Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Her, And Other Recurring Themes
No full textHer, and other recurring themes is a poetry collection that explores the grief I felt when I lost my fiancee in a tragic car crash while being abroad. It tackles issues of immigration, home, adolescent love, religion, and images that haunt me as I progress through life as a young Pakistani poet. In this collection, I try to make sense of what these resurfacing images mean to me
Crypto Stamps and Cultural Heritage Representation: A Case Study of Ghana\u27s Asantehene Commemorative Stamp
No full textThis study examined Ghana\u27s Asantehene commemorative crypto stamp as a case of how emerging technologies intersect with cultural heritage preservation in Africa. Through qualitative textual and visual analysis, the research explores how the stamp, issued by Ghana Post to honor the 25th anniversary of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II\u27s reign, blends traditional philatelic practices with blockchain-enabled non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The analysis uncovered how the stamp\u27s visual rhetoric, royal iconography, and blockchain authentication collectively serve to reinforce national identity, institutional memory, and elite narrative power. The analysis uncovered how royal iconography and visual rhetoric serve nation-building and institutional memory while blockchain introduces a paradox: it offers authenticity and permanence, yet risks fixing memory in ways that may conflict with the fluid, negotiated nature of public remembrance. The study interrogated class-based access and the potential reproduction of elite narratives, arguing that crypto stamps both expand and constrain cultural participation. By situating this innovation within broader debates on memory, technology, and heritage, this work offers new insights into the opportunities and tensions of using NFTs for cultural preservation in Ghana and beyond
Yes, those are my biological parents: Growing up Multiracial in the United States
No full text“Multiracial individuals are the fastest growing racial population in the United States” (Atkin & Jackson; 2021:305). Literature highlights how parents transmit culture through racial socialization, however there is a missing piece, the perspective of the children. This study sought to expand the existing literature to include children’s perspectives and how it relates to their multiracial identity formation. Recognizing the complexity of conducting research with children, a survey was administered to adults ranging from the ages of 18 to 35 years old. This resulted in a collection of data from their recollection of experiences and interactions with their parents or caregivers throughout their upbringing. The findings of this study outline the various experiences that multiracial individuals faced during their upbringing, reaffirming previous literature on the complexity of ethnicracial socialization that exists within multiracial families (e.g., Hughes et al. 2006). These findings help our scholarly understanding of how parents affect their children’s multiracial identities by offering evidence-based guidance on how to support their children’s unique experiences
August 2025 Library & Learning Newsletter
No full textPDF version of the August 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 1) Library & Learning Newsletter
Interview with Dr. Nicola Griffith on Spear
No full textJJ Pionke interviews Dr. Nicola Griffith about her book Spear, writing with disability, and the $41,000 bathtub
Interview with Dr. J. Logan Smilges on Crip Negativity
No full textJJ Pionke and Jess Schomberg interview Dr. J. Logan Smilges about their book Crip Negativity, discussing why disabled people deserve to have our lives theorized – how theory can work against simplistic stereotypes to better reflect the nuanced and complicated reality of our lives, and the importance of building capacious communities. We also get early insights into their upcoming work on affective transmission
Tank Chair [book review]
No full textWe are introduced to Nagi our wheelchair using assassin, and his adorable younger sister, as they try to figure out how improve the amount of time where he is awake
Equity and Representation in Video Games: An Analysis of Attitudes Toward Queer In-Game Romance and Sexuality Across Diverse Populations
No full textDespite studies showing that women play video games at close to, if not the same rates as men, there still lies a sexist belief that games are only for men, and no one else. In 2004, the Developers Software Association reported that games catered primarily to men’s sexuality, using advertising attempts to lure in players by catering to that sexuality and portraying women in their games to appeal to them. In recent years, with the release of massively popular role-playing games (RPGs) such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, gamers have complained that games are now “too woke” for them to enjoy with the incorporation of queer romances, catering less to a heterosexual male audience. Using data gathered via a survey, this research draws on social role theory and cultivation theory to understand how various demographic populations feel about queer representations of romance and sexuality in RPGs. This research explores the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other identities within its frameworks and how developers and advertisers have further marginalized women, LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, and those with disabilities by failing to represent them in the demographics of previous games
2024-2025 Library & Learning Annual Review
No full textDigital version of the 2024-2025 Annual Review for Library & Learning at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Comparative Narratives of Women Leaders in Public Relations in Ghana and the United States of America
No full textThis study explores the lived experiences of women in public relations (PR) leadership roles in both Ghana and the United States, focusing on the cultural, institutional, and societal barriers that shape their professional journeys. Employing a qualitative research design, the study involved ten women in senior PR positions, five from each country, through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified six key themes: institutional barriers and gendered expectations; double standards in leadership communication; the influence of stereotypes; mentorship and support; intra-gender competition; and leadership agency and optimism. Guided by Social Role Theory, Glass Ceiling Theory, Feminist Standpoint Theory, and Transformational Leadership Theory, the research highlights the intersectional challenges women face, including ageism, motherhood penalties, racialized microaggressions, and exclusion from strategic networks. While women in Ghana confront more overt cultural norms related to age and marital status, participants from the U.S. navigate subtler yet equally entrenched biases, particularly among women of color. The findings suggest that, despite the persistence of structural inequities, women in both contexts adopt relational and inclusive leadership strategies, emphasizing mentorship, resilience, and peer solidarity. The study provides practical implications for PR organizations by advocating for culturally grounded mentorship, intersectionality-informed development, and adaptive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies in politically resistant environments. By offering a cross-cultural perspective on women\u27s leadership in public relations (PR), this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of global gendered leadership dynamics and outlines actionable pathways for fostering inclusivity within the communication field