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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies
Is today's All-Volunteer Force still "This Man's Army"?
In a nation that has seen the rise of feminism, the decline of
blue-collar employment, military defeat in Vietnam, and a general
upheaval of traditional gender norms, what kind of man is today's
military man? What kind does the military want him to be?
In Enlisting Masculinity, Melissa Brown asks whether appeals to and
constructions of masculinity remain the underlying basis of
military recruiting-and if so, what that notion of masculinity
actually is. Are the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines courting
warriors or breadwinners; patriots or pragmatists; dominant masters
of technology, or strong yet compassionate masters of themselves?
Is each military branch recruiting the same model of masculinity?
Based on an analysis of more than 300 print advertisements
published between the early 1970s and 2007, as well as television
commercials, recruiting websites, and media coverage of recruiting,
Enlisting Masculinity argues that masculinity is still a foundation
of the appeals made by the military, but that each branch deploys
various constructions of masculinity that serve its particular
personnel needs and culture, with conventional martial masculinity
being only one among them. The inclusion of a few token women in
recruiting advertisements has become routine, but the
representations of service make it clear that men are the primary
audience and combat their exclusive domain. Each branch constructs
soldiering upon a slightly different foundation of masculine ideals
and Brown delves into why, how, and what that looks like.
The military is an important site for the creation and propagation
of ideas of masculinity in American culture, and it is often not
given the attention that it warrants as a nexus of gender and
citizenship. Although most Americans believe they can ignore the
military in the era of the all-volunteer force, when it comes to
popular culture and ideas about gender, the military is not a thing
apart from society. Building a fighting force, Brown shows, also
means constructing a gender. Enlisting Masculinity gives us a
unique and important perspective on both military service and
prevailing conceptions of masculinity in America.
Farrago, from the Latin farragin, is a word that means a
confused mixture. This memoir, sharing the story of the
relationship between author Diana B. Roberts and her mother,
Markie, is just that-a farrago, containing neither positive nor
negative judgment.
Markie Byron Roberts was eighty-five years old when she passed
away-a long life for anyone, but particularly for a woman who'd
been institutionalized for mental illness six times, beginning at
age sixteen, and who had been unwillingly subjected to thirty-six
shock therapy treatments. Through mental and physical illness, on
her death bed and throughout her life, she maintained a personal
sense of style reminiscent of her long bygone life. In the end she
went quietly, politely, and silently to the other side, leaving her
children to wonder what her life, and their lives, might have been
like if she had been with them all along.
A victim of mental illness and the wounding loss of her family's
place in society, Markie became incapable of raising her three
children. For many years the lingering effects of the brief years
she spent with Markie Created shadow over Diana's life, a kind of
aura of both the presence and absence of her mother.
Finally healed after a lifetime of uncertainty and ready to help
shed light on the needs of survivors of parental mental illness,
author Diana B. Roberts details life with and without-her mother.
This is their story.
In contemporary pop culture, the pursuits regarded as the most
frivolous are typically understood to be more feminine in nature
than masculine. This collection illustrates how ideas of the
popular and the feminine were assumed to be equally naturally
intertwined in the eighteenth century, and the ways in which that
association facilitates the ongoing trivialization of both. Top
scholars in eighteenth-century studies examine the significance of
the parallel devaluations of women's culture and popular culture by
looking at theatres and actresses; novels, magazines, and
cookbooks; and populist politics, dress, and portraiture. They also
assess how eighteenth-century women have been re-imagined in
contemporary historical fiction, films, and television, from the
works of award-winner Beryl Bainbridge to Darcymania and Pride and
Prejudice and Zombies. By reconsidering the cultural and social
practices of eighteenth-century women, this fascinating volume
reclaims the ostensibly trivial as a substantive cultural
contribution.
This encyclopedia surveys the scientific research on gender
throughout the ages-the people, experiments, and impact-of both
legitimate and illegitimate findings on the scientific community,
women scientists, and society at large. Women, Science, and Myth:
Gender Beliefs from Antiquity to the Present examines the ways
scientists have researched gender throughout history, the ways
those results have affected society, and the impact they have had
on the scientific community and on women, women scientists, and
women's rights movements. In chronologically organized entries,
Women, Science, and Myth explores the people and experiments that
exemplify the problematic relationship between science and gender
throughout the centuries, with particular emphasis on the 20th
century. The encyclopedia offers a section on focused cross-period
themes such as myths of gender in different scientific disciplines
and the influence of cultural norms on specific eras of gender
research. It is a timely and revealing resource that celebrates
science's legitimate accomplishments in understanding gender while
unmasking the sources of a number of debilitating biases concerning
women's intelligence and physical attributes. Chronologically
organized entries describing people and events influential in the
development of scientific research on gender 40 thematic entries
looking at larger issues across regions, disciplines, and
historical eras A section of supportive demographic/statistical
information
Jesus didn't say that the world would know we are his followers by
our biting rhetoric, our political leanings, our charity work, or
even by our knowledge of Scripture. He said the world would know us
by our love for one another. Yet it's so easy to put others at
arm's length, to lash out, to put up walls. Deidra Riggs wants us
to put our focus on self-preservation aside and, like Jesus, make
the first move toward reconciliation. In One, Riggs shows readers
that when Jesus offered himself up in our place, he was not only
purchasing our salvation but also setting an example for us to
follow. She helps readers understand that they are secure in God's
inexhaustible love, making them free to love others lavishly--not
just in what they do but in what they say, what they don't say,
what they will endure, and what they will forgive. Anyone who longs
for unity in the church, in their family, and in their community
will find in this book both inspiring examples of loving done well
and encouragement to begin the often unnoticed hard work of
building bridges with those around them.
Much more has been written about Charles Warren Fairbanks than
about his wife, Cornelia Cole Fairbanks. Documents in archives and
libraries, historical records, newspapers of the time, and personal
letters from Mrs. Fairbanks to her husband have made it possible to
learn more about this fascinating woman. Writings of historians
about the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries put her
story in the context of her times. She had been among one of the
early generations of women to graduate from college. She married an
ambitious young lawyer and read law to help and advise him as he
built his practice as a railroad lawyer in the Gilded Age.
Throughout his life, he read his speeches to her for her comments
before he delivered them. She raised their five children as he was
investing in business and becoming involved in politics and was an
important advisor to him as he campaigned successfully to become
Senator from Indiana and later, Vice President with President
Theodore Roosevelt. She became one of the most popular hostesses in
the nation's capital and was the only woman who could enter a
drawing room without immediately seeking out the most influential
persons in the room. Gracious and charming, she treated all with
equal respect.
Women's Voices in Ireland examines the letters and problems sent in
by women to two Irish women's magazines in the 1950s and 60s,
discussing them within their wider social and historical context.
In doing so, it provides a unique insight into one of the few
forums for female expression in Ireland during this period.
Although in these decades more Irish women than ever before
participated in paid work, trade unions and voluntary
organizations, their representation in politics and public and
their workforce participation remained low. Meanwhile, women who
came of age from the late 1950s experienced a freedom which their
mothers and aunts - married or single, in the workplace or the home
- had never known. Diary and letters pages and problem pages in
Irish-produced magazines in the 1950s and 60s enabled women from
all walks of life to express their opinions and to seek guidance on
the social changes they saw happening around them. This book, by
examining these communications, gives a new insight into the
history of Irish women, and also contributes to the ongoing debate
about what women's magazines mean for women's history.
..".a perfect genius that makes the impossible in expression,
possible; the unknowable in experience, knowable"
--Anya Achtenberg, author of "The Stories of Devil-Girl"
"Nickels" follows a biracial girl named "Little Miss So and So,"
from age 4-1/2 into adulthood. Told in a series of prose poems,
"Nickels'" lyrical and inventive language conveys the dissociative
states born of a world formed by persistent and brutal incest and
homophobia. The dissociative states enable the child's survival
and, ultimately, the adult's healing. The story is both
heartbreaking and triumphant. Nickels is the groundbreaking debut
of Minneapolis-area author and artist Christine Stark.
"Christine Stark has crafted a language and a diction commensurate
with the shredding of consciousness that is a consequence of
childhood sexual abuse. She brings us a wholly original voice in a
riveting novel of desperation and love. Every sentence vibrates
with a terrible beauty. Every sentence brings the news."
--Patricia Weaver Francisco, author of "Telling: A Memoir of Rape
and Recovery"
"To be taken into the mind of a child can be an enchanting
adventure, but to be taken into the mind of a child who is abused,
confused, and taken for granted is a lingering, livid journey. I
applaud her fortitude to bring an olden--too long ignored-- truth
out of the darkness with blazing, innovative light."
--MariJo Moore, author of "The Diamond Doorknob"
"In "Nickels," Christine Stark, powerfully portrays the story of
abuse and its impact on our lives. When this beautifully written
and compelling story leaves, you are left wanting more. It's
riveting; a book that will capture you from the beginning and carry
you through the end. Everyone should read this book."
--Olga Trujillo, author of "The Sum of My Parts"
From the Reflections of America Series at Modern History Press
www.ModernHistoryPress.com
Learn more at www.ChristineStark.com
FIC044000 Fiction: Contemporary Women
FIC018000 Fiction: Lesbian
SOC010000 Social Science: Feminism & Feminist Theory
A critical examination of the weaknesses inherent in international
gender policy 2018 Victoria Schuck Award from the American
Political Science Association Gender equality has become a central
aspect of global governance and development in the 21st century.
States increasingly promote women in government, ensure women's
economic rights and protect women from violence, all in the name of
creating a more gender equitable world. No Shortcut to Change is a
historical, theoretical, and political overview of why the common,
liberal-feminist-driven 'shortcut' approach has not actually
improved the status of women throughout the world-and why a new
approach taking social, racial, and political hierarchies into
account alongside gender is sorely needed. This innovative book
unites several streams of international relations and feminist
theory in pursuit of a practical solution to global gender
inequality. She gives an overview of what 'add-women' policymaking
looks like and has (or has not) accomplished, examining three key
policy areas: * Women's representation- including policies and
practices to include more women in all branches of government, such
as legislative quotas, which in many countries have been
established to ensure enough women are represented in legislative
bodies; * The recognition of women's economic rights, like the
right for a woman to own property and gainful employment *
Combating violence against women, through domestic violence and
rape laws, which remains a major problem throughout the world.
Ellerby explores how poor implementation, informal practices,
gender binaries, and intersectionality remain key issues in
addressing women's inclusion policy around the world. Ultimately,
she concludes that all of these efforts have been co-opted by
global neoliberal institutions, often reinforcing gender
differences rather than challenging them. A much-needed critical
text on the weaknesses inherent in international gender policy, No
Shortcut to Change is an eye-opening overview for anyone interested
in gender equality.
In recent decades, the issue of gender-based violence has become
heavily politicized in India. Yet, Indian law enforcement personnel
continue to be biased against women and overburdened. In Capable
Women, Incapable States, Poulami Roychowdhury asks how women claim
rights within these conditions. Through long term ethnography, she
provides an in-depth lens on rights negotiations in the world's
largest democracy, detailing their social and political effects.
Roychowdhury finds that women interact with the law not by
following legal procedure or abiding by the rules, but by deploying
collective threats and doing the work of the state themselves. And
they behave this way because law enforcement personnel do not
protect women from harm but do allow women to take the law into
their own hands.These negotiations do not enhance legal
enforcement. Instead, they create a space where capable women can
extract concessions outside the law, all while shouldering a new
burden of labor and risk. A unique theory of gender inequality and
governance, Capable Women, Incapable States forces us to rethink
the effects of rights activism across large parts of the world
where political mobilization confronts negligent criminal justice
systems.
Humanizing LIS Education and Practice: Diversity by Design
demonstrates that diversity concerns are relevant to all and need
to be approached in a systematic way. Developing the Diversity by
Design concept articulated by Dali and Caidi in 2017, the book
promotes the notion of the diversity mindset. Grouped into three
parts, the chapters within this volume have been written by an
international team of seasoned academics and practitioners who make
diversity integral to their professional and scholarly activities.
Building on the Diversity by Design approach, the book presents
case studies with practice models for two primary audiences: LIS
educators and LIS practitioners. Chapters cover a range of issues,
including, but not limited to, academic promotion and tenure; the
decolonization of LIS education; engaging Indigenous and
multicultural communities; librarians' professional development in
diversity and social justice; and the decolonization of library
access practices and policies. As a collection, the book
illustrates a systems-thinking approach to fostering diversity and
inclusion in LIS, integrating it by design into the LIS curriculum
and professional practice. Calling on individuals, organizations,
policymakers, and LIS educators to make diversity integral to their
daily activities and curriculum, Humanizing LIS Education and
Practice: Diversity by Design will be of interest to anyone engaged
in research and professional practice in Library and Information
Science.
Judy Chicago's monumental art installation "The Dinner Party "was
an immediate sensation when it debuted in 1979, and today it is
considered the most popular work of art to emerge from the
second-wave feminist movement. Jane F. Gerhard examines the piece's
popularity to understand how ideas about feminism migrated from
activist and intellectual circles into the American mainstream in
the last three decades of the twentieth century.
More than most social movements, feminism was transmitted and
understood through culture--art installations, "Ms. Magazine," "All
in the Family," and thousands of other cultural artifacts. But the
phenomenon of cultural feminism came under extraordinary criticism
in the late 1970s and 1980s Gerhard analyzes these divisions over
whether cultural feminism was sufficiently activist in light of the
shifting line separating liberalism from radicalism in post-1970s
America. She concludes with a chapter on the 1990s, when "The
Dinner Party" emerged as a target in political struggles over
public funding for the arts, even as academic feminists denounced
the piece for its alleged essentialism.
The path that" The Dinner Party" traveled--from inception (1973) to
completion (1979) to tour (1979-1989) to the permanent collection
of the Brooklyn Museum (2007)--sheds light on the history of
American feminism since 1970 and on the ways popular feminism in
particular can illuminate important trends and transformations in
the broader culture.
Honorable Mention, 2019 Distinguished Book Award, given by the Sex
& Gender Section of the American Sociological Association
Honorable Mention, 2019 Marysa Navarro Book Prize, given by the New
England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS) A profound
reflection on state violence and women's survival In the 1970s and
early 80s, military and security forces in Argentina hunted down,
tortured, imprisoned, and in many cases, murdered political
activists, student organizers, labor unionists, leftist guerrillas,
and other people branded "subversives." This period was
characterized by massive human rights violations, including forced
disappearances committed in the name of national security. State
terror left a deep scar on contemporary Argentina, but for many
survivors and even the nation itself, talking about this dark
period in recent history has been difficult, and at times taboo.
For women who endured countless forms of physical, sexual, and
emotional violence in clandestine detention centers, the impetus to
keep quiet about certain aspects of captivity has been particularly
strong. In Surviving State Terror, Barbara Sutton draws upon a
wealth of oral testimonies to place women's bodies and voices at
the center of the analysis of state terror. The book showcases
poignant stories of women's survival and resistance, disinterring
accounts that have yet to be fully heard, grappled with, and
understood. With a focus on the body as a key theme, Sutton
explores various instances of violence toward women, such as sexual
abuse and torture at the hands of state officials. Yet she also
uses these narratives to explore why some types of social suffering
and certain women's voices are heard more than others, and how this
can be rectified in our own practices of understanding and
witnessing trauma. In doing so, Sutton urges us to pay heed to
women survivors' political voices, activist experiences, and
visions for social change. Recounting not only women's traumatic
experiences, but also emphasizing their historical and political
agency, Surviving State Terror is a profound reflection on state
violence, social suffering, and human resilience-both personal and
collective.
The book chronicles the life story of a woman pioneer in the
electrical trade. It begins with the early childhood experiences
that formed her approach to life. The empowerment of feminism was a
natural result of her changed life that lead her into teaching,
nursing, farming and the formation of her own electrical
contracting company. Another aspect in the book is her journey from
realism to faith. The dynamic tension between both of these themes
and the resolution of them is the substory in this very interesting
memoir.
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