Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg When I saw Jenny Nordberg on The Daily Show, this book went right on my reading list. The Underground Girls of Kabul is an investigative look at bacha posh, girls in Afghanistan who are raised as sons. Because of a huge emphasis on … Continue reading
It’s the UN’s 3rd Annual Day of the Girl! In light of Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize, I’m guessing there will be even more press coverage and think pieces than usual, which in some ways is great. But I think it’s worth making note of the way these stories are framed and pushing back against … Continue reading
In the early morning of April 16, 2014, over 270 schoolgirls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Nigeria by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram, whose name translates to “Western education is a sin” in the local language. The abduction was not the first time the group kidnapped girls and women, particularly for pursuing … Continue reading
Happy International Women’s Day! This morning I watched Girl Rising for the first time in a year and was just as moved as I was when I saw it in theaters. I’m spending the rest of my day doing edits on an essay about the feminicide and my dissertation prospectus about American schoolgirls in narratives … Continue reading
Exciting News: Girl Risingis coming out on DVD! Preorder your copy today for its March 4th release. Although the DVD is for home use only, you can check out the Girl Rising webpage for information about educator’s or institutional copies if you want to use the film in your curriculum. It would be great for … Continue reading
Transnational Feminism seeks to create feminist solidarity across national and cultural borders in order to fight systems of oppression, but without losing cultural and historical specificity. It promotes an understanding that gender is socially constructed and does not function in isolation from other identities such as race, ethnicity, religion, class, nation, or sexual orientation. Therefore, … Continue reading
One of my colleagues invited me to lead a discussion in her WGS 201 (Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies) class this morning. It was a great opportunity to talk to undergrads about the research I do and have a discussion with them about education and girlhood studies. Here’s my Prezi, if you’re interested. I … Continue reading
In further pageant news, according to a New York Times article, the French Senate has passed legislation that would ban beauty pageants for girls younger than 16 years old. The ban was folded into larger legislation aimed at promoting gender equality, which now moves to the National Assembly for further discussion and a vote. The … Continue reading
Watch Girl Rising Sunday, June 16th at 9 pm ET on CNN! Plus, host a CNN house party to put Girl Rising on the map. As I continue to study the work done to create equal access to education for girls internationally and the work done to fight gender inequality and sexism here too, I … Continue reading
Tomorrow, bright and early, I’m headed to Cleveland for the Latina Feminisms Roundtable with my classmate Rachel and our professor Julie. It is going to be an intense, informative, and exciting experience. Each paper is given 40 minutes, 25 for reading and 15 for questions, so it’s a longer format and more focused attention on … Continue reading
Ph.D.s and Pigtails 