Browsing by Author "Neitch, Kenna"
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Item Persistence/resistance: Gender, testimony, and organizing in Central America(2021-05) Neitch, Kenna; Batra, Kanika; Miklos, Alicia; Purinton, MarjeanIn Persistence/Resistance: Gender, Testimony, and Organizing in Central America, I propose the language of persistence as an option for avoiding what I perceive as a fundamental problem produced by homogenizing applications of the terminology of resistance. As a heuristic, persistence can center the agency of women, indigenous peoples, and marginalized communities in the Global South, as well as the strategies of ethical transnational and feminist organizing that these groups have developed. Indigenous and peasant women in Central America have identified and established strategies for adaptation, expression, and physical and cultural survival in the face of detrimental colonial and neocolonial conditions through their organizational, digital, and testimonial practices. Within the framework of persistence, I turn to strategic adaptations and textual persistence in a body of collective testimonies including Claribel Alegría’s testimonio, No Me Agarran Viva (They Won’t Take Me Alive); a 1990s postwar encuentro (conference proceeding) co-created by members of a women’s organization; the growing #YoTambién/#MeToo movement in the region; and the online platforms of the transnational indigenous organization La Vía Campesina. This project engages feminist theory, indigenous studies, decolonial studies, literature, and digital humanities. My focus on communal and digital testimony brings together several timely conversations surrounding women of color, indigeneity, political resistance, social movements, and digital platforms of transnational organization and communication.Item The nature of satire: Essentialism, gender, and purpose(2016-05) Neitch, Kenna; Batra, Kanika; Shelton, JenniferThere is a lack of recognized satire written by women in the English satirical canon. In this thesis, I argue that this dearth does not stem from an absence of women capable of producing cogent, effective satire, but from the conflicting stereotypes of women and characterizations of satire as a genre that is aggressive, humorous, and intellectually critical. Through a framework of feminist comparativism, I trace out the prevailing historical and literary characterizations of women and satire and use a close reading of Aphra Behn and Mary Wortley Montagu to demonstrate successful examples of women's satire and the social adversity they encountered. Finally, I empirically analyze a contemporary example of satire produced by men and women on the comedy news program The Daily Show. I found that even 21st century iterations of satire perpetuate gendered expectations of humor and satire. I conclude with the conviction that additional research on the intersections of gender and satire is needed, given the current popular re-invigoration of satire and the strides being made by women in comedy more broadly.