User:Mxrwho/The Final Project/Thesis

Outline

Working title: I've Gone Back a Thousand Times

A first-person narration in a piece that could be broadly characterized as literary non-fiction (I know, Steve, I also dislike labels). Memories, shards of (self-)reflection, pieces of theory from various disciplines (phenomenology, sociology, linguistics, art theory etc) come together to express with the use of a personal yet all-encompassing story − revolving around labeling, stereotyping and its relation to self-image − the spiraling nature of change and the importance of repetition when it comes to the establishment as well as the rejection of labels. Performativity and repetition will be equally evident in the format and the content of the story, as central elements in the establishment and subverting of biases.

Chapter One

Where it all began. A flashback to growing up within a specific society at a certain time. The labeling that came along, the personal reaction and fight against it.

Chapter Two

Fast Forward to today. Are the same issues still relevant? Personal and wider view, movements, changing perceptions.

Chapter Three

What needs to be done. Methods, helpful techniques on the personal and the social level.

Ultimate Research Questions

(1) Is awareness and establishment of new habits enough to build resilience against an omnipresent sociopolitical structure?

(2) Is the cultivation of empathy for the Other and the Self a valid method of bringing positive personal change in an individual when it comes to labeling and stereotyping?

(3) To what degree is controlling the impact of others on our self-image possible?

(4) To what degree does positive biasing spread through conscious effort (propaganda) and can it be maintained?

References

Bibliography