DOCSLIB.ORG

Jewish Girls, the JAP Discursive Stereotype, and Negotiated Identity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Jewish Girls, the JAP Discursive Stereotype, and Negotiated Identity Revisiting the Jewish American Princess: Jewish Girls, The J.A.P. Discursive Stereotype, and Negotiated Identity Rebecca Starkman, B. A. DepartInent of Child and Youth Studies Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario ©2010 "I never knew you could delve so deep into such a shallow persona" -Emma Abstract This qualitative exploratory research investigates how Canadian Jewish girls understand the discursive stereotype of the Jewish American Princess (JAP), and how they take up these understandings of the J AP in relation to their identities. Three focus groups and six interviews were conducted with girls attending Jewish high schools in Toronto, Canada to explore these questions. From a third wave Jewish feminist perspective, and taking a mediated action approach to identity, two analyses were conducted. A thematic analysis of peer relations, gender, community, and religious understandings demonstrates how aspects of individual identities mediate interpretations of the JAP. A series ofportraits of JAP-related identity were constructed to analyze how the JAP discursive stereotype also functions as a cultural tool that is taken up by the participants to mediate expressions of their identities. These findings establish the contradictory ways these Jewish girls describe, interpret, and utilize the JAP discursive stereotype, and the complex roles it plays in their social worlds. Acknowledgements For the past year, I have been extremely excited about writing my acknowledgements. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to study at the graduate level in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University. I have truly felt throughout the process of writing this thesis, that at every stage, my success has been tightly intertwined with the support I have received from so many wonderful people. This is my opportunity to formally recognize my deep appreciation for their support. My first thanks is to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Tom O'Neill, for his flexibility and willingness to support the evolution of my ideas and choices as a master's student. I am grateful to Tom for sharing his perspectives with me, and for pushing me to look at things in new and challenging ways. I also sincerely thank my committee members. Many thanks to Dr. Shauna Pomerantz for her wise questions, and for the enthusiasm that she brought to this project. Her drive and passion for feminist research has inspired me to continue along this path. Many thanks to Dr. Danny Tarulli for his assistance in finding rich resources and providing detailed feedback. His thought provoking questions led me to consider the issues under investigation at an ever-deepening level. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Hans Skott-Myhre, Dr. John McNamara, and Julia Gottli for their work as Directors and Staff of the Child and Youth Studies Graduate Program. Their support and direction were critical to my ability to carry out this work. I would also like to acknowledge my fellow graduate students. Their willingness to share resources, answer questions, and collectively problem solve made all of the difference on this journey. I would also like to thank my research assistants Meredith Herman, Cari Kallving, and Hava Glick for their assistance in carrying out the focus groups. Transcribing the group tapes would have been a nightmare had it not been for the speakers' lists they carefully kept during those meetings. I must also acknowledge the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for providing me with generous funding that supported my writing of this thesis over the past year. Through this process, my grandmothers, Theresa and Elva, my grandfather, Salvi, and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins have shared many insightful anecdotes and their own thoughts on the J AP stereotype, for which I am grateful. Many thanks go as well to my wonderful friends, both near and far, who provided me with invaluable encouragement to overcome the challenges inherent in graduate work. I thank both of these groups for their keen interest, and for allowing family events, birthday parties, car rides, and long-distance phone calls to turn into brainstorming sessions for this thesis. I thank my siblings, Samuel and Hava, for tolerating the stressful phases during this process, and for working their personal networks to help me find participants and feedback to complete this research. Their interest has been extremely meaningful. To my partner, Chaim, I thank him for providing me with the space in which to experience the wide range of emotions that writing this thesis has evoked. I am deeply grateful for his untiring support. I am forever thankful to my parents, Joel and Mary-Martha Starkman. They have continuously encouraged me to think critically, and to pursue learning opportunities for the sake of knowledge alone. It is through their eyes that I have learned to look to the future with excitement and optimism, and to freely imagine all that I can become. Their interest and support in every facet of this journey have enabled me to reach this place of thesis completion. Above all, I thank my participants for the privilege of asking them my questions, and for their willingness to share their stories. I have such deep appreciation for their words. I hope I have done them justice. Table of Contents Page CHAPTER ONE: ORIGINS ...................................................................... 1 Research Questions ................................................................................. 4 The Girls: A Brief Introduction .................................................................. 5 The Setting .......................................................................................... 6 The JAP as a Discursive Stereotype ............................................................ 7 My Own Position Within the Research ....................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO: THE EVOLUTION OF THE JEWISH AMERICAN PRINCESS .......................................................................................... 13 The Stereotype: Jewish American Princess (JAP) ...................................... 14 Trend #1: Formulation of the Jewish American Princess Discursive Stereotype ..................................................................................................... 17 Trend #2: The Deconstruction of the Jewish American Princess Discursive Stereotype ........................................................................................18 Anti-Semitic Interpretations ................................................................. 23 Feminist Interpretations ..................................................................... 25 Trend #3: The Neo-JAP: The Jewish American Princess Stereotype Revisited ...28 The JAP Discursive Stereotype and Emerging Identity .................................... 33 Setting the Stage for My Research ............................................................. 35 CHAPTER THREE: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ..........................37 I. Feminism ....................................................................................... 39 Second Wave Feminism ....................................................................... 39 Third Wave Feminism ......................................................................... 42 Second Wave vs. Third Wave ................................................... 44 Third Wave Feminism vs. Postfeminism ...................................... .45 Third Wave Jewish Feminism ...............................................................47 II. Intersectionality Theory ................................................................... 50 III. Mediated Action Approach to Identity ............................................... 53 A Note on Identity Categories .................................................................. 58 How do these theoretical perspectives apply to my research? ............................ 59 CHAPTER FOUR: PASSIONATE RESEARCH: FEMINIST METHODOLOGIES AND FEMINIST METHODS ................................................................. .. 61 Power and Reflexivity ........................................................................... 61 Participants ........................................................................................ 63 Recruitment ....................................................................................... 66 The Methods ....................................................................................... 67 Question Schedules .......................................................................... 68 Focus Groups ................................................................................... 70 Interviews ....................................................................................... 74 Iiformation Sheet .............................................................................. 77 Consents, Ethics, and Other Things to Consider .. ...................................... 78 Data Analysis .................................................................................... 80 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 83 CHAPTER FIVE: DESCRIPTIONS: REVISITING THE JEWISH AMERICAN PRINCESS ........................................................................................... 84 JAP Appearance ....... ........................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Japanese Miscommunication with Foreigners
    Japanese Miscommunication with Foreigners JAPANESE MISCOMMUNICATION WITH FOREIGNERS IN SEARCH FOR VALID ACCOUNTS AND EFFECTIVE REMEDIES Rotem Kowner Abstract: Numerous personal accounts, anecdotal stories, and surveys suggest that for many Japanese communication with foreigners is a difficult and even unpleas- ant experience. This intercultural miscommunication, which seems to characterize Japanese more than their foreign counterparts, has attracted the attention of schol- ars, both in Japan and overseas. In fact, ever since the forced opening of Japan 150 years ago, scholars and laymen have advanced explicit and implicit theories to ac- count for the presumed Japanese “foreigner complex” and its effect on Japanese in- tercultural communication. These theories focus on Japan’s geographical and his- torical isolation, linguistic barriers, idiosyncratic communication style, and the interpersonal shyness of its people. While there is a certain kernel of truth in many of the hypotheses proposed, they tend to exaggerate cultural differences and stress marginal aspects. This article seeks to review critically the different views of Japa- nese communication difficulties with foreigners, and to advance complementary hypotheses based on recent studies. It also attempts to examine the implications of this miscommunication and to consider several options to alleviate it. INTRODUCTION Two meetings held in the last decade between Japan’s leading politicians and the American president Bill Clinton highlight the issue of intercultural miscommunication – an important but somewhat neglected aspect of hu- man communication. Like members of any culture, Americans have their share of intercultural miscommunication, yet this article concerns the Jap- anese side. Our first case in point is the former prime minister Mori Yoshirô, whose English proficiency was limited, to the say the least.
    [Show full text]
  • DISCUSSION GUIDE Disney • HYPERION BOOKS
    DISCUSSION GUIDE Disney • HYPERION BOOKS B C50% About the Book In December 1941, Koji Miyamoto has just turned thirteen, but he’s currently without a strong male role model in his life since his Japanese father has returned to Japan to help care for his family. Koji and his American mother, Adeline, miss Ichiro even more as their lives are turned upside down by the U.S. government following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Being half Japanese on the streets of San Francisco during World War II is difficult for Koji. Racial slurs and restrictions are on every corner. He’s almost excited at the prospect of being sent to “camp”—until his mother explains what kind of camp it is. Given that Koji is American born, Adeline feels sure there must be some mistake that he has been targeted for evacuation. When nothing can be done to change the situation, Adeline gets herself assigned to go with him to the Alameda Downs assembly center. Once there, Koji finds that being half white with a seemingly unattached white mother makes him a target of prejudice and taunting once again. As he searches for his identity and tries to work through his anger behind the barbed wire, Koji gets into trouble with a gang and risks losing what he most wants—the comfort and love of his family. Koji’s story is based on true events and offers an introduction to historical themes and some factual details about the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans for the duration of World War II.
    [Show full text]
  • Words Gone Sour?1
    To appear in Reference and Referring: Topics in Contemporary Philosophy, Volume 10, forthcoming with MIT Press Words Gone Sour?1 Stavroula Glezakos In 2002, the Washington state legislature passed a bill characterizing the word Oriental as ―pejorative,‖ prohibiting its future use in publically funded materials, and urging ―…all state and local entities to review their statutes, codes, rules, regulations, and other official documents and revise them to omit the term Oriental when referring to persons of Asian descent.‖2 Champions of the bill claimed that ―[t]he word Oriental carries with it racist overtones…,‖3 that it characterizes those to whom it is applied as ―exotic, strange, and so forth,‖4 and that it offers ―…a Eurocentric depiction of the worst of Asian habits and lifestyles.‖5 1 Versions of this paper were presented at the North Carolina/South Carolina Philosophical Society, the Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference, Western Washington University, and McGill University; thanks to audiences (especially students in the latter two venues) for stimulating discussion on those occasions. I also benefitted from conversations with Adrian Bardon, Erin Eaker, Avram Hiller, Frances Howard-Snyder, Hud Hudson, David Kaplan, Ralph Kennedy, Win-Chiat Lee, Ned Markosian, Christian Miller, Jessica Pepp, Andrew Reisner, Hasana Sharp, Samuel Sims, Natalie Stoljar, Patrick Toner, Bo-Shan Xiang, Luke White, and Annabella Zagura. Finally, I owe particular thanks to Ann Levy, Monique O‘Connell, Julie Tannenbaum, Emily Wakild, and two anonymous referees for useful comments on earlier drafts. 2 Washington State Engrossed Senate Bill 5954 (2002). 3 Representative Velma Veloria, quoted in Cherie M. Querol Moreno, ―Washington State Illegalizes ‗O‘ Word,‖ Philippine News, Nov 22, 2002.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief for the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, Hispanic
    Seattle University School of Law Seattle University School of Law Digital Commons Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality Centers, Programs, and Events 11-16-2016 Brief for the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Bar Association, National LGBT Bar Association, and National Native American Bar Association as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality Counsel for Amici Curiae Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/korematsu_center Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons Recommended Citation Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality and Counsel for Amici Curiae, "Brief for the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Bar Association, National LGBT Bar Association, and National Native American Bar Association as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner" (2016). Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality. 42. https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/korematsu_center/42 This Amicus Brief is brought to you for free and open access by the Centers, Programs, and Events at Seattle University School of Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality by an authorized administrator of Seattle University School of Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. No. 15-1293 In the MICHELLE K. LEE, UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Petitioner, v. SIMON SHIAO TAM, Respondent.
    [Show full text]
  • Racial Slur Database - by SLUR (Over 2500 Listed)
    Racial Slur Database - By SLUR (over 2500 listed) Slur Represents Reasons/Origins 539 Jews Corresponds with the letters J-E-W on a telephone. 925 Blacks Police Code in Suburban LA for "Suspicious Person" 7-11 Arabs Work at menial jobs like 7-11 clerks. Refers to circumcision and consumerism (never pay retail). The term is most widely used in the UK where circumcision among non-Jews or non- 10% Off Jews Muslims is more rare, but in the United States, where it is more common, it can be considered insulting to many non-Jewish males as well. 51st Stater Canadians Canada is so culturally similar to the U. S. that they are practically the 51st state 8 Mile Whites When white kids try to act ghetto or "black". From the 2002 movie "8 Mile". Stands for American Ignorance as well as Artificial Intelligence-in other words...Americans are stupid and ignorant. they think they have everything A.I. Americans and are more advanced than every other country AA Blacks African American. Could also refer to double-A batteries, which you use for a while then throw away. Abba-Dabba Arabs Used in the movie "Betrayed" by rural American hate group. ABC (1) Chinese American-Born Chinese. An Americanized Chinese person who does not understand Chinese culture. ABC (2) Australians Aboriginals use it to offend white australians, it means "Aboriginal Bum Cleaner" Means American Born Confused Desi (pronounced day-see). Used by Indians to describe American-born Indians who are confused about their ABCD Indians culture. (Desi is slang for an 'countryman').
    [Show full text]
  • American Subs Sink Four Jap Ships
    \ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUABY 25, 1942 "il ^*^01! FOURTEEJI flltutfl|patrr Ivanfotg JimiUk Average Daily Circulation , The Weather For the Month of January, 1943 Foreonat of (7. S. Weather Bnroao The Cosmopolitan club will meet ! A daughter Was born Mohday The annual meeting of the Ver- at the Hartford hospital to Mr. planck Scholarship Foundation, Friday afternoon at the Y.M.C.A. 7 ,0 8 8 Little change In temperature to­ “ About Town The guest speaker will be Robert and Mrs. James Blair, of 376 Por- Inc., will be held Monday< March 2 C. Deming of the State Defense tei'^street. at 5 p. m„ in the High School BUY .Member of tly Andlt night. Coun.il. and his subject: "Connec­ building. The meeting i.s for mem­ A Great Array of Bnrean of Olrcnlatioaa Temple Chapter, bers and tru.stees of -the founda­ Disll ticut First ” Mrs. Lewis Haskins, of Ridge Manche$ter— A City of Village Charm hold »U regular busineaa meeting street, entertained with a supper tion. Charles S. House’ secretary y e w thla eveping in the Masonic Tem­ On account of the air raid prac- and party at her home last night of the fund, has given notice of the i ple. A social period will follow, for the girls who are members of meeting. (CInsaiaod Advertising On Page IS) MANCHESTER, CONN., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1942 (FOURTEEN PAGES) PRICE THREE CENTS with ^refreshments served by Mrs. I tice this evening, the meeting of BY METER VOL. LXL, NO. 126 i the Salvation .\rmy junior soldiers her Sunday School class at the Florence Metcalf and her commit­ South Methodist chtirch.
    [Show full text]
  • Words Can Kill the Spirit... Derogatory Term!
    Words Flyer.rev2 3/20/06 9:11 PM Page 1 Japanese American Citizens League Japanese American Citizens League Anti-Hate Program National Headquarters www.jacl.org 1765 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94115 415 921.5225 [email protected] Words Pacific Northwest Office 671 South Jackson Street, Room 206 Seattle, WA 98104 can kill 206 623.5088 [email protected] Midwest Office 5415 North Clark Street the Chicago, IL 60640 773 728.7170 [email protected] spirit... Pacific Southwest Office 244 South San Pedro Street, #406 Los Angeles, CA 90012 213 626.4471 [email protected] “Jap” is a Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific Office 1255 Post Street, Suite 805 San Francisco, CA 94109 415 345.1075 [email protected] derogatory Washington Office 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 730 Washington, D.C. 20036 term! 202 223.1240 [email protected] Japanese American Citizens League The JACL Anti-Hate Program is made possible through a grant from Anti-Hate Program Words Flyer.rev2 3/20/06 9:11 PM Page 4 … And, These terms are racial slurs and they What to do… offend in the same way that slurs such as so are “nigger,” “kike,” “fag” or “wop” do. These terms At Work: Ethnic slurs, racial “jokes,” offen- are demeaning and they cripple the spirit by sive or derogatory comments, or other verbal terms like causing a person or an entire racial or ethnic or physical conduct based on an individual’s group to feel vulnerable and isolated. race/color constitutes unlawful harassment “ ” if the conduct creates an intimidating, hostile chink, Words like “jap” have a long and bitter history.
    [Show full text]
  • Common Features of English Taboo Words
    COMMON FEATURES OF ENGLISH TABOO WORDS A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Program in English Language Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Magister Humaniora (M.Hum) in English Language Studies by Shirley Maya Argasetya Student Number: 046332010 THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009 i A THESIS COMMON FEATURES OF ENGLISH TABOO WORDS by Shirley Maya Argasetya Students Number: 046332010 Approved by Prof. Dr. Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo Advisor Yogyakarta, September 28, 2009 ii A THESIS COMMON FEATURES OF ENGLISH TABOO WORDS by Shirley Maya Argasetya Students Number: 046332010 was Defended before the Thesis Committee and Declared Acceptable Thesis Committee Chairperson : Drs. F.X. Mukarto, M.S., Ph.D. ...……………………. Secretary : Dr. B.B. Dwijatmoko, M.A. ...……………………. Member : Dr. J. Bismoko …...…………………. Member : Prof. Dr. Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo …...…………………. Yogyakarta, September 28, 2009 The Graduate Program Director Sanata Dharma University Prof. Dr. A. Supratiknya iii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This is to certify that all the ideas, phrases, and sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the ideas, phrases, and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full consequences including degree cancellation if she took somebody else’s ideas, phrases, or sentences without a proper references. Yogyakarta, August 22, 2009 Shirley Maya Argasetya iv LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : Shirley Maya Argasetya Nomor Mahasiswa : 046332010 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul : Common Features of English Taboo Words beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada).
    [Show full text]
  • Nigger Names - OBJECTING
    Nigger names - OBJECTING SUBMISSION SUBMITTER'S NAME DATE REASON(S) SUMMMARISED ALTERNATIVE NAME All or some? NO. 001 Online objecting Grant Hughes 2015-10-29 Names are historical, can't change All submission - things if you don't know the context. Slippery slope argument. 002 Online objecting John Van Der Leden 2015-10-29 NZGB is equivalent to ISIS blowing All submission - up monuments. Rewriting history. Currently ruled by SJWs [presumably 'Social Justice Warriors'], enormous number of potentially offensive place names. 003 Online objecting Jason Wohnsiedler 2015-10-29 Names are fine. All submission - 004 Online objecting Robert de Kock 2015-10-29 Appears to believe firmly in the Pūkio, Pūkio Hill and Pūkio Stream All submission - association between the names and the plant, so suggests that the Pūkio names would be more appropriate. Steelhead not relevant as it is not a native species. Suggests that there are many other names that could be considered offensive. 005 Online objecting Sam Colebaker 2015-10-29 Changing the names will put All submission - geographic websites out of date 006 Online objecting David Butler 2015-10-29 Nigger is just a shortened form of All submission - the word Negro [It has more letters?] or a person from Nigeria. Words can only be derogatory if intended to be. Being PC. Sick of Māori names. 007 Online objecting Tony Fleete 2015-10-29 Is PC, idiotic, names existed before All submission - Nigger had negative connotations. Should go to a referendum 008 Online objecting Robert H Mercer 2015-10-29 NZGB are narrow minded bigots, All submission - word is derogatory, word used most often by those it refers to.
    [Show full text]
  • The Struggle to Change Jap Road
    Panel Discussion: The Struggle to Change "Jap Road" James C. Hot, Sandra Tanamachitt, Scott Newarttt, Jodi Bemsteintttt, and George J. Hirasakittttt I. INTRODUCTION On February 24, 2005, Texas State Representative Martha Wong' joined forces with the Asian American Bar Association of Houston to sponsor a discussion about the struggle to change the name of three controversial Texas roads-Jap Road in Jefferson County, Jap Road in Fort Bend County, and Jap Lane in Orange County. The event was designed to provide a historical record for this effort, and to explain the causes of its ultimate success. Several dozen members of the Houston legal and Asian communities attended, and in addition, the event was televised on a local cable access channel in Houston. I J.D., The University of Chicago Law School (1999); B.A., Stanford University (1995); Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, United States Department of Justice (2001); Attorney-Adviser, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice (2001-03); Chief Counsel, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights, Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate (2003-05). It B.A., University of Northern Colorado (1970); Chairperson, Committee to Change J-Road; Japanese American Citizens League; Chairperson, Third Grade, Mentor Teacher, Stephen F. Austin Elementary School; Board of Directors, National Japanese American Historical Society; Board Member, Houston JACL chapter. t J.D., University of Texas School of Law (1989); B.A., Stanford University (1985); Law Clerk to Hon. E. Grady Jolly, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1989-1990); Staff Attorney, East Texas Legal Services (Beaumont, Texas), Board-Certified in Labor and Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • The Power of Words Lesson 1 • Male^Bashing and Gender Page 2
    AYHE SOG THAT’SFEMINAZIFSH WIMP POWERSPA SHTHE WORD TEACHINGOF TOLERANCE ANTHE POWER LESSON 1 REDNECKWMALE^BASHING AND GENDER OF WORDSB PAGE 1 TEACHING GOAL HEEStudents will achieve an understanding that many disparagements used to refer to males are based onGHEADPOLITI comparing them with stereotypically female traits, such as weakness. LEARNING ACTIVITY SUMMARY … Although usually used for men, the term, in all its opprobrium, Students will analyze words that disparage males for their reflects back on women: the “bitch” is the man’s mother. underlyingRA referents. Wimp (Wimmin, Wimps and Wallflowers, pp. 294-295): A person, TERMS/CONCEPTS ADDRESSED STEREOTYPEtraditionally and still usually a male (though increasingly used for Male-gendered pejoratives, including: bastard, pussy-whipped, females as well), regarded as weak or ineffectual. sissy, son of a bitch, wimp, wuss (for more, see Wimmin, Wimps and Wallflowers: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Gender and … The usage is often heard among males, especially in male- Sexual Orientation Bias in the UnitedSY States, available from www. dominated institutions, groups or occupations, such as soldiering interculturalpress.com).K and many sports. In national defense discourse, Cohn (1998) has pointed out, wimp is used as a gendered pejorative and polarizes Bastard (Wimmin, Wimps and Wallflowers, p. 15): In the sixteenth human characteristics in terms of male and female, the former century, Shakespeare used the word in the sense of a contempt- being valued and the latter, scorned. ible person, and by the eighteenth century the word had begun to replace the now archaic whoreson, meaning, literally, the son of a Wuss (Wimmin, Wimps and Wallflowers, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Expanding Perceptions of Self and Other Through Study Abroad
    EXPANDING PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AND OTHER THROUGH STUDY ABROAD DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in The Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Benjamin McKay Williams, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2006 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Associate Professor Ada Demb, Adviser Associate Professor Peter Demerath ______________________________ Assistant Professor Michele Welkener Adviser College of Education Copyright by Benjamin McKay Williams 2006 ii ABSTRACT This dissertation explored the ways in which White, African American and Biracial American undergraduate and graduate students made meaning of race and other aspects of identity. Using a constructivist grounded methodology this study revealed a new way to conceptualize the processes by which students’ perceptions of self and other were shaped through a course on the culture and society of Southern Africa and by studying abroad on a short-term program to that region: the dynamics of integrating lenses. In the U.S. classroom, students moved from ignorance about the continent of Africa and the region of Southern Africa to an initial understanding. Through the combined course and study abroad program, the White undergraduate students’ unexamined White privilege was surfaced and examined. At the same time, Black students’ pride in being Black and their connection to their histories was deepened. Their assumptions about race and identification with Africa were also broadened. The result of the group cohesiveness and support was that White and Black students who had never had friends of the “other” race expanded their relationships to incorporate new people who they may never have interacted with otherwise.
    [Show full text]