Women, Power, and Ethnicity: Working Toward Reciprocal Empowerment

ISBN-13: 9780789010582 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 268 str.

Patricia S. E. Darlington; J. Dianne Garner; Becky Michele Mulvaney

Opis

Powerful women aren't just men walking around in dresses

As women continue to assume positions of social leadership in increasing numbers, the dynamics of the social construction of power need to be examined. Have women adopted traditionally male patterns of behavior in an effort to gain and maintain power in business, industry, politics, academics, etc.? And if not, what kind of power are women practicing? The authors of Women, Power, and Ethnicity: Working Toward Reciprocal Empowerment endeavored to find out by conducting a research study on how women from various racial and ethnic backgrounds compare and contrast the attributes associated with existing power paradigms (traditional, empowerment, personal authority) with an alternate model of power--reciprocal empowerment.

Reciprocal empowerment is a discursive and behavioral style of interaction grounded in reciprocity initiated by people who feel a sense of personal authority. Reciprocal empowerment enables people with mutual self-interests to rise above obstacles based on social and political structures and to use personal authority to discuss and act on issues openly and honestly in order to effect change. Using a qualitative methodology, Women, Power, and Ethnicity includes the results of surveys and interviews with women from seven different ethnic groups in the United States to determine if the concept or reciprocal empowerment resonates with them. The answer: Yes

Women, Power, and Ethnicity is organized by surveys and interview findings on women from seven cultural groups living in the United States (African, Asian, Caribbean, European, Latin, Middle Eastern, Native American). Each chapter includes:

• analyses of ethnographic findings, surveys, and interviews
• concise historical information
• effects of immigration, where applicable
• tables and diagrams
• direct quotes
• and much more

Women, Power, and Ethnicity examines women's attitudes toward power in several social forums--home, job, religion, politics, and society in general. The book is an essential resource for teachers and students of communication studies, women studies, gender studies, ethnic studies, and social sciences.

Spis treści

• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Power: Past, Present, and Future
• Power: Its Various Forms
• Reciprocal Empowerment: A New Approach
• Chapter 2. African-American Women and Power
• The Strength of a Nation: A Brief History of African-American Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 3. Asian-American Women and Power
• Different Histories and Changing Roles: A Brief History of Asian-American Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 4. Caribbean-American Women and Power
• A Multitude of Languages and Cultures: A Brief History of Caribbean-American Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 5. European-American Women and Power
• European-American Women and the History of “Whiteness” in the United States
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 6. Latin American Women and Power
• Political and Economic Influences: A Brief History of Cuban-American and Puerto Rican-American Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 7. Middle Eastern-American Women and Power
• Fact and Fiction: A Brief History of Middle Eastern-American Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 8. Native American Women and Power
• “Immigrants” in Their Own Land: A Brief History of the Seminole Nation and Its Women
• Analysis of Ethnographic Findings
• Conclusion
• Chapter 9. Conclusion
• Discussion of Survey and Interview Results
• Revised Model of Reciprocal Empowerment
• Recommendations
• Bibliography
• Index
• Reference Notes Included

O autorze

Authored by Darlington, Patricia S.E.; Mulvaney, Becky Michele