Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

BA, Oberlin College, 2010, Politics

The arguments presented in this paper attempt to fill particular gaps in the scholarly knowledge of the transnational solidarity movement for Palestine. Chapter One is a descriptive history of transnational solidarity for the Palestinians since the beginning of the second intifada (fall 2000). The next chapter puts the US based component of the Palestine solidarity movement in a comparison with recent US solidarity movements for East Timor and Central America. Chapter Three connects the subjective transnational framing tactics of the movement to the objective, structural conditions of the international system. Chapter Four extends the analysis in Chapter Three by examining the role of new media such as viral videos and low-budget documentaries in the construction of the solidarity movement.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Communication Studies

In literature related to new social movements, little has been presented about movements focusing on issues and concerns pertaining to men as a group. The reason for this may have to do with the “dominant” position all men are believed to hold in most societies. Despite this view, movement organizations have been established to challenge social constructs of masculinity and expose how such constructs act as barriers to forming a dialogue that fully include men into discussions regarding gender politics. This analysis seeks to address these discussions among men's movement organizations by providing a way of conceptualizing network formation of men's movement organizations online. Using Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity as a theoretical base, a qualitative content analysis of fifteen men's movement organization websites between April and June of 2012 is carried out to understand how network formation can take place among these organizations despite different perspectives to the degree in which men are benefactors of current social conditions. The analysis shows that two major factions exist in categorizing men's movement organizations: Pro-feminist men who primarily focus on how men can change to benefit women, and anti-feminist men who suggest that men are harmed as much as women due to socio-economic structures. Regardless of this chasm, thematic intersections do exist between organizations in both factions that rhetorically connect them to each other in such a way that suggest a unifying desire to challenge hegemonic masculine norms and promote a progressive form of masculinity. This potential conciliation of movement organizations is complicated by the way pro-feminist and anti-feminist groups challenge ideographs. The tactics utilized in online forums where ideographs are challenged reveal a different type of social movement strategy, negotiated mobilization, that suggests organization leaders and members act in such a way that indicates awareness of ho (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Sociology

The world currently stands at a crossroads. Globalization has raised living standards all over the world, but globalization is also defined by rising inequality and extreme polarization (Sassen 2013). This disparity between rich and poor is most prominent in cities, now the primary lived experience for the majority of people. Grassroots social movement organizations (SMOs) represent an important avenue for advancing social justice in the globalized urban world, but there are significant gaps in the current understanding of this process. Most importantly, there is reason to believe that cities act as movement spaces (Nicholls 2009) that offer a better environment for SMOs as compared to less urban areas. However, it is not clear precisely how cities encourage social movement activism at both the organizational and individual level, how or if this process differs across national borders, or how much activism depends on contextual effects as opposed to individual factors. This dissertation advances previous research by studying urban social movement activism in a cross-national, multilevel framework. First, I examine whether the global economic competitiveness of a city encourages SMO persistence. Using a sample of 672 SMOs in 67 global cities drawn from the Transnational Social Movement Organization Dataset 1953-2003 (Smith and Wiest 2012), I test the organizational, urban and national determinants of two organizational outcomes: viability and age. Results indicate that global urban competitiveness, professionalization, alliances with intergovernmental organization actors and urban resources best predict SMO persistence in global cities. Next, I explore how urban status, relative deprivation and resource levels influence the likelihood of individual participation in six different forms of social and political activism in Europe's recent protest wave. Using the 5th wave of the European Social Survey, a series of multilevel logistic regressions indicate t (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

Social movement scholars studying environmental organizations find that an organization's goals, tactics, and other factors are partially determined by how the organization interprets the natural world and the place of humans within it. Other scholars note that the concept of nature is expressed through metaphor, which often has consequences for how we act toward the natural world. In this project, I suggest that differences in tactics within the environmental movement may be explained by how an organization makes use of nature metaphors. Drawing from framing theory, I conduct a qualitative discourse analysis of documents made available on the websites of two environmental movement organizations: Earth First! and the Sierra Club. These organizations were selected to reflect differences in tactics. Findings indicate that the use of nature metaphors influences how an organization defines environmental problems, but does not determine the organization's tactical decisions. These results indicate that ideas about nature are less influential in shaping the tactical decisions of environmental organizations and that other factors must be considered as well.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Media and Communication

This dissertation seeks to understand how sports fans organize, mobilize, and interact through social media to discuss protests against sports league policies that fans believe to be unjust. In our case, Major League Soccer (MLS) instituted a new league policy in 2019 that in general, banned political speech within MLS stadiums. After reports of hateful chants and instigations of violence in MLS stadiums from far-right hate groups, MLS fans began rallying around the anti- fascist symbol of the Iron Front in hopes to deter the hate groups from entering the stadiums. Major League Soccer perceived the Iron Front imagery to fall under their prohibition of political speech and began to ban fans that displayed the symbol of the Iron Front at MLS matches. Utilizing the theoretical lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Political Process Theory (PPT), Image Restoration, and Dialogic Communication, this study examines how fan-driven social movement form, how they achieve their goals, and how sports leagues respond with particular reference to MLS. Through the implementation of Critical Discourse Analysis, posts and comments relating to the Iron Front protests from MLS subreddit, r/MLS, as well as related Twitter posts were examined to monitor fan reactions. Additionally, Tweets from multiple official MLS accounts were investigated to gauge any public acknowledgement of the protests. Overall, the Iron Front protests, which I have called the New Iron Front due to their co-opting of the anti-fascist symbol, formed an anti- racist and anti-fascist social movement which incorporated several key aspects of CRT. Other findings indicated that the New Iron Front both created and took advantage of political opportunities that became available as they engaged in protests against league policy. From a public relations perspective, Major League Soccer severely underestimated the strength and longevity of the New Iron Front movement. As a result, MLS was forced into multiple strategi (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, Theology

I argue that Catholic social activism needs a theological reflection that centers on the use of symbols to promote social action. Using social movement theory, we can examine the role that ecclesiology, theological developments, and sacramental practice have played in guiding Catholic social action. Contrary to the common interpretation that social movements enact Catholic social teaching, I argue that by analyzing the use of religious symbols within social movements, we can see how movements adapt, develop, and enrich established doctrines and theologies. Ultimately, we will better understand the aims, purposes, and challenges of Catholic social activists. Moreover, we can re-narrate the broader theological history of U.S. Catholic social activism through the lens of these activists.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Philosophy

Understanding a normative concept like oppression requires attention to not only its harms but also the causes of those harms. In other words, a complete understanding of such a concept requires a proper causal explanation. This causal explanation can also inform and constrain our moral response to such harms. Therefore, the conceptual explanatory framework that we use to inform our moral diagnosis and our moral response becomes significant. The first goal of this dissertation is to propose complexity theory as the proper framework for not only explaining a social phenomenon like oppression but also understanding the proper sites for social change. The second goal of this dissertation is to answer three interrelated questions about how we should respond, morally, to a chronic and complex social problem like racial or gender inequality: (1) Why do the current interventions to address these problems fail? (2) Do social movements play any unique role in addressing these problems? (3) What is our individual responsibility to participate in social movements? In response, I argue that the explanatory frameworks that we choose to understand the cause(s) of social problems can be the source of the inadequacy of our intervention. I argue that a proper social and moral intervention needs to capture the complex and dynamic nature of the social world. I also show that changing the explanatory framework allows us to see the unique role social movements play in making effective and sustainable social change possible. Finally, I conclude supporting such movements is a moral imperative.

BA, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

The world has grown increasingly connected through social media. Despite this, many have been critical of and uncertain of the impacts of social media activism. Many scholars have studied social movements, others have studied social media, but few have combined the data especially in terms of geographic dispersion. In order to assess the role of social media in social movements, this paper analyzes Ferguson as a case study because of its role as a springboard for #BlackLivesMatter. The protests in Ferguson following the shooting of Mike Brown did not create the hashtag, but they did help push the hashtag into mainstream consciousness. I utilized data collected by Ray et al. (2017) in order to visualize the way that tweets about Ferguson expanded across borders and geographic barriers. Overall, many of the tweets looked to be inspiring other tweets due to tweets in isolation blossoming into more and more tweets even without widespread, traditional media coverage.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2020, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

In this study, I investigate the ways in which college students have interacted with the #MeToo campaign and how those interactions have shaped their perceptions of sexual violence and victimization. The findings show that those that support #MeToo do so because the campaign builds a community of support for the survivor using the hashtag, it empowers survivors, and encourages activism. Those that oppose the campaign do so because it negatively affected the interactions that different gender identities have with one another. Those in opposition of the campaign also questioned the moral legitimacy of the campaign and its followers, citing questionable motives for using the hashtag and detraction from “real” victims. These findings contribute to a necessary and lacking empirical and foundational understanding of #MeToo. The study concludes with an in- depth discussion of the findings, limitations, and future directions.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2018, English

This thesis argues that the emergence of the reproductive justice (RJ) framework in reproductive politics not only shifted activist strategies and discourses, but also fostered the emergence and circulation of more complex abortion representations in U.S. popular culture. I examine these (still)-emergent counter-hegemonic reproductive justice abortion counternarratives as potentially transformational interventions in both RJ theory and activist practice. Chapter 1 introduces my project and highlights the differences between the “pro-choice” and reproductive justice frameworks. In Chapter 2, I outline RJ's theoretical foundations, analyze its historical emergence in reproductive politics, and juxtapose how abortion is represented in dominant cultural discourses vs. emerging RJ counterdiscourses through a comparative analysis of the abortion plotlines in Joan Didion's Play it as it Lays and Alice Walker's Meridian. Chapter 3 traces the post-Roe trends of abortion representations on television, and the last decade's shift towards more counter-hegemonic representations, analyzing abortion plotlines from television shows including Scandal, Shameless, and Black Mirror through the RJ framework. Finally, through a brief examination of abortion storytelling campaigns in ongoing RJ advocacy efforts, Chapter 4 frames the emergence of RJ counternarratives as a vital component of RJ movement strategies and an urgent intervention into dominant cultural discourses of abortion.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Psychology/Clinical

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors significantly contribute to poor health and obesity risk, which in turn impact chronic illness outcomes. Thus, improving individual health behaviors remains a vital target to improving overall well-being. A possible mechanism for improving health outcomes is to capitalize on the link between social movement involvement and overlapping health behaviors. Targeting social movement involvement may be a viable stealth intervention for health outcomes, utilizing intrinsic motivators to improve health without an explicit focus on changing health behavior. For the current study, two samples from the college population and the general population were recruited to participate in an online survey, which included measures of social movement involvement, social movement behaviors, and questionnaires on health outcomes. Results revealed that social movement-related behaviors mediated the relationship between social movement involvement and numerous health outcomes among both samples, particularly fruit and vegetable consumption, fiber intake, whole grain intake, and average daily MET minutes of physical activity in both samples. Additionally, no movement was significantly related to greater health indicators compared to the others in either sample. These findings suggest that behaviors associated with social movement involvement are an important mechanism in promoting health among social movement members. This research adds to existing literature on stealth interventions as a viable means of improving human health and social movements as a potential form of stealth intervention.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2015, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis examines the process of sectarinization that challenged the perception of the Syrian national identity within the context of the Syrian-Uprising-Cum-Civil-War. I provide necessary background for understanding the importance of the political and economic dynamics rather than the dominant ethnic/sectarian narrative in instigating the massive protests in Syria. The purpose of this review is to contextualize the Syrian conflict within its socio-political and socio-economic conditions that gave momentum for the emergence of collective identities and the reconfiguration of cultural and religious identities in a society characterized by a weak national identity. I review major theories about causes of war in the Balkans to examine episodes of extreme violence between ethnic, national, or religious groups and to analyze what factors facilitated the emergence of new collective identities that challenged the weak Syrian national identity in the context of war. The visibility of sectarian identities, as a form of collective identity, and the politicization of cultural affiliations were conditioned by the transformation of political and social spheres. I review, discuss, and explain democratization theories and theories of nation and nationalism to bridge the gap between multiple interrelated factors: social movement, state's institutions, economic development, political entrepreneurs, political violence and processes of shaping collective identities. To understand what forces contributed to the transformation of power relations and the process of sectarian reconfiguration as well as the production of extreme violence in Syria following the "Arab Spring," I consider a hybrid approach. This hybrid approach combines critical constructivism, instrumentalism, and symbolic politics as a theoretical framework to analyze the role of social media and mainstream media in promoting sectarian groupness. Methodologically, this research is based on data and discourse analysis of (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2013, Leadership and Change

The desire to claim an ethnicity may be in response to an institutional and systemic political movement towards multiculturalism where ethnic difference is something to be recognized and celebrated (Jimenez, 2010; Tatum, 1997). Those who were a member of a dominant or advantaged group took that element of their identity for granted (Tatum, 1997). Identity work has included reflections and congruence between how individuals see themselves and how they perceive others to see them, including Optimal Distinctiveness Theory where one determines the optimal amount of individual distinctiveness needed to feel a healthy group and personal identity (Brewer, 2012). When most of the people one is surrounded by can verify and support an accepted identity construction, the process is less complicated, and attention is not drawn to the differences because there are very few, if any. As the dominant culture becomes increasingly bombarded with the celebratory aspects of an ethnic identity, it is likely that one will begin searching for one's own (Jimenez, 2010; Tatum, 1997). This study will present portraits of individuals who are considering an ethnic identity as they are searching for belonging and inclusion from the group with which they desire to identify. In short, through the use of portraiture, I intend to privilege the voices and experiences of several co-researchers as they describe their lives, explain whether or not they have accepted or rejected a Melungeon identity, how they came to that decision, and what it means in their lived experience. This dissertation is accompanied by the author's MP4 video introduction, as well as 15 MP4 videos of the coresearchers who participated in this study (see the List of Supplemental Media Files). The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Ohio University, 2012, Dance

This investigation integrates extensive multidisciplinary research concerning contemporary societal problems as well as theories regarding the significance of utilizing performance art as a means for social activism. The research for this study exposes political corruption, cultural manipulation, and spiritual indoctrination. Politics, culture, economics, and spirituality are disscussed as four major dominant power structures within contemporary culture. Another major component discussed in this essay is the initial stages and rapid acceleration towards a paradigm shift within modern culture. Evidence suggests the corruption of the ideals held by most institutions are obscuring and deterring workable solutions to our collective problems. Additionally, this paper articulates the characteristics of a new emergent planetary culture.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, Sociology

In recent decades, an expanded notion of corporate responsibility has developed. Still grounded in the primary goal of generating profits, there is now a widespread expectation that businesses should benefit society in ways that transcend their economic contribution. This study explores the relationship between civil society and the private sector in shaping this change in expectations of corporate social responsibility. Using an original dataset of 803 articles from thirteen major U.S. daily newspapers, I examine patterns in public discourse about business-targeted collective action spanning from 1980 to 2010. I conduct pooled time series analyses of the relationships between business-targeted collective action, the establishment and growth of corporate responsibility reporting, and the socioeconomic conditions in which these activities are embedded. My findings suggest business-targeted collective action rises in response to increasing corporate power and declines in response to the institutionalization of corporate social responsibility. These results contribute unique perspective to the social movements and business ethics scholarship by focusing on the social processes that underlie corporate social responsibility politics and policies.

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2009, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

The present study explores the structural aspects of online communities and the potential of online communications technologies for social movement mobilization. This is accomplished through an examination of the online collective known as Anonymous and this group's social movement activism targeted against the Church of Scientology. The research is primarily concerned with answering questions of how the social structural contexts of Anonymous as an online community influenced the growth and development of Project Chanology, how Anonymous is able to establish insider status and group boundaries without access to traditional markers of identity, and what, if any, form of leadership developed within Chanology. To answer these questions, a hybrid methodology consisting of a qualitative case study and network analysis is developed. Results indicate that Project Chanology was a highly fluid movement possessing an informal, cell based leadership structure and that Anonymous was able to achieve stable boundaries by leveraging mastery over the group's esoteric culture as a marker of insider status.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2010, Leadership and Change

This dissertation is a mixed methods sequential study on the factors that sustain U.S. women's life-long peace and social justice activism. The specific cohort of women sought for this study was those who entered their social justice activism during the late 1950s through the early 1970s and were active in the U.S. civil rights struggles, the anti-Vietnam war movement, or participated in the second phase of the women's liberation movement. Through utilizing a snowballing process, fifty-seven participants were obtained for the quantitative survey phase of the study from which the ten participants (five White, five women of Color) were selected for the qualitative or interview stage. Based on the survey and interview data, four factors emerged as sustaining life-long peace and social justice activism: historical perspective, relationships, gender and race, and having a personal spiritual belief. The study also offers definitions for activist, social justice, long-term (or life-long), explains how peace is looked at herein, and briefly addresses adult development, feminist standpoint, and essentialist theories. This study begins to fill the gap in research on social justice and peace activist by including women, focusing on sustainability factors, and by extending the concept of life-long or long-term activism. Further research opportunities are suggested as this study is an entry into the subject matter, along with some suggestions to current and future peace and social justice activists on how to sustain their activism for the long haul. The study concludes with some personal reflections. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd.