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The People’s Classroom: The Future of Student Activism
Why We Can’t Just “Stick to the Books”: The Campus Contradiction Let’s be real. College life today is nothing like the movies or our parents’ experience. It’s not just late-night studying and caffeine addictions; it’s a total pressure cooker. We’re constantly dealing with life-altering problems that the university is supposed to help us solve. Though…
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Mug vs. Mugshot: The Unspoken Privilege of Cis-Passing Trans Femininity
In December 2024, the British Fashion Council awarded Alex Consani, a 21-year-old openly transgender model, the prestigious Model of the Year award. Alex has modeled for major luxury fashion houses such as Chanel, Versace, Alexander McQueen, and Marc Jacobs, among others. She is presented not as a “trans model,” but simply as a model—an artist…
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The Commercialization of Bodies: How Industries Commodify Womanhood
From brothels to “pink salons,” to even the rise of online platforms such as Pornhub and OnlyFans, the commodification of sex and sexuality, namely women’s sex and sexualities, has shaped global consumerism. With that being said, it’s important to note that since the dawn of the sex industry there has, ever-presently, been an overshadowing demand…
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Unlearning the Good Intentions of Western Feminism- A White Feminist’s Reckoning Through Postcolonial Feminism
As a white woman in America, I always thought that I was following the closest path to feminism that a person could and doing my part to “bring down the patriarchy”. I spent the first 37 years of my life believing this, right up until this Fall 2025, the beginning of my senior year at…
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Agents, Not Victims: Faith-Based Feminism and the Muslim Women Leaders of Northern Nigeria’s NGOs
Introduction In one of my ethnographic visits, in a modest office in Kano, northern Nigeria, I see Aisha scanning over a project budget on her tablet. Her hijab is carefully styled, and her voice is calm and strong as she tells her staff how to use their resources for a new maternal health program. Later…
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We All Live in Phantom Country Now
A haunted house. A ghost. A spirit. A phantom. We know these things aren’t real, but when you’re anxious and afraid they sure seem so. And anyway, the fear is real. It’s a disturbing feeling, having no control in a fluid and uncertain situation. We begin to doubt that we were ever in control. …
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From DH to Reparations: A Settlement in Asheville, NC
On June 17, 2024, the Asheville Reparations Commissions “voted to approve a settlement for injuries caused by redlining and urban renewal.” This is an incredible result of a project that has gone on, in many shapes and with different foci, for many years. Professor Richard Marciano (now Director of the Advanced Information Collaboratory at the University…
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Measuring the Impact of Urban Renewal: DH that Counts!
This remarkable project on redlining, race, and reparations shows the real world impact that Digital Humanities can have when rooted in community, activism, values—and done with mission and determination. The project began by documenting redlining primarily against Black and brown communities, beginning back in the 1930s with federal housing laws and continuing to the present,…
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Changing the Narrative on Older Immigrants
When you think about older adults, what comes to mind? Growing older is commonly associated with declining health and mobility—being able to do fewer activities, becoming unable to care for yourself, and generally being in a state of ill health. Aging is also associated with physical changes, and many people fear ‘looking their age’…