Sarah Lawrence College
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The Phantoms of Memory: Mothers and Women in Cinema Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre
No full textWorking Witches: Fortune Tellers, Clairvoyants, and Astrologers in the Golden Age of Spiritualism
Get PDFScholars of Spiritualism have long held that the movement grew spontaneously, forming around the Fox sisters as news of their novel “spirit-rapping” spread through New York in 1849. My thesis argues that a wide spectrum of occult workers, already active in New York City, paved the way for these genteel celebrities and their followers. These working women were already refashioning their trade before Spiritualism’s arrival, evident by the myriad new professional identities they claimed. Through newspaper advertisements, public commentaries, and popular occult literature, I closely examine several professional monikers common in New York City at the time. Chapter One chronicles the widespread practice of fortune-telling and its focus on prophecies of romance. By examining the specific services of working-class practitioners and the recreational divination of middle- and upper-class women, I demonstrate how reactions to these pursuits differed across class lines. Chapter Two takes up clairvoyance, its origins in the medical practice of mesmerism, and professional clairvoyants’ partial claim to respectability based on adherence to a scientific methodology. Chapter Three addresses astrology, a centuries-old, male-dominated tradition that in the 1840s was increasingly claimed by women hoping to dissociate themselves from the stigma of fortune-telling. Studying these occult workers is crucial to complicating an overly simplistic story of Spiritualism’s rise and a step in recovering histories vital to modern practitioners, who continue to face discrimination and broken lineages
A Cyclical Interpretation of Poussin’s 1664 Apollo and Daphne
No full textNicolas Poussin’s final painting, his unfinished 1664 iteration of Apollo and Daphne, has attracted a variety of interpretations over the years. Many of these hinge upon the uncertain identity of the dead youth pictured in the background. This paper investigates the contexts surrounding the painting’s construction in full, in order to understand which visual details are (and are not) important to its understanding. I investigate Poussin’s close relationship with Cardinal Camillo Massimo, their connection to Neostoicism, and the intellectual climate of the period. Then, I discuss the four preparatory sketches made before the painting’s execution, and his previous painted version of the Apollo and Daphne story from 1625. Following that, I consider Poussin’s relationship to mythology and the multiple representational possibilities it presents the artist. Finally, I explore the choreography of bodies in his work, and their association to both dance and Antique friezes. This paper concludes that the painting can only be read through the convergences of a plethora of discourses, rather than through a single lens; it reflects conversations about life, death, and cosmic cycles, and these themes supersede issues such as the identity of the youth
Assessing a Diagnostic Tool for Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Helping Users Find Appropriate Care For a Relatively Common But Often Unfamiliar Genetic Disease
No full textThe hypermobile type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is thought to be the most common inherited connective tissue disorder. Despite its suspected prevalence, diagnosing this phenotypically heterogeneous condition remains a challenge that has dramatic impacts on quality of life for individuals with hEDS. This study explores the utility of a diagnostic tool for individuals with signs of hEDS to assess whether their features align with 2017 diagnostic criteria. The study also explores how this tool may help patients communicate information about hEDS to their doctors, influencing the diagnosis of hEDS and affecting patient experiences. Using focus groups, 15 participants clinically diagnosed with hEDS were interviewed about their thoughts and opinions on a prototype of the diagnostic tool. The data was analyzed using affinity mapping. The feedback provides insight on the perceived usefulness, ease, and value of the tool, including preferred phrasing of questions, preferences regarding layout and design aspects, and how participants think individuals would access the tool
Transcending Mormonism: Trans and Gender Nonconforming Experiences in the LDS Church
Get PDFCentral to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, Mormon Church) is a belief system that discriminates against and marginalizes non-heteronormative identities. Cisgender heterosexuality is framed as divine, natural, and eternal, whereas LGBTQ+ identities and relationships are framed as deficient, inferior, and oppositional. Within this classification scheme, trans and gender nonconforming Latter-day Saints must navigate ongoing oppression and face difficult questions concerning the relationship between their gender and religious identities. While some choose to disaffiliate from the Church, others strive to negotiate a working relationship between these identities in complicated, nuanced, and dynamic ways. This paper will discuss the findings from qualitative interviews conducted among seven trans and/or gender nonconforming Mormons (or former Mormons). The purpose of such research was to better understand the complex ways in which this demographic was constructing (and reconstructing) a sense of self in a religion where non-cisgender identities occupy little to no semantic or symbolic space. Analysis from the individual interviews will be situated in a broader discussion about the development of trans issues in the LDS Church as well as suggestions for future directions the Church can take to become more inclusive and affirming of all sexual and gender identities
An Assessment of the Sexual and Mental Health Needs of Transition Age Foster Youth in New York City
No full textYoung adults age 18 to 21 who are transitioning out or “aging out” of foster care are an extremely vulnerable group who lack typical family support and preparation for independent adulthood. All transition age foster youth have been exposed to trauma and likely have had multiple adverse childhood experiences. This population is understood to have significant mental and sexual health risks. Foster care service agencies in New York City provide mental and sexual (reproductive) health care to foster youth as mandated by the state of New York. This needs assessment seeks to better understand whether those services meet the mental and sexual health needs of transition age foster youth in New York City. Interviews were conducted with five professionals currently employed by foster care service organizations and/or with direct experience working with foster youth. Several themes emerged from these interviews that highlight important areas of need for the sexual and mental health of transition age foster youth in New York City