Personal Liberation Research Articles

The Religious Conversion of Iranian Asylum-Seeking Women in the Process of Searching for Identity

This article explores the experiences of Iranian women who converted from Islam to Christianity, particularly focusing on the challenges they faced in their home country and as immigrants. Following the 1979 Iranian revolution, women, especially those from minority groups, endured significant oppression. Many women fled Iran in pursuit of freedom, but their difficulties persisted as immigrants, now compounded by their minority status in a new context. Based on qualitative research, including in-depth interviews with twenty-seven women in Eskisehir, Turkey, the study uncovers how patriarchal norms, domestic abuse, early marriage, and a lack of educational opportunities in Iran pushed these women toward Christianity, which offered them not only a new faith but also a sense of personal and spiritual autonomy. The research highlights the complex interplay of identity, religion, and agency, demonstrating how these women's conversions were both an act of defiance against oppressive systems and a path toward personal liberation.

Reimagining Gender: Exploring Feminist Consciousness in Shashi Deshpande\'s Literary Landscapes – A Comparative Study of Three Novels

Abstract: Shashi Deshpande, an eminent Indian author, has contributed significantly to contemporary Indian literature, particularly through her exploration of gender and feminism. This research paper aims to delve into Deshpande's literary landscapes by analyzing three of her prominent novels: "Roots and Shadows," "That Long Silence" and "Dark Holds No Terrors" The study focuses on uncovering the intricate portrayal of feminist consciousness in Deshpande's works and examining how her characters challenge traditional gender roles, negotiate societal expectations, and seek personal liberation. By employing feminist literary theory and employing textual analysis, this paper aims to shed light on the themes of identity, autonomy, patriarchy, and the complexities of women's lives in Deshpande's novels.

LITERATURE REVIEW OF 'RESILIENT MODERN WOMEN ENDURING CHALLENGES WITH UNWAVERING DETERMINATION: INDIVIDUALISM AND EMOTIONAL LIBERATION IN THE SELECTED NOVELS OF SHASHI DESHPANDE AND PREETI SHENOY

The paper examines the portrayal of modern women in the novels of Shashi Deshpande and Preeti Shenoy. The study explores themes of individualism, emotional liberation, and liberal feminism, highlighting womens struggles and triumphs in contemporary society. Shashi Deshpandes works present a deep exploration of individualism, with female protagonists navigating societal and familial pressures to forge unique identities. These narratives highlight the pursuit of autonomy and self-discovery, reflecting the broader theme of individualism in a changing world. In contrast, Preeti Shenoys novels address contemporary challenges faced by women. Shenoys storytelling is centered on emotional liberation, showcasing how her characters break free from societal constraints, authentically expressing emotions and challenging traditional expectations. The analysis of these works provides insight into the dynamic nature of womens struggles and achievements in modern literature. It demonstrates how individualism serves as a crucial element for women to establish their identities within a patriarchal framework. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of emotional and personal liberation in womens journey toward empowerment and self-realization. This study contributes significantly to the discourse on gender roles and aspirations, highlighting the resilience and determination of modern women in Indian literature. KEYWORDS: Individualism, Emotional Liberation, Contemporary Challenges, Societal Norms, Female Resilience.

The Tragedy of Freedom: A Hypothesis of Existentialism in Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild"

This paper examines the tragedy of freedom in "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer through an existentialist viewpoint. In the protagonist's pursuit of personal liberation, the study examines the concepts of autonomy, accountability, and the search for meaning through an understanding of existentialism. A qualitative case study method analyses the novel and investigates existentialist concepts. A summary of the literature work, close reading, theme analysis, and literary interpretation are all provided within the framework. This study aims to enhance our comprehension of the tragedy of freedom and its implications for human existence by casting light on the intricate interplay between individual liberty and societal norms. By exploring the existentialist perspective, the research contributes to the larger discourse on freedom, responsibility, and the pursuit of meaning in literature and human experience.

An African American Woman Considers Transcendence via Psychoanalysis

ABSTRACT As a recent graduate in psychoanalysis, I assert that psychoanalysis has been responsible for a significant transformation in my life – indeed a transcendence over the intended constraints posed by my designated race, gender, and social class. I review my biography in the context of the seismic changes our social structures have continued to experience. My biography is analyzed using eclectic psychoanalytic theories to demonstrate the use of psychoanalysis in the service of personal liberation. Mentalization, as well as, Developmental and Attachment psychoanalytic theories may be used in an emancipatory effort by those currently oppressed or marginalized in our society when trained psychoanalysts are accessible. I believe the history of anti-Black racism is relevant to the psychoanalysis of patients regardless of race. The concept of “Racial Battle Fatigue” will be described and applied to the analysis of myself, a person of African descent.

Individual Liberation in Modern Philosophy: Reflections on Santayana’s Affiliation to the Tradition Inaugurated by Spinoza and Followed by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche

This article evaluates the significance of the personal liberation that Santayana offers in relation to previous proposals in Western modern philosophy. These include the ideas of liberation present in the philosophies of Spinoza, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. I argue that Santayana endorses Spinoza’s project, as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche did, of a philosophic redemption as an alternative to an established religion. Yet, he also follows Schopenhauer in rectifying Spinoza’s attempt of recapturing the philosophic truth of Christianity, a project undertaken in Medieval times for Judaism and Islam, but not for Christianity. The result is an explicit philosophic reconstruction of the esoteric truth of Christianity. This, I argue, is the content of the lay religion and the deliverance it provides that Santayana sees as genuine philosophy and that is exemplified by the work of his hero and master, Spinoza.

Freedom and Agency in The Second Sex

Freedom and Agency in <i>The Second Sex</i>

The Fat Acceptance Scale: Development and initial validation.

The fat acceptance movement arose to combat the widespread stigmatization of fatness and fat people through personal liberation and political activism. Support for the movement and its underlying ideology has grown rapidly over the past three decades; however, a self-report measure of fat acceptance with strong psychometric properties has not yet been developed. The current studies aimed to develop the Fat Acceptance Scale (FAS), a measure of fat-accepting beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that was designed to be appropriate for use with people of all sizes. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis (n = 266) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 267) supported a three-factor solution assessing fat activism, health beliefs related to weight, and interpersonal respect for fat individuals. In Study 2 (N = 291), FAS scores predicted reactions to fictitious fat women after controlling for an established measure of antifat attitudes. Data from a subsample of 47 participants indicated moderate-to-high stability of the FAS over 4 weeks. In Study 3 (N = 156), health service psychology doctoral students' FAS scores predicted their reactions to a fictional fat psychotherapy client after controlling for antifat attitudes. Taken together, results provided preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of FAS scores and suggest that the FAS may be a valuable tool for researchers, clinicians, and advocates interested in fat acceptance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Ambedkar and the Buddha's Sangha: A Ground for Buddhist Ethics

The saṅgha is one of the three jewels of the Buddhist tradition. While undervalued in many other Anglophone iterations of Buddhist modernism, Ambedkar’s approach to Buddhism placed a reconceptualized saṅgha at the center. Where traditional accounts often limit the boundaries of saṅgha to ordained monks and nuns, Ambedkar sought to include all lay Buddhists within its frame. He suggests that the role of the saṅgha is not, as many traditional accounts might suggest, the personal liberation of the monks and nuns who join it, but instead social service directed toward the community at large. Ambedkar’s commitment to the development of a religion that champions egalitarianism naturally lead to his inclusion of women as full participants in his image of the saṅgha, despite the historically patriarchal limits placed on them in many traditional Buddhist settings. This wide-tent approach to the saṅgha, along with its emphasis on service and egalitarian principles, are defining features of Ambedkar’s unique approach the Buddhist tradition.

Reading Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Celebrating the work of Paulo Freire for his healing influence, this paper gives an auto-ethnographic account of the author’s personal, pedagogical and political liberation process reading Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Raised in a conservative patriarchal middle-class atmosphere in central Turkey, the author analyzes her own story of liberation as a woman, as a young scholar, as non-native English-speaking language educator and a citizen of a democratic republic. The author describes how she realized her own subjugation by reading Freire (2005) at a time of personal and political crisis and how she tried hard to find her personal voice. She also depicts the impact of the book on her pedagogy, on her relationships with students and on her liberatory praxis. Finally, the author tells how she transformed her understanding of the dynamics of social transformation reading Freire’s dialogic, problem-posing pedagogy of the oppressed.

Pedagogy of pain: pulling passion, potential, and possibility from the pain of silence and truth telling

ABSTRACT Cultural and faith-based narratives live in our skins and personal lives. Each body is tied to the stories that are written on it, and thus the body and the soul within it are central to our coming to know of tears, wounds, pain, and suffering. Using autobiographical narrative inquiry and poetry, I share my lived experiences and encounters with the pain of silence and truth telling. As a Canadian, Muslim, woman of color, and mother of four children, I unapologetically question the “psychic violence” of strategic silencing, scripted conformity, and structured surrender enforced and performed in institutions and society toward people of color. I seek to embrace, dwell in, and engage with pain to pull out passion, potential, and possibility. I offer the truth of my knowing to construct pathways and possibilities for reimagining and deconstructing pain and tears as the cure for personal and systemic liberation.

La lutte contre l’antisémitisme aux sources du réveil juif et de l’émancipation

&#8220;Waking up Jewish&#8221;. The formula used in 1936 by Bernard Lecache, founder of the International League against Anti-Semitism (LICA), to express a feeling of personal liberation linked to the struggle against the persecutors of the Jews, could at first be understood as the testimony of an assumed Jewishness. On closer examination, as proposed in this article, this fight for emancipation within the first French anti-racist organization lays the foundations for a universalist commitment in this area, refusing the very principle of identity-based assignment.

Prison Theatre and an Embodied Aesthetics of Liberation: Exploring the Potentials and Limits

Prison theatre practitioners and scholars often describe the sense of imaginative freedom or “escape” that theatre and drama can facilitate for incarcerated actors, in contrast to the strict regimes of the institution. Despite this, the concept of freedom or liberation is rarely interrogated, being presented instead as a given—a natural by-product of creative practice. Drawing from John Dewey’s (1934) pragmatist aesthetics and the liberatory pedagogies of Bell Hooks (2000) and Paulo Freire (1996), I propose an embodied aesthetics of liberation in prison theatre that adds depth and complexity to claims for freedom through creativity. Reflecting on over twenty years of prison theatre practice and research, I propose that the initial “acts of escape” performed through engaging the imagination are merely the first threshold toward more meaningful forms of freedom. I frame these as the following three intersecting domains: “Acts of unbinding”, which represents the personal liberation afforded by experiences with theatre in prison; “acts of love”, which expresses how the theatre ensemble might represent a “beloved community” (hooks); and “acts of liberation”, which articulates how these experiences of self-and-world creation may ripple out to impact audiences and communities. An aesthetics of liberation in prison theatre can, therefore, be conceived as an embodied movement towards personal and social renewal; an approach that deepens our understanding of its oft-cited humanising potential, and its limits.

Mind the Gap, Don’t Just Bridge It: Cultivating Critical Mindfulness When Performing the Stories of Others

Mindfulness, as it is popularly practiced today, is the cultivation and embodied awareness of the moment you are in. For those whose bodies go unmarked, this may feel liberatory, but for marginalized people a hyperawareness of the body marks everyday life. Such moments facilitate an attunement to the body based on a recognition of and embeddedness within an oppressive sociocultural matrix. I present a series of exercises that cultivate critical mindfulness in our approach to ethnographic research, encouraging mindfulness not just as a means for personal liberation but to develop a critical social consciousness rooted in the perspectives of Others.

The Liminality of Loneliness: Negotiating Feminist Ethics and Intersectional Affectivity

This paper draws on auto-ethnographic and creative material to disentangle loneliness as including moments of tension but also the potential for personal liberation. The analysis draws on intersectional reflexivity as a joint project building on feminist friendship and activist academic collaboration. Our collaborative critical auto-ethnography sought to reach the co-production of narratives of loneliness while embracing the diversities of our positionalities. Our differing points of departure and arrival were harnessed to understand our experiential perspectives on loneliness. We conceptualise through feminist and intersectional theories the liminalities of a ‘biopolitics’ of loneliness. We address ethical, affective and performative aspects of how loneliness is understood. We can then advance propositions for alternative analyses that can contribute to feminist studies of loneliness. In the analysis we clarify the often nebulous interconnections of materialisms, affectivities and ethical feminisms to disentangle loneliness from the ‘individual experience’ to a ‘social platform’ of wider collective responsibility in tackling some of its traumatic and destructive effects. We explore these issues in the emerging context of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that has led to far-reaching social, psychological, and physical impacts upon loneliness, in turn augmented by UK state policies.

Respectability and its discontents: Sexuality and marginalisation in the Marxist tradition in the United States

Since modern radicalism emerged in the wake of the French revolution, radicals and revolutionaries have held divergent perspectives regarding the relationship between personal and social transformation. On the one hand, radicals recognised that the institutions of bourgeois democracy would never allow the working class to achieve the moral, economic and social standards of respectable life, due to poverty, lack of democratic rights, racism and exploitation. For these revolutionaries, the organisation of the working class would allow working-class families to achieve respectable families and community life. On the other, becoming a social revolutionary involved a transformation of personal life as well as social ideology. This was expressed in a critique of conventional sexuality and family life, and experimentation with nonrespectable practices in their daily lives. This article explores the ways that this conflict played out over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It assesses the notion of 'respectability' – especially its 'democratisation' – among communists in the United States, and engages with questions of how respectability was to be achieved for the working class, where the notion of respectability came from, how it applied to sexuality, and whether it was challenged by a desire for personal liberation amongst those committed to the revolutionary project.

Global cyberpunk

This article examines the connections between 1960s student protests, particularly the occupation of the University of Tokyo in 1968-9, and 1980s cyberpunk film in Japan. I argue that these films, while critical of the student movement, aim to reclaim and transform the utopian spirit that motivated them. Using the global 1960s framework, I situate Japanese cyberpunk film within the wider debates of this decade, particularly those concerning personal liberation and affluence. Using Tom Moylan’s concept of the critical dystopia, I demonstrate that utopian thinking does not disappear after 1968 in Japan but undergoes metamorphosis in these films.

Chinese culture and psychoanalysis

An emotional and intellectual affinity between Chinese culture and psychoanalysis has surprised and attracted many of us who work and teach in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. A primary motive for seeking analysis and psychoanalytic training is because psychoanalysis serves as an inner resource for modern Chinese to resist the authority and moral coercion from family, repressive institutions, and the state. Despite the current focus on the narcissism of wealth, power, and fame among affluent urban Chinese, the reception of psychoanalysis is conditioned by contemporary and ancient cultural factors. For contemporary Chinese, psychoanalysis is an exciting tool of personal liberation to build a sense of an autonomous self that is not a part of traditional Chinese values and family structures. This article will focus on the traditional imperatives, suggesting that explicit trends in Chinese culture and philosophical and religious traditions contribute to explaining why there is currently an enthusiastic responsiveness to psychoanalysis in China (Scharff &amp; Varvin, 2014). To those who have worked and taught in China there appears to be a cultural aptitude for the psychodynamic modes of thought, its dialectics, the coexistence of contradictions, the suspension and collapse of linear time categories that allows Chinese students and candidates to “take to” and under-stand analytic thought and practice. I believe the Chinese will, in the tradition of their rich and ancient intellectual heritage, develop a form of “Chinese psychoanalysis” which will synthesise the Western psychoanalytic “schools” and teachings with uniquely Chinese tempers, flavours, registers, and characteristics (Gerlach et al., 2013).

Breve aproximación a la figura de Lilith en "Deseos"

In this paper, by analysing the novel Deseos by Marina Mayoral, we aim to address the dificulty that modern women suffer regarding her personal liberation as an active subject against the generic domain imposed by males. Her alienation, as an exercise supported by the beliefs of the ancient Mesopotamia, has given rise to the femme fatale, a reversal of utopian characteristics in different Western societies founded by the biblical patriarchy. Lilith's image, enhanced by the nineteenth century art by the Pre-Raphaelites, will be decisive in the process of sexual recognition that will lead the study of aspects such as the protest, uprooting, punishment and revenge.

Dancing in the Street: Impacting At-Risk Youths’ Lives through the Arts

In the United States, youth involvement in delinquent and criminal acts remains persistent and increasingly violent. For at-risk youth, key demographics include poverty and distressed communities. Since traditional interventions have had limited success in addressing the needs of and issues experienced by these youths, millennials must seek new and creative techniques and programs to serve them. One such program that currently exists and provides inspiration for the future is Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company, a nonprofit, community dance group based in Oakland, CA, that offers competitive scholarships to deserving, at-risk youth in lower class, largely ethnic communities. In the ethnographic documentary, FREE: The Power of Performance, the lives of five at-risk youths are affected and transformed through the creative medium of dance. It shows that for at-risk, diverse teens, collaborative art can be a foundation for personal strength, liberation, and hope.