UMBC Gender & Women's Studies
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Item How the manosphere found its way into the Black community(The Conversation, 2024-05-15) Dashiell, StevenThe Black hosts of the ‘Fresh & Fit’ podcast speak in the parlance of social justice movements, but apply it, in a twisted way, to justify misogyny.Item Symbolic violence in the language of Pathfinder descriptions of black bodies(Games & Culture, 2022) Dashiell, StevenThis presentation was published in Games & Culture and can be found above as "Symbolic Violence in the Language of Game Descriptions of Blackness: The Case of Pathfinder" Presentation for the Tampere University Spring Seminar 2022 This paper analyzes the impact of discourses surrounding Black bodies in tabletop role playing games. Research has discussed the issue of visual representations of differing ethnicities in fantasy role playing games, even though roleplaying games have traditionally conflated “race” with “species”, often leading to most humans being represented as White (Dietrich, 2013; Garcia, 2017; Long, 2016). New discussions in tabletop gaming spaces center on the absence of diverse representation, and efforts to address these concerns. I use discursive thematic analysis to examine the descriptions of individuals who are to be represented as Black in the Pathfinder game setting, a game system loosely related to the popular Dungeons & Dragons which has human ethnicities that are Black. Via a method combining Gee (2004) and Fairclough (2001), I critically analyze descriptions for Black bodies in the game materials that extensively discuss the Black ethnicities in the game. I demonstrate how the discourse represents a symbolic violence surrounding Blackness (Bourdieu, 1991). While the authors seek to provide imagery and word use to highlight the positive aspects of the characters, the overemphasis on these techniques signal the lurking stereotypes behind the paratextual discussion as a conceptual “other”. These characters then become examples of “good Blacks” that differ from “bad” individuals. The positive imagery provokes a stereotype threat, and a need to uphold this “good Black” mentality, lest one becomes the Other (Arronson and Steele, 1996; Richard, 2015).Item Queering 'Common Sense': Using Critical Discourse Analysis of LGBTQ Book Bans in Florida Public Schools to Unmask Heteronormativity(University of Nebraska, 2025-02-18) Zito, Talia; Morse, NicoleHistorically, censorship of LGBTQ+ content in education has been rooted in socio-political efforts to marginalize non-heteronormative identities. However, even those who oppose censorship tend to frame their arguments around concepts like "age-appropriateness" and "protecting children." Our Critical Discourse Analysis examines formal challenges to And Tango Makes Three in one Florida school district in 2022 to show how these concepts are deployed on both sides of the debate. The book, depicting a same-sex penguin couple raising a chick, faced objections under Florida's HB 1557, a law designed to restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Ultimately, the picture book was removed from the shelves despite proponents advocating for its educational value. Our analysis examines how both opponents and proponents of LGBTQ+ children's literature rely on "common sense" discourse and arguments about "age appropriateness" to support their claims. We argue that such discursive moves, while seemingly neutral, perpetuate discriminatory ideologies and reinforce normative power structures. Given that both sides' appeals to common sense and age-appropriateness fail to challenge and often reinforce exclusionary beliefs, we argue that advocates should look beyond common sense and instead draw on queer theory as a resource in these struggles against censorship. Effective advocacy must confront how heteronormative assumptions are embedded in educational policies and practices. Queer theory offers a powerful framework to reimagine advocacy strategies, challenging the notion of political neutrality by exposing how what appears to be unbiased or "common sense" is often deeply embedded in normative assumptions and power dynamics. By reframing the discourse, advocates can challenge and dismantle the underlying heteronormative ideologies. Embracing queer theoretical insights can lead to a more inclusive and equitable environment, where LGBTQ+ literature is celebrated for its role in promoting diversity, challenging normative constructs, and reimagining educational environments and social worlds.Item Russian-speaking LGBTQ communities in the West(Taylor & Francis, 2021-07-24) Novitskaya, AlexandraThis chapter reviews the scholarship on Russian-speaking LGBTQ communities in the three largest post-Soviet diasporas: the USA, Israel, and Germany. Although there have been important analyses of how the post-Soviet opening of borders led to increases in labor and marriage migration, there has been relatively little work on new possibilities for LGBTQ migrants. LGBTQ migrants have tried a variety of tactics to negotiate their sexuality and post-Soviet cultural heritage, with those in the 1990s USA unable to come out as queer in the diaspora and those in Israel distancing themselves from the Russian identity. Based on more recent studies conducted in Berlin and New York City, LGBTQ status has become a factor driving migration. Those in Berlin immigrated to escape heteronormativity in post-Soviet societies, and those in New York City become politicized as their asylum status depends on their lived experience as LGBTQ. In the latter case, the phenomenon is gendered: lesbian and bisexual women are under-represented, perhaps because, as women, they have fewer resources for immigration and are more socialized to stay connected to their families. Moreover, since asylum adjudicators tend to privilege visible homophobic violence, more often experienced by gay men in post-Soviet societies, women seem less likely to obtain asylum.Item Failing Together in Solidarity(SQS, 2021-01-07) Novitskaya, AlexandraItem Sufficient Magic: Queer Prison Comix as Liberation Praxis(Ohio State University Press, 2024) Morse, NicolePrison art has many functions, from representation to healing to rehabilitation, and it can make use of many different kinds of media, including comix. For prison abolitionists, prison art is most powerful when it is connected to larger struggles against the criminal punishment system, and comix offer unique affordances to abolitionist movements. From cells to movement blur to the gutter, comix enable artists to interrogate carcerality and gendered oppression simultaneously. Through close readings of comix and correspondence with artists and organizers, this article examines the world-making praxis of incarcerated trans artists who are creating and distributing original comix with the abolitionist organization ABO Comix. While most scholarship on prison art explores state-sanctioned programs, ABO Comix is independent from the prison system, producing alternative possibilities as well as unique challenges for artists and organizers. In comix by trans artist Krysta Morningstarr* as well as other artists, incarcerated LGBTQ artists use comix as a form of world-making, mutual aid, and collective praxis within and beyond the prison borders.Item Catriona Macleod, Alexandra Shephard, Maria Ågren (eds), The Whole Economy, Work and Gender in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023, 230 pp. ISBN 9781009359368(Open Edition Journals, 2024-09-19) Froide, AmyItem Henry Ossawa Tanner and His Influence in America(Traditional Fine Arts Organization, 2006-06-07) Smalls, JamesBaltimore Museum of Art, June 7-November 26, 2006Item Henry Ossawa Tanner and the Lure of Paris(Traditional Fine Arts Organization, 2005-12-02) Smalls, JamesBaltimore Museum of Art, December 7, 2005-May 28, 2006Item A GHOST OF A CHANCE: Invisibility and Elision in African American Art Historical Practice(The University of Chicago Press, 1994-04) Smalls, JamesItem Man, Idea, Image: Photographs of Men from the Mark Rice Collection(UMBC Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, 2017-08-30) Smalls, JamesAlbin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, August 30-December 12, 2017Item Voicing New Critical Perspectives(The University of Chicago Press, 2003-04) Smalls, JamesItem Slavery is a Woman: ‘Race,’ Gender, and Visuality in Marie Benoist’s Portrait d’une négresse (1800)(Association of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art, 2004) Smalls, JamesItem A teacher uses Star Trek for difficult conversations on race and gender(The Conversation, 2015-07-22) Smalls, JamesWhat can Star Trek teach us about today’s trek of life?Item URCAD 2024(UMBC Center for Social Science Research, 2024-05-01) Anson, Ian; Kim, Jean; Awan, Pakeeza; Joslow, Rachael; Hoang, Lien; Osei, Emmanuella; Cline, Carrington; Byrd, Ziegfried; Anson,Ian; Mallinson,Christine; Filomeno,Felipe; Kim,Jean; Moreland,D’Juan; Barnes,Amy; Ralston,MyriamOn today’s episode we hear about a series of fantastic presentations from UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day, also known as URCAD. During URCAD, students from across the social science disciplines presented their excellent research to the campus community and beyond. Our special host for today’s episode is our production assistant, Jean Kim. Stay tuned for this wonderful celebration of undergraduate achievement–in podcasting as well as in social science research!Item Bitch Syndrome: Investigating How Masking, Late Diagnosis, and the Patriarchy Impact Autistic Women’s Social Experiences(UMBC Review, 2024) ADAMS, DARCIE; Holladay, DrewThis study proposes a new term “bitch syndrome,” intended to encapsulate the experiences autistic women face at the intersection of disability and the patriarchy: the double stigmatization of failing to be feminine enough while also failing to adhere to allistic social standards. Being labeled as “bitchy” by their peers leads these women to produce and sustain allistic “masks” more successfully and for longer periods than male autists, which reinforces gendered behavioral expectations. This study is a mixed-method phenomenological approach that examines first-person narratives from autistic women using TikToks, Tweets, and other written narratives. This study quantitatively identifies the words most commonly used negatively towards autistic women, and then seeks to qualitatively understand how identified themes permeate these interactions to reproduce stigma against autism and disability, patriarchal gender norms, and a culture of closeted silence for autistic women. This study contributes to a growing body of research into why autistic women are underdiagnosed. Importantly, this study is on a research topic of great importance to the autistic community itself, and participates in the fast-growing movement for autism research to be done by autistic people.Item “I have something for you”: The Erotic Habitus and Class Situatedness of the Pizza Boy Trope in Gay Pornography(The Projector, 2024-12) Dashiell, StevenItem Gaming Capital on Overwatch's Official Forums(Sage, 2023-09-14) Korkeila, Henry; Dashiell, Steven; Harviainen, J. TuomasThis study uses the public discussion boards of Overwatch to see how context-based gaming capital is present, accumulated and expended through the messages. The data consists of a 1-month snapshot from which 50 most viewed threads were analyzed. The following aspects were recorded from each thread and first 10 replies: views, number of comments, users’ role in forums, has the developer replied to thread, topic, date, whether there are types of capital (social, economic, cultural, symbolic) present, and in what linguistic form is the message posted. Findings: while discussions are within Overwatch's framework, there is scarcely any demonstrable amount of gaming capital in a single post or reply. Certain topics elicited more discussion, articulation methods varied but greatly leaned on the user's anecdotal experiences. Further, it was found that gaming capital is used to validate users’ own views and argument for the credibility of the user and their messages.Item Sexual Violence, Race and Media (In)Visibility: Intersectional Complexities in a Transnational Frame(MDPI, 2015-08-10) Patil, Vrushali; Purkayastha, BandanaIntersectional scholarship argues that women of color have distinct experiences of rape compared to white women and highlights their relative invisibility as victims compared to white women victims in news media. While the bulk of intersectional work has examined such issues within one nation and particularly within the US, in an era of increasingly transnationalized media content, we explore such intersectionalities in a transnational frame. That is, we explore the treatment of the rape of a local Indian woman in New Delhi, India, and the rape of a white woman in Steubenville, USA, in the New York Times and the Times of India. We find that contra assumptions in the intersectional literature, the racialized Indian victim is hyper-visible across both papers while the white US victim is relatively invisible. Situating both newspapers within the global histories of the development of news as a particular genre of storytelling, we argue that their respective locations within larger processes shaped by colonial, imperial and neo-colonial histories have critical implications for the coverage each paper offers. Thus, we argue that issues of race and visibility in media operate very differently depending on the space and scale of analysis. In an increasingly globalized world, then, we must start paying attention to the transnational and its implications for rape, race and (in)visibility in news media. Ultimately, our approach brings together processes of racialization at multiple scales—both below the nation and above the nation—to offer a more complex, multi-scalar understanding of how racialization processes impact rape coverage.Item Colorblind Feminisms: Ansari-Grace and the Limits of #MeToo Counterpublics(The University of Chicago Press, 2021) Patil, Vrushali; Puri, JyotiThis article focuses on the uproar over the sexual encounter between actor/comedian Aziz Ansari and a woman known publicly as Grace as a lens onto the colorblind counterpublic feminisms driving the #MeToo movement. Tracing the ways that this sexual encounter between a Brown Muslim man and an anonymous, presumably white, woman were spotlighted, we show that race is superficially absent even as it informs the range of feminist counterpublics that emerged around this case. Extending feminist theories of counter/publics, we explore the ways that the hybrid media system, including traditional as well as digital media, enables colorblind feminisms. Focusing on Facebook as an index of these plural feminist perspectives, we examine eighty-four of the most shared links on this platform to show that, regardless of the positions taken, issues of gender and sexuality dominate framings of the Ansari-Grace encounter, even as race and racialization implicitly mediate the public conversations on heterosexual violence and misconduct. Situating these conversations within the broader history of US racisms and the politics of sexual assault, we also point to how mediated technologies are contributing to the hypervisibility of men of color and shaping which cases occupy the limelight and the feminist counterpublics emerging around them. We argue that these colorblind feminist counterpublics, in effect, center the pain of white women.