fall 2013 - volume 1, issue 2
YELL! GRU Women’s Studies Magazine
Women’s Studies Program Georgia Regents University
contents 3 4
About & Letter from the Editor
Campus News: WorldPride Toronto: Identity & Social Change Info and interview with Dr. Melissa Powell-Williams about the summer study abroad trip.
6 8 9 10
Op-Ed: “Feminisms ” by Jessica Ballard-Monroe Poem: “Curl Pattern Blues” by Jourdain Searles Poem: “Fearful Attachment” by Spring Robinson Campus News: Anthropology Major
Info and interview with Dr. Angela Bratton about the new anthropology major.
12 13 14
Poem: “I Am All That is Woman” by Kia Barr
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Campus News: Women’s Studies Student Association
28 29 34 38
Student Spotlight: Nikki Wilder, William Gilyard & Julianna Johnston
Student Spotlight: Danielle Patterson & Devaughn Moore Feminist Research: “Examining Black Women’s Adherence to Tropes in Popular Zombie Culture” by Jenelle Plotts
Fall 2014 Women’s Studies Course Offerings Poem: “Feminino” by Nicolás Ortiz Poem: “Homemade Carrot Cake” by Lindsay Rogillio Campus News: Triota Campus News: Lambda Alliance Feminist Research: “The Problem with Chivalry: Borderline Homo-erotic behavior and Bertilak’s Femininity” by Kayla Wirtz Campus News: Spring Calendar of Events Meet Our Contributors Credits
about YELL! • • • “A cheer of support: a rhythmic word or phrase chanted by a group of people to give support or encouragement.” This elementary four-letter word seems so inadequate when put alongside its synonymic counterparts. Bellow. Vociferate. Holler. Exclaim. They all sound so dignified, so regal. But Yell! is a word of a very different caliber. Yell! describes our mission in a way that its predecessors cannot. To us, Yell! means to reclaim women’s voices, not only on the GRU campus but in the community. Yell! means to uplift and galvanize ourselves and everyone we interact with. Yell! is our rallying cry, and we fully intend to embody the vehemence with which it is described here. We are no longer satisfied waiting in the shadows. We will Yell! in solidarity, our mission and our goal. We are a unified front, ready and willing to step into the line of fire for social justice. We will approach our obstacles with intrepidness and pugnacity, never being afraid to fail. Because what is failure but an opportunity to improve? That is what Yell! means to us here in the GRU Women’s Studies Program. It is who we are, and it is what we do. Join us. Megan Pugh
letter from the editor • • • Above is the introduction to the inaugural issue of YELL, put together by former student assistant Megan Pugh. In considering how we might embrace this spirit and move forward, I envisioned a magazine created fully by students, for students. After the call for submissions in October, I was inundated with more talent, critical analysis, and passion for justice than I had ever expected. Within, you will find just a small sampling of what students at GRU have to offer as artists, academics and activists. I hope that in the future we will see ever more of this, as more students find their voices and embrace this project. Thank you so much to all our contributors, to Dr. Angela Bratton, Dr. Melissa PowellWilliams and Dr. Seretha Williams for your support and participation, to the Women’s Studies Student Association, and to Dr. Marie Drews for your endless encouragement. Kirsten Fitzgerald Editor-in-Chief
campus news • • • study abroad WORLDPRIDE TORONTO: IDENTITY & SOCIAL CHANGE
W
orldPride is an international festival that celebrates the lives and triumphs of LGBTTIQQS2A people around the globe. The week-long celebration provides education and activism about the history and culture of the LGBTTIQQS2A community on a global scale. Summer 2014 will be the fourth such Pride event, and the first time the festival comes to North America. Dr. Melissa Powell-Williams and her partner, Dr. Todd Powell-Williams, will be teaching a study abroad course in Toronto during this week. This three credit-hour course is called “Identity and Social Change” and can count for sociology, women’s studies, or general studies credit. It is offered to anyone within the University System of Georgia. The trip is a ten-day affair that begins on June 20, 2014, and lasts through June 30. Students will travel to Toronto to attend the WorldPride Parade and surrounding events. In a recent interview, Dr. Melissa Powell-Williams told me that students will be encouraged to attend at least five educational and five recreational events, which will include among them the Pride Parade, the Dyke March, Trans March, and the WorldPride Human Rights Conference. She said she is especially looking forward to the HRC; she explained that there will be “activists, academics, and people speaking from experience who don’t fit into either of those camps.” The HRC will be located two blocks from the class’s hotel. While she warned that nobody should take the class just to travel, there will be plenty of time for students to go out in the evenings or do some independent sight-seeing. The class itself is meant to give students the “groundwork regarding what we know about movement and collective identity as it relates to personal identities,” which Dr. Powell-Williams says is
her area of expertise. Specifically, she says “the class is going to entail a lot of theory, application and examples of various social movements, primarily the LGBT movement, and primarily focusing on identity issues within that.” She told me the class seeks to answer several questions about social movements and identity, including: How is identity formed, what is boundary work, and how is framing used? What framings are resonant right now? How have social movement organizations borrowed from each other and shaped these frames, and how has this led to success?
She says about 80% of the coursework will be online, but that some of this will be hands-on, creative work, where the students build “a space online for getting the word out and getting their ideas out there.” As part of the classwork, students will also be expected to create signs for the parade. These and the online projects will reflect the course material and the framing used within the current LGBT movement. When asked what students need to know before they take the class, she emphasized the need for students to be able to work independently. With such a heavy proportion of the class online, it is important that students be prepared to motivate themselves and take the work seriously. However, she also said the course would be a lot of fun, and that she would especially encourage anyone who is interested in social movements, social justice, history, identity issues, and human rights, whether it is on a purely theoretical level or to be used in future activist work.
page 4
Kirsten Fitzgerald
EXTENDED DEADLINE: MARCH 1ST
page 5 Photo by torbakhopper / CC BY 2.0
student voices • • • opinion FEMINISMS
Countless white celebrity feminists and white mainstream feminist outlets have been demonstrated again and again to have a very weak commitment to intersectional considerations.
A
s someone who enjoys engaging with feminist reflections and discussions on every subject in existence, this past year has been a continuous intersection of fascination and frustration. The topics are multiple, and substantively valuable dialogue has taken place. However, my focus for these next few paragraphs is going towards a topic that is seemingly foolish to continue to discuss, yet I believe it provides an avenue to explore issues beyond that of just some trivial pop stars. Recently, Miley Cyrus said that she is “one of the biggest feminists ever”. Just two days prior to this declaration, Lily Allen released the video for her new single “Hard Out Here”. Allen’s song and its accompanying video have been described as satire aimed at pointing out the music industry’s double standards towards women. Allen, who has identified herself as a feminist in the past, is suggested as having provided a “feminist response” to the works produced by other artists, including that of Cyrus. And, Photo by Hubert Burda Media / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 yet, within days of the video’s release, Allen could be found receiving criticism for strikingly similar behaviors to that of which Cyrus has previously and repeatedly received criticism for herself. While Cyrus responded to denunciations of her racist performance at the Video Music Awards by
referring to that show’s black backup dancers as her “homies”, Allen claimed that her video had “nothing to do with race, at all” and provided the twitter handles for each of her video’s dancers, as if those women would deliver vouchers for Allen in some way. Instead of listening to and acknowledging the validity of the critiques sent their way, both Allen and Cyrus struck back with the “I can’t possibly be racist, some of my best friends are black” defense. I want to revoke any claim that either has to the feminist label. To be honest, after reading Cyrus’ assertion of herself as a feminist, my initial response was a repetition of “no”. However, I do recognize that it is much more complicated than that. First, I will not claim to be the authority on what is and is not feminism; and second, it’s not so clear to me that either two women are not feminists. Personally, I don’t feel that Cyrus’ exploitation of black women’s bodies or Allen’s demonstrations of white female supremacy are compatible with feminism. Still, I know that these two “feminists” are not alone in so horribly failing “Intersectionality 101”. Countless white celebrity feminists and white mainstream feminist outlets have been demonstrated again and again to have a very weak commitment to intersectional considerations. As infuriating as it is, there is a space underneath the big feminism-umbrella that is friendly to Cyrus’ and Allen’s brands. I entirely agree with the notion that a person should be free to define their own feminism on their
page 6
• • • student voices own terms; yet, I find myself questioning two (as with First Lady Obama), it allows a chance to better “feminists” (and even placing the term in quotation marks). examine the parameters of where that line exists and This act of scrutinizing a person’s how racism, bigotry, and/or the exploitation This act of feminist credentials is not out of the of others really draws that out for us. scrutinizing a ordinary. We see this happening often in Each of these examples really demonstrates articles or blog posts, where a “Is-this- person’s feminist the complexities of the belief that “each feminist?/How-feminist-is-this?” test is credentials is not person can define feminism for conducted towards people and/or out of the ordinary. themselves”, and I will admit that I struggle behaviors. Recently, Twitter responded with this, at times. Truthfully, with Cyrus to a Jezebel article arguing against the idea that “selfies” and Allen, I am frustrated that their particular brand of could be empowering for women with #feministselfies. “upper/middle-class white women’s equality”-type That very same day, Politico released an article asserting feminism receives seemingly more attention than that the route Michelle Obama has taken as First Lady feminisms beyond that. I am not going to celebrate has been a “feminist nightmare”. either one’s claims to be feminist, but I still understand that feminism doesn’t need a hierarchy built upon strict guidelines of how to best and most properly perform feminism. I continue to believe that each should be held accountable, but I recognize that accountability isn’t to feminism itself. Both of their expressions of feminism don’t diminish my own or align all three of us together somehow. I am sure I will retain some concerns about the types of feminism practiced by some, but I do believe in letting each feminist write that definition for her/his-self. The examples which I have mentioned affirm that, even as each individual’s feminism is shaped through each individual’s viewpoints and experiences, it is important that one Photo by Christopher Dilts for Obama for America / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 remain open to expanding her/his understandings A line definitely exists, where once crossed the beyond the narrowness of her/his own perspectives. scrutiny of a person’s feminism is not justified. I’d Sometimes, that is going to come in the form of argue that the article calling out First Lady Obama’s accepting scrutiny. Others, it is going to be choosing feminist credentials crossed that line. Yet, often times not to scrutinize. and for many, the boundaries are not so easily recognizable. The responses triggered by each of the Jessica Ballard-Monroe examples I’ve discussed demonstrate just how limited one’s own understanding of that line’s boundaries can be. When the feminism of others is being questioned over something arguably more serious than selfies (as in the case of Cyrus and Allen) and/or when one’s feminist credentials are so wrongly called into question page 7
student voices • • • poetry CURL PATTERN BLUES by Jourdain Searles
Grandma told me to have pride when I’m cursing, my comb dragging through steel wool. My hands are those of a distressed sculptor, trying to make beauty out of a hard, black mass. I hang my head, resigned, at the salon. I pay money to straighten my hair; Hide my roots. I see these girls with their weary mothers, tired hands glistening with grease, Hoping for the easy fix. But it’s not easy to straighten these curls. It’s not easy to take these girls, and show them how to hide the mark of their Nubian line. Thinking of grandma, letting her pride wash over, I run my hands through my hair— Feel the coarseness and embrace it elated. It feels like me. Though some are fine with letting go. Maybe I don’t have to be.
page 8
• • • student voices FEARFUL ATTACHMENT by Spring Robinson
I keep silent, and carry on— he knows what’s best for me. Broken skin and bitter words, are his way of loving me. I believe him when he says, I provoke his anger, his jealousy, and I deserve to be hit.
Purple adornments mark my thighs, and seal my lips—I keep silent— red rose petals in my palm, the color and the smell of his apologies. He says, I need him, to keep me in my place. I listen, like child needing paternal guidance— he knows best. I’m asking for trouble if I leave home, without his permission, if I make the wrong sound, or try to keep my own body. He doesn’t know that I’m aware of his fearful attachment. He feeds on my fear, without it he has no power— he knows I could swallow him up. I want to be tough as men, to bear and block the blows, or be silent, and pretty like his mother teaches me— moms know best.
page 9
campus news • • • anthropology ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR: INFO & INTERVIEW WITH DR. ANGELA BRATTON
W
hile the road to consolidation has been a bumpy one for many people, quite a few positive changes have come as well. Included among these is the establishment of anthropology as a major. I caught up with a very excited Dr. Angela Bratton to discuss these developments. She told me that in April, she was on the way to class when her department chair, Dr. van Tuyll, “hands me a piece of paper. He doesn’t tell me anything. … It was this!” She pointed to a paper pinned to her corkboard. In big red letters, all in caps, it says only “IT’S APPROVED!” (I didn’t think to count the number of exclamation points, but there were quite a few.) Dr. Bratton told me “it was a slow process over the summer, but it is official, it is there. We actually already have some declared anthropology majors!”
“
The first question that many students consider for a major is, of course, “What can I do with it?” Dr. Bratton answered, “Like most social sciences, the door’s wide open. You’re not going to look in the newspaper and see ‘anthropologist wanted’… but you will have a skill set. You’ll know how to interview people, you’ll know how to evaluate a community and understand why people are doing things and know how to make recommendations for better communication or for conflict resolution, perhaps, to get things to people who need it without creating more red tape… Those sort of skills are things that people can get a job.” She explained that park services in particular “look for people who have archaeology backgrounds.” Another avenue might be museums, “and of course things like the State Department and NGOs, things that have an international component.” She has a former student who currently works with an NGO to aid Palestinian Christians in Israel. Another student is involved in a program focusing on displaced peoples in conflict areas. “I’m really excited to see them doing that sort of thing and making a positive difference and really using it in some very practical ways. And that’s something that may not be for everyone… but I’m so excited and
Like most social sciences, the door’s wide open.
I’m so proud to see students who have that passion and that will, that compassion to go and help others.” I asked Dr. Bratton what kind of person might consider majoring in anthropology. “I think if you’re interested in culture, if you’ve ever been the kind of person that likes to watch people at the airport or the mall, you kind of sit back and are perfectly entertained to watch people going by, that’s someone who would be a good anthropologist. People who have a curiosity for why humans do what they do. That’s true with a lot of social sciences, but certainly for anthropology as well.” This is, of course, coming from her perspective as a cultural anthropologist. As for archaeology, she said it takes “people who are interested in history, but they want to deal with material culture. They don’t mind getting out there and digging in the dirt and making that discovery.… Archaeologists have to do some archival work, but there’s going to be a lot more emphasis on physically being outside.” She continued, “If you enjoy travel, if you have that sense of adventure to go places, that’s the sort of thing that the discipline is for.” Dr. Bratton emphasized the importance of realizing that one is part of a global community. She told me she hopes “students of anthropology want to make a difference in the world. That’s one thing I tell my intro classes: that this class is there to help you
Students in front of the Library in Ephesus, from anthropology study abroad in Turkey. Photo credit: Dr. Bratton.
page 10
• • • campus news understand the world, but at the end of the day you have to apply it.” For example, “Now that you understand neocolonialism, you understand that you’re a global citizen…. That means that when you buy those tomatoes, think about where they’ve been picked. Think about who picked them, how much they got paid for it, and the next time you complain about food prices going up, think about why that may be, about who’s benefitting or not. And be willing sometimes to go without stuff, you know. … It’s one thing to say, ‘Oh those poor farmers in Ethiopia,’ and it’s another thing to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to pay 3 to 4 dollars more for that bag of coffee because it’s fair trade.’” There are no major changes on the way while the new program finds its feet, but the program as it currently exists is pretty exciting. Dr. Bratton highlighted the activities of the Student Anthropology Society, who she says not only meet as a club but also go on field trips together. Previous trips have included a behind-the-scenes primate tour at the Columbia Zoo, the Ocmulgee mounds in Macon, and visits to Atlanta that featured exhibits on King Tut and Chinese
soldiers. On November 16, the group traveled to Atlanta again to see African art at the High Museum, followed by a trip to the Dekalb International Farmer’s Market. The Society is open to all students; members do not have to be majors or minors in anthropology. While they will be adding two research methods courses – one in cultural anthropology and one in archaeology – the course catalog won’t be expanding rapidly. The biggest change in classes will be that they can now offer three on-rotation courses a semester instead of only two. The course offerings may grow as the department does, but there are no plans just yet to add more classes. However, there are plenty of exciting classes already offered, including this semester’s Cooking Up Culture class, taught by Dr. Bratton and our own Dr. Marie Drews. If you are interested in exploring the anthropology major or minor, click here to explore the department website.
Kirsten Fitzgerald
“ ”
Students of anthropology want to make a difference in the world.
Dr. Angela Bratton
Associate Professor of Anthropology
page 11
student voices • • • poetry I AM ALL THAT IS WOMAN by Kia Barr This is for the women. The mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, aunts, great aunts, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, the women who choose to work, the women who choose not to, the women who can’t afford to, the dependent women, the independent women, the care takers, givers, receivers, lovers, cuddlers, and huggers. Why, even the women who weren’t born women. This is for you. How beautiful you all are. The time has come for us to raise above what people think a woman should be. We are valuable− More than even we know. We hold a recipe for every problem, Glue for every rip in unity, And a bottomless purse of gracious knowledge. So, what is it that we cannot do? As a whole, we deserve to be treated as equals. An equal in every sense of the word. However, I can only ask that you step forward and claim what is rightfully yours. Consider it, and know that there is a great number supporting your every move whenever you choose to do so. By the end of your lifetimes, I hope that everyone, including yourselves, will realize that there is no definition to fully describe a woman, nor her worth. To define means to completely know what something means or stands for, and this will never be accomplished for women. For that reason, as a woman, whoever you are, just know that… You are woman! No one and nothing has the right to hold you down. Therefore, Celebrate every day in your own honor. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!
page 12
• • • student spotlight
M
s. Magazine published in its most recent issue two letters to the editor written by Georgia Regents University freshmen Danielle Patterson and Devaughn Moore. These students wrote the letters as part of Dr. Seretha Williams’ English 1101 course. Below is Patterson’s letter as it appears in the Winter/Spring 2014 print of Ms., copied with her permission. MILITARY ACTION I was blown away [by] the numbers of sexual assault and rape that occur in the military [“Zero Tolerance,” Summer 2013]. It is even worse to know that the reported incidences of sexual assault and rape are only a fraction of the actual cases. The military has been responding to reports of sexual assault and rape as if it is expected to happen, or as if it is acceptable behavior. How ironic is it that our military claims to exemplify high standards, morals, justice and so on? I was delighted to find that Democratic senator of New York Kirsten Gillibrand is still pushing forward with her proposed amendment to remove all direct military chain of command from making prosecution decisions on reports of sexual crimes, and placing it in the hands of trained military prosecutors. Obviously the military chain of command cannot handle this issue because there is an interest conflict. Finally someone is acting on this issue instead of just discussing it. I feel very optimistic about the changes that are going to be made in the military justice system because of this woman and the support she is receiving from many other senators.
media catalog • • • Did you know we have a whole media catalog devoted to women's and gender issues and sexualities? The catalog, originally organized by student assistant Megan Pugh and updated by Kirsten Fitzgerald, has been uploaded fully to the web, complete with links to Reese Library, GALILEO Films on Demand, TED Talks and PBS online.
To see what women's, gender and sexualities studies materials are available, you can click here to check it out. We have also created a separate page to feature links to free, online educational videos. To access this list, click here.
page 13
Danielle Patterson Georgia Regents University
feminist scholarship • • • EXAMINING BLACK WOMEN’S ADHERENCE TO TROPES IN POPULAR ZOMBIE CULTURE by Jenelle Plotts, Sociology
M
uch has been said about how movies and television have improved their portrayal of women onscreen, especially in the realm of horror movies. While this notion may have some merit, I will be researching zombie culture to see if this notion is true of this genre as well. By researching the way consumers of zombie culture are presented with black female characters I will determine the characters’ adherence to the stereotypes made about them in mass culture. Specifically, I will analyze prominent black women in the films, Sugar Hill (1974), 28 Days Later (2002), and episodes from the television series, The Walking Dead (2012), by calculating how often portrayals of these women fit into three tropes often associated with them. The three tropes commonly associated with black women that I have examined are “The Jezebel,” “The Mammy,” and “The Sapphire,” expecting to find that even in zombie subculture black women are still portrayed in distinct stereotypical roles. Furthermore, I anticipate that the most oft portrayed stereotype will be that of the sapphire.
Photo by f_mafra / CC BY-SA 2.0
Literature It is important to my research to understand the difficulties faced by many black actors. For this, I have
familiarized myself with Eithne Quinn’s work, “Closing Doors: Hollywood, Affirmative Action, and the Revitalization of Conservative Racial Politics” (2012). In the late 1960s through the 1970s Hollywood struggled to make changes reflecting the Civil Rights Act. There was little to no representation of minority racial and ethnic groups, and the same was true for women. Even when policy changes were implemented and companies like Warner were able to have their chairmen (Ted Ashley, in this case) boast, “People of the minority groups are talented, are skilled and dedicated. Bringing more of them into our offices and into our studios serves our company as much as it serves broader goals.” (Quinn, 2012:489) This comment was made of changes that jumped minorities to 35% of their workforce when they introduced several new office jobs. Further investigation reveals, though, that many of these jobs were in clerical and administrative positions, not creative and decision making ones, which, as they historically have been, continued to be held by white men. What this means is that the stories and decisions about what productions would be seen were still determined largely from a white perspective. Even when the productions were centered on black characters, with mostly black actors and black crews, as is seen in Sugar Hill (1974), they cast a negative light on real black communities. This trend of creating black action films, which feature urban communities entrenched in crime, sex and violence is widely known as blaxploitation. Quinn asserts that through blaxploitation and employing more minorities in office jobs, but still not in jobs participating in decision-making and creative processes, “Hollywood generally managed to rehabilitate its racial reputation with little reform of its institutions and practices” (2012:491). Windsor, Dunlap, and Golub, explore how negative images impact black women (2011). They explain how the jezebel, a biblical character, has long been an image associated with black women. She has been portrayed as a godless harlot, sometimes with
page 14
• • • feminist scholarship such an insatiable desire for sex she cannot even be raped. The mammy image, finding its beginnings in times of slavery in attempt to portray slavery more favorably, showed slave women happy, even hugging their masters, to enforce an ideal submissiveness that should be passed down to their own children. Now the black care-giving mammy is generally portrayed as overweight, lazy, uneducated and incapable of holding meaningful employment (Windsor et al. 2011). They also examine a more recent stereotype with negative imagery, the sapphire. The sapphire is essentially a strong and independent black women, however instead of having these traits that are generally considered positive, the sapphire is aggressive, domineering, masculine, loud and obnoxious. Hard work and violence on these tough black women is justified by this imagery (Windsor et al. 2011). Drawing upon these images the authors’ research how real black women are affected by the imagery and find that while some of their participants rejected the imagery, others deeply internalized it as a part of who they are and should be as a black woman. While I am not researching the effects of black female characters in zombie films on real living, breathing black women, it is important to recognize that the portrayals of these tropes which just as easily could be spun into positive, uplifting characters, will impact the way real women view themselves. Kretsedemas (2010) focuses on the portrayals of black women on the television series, Ugly Betty, specifically how they conform to the sapphire trope and their ability for upward mobility, though he includes further details into the definitions of the Jezebel and Mammy. The jezebel is likened the “tragic mulatta,” sexy light skinned women of African descent often seeking relationships with white men (Kretsedemas 2010). The mammy is additionally loyal and sassy, meant to be viewed comically unlike the jezebel. Though Kretsedemas focuses his research on reactions of participants using interviews, unlike my research that will capture occurrences of adherence to the tropes, his research valuable to my paper as it indicates how consumers of this media absorb the messages depicted by the tropes. Because the character Wilhelmina is light skinned with long, straight light hair, many of the participants did not view her as authentically black or asserted that her race had nothing to do with her
corresponding personality, but most interestingly some participants denied her of her race all together, asserting that she is not black at all. While he does not expressly imply it, Kretsedemas’ research reinforces to me that because we are inundated with these tropes which are specifically used to portray black women on screen, we have a difficult time understanding women, real or fictional, who cross the boundaries, even if just between two of the tropes, because we only understand black women as beings who fit neatly into well defined categories.
Methodology Using the tropes of The Jezebel, The Sapphire, and The Mammy, I made a list of indicators I would look for while viewing just over five hours of screen time depicting black women in zombie themed films and a popular television show. It is note-worthy to mention that there are very few black women depicted as anything other than extras. This made my sources for examination stringently purposive in choosing. Exhausting help from other zombie film enthusiasts we were able to determine only 5 films with note-worth black women. From these I chose to examine Selena from, 28 Days Later, Sugar from, Sugar Hill, and Michonne from the current popular television series, The Walking Dead. Originally, my coding sheet was arranged by tropes, with indicators listed directly under each trope. I’d intended to report the number of times each character exhibited specific indicators of each trope, but having arranged my sheet by trope I found myself often only looking at indicators of one trope instead of individual indicators. As the tropes are not mutually exclusive this became problematic, if a character were exhibiting a “sassy” moment, I may have only used it as an indicator for “mammy” though it is also an indicator for “sapphire.” Additionally, personality traits do not happen in an instance, they are often nuanced, so keeping track of how many individual times a character is “assertive” does not necessarily capture that she is an assertive character. I altered my coding sheet into one long list of alphabetized indicators to determine which traits each character exhibited. After collecting data, occurring indicators were placed into their corresponding trope category and analyzed thusly. This means that if a
page 15
feminist scholarship • • • Plotts character were “sassy” the occurrence was placed in both the “mammy” and “sapphire” category. My indicators for the tropes are as follows: For the jezebel indicators include physical qualities: thin, light skin, hair that is long, straight and light; the characters are highly sexualized, wear revealing clothing, are godless, immoral, manipulative, smart or educated, sweet and classy. With these traits she may be poor to middle class, but is using her sexuality and immorality in attempt to gain upward mobility. Indicators for the mammy include individuals who are dark skinned, overweight, with natural hair, desexualized, lazy, matronly, sassy, submissive, and uneducated or stupid, her socio-economic standing is poor. Sapphires are regarded as assertive, independent, determined, fearless, loud (obnoxious), sassy, smart, classy, mean or tough, vengeful and physically strong with dark skin and hair that is “well kempt” (whether natural or chemically treated,) and she is middle to upper-class. Sugar Hill
Sugar was the character I was least familiar with on beginning my research. I found that I had already formed an expectation of her in my mind just from the cover of the DVD jacket and suspected that she would be a very one dimensional jezebel character. I was surprised to find that was not the case, and debated on whether or not I should count her as two distinct characters in my methodology. There are two sides to Sugar, one appears when she is on her own, in the human world without otherworldly creatures surrounding her, in these instances her physical appearance is even different, usually sporting long, straight, light hair, or wearing a cover over it. When she has her zombie entourage with her, her demeanor is completely different, even evidenced in her hair that suddenly becomes all natural with no signs of chemical treatment. In the end, I decided that there are multiple sides to all people, no one is one dimensional or flat and she should not be treated as more than one
individual, but as a character capable of exhibiting many qualities that may not nicely fit into only one trope. After watching the character’s evolution I was unsurprised to find that she exhibited 85% of the characteristics of the jezebel, 88% of the sapphire’s characteristics and only 18% of the mammy characteristics. Selena Selena is a very well rounded character, and the research supports what I thought of her. She possesses qualities of all the tropes, but does not fit perfectly into any one trope. Her greatest likeness is to that of a sapphire, having hit 75% of the indicators. Her character only exhibits 46% of the jezebel characteristics and 36% of the mammy characteristics. Overall, Selena is the most balanced character of the three I analyzed. Michonne Michonne’s character is generally regarded as very quiet and mysterious. While I expected her to have very few qualities in common with the mammy trope, we find that she is capable of being very caring when her friends are in need. In one episode she devotes a lot of time to caring for a very sick Andrea. In my research I found that she actually represented 36% of the indicators of a mammy character. She, unsurprisingly, only possessed 27% of the characteristics of a jezebel, and expectedly 78% of the indicators of a sapphire.
Conclusion The strongest trope for each character is that of the sapphire. I believe that for the genre this is the expectation we would have of any character regardless of race and gender orientations, however as other research has shown this is not the only genre in which black female characters are faced with fitting nicely into that package. It is unfortunate that producers have not done more with characters like Selena, who in the face of the Zombie Apocalypse maintains a character that is determined and abrasive and a survivor, like Michonne,
page 16
• • • feminist scholarship but also has depth, is caring and nurturing, not afraid of her sexuality but also not portrayed distinctly as an immoral harlot willing to do anything to get her way, like Sugar. In all, the characters’ were largely represented as sapphires, combined they hit every marker for the trope. Next the characters most closely resembled the jezebel; the only marker that was never expressed directly was “godlessness,” though Sugar Hill’s voodoo practices could be considered by some to be a form of godlessness. The mammy character does not have much of a foothold in the action-packed zombie industry, and these characters have proven that, they only exhibited 6 of the 11 indicators of the trope and of those, only 3 are mutually exclusive to the trope, submissive, matronly and desexualized.
Works Cited Kretsedemas, Philip. 2010. “But She’s Not Black!.” Journal Of African American Studies 14(2): 149-170. doi:10.1007/ s12111-009-9116-3. Quinn, Eithne. 2012. “Closing Doors: Hollywood, Affirmative Action, and the Revitalization of Conservative Racial Politics.” Journal Of American History 99(2):466-491. Retrieved July 1, 2013. (http:// www.ebscohost.com). Windsor, Liliane, Eloise Dunlap, and Andrew Golub. 2011. "Challenging Controlling Images, Oppression, Poverty, and Other Structural Constraints: Survival Strategies Among African-American Women in Distressed Households." Journal Of African American Studies 15(3): 290-306. 10.1007/s12111-010-9151-0.
page 17
campus news • • • wssa CATCHING UP WITH THE WOMEN’S STUDIES STUDENT ASSOCIATION
T
he GRU Women’s Studies Student Association had a challenging and productive semester for Fall 2013. The beginning of the academic year started with all new officers for WSSA who sought to combine traditional WSSA events with fresh ideas. For Love Your Body Week, the WSSA hosted two events that were well attended. They kicked the week off with a screening of Miss Representation, co-hosted by the Student Anthropology Society, and followed up with a student panel discussion. The panel included Women’s Studies program assistant Kirsten Fitzgerald, SAS president Ryan O’Neill, and WSSA president Julianna Johnston, who each brought something a little different to the table with their varied personal and academic backgrounds. WSSA also hosted a body positive t-shirt decorating event on Love Your Body Day in front of the JSAC while handing out goodie bags hand decorated with body positive messages. The WSSA has started a monthly vlog series, the WSSA Update. These brief episodes hope to inform students on what the organization has been up to, as well as discuss classes that are offered and events that are held within the Women’s Studies program. Members also attended the Run or Dye 5k event, where they jogged and walked the track while discussing ideas and upcoming plans for the organization. With the new officers now fully acclimated to how a student organization is run, they are already getting plans together for a full Spring 2014 semester of activities, events, activism, and awareness!
Julianna Johnston WSSA President
Love Your Body Week 2013. From left to right: Michelle Haynes, Alejandro Smith, Julianna Johnston, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Adria Gordon, and Asher Primus.
Run or Dye 2013. Semone Sevion, Mike Lepp, Julianna Johnston, Asher Primus, and Ryan O’Neill.
page 18
courses • • • fall 2014 WMST 1101: Introduction to Women’s Studies Dr. Marie Drews / MW / 1:00—2:15pm An interdisciplinary course designed to provide a foundation for the women’s studies minor. Prerequisites: None.
WMST/HIST 4021: Gender & Family in World War II Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent / TR / 8:30—9:45am This is an in-depth look at the relationship between men and women with particular emphasis on their roles in the family. The course will look at childhood, marriage, work, and cultural practices during World War II. Primary and secondary sources will provide comparisons between men and women in both the elite and common sectors of society. Students taking the graduate level course will be required to complete additional work. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: HIST 1111 or 1112 or permission of instructor.
WMST/SOCI/CRJU 4336: Gender & Victimization Dr. Allison Foley / TR / 4:00—5:15pm A sociological analysis of crime victims and victim-service agencies. Traces the historical development of the field of victimology. Examines the influence of gender on victimization experiences and practices of criminal justice and victim-service agencies. Prerequisites: WMST 1101 or SOCI1160; SOCI 1101 or CRJU 1103.
WMST/SOCI 4442: Gender & Society Dr. Melissa Powell-Williams / TR / 11:30—12:45pm Sociological insights and concepts will be employed in observing, interpreting, and analyzing the social processes creating, reinforcing and changing gender roles and the statuses of women and men in society. Prerequisites: WMST 1101 and SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1103/PSYC 1103.
DID YOU KNOW? WMST 1101 counts as an Area F elective for majors in: English, Foreign Languages, Communications, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and History Contact Dr. Marie Drews (mdrews@gru.edu) for more info about upcoming courses or the minor.
page 19
student voices • • • poetry FEMININO by Nicolás Ortiz ¿No soy hombre que una vez era nene? ¿No tengo cojones y pene con los que puedo convertirme en amante? Amante de mujer o de hombre sin que se suponga que importe, a menos que tú seas el que me desee y por igual el que quiero que se me acerque. Y eso de cómo yo me porte, bueno, la mujer es la que es fuerte, a la vez capaz de a ti ternura emitirte, poderosa porque conquista con las influencias de sexo o de romance. Da a luz a la civilización, a los niños que son importantes,
Am I not a man
con el amor en sus manos, en su corazón y la inteligencia en su mente. Es mejor que a una mujer se parezca un hombre
translation
that once was a boy? Do I not have balls and a penis
with which I can become a lover?
que a un monstruo o quizás a otro terrible machote. Ella se sacrifica cada día para que todo el mundo se cuide.
A woman’s lover or a man’s without assuming that it matters,
Pues, si tengo gestos de ella, que otro me aprecie.
unless you are the one I desire and just the same the one that I want to come close to me. And about how I behave, well, the woman is the stronger one, at the same time able to show you tenderness, powerful because she conquers with the influences of sex and romance. She gives birth to civilization, to the children that are so important, with love in her hands, in her heart, and intelligence in her mind. It’s better for a man to seem like a woman, than like a monster or perhaps like another terrible ‘tough guy.’ She sacrifices herself every day so that the world is taken care of. Well, if I have her gestures, may someone else appreciate me.
page 20
• • • student voices HOMEMADE CARROT CAKE by Lindsay Rogillio We grate these carrots stiff in their dirty skin, the bright shavings piled like fallen feathers, the textured brush strokes of ancient paintings, rigid shreds straighter than our knobbed fingers, the digit-stiff hand— their strength is persistent. Our rough hands are worn and gnarled from centuries of use. We forge lives from a cup of milk and an egg. The flour stiffens in control of our sugar and cracked eggs. Vanilla softens the spatula blows of a revolving blade that whips the batter mountain around and around the glass womb. Cinnamon peppercorns ignite the spark of life and dust our time-weary knotted fingers. Now our hands seem unnecessary next to metal blades and kitchen aides, our hands are left to finger apron-strings, useless and outdated. It seems the fast folk have forgotten the homemade love made between buckled fingers. Used to, the stove would forge our sweet efforts and slowly, for a short spell, please tongues, the receivers of knobbed fingers.
page 21
campus news • • • triota IOTA IOTA IOTA HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTIONS
I
ota Iota Iota, the Women's Studies Honor Society, also known as Triota, was pleased to induct the following students on December 5, 2013: Jessica Ballard-Monroe, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Jenelle Plotts, Nicole Ratliff, and Candace Stewart. While inductions have usually been done during the spring semester, to honor our high-achieving Women's Studies students who might be graduating at the mid-semester, a fall induction ceremony was held on December 5th to give students the opportunity to get active in the organization during the spring semester before they graduate. This year's Triota board includes President, Julianna Johnston; Vice President, Shawna Martinez; and Secretary, Ryan O'Neill. As one of their efforts this spring, Triota will be sponsoring the research activities of several students who are traveling to the Southeastern Women's Studies Association Conference from March 27-29. Ballard-Monroe, Fitzgerald, Plotts, and O'Neill, in addition to Kayla Wirtz and WMST alum Travis Wagner, will all be presenting papers at the conference.
Dr. Marie Drews Faculty Advisor
Iota Iota Iota Induction Ceremony, Fall 2013. Faculty advisor Dr. Marie Drews, Vice President Shawna Martinez-Allen, President Julianna Johnston, with inductees Jessica Ballard-Monroe, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Jenelle Plotts. Not pictured: Secretary Ryan O’Neill, inductees Nicole Ratliff and Candace Stewart.
page 22
lambda alliance • • • campus news LAMBDA ALLIANCE NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
L
ast semester, Lambda Alliance sponsored a series of LGBT films in honor of National Coming Out Day on October 11. Lambda Alliance cosponsored a drag show fundraiser with GRU Equality in November at Sky City. Thanks to great support from the community, we raised over $1000 for both organizations.
We are holding a Valentine's Bake Sale on February 13 from 11:30 - 1:30 outside the JSAC. We'll be selling homemade baked goods to support Lambda Alliance activities on campus. Lambda Alliance is planning a lecture on being LGBTQ in communities of faith this spring. Members of our organization are currently working with Georgia Equality on campaigns to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in the antibullying policies of Richmond County and Columbia County Schools. For further information on Lambda Alliance events and activities please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/asulambda or email Shawna Martinez at smarti45@gru.edu.
Shawna Martinez Lambda Alliance President
Annual GRU Drag Cabaret at Sky City. Lambda President Shawna Martinez, Lambda Secretary Lindsey Cope, co-President of GRU Equality, Justin Neisler, performing as Ivy Dripp.
page 23
feminist scholarship • • • THE PROBLEM WITH CHIVALRY: BORDERLINE HOMO-EROTIC BEHAVIOR AND BERTILAK’S FEMININITY by Kayla Wirtz, English
S
ir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK) provides a critique of chivalric knighthood, wherein chivalry strips a knight of his manhood and places dominating feminized figures atop the social hierarchy (Delony 9). His desires to maintain his chivalry cause him to break his own ethical/moral code, and challenge the legitimacy of knighthood. Traditionally the knights have many different standards they must uphold, and Gawain’s behaviors are generally in accordance with their creed. As an excruciatingly chivalric man, his extreme adherence to knightly customs allows Gawain to be dominated and duped easily by those around him, especially the women and Bertilak. The Green Knight, a conspicuously “other character” due to his two part character and flip-flopping gender roles, persistently challenges Gawain’s masculinity through various methods, including threatening his life. Morgan LeFay utilizes Gawain’s chivalry and her mystical powers to seduce and teach Gawain a lesson about his chivalry and the power of women. The juxtaposition of language regarding sexual activity and hunting games amplifies Gawain’s domination; women and feminine figures maintain a pronounced power over Gawain, the symbol of masculinity. Eventually they seduce Gawain to break his moral code, and become Gawain’s teachers.
Historical/Literary Background
According to the introduction of SGGK, the poem dates between the late 1300’s and the early 1400’s, which also occurs around the time kings were trying to eliminate need for knights and chivalry was on the “decline” (Yin 93). With chivalry declining, readers may only hypothesize what the Gawain-poet intended with his story. However, s/he writes a poem with Sir Gawain, who portrays all the good possible qualities for a knight “bravery, loyalty, generosity, and honor,” yet all his qualities cause him trouble (91). In the contemporary period, writers were beginning to use Arthurian legend to critique various aspects of chivalry including these. In SGGK, Gawain consistently gets himself in trouble because he is too “brave, loyal, gener[ous], and honor [able]” (91). Characters unhindered by chivalry or knighthood are capable of behaving in any way they choose with minimal consequence. In the grander historic
scheme nobles and knights were nearly unlimited in their expressions of violence and lustful behaviors. Carl Grey Martin discusses how violence among nobles “no matter how extensive and consequential, is autonomized, stripped of its determinants and effects, insulated, set apart, accountable only to itself and strictly according to its own criteria as an exceptional kind of activity within a privileged Huizingan circle of play— chivalry” (323). With that, games that required one to forfeit one’s own life or to forfeit his self-deemed masculinity would be common, and Arthur (as well as other kings) would flinch minimally at the thought of losing a member of their order. Either way, the death would be seen as an honorable one and would be of little consequence to anyone else because “[w]arrior-nobles naturalized the slaughter of their peers” (324). Although loss of his own life would be consequential to Gawain, the chivalric tradition demands he lay his life down on the line. Outside of the chivalric group, Bertilak has little to fear because he has an exceptionally strong enchantress on his side and risking his own life has literally no consequences. Some critics argue that Bertilak may not be a strictly masculine character, and others further argue that women control the dynamics within the Green Knight’s domain. Mikee Delony posits “these female gendered spaces essentially emasculate Arthur's knights and reverse traditional gender roles.” The Lady is capable of entrapping Gawain and seducing him almost completely, and his primary teacher is Bertilak, who is Morgan LeFay’s servant (Delony 8, 20). LeFay orchestrates almost the entire scenario between Bertilak, the Lady, and Gawain, which she mostly does in order to teach Gawain a lesson about his own chivalry. In part her attitude critiques the superficiality of knighthood (Nievergelt 2829). Meanwhile she also seduces Gawain in a roundabout way, utilizing her pawns, because in his initial ignorance he makes it clear he is uninterested in LeFay. Ignoring the power of women again trips up Gawain (Delony) Bertilak himself straddles a line between masculinity and femininity. His two forms “The Green Knight” and “Bertilak” contrast two aspects of his identity, and both aspects challenge Gawain’s masculinity (Ashton 59).
page 24
• • • feminist scholarship Critic Trevor Dodman discusses the uses of violence and sexuality within the context of courtly life. Dodman describes the relationships between men and the ways in which the hunt helps men establish hierarchies among themselves (299-300). He also notes how excessive interest in the hunt was exceptionally common, and as the games continue, Gawain becomes more disinterested and begins to feign intrigue (310). However, with Bertilak as Morgan LeFay’s pawn, and a symbol of flipped hierarchies, the hunt becomes a game in which women teach men through manipulation and game (315). Dodman also notes that Gawain’s behaviors, in the face of the Green Knight surviving his attack, were exceptionally king-like and that Gawain shows more bravery than his peers (317). Gawain due to his chivalric duties is required to participate in the games no matter what and the women are capable of taking advantage of the weaknesses, formerly Photo by tinyfroglet / CC BY 2.0 considered strengths.
Key Passage & Linguistic Analysis
In the following passage, Bertilak has just returned from his first hunt, and offers up his prize of the
day. The passage provides an example of Gawain’s first intimate encounter with Bertilak, which fringes on both an expression of sexuality and an expression of violence (see Table 1). At the beginning of this passage, the word “gomen” is used. Initially it translates as “game” and refers to the hunt, but it sets a tone for the dual nature of these activities (“gome”). The word “gomen” is used throughout this text, in multiple contexts. “Gomen” also may be used to refer to sexual conquests (“gome”). The word “play” also implies sexuality and sports-like play, as well as theatrical play (“play”). In this context, the hint at sexuality resides in the male sphere, while the characters are somewhat androgynous. Bertilak, who has set up Gawain for trickery, uses the word “gomen” implying “playfulness,” in a scene immediately following his wife’s first seduction of Gawain. He taunts Gawain with intimate words, and nearly translates into Bertilak desiring Gawain for his own. For instance, Bertilak uses the word “crave”, a word linked to “craven,” expresses longing and intense desire, rather than using a milder word for wanting or desire (“crave”). Using this word, he is referring to the offering of venison, but instead of directly saying here is your prize or any other phrasing; he utilizes an exceptionally sexualized word for wanting. Ambiguous language also both feminizes and masculinizes Bertilak. He is described as “fayre,” which although sometimes is used to describe men, more often describes women. “Fayrest” is used earlier to describe the animal meat, which is a mixed variety between does and stags, lending more to the ambiguity of Bertilak’s gender identity (1322). However, Bertilak is also referred to as a
Table 1
And al godly in gomen Gawayn he called, Techez hym to þe tayles of ful tayt bestes, Schewez hym þe schyree grece schorne vpon rybbes. 'How payez yow þis play? Haf I prys wonnen? Haue I þryuandely þonk þurȝ my craft serued?' 'Ȝe iwysse,' quoþ þat oþer wyȝe, 'here is wayth fayrest Þat I seȝ þis seuen ȝere in sesoun of wynter.' 'And al I gif yow, Gawayn,' quoþ þe gome þenne, 'For by acorde of couenaunt ȝe craue hit as your awen.' 'Þis is soth,' quoþ þe segge, 'I say yow þat ilke: Þat I haf worthyly wonnen þis wonez wythinne, Iwysse with as god wylle hit worþez to ȝourez.' He hasppez his fayre hals his armez wythinne, And kysses hym as comlyly as he couþe awyse:
And with playful courtesy he called Gawain to him, Reckons up the tally of well-grown beasts, Points out the splendid flesh cut from the ribs. “Does this game please you? Have I won your praise? Do I deserve hearty thanks for my hunting skill?” “Yes indeed,” said the other, “ this is the finest venison That I have seen for many years in the winter season.” “And I give it all to you, Gawain,” and the man then, “For by the terms of our compact you may claim it as yours.” “That is true,” said the knight, “and I say the same to you: What I have honorably won inside this castle, With as much good will truly shall be yours.” He takes the other’s strong neck in his arms, And kisses him as pleasantly as he could device:
(Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1376-1389)
page 25
feminist scholarship • • • Wirtz “wyghe,” which both can refer to an individual of ambiguous gender, as well as a man’s man type persona (“wighe”). Meanwhile, the text refers to Gawain as “segge,” which also refers to a general “man,” but can also refer to a “chair or a bench or a toilet or a latrine”. As an object to be sat on, the language places Gawain beneath Bertilak in a physical sense. The parallels with chair and latrine also turn Gawain into an object to be used for a purpose. The distinction between “wyghe” and “segge” likely denotes an important difference between Gawain and Bertilak, either Bertilak’s ambiguous gender identity or Gawain’s excessively submissive persona.
Literary Analysis
From his introduction, the Green Knight, or Bertilak, challenges the masculinity of Arthur’s court and even more directly, Gawain’s masculinity. Bertilak calls all of those in King Arthur’s hall “beardless children” (280). Then, when he fails to provoke Arthur’s men immediately, he cries “Where are your arrogance and your victories/Your fierceness and wrath and your great speeches,” which finally does provoke King Arthur (311312). To live up to his standards of “loyalty” and “bravery,” Gawain is compelled to participate in the Green Knight’s “gomen.” When he fails to chop off Bertilak’s head, he is obligated to face his own demise. Unknown to him, his trip to Bertilak’s home will not end his life, but rather question his own character. Then, Bertilak challenges Gawain to a “hunting” game. He tells Gawain “let us make and agreement:/Whatever I catch in the wood shall become yours, /And whatever comes your way give me in exchange,” and as the conductor of the ensuing event, he obligates Gawain to practice intimacy with Bertilak (1105-1107). If honesty were not a part of the chivalric creed and if the game were not a traditional part either, Gawain would not be required to kiss Bertilak. These occurrences build into the “softening up” of Gawain and a dual seduction from both characters, and Gawain’s willingness to accept both (Ashton 53, 59). In conjunction with Dodman’s study about masculinity tied in with the hunt, Sir Gawain dismisses meat, a symbol of masculinity, in favor of a tender kiss, a symbol of femininity and submissiveness. Bertilak baits Gawain into praising his offering, and Gawain’s enjoyment seems forced (Dodman). The Gawain-Poet uses more written time describing the intimacy between the two characters and the tenderness applied to the Green Knight when kissed by Gawain. The lines “He
takes the other’s strong neck in his arms,/And kisses him as pleasantly as he could device” already implies an element of gentleness, but the text continually describes Bertilak’s “fayreness” (1388-1389). Potentially, Bertilak’s offering placed Gawain in a position of power, but Gawain is required to return what the Lady gives him. The Lady manipulates and forces affection out of Gawain, forcing him to both submit to herself and Bertilak. If he turns down either, he breaks his knightly code of ethics. Finally, she acts through a magical artifact. At the end of the game, Gawain’s life is saved by the “mystical object”. The object performs two roles. The first, Gawain surrenders his chivalry, and thereby his manhood, because utilizing mythical tools was forbidden in his time: “Gawain, the best of knight, not only broke the moral code of the time, but the chivalric one as well” (Rigby 155). Rather than demonstrating good sportsmanship and playing the game in a chivalric way, he accepts help from the Lady. That outside help from a woman fools him into betraying his own identity, and the women’s ability to wield power aptly surfaces immediately. A second aspect to his accepting the magical girdle is that it furthers notions of intimacy and seduction between Gawain, Bertilak, and the Lady. Beyond the pure power element or the seduction of the Lady and Bertilak, there is also another layer to the plot, LeFay’s seduction of Gawain. Although she does not directly have a hand in his seduction, she acts vicariously through the Lady and Bertilak. Then her magic directly saves him from the blow of Bertilak’s weapon. Others argue against interpreting the girdle as a sex symbol, because it refers to a modern interpretation of what a girdle is. They distinguish the difference between today’s girdle (a symbol of sex) and the old girdle (a symbol of power), and note that the girdle in this context does not connote any femininity (Friedman 299-300). In the Gawain-poet’s time, the girdle also would be linked to religious mythology and powerful preceding symbolism of the girdle, and although not outright feminine in itself, does have cultural implications of virginity (310-311). Accepting the garment he accepts a “sexual trophy,” and it suggests his final submission to the Lady and Bertilak. The same cloth that touched Bertilak’s “bare flesh” now touched Gawain’s skin, and although the cloth itself may not symbolize sexuality, the uses of the scarf imply sexuality (Friedmann 310; Ashton 60-62). However, LeFay’s magic also circulates through the girdle/belt, which in turn enters Gawain, furthering the notion of role
page 26
• • • feminist scholarship reversal (Delony). Gawain succeeds only when he has given up on his chivalric code and gives into the feminine characters around him. Although it will save his life, going against his creed and using a magical item in a game symbolizes him finally submitting himself completely to the controlling forces around him. The cut in his body does not merely symbolize the weakness he expressed, but also the penetration of his body. The natural violence present in the dynamics between courts, the physical damage to Gawain is rendered almost meaningless, it is just another part of life. Actually, the mark accents his survival, and with the contemporary courts his mark on his neck directly signifies cowardice in his time, and not just for flinching (Martin 324). Gawain would have been honored, but his survival keeps that honor from him. He also carries the extra burden of shame of giving into his feminine educators. The penetration of his neck equates with the perpetration of his values, as much as they signify his cowardice.
and Gawain purely echoes homoerotic connections, while others regard the relationship as a more strict studentteacher relationship through Bertilak and Morgan LeFay’s game they play with Gawain. Others discuss the plays of masculinity unfolding within the play. However, this reading suggests that there is a combination of all these elements. The seemingly intimate relationship between Bertilak and Gawain could be a manifestation of LeFay’s desire for Gawain, while also the women and Bertilak use his chivalric tendencies against him until he is given no choice, to break them. When he breaks them several questions come to mind. He challenges the “validity and viability” of knighthood and masculinity (Martin 2). As a contemporary of Chaucer, it is entirely plausible that the whole text exists to satirize chivalric tendencies on the whole, and that the flipped hierarchical balance serves to mock the arbitrary and flimsy nature of knighthood. None of the other knights stand up to defend Arthur, and Gawain’s survival relies on him breaking his ethical code.
Implications/Conclusion
Some argue that the relationship between Bertilak
Works Cited Ashton, Gail. "The Perverse Dynamics of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." Arthuriana 15.3 (2005): 51-74. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. “craven” Middle English Dictionary. Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. Accessed 5 April 2013. Delony, Mikee. "Gendering Morgan Le Fay's Magical Spaces In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight." Medieval Perspectives 20 (2005): 20-56. Humanities International Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Dodman, Trevor. "Hunting To Teach: Class, Pedagogy, And Maleness In "The Master Of Game" And "Sir Gawain And The Green Knight.." Exemplaria 17.2 (2005): 413-444. Humanities International Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. “fayre” Middle English Dictionary. Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. 5 April 2013. Friedman, Albert B. "Gawain's Girdle as Traditional Symbol." Journal of American folklore 90.357 (1977): 301-315. JSTOR. Web. 25 April 2013. “gomen” Middle English Dictionary. Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. Accessed 5 April 2013. Martin, Carl Grey. "The Cipher Of Chivalry: Violence As Courtly Play In The World Of "Sir Gawain And The Green Knight.." Chaucer Review 43.3 (2009): 311-329. Humanities International Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Nievergelt, Marco. "Paradigm, Intertext, Or Residual Allegory: Guillaume De Deguileville And The Gawain-Poet." Medium Aevum 80.1 (2011): 18-40. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. Rigby, Graham, et. al. "Gawain's Acceptance Of The Girdle." American Notes & Queries 12.9/10 (1974): 154. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. “wighe” Middle English Dictionary. Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. Accessed 5 April 2013. Yin, Ruijan. "The Knights In The Middle Ages Of England." Review Of European Studies 1.2 (2009): 91-93. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 12 Apr. 2013.
page 27
student spotlight • • •
T
hree seniors this semester are doing their thesis film projects focusing on women and LGBTQ subjects.
Senior Nikki Wilder is working on a documentary film called Glass Slippers. This film focuses on Andrea, a transgendered woman, and the journey she went through to be comfortable in her own skin. Senior William "Gil" Gilyard is working on a documentary film called Lucy Craft Laney: Mother of the Children of the People. This film explores how Lucy Craft Laney dedicated her entire adult life to teaching. One of her biggest accomplishments being the building of a comprehensive educational institution to afford African-American children in the Augusta community the necessary preparation to broaden their pursuit for higher achievement and career opportunities. Senior Julianna Johnston is working on a documentary film entitled Distorted: The Naked Truth About Women in Pop Culture. This film discusses the way women are represented in current pop culture with a focus on women's representation throughout the history of comic books. It uses the ever growing popularity of Cosplay at various conventions around the country to expose links between the way women are represented in pop culture and the way they are treated in reality."
Julianna Johnston
wmst 1101 online • • • NEED AN ELECTIVE THIS SUMMER? We are now offering Women’s Studies 1101 online! The class will be paced like a normal summer session class, but it will meet fully in our online D2L environment. For more information contact Dr. Marie Drews mdrews@gru.edu
Photo by marx0r / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
page 28
• • • campus news GRU SPRING SEMESTER PROGRAMMING
February 1984 – 2014 An Intimate Conversation About 30 Years of Urban Bush Women: Dance, Equity, Organizing February 14, 12:00 PM, University Hall 170 Sponsored by Women’s Studies and the Lyceum Series
Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat 1 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 In 1984, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar founded Urban Bush Women (UBW) as a performance ensemble dedicated to exploring 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change. Throughout her distinguished career Zollar has been a guiding light in 23 24 25 26 27 28 the dance world. She has been recognized over and over again for contributions to dance, cultural organizing, civic engagement, and building diversity in the arts. Awards include the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, the Otto Rene Castillo award for Political Theatre, the New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie), and many others. She was invited to participate in a White House meeting convened on using creative and collaborative approaches to community-building and civic engagement. In 2005, Zollar was selected as a Master of African American Choreography by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She is featured in the PBS Documentary "Free to Dance" which chronicles the African American influence on modern dance. Zollar developed a unique approach to enable artists to strengthen effective involvement in cultural organizing and civic engagement, which evolved into UBW's acclaimed Summer Leadership Institute. She serves as director of the Institute, founding artistic director of UBW and currently holds the position of the Nancy Smith Fichter Professor of Dance and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor at Florida State University. Lyceum Performance: Urban Bush Women February 15, 7:30 PM, Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Sponsored by the Lyceum Series Since Urban Bush Women burst onto the dance scene in 1984, the company has made an indelible mark on the field with bold, innovative, demanding and exciting works that challenge long-held assumptions about women, people of color, body types, styles of movement, society, and history. The company weaves contemporary dance, music, and text with the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of African-Americans and the African Diaspora, exploring the transformation of struggle and suffering into the bittersweet joy of survival. Milton Washington, Reading & Discussion February 20, 2:30 PM, JSAC Ballroom Sponsored by Life of the Mind Milton Washington is the author of the forthcoming memoir, Slickyboy: The Black Dust of South Korea. Slickyboy tells the story of little “Milton-ah,” a black boy born to a Korean prostitute, and recounts his life of adventure and mischief in a country that never claimed him. page 29
campus news • • • events GRU SPRING SEMESTER PROGRAMMING Meet the Author: Dr. Kent Leslie speaks on Augusta’s Lucy Craft Laney February 27, 2:30 PM, Reese Library 2nd Floor Sponsored by Reese Library and Women’s Studies As part of Reese Library’s Black History Month programming, Dr. Kent Leslie will discuss the powerful legacy of Lucy Craft Laney, a Black woman whose activism increased educational opportunities for children of color in Augusta, Georgia. Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat 1 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
March Human Trafficking Lecture March 6, 10:00 AM, JSAC Sponsored by the following programs and departments: Psychology; Political Science; Women’s Studies; and Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work Featuring Dr. Gloria Halverson, emeritus professor of OB/GYN, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Dr. Clydette Powell, director of the US AID refugee and TB programs and consulting pediatric neurologist at GW Medical Center.
Wadjda Film Screening
March 8, 7:00 PM, Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Sponsored by Life of the Mind and the Women’s Studies Student Association “An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest” (IMDb).
Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964 Film & Discussion with Director Alvelyn Sanders March 13, 2:30 PM, JSAC Ballroom Sponsored by Life of the Mind
Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964 is an independent documentary about women in the Class of 1964 at Spelman College, who participated in the largest coordinated, series of civil rights protests in Atlanta’s history as college freshmen. As young women – sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen years old – these willing souls were some of the foot soldiers of the Atlanta University Center who carried the Atlanta Student Movement through relentless picketing, sit-ins, kneel-ins, and other non-violent demonstrations. Their bold activism is an Atlanta story that helped change the world. page 30
• • • campus news SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
S
exual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) Events represent a joint collaboration between Georgia Regents University, Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services, and Paine College. This year's series of events is made possible by the SAAM planning committee, which includes GRU, Paine, and RCSAS staff, students, faculty, community members, active duty military personnel, victim advocates, and others who are committed to raising awareness to prevent sexual violence in the CSRA. The SAAM planning committee is co-chaired by Anne EalickHenry, Director of RCSAS, and Shannon Nix, Counselor and Interpersonal Violence Outreach Coordinator at GRU. Su M Tu We Th Fri Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6
7
8
9
10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month It Was Rape: Film Screening and Discussion April 15, 7:00 PM, JSAC Coffeehouse
Rape is wrong, illegal, reprehensible—and yet still tragically common. In this film, eight women tell their diverse personal stories of sexual assault, from a Midwestern teenager trying alcohol for the first time to a Native American woman gradually coming to terms with her abusive childhood. Gripping and emotional, this film is an opportunity to empathize with people—not just absorb faceless statistics—and to puncture the silence and denial that allow sexual assault to thrive. Ultimately, these stories shed light on how this epidemic affects us all. (Description from Jennifer Baumgardner) 27 28 29 30
More information coming soon about post-film discussion. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes April 19, 8:30 AM, Amphitheater, Summerville Campus In spirit of the old saying, “you can’t understand someone’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” Walk a Mile in Her Shoes literally asks men to walk a mile in high heeled shoes. The event is a playful and fun opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes and effects of sexualized violence. This event will be part of the kickoff for the Take Back the Day 5K run/walk.
page 31
campus news • • • events SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH Take Back the Day 5K Run/Walk to Prevent Sexual Violence and Child Abuse April 19, 8:45 AM, Amphitheater, Summerville Campus Registration from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM Join Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services as they expand their annual Take Back the Day Walk to a 5K race on Saturday, April 19, 2014. The race course is straight downhill and is Augusta's FASTEST 5K ROUTE! The Take Back the Day 5K is a perfect opportunity for first-time racers and for seasoned runners to achieve a PR. Proceeds benefit the programs of Rape Crisis. Rape Crisis works to build a community free from sexual violence. The three mile walk will begin at the Georgia Regents University Amphitheater (Summerville campus), continue through the campuses of Paine College and GRU (Downtown campus) and end in front of University Hospital located at 1350 Walton Way. Shuttles will be available to transport runners and walkers back to GRU. All runners and walkers are welcome to bring strollers and dogs on leashes. This is a family-friendly event! Please be mindful of other race and walk participants.
All participants can register in advance via Active.com (registration is non-refundable); t-shirts will be available for all early registrants. Day-of registration is also available with t-shirts on a first come, first serve basis. All proceeds benefit Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services!
Runners: $25 in advance; $30 day of event Sign up before Feb. 21 for the Early Bird Special: just $15!
Walkers: $5 Students, $10 Individual, $15 Family
The electronic timing for our race is provided by Fleet Feet. Results will be available after the race on Active.com and on the RCSAS Facebook page. page 32
• • • campus news SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH 18th Annual Take Back the Night Rally April 24, 6:00 PM, Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Lawn In order to celebrate the triumphs of survivors of sexual assault and to increase the community's awareness of sexual victimization, Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services and Georgia Regents University will present the 17th annual Take Back the Night Rally on Thursday, April 24, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. on the lawn adjacent to the Maxwell Performing Arts Center at Georgia Regents University, 2500 Walton Way (Summerville Campus). Take Back the Night was created to help survivors know that they are not alone, to speak out against sexual violence, and raise community awareness against future violence. The rally also offers an opportunity for the community to state it will not tolerate these crimes or let them go silently into the night. Survivors of violence, supporters of survivors, and any community advocates wishing to eliminate violence from our communities are invited to attend. The rally will begin at 6:00 p.m., with exhibits, activities, and informational displays on sexual assault. Survivors of sexual assault will provide testimonies and community leaders will speak beginning at 7:00 p.m. The evening will conclude with a campus-wide candlelight march to "Take Back the Night."
page 33
meet our contributors • • • Jessica Ballard-Monroe Jessica Ballard-Monroe is currently a senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Women's Studies. Following graduation in May, she hopes to pursue a Dual Master's in Social Work and Public Policy, with either a concentration in Gender & Public Policy or a graduate minor in Gender Studies.
Kia Barr I am a freshman who is majoring in creative writing and minoring in music. My goal in life is to write a book that will withstand time, similar to The Diary of Anne Frank. This novel has inspired me to write about my daily life, because we all go through troubling times, and it is never easy. I really want to express this view through my own experiences in life. Additionally, having my personal story out there would be amazing, because sometimes people forget that with the tribulations there comes a time when life is beautiful and precious, yet it is limited. So, what I want more than anything is to be remembered in this world once I am long gone from it. I am certainly working my way to this! I enjoy seeing activism by strong willed individuals. Women are such courageous people. We want what we want, and we know how to get it. I honestly take pride in seeing us strive for equality, and I especially love women who represent us respectfully as a whole.
Kirsten Fitzgerald Kirsten is the Women’s Studies Program student assistant and editor-inchief of YELL. She is a senior sociology major with a minor in political science. She has plans to pursue her Ph.D. in sociology and is currently awaiting notification from graduate schools. Her academic activities have included the National Model United Nations, the political science club, Violence Awareness Month planning, and Women’s Studies events. Her research interests vary greatly, but she is currently preparing to present research on men’s cosmetic websites at the Southeastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium and the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association conference. When she’s not on campus, Kirsten can often be found playing video games, laughing at her own jokes, or arguing on the internet.
page 34
• • • meet our contributors Julianna Johnston Julianna Johnston is a senior majoring in Communications on the Television and Cinema track and minoring in Women's Studies. She is the current president of the Women's Studies Student Association and the Triota Women's Studies Honor Society. After she graduates from Georgia Regent's University, she plans to continue her education by pursuing her graduate degree in England. Julianna hopes to use her education to make films that challenge traditional gender roles as well as the lack of minority representation in media.
Nicolás Ortiz ¡Hola! My name is Nicolás. I was a senior when I submitted this poem for consideration; however, shortly after doing so I graduated with a B.A. in Foreign Languages with a concentration in Spanish, as well as a minor in Sociology. My main interests include the Spanish language, Spanish and Latin American cultures, racial and ethnic relations, and gender relations. I originally wrote this poem in Spanish, and I wrote it to express my support for the diversity that existed along the gender spectrum. At the time I had much to learn, and although I have grown, I am still on this journey of personal growth. I look forward to bettering myself, and hopefully, I will serve as a good role model in whatever it is that I do in life.
Jenelle Plotts Jenelle Plotts is an undergraduate student in her junior year at Georgia Regents University. She is seeking Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology and Criminal Justice, and has special interest in gender studies. She began taking courses at GRU, then under the name Augusta State University, in the spring of 2008 as non-traditional, lifeenhancement student. She has recently begun attending the university full-time, with plans to pursue graduate studies.
page 35
meet our contributors • • • Spring Robinson My name is Spring Robinson. I am a senior, Biology major at Georgia Regions University, pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. I am especially interested in forensic science, but my passion is writing. I believe that writers see the world in a different light, and it is our responsibility to reveal the particulars, opening a closed mind or eye to the beauty of not just being alive, but conscious. I also believe that women are the fabric of society, and The Home. We must assume our position with authority, diligence, and femininity. The question of what came first, the chicken or the egg, is not only a question of evolution, but a reflection of the power of Woman, in her ability to give birth. Women are the source of life-- remember parthenogenesis.
Lindsay Rogillio Lindsay Rogillio graduated from Augusta State University, now GRU, in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. At ASU she was involved in the Women’s Studies Student Association, Triota, Phi Kappa Phi and other academic organizations. She was also the 2012 recipient of the Women’s Studies Student Award. Her interests in Women’s Studies concern the portrayal of women in literature, film, television, and art. She currently works as a Deputy Clerk in the McDuffie County Clerk of Superior Court, and hopes to soon be accepted to the University of South Carolina’s Graduate program to pursue a double Master’s degree in English Literature and Library & Information Science. Her dream career is to become an archivist at the National Archives & Records Administration.
Jourdain “Jodie” Searles I am a senior Communications major with a concentration in Television and Cinema and a minor in Creative Writing. Upon graduation, I hope to get an MFA in Screenwriting and pursue a career in writing for television. I am a member of WSSA and find it to be very important to be mindful of equal and positive gender representation in the media and in life.
page 36
• • • meet our contributors Kayla Wirtz Kayla is a senior majoring in English with a minor in Anthropology. She plans to attend graduate school for linguistics. Her key goal is to facilitate a brighter future for other students and aspiring writers. She has done considerable research in the fields of composition and popular culture. Her key focuses are the function of language, gender and family, and the concept of heroism. She has presented at multiple venues including the campus brown bag, the Women's Studies Symposium, the regional PCAS conference, and the regional Honor's undergraduate conference. As a part of her ongoing research, she works on the website Epic Heroism for the 21st Century. Furthermore, she also completed an honor's thesis entitled Orphan Tales in Popular Culture: Star Wars vs. Harry Potter and a publication entitled "I love you, mom, but my show is on" in the Choice Voice. Currently, Kayla is the secretary for the Honor's Program Student Association and the treasurer for the Anthropology Student Union.
connect with gruwmst • • • VISIT US ON THE WEB!
V
isit our official website at gru.edu/ colleges/pamplin/wmst for information on classes, access to our media catalog, official updates and links to campus and online resources. Check out gruwmst on the following social media sites to stay up to date on current events, read and submit links to feminist news and discourse, and join the conversation!
page 37
Editor-in-Chief
Photo Credits
Kirsten Fitzgerald
Page 4 Credit: torbakhopper / CC BY 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/dq2aV3 Title: “rainbow flag on white background : harvey milk plaza, san francisco (2012)”
Program Director Dr. Marie Drews
Contributors Jessica Ballard-Monroe Kia Barr Kirsten Fitzgerald Julianna Johnston Shawna Martinez Nicolás Ortiz Jenelle Plotts
Page 6 Credit: Hubert Burda Media / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/hyyAS5 Title: “Bambi 2013 in Berlin” Page 7 Credit: Christopher Dilts for Obama for America / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/bWbGW4 Title: “Michelle Obama in Philadelphia — June 6th”
Spring Robinson
Lindsay Rogillio Jourdain Searles Kayla Wirtz
Special Thanks Megan Pugh Dr. Angela Bratton Dr. Melissa Powell-Williams Dr. Seretha Williams Julianna Johnston Jourdain Searles
Page 14 Credit: f_mafra / CC BY-SA 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/3QhPtA Title: “swarm!!!” Page 25 Credit: tinyfroglet / CC BY 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/4Z363e Title: “Green Knight” Page 28 Credit: marx0r / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Original image: http://flic.kr/p/y4rSS Title: “Keyboard - 1”