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Gender, Race, and Nation in the Dear America Series

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Gender, Race, and Nation in the Dear America Series AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Kali Furman for the degree of Master of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies presented on June 9, 2015. Title: Gender, Race, and Nation in the Dear America Series Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Janet Lee Books and literature help children and young adults develop language, cognitive, and social skills. Additionally children’s literature enables individuals to develop a deeper appreciation for their own, and others’ cultures and histories. This thesis analyzes the young adult historical fiction series Dear America, published by Scholastic press, and examines how these books construct nation and racialized girlhood in the United States. The Dear America series features fictional diaries from girls at varying historical moments, and, with this in mind, I examine eight books from the series set during the Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion, and Civil War time periods. My analysis found that the Dear America series constructs sometimes contradictory notions of girlhood and nation. In the series I found that girlhood is constructed through the performance of daily feminized labor, heteronormativity, and resistance. Nation is constructed in the texts through a focus on foundational myths of the Revolutionary War and the figure of George Washington, as well as on racial hierarchies, and the rhetoric of individual persistence despite difficult situations. © Copyright by Kali Furman June 9, 2015 All Rights Reserved Gender, Race, and Nation in the Dear America Series by Kali Furman A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented June 9, 2015 Commencement June 2015 Master of Arts thesis of Kali Furman presented on June 9, 2015 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Director of the School of Language, Culture, and Society Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Kali Furman, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the many people who have supported and encouraged me throughout my graduate experience. • Thank you to my chair Dr. Janet Lee for all your support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my time at Oregon State University. It has been an honor to work with and learn from you. • Thank you to my committee, Dr. Elizabeth Sheehan, Dr. Marisa Chappell, and Dr. Molly Engle, for all of your feedback and support throughout this project. • To the professional faculty and student staff of Diversity and Cultural Engagement and the #CRCfam, thank you for your unwavering support and the opportunity to work and learn with all of you for the past two years. • To the amazing staff and student community of the Pride Center and SOL, thank you for the love, support, and growth you have given me in my time at OSU. I cannot imagine this experience without you. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with you and I cannot wait to see where your journeys take you. • To my fellow WGSS classmates, it has been a pleasure to learn from and with you. Thank you for the support and encouragement throughout my time in the program. • I would like to thank my friends, family, and mentors, without whom I would not be here. To my parents, Kairn and Tiny, and my big sister and brother-in- law, Kira and Dave, thank you for raising me to ask big questions and always loving and supporting me. To the Lyons-Dascenzo-Silver clan, thank you for accepting me into your loving family and always encouraging me. To my best friends Lissa and Lizzy, thank you for always lending an ear and loving me. Jeff, Whitney, Yamilet, and Lizz, thank you for your support and encouragement, I don’t know what I would have done without you. • Finally, thank you to my partner Connor. Your endless love, support, and friendship help sustain me. Thank you for everything you do. Fall 08 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction .................................................................................................................................................1 The Project................................................................................................................................................................1 The Approach ..........................................................................................................................................................4 Organization.............................................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 1: Nation, Historical Fiction, and the Dear America Series..................................... 9 Core Concepts .........................................................................................................................................................9 Nation...................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Historical Fiction................................................................................................................................................. 22 Nation, History, and Contemporary Issues in the Dear America Series........................................... 27 Chapter 2: Methodology....................................................................................................................... 34 Selection of the Texts......................................................................................................................................... 36 Book Summaries.................................................................................................................................................. 39 Chapter 3: Gender, Race, and Nation in the Dear America Series...................................... 45 Girlhood.................................................................................................................................................................. 45 Daily Feminized Labor................................................................................................................................. 46 Heteronormativity.......................................................................................................................................... 51 Resistance ......................................................................................................................................................... 58 Nation...................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Origin Stories .................................................................................................................................................. 62 Racial Hierarchies......................................................................................................................................... 67 Individual Persistence .................................................................................................................................. 76 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................. 80 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................................. 83 Appendices ................................................................................................................................................ 89 Appendix A: Complete list of books from the original Dear America series, 1996-2004 ......... 89 Appendix B: Complete list of books from the current Dear America series, 2010-2013........... 94 Furman 1 Introduction The Project Children’s literature is important for several developmental and relational reasons that include allowing young readers to develop a deeper appreciation for culture and history. Books and literature help children and young adults develop language, cognitive, and social skills, enabling them to think critically and creatively as well as develop emotional intelligence (Norton). However, while literature is important for children, not all children benefit equally from access to, and representation in, literature. In the United States, due to systemic power and social inequities, the literature taught in schools has often been written by and for white middle-class audiences and has overlooked and misrepresented the contributions and experiences of people from underrepresented communities (Lenz and Mahood). Therefore, it is vitally important that the children’s literature taught in schools, carried in libraries, and read by children be written by, about, and for people of varying identities, and backgrounds. In particular, historical fiction for children can enable students to “judge relationships and realize that their present and future are linked to actions in the past” (Norton, 523). Although children’s historical fiction can re-inscribe dominant narratives, it can also serve as a critical intervention to help students learn complex, multiple histories and understand the impact those histories have on the world today. This thesis analyzes the young adult
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