FSDW13 wrap up

Cross posted at HASTAC

Invited by Lori Beth De Hertogh to participate in the feminist scholar digital workshop 13 (#FSDW13) sponsored by HASTAC, I posted my introduction, received contact information for group members, Genna Duplisea, Rachel Hurst, Wil Upchurch and we were off!  Our group worked quite well.  Three of us uploaded papers to google drive and we reviewed 1 paper per day and spent Thursday in some real time assessment via google chat.   

The process turned out to be remarkably similar to that which I’d experienced in the past with my dissertation group.   The experience was also like my ongoing #writinginpublic.  However while I get lots of clicks, I rarely get specific comments.  People will tweet but seldom remark directly in the document.

It was incredibly helpful for me as I attempted to get a paper out the door that I’d been sitting on for almost a year.  The comments were so helpful I rather quickly reorganized the piece completely and I’m almost ready to submit.  This has been the consistently most popular section of my blog and book blog so I’m excited to see what happens next!… Continue Reading

A Historian’s Guide to Summer – The TV Edition

By Jacqueline D. Antonovich

Ah, summer. There is so much to love about this bewitching season. The long, warm evenings on the porch, the tinkling of ice in a cold beverage, vacations to exotic locations, and a slower pace of life that seems to magically rejuvenate the soul. I think F. Scott Fitzgerald stated it best when he wrote, “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” Who am I kidding? Summer is also about kids out of school and underfoot, the dreaded bathing suit shopping trip, vacations to not-so-exotic locations (Dollywood, anyone?), and temperatures so hot and muggy that certain portions of skin stick together abnormally. Let’s be honest, summertime is a mixed blessing.… Continue Reading

Cross-Dressing: An American Pastime

By Tiffany K. Wayne

Whether we like it or not, clothes and fashion are important markers of status, class, gender, and sexual identity. Just ask any high school student who is trying to present their own personal style or identity and comes up against the rules and judgments of parents, teachers, and society. Most schools today have dress codes regulating the length of skirts and banning t-shirts with offensive images and drug or gang references. Some schools also have gendered dress codes, such as the Virginia school which prohibits “any clothing worn by a student that is not in keeping with a student’s gender and causes a disruption and/or distracts others from the educational process or poses a health or safety concern.”… Continue Reading