Viscous Knowledge: Water, Gender, and Learning

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dc.contributorYoung, Elizabeth
dc.contributorWilley, Angela
dc.contributor.advisorGundermann, Christian
dc.contributor.authorWebb, Margaret
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-29T13:04:12Z
dc.date.available2016-06-29T13:04:12Z
dc.date.gradyear2016en_US
dc.date.issued2016-06-29
dc.description.abstractWhat constitutes ‘knowledge’ that we acquire, and how do we acquire it? Through Donna Haraway’s theoretical reconfigurations of objectivity in conversation with D.W. Winnicott’s theory of transitional phenomena, I explore constructions of knowledge creation, particularly as exemplified by my personal history as a swimmer and swim instructor. How does authority factor into knowledge creation? Is there knowledge gained through pain, pleasure, and eroticism? These personal and theoretical explorations leave me with more questions than answers as I wade through concepts of viscosity and fluidity. Viscosity, or the degree of resistance that a substance or ‘thing’ possesses, is a fundamental underlying theme; resistance serves as a key component of care and attentiveness and as a method by which objects reclaim participation in their own observation. Can fluids and water be viscous in their resistance? How does water serve as a metaphor for femininity in its resistance to observation or mastery? This viscous project utilizes resistance and fluidity as structural tools to weave personal narrative with theoretical understanding. My goal is not a finished product of answers, but instead a body of work dripping with questions.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipGender Studiesen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3903
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedpublicen_US
dc.subjectwateren_US
dc.subjectgenderen_US
dc.subjectfeminist science studiesen_US
dc.subjectobjectivityen_US
dc.subjectknowledge productionen_US
dc.subjectswimmingen_US
dc.subjectdisability studiesen_US
dc.subjectqueer theoryen_US
dc.titleViscous Knowledge: Water, Gender, and Learningen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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