A B O U T U S
A B O U T O U R F O C A L P O I N T P R O J E C T
Nonprofit and Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are called upon as solutions to an ever-widening array of social problems, including world poverty, economic development, sexual health “crises,” environmental degradation, and even criminal activities such as human trafficking. These organizations produce often-consequential rhetorics and pursue decisive actions in promoting social justice and otherwise rectifying social inequalities. As such, these organizations often target what are considered the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in need of inquiry and intervention – women and children. Often situated outside of formal political governments as the instruments of a global civil society, nonprofits and NGOs are often cast as independent of and sometimes in opposition to state governance. Yet a growing body of literature points to the ways in which nonprofits and NGOs serve as ostensible surrogates for serving -and funding- social welfare for neoliberal states and intergovernmental organizations, facilitating neoliberal aims of economic liberalization and privatization of public resources, even while propagating seemingly universal principles of self-empowerment and participation. Embedded in these endeavors are discourses and practices targeting women and children for their particular potential as moldable, especially because they are vulnerable, liberal (and Western) democratic subjects of a global governance of care. We will examine the nature of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations and their relations to states and a global civil society, the positioning of civil society and its institutions in promoting a more democratic world, and the interface of civil society with the academy as a topic of scholarship and collaboration. Such analytical investigations will provoke new, exciting ideas and emerging scholars and practitioners capable of understanding the complex networks of globalization and diversity (especially focused here on women and youth) as categories for pursuing critical inquiry and producing academic studies.
A B O U T F O C A L P O I N T
To best prepare graduates for the 21st century, it is imperative to encourage them to be bold thinkers, risk takers, and collaborative leaders. With these goals in mind, the Graduate College sponsors Focal Point, an initiative to stimulate intellectual communities of faculty and graduate students around topics that undergird important issues and problems of our times. Focal Point is designed to engage faculty and inspire graduate students to advance knowledge in areas of critical national and human need whether this be in global health and engineering, economic and social issues, humanities and arts, or challenges of understanding and communicating in an increasingly complex world.
Focal point objectives are:
P R O J E C T O R G A N I Z E R S
Dr. Soo Ah Kwon | Asian American Studies and Human and Community Development
Dr. Mimi Nguyen | Gender and Women's Studies and Asian American Studies
Sarah Casinelli | English
Fay Hodza | Human and Community Development
P A R T I C I P A N T S
Rachel Storm | Educational Policy Studies and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives
Shantel Martinez | Institute for Communications Research
Martha Webber | Writing Studies
Nonprofit and Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are called upon as solutions to an ever-widening array of social problems, including world poverty, economic development, sexual health “crises,” environmental degradation, and even criminal activities such as human trafficking. These organizations produce often-consequential rhetorics and pursue decisive actions in promoting social justice and otherwise rectifying social inequalities. As such, these organizations often target what are considered the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in need of inquiry and intervention – women and children. Often situated outside of formal political governments as the instruments of a global civil society, nonprofits and NGOs are often cast as independent of and sometimes in opposition to state governance. Yet a growing body of literature points to the ways in which nonprofits and NGOs serve as ostensible surrogates for serving -and funding- social welfare for neoliberal states and intergovernmental organizations, facilitating neoliberal aims of economic liberalization and privatization of public resources, even while propagating seemingly universal principles of self-empowerment and participation. Embedded in these endeavors are discourses and practices targeting women and children for their particular potential as moldable, especially because they are vulnerable, liberal (and Western) democratic subjects of a global governance of care. We will examine the nature of nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations and their relations to states and a global civil society, the positioning of civil society and its institutions in promoting a more democratic world, and the interface of civil society with the academy as a topic of scholarship and collaboration. Such analytical investigations will provoke new, exciting ideas and emerging scholars and practitioners capable of understanding the complex networks of globalization and diversity (especially focused here on women and youth) as categories for pursuing critical inquiry and producing academic studies.
A B O U T F O C A L P O I N T
To best prepare graduates for the 21st century, it is imperative to encourage them to be bold thinkers, risk takers, and collaborative leaders. With these goals in mind, the Graduate College sponsors Focal Point, an initiative to stimulate intellectual communities of faculty and graduate students around topics that undergird important issues and problems of our times. Focal Point is designed to engage faculty and inspire graduate students to advance knowledge in areas of critical national and human need whether this be in global health and engineering, economic and social issues, humanities and arts, or challenges of understanding and communicating in an increasingly complex world.
Focal point objectives are:
- To advance knowledge in areas of critical national and human need
- To promote interdisciplinary inquiry and collaborate problem solving
- To give graduate students the opportunity to be actively involved in formulating and shaping the scope of a large research problem
- To support collaborations with international institutions or NGOs to establish new partnerships for graduate education
- To support collaborations with domestic institutions to enhance diversity in graduate education
P R O J E C T O R G A N I Z E R S
Dr. Soo Ah Kwon | Asian American Studies and Human and Community Development
Dr. Mimi Nguyen | Gender and Women's Studies and Asian American Studies
Sarah Casinelli | English
Fay Hodza | Human and Community Development
P A R T I C I P A N T S
Rachel Storm | Educational Policy Studies and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives
Shantel Martinez | Institute for Communications Research
Martha Webber | Writing Studies