracing of these legends’ sex-specific characteristics allows for clear identification of similarities and deviations within various sources. Five appendices, each including an analytical table, are included to aid in the visualization of this progression. The tables, which allow for quick and easy identification of variations through chronologically listed sources, demonstrate this process in a concise and user-friendly manner and should be utilized alongside examinations of these legends as presented in each of the central chapters. The first chapter, on Agatha, addresses her breast amputation and its symbolic implications for femininity and motherhood, as well as the argument that Virgin Martyrs ‘Become Male’ during their passiones. The second chapter, on Agnes, explores her traditionally eroticized relationship with Christ, the motif of concealment, and Virgin Martyrs’ conventional brothel experience. The third chapter, on Juliana, focuses upon the Warrior Virgin Martyr tradition, her physical and spiritual struggle with the devil, and the tradition of familial rejection. The final chapter, on Katherine, considers her position as supreme Bride, her limited physical trials, and her relationship with the Blessed Virgin. The final appendix contains a comparative chart of Virgin Martyr legends within the Legenda aurea, which indicates the frequency of motifs and plot devices in these lives.

In this thesis, I reflect on the ethical and theoretical foundations of researching (and re-searching) sexualized violence with Indigenous girls in remote communities in northern British Columbia, Canada, through a project called Sisters Rising, an Indigenous-led, community-based research study focused on centering Indigenous teachings related to sovereignty and gender well-being. Through an emergent methodology drawing from witnessing and borderland feminisms to conduct arts- and land-based workshops with girls and community members, I sought to unsettle my relationships as a diasporic frontline worker to the communities and lands I work with. To disrupt traditional hegemonic discourses of settler colonialism, I look to arts-based and collective witnessing, reflecting on how alternative, safer spaces for Indigenous girls can be created for resistance and (re)storying connections to land and relationships. / Graduate / 2020-09-12

In this dissertation, teenagers (13-19 years) are allowed to speak out. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge regarding the conditions related to socialization in the proximity of violence through listening to, interpreting and attempting to understand the teenagers' narratives about life when violence is an everyday occurrence. Primarily, I wanted to obtain a picture of the conditions under which these girls and boys grew up as they themselves described them. My questions are primarily concerned with the teenagers' experiences of violence in the home, the strategies they used to cope with a violent home environment and finally with their self-images. Secondarily, my intention was to analyze and interpret the picture that emerged in an attempt to understand the meaning of socialization in the proximity of violence, primarily based upon theories of sexualized violence (aspects of gender and power), coping, resilience, and the social heritage of violence-related behavior (the inter-generational transmission of violent behavior). My purpose was also to relate the descriptions and analysis of domestic violence, and the associated conditions under which these young people grew up, to previous research within the field of family violence. The dissertation is grounded in feminist theory which views the gender and power relationships between women and men as a determining principle of social organization. I associate this with the established Scandinavian concept of "sexualized violence," used to describe forms of abuse and sexual exploitation such as rape, incest and other sexual assaults, pornography, the sex trade and sexual harassment. Fifteen teenagers living in Sweden volunteered to be informants for the study. They were interviewed six to ten times each over a four year period. The interviews progressed in steps from background information to the most private and sensitive questions about the violence which had taken place in the home. The number of interviews was determined case by case; the interviews were concluded when no or few new aspects emerged. The analysis is based in part upon the categorized statements and in part upon the longer narratives. The results show that the young people exist in the presence of violence as witnesses to and victims of violence perpetrated by their fathers. The children are threatened into silence and bear inner feelings of powerlessness and loneliness. They are regarded as different in school, bullied by peers and disregarded by adults. In this double victimization, the children feel themselves to be unwanted and worthless. If the child breaks the secrecy and seeks help, he or she experiences utter betrayal, foremost from social authorities. The lack of protective factors and insightful adults is nearly total. The very essential contact with peers has also been denied them. The children feel themselves to be completely abandoned. Using their own resources, they yet manage to formulate their thoughts, create meaning in events and become survivors. / digitalisering@umu

The Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) plays a critical role in creating assessment tools, producing policies endorsing ‘best practices’, assuring and alleging equity and safety in its child welfare practices that affects the lives of vulnerable children in government custody. Regardless of their efforts, reports of sexual violence against children in government custody continue to emerge. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal girls in the foster system saturates the industry with Aboriginal female children vulnerable to sexual violence and creates the conditions for long term suffering as a result of child sexualized abuse at the hands of ministry caregivers. In this study a qualitative interview method was used to speak to key informants who are Aboriginal female survivors of the foster care system to explore the effects of and responses to sexual abuse in the foster care system in BC. This research specifically looks at the lives and health of Aboriginal girls who have experienced sexualized violence in foster care. It looks at their accomplishments and successes regardless of the sexualized violence and of the social responses they received regarding the sexualized violence. The research also explores the challenges the girls and women have experienced as a result of the sexualized violence. In addition, this research makes recommendations around professional and therapeutic intervention and prevention. / Graduate / 0452 / 0534 / 0453 / rachelle_dallaire@yahoo.com

Problem & purpose: When using sexual advertising, it is important that companies review how that sort of marketing are being received by their consumers. This to create an understanding about the recipient's acceptance and perception of various promotional messages. Previous research about attitudes towards sexualized advertising focus mostly on attitudes in regards to the recipient's gender. However, there are less studies investigating whether attitudes can be linked to the recipient's age. Thus, the purpose of this study is to find out if, and if so, how recipients' attitudes towards sexualized advertising differ between two generations. This study may thus be interesting for people working in the communication industry, but could also be of interest in designing future studies in the subject.
Method & material: For our study we have used a qualitative method through interpersonal interviews with respondents from two different age groups. The participants were exposed to four different sexual advertisements and were then asked questions regarding them. The answers and the recipients expressions were then compiled in the chapter “resultat”.
Main result: The results of this study shows that there are certain attitudes towards sex in advertising depending on which generation the recipient belongs to. Both the younger and the older generation have a rather negative attitude towards sexualized advertising. However, there are differences that indicate that the younger generation has a slightly more negative attitude towards this kind of advertising. The younger generation believe that sex in advertising is a method used by companies to increase sales. The younger generation sees this as something bad and annoying. The older generation has a more passive attitude towards sexualized advertising and does not experience this kind of advertising as frustrating as the younger generation does.

This thesis examines the use of restorative justice with cases of sexual assault in Canada through the perspective of practitioner experience. It concludes that restorative justice for sexual assault is an innovative and viable justice practice that should be offered to survivor-victims as an option for their justice-seeking process. A literature review was undertaken to create a summary of past and current academic perspectives on the topic and to provide context for the interviews. Interviews were conducted with 12 restorative justice practitioners in Canada who have experience facilitating or participating in restorative justice processes that dealt with sexual assault. The data from the interviews was analyzed using thematic coding to produce a set of themes based on practitioner experience. The data was also used to examine the ethical issues that are relevant in the current landscape. This thesis determines that practitioners are knowledgeable about the practices that can make the restorative justice process safer. It finds that practitioners report being able to meet the varying needs of survivor-victims through procedural flexibility. It observes that they struggle with the practical and ethical tensions that arise in their work, but these tensions are manageable, and they are committed to working with them. Restorative justice has the potential to address a sexual assault case successfully when survivor-victim needs are met, safer practices are used, and practitioners are informed about the complexities and varying experiences of sexual assault. / Graduate