Interdisciplinary Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/27606

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Access status: Open Access ,
Martha Graham Between the Pipes: Exploring the use of Graham technique as supple-mental training for hockey goalies
(2025-11-11) Bentley, Caroline Lauryn; Cauthery, Bridget
A commonality observed in ice hockey goalies is the frequency of overuse hip and groin injuries (Wörner et al., 2019). A 2019 study reported that 69% of all elite Swedish ice hockey goalies in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, Swedish Hockey League, and Hockey Allsvenskan experienced hip and groin issues in a single season (Wörner et al. 2019). The butterfly technique is suspected to be a primary cause for these injuries in goalies due to the repetitive, extreme range of motion demands using internal rotation of the hip joints (Harrington et al., 2024; Whiteside et al., 2015; Worner et al., 2021). To combat overuse hip and groin injuries, two recommendations are combination training of both agonist and antagonist muscle groups in alternation (Baker & Newton, 2005; Materko et al., 2024; Robbins et al., 2010), and the development of underused muscles in the torso and around the pelvis (DeBlaiser et al., 2019; Leppänen et al., 2024; Sharma, 2015; Short et al., 2021; Whittaker et al., 2015). This could be achieved by Martha Graham modern dance technique training, which is centred around the use of core muscle strength and active flexibility using external rotation of the hip joints (Giguere, 2014). For my Master’s thesis with York University, I am positioning a supplemental training program based on the Martha Graham modern dance technique to prevent overuse hip and groin injuries in hockey goalies. In this study, I will use existing published research to evaluate the current methods of hockey goalie training, how the Martha Graham technique pertaining to the needs of goalies could prevent overuse hip and groin injuries, and propose exercises to do so.
Access status: Open Access ,
Work Life Experiences of Black Women Leaders in Canadian Labour Union Organizations
(2025-11-11) Gowdie, Paula Yolanda; Embleton, Sheila
The work life experiences of Black women leaders in Canadian labour union organizations (unions) are highly underresearched. Though, narratives promoted by unions indicating that unions are built on, and espouse values of, equity and fairness, fight for the rights of all their members across the table to employers and champion the rights of equity seeking groups suggest that these same principles are relevant to the experiences that Black women union leaders endure in their roles. Using the qualitative research method of phenomenology, and theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and intersectionality and everyday racism, the experiences of twenty-three Black women leaders who are currently active or were previously active (now retired) in paid or voluntary roles in Canadian unions were examined to produce knowledge about the distinctive work life experiences of Black women leaders in Canadian unions in order to make this information visible and widely available. Research findings reveal a myriad of ways that structures, policies, procedures, processes and practices disadvantage Black women union leaders primarily based on their race, and result in extremely poor, trauma-inducing and life-changing work life experiences with impacts that extend beyond the workplace.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Empathetic Potential and Impacts of Opera Devising
(2025-11-11) Smith, Amanda; DeSouza, Joseph FX
Devising is a collective approach to creating new works for performance, including in opera. However, due to opera’s traditional culture, devising lacks both scholarship and a strong community of practice in the industry. The prioritization of tradition poses challenges for the industry to address issues of systemic discrimination and appropriation, including new opera. Drawing on a mixed-methods design of semi-structured interviews, a case study, and surveys designed to assess empathy, I investigate devising as an empathetic creation method that can expand diversity within the community and repertoire of opera. My findings support the use of devising as a means of offering audiences an opportunity to empathize with group-created opera. I also find that devising benefits artists by promoting agency and shared ownership, reducing perfectionism, and increasing equity and inclusion in new opera. My research comes with a call-to-action to integrate devising into post-secondary training to develop a community of practice.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Disassociation Between Motor Output Pathway with Reduced Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms Decline Promotes New Possibilities in Neuroimaging
(2025-11-11) Meng, Xianze; DeSouza, Joseph FX
Dance has been proven effective in slowing Parkinson’s Disease (PD) progression in research and therapies. However, the neurological underpinning of how long-term dance slows PD motor decline is unknown. This study focuses on how dance benefits the brain leading to preserved motor ability. Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), we extracted integrity measures of the motor pathway and compared them against within-subject control tracts. We found that all the white matter metrics in the motor pathway remained constant during the 3-month period. We propose that the non-motor aspects of dance are the ones that make dance superior to an intensity-controlled exercise regime. However, the limited sample size and short time between the tractography leave this idea to be validated in future data collections. This study is the first to describe the microstructural changes within PD patients with continuous dance participation. It provides valuable insight into non-invasive and non-medical PD interventions.
Access status: Open Access ,
Living Through Extinction: The Métis Buffalo Hunting Memoir
(2025-11-11) Beauchemin, Benjamin Daniel Joseph; Tremblay, Jean-Thomas
Today, L’espace de Louis Goulet and The Last Buffalo Hunter are primarily understood as historical documents, and both works are valued by scholars for their ability to convey facts about late-nineteenth century Métis life. In contrast to this approach, this thesis offers an aesthetic analysis of these works, one that considers the passage of these narratives from the oral tradition to the written form, along with their formal, thematic, rhetorical, and descriptive devices. Through this mode of analysis, this reading argues that these works use the medium of storytelling in order to grapple with the conflicts and contradictions that arose within the buffalo hunting Métis community due to the role that these hunters played in the extinction of the buffalo. L’espace de Louis Goulet calls our attention towards the Métis oral tradition in order to reflect the author’s own immersion into, as well as his eventual disconnection from, the prairie landscape. Ultimately, Goulet’s narrative is concerned with questions of how one survives and what one survives as within a milieu that one’s own actions have devastated. The Last Buffalo Hunter evokes the tradition of Western autobiography in order to subvert the expected narrative of self-formation through economic activity in favour of a narrative that intertwines economic growth and communal sustenance with environmental decline and communal dissipation. Both narratives conclude with their narrators going blind and bankrupt, and the thesis ends on a consideration of this subject position in relation to anthropogenic extinction events.
Access status: Open Access ,
Decoding Unconscious Bias: Analyzing Language in Job Postings at York University
(2025-07-23) Soleimani Esfahaninejad, Fatemeh; Derayeh, Minoo
Abstract Unconscious biases in job advertisements can significantly influence equity in recruitment, shaping applicant perceptions and self-selection. Despite commitments to diversity and inclusion, such biases remain underexplored in higher education, especially in unionized contexts. This study analyzes 100 job postings from York University’s YU Hire platform (2023–2025), focusing on YUSA1, YUSA2, and Work/Study categories. Using signaling theory, critical content analysis, and LIWC software, the research identifies linguistic and structural biases in postings. Findings reveal systemic issues such as overemphasis on Canadian credentials, vague diversity statements, and subjective language like “superior communication skills,” disadvantaging international applicants and equity-deserving groups. The presence of inclusive language alongside exclusionary terms sends conflicting signals, undermining York’s DEDI goals. This study offers practical recommendations for inclusive hiring practices and contributes to DEDI strategies by highlighting the importance of actionable commitments, clearer language, and structural alignment with equity values in recruitment processes, particularly within unionized academic institutions
Access status: Open Access ,
Thunderbird: Embracing Indigenous Voices of Resistance
(2025-07-23) Steves, Matthew Marcus; Hooper, Tom
“Indigenous people have not surrendered to the colonial structures embedded within the current government” (Karim). For over four centuries, Indigenous identities, stories, and lifestyles were silenced due to aggressive actions of settler colonialism. Initially, this was accomplished through maltreatment and exploitation of Indigenous individuals and communities. Results included oppression and attacks on Indigenous sovereignty. Indigenous artists and writers reveal some of the multifaceted humiliations and challenges experienced by Indigenous Peoples. Their creative work embodies individual statements, collective experiences and oftentimes both. Understanding the often overt and sometimes subliminal messages contained within requires an appreciation of events occurring into present times. There is no metaphoric blanket covering Indigenous experiences. Their situations are nuanced. However, there are undeniable similarities. Common to several Indigenous communities are characteristic generational trauma due to cultural alienation and systemic discrimination. The federal government encouraged Indigenous territorial dispossession. Methods utilized included residential schools, socioeconomic marginalization due to treaties, federal government legislation, as well as aggressive land grab behaviours of settler colonialism. “Land is a fundamental asset for sustainable economic development for First Nations, and land rights are critical for self-determination” (Assembly of First Nations). Regaining dignity and reaffirming Indigenous values are central themes for several Indigenous artists and writers. This thesis will discuss some of the significant impacts of settler colonialism. Reclaiming Indigenous heritage and spirituality are important resistance themes in Indigenous art and writing. There is an ambitious attempt to regain their missing cultural disruption and protect their descendants from symbolically sliding further into a cultural erasure. Indigenous artists and writers are achieving increasing levels of successes getting their messages out and better known to wider audiences. This is impactful, demonstrated through increased numbers of citizens claiming Indigenous heritage on the Canadian 2021 federal government census. Self-declared Indigenous status comprises five percent of the Canadian population, approximately 1.8 million (Statistics Canada, 2022). Settler colonialism created devastating political and historic impacts towards Indigenous individuals and communities. General observations focus on a combination of Eurocentric influences based on culture and religious values associated with Christianity as primary issues. Unsurprising, even in its simplicity, Indigenous art and writings express painful cultural disruption. Some of these are represented through allegoric and metaphoric layers behind Indigenous art and writing. Coinciding with a discussion on the spirituality of select Indigenous artists and writers, there should be an appreciation beyond settler colonization of what transpired with the European invasion of Turtle Island. Although this thesis will attempt to begin a discussion, due to the breadth of this topic, this interpretive research initiative cannot be inclusive of all factors. However, settler colonialism did not consider that Indigenous groups had civilizing laws and influences. This is because Eurocentric thinking did not consider different viewpoints and therefore, regarded them as savages (Berenstain 2). The artists and writers discussed represent a sampling of the much larger group. There can be no claim made that these are the best or most talented artists and writers, only that the ones chosen represent values and experiences core to Indigenous lives. A challenge in constructing this thesis involved which artists and writers to include. Readers and academics of this thesis may have chosen to include others. And perhaps, these alternative additions would be beneficial in telling more of their stories. Therefore, consider this thesis to serve as an introduction to select Indigenous artists and writers and their representative messages. Through research for this thesis, it became evident that the numbers of Indigenous stories are increasing each year. More are inspired to share their lived knowledge and experiences. Many of their experiences have been locked inside memories. This thesis should be viewed from the perspective of the currency of time. Undoubtedly, future new stories will complement the narratives of Indigenous Peoples (Jordan-Fenton, 2020, xv-xvi). Videos were created using footage from personally visited art galleries to serve as visual representations of Indigenous art forms. This process involved exploring Indigenous art exhibits throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Indigenous artists provide audiences with profound emotional experiences and offer powerful interpretations of their cultural expressions.
Access status: Open Access ,
Fighting Bias in Hiring
(2025-07-23) De La Cruz Alfaro, Diana Ines; Zhu, Luke
Implicit bias, unconscious attitudes that influence decision-making, remains a critical barrier to achieving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals (Stephens et al., 2020). Despite evidence linking diversity to organizational performance (Hunt et al., 2015), racial and ethnic minorities continue facing higher unemployment (Wanberg et al., 2020). This disconnect suggests that DEI strategies may lack integration or fail to address embedded biases in hiring (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016). Using a multidisciplinary lens and an inductive qualitative approach, this study investigates current strategies for mitigating hiring bias by examining evidence-based employers’ post-COVID practices and the biases job seekers reported to have encountered. Key findings reveal misalignment and inconsistencies such as limited bias recognition despite strong DEI awareness, subjectivity in recruitment practices, and bias manifestations like accent bias and undervaluation of international experience affecting immigrants and newcomers. The research offers actionable insights to address these vulnerabilities, promoting equity and inclusivity in recruitment.
Access status: Open Access ,
Issues with the Psychoeducational Assessment from a Parents Perspective and the Effectiveness of Academ ADHD Provided by the School: A Narrative Literature Review
(2025-04-10) Bahadoorsingh, Judy; Toplak, Maggie
This narrative literature review explores the challenges of adolescents with ADHD and/or comorbid disorders in classroom interventions (e.g. reading, writing, and organization skills) as well as the psychoeducational assessments involving their parents. The review draws from literature in three disciplines: psychology, education, and critical disability, in order to identify and highlight the issues, gain insights and demonstrate the subject’s intricate nature. The research questions explore the challenges parents face with psychoeducational assessments. It also explores the effectiveness of academic skills interventions provided by special education programs for adolescents with ADHD or ADHD and comorbid disorders. The review surfaces a gap in the literature on the issues of psychoeducational assessments generally and, specifically, a lack of peer-reviewed studies in Canada, which is the primary jurisdiction of interest. Six main themes emerged from ten studies, as well as three intersecting themes related to both assessments and interventions. Intersecting themes included compliance, willingness, effectiveness, and stigma. An analysis of the themes reveals that parents often adhere to assessment recommendations but struggle with the complexity of the report and question its efficacy. Adolescents' unwillingness to participate in interventions was related to issues such as perceived ineffectiveness and stigma. The analysis reveals that these issues hinder effectiveness in assessments and interventions. The conclusions offer insights on these issues and make recommendations that may assist adolescents with ADHD.
Access status: Open Access ,
A Speech Analysis Comparison of People with Parkinson's Disease and Healthy Controls
(2025-04-10) Karimi, Ashkan; DeSouza, Joseph FX
This study explores the effects of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and a dance intervention on vocal features—specifically fundamental frequency standard deviation (F0SD) and intensity standard deviation (IntSD)—in individuals with PD and healthy controls over five years. The findings suggest that while both groups exhibited changes in these vocal features over time, the differences between the PD and control groups were moderate and likely masked by individual variability. F0SD, in particular, showed distinct patterns of change over time between the two groups, aligning with known voice impairments in PD. However, changes in IntSD appeared to be more influenced by the normal aging process rather than PD itself. Despite the lack of significant post-dance improvements, the study highlights the potential value of speech features as biomarkers for PD, emphasizing the need for larger, more intensive studies to fully understand the effects of interventions like dance on vocal performance in PD.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Psychological Impact of Traditional Grieving Processes: Dirge Performance and Healing Among the Dagaaba
(2024-11-07) Kuwabong, Delimwini; Hynie, Michaela
The Dagaaba are an ethnic group found on both sides of the Black Volta in the Upper West Region of Ghana and Burkina Faso. Like many West African communities, funerals are extremely important in the culture for the ritual performance of mourning. One of the key rituals performed is funeral dirges that are sung and played on the xylophone simultaneously. Each varies depending on the sex, gender, and social status of the deceased. However, these dirges target the living more than the dead. Transcribed and translated verses within this category were analyzed within the Dagaaba cosmology and using ethnopoetics and theories of grief, mourning, and attachment. These sociological, psychological, literary, and musical elements, when synthesized, paint a picture of the Dagaaba funeral dirge as a method of promoting not only individual consolation, but also the reaffirmation of bonds among and within communities.
Access status: Open Access ,
An Immigrant Experience on Indigenous Land: The Mennonites of Namaka Farm
(2024-11-07) Jansen, Elizabeth Ann; Podruchny, Carolyn
Beginning in 1925, thirty-six families, part of a mass migration of German-speaking Russian Mennonites (Russlaender), were settled on Namaka Farm, a large ranch in southern Alberta. With their arrival, the area became home to three disparate cultures and languages: Siksika Blackfoot, British colonial settlers, and Mennonite settlers. This thesis proposes that the experiences of these Mennonites prior to arriving in Canada influenced their adaptation. It shows how they were both marginalized and privileged within the existing colonial structure. Values they held tightly created unforeseen and inadvertent repercussions, including the perpetuation of systemic injustices and racism. Extensive oral interviews and primary document research illustrate how these immigrants formed relationships among themselves, with those in authority, and with their Siksika and “English” neighbours. The integration of Russlaender, Indigenous, and English voices has produced a coherent narrative conveying wisdom that can create thriving and sustainable intracultural, intercultural, and ecological relationships today.
Access status: Open Access ,
Exploring the Voices of Iranian Women in the Qajar Era: A Study of Taj Al-Saltaneh's and Bibi Maryam Bakhtiyari's Experiences and Legacies
(2024-11-07) Mohaghegh, Saba; Derayeh, Minoo
For a long time, the voices of Iranian women in history have been silenced and ignored. It is only recently that scholars have paid attention to the crucial role women played in shaping and etching their contributions to history. In this thesis, I attempt to amplify the voices of two iconic figures during the Qajar era (1789-1925): Taj al-Saltaneh (1884-1936) and Bibi Maryam Bakhtiyari (1874-1937). I use their memoirs to explore their contributions to women’s awareness. Three different angles are used in this study: literary, historical, and women and gender studies lenses. These disciplines help to understand the importance of their memoirs and their significance in women's studies by reviving their voices and experiences. This project aims to highlight women’s voices in the past that could influence the empowerment of contemporary women and girls.
Access status: Open Access ,
This is what we have, this is what we don’t have, this is what we need : The post-incarceration experiences of formerly incarcerated Black women in Canada
(2024-07-18) Darboh, Eva Nana; Kadar, Marlene
In recent decades, the burgeoning population of racialized women in Canadian prisons has begun to capture the attention of scholars. While there is widespread and growing awareness that Black women are disproportionately represented within these prisons, the research literature on the post-incarceration experiences of this population remains scant. The challenges that Black women encounter post-incarceration are riddled with sequelae of the structural discrimination that Black women experience both inside and outside of prison walls. The current work aims to uncover the diverse challenges that Black women face on their trajectory towards rebuilding their lives after prison in order to bolster our understanding of the uniquely complex and intersectional post-incarceration experiences of Black women in Canada. This study will also investigate the efficacy of ongoing initiatives and programming available to support formerly incarcerated women with reintegration into their communities. To address these aims, I adopted a qualitative study design utilizing a semi-structured interview approach to examine the post-incarceration experiences of 18 relevant stakeholders as they relate to the experiences of reintegration of formerly incarcerated Black women, with a specific focus on the impact of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. The sample was comprised of formerly incarcerated Black women (n = 13), non-Black formerly incarcerated women (n = 1), community organization members (n = 1), prison rights advocates (n = 2), and politicians (n = 1). Drawing upon fundamental Black feminist theories of law (e.g., intersectionality and critical race theory), I analyzed qualitative interview data by employing content analysis to uncover salient themes. The results indicated that for formerly incarcerated Black women, reintegration involves overcoming robust structural barriers, including difficulties securing employment, stigmatization, and lack of effective support. The insights shared by participants in the current study highlight the extent to which Black women’s marginalized identities adversely shape their experiences pre- and post-incarceration. Evidently, the reintegration experiences of formerly incarcerated Black women are unique and shaped by a multitude of factors. The current work shines light on the need for further investigations and efforts to mitigate post-release challenges in order to promote equitable post-incarceration experiences.
Access status: Open Access ,
Our Last Supper:
(2024-07-18) Giancola, Rita; Cado, Mike
This thesis argues that when Molisans have conversations about death and dying, they will be more willing to accept their own mortality. In addition, I advocate for musical theatre as a uniquely effective medium for death education through which Molisans will be inspired to continue to discuss death and dying. A comparison between Canadian-Molisans and Italian-Molisans perspectives on death and dying will demonstrate that Molisans fear death and dying and do not engage in death discussions because it generates anxiety. However, if prompted with ‘Death Dinners’ and/or with a musical theatre production reflecting their fears and anxieties, Molisans will be motivated to communicate their emotions, cope with their anxieties, and have the ability to live out an authentic life. Ultimately, this will assist in recognizing how these beliefs reflect the values ingrained in the Molisan culture.
Access status: Open Access ,
Tugging the Loose Thread of Canada's Political Tapestry:
(2024-07-18) Thomas-McNeill, Kathleen Hazel; Barras, Amelie
Canadian discourses of inclusion and multiculturalism struggle to reckon with the nation's violent history and ongoing injustices, demanding a confrontation with Canada's self-image. While Canada prides itself on being a multicultural forerunner, understanding its ties to settler-colonialism is crucial due to its continued dispossession of Indigenous peoples. The multicultural narrative often overlooks its political complexities, particularly in relation to Quebec's cultural identity, and the interconnectedness between bilingualism and multiculturalism is often ignored. This study examines how culture, nation, secularism, and religion are understood within relevant policies and legal cases, revealing their settler-colonial roots. Analysis shows how interpretations of these documents reinforce social divisions, Indigenous oppression, and a decontextualized Canadian identity. By revealing the settler-colonial roots of Canadian legislation, this research exposes hidden power dynamics and structural injustices within multiculturalism. Correcting this oversight is essential to situate the national narrative within its historical context and to align it with Canada's stated values.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Origin of Koreanness: Understanding the Gender of Modernity in the Wartime Films of Late Colonial Korea, 1937-1945
(2024-07-18) Kim, Jihong; Kim, Janice
This thesis investigates the popular origins of ethno-cultural subjectivity during the dawn of the cinematic age that, for Koreans, intersected with Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945). More specifically, it looks at films produced during the time of mobilization for the Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific War between 1937 and 1945, with attention to how the complex process of turning the peninsula’s human resources into participatory subjects of the Shōwa Emperor (1926–1989) affected Korean productivity and reproductivity. The contradictions of war mobilization of Koreans by the Japanese Empire created common gender representations in late colonial Korean films. Mobilization of adolescent male fantasies, whose aspiration for filial piety and patriarchal restoration, suppressed by colonial discrimination, materialized in queerness. Through the use of gender, culture, and colonialism as analytical lenses, this thesis argues that colonial subjects have come to sustain the system that restrained them, believing instead in the promises of individual mobility.
Access status: Open Access ,
The COVID-19 Pandemic's Impacts On Post-Secondary International Students' Public Transit Usage In The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and The Greater Vancouver Area (GVA)
(2024-03-16) Huang, Mengyan; MacLennan, Anne
This master's thesis investigates the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public transit usage of post-secondary international students (PSIS) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). The research aims to understand the diverse experiences of PSIS while using public transit in these two regions, explore their specific needs and challenges in transit utilization, and assess how universities can support PSIS by facilitating their use of public transit. The study adopts transportation studies, education, and sociology disciplines, employing a mixed-methods research approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative research methods. The findings indicate that PSIS have concerns about long travel duration, safety, and expensive transit fees. The GVA's U-Pass program makes public transit access more affordable than that in the GTA. These insights underscore the tailored support from universities and policymakers to enhance PSIS experiences with public transit, which is significant in PSIS development.
Access status: Open Access ,
Queer-Diva Collaboration in 20th Century Pop Music
(2023-12-08) Iannacci, Elio; Latchford, Frances J.
This thesis explores the practice of “Queer-Diva collaboration” as it pertains to the work of pop music icons Grace Jones and Annie Lennox. Queer-Diva collaborations are a surprisingly common yet undertheorized artistic phenomena wherein female pop singers co-create music and art with members of the LGBTQ community. My study argues that through these collaborations, queer counterculture discourses critique and reform mainstream popular culture. While much scholarship revolves around the Diva and her Queer audience, this thesis draws on theories of artistic collaboration as “utopian modernist sites” (Green 175), forms of “gender collapse” (Butler 41, 121) and testaments to “Queer world-making” (Muñoz 22) in order to recover the Diva’s crucial relationship with LGBTQ art directors, stylists, choreographers and music producers. This study historicises and analyses two pivotal Queer-Diva collaborations as case studies, both of which reflect and broadcast the repercussions of watershed moments in LGBTQ politics. The first case study examines Grace Jones’s music video to 1986’s “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You),” directed by Jones and Queer graffiti artist Keith Haring which fuses Jones’s racial and gender pluralism with Haring’s HIV/AIDS activism. The second case study analyses Annie Lennox’s and DJ Junior Vasquez’s “No More ‘I Love You’s’” (The Sound Factory Mix), a recording released in 1995, which embodies a proliferating era of LGBTQ civil rights and an aural armament against misogynistic and homophobic oppression. Focusing on these distinctive epochs within Jones’s and Lennox’s oeuvres, this thesis examines the effects, repercussions and implications of these Queer-Diva collaborations and determines how they disrupt anti-Black, anti-Queer and heterosexist discourses.
Access status: Open Access ,
Dancing an Expanded Habitual: Attuning to the More-Than-Human World
(2023-12-08) Acorn, Amanda Kathleen; Cauthery, Bridget
This interdisciplinary thesis explores dance creation-as-research and phenomenological methods to articulate an embodied dialogue with the more-than-human world. Drawing on original phenomenological writing generated through embodied research, the work argues for dance practice as a salient tool for reimagining traditional forms of knowledge production and enacts the speculative possibilities of our communicative capacity between human and more-than-human bodies. The project imagines and articulates how we can bring relational, responsible thinking and sensing to our everyday movements while navigating the ruins of the so-called Anthropocene. Using research-creation as a frame, this project posits that dance-based systems of improvisation have the potential to interrupt and inhibit our habitual modes of attention, expanding our capacity for interspecies dialogue and collaboration. The work engages with the fields of dance studies, research-creation, phenomenology and posthuman feminist theory, to create definitional anchors in dialogue with original, phenomenological writing. The research expresses a process of discovery through the lived body and articulates a practice that enlivens bodies and builds worlds, where thinking, practice, and theory can come alive inside everyday living. The research moves off the page and into the body, in the form of a site-adaptive soundwalk, as an embodied call to action for fleshy, earthly survival.

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