From Fairy Tales to Fabulous Lives. (Under the Direction of Anna Victoria Wilson)
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Abstract ATKINS, KRISTIN GAYLE. Investigating Female Identity Formation: From Fairy Tales to Fabulous Lives. (under the direction of Anna Victoria Wilson) Identity is not a universally fixed term (Butler, 1990, p. 7); rather, it is complex construction produced and reproduced along the axes of gender, race, class, sexuality, education, and cultural context (Gauntlett, 2002, p. 13). As such, identity hinges on a combination of acts, (Sedgwick, 1990), hierarchical social categories (Butler, 1999), culture (Kellner, 1995, 2003), history, difference, representation, social institutions, and stories that define and shape the self through recursive and self-reflexive processes. This research investigates the impact of media culture, body image, relationships, and fairy tales on the identity formation of four young women. Specifically, I concentrate on key cultural models provided through electronic media, visual media culture, and schooling to follow the ways in which these women construct and co-construct their identities over the course of several interviews. Using discourse analysis as the primary tool of inquiry, this study investigates specific details in speech to identify key patterns in language, to interrogate the socioculturally-situated identities produced, and to illuminate relevant cultural models and context in an effort to better understand the ways in which girling and the institution of school inform female identity formation. Dedication This work is the product of generations of strong women who subtlety and strategically remind me that their “force is with me” when both life and work overwhelm. Thus, it is with Anna Pearl Pryor, Virginia Bea Dalton, Suzanne Atkins, Anna Kinzie and Valerie (a.k.a. “Dodie”) Hatfield that I commend this work to your review. In her own way, each taught me that the sum of a woman is far more than her appearances. It is not on their shoulders, though, that this research entirely rests. Without my father’s fascination for the why in life, I would be nowhere. His indulgence and, at times, encouragement of my incessant questions enabled me to trouble everything I learned at home and at school. With my mother and father, our home was flush with open intellectual challenge and precious few easy answers. I am grateful for their example and for that rigor and ambiguity now. I am also indebted to my brother, Ted, for modeling courage and humor in the face of physical ruin. Despite obstacles, Teddy’s optimism remains unchecked. I have learned so much from his battle with diabetes and gained immeasurably from the ways in which his triple transplantation restored and renewed his life and mine. Appreciation and debt seem insufficient to express my gratitude to Dr. Anna V. Wilson, chair, mentor, “North Carolina mom,” and Wild Woman, who pulled me off of my sandbar and renewed in me the chutzpah required of doctoral pursuits. Her insistent nudges, unwavering belief and uncompromising commitment to excellence are gifts worthy of more than mere gratitude. I am, indeed, grateful as well for her guidance in selecting my many committee members: Dr. Paul Bitting, Dr. Ken Brinson (who graciously stepped in at the ii eleventh hour), Dr. Valerie-Lee Chapman (who passed away during completion of this work), Dr. Mary Aswell Doll, and Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli. Your willingness to share your work and, at times, your life in this project has not gone unappreciated. Finally, to my husband, Mark, under whose loving eye I was not allowed to be distracted by Food Network, new step-children, laundry, my love of cooking, my professional responsibilities, my thrilling pregnancy with our son, or my love of him, I am truly grateful. Our marriage and children continue to be a blessing in my life and to my work. I am proud to dedicate this work to all of you and to unnamed others with whom I share deep connection and from whom I gather the support and strength to continue. You have made my life and my work possible through the secrets and relationships we share. iii Biography I was born on July 12, 1971 in Port Charlotte, Florida to Theodore and Suzanne Atkins. Growing up with wonderful parents on the Gulf Coast of Florida afforded amazing privileges—spectacular sunsets, quality education, and a close-knit community—that cultivated a life-long connection to what I will forever call “home.” Part of that connection manifests itself in my ties to family and to water. From 1989 to 1993, I attended The Florida State University, earning a dual Bachelors degree in English and Secondary English Education and a Masters degree in English Literature. Following my graduation, I returned to Port Charlotte to teach English at Charlotte High School, my former rival high school, for three years. On August 8, 1996, I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, an event that has defined my life in unparalleled ways. In 1997, I earned a position on the opening team for Southeast Raleigh High School, a new magnet high school in Raleigh. This opportunity ushered in a second series of graduate work beginning in the spring of 1998 when my Principal, John Modest, introduced me to Dr. Anna V. Wilson. After one year of doctoral work under Dr. Wilson’s careful eye, I was promoted to Assistant Principal and transferred to the Masters of School Administration program to earn credentials for that position. Upon completion of the MSA in May, 2001, I reclaimed my doctoral pursuits while continuing to work full time as an Assistant Principal for Instruction and, now, as the Senior Administrator for High School English Language Arts in the Wake County Public School System. In the last few months my family has grown to include my beloved husband, Mark, his two children, Meredith and Logan, the son I carry as I write this dissertation, and my iv selfless in-laws, Bruce and Joanne; all ground me in faith through their love and support. I am as passionate about them as I am about my work in curriculum theory and the ways in which educational institutions school young women in the ways of patriarchy. v TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES............................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1............................................................................................................................ 1 IDENTITY, TOOLS, AND PERSPECTIVE ....................................................................... 1 WHAT IS IDENTITY? ............................................................................................................... 2 Identity.............................................................................................................................. 5 Relational Identity ...................................................................................................... 6 Storytelling................................................................................................................... 7 Subjectivity ..................................................................................................................... 11 Positive Subjectivity.................................................................................................. 12 Negative Subjectivity ................................................................................................ 13 Performativity ........................................................................................................... 15 Identity: When, Where and How................................................................................... 17 TOOLS OF INQUIRY............................................................................................................... 19 Defining d/Discourse ..................................................................................................... 20 Why Discourse Analysis? .............................................................................................. 20 Situated Identities ..................................................................................................... 21 Cultural Models ........................................................................................................ 21 WHY IT MATTERS ................................................................................................................ 21 HOW IT MATTERS ................................................................................................................ 23 RESEARCHER PERSPECTIVE.................................................................................................. 25 Parents............................................................................................................................ 25 Pounds ............................................................................................................................ 26 Partnered ........................................................................................................................ 28 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ 30 CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................. 32 REVIEW OF LITERATURE.............................................................................................. 32 MEDIA AND MANIPULATION ................................................................................................ 32 Doll: Literary Explorations of the Good Girl/Bad Girl Dichotomy............................