Department of Gender and Race Studies

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American Indian women cancer survivors' perceptions and experiences with conventional and non-conventional mental health care for depressive symptoms
(Routledge, 2021) Burnette, Catherine E.; Liddell, Jessica; Roh, Soonhee; Lee, Yeon-Shim; Lee, Hee Yun; Tulane University; University of South Dakota; San Francisco State University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Background: Despite cancer and depression being disproportionately high for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women, such cancer survivors' help-seeking practices and perceptions related to depression are absent in extant research. A broader context of historical oppression has set the stage for unequal health outcomes and access to quality services. The purpose of this article was to explore AI women cancer survivors' experiences with conventional mental health services and informal and tribally-based assistance, as well as barriers related to mental health service utilization. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study methodology, with qualitative content analysis, was used to examine the experiences of AI women cancer survivors as they related to help-seeking experiences for depressive symptoms. The sample included 43 AI women cancer survivors (n = 14 breast cancer, n = 14 cervical cancer, and n = 15 colon and other types of cancer survivors). Results: Since receiving a cancer diagnosis, 26 (62%) participants indicated they had feelings of depression. Some participants (n = 13) described mixed perceptions of the mental health service system. Generally, participants viewed families and informal support systems as primary forms of assistance, whereas conventional services were reported as a supplementary or 'as needed' forms of support, particularly when the informal support system was lacking. Participants received help in the forms of psychotropic medications and psychotherapy, as well as help from family and AI-specific healing modalities (e.g. sweat lodges and healing ceremonies). Stigma and confidentiality concerns were primary barriers to utilizing conventional services as described by 12 (29%) participants. Discussion: Participants' help primarily came from family and tribally-based entities, with conventional mental health care being more salient when informal supports were lacking. The mixed perceptions espoused by participants may be related to a broader context of historical oppression; family and social support and tribally-based services may be protective factors for cancer survivors with depression.
Analyzing factors associated with decisional stage of adopting breast cancer screening among Korean American women using precaution adoption process model
(Routledge, 2021) Jin, Seok Won; Lee, Jongwook; Lee, Hee Yun; University of Memphis; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Background: Korean American (KA) women have experienced higher prevalence and lower survival rates of breast cancer (BC) than other ethnic groups in the United States. However, BC screening rates for KA women remain significantly lower than the national target (81.1%) specified by Healthy People 2020. Few studies have explained how the decision to adopt BC screening occurs and progresses and what factors contribute to this decision among KA women. This study used Weinstein's Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) as a theoretical framework to examine characteristics and factors associated with the decisional stage of mammography adoption. Methods: A cross-sectional self-report survey was administered among KA women (N = 308) ages 50-80 from the Atlanta metropolitan area. A total of 281 KA women completed the survey, answering questions about socio-demographics, health-related information, mammography history, doctor recommendation, BC screening knowledge, self-efficacy for BC screening, decisional balance scores on attitudes and beliefs pertaining to mammography, and the seven-stage PAPM. Results: KA women reported a low rate of mammography uptake with about 24% and 35% of the participants undergoing mammography within the last year and two years, respectively. KA women in stages 5 (decided yes), 6 (action), and 7 (maintenance) were likely to have increased screening-related knowledge, positive decisional balance, and regular medical check-up compared to those in stages 1 (unaware), 2 (unengaged), and 3 (deciding). Conclusion: This study highlights important factors that could potentially facilitate BC screening among KA women in Georgia. The findings also provide implications for interventions and practice for increasing mammography screening among medically underserved populations.
As many hours as it takes!: women, labor, and craft in the book arts
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Brock-Reed, Amy Michelle; Pierman, Carol J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The growing field of Book Arts is in a state of change as it struggles to relate to the art world while being cast into the category of "craft." The majority of book artists are female and their experiences are integral in understanding how the field fits within the arts. In addition, it is difficult to support one's self on making books alone and most book artists are forced to find other job opportunities. In addition to a brief history of bookmaking and women bookbinders, and a literature review, this study features a pilot study of 7 women book artists from the organization Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA). The interviews look at the ways the women support themselves financially, how they view their art in relation to being a woman, and how they view the field of book arts as individuals. Just as women are continually defined and redefined, considered weak because of their size, and unimportant because of their historic place in society, the artists' book encompasses contradictions and is fighting to be recognized by the greater arts community.
Ashri and i: exploring "knowledge" through creative writing
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Rodgers-Farris, Sierra; McKnight, Utz Lars; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
A female protagonist simply identified as "She" remembers and relives acts of violence over a span of years and attempts to cope through poetry and an attachment to an imaginary `other.' Through poetry She imagines Ashri and her kidnap, abused, and descent into madness at the hands of Fin, connecting the pain of her own life with that of Ashri's. This combination of poetry and creative non-fiction is not only about the relation between men and women but also about sharing truths through the retelling of real events. This thesis focuses on the issue of how "knowledge" is created and sanctified by social and academic structures. The story shares the knowledge and the theory explains why it is important.
Black enough
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Hill, Jahman Ariel; McKnight, Utz; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
It is April. My thesis is due in less than a week, and I am sitting with my director, Eric Marable, Jr., and Fox News 6 anchor, Kelsey Davis, in the Fox 6 newsroom. As we sit there, three Black folks discussing a show by and for Black people, on local television, live, I can’t stop smiling. The next day, watching the clip online, I start crying. As a kid growing up in Kansas, I had never seen that before on the local news: Blackness, and nothing else. As a show, Black Enough aims to avoid definitions. I wanted to create something that couldn’t really be pinned down as one thing doing one thing. But, if I could capture the essence of Black Enough in a moment, it would the feeling of watching people who looked like me on TV, Flourishing. The message of my thesis, my one man show, Black Enough, is simple: Black people, you are enough. But getting to that message was not easy. This thesis is a culmination of years of study and input from a countless number of individuals, especially my creative team. As stated in the very first scene of the show, the main question motivating this thesis is how can we use performance to reimagine Blackness as the Flourish, or infinite possibility. The thesis will not seek to answer the question, but instead attempt to find its own way to perform Blackness as the Flourish.
Bridging Models of Biometric and Psychometric Assessment: A Three-Way Joint Modeling Approach of Item Responses, Response Times, and Gaze Fixation Counts
(Sage, 2022) Man, Kaiwen; Harring, Jeffrey R.; Zhan, Peida; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Maryland College Park; Zhejiang Normal University
Recently, joint models of item response data and response times have been proposed to better assess and understand test takers' learning processes. This article demonstrates how biometric information such as gaze fixation counts obtained from an eye-tracking machine can be integrated into the measurement model. The proposed joint modeling framework accommodates the relations among a test taker's latent ability, working speed and test engagement level via a person-side variance-covariance structure, while simultaneously permitting the modeling of item difficulty, time-intensity, and the engagement intensity through an item-side variance-covariance structure. A Bayesian estimation scheme is used to fit the proposed model to data. Posterior predictive model checking based on three discrepancy measures corresponding to various model components are introduced to assess model-data fit. Findings from a Monte Carlo simulation and results from analyzing experimental data demonstrate the utility of the model.
Can't take my soul: exploring and illuminating the spirituality and spiritual activism within British hip-hop
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Epps, Alisha Gayle; Shoaff, Jennifer L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Hip-hop is a transnational musical genre that has historically affected the lives of marginalized youth in powerful ways across the "Black Atlantic." By using a womanist framework of analysis, this thesis illuminates the ways in which three British hip-hop MC's-Akala, Logic, and Lowkey-employ their music to enact spiritual activism. I explore how their music explicitly and implicitly centers on spirituality and seeks to break down the barriers necessary for spiritual awareness and growth through the awakening and/or transformation of consciousness.
Co-authorship in A narrative of the uncommon sufferings and surprizing deliverance of Briton Hammon, a Negro man
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Warner, Erin Siobhan; McKnight, Utz Lars; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
"A Negro Man, Servant to--General Winslow" travels from Boston to Jamaica, Florida, Cuba, and London within a thirteen-year time frame. In the captivity narrative A Narrative of the Uncommon Sufferings and Surprizing Deliverance of Briton Hammon, A Negro Man, Briton Hammon experiences many hardships during his various captivities. His is a unique experience in the captivity genre, but is critiqued because of the manner in which this narrative is produced. He did not write it himself so it widely argued that this white genre can claim a black author but not the authority of that author's experience. In the book, The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B Du Bois portrays a two-sided man that has his own perspective, yet sees himself through others' eyes. He describes it as "two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body" (Du Bois). His aim is to explain the relationship between being an American and a Negro without a sole definition from the white perspective. This is my aim in my analysis of this text. This point of this research is to reclaim Hammon's authorship and therefore some of his authority. Hammon's voice constitutes the two souls and the two thoughts. I will examine the narrative in four sections: The title page and preface, the encounter with Indians, the imprisonment in Spanish Cuba, and his journey home.
Creole bodies and intersecting lives and oppressions: an intertextual dialogue between Kate Chopin and Alice Dunbar-Nelson
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Watts, Rachel; Fulton, DoVeanna S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Differing and contentious definitions of the term "Creole" have tried to produce rigid boundaries defining who to include and who to exclude within a "highly-contested identity space" (Stouck 272) by historians, writers, scholars, and even within Creole communities based on hegemonic dichotomous "either/or" structures. Moreover, these differing attempts at forming exclusive definitions have only revealed Creole to be a category that resists and complicates dichotomous structures. This project compares the nineteenth century Creole short stories of Kate Chopin and Alice Dunbar-Nelson to show how these boundaries are complicated and fissured by the ambiguities of race, gender roles, and female sexuality embodied by the colorful characters portrayed in their fiction. Through their stories, both writers interrogate the social inequalities of gender, race, class, and feminine sexuality, as it existed in the South, specifically in Louisiana. Their stories are more than social commentaries; by centering Creole subjects, they also challenge and disrupt normative standards of proper roles and markings of gender, race, and class. Chopin and Dunbar-Nelson are both identified as "women" who lived in the same region, but this shared identity does not mean shared lived experiences: the constructed categories of race, class, and sexuality greatly affect and cause individuals to experience oppression in different ways. An intertextual dialogue between these two writers illustrates how they each create different texts of race and human experiences within a common Creole community. Because of such hegemonic control of what is published, read, and studied, only certain voices are heard, while others are silenced, therefore, forming a narrow, one-sided commentary of lived experiences--an incomplete picture. To study Chopin while ignoring the work of Dunbar-Nelson only offers one side to a subject whose multiplicity of meanings foster considerable academic debate. Only by placing the stories of these two different authors, one widely anthologized and one not, side by side to see how they interact or contrast with each other, can we then attempt to formulate answers and thus gain a clearer, more whole, picture of the oppression and privilege structures of domination have on women's lives.
A critical examination of gender, race, and sexuality in introductory clinical psychology textbooks
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Payne, Kristen Lynn; Allen, Rebecca S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Clinical psychology is a field that aims to understand behavior and to use this understanding to aid individuals and society in a multitude of ways. Many psychologists use their training to help patients who seek help with emotional, behavioral, or other types of mental health issues. Because psychologists can have a significant impact on individual's lives and society as a whole, analysis of the training psychologists receive is critical to ensure that appropriate material is being integrated into that training. The present study is an examination of the five top selling introductory psychology textbooks as of 2008. These textbooks are used in upper level undergraduate and beginning graduate classrooms. The study's aim was to examine the content of these textbooks for information related to gender, race, and sexuality. The findings suggest that although the field of psychology has continued to report that multicultural sensitivity is essential to effective treatment of diverse individuals, introductory psychology textbooks do not have sufficient and accurate information in any of these areas. All of the books examined were authored by males, contained a higher proportion of photographs of white males than white females and ethnic minority males and females, contained traditionally gendered descriptions of males and females, reported little information on sexuality or race, had no information on possible reasons for reported sex differences, and contained gendered examples of psychopathology. The significance of these findings and suggestions for improving the multicultural content of psychology textbooks are discussed.
Cultural coverture: an examination of the impact of early American marriage laws on contemporary American women
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Steib, Summer Allison; Pierman, Carol J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Under the system of coverture a married woman's civil identity was covered by her husband's civil identity and she was viewed to be civilly dead. The system of coverture originated in Europe and was part of the English Common Law system. When settlers first colonized what would eventually become the United States, they adopted English Common Law and with it the system of coverture. Through the system of coverture, married women in the United States had no independent civil identity and they were excluded from the rights and obligations of citizenship. For over two hundred years, activists worked to challenge and change the system of coverture and the cultural attitudes and assumptions that were reflected through coverture. Though legal coverture ended in the closing decades of the twentieth century, the cultural attitudes and assumptions on which coverture was based are still impacting women and limiting their full freedom and agency. This thesis examines the historical foundations of marriage laws/coverture in Colonial America and traces their progression from laws to the cultural practices that women in contemporary America must navigate and negotiate in their lives.
Detecting Differential Item Functioning Using Multiple-Group Cognitive Diagnosis Models
(Sage, 2021) Ma, Wenchao; Terzi, Ragip; de la Torre, Jimmy; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Harran University; University of Hong Kong
This study proposes a multiple-group cognitive diagnosis model to account for the fact that students in different groups may use distinct attributes or use the same attributes but in different manners (e.g., conjunctive, disjunctive, and compensatory) to solve problems. Based on the proposed model, this study systematically investigates the performance of the likelihood ratio (LR) test and Wald test in detecting differential item functioning (DIF). A forward anchor item search procedure was also proposed to identify a set of anchor items with invariant item parameters across groups. Results showed that the LR and Wald tests with the forward anchor item search algorithm produced better calibrated Type I error rates than the ordinary LR and Wald tests, especially when items were of low quality. A set of real data were also analyzed to illustrate the use of these DIF detection procedures.
Dream more while you are awake: a correctional fantasy
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Kruse, Kenneth James; McKnight, Utz Lars; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Before September 2013, I had been in four prisons, none of them currently used to incarcerate people. I had visited them all as a tourist--in Argentina, Cambodia, Chile, and Vietnam--for the purpose of understanding the histories of these countries. My participation in this tragedy tourism certainly informs the reader of the incredible amount of privilege (both personal and communal--to travel internationally as a tourist, to have had the luxury of not having been to prison or jail myself or to have had a incarcerated family member/friend, of having broken the law many times but never getting caught/arrested/charged due to my social and economic positions, to travel to sites of incredible violence out of curiosity, etc.) with which I first came to teach in the prison. For the past three semesters, I have been teaching composition, creative writing, and literature at Alabama prisons. I taught for one semester at Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka and for two semesters at. St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville (I am currently teaching there); both of these are maximum-security state facilities run by the Alabama Department of Corrections. Both Tutwiler and St. Clair have been in the news repeatedly over the past few years for egregious abuses of people incarcerated there. This thesis will, in an associative way, weave together disparate experiences and sources. I will include my personal experiences imagining and then teaching in the prison. Because it is unethical for me to share specific responses, verbal or written, from the students I work(ed) with in the prison, the prisoner voice in the thesis will be limited to narratives of prisoners around the United States excerpted from various published memoirs and collections. I will discuss the Free Alabama Movement manifesto produced by Mevlin Ray, who is incarcerated at St. Clair, which sparked labor strikes at three Alabama prisons in protest of cheap and free prisoner labor in January 2014. I will also contextualize the contemporary prison in the United States by discussing the punitive nature of the prison and its place in a U. S. racist institutional history that evolved from slavery and Jim Crow. I will be in dialogue with such prison theorists as Michelle Alexander, Angela Davis, Michel Foucault, and Lisa Guenther. I will also reference the many depictions of prison in popular culture, including everything from television shows like Orange is the New Black and Oz, to leaders such as Bryan Stevenson and Collin Powell, to the Monopoly board game. With Dan Savage's idea that "we eroticize that which we fear," I will also bring the incredible amount of prison pornography into the conversation. The goal of this thesis is not to be a comprehensive analysis of the infinite flaws in the justice system of this country or of the ways in which we collectively support, deny, and necessitate this system. I will touch on, but not exhaust, state surveillance, for-profit prisons, detention of undocumented people, and juvenile detention. The goal is, rather, to attempt to understand my intentions coming to the prison and my experience teaching there by relating my own thoughts and observations to the ocean of prison-related material that floats through popular culture and academia. In addition, I will move between the sources I used in my classes, both to talk about the teaching experience itself and because the experience of teaching, reading, and discussing these pieces inside prisons has shaped the way I consume and remember them. In addition, I will include lyrical descriptions of the prisons themselves.
Entangled Time Hops: Doomsday Clocks, Pandemics, and Qualitative Research's Responsibility
(Sage, 2021) Shelton, Stephanie Anne; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This article explores the micro- and macro-level implications of the dual global pandemics of COVID-19 and racism through a narrative structure based on Barad's discussion of "timehops." Weaving personal, national, and international stories, the article explores qualitative research's responsibility and potential to offer new ways to respond to the entanglements of people, places, moments, materials, and these pandemics.
Estimating Cognitive Diagnosis Models in Small Samples: Bayes Modal Estimation and Monotonic Constraints
(Sage, 2021) Ma, Wenchao; Jiang, Zhehan; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Peking University
Despite the increasing popularity, cognitive diagnosis models have been criticized for limited utility for small samples. In this study, the authors proposed to use Bayes modal (BM) estimation and monotonic constraints to stabilize item parameter estimation and facilitate person classification in small samples based on the generalized deterministic input noisy "and" gate (G-DINA) model. Both simulation study and real data analysis were used to assess the utility of the BM estimation and monotonic constraints. Results showed that in small samples, (a) the G-DINA model with BM estimation is more likely to converge successfully, (b) when prior distributions are specified reasonably, and monotonicity is not violated, the BM estimation with monotonicity tends to produce more stable item parameter estimates and more accurate person classification, and (c) the G-DINA model using the BM estimation with monotonicity is less likely to overfit the data and shows higher predictive power.
Evaluating the Fit of Sequential G-DINA Model Using Limited-Information Measures
(Sage, 2020) Ma, Wenchao; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Limited-information fit measures appear to be promising in assessing the goodness-of-fit of dichotomous response cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs), but their performance has not been examined for polytomous response CDMs. This study investigates the performance of the M-ord statistic and standardized root mean square residual (SRMSR) for an ordinal response CDM-the sequential generalized deterministic inputs, noisy "and" gate model. Simulation studies showed that the M-ord statistic had well-calibrated Type I error rates, but the correct detection rates were influenced by various factors such as item quality, sample size, and the number of response categories. In addition, the SRMSR was also influenced by many factors and the common practice of comparing the SRMSR against a prespecified cut-off (e.g., .05) may not be appropriate. A set of real data was analyzed as well to illustrate the use of M-ord statistic and SRMSR in practice.
Examining the Impacts of Rater Effects in Performance Assessments
(Sage, 2019) Wind, Stefanie A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Rater effects such as severity, centrality, and misfit are recurrent concerns in performance assessments. Despite their persistence in operational assessment settings and frequent discussion in research, researchers have not fully explored the impacts of rater effects as they relate to estimates of student achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts of rater severity, centrality, and misfit on student achievement estimates and on classification decisions. The results suggest that these three types of rater effects have substantial impacts on estimates of student achievement and on classification decisions that impact the fairness of rater-mediated assessments. Accordingly, it is essential that researchers and practitioners evaluate ratings across all stages of rater-mediated assessment procedures, including rater training and operational scoring.
An exploratory decision tree analysis to predict physical activity compliance rates in breast cancer survivors
(Routledge, 2019) Paxton, Raheem J.; Zhang, Lingfeng; Wei, Changshuai; Price, Daniel; Zhang, Fan; Courneya, Kerry S.; Kakadiaris, Ioannis A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Houston; Amazon.com; University of North Texas Denton; University of Alberta
Background: The study of physical activity in cancer survivors has been limited to one cause, one effect relationships. In this exploratory study, we used recursive partitioning to examine multiple correlates that influence physical activity compliance rates in cancer survivors. Methods: African American breast cancer survivors (N = 267, Mean age = 54 years) participated in an online survey that examined correlates of physical activity. Recursive partitioning (RP) was used to examine complex and nonlinear associations between sociodemographic, medical, cancer-related, theoretical, and quality of life indicators. Results: Recursive partitioning revealed five distinct groups. Compliance with physical activity guidelines was highest (82% met guidelines) among survivors who reported higher mean action planning scores (P < 0.001) and lower mean barriers to physical activity (P = 0.035). Compliance with physical activity guidelines was lowest (9% met guidelines) among survivors who reported lower mean action and coping (P = 0.002) planning scores. Similarly, lower mean action planning scores and poor advanced lower functioning (P = 0.034), even in the context of higher coping planning scores, resulted in low physical activity compliance rates (13% met guidelines). Subsequent analyses revealed that body mass index (P = 0.019) and number of comorbidities (P = 0.003) were lowest in those with the highest compliance rates. Conclusion: Our findings support the notion that multiple factors determine physical activity compliance rates in African American breast cancer survivors. Interventions that encourage action and coping planning and reduce barriers in the context of addressing function limitations may increase physical activity compliance rates.
Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height and Viola Liuzzo: not just a dream, initiators for equality
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Barnett, Jennifer Michelle; Fulton, DoVeanna S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This thesis uses the standpoint theory and lived experiences method, introduced by Patricia Hill Collins and Sandra Harding, to examine the lives of three women who were active in fighting for freedom, equality, and a more democratic society for all citizens. It is argued that these women were concurrently combating issues associated with sexism, racism, classism, and disabilities in order to create a more fair society. My research indicates their motives for publicly fighting racism stem from their childhoods, a strong sense of social justice, and the desire to create a safer world. They envisioned a world where nobody feared for their lives simply for casting a ballot or dining at a lunch counter. The first chapter briefly discusses the history of the Civil Rights Movement and actions taken when systematic forms of redress do not create results. The chapter also discusses gender roles, coalition building, the need for allies and their roles, as well as race, class, and gender politics. The discussion of using structural violence, systematic oppression, accusations of mental instability, and disabilities are also introduced; showing how they all intersected during instances of political and social turbulence. The chapter presents the concept as whiteness as property, a concept researched and introduced by Cheryl I. Harris, and how bodies are racialized. The second chapter acknowledges the work of Dorothy Height. Height used her education, class standing, and knowledge to fight for equality for Black people within society and politics. Facing sexism and racism, Height instigated many of the most well-known marches and platforms for equality among races. Sharing the stage with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Height in some ways accepted oppressions of sexism, but rallied against racism. The third chapter recognizes Viola Liuzzo, wife and mother to five children, from Detroit, Michigan. Liuzzo came south to challenge the violence and mistreatment accompanying the struggle for civil rights. Using her voice, dedication, and car to transport marchers, Liuzzo would become noted as the only white woman to lose her life in the Civil Rights Movement. The discussion surrounding Liuzzo will include how bodies are racialized and discredited when white women joined the ranks with Black freedom fighters. The fourth chapter discusses the role that Fannie Lou Hamer had toward empowering Black and poor white people. Hamer had a vision of a more just and democratic society. Facing racism, sexism, classism, and disability issues, Hamer used her experiences and rhetorical talent to break societal barriers. Becoming a victim of structural violence herself, she told her story in order to protect others. The fifth chapter conceptualizes why I chose to bring these three women together for discussion. The chapter discusses common experiences and ideas these women shared and draws conclusions about their similar motivations. Another major aspect discussed in this chapter is how these women crossed class, geographical, and race lines to work toward a common goal. This research suggests that all three women were aware of the dangers they faced when crossing these boundaries, but did it anyway for a need much greater than their own.
Feminisms and fluidity: from breasted existence to breasted resistance in feminist theory and activism
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Sullivan, Maigen; Purvis, Jennifer; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Dominant phallocentric norms call on bodies to fit rigid, static molds that do not allow for any flux or fluidity. It is necessary to note that these standards are a fallacy and that no bodies adhere to such strict structures. However, women's bodies are especially seen as going, and in fact do go, against these standards for what constitutes a proper body. When discussing the ways in which women's bodies act as sites of resistance against heteromasculine norms, their genitalia are often at the center of the conversation. However, we can take the discourse surrounding the fluidity of female genitalia and move it to a higher region--breasts. In Feminisms and Fluidity: From Breasted Existence to Breasted Resistance in Feminist Theory and Activism, I use the language and discourse typically reserved for women's genitalia in relation to breasts by looking at them as fluid sites of control and resistance. I discuss the physicality of breasts as being fluid in that breasts shift their shape with age and movement. I examine the way in which women's breasts are fluid in that they have the potentiality to produce fluids--breast milk. Finally, I expand our understanding of bodily limitations by examining both S/M and Crip Theory as ways to expand the margins of the body.

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