Conference Agenda

Bathhouses have historically been synonymous with spas, places of relaxation to get away from the outside world. However, the bathhouses of Saratoga Springs, New York have attracted visitors for a diversity of cultural activities. This study of The Roosevelt Baths in Saratoga Springs draws on Foucault’s (1967) concept of “heterotopias” or a place that exist outside of the everyday reality. This research analyzes local historical documents, photos, and books. Research provided historical context about the bathhouses’ medicalized origins, their architectural details, and an understanding of the cultural impact on local residents and visitors, particularly from the early 1900s-1950s and again within the last 20 years. The cultural significance of The Roosevelt Bathhouses has changed over time as a heterotopia. The study shows how as heterotopias bathhouses serve multiple social and cultural purposes, many reaching far from their medical origins worldwide.

Research has shown that farming is among the most high-stress occupations in the United States. Farmers have been found to be at disproportionately high risk to suffer from extreme stress, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. Job unpredictability, radical changes in the global food system, and paucity of financial and other benefits have all been blamed for this phenomenon. Few studies have been done to evaluate the accessibility and effectiveness of mental health resources and coping mechanisms available for first-generation farmers in the United States. Through an investigation of existing literature, ethnographic life history accounts, and farmer survey data, this project seeks to identify and evaluate farmer stress-coping strategies. Preliminary results have revealed a wide variety of farmer coping methods, including live music, dinner with friends, rock climbing parties, and fence-building. Further research will focus on evaluating commonly enjoyed coping strategies, in the interest of some of society’s most essential workers.

The Guatemalan National Tourism Agency frequently uses images of Indigenous women and children in their advertisements without consent or compensation. At the request of AFEDES, a grassroots organization of Maya women in Guatemala, this project builds on previous work to understand how algorithms impact tourist advertising outside of Guatemala. The first iteration focused on U.S.-based tourists from an elite private liberal arts college. In this second iteration, we curated diverse intersectional identities as mostly European-based people using a VPN and employed a list of search terms from the first iteration. We collected more than 300 images that were significantly different from the first iteration. Analysis of the images reveals the alignment of Indigenous peoples with nature, the romanticization of Indigenous peoples, the portrayal of Indigenous women as available for interpersonal connection, the disempowerment of Indigenous women through a removal of agency, and the curation of narratives of harmonious Indigenous-governmental relationships.

Fanfiction enables a widespread sharing of ideas and an exploration of identities and desires in the context of beloved characters of fiction. Arcane is an animated show based off the video game League of Legends that has canonical exploration of gender and sexuality and a fandom community that explores them and takes them beyond their canonical limitations. Explorations of Arcane fanfiction and the topics of gender and sexuality in the popularity of the canonical and non-canonical queer relationships as well as the way gender is presented and the identities of the individuals that engage this fandom allow for further understanding and acceptance of identity and the way that it is viewed in the sub- and wider culture. A mixed methods survey would help identify the individuals and communities that thrive within this space and the aspects of this subculture that permit this exploration and formation of identity and community.

Gym class can be a highlight of the school day or a source of discomfort and self-consciousness. This study examines how gym impacts individuals' self-esteem and whether these effects are influenced by gender. We explore how gym environments can be structured to support versus diminish students’ confidence. We discovered themes related to self-consciousness, including factors such as gym uniforms, locker room experiences, and other moments of discomfort. When analyzing interview transcripts, we compare female and male responses to identify differences in their experiences. Findings indicate that traditional gym class affects self-esteem, with specific experiences exacerbating feelings of self-consciousness. Whereas skilled athletic children found gym uplifting, less skilled or athletic children were likelier to feel disheartened and put on the spot when expected to perform an athletic activity. We argue that gym classes may negatively impact students' self-esteem and should be restructured to be more inclusive and supportive.

This project explores the lived experiences of contemporary U.S. witches and pagans through in-depth interviews with practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds. The research investigates how individuals discover and define their spiritual paths, the role of community and social networks, and the impact of their practices on daily life. By examining the intersections of personal identity, societal perceptions, and spiritual expression, this study provides insight into the evolving landscape of modern paganism and witchcraft.

Video games have become a globally prevalent part of life and a form of emergent culture. My research examines video game culture to ask how players, creators and others in gaming interact with video games in ways that challenge hegemonic narratives regarding race and gender. For example, prior research or general news might tell us that video games are a space of play dominated by white masculinity. In asking how gamers challenge those narratives, I seek to offer analysis and discussion of how gamers have built their own understandings of community that support diverse representation in digital play and physical presence, while also providing care to the self and to each other. Data for this research has been collected as part of ongoing dissertation work involving digital and physical participant observation, narrative analysis, surveys, and interviews.

The rise of pleasure as taboo is deeply tied to power, morality, and social control. This poster presentation examines how Puritanism, Victorian morality, and modern right-wing conservatism have condemned bodily and sexual pleasure as deviant. Using a transhistorical framework, it traces pleasure’s policing across the Victorian era, Nazi Germany, and contemporary Western discourse. Drawing from cultural and medical anthropology, this study highlights how gender, sexuality, and class shape these prohibitions.

LGBTQ+ individuals have been central to both the repression and reclamation of pleasure, often positioned as threats to moral order. Engaging theorists like Michel Foucault and Marie Griffith, this research analyzes film (Nosferatu 1922 & 2024), “trad wife” rhetoric, and advertising discourse to explore pleasure’s regulation. Ultimately, it argues that pleasure’s taboo sustains social hierarchies, while marginalized communities resist and redefine it, making pleasure a site of both oppression and liberation.

This ethnographic project examines BSU female students in STEM specifically their experiences studying in fields that are predominantly male dominated. This study explores student insights about their accomplishments, setbacks, expectations, and preparedness for their future careers, including campus environments such as administration, faculty, and academic and co-curricular resources. Research methods include two in-depth interviews with female students, a group discussion with five female STEM club members, and participant observation of STEM club meeting activities. The themes explored in the interviews include gender dynamics, support systems, personal motivations and goals, barriers to success, and strategies for achieving success. Females in STEM benefit from strong support systems both within their department and across the wider campus. Our preliminary findings reveal female STEM students are frequently provided opportunities to engage in high-impact practices, such as undergraduate research and directed studies, and the STEM club offers valuable peer support.

This research project investigates the role of play in the lives of urban adolescents in

Massachusetts, focusing on its significance to individuals and social groups during the transition to adulthood. The methodology includes participant observation sessions in high schools located in Brockton, Boston, and Lowell, as well as individual and group interviews with high school students. Additionally, participants will create collages- visual representations using pictures and words- to express their understanding of the role of play in their lives. This project aims to enhance our understanding of one of the most culturally significant transitions in many people's lives and the social constructs that either facilitate or impede its progression.