Activity Systems on the Periphery Ajda Kahveci

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Activity Systems on the Periphery Ajda Kahveci Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2005 Impact of a Women's Program for Science, Mathematics and Engineering on Undergraduate Women: Activity Systems on the Periphery Ajda Kahveci Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IMPACT OF A WOMEN’S PROGRAM FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING ON UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN: ACTIVITY SYSTEMS ON THE PERIPHERY By AJDA KAHVECI A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2005 The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Ajda Kahveci defended on June 09, 2005. ________________________ Sherry A. Southerland Professor Co-Directing Dissertation ________________________ Penny J. Gilmer Professor Co-Directing Dissertation ________________________ Jeffrey P. Chanton Outside Committee Member ________________________ Owen F. Gaede Committee Member Approved: __________________________________________________ Pamela S. Carroll, Interim Chair, Department of Middle and Secondary Education The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii To Asel Müge Kahveci iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank my co-major professors, Dr. Sherry A. Southerland and Dr. Penny J. Gilmer for their incredible support and supervision through such a close, caring, and yet, professional relationship. I owe a great deal to Dr. Penny J. Gilmer for her guidance to the context of this research. I also would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey P. Chanton, for his lively contribution, and Dr. Owen F. Gaede, for his help. In addition, I would like to thank the Director of the Program for Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Dr. Jones, who welcomed me “to be around” and pursue my research. Scott P. Sowell and Ahmad Qablan, my peers in the science education community at Florida State, also have been incredibly supportive. Thank you for providing insight and encouragement along the way, and also for your meaningful presence at all of my defenses. I thank all undergraduate students who participated in this research. I especially am indebted to the three courageous young women whose patience, honesty, and open- heartedness made possible this project. Thank you. I am grateful to my parents, Hasan Yılmaz and Necmiye Yılmaz, for their incredible support, outstanding efforts and encouragement since early years making possible these days. I also thank my brother, Alkin Yılmaz, for keeping in touch and his care for me. I especially thank my mother, for her presence overseas and unforgettable support during the writing of my findings. This project would not have been possible without the patience and pure love of my little daughter, Asel Müge. Finally, my loving thanks go to my husband, fellow graduate and prospective colleague, Murat Kahveci, for his loving support of me personally and professionally. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................VIII LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................................................... IX ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................X CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................ 1 PICTURING WOMEN’S UNDERREPRESENTATION......................................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM......................................................................................................... 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 7 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................................................................ 7 THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S SUBORDINATION ............................................................................................ 7 STRANDS OF FEMINIST THEORY ............................................................................................................... 12 First-Wave (Sameness) Feminism....................................................................................................... 13 Second-Wave (Difference) Feminism.................................................................................................. 18 Third-Wave Feminism......................................................................................................................... 26 CURRENT PROBLEMS IN WOMEN’S EDUCATION....................................................................................... 29 How Women Become Marginalized.................................................................................................... 29 HOW TO CHANGE SM&E PEDAGOGY TO MAKE IT MORE GENDER INCLUSIVE ........................................ 35 Feminist Critiques of Science ............................................................................................................. 35 Feminist Critiques of Technology....................................................................................................... 38 Teaching Science in Gender Equitable Ways ..................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 47 METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................................................... 47 CONTEXT OF RESEARCH ........................................................................................................................... 47 The Program for Women In Science, Engineering, and Mathematics ................................................ 47 Feminist Approaches Embedded in the Program ............................................................................... 53 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK..................................................................................................................... 55 Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation .................................................................... 55 Cultural-Historical Activity Theory.................................................................................................... 59 Visual Representation of My Theoretical Frame ................................................................................ 63 RESEARCH DESIGN................................................................................................................................... 65 Qualitative Approach – Dominant...................................................................................................... 66 Quantitative Approach - Less-Dominant ............................................................................................ 67 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS ........................................................................................................................ 68 Interview Participants......................................................................................................................... 68 Survey Participants............................................................................................................................. 70 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION............................................................................................................. 73 Pilot Study - Summary ........................................................................................................................ 73 Qualitative .......................................................................................................................................... 74 Quantitative – The Survey Instrument................................................................................................. 79 METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS................................................................................................................. 88 Qualitative .......................................................................................................................................... 88 Quantitative ........................................................................................................................................ 90 RESEARCHER............................................................................................................................................ 92 ENSURING THE RIGOR OF THE RESEARCH................................................................................................. 94 v Crystallization/Triangulation.............................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Information to Users
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissenation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and contim1jng from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back ofthe book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge, Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. MI48106-1346 USA 313!761-47oo 800:521-0600 ELISION AND SPECIFICITY WRITTEN AS THE BODY: SEX, GENDER, RACE, ETHNICITY IN FEMINIST THEORY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DECEMBER 1995 By Carolyn DiPalma Dissertation Committee: Kathy Ferguson, Chairperson Michael Shapiro Phyllis Turnbull Deane Neubauer Ruth Dawson UMI Number: 9615516 UMI Microform 9615516 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company.
    [Show full text]
  • Mirrorshade Women: Feminism and Cyberpunk
    Mirrorshade Women: Feminism and Cyberpunk at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century Carlen Lavigne McGill University, Montréal Department of Art History and Communication Studies February 2008 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Studies © Carlen Lavigne 2008 2 Abstract This study analyzes works of cyberpunk literature written between 1981 and 2005, and positions women’s cyberpunk as part of a larger cultural discussion of feminist issues. It traces the origins of the genre, reviews critical reactions, and subsequently outlines the ways in which women’s cyberpunk altered genre conventions in order to advance specifically feminist points of view. Novels are examined within their historical contexts; their content is compared to broader trends and controversies within contemporary feminism, and their themes are revealed to be visible reflections of feminist discourse at the end of the twentieth century. The study will ultimately make a case for the treatment of feminist cyberpunk as a unique vehicle for the examination of contemporary women’s issues, and for the analysis of feminist science fiction as a complex source of political ideas. Cette étude fait l’analyse d’ouvrages de littérature cyberpunk écrits entre 1981 et 2005, et situe la littérature féminine cyberpunk dans le contexte d’une discussion culturelle plus vaste des questions féministes. Elle établit les origines du genre, analyse les réactions culturelles et, par la suite, donne un aperçu des différentes manières dont la littérature féminine cyberpunk a transformé les usages du genre afin de promouvoir en particulier le point de vue féministe.
    [Show full text]
  • Feminism Without Grown-Ups: Anti- Racism and the “Matter” of Childhood
    Feminism without Grown-Ups: Anti- Racism and the “Matter” of Childhood A Division III by Quin Rich Committee: Dr. Susana Loza and Dr. Kristen Luschen Spring 2016 Acknowledgements I am greatly indebted to the wonderful faculty members with whom I have been fortunate enough to work in writing Feminism without Grown-Ups. I would like to thank my committee members for their indispensible support, guidance, and feedback throughout this process: Dr. Susana Loza, Dr. Kristen Luschen, and Dr. Natalie Sowell. I have known each of them since my second semester at Hampshire, and I would not be the scholar I am today without their mentorship. I would also like to thank Dr. Angela Willey for many fruitful intellectual conversations, as well as for supporting me as I pursue my feminist academic ambitions. This project would not have been possible without their support and encouragement during this difficult yet rewarding year. Thank you to my mom, Jennifer Rich, for supporting and inspiring me as I continue on my intellectual journey. I am deeply grateful to have you in my life. Rich 1 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...... 3 Chapter 1: Epistemic Irreconcilability...……………………………………………....... 8 Chapter 2: Ethical (In)competence and Epistemic Limitation……………………….. 29 Chapter 3: Feminism without Grown-Ups and the Problem of Maturity…………… 58 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………... 74 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………….... 76 Appendix A: Email from Erika Christakis……………………………………………… 81 Rich 2 Introduction Much feminist thinking deploys the concept of maturity, yet this term is far from unproblematic. Perhaps I should give an example. In response to a question about the larger political significance of her work, feminist philosopher Rosi Braidotti states that feminists can offer “the ordinary citizen” of Europe help in “addressing internal obstacles,” such as heterosexism and racial prejudice (Pető, 2014).
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.WHY GENDER? TOWARDS an INTEGRATED MODEL of SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION in HUMAN BEINGS
    Revsita de Filosofía Open Insight ISSN: 2007-2406 [email protected] Centro de Investigación Social Avanzada México Cealey Harrison, Wendy WHY GENDER? TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION IN HUMAN BEINGS Revsita de Filosofía Open Insight, vol. III, núm. 4, julio, 2012, pp. 59-91 Centro de Investigación Social Avanzada Querétaro, México Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=421639452004 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative WHY GENDER? TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF SEXUAL DIFFERENTIATION IN HUMAN BEINGS Wendy Cealey Harrison University of Greenwich [email protected] Abstract Behind all research into Gender lies a persistent question about why it is that the social construction of sexual differ- entiation amongst human beings seems to entail an almost universal inequality and subordination. Arguably, however, that question, ‘Why?’, is misconceived. This paper argues that we should not be searching for a general answer for the existence of something that is not a single entity or set of processes, whether we are talking about ‘gender’, or ‘sex’. What we need instead is to replace that dichotomy with a model that integrates these two areas of investigation. Keywords: Contingency, Gender, Knowledge, Plasticiy, Sex. 3FDJCJEPr"DFQUBEP 0QFO*OTJHIUt7PMVNFO***t/ KVMJP tQQot*44/ 59 EL GÉNERO: ¿POR QUÉ? HACIA UN MODELO INTEGRADO DE LA DIFERENCIACIÓN SEXUAL EN LOS SERES HUMANOS Resumen Detrás de toda investigación sobre género hay una pregunta persistente: ¿por qué la construcción social de la diferencia- ción sexual en los seres humanos parece producir una au- sencia de igualdad y una subordinación prácticamente uni- versal? Se puede decir, todavía, que la pregunta “¿Por qué?” es una idea mal planteada.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
    CHAPTER Theoretical Perspectives on Gender 2 OUTLINE d. Feminist Critique of Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology 1. Psychoanalytic Theory e. Feminist Evolutionary a. Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Psychology and Feminist Development Sociobiology b. Criticisms of Freud’s 6. Social Role Theory Psychoanalytic Theory 7. Feminist Theories c. Karen Horney a. Gender as Status and Power d. Helene Deutsch b. Intersectionality e. Nancy Chodorow c. Queer Theory 2. Social Learning Theory d. Gender Roles and Socializationdistribute a. Evidence for Social Learning e. External Versus Internal Theory Attributions of Problems b. Cognitive Social Learning Theory f. Consciousnessor Raising 3. Cognitive-Developmental Theory g. Diversity of Feminisms FOCUS 2.1: Feminist Reformulation of h. Summary a Theory of Moral Development i. Evaluation of Feminist Theories 4. Gender Schema Theory j. In Conclusion a. Evidence for Gender Schema Theory post,FOCUS 2.2: Feminist Theory in Psychology: Objectification Theory 5. Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology EXPERIENCE THE RESEARCH: a. Parental Investment Gender Schema Theory b. Sexual Selection 8. Chapter Summary c. Evolutionary Psychologycopy, 9. Suggestions for Further Reading nderstanding gender differences has fascinated people probably since the dawn of Uthe human species. In the past century, science has come to dominate intellectual thought. Thus,not it is not surprising that scientific understandings of gender differences have developed. In this chapter we will examine some major psychological theories that have been formulated to explain the differences between women and men and how they develop. DoAt the outset, we think it is important to highlight the distinction between theory and empirical evidence. In the pages that follow, we will describe many of the theories about the psychology of women and gender that have been proposed.
    [Show full text]
  • Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in STEM
    Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in STEM Jeffrey W. Lockhart University of Michigan Department of Sociology and Center for the Study of Complex Systems [email protected] 24. May 2021 Preprint – Accepted Manuscript Suggested citation: Lockhart, Jeffrey W. 2021. “Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in STEM.” Gender & Society 35(3): 449-475. SocArXiv preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/zajyg Supplemental materials and data: https://osf.io/4jmuw Publisher’s version: https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/JMFNA939HPATJVF37SRI/full Lockhart | 2 ABSTRACT Scientists’ identities and social locations influence their work, but the content of scientific work can also influence scientists. Theory from feminist science studies, autoethnographic accounts, interviews, and experiments indicate that the substance of scientific research can have profound effects on how scientists are treated by colleagues and their sense of belonging in science. I bring together this disparate literature under the framework of professional cultures and show population-level trends supporting it. Drawing on the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the Web of Science, I use computational social science tools to argue that the way scientists write about sex in their research influences the future gender ratio of PhDs awarded across 53 subfields of the life sciences over a span of 47 years. Specifically, I show that a critical paradigm of “feminist biology” that seeks to de-essentialize sex and gender corresponds to increases in women’s graduation rates, while “sex difference” research—sometimes called “neurosexism” because of its emphasis on essential, categorical differences—has negative effects on women’s graduation rates in most fields. Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in STEM | 3 In 2005 Harvard University’s president, Lawrence Summers, sparked heated debates over the causes of women’s under-representation in many STEM fields.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Full Text
    www.ssoar.info Deflationary Logic Tuin, Iris van der Postprint / Postprint Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: www.peerproject.eu Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Tuin, I. v. d. (2008). Deflationary Logic. European Journal of Women's Studies, 15(4), 411-416. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1350506808095297 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter dem "PEER Licence Agreement zur This document is made available under the "PEER Licence Verfügung" gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zum PEER-Projekt finden Agreement ". For more Information regarding the PEER-project Sie hier: http://www.peerproject.eu Gewährt wird ein nicht see: http://www.peerproject.eu This document is solely intended exklusives, nicht übertragbares, persönliches und beschränktes for your personal, non-commercial use.All of the copies of Recht auf Nutzung dieses Dokuments. Dieses Dokument this documents must retain all copyright information and other ist ausschließlich für den persönlichen, nicht-kommerziellen information regarding legal protection. You are not allowed to alter Gebrauch bestimmt. Auf sämtlichen Kopien dieses Dokuments this document in any way, to copy it for public or commercial müssen alle Urheberrechtshinweise und sonstigen Hinweise purposes, to exhibit the document in public, to perform, distribute auf gesetzlichen Schutz beibehalten werden. Sie dürfen dieses or otherwise use the document in public. Dokument nicht in irgendeiner Weise abändern, noch dürfen By using
    [Show full text]
  • Gender Issues in Biology: an Approach to Teaching Writing Nadine Weidman Harvard University
    Gender Issues in Biology 61 Gender Issues in Biology: An Approach to Teaching Writing Nadine Weidman Harvard University In the spring of 1994, as I was finishing my dissertation in the de- partment of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University, I was given the opportunity to teach my own course: a freshman writing seminar on a subject of my own choosing. Eager to step to the helm after years of TAing, I leapt at the chance. But the experience of teaching writing from a non-traditional vantage point— by means of a field other than English— was much more rewarding that I could ever have imagined. The course that I designed taught students to write by introducing them to a subset of science studies: gender issues in biology, historical and contemporary perspectives. I called the course “Women in Biology and Biology on Women.” The terrain of science studies was unfamiliar to all of my young freshmen; the value of a humanistic perspective on sci- ence, the idea that science and culture are integrally related: all this was new to them. Many of them also came to the course resisting the gender focus and all too ready to announce, “I am not a feminist!” But in the end, every student— eleven women and two men— came away with a broad- ened sense of the meanings of feminism, a heightened awareness of gen- der issues in science and, most important, an ability to think critically, argue cogently and write clearly. Because so many universities are cur- rently experimenting with teaching writing across the disciplines, I here- with offer a successful example of a course that fulfilled that ideal.
    [Show full text]
  • Feminism and the Evolutionary Sciences: a Reexamination of Human Nature
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1996 Feminism and the Evolutionary Sciences: A Reexamination of Human Nature Laurette T. Liesen Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Liesen, Laurette T., "Feminism and the Evolutionary Sciences: A Reexamination of Human Nature" (1996). Dissertations. 3624. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/3624 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1996 Laurette T. Liesen LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CIDCAGO FEMINISM AND THE EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCES: A REEXAMINATION OF HUMAN NATURE A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE BY LAURETTE T. LIESEN CIDCAGO, ILLINOIS MAY 1996 Copyright by Laurette T. Liesen, 1996 All rights reserved. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I thank Loyola University Chicago and the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation for the funding I received as I wrote this dissertation. Several individuals have generously given their time to read parts ofthis manuscript. I thank Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Jane Lancaster, and Roger D. Masters for their comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the third chapter. My appreciation goes to my friend Carol Wrobel for the time she took to read versions of the first chapter.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 2 Theoretical Perspectives on Gender 29
    CHAPTER Theoretical Perspectives on Gender 122 Outline 1. Psychoanalytic Theory c. Feminist Critique of Sociobiology a. Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual and Evolutionary Psychology Development d. Feminist Evolutionary Psychology b. Criticisms of Freud’s Psychoanalytic and Feminist Sociobiology Theory e. Gender-Neutral Evolutionary Theory c. Karen Horney 6. Social Role Theory d. Nancy Chodorow 7. Feminist Theories 2. Social Learning Theory a. Gender as Status and Power a. Evidence for Social Learning b. Intersectionality Theory c. Queer Theory b. Cognitive Social Learning Theory d. Gender Roles and Socialization 3. Cognitive-Developmental Theory e. External Versus Internal FOCUS 2.1: Feminist Reformulation Attributions of Problems of a Theory of Moral Development f. Consciousness Raising g. Diversity of Feminisms 4. Gender Schema Theory h. Evaluation of Feminist Theories a. Evidence for Gender Schema Theory i. In Conclusion 5. Sociobiology and Evolutionary EXPERIENCE THE RESEARCH: Psychology Gender Schema Theory a. Parental Investment and Sexual 8. Chapter Summary Selection b. Evolutionary Psychology 9. Suggestions for Further Reading The first thing that strikes the careless observer is that women are unlike men. They are ‘the oppositeDo not sex’—(though copy, why post, ‘opposite’ or I do distribute not know; what is the ‘neighboring sex’?). But the fundamental thing is that women are more like men than anything else in the world. Dorothy Sayers, Unpopular Opinions (1946) Copyright ©2022 by SAGE Publications, Inc. This work may not be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without express written permission of the publisher. 28 The Psychology of Women and Gender ender differences have long fascinated people.
    [Show full text]
  • Dismantling Feminist Biology Through the Design of Etextiles
    Dismantling Feminist Biology through the Design of eTextiles Abstract: We present the design of a toolkit that ex- 1 2 Teresa Almeida , Ko-Le Chen , plores textile materials with electronics as interac- Rob Comber1 and Madeline Balaam1 tion material for intimate health literacy, and method for engaging women in self-care. This toolkit includes 1 KTH Royal Institute of Tech- nology, Stockholm, Sweden a series of artefacts designed for research. A range of [email protected], rcomber@ design and craft techniques were used, and materi- kth.se, [email protected] als explored, as medium to engender conversations 2 Newcastle Universi- between communities of women on practices of in- ty, Newcastle, UK timate care. The toolkit consists of a set of materials [email protected] for the following two activities 1) body mapping and 2) do-it-yourself (DIY) wearable eTextiles. We pre- sent findings from our case study that included itera- tions with the toolkit within four discrete workshops, and a total of 22 women and girls age range 15-52. Our approach draws from feminist biology to assi- milate notions of embodiment and bodily functions in ways that are conducive to knowledge production. Within this study we put a focus on interweaving aesthetics with the material landscape of electronic textiles and the body; making with and through DIY artefacts supported by technology-enabled materi- als, to shape and strengthen knowledge of processes within and between bodies. We contribute a design- erly approach to creating bodily awareness through hands-on engagement with crafting technology. Keywords: Intimate care; tool- kits; eTextiles; feminist biolo- gy; woman-centred design 1 Frictions and Shifts in RTD #rtd2019 #researchthroughdesign #delft #rotterdam 2 Almeida, Chen, Comber and Balaam | eTextile Toolkit.
    [Show full text]
  • Capitalist Expansion
    A Dialectic of Talking Forests: Trotskyist Ecology Through Afghan Sufi Cosmology Bilal Zenab Ahmed (SOAS, University of London (PhD)) This paper argues that a Trotskyist understanding of dialectics is well-suited to be combined with a few different intellectual mechanisms present in Pashto literature, oral storytelling, and Naqshbandi Sufi cosmology, to pursue a properly Marxist understanding of ecology and climate change. Such a model of understanding is highly appropriate to the local context of Northwest Pakistan and Southern Afghanistan, and can also potentially inspire new forms of dialectical understanding, elsewhere.I focus on the Afghan poet and refugee Pir Muhammad Karwan, who wrote a collection of work about the Soviet-Afghan War while living in Pakistani refugee camps during Taliban rule in the 1990s. Karwans poetry can be roughly classified as neoplatonist, due to its reliance on local Sufi concepts like maanavi and the imaginal plane. Perso-Arabic Sufi cosmology enables Karwan to work through an intellectual matrix that both abolishes and retools concepts like the self and other, technology and organic beings, human and nonhuman species, living and nonliving objects, embodied and cognitive knowledge, and sentient and non sentient natural processes. This is clear from works like The Chinar Tree Speaks, which discusses the Soviet-Afghan war from the perspective of human and tree, and The Talking Forest, which goes further to describe a forest not just in terms of its material content, but as a network of physical and emotional processes that feels, thinks, and speaks in its own spoken and embodied language.While Karwan is explicitly discussing the Soviet-Afghan War, its possible to use his perspective as a springboard for discussing the various impacts and processes involved in climate change.
    [Show full text]