Our Bodies, Our Quilt

The theory in this square was introduced to us in the summer reading of the (En)Gendered Violence English Seminar. This theory about gender and violence altered the way we thought about gender roles in our own lives so powerfully that we hoped to share these specific ideas with the LWHS community and invite readers to notice and intercede when you see how the theory we describe appears in your lives, in moments small or large. The torn paper represents how seemingly small aggressions, or tears, can compound to have a huge effect individually and societally, causing the piece to look tattered. The whole piece is connected with purple yarn throughout sections on theory, news, and literary analysis, illustrating the interconnectedness of theory and real-life violence. Since gendered violence is by no means a new problem, we also felt it was important to contextualize it in a timeline that illustrates both changing gender roles and the subsequent domestic violence, which is shown at the bottom of this square.