EDUCATION INFO:
2002 - BA African American Studies, University of Texas

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:
Cultural Anthropology

AREAS OF INTEREST:
Afro-Caribbean , Dominican Republic , Representation and Identity Politics, Black Feminist Anthropology

THESIS TITLE:
Dominican Women: Gendered Representation, Images and Identity Formation

THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Kimberly Simmons –Co-Chair
Alice Kasakoff –Co-Chair
Terrance Weik

MA THESIS PROJECT:
My thesis will explore the contemporary and historical representations, images, and stereotypes of women in the Dominican Republic in order to understand how these images (1) contribute to the identity formation process of Dominican women (2) influence how women are perceived in Dominican culture. I will be comparing the images I found in magazines, newspapers, and other forms of media during my fieldwork to historical ones found in the Dominican Republic in particular, as well as those we find in the greater African Diaspora. However, apart from the historical comparison, these images will be analyzed on their own through image and media analysis and will be paired with the data that was collected through my ethnographic research. My fieldwork centered around participant observation in Santiago, Dominican Republic were I conducted extensive interviews, provided surveys, and conducted focus groups. My research will provide much needed insight into how representations influence perception of women in the Dominican Republic as well as how these images construct a gender identity for these women.

The Dominican Republic provided a unique location for studying the interplay of race and gender with representation and identity because of its truly complex system of racialization/colorization (Simmons 2005). My research can be situated nicely within the discussion that is being framed by both Kimberly Simmons and Ginetta Candelario. While Candelario focuses on issues of representation in terms of beauty and aesthetic and how that is influenced by the Dominican conception of race, Simmons addresses issues of mixture and colorization and how they contribute to identity formation. My research is heavy influenced by both of these women and utilizes both of their approaches. What I add to the conversation is this discussion of the power of images in constructing representation and what the implications of those representations are on Dominican and Haitian women. My thesis will be about drawing connections between historical representations and contemporary ones and between those images that are uniquely Dominican and those that are represented in the greater African Diaspora. My thesis will not only add to the literature, but can also serve as a means to the deconstruction of representations of Dominican women and a move to understanding their influence on identity construction and its implications on how these women are able to live their lives.

ADVISOR:
Kimberly Simmons

PAPERS/POSTERS PRESENTED:
“The Evolution of Images and Stereotypes of Women in the African Diaspora”, SCASC 2008

CONFERENCES ATTENDED:
SCASC 2008

AWARDS:
WIIS International Experience Award from the Richard L. Walker Institute of International Studies for research in the Dominican Republic, 2008


EMAIL:
kkgoin@gmail.com