Tens of millions of people worldwide watched as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford articulated her allegations of sexual assault against now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh during the 2018 Supreme Court nomination hearings. Guided by the philosophy of science as well as material feminist scholarship, this thesis starts with tracing the history of trauma and sexual victimization within psychology in order to highlight the socio-cultural situatedness of knowledge production. Interpolating conceptions of womanhood into this genealogy, I show that the comprehension of women's trauma and sexual victimization has been historically misinformed and obfuscated. Drawing on sociologists of knowledge, the following chapter explores the historic clash between Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, analyzing the mythologies and hegemonies naturalized through narratives produced about Hill. Subsequently, I provide a sharp focus on the 2018 hearings, looking at the limitations of discourse in judiciary and media paradigms, rape myths, and the nature of spectacles, which I intersperse with qualitative research interview excerpts I conducted from individuals whose work and lives were profoundly impacted by the hearings.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Author-supplied Keywords","value":["Trauma","Sexual victimization","Feminist psychology"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 24036