Term of Award

Summer 2023

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

College of Education

Committee Chair

JOHN WEAVER

Committee Member 1

MING FANG HE

Committee Member 2

MECA WILLIAMS-JOHNSON

Abstract

This is an inquiry of my life through memoir with a focus on four major themes: a woman finding her voice, a woman releasing her emotions bringing about liberation, a woman making connections with another woman, and a woman’s search for space and place. I chose memoir as methodology allowing me to create a space retelling of experiences where some are slightly fabricated, and some are the truth. I explored three theories contributing to and complementing my purpose for writing this dissertation: Feminism, Critical Geography, and Trauma-Informed Theory. I refer to the Feminism works of Ahmed (2017), Butler (1990 and 2005), Estès (1992), Friedan (1997/1963), Gilligan and Snider (2018), hooks (2004 and 2015), Miller (2005), Showalter (2001), Sollèe (2019), Solnit (2014 and 2020), Steinem (1984) and Wurtzel (1998). These theorists further add to my understanding of Feminism while describing their own lived experiences and contributions to women’s liberation. The Critical Geography works of Alaima (2000), Domash and Seager (2001), Gökariksel, Hawkins, Neubert, and Smith (2021), Harvey (1996), Helfenbein (2021), Johnston and Longhurst (2010), Moss and Al-Hindi (2008), and Soja (1989) contribute to my understanding of the importance of a creating my own space and place. The experiences of releasing trauma from a person’s body as discussed by Morris (2008), van der Kolk (2014), and Vought (2021) contribute to my understanding of the necessity of releasing toxic memories from my body and forgiving others. Morris (2015) validates memoir as methodology, contributing to curriculum through currere or exploring lived experiences. The challenges I have faced while writing memoir are both emotional and psychological. I have deeply revisited my past experiences, bringing about painful memories, releasing traumatic experiences, and creating spaces of liberation. Through the retelling of these emotional experiences, a new geography, a liberation has developed, further inspiring me to pass along those encouraging and inspiring experiences with the purpose of helping other women seek and live through their own idea of liberation.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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