Browsing by Author "Caddell, April"

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    From margin to center: feminism in an era of mainstream co-optation
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Caddell, April; Purvis, Jennifer; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Contemporary American culture is witnessing the phenomenon of many high-profile celebrities proudly calling themselves, feminist--I refer to these individuals as celebrity feminists. This phenomenon comes as a shift from the historical avoidance with the term feminist and the feminist movement due to mainstream media's portrayal of feminism using negative and fallacious stereotypes. The current shift to "feminism is wonderful," in the mainstream media--as a reflection of a white supremacist and patriarchal society--de-politicizes feminism, making it less of a radical movement that seeks social change and more a portrayal of individual empowerment on the part of exceptional women. In essence, it seeks to separate the personal from the political. Following the lead of bell hooks, we must combat this co-optation and de-politicization of feminism and reclaim it as a transformative politics. We must come to a consensus on what feminism is, even if the definition is fluid and broad, determine the goals of feminism so that we do not mistake the individual success of women as proof of feminism accomplished, and challenge the so-called sex positivity of feminism as portrayed by the mainstream media for its lack of inclusion of all people and its portrayal of sex as the last frontier of feminism. In spite of these misrepresentations, feminism has a bright future in an era of social media that gives the power of media and message to more people who can portray a feminism that is radical and uses an intersectional lens.
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    A genealogy of posthumanism and ecopedagogy for planetary wellness
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) Caddell, April; Erevelles, Nirmala; Fishel, Stefanie; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    This study functions as a genealogy of posthumanism that argues for ecopedagogy as a necessary extension of critical pedagogy in order to adequately and inclusively respond to planetary crises for the sake of planetary wellness. Planetary wellness addresses the issues of the planetary community as a whole and includes issues that impacts the wellness of people, animals, the earth and the environment. As inspired by my time as a youth participant at the Highlander Research and Education Center, the major project of this study is to trace a genealogy of posthumanism in order to examine various intellectual traditions and the contributions they have made to a humanist philosophy of education, while also arguing the need for a posthumanist theory of education. The entry point for this genealogy is the work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, examining his humanism and his advancement of critical consciousness. From there, I examine the contributions of Enlightenment’s liberal humanism, materialist understandings of the human experience, feminist subversions of identity, critical animal studies, and disability studies. Lastly, I examine criticisms of critical pedagogy, and argue for ecopedagogy as a posthumanist theory of education for its potential to address planetary crises and ensure planetary wellness, with biophilia as a basis for an ecopedagogy that remains critical in a theory of education that moves beyond the self.