This work allowed me to recognize fractals and how they propagate across scales. In every paper, I found more examples of how our dysfunctional behaviors inform and structure the shape of our national and global institutions, thus magnifying unsustainable and oppressive practices. My studies led me to research diverse modes of thought and ways of life that can aid in resisting the injustice that threatens everyone everywhere.
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Now, I am aiming to turn this work into a continuous process, constantly returning to the questions I was asking myself: Is corruption as insidious and inevitable as we may think? How can we create opportunities to regain agency in environments of oppression? How can we turn the fight for liberation into a fulfilling and generative process for those involved?
Addiction Research
Addiction is a pervasive issue that affects millions of people everywhere. By researching the psychological systems behind the issue we can begin to find more effective interventions. Through these interdisciplinary investigations, I try to find ways in which our understanding of addiction could potentially unlock pathways to liberation.
Pleasure Activism
What is Pleasure Activism? PA is a philosophy and set of practices coined by black feminist theorist adrienne maree brown. amb defines PA as "the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves from the impacts, delusions, and limitations of oppression and/or supremacy." When the values of PA are applied to gaps in knowledge, I've found that they help to provide solutions that are grounded in trying improve the quality of life for marginalized groups.
Race & Development
When looking at the injustice that exists today, it is important to look back in time and find the origin of these harmful beliefs. When we investigate these beliefs, and the practices that were born from them, we can begin to understand how they impact us today, and what we can begin to do to distance ourselves from them.
Creative Writing
Feminist theorists strongly believe that storytelling and fiction are some of the most vital tools we have in our fight against injustice. Constructing personal narratives is a way to bring the effects of oppression, which can get lost in the name of academic objectivity, back to the center. To compliment the academic work, I engaged in my own journey with fiction in an attempt to find new ways of expressing the research I was collecting, and share my own thoughts through a voice unrestricted by the limits of academic writing.
Our Accumulation Addiction
The Harm of Overconsumption and Rehabilitation Treatments for Our Minds and the Environment
PHIL3038
This research paper is dedicated to exploring the source of our collective consumption tendencies. This investigation is conducted with the intention of generating methods of reducing the harm to ourselves and the environmental. Using a philosophical framework created by black feminist author adrienne maree brown, I apply the harm reduction methodology as a tool to remediate, not only for our individual addictions, but also the growing consequences of climate change. This research brings together multiple disciplines and perspectives to create a comprehensive view of our global consumption habits.
This work was awarded the Sarah Lawrence College SLICE award for Student Work.
Download the pdf of the slides summarizing this research given during the Sarah Lawrence x Bronx Community College SLICE Symposium (2023).
You can also read and download the full paper from the Digital Commons here.
The Psychophysiology of Craving
Manifestations of Addiction and Treatments for Rehabilitation
PSYCH3510
The goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling our addictive behaviors and the ways in which we can engage with them to help in recovery. By investigating the effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB) on cue-reactivity sensitivity of recovering addicts towards substance-related stimuli, I investigate the physiological processes involved with craving and desire to find potential psychological aids to mitigate the harm of addiction and relapse. This project contains a literature review of previous studies concerning both cue-reactivity and impacts of HRVB, as well as a research proposal of an original study aiming to to address the gaps in the existing research.
Download the pdf of the poster presentation summarizing this research given during the Sarah Lawrence x Bronx Community College SLICE Symposium (2023).
Pleasure Activism on the Mind
PSYCH2050
This paper is an attempt to highlight the radical capabilities of Pleasure Activism when applied to the realm of psychotherapy. This paper conducts a review of multiple different traditions of psychology created to reclaim knowledge of mental health and wellbeing, and through the analysis of particular case studies, I am able to extract certain tools that align with a Pleasure Activist rhetoric, synthesizing an approach to mental health that is designed by and for black women.
You can download the presentation summarizing this research.
The Power of Pleasure Politics
Reconstruction and critical assessment of the racial justice capabilities of Pleasure Activism
PHIL2028
This paper offers a philosophical analysis of Pleasure Activism, created by adrienne maree brown. By engaging in a interdisciplinary reconstruction of the principles and potential rebuttals, this analysis attempts to reinforce the philosophical foundations of a Black Feminist Theory of social justice.
You can download the presentation summarizing this research.
The Cultural Techniques of Whiteness
An Analysis of the Media of Colonialism
FILM2080
This paper is attempting to reinforce the idea that race, and specifically whiteness, is a socially constructed cultural phenomenon. This argument opens engages a reconstruction of the specific ways in which whiteness as a culture has been established and opens a philosophical discussion of whether or not we have - or could ever - transform into a post-racial society.
You can download the presentation summarizing this research.
Sugar Production and Jamaica's Development
Analytical History and Product Analysis
GEOG1024
Sugar encapsulates a large percentage of the total exports of the island of Jamaica. The reason for this relies on the agricultural context of Jamaica, hidden under centuries of natural disasters, colonization and political turmoil, and yet indicates the resilience of the culture that continues to persevere. This critical development research paper gives an analytical political and agricultural history of Jamaica, and analyzes the role that this vital commodity plays in the development of the island.
You can download the presentation summarizing this research.
'Under What Influence?'
Short Fiction Collection
WRIT3332
This writing was an attempt to experiment with the limits of fiction: how far can we stretch language and still succeed in telling a compelling story?This collection of short fiction installments is an exploration on the themes of addiction and recovery. These stories are a mix of prose and poetry, experimenting with non-linear narratives, and using philosophical analysis as an emotive storytelling device.
You can download the list of contents and summary of each piece.
Radical Empathy as a Tool of Resistance
Short Fiction Collection and Independent Research
WRIT6764
Radical Empathy as a Tool of Resistance is an additional short fiction collection built on the previous work I had accomplished. It resulted from an independent study wherein I submitted a syllabus of reading material, a list of selected authors and works that were investigating the themes of pleasure, addiction, and hope in creative ways. These works, in addition to a curriculum of writing prompts culminated in an experimental short fiction collection. This collection is my attempt to use my interdisciplinary research to fund a creative investigation on the effects of oppression on the human psyche and the avenues of resistance available to us.
You can download the original course proposal and reading list.