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Re-envisioning Community-Engaged Healing for Black Women
Get PDFBlack women in the United States continue to face multilayered forms of anti-Black gendered oppression leading to severe health disparities and inequities that have a dire impact on their well-being. This paper recognizes the urgency to attend to Black women’s health and healing in the pursuit of creating health equity. The authors call for the creation of sacred spaces for Black women to participate in embodied and community-engaged healing, grounded in a gender justice that is inextricably tied to racial justice. This research is inspired by the long, rich line of Black American women activist-healers that have called for the radical healing of Black women. Therefore, the authors root their work in an ethical health justice ethos, honoring the humanity of Black women through a recognition of their sacredness, guided by the principles of justice, truth-telling, love, and respect that emphasizes that Black women’s lives matter. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors braid together healing narratives from the fields of Public Health, Black Psychology, Africana Studies, and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Underscoring the importance of Black women reclaiming their radical healing, this paper at the same time underlines resisting anti-Black gendered racism and interlocking forms of oppression. The authors emphasize gender and racial justice while endorsing collectivistic orientations, grounded in an African-centered worldview, that support Black women’s embodied and community-engaged healing. As a result, the authors also draw from healing narratives in their fields that include cultural paradigms, socially engaged spirituality, and generational and gendered wisdom. Connecting historical to present-day medical/mental health encounters, the authors underscore inhumane, racist, and sexist pseudoscience, medical treatment, and research experiments on Black women’s bodies. The authors also address social injustices, isolation, and (dis)ease while foregrounding gender and racial justice in the creation of health equity for Black women
“Everyone Here Is Smarter than Me”: Imposter Phenomenon among Indian Women Returning to Technology Careers after a Career Break
Get PDFResearch on the imposter phenomenon (IP) is burgeoning. Most research, however, has studied the role of personality factors, attitudinal disposition, and individual beliefs as a determinant of IP. Surprisingly, the role of context has not been explored enough. Recent research indicates that context can trigger the experience of the imposter phenomenon. This study confirms these results and calls for contextualizing IP from a systemic or organizational perspective rather than as a personal challenge. In this study, we argue that women returning to careers in the technology fields after a career break may experience IP due to contextual and situational factors. To this end, we explore the experiences of IP among reentry women (who returned to the same career after a break) through a qualitative study. Analysis of data collected through interviews of women re-entering technology careers (N=31) yielded four major themes: dynamism, mandatory teamwork, situations that demanded initiative-taking, and information sharing and the need to ask for help. The themes indicated that IP is not only determined by personality and attitudes, but can also be triggered by situations like a team-driven work context. We discuss the findings of the study in relation to existing literature and present theoretical and policy implications
Professional Black South African Women Speak Out in Resistance to Patriarchy: Overcoming Barriers to Self Development
Get PDFThe professional and social spaces occupied by educated Black South African women are arenas marked by multifaceted challenges and struggles. This study looks into the resistance strategies employed by Professional Black Women (PBW) against patriarchal norms and the ways they navigate cultural, gender, and self-development barriers. Utilizing a qualitative research design grounded in the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach, the study aims to elucidate the lived experiences of PBW as they confront various barriers. The purposive sample comprises three professional Black women pursuing doctoral degrees and serving as lecturers within higher education institutions. This paper illuminates the familial and cultural patriarchal structures that impede PBW’s journey towards self-development. Through their narratives, it becomes evident that PBW actively resist patriarchal influences within their cultural context, recognizing these norms as hindrances to their personal growth. Their resistance signifies a paradigm shift towards prioritizing self-development and forging independent identities. The study applies an intersectional lens to analyze the interconnectedness of themes, highlighting the complex interplay between intra-cultural patriarchal oppression and PBW’s aspirations for self-realization. By focusing on familial and cultural barriers, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping the experiences of Black South African women in their quest for empowerment and autonomy
Nonlinear Rogue wave Generation for All-Optical Switching in Optical Fibers and Photonic Integrated Circuits
Get PDFFor my thesis we discuss the history of optics, electronics and photonicsproviding a framework from which I investigate the viability of engineering a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) that takes advantage of the nonlinear optical process known as Rogue Wave Generation (RWG) for an all-optical switching mechanism that is capable of switching speeds in the Peta-Hertz (PHz) frequency regime. This topic is introduced through a discussion of how technological advances such as the transistor, laser and optical fiber made modern computing and telecommunications possible. This is followed by a theoretical explanation of the nonlinear optical phenomena known as supercontinuum generation (SCG) from which the RWG process is derived. An analysis of simulations in Python, of fibers capable of achieving RWG is performed. It is important to note that this research stems from a research project on SCG on a PIC that Dr. Serna and I are also working on in collaboration with Dr. Kazumi Wada from the Massachusetts Institute of Technologies Electronic Materials (EMAT) research group and with our partners at the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Group - Japan. Finally, an analysis of experimental SCG spectral data taken with a YOKOGAWA Optical Spectrum Analyser (OSA) and pumped with a Menlo Systems ELMO, femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser with varying powers is conducted. This simple experiment was conducted for three chalcogenide optical fibers available in Dr. Serna’s CHIRP lab at Bridgewater State University, we were able to generate side-bands through Self Phase Modulation (SPM) in two samples and (SCG) in one sample. The data for our SPM and SCG samples were compared to their spectra at their initial input powers, showing that without SCG the SPM process contributed nothing to the bandwidth. Measurements were taken with a S116C photodiode power sensor with measurements errors of 0.5%
An Exploration of Forgiveness in Social Work Practice
Get PDFThis thesis explores the practice of forgiveness and forgiveness therapy and its implications for social work practice and education. An extensive literature review discusses the history, present uses, and benefits of forgiveness therapy, exploring real-world examples of forgiveness in practice, specifically macro examples relating to generational trauma including the national apology in Australia, and the truth and reconciliation commission in South Africa. The review will also touch upon trauma informed practice and the gaps related to the concept of diversity in professional and scholarly literature. This work utilizes grounded theory, using the extensive literature review to build upon the applications of forgiveness in social work practice, and therefore identifying need in social work education. A survey, An Exploration of Social Workers’ Perceptions of Forgiveness in their Education and Professional Practice was developed to examine social work practitioners and educators to see if there is a potential need or perceived benefit for forgiveness education, or a perceived need of forgiveness applications in social work practice. The survey allows us to explore the standards, ethics, and competencies to identify a perceived gap in research regarding using forgiveness in social work. This body of research will speak to implications of forgiveness and forgiveness therapy in social work practice and education
Gender Portrayal in a Nursing Textbook in Oman: Striving for Equality
Get PDFThis paper aims to analyze gender representation in English for Nursing 1: Vocational English Course Book (Ros et al., 2012) used to teach English for Specific Purposes courses to nursing students at the University of Buraimi in Oman. Quantitative and qualitative content analyses were used to investigate the following categories: images, occupational roles, names, pronouns, and gender firstness. Study findings show that women, in general, are more visible than men in the following categories: images, gender firstness, terms of address, and names. Pronouns are the only category in which men outnumbered women. Although traditional gender norms in the workplace are still evident in the textbook in some categories, this study shows that the gender gap between men and women is closing. The current study’s findings provide a light of hope for gender balance in school textbooks. Gender equality should be a top focus for textbook authors and designers
Two Decades of Climate Measurements Reveal El Niño\u27s Role in Andean Elevation-Dependent Warming
No full textDriven by climate change, elevation-dependent warming (EDW) has become a critical issue in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. This study focuses on gathering evidence of EDW and determining the relationship between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and micrometeorological forcing in two proglacial valleys. A climate monitoring network was maintained through a 20-year collaboration between Bridgewater State University (BSU), Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo (UNASAM), and the Autoridad Nacional de Agua (ANA). Fieldwork in June 2023 and June 2024 included repairing weather stations, installing new Lascar sensors, and downloading data loggers to sustain and improve the climate record. Data analysis revealed that El Niño amplifies EDW which raises the height of the freezing level, hence accelerating glacial melt. These results provide evidence that informs climate resilience and adaptation strategies for mountain communities, particularly concerning water resources. This research acts as a catalyst for expanding efforts to address climate-related disparities in vulnerable and understudied regions globally
Brothers and Keepers: A Juxtaposition of Intergenerational Trauma
Get PDFThe memoir, Brothers and Keepers, is a piece of literature that serves as a guide into the bowels of the construct that we call the “American criminal justice system.” Through the conflicting distinctions of two brothers’ lives, readers can see the ramifications of a misconstrued definition of “justice.” The memoir sees its author, John Wideman, a successful academic, professor, and writer, and his brother Robby Wideman, who receives a life sentence for a mishandled robbery, juxtaposed in several stages of life in hopes of obtaining a greater understanding of the pathology for their inherent differences while investigating the underlying implications presented about the American legal/justice system