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Feminists for Sex-Based Rights: Trump or Harris in the 2024 Election?
Full text linkSome US feminists who support sex-based rights for women and girls voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election; others voted for Kamala Harris. For an American feminist to vote for a female Democrat for president is not surprising. Still, because the Democrats embraced “gender identity” at the expense of women and girls as a sex class, some feminists chose to vote for Donald Trump. This article explores some reasons for voting one way or the other (or not at all)
Centering relation in media literacy practice
Full text linkAs calls for media literacy in formal and informal learning spaces continue to grow, educators’ understanding of media literacies and their purposes remains complex. In 2021, the authors of this paper led a multi-methods research project on media literacy education in the United States, focusing on impact and equity. Findings showed that educators share a commitment to equity and justice but are unclear on how to incorporate them into their work. In response, our research team developed a field guide that maps out equitable media literacy practices for classrooms and communities. In this study, we detail the findings from 11 focus groups gathered from six different workshops. These focus groups were conducted with 35 secondary educators across three locations in the US. The findings of this research show that the participation gap has widened between educators and students, causing a range of new challenges for bringing media literacy education into the classroom. At the same time, our findings show a positive disposition to media literacy practices that focus on relation, empathy, and community engagement with and through creative media practices
Slipping Off the Sealskin: Exploring the Nuances of Intimate Partner Violence in Selkie Mythology
Full text linkMyths of selkies in various cultural contexts have long been used to address both environmental concerns and the ever-perilous nature of gender relations; an additional feminist reading of popular selkie folklore also reveals deeper dialogue about the issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) present in many narratives that feature them. A hallmark of the selkie story is to have one’s sealskin stolen and held hostage by a lustful fisherman--is this trope an archaic attempt at romance, or a signifier of a deeper conversation about partnership and pain to be beheld within the scope of the fable? Both readings raise questions about intimacy, control, and compulsion that hold significant modern relevance. Much like the slippery sinuousness of the seal, definitions of IPV have been widely varied and deeply difficult to accurately diagnose; selkie stories offer perspectives on lesser-known aspects of IPV, such as coercive control, financial exploitation, and familial alienation through a distinctly folkloric lens. The following paper uses selkie myths from various cultures and locations (including but not limited to its native Scotland, Iceland, and the Pacific Northwest United States) along with the contemporary novel A Sweet String of Salt (Rose Sutherland) to examine how the legend of the selkie can provide valuable insight into both the psychological causes and effects of a pervasive social problem
Inclusive Adaptation: Integrating traditional agroecological knowledge with climate-smart agriculture in the Upper East Region of Ghana
Full text linkUsing traditional agroecological knowledge (TAeK) has gained global recognition as a cooperative approach to food security. Despite this, the literature is skewed towards drivers for adoption, rainfall prediction, on-farm tree management, and community risk assessment. This study employed qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the use of TAeK among smallholder farmers who cannot afford climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region of Ghana. The problem confrontation index was used to rank the barriers to using CSA. The findings showed that smallholder farmers in the district face several barriers to adopting CSA, including the high cost of improved crop varieties, and difficulties in interpreting the technical language of climate information. In addressing the barriers, smallholder farmers relied on the appearance of black ants, croaking of frogs, and 9 flowering of the bean pod tree to predict rainfall. Also, the smallholder farmers adjusted planting dates to avoid drought, planted crop mixtures at different times to manage crop risks, and used plant extracts to control pests. Given the high cost and complexity of modern CSA for smallholder farmers, there is a need to adopt inclusive, participatory approaches, such as farmer-led knowledge creation, which foster the co-production of knowledge. Co-production allows smallholder farmers to share their TAeK and provides opportunities to benefit from scientific innovation. By facilitating the co-production of knowledge, policymakers can help ensure that CSA practices are both locally relevant and scientifically robust, ultimately strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers for sustainable food security
A Conversation on Feminist Digital Humanities
Full text linkThe forum below came into being out of a curiosity to learn more about feminist scholars’ creation and use of digital humanities projects, platforms, and media to forward their research and teaching. Participants discussed the possibilities and perils of feminist digital humanities projects as they shared their unique experiences and perspectives. Larger trends in the conception, design, and operation of feminist digital humanities are visible in the conversation that follows—notably all three participants expressed a desire to work with digital media as a means of producing and sharing feminist knowledge and resistance narratives with broader audiences
Ozempic is the First Posthuman Drug
No full textWeight loss drugs like Ozempic, which can be understood as transhuman enhancements, are touted as improving the lives of people taking it, but Medeiros argues that these drugs significantly undermine human wellbeing. Against proponents of transhuman enhancement who argue there is no difference between traditional forms of enhancement like education and training and newer forms of technological enhancement like weight loss drugs and cyborg implants, Medeiros argues that these technological “enhancements” deprive us of opportunities for self-development and deprive us of the wellbeing we feel from achievement. Medeiros draws on the work of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty to show how self-development through time is an essential structure of human experience, and he shows how transhuman enhancements like Ozempic rupture the temporality of human personhood. In this way, Ozempic is the first fully posthuman drug
Disinformation awareness via SMS? Exploring a new modality for boosting adult media literacy
Full text linkGiven a rapidly evolving disinformation environment, many initiatives are currently being developed to counter the harmful impacts of disinformation. The aim of this study is to explore how an SMS intervention, as a hitherto untested modality for raising awareness of disinformation with promising potential and wide reach, could boost media literacy among adults. We probe the effects on a national sample of adult Swedish respondents (N = 2536). An initial survey is followed by a five-week text messaging intervention and concluded with a second survey. Respondents’ objective ability to identify false information, and their subjective perceptions of attitude and behavioral change are analyzed. Our findings suggest that knowledge on disinformation can be enhanced, and that self-reported verification of news can be increased. Participants’ test scores on discerning true and false news headlines could also improve. Our results lay the groundwork for future research aimed at determining causal effects
Media and information literacy strategies: A joint reflection with teenagers in Brazilian public school
Full text linkThis article presents the findings from a Media and Information Literacy (MIL) project developed by journalism professors from University of Brasilia and conducted on elementary school students in Brazil. It examines teenagers\u27 information practices and discusses the challenges of introducing MIL practices in the current state of information disorder. This study involves a survey and participant observation from a workshop conducted with these students in October 2021. The major strategies used to promote MIL practices and critical thinking among the students were: a) encouraging them to reflect on their own information practices; b) drawing on their experiences to help them reflect on the quality of the information; and c) de-normalizing disinformation and the problems it causes by stressing the consequences they have on society. This study emphasizes the importance of more organic MIL actions that could help avoid any prejudiced or condescending interpretations of teenagers’ information practices
