Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Matter consists of waves. Thus spoke Louis de Broglie in the beginning of the 20th century. In the beginning of the 21st century, it is a commonplace wisdom that all material objects have wave as well as particle qualities. In other words, no object, be it an electron or a planet, is simply a ?particle,? a discrete and homogenous entity with its energy concentrated into and limited to a finite space. Every object is also a ?wave,? a disturbance that propagates and thus varies in space and time. Although the wave nature of our everyday matter remains theoretically unclear and experimentally inaccessible (a wavelength of a particle larger than an atom is minuscule compared to its mass), the discourse of wave-particle duality revolutionised natural sciences and even led to a release of new physics textbooks that open with an account of waves rather than particles. International Relations scholars, however, still find themselves trapped in the world of particles. They begin their Intro to IR courses by way of a handy dichotomy: ?For realists, a state is a ?billiard ball?; for liberals, it is a ?cobweb.?? Most students, of course, agree with liberals; and there, the debate too often ends, without much thought given to the most interesting: What is a ?cobweb?? Is it a number of billiard balls glued together (Wendt)? Or is it a number of qualifying billiard balls cut in pieces and then glued together (Haas)? Or is it billiard balls split half by way of another handy dichotomy of inside/outside (Walker)? Or more fundamentally: Is a cobweb a useful analogy in the world of waves? After all, Wendt?s recent preoccupation with quantum physics and Walker?s citation of Heisenberg?s uncertainty principle seem to indicate that both accept the wave nature of matter at the macro as well as micro level. Although there are obvious limitations with deducing a conceptualisation of ?the international? from micro-level analyses of quantum physics, a wave-based understanding of IR and its agents is worth imagining. Such an understanding, we suspect, is sensible in the world of spatial and temporal fluidity and yet spatial differentiation; the latter being the necessary condition of Walker?s ?the international? as it is of Waltz?s international system and Bull?s international society. Our paper proceeds in three steps. First, we introduce the principle of wave-particle duality, which encompasses a system of complementary filters through which a microscopic phenomenon may be viewed and described. The metaphors of wave and particle, we emphasise, are complementary, i.e., neither binary, nor mutually exclusive. Second, we formulate a working definition of a wave appropriate for the field of International Relations and describe few relevant types of waves and their properties. We account for how waves relate to and conceptually differ from particles and also for how waves interact, propagating through space in time and producing the areas of constructive and destructive interference, which differs dramatically from the mechanistic and time-free interaction between particles. Third, we outline the conceptual and methodological require-ments for a wave theory of IR and identify a range of insights derivable from such a theory.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In this qualitative study of the conceptualizations of ambition based on the narratives of feminists, I explicate interview data in order to identify the tensions in and also the similar constructions of ambition that exist in the interview data of second- and third-wave feminists. Feminism is defined as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (hooks, 2000, p. viii). Feminists, then, are men and women who identify themselves with the goals and values of feminism. These feminists provide the framework for an alternative discourse of ambition that enriches the dominant discourse found in the United States. As a communication scholar, I focus specifically on the narratives used by the feminists to construct their own definitions of ambition in an effort to compare them to the dominant discourse in society about this phenomenon. In addition, this study seeks to enhance the work/life balance literature in the discipline of communication by considering the relationship between an individual’s definition of ambition and the influence of this definition into an individual’s decisions about work/life balance. This study adds to the current debate about how ambition is, and how ambition should be, defined in the United States.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In the late 1990s, knitting and other forms of needlework began to enjoy a resurgence, particularly among younger women. Of these crafters, a significant portion are avowed feminists. They see needlework as a reclamation of traditionally marginalized women’s work, frequently with a postmodern, political twist that subverts expectations of both craft and femininity. Thus, these third wave uses of knitting can be seen as instances of women’s use of a gendered practice for the creation of an alternative discourse that comments on, creates, and disrupts structures of power; this presentation will examine the practice and potential of this discourse.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The central aim of this paper is to encourage third-wave feminists to examine the strategies pursued in the first wave, when the focus of the movement was centered on political organizing and broader social change.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study looks at the competition over news exposure during political waves. Political waves are sudden and significant changes in the political environment that are characterized by a substantial increase in the amount of public attention centered on a political issue or event. Four research questions are raised in an attempt to better understand this issue from the perspective of political actors.
1) Which political actors are in the best position to initiate political waves? 2) Which actors are in the best position to exploit political waves? 3) What types of waves provide the greatest news opportunities for political actors? 4) Which types of actors are in the best position to exploit different types of political waves?