Hi everyone,
I feel like such a slacker. So I created this website with the intent of keeping folks abreast of the important research I have been involved with in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, exploring various aspects of prejudice and discrimination on local, national and global scales.
But alas, as is often the case, life had other plans for me, and this blog has fallen to the wayside. I figured, if I pay for this website, I really should be using it to further my agenda. In doing this, I must get on the ball and talk about the things that are important... focusing on how we can create a new awareness and facilitate positive dialogue, transforming the dominant discourse into one that is accepting and inclusive.
I have a lot of really neat discussions to bring to the blogosphere, so please stay tuned. It is going to be a bumpy ride, I am sure, but lets hold on and travel together!
In the meantime, let me share some good news.
I have been accepted to present at the UMass Conflict Studies conference in Boston, MA on October 19-20, 2012. Over 150 graduate students from around the world submitted papers for presentation at this prestigious conference, and mine was chosen as one of 80 approved presentations. I will be participating in a panel titled "Women and Conflict" with students from St. John's University, Columbia, University of Denver, and University of San Diego.
In this presentation, I will be discussing a phenomenological research project that I conducted which is titled "Understanding the Experiences of Female American Converts to Islam Post-September 11, 2001." The purpose of this research was to describe and understand the experience of what it means to be a female American convert to Islam in Post-9/11 America. The American female convert to Islam was defined as a female living in the United States who practiced any religion other than Islam but who has converted to Islam. The term Post-9/11 America refers to not only the physical location of the United States, but also the cultural climate and attitudes that have taken hold since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Female American participants were over the age of 18, were born in the United States, practiced religions other than Islam prior to converting to Islam, and converted after September 11, 2001.
This will be the first time I have ever presented this type of research, and I am looking forward to this opportunity.
