STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
WHAT IS A ZINE?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This zine will be comprised of academic research, survey data, social media, film/TV analysis, personal stories, submissions, and original writing about the Jewish American Princess. This zine seeks to understand the emergence, use, and meaning(s) of the Jewish American Princess stereotype. While this zine will be the overall product of a Critical Identity Studies honors thesis, the intention of this project is to create something by Jewish people, for Jewish people, which engages, critiques, complicates, struggles with, and even embraces the Jewish American Princess stereotype.
A zine (short for magazine) is a small circulation, self-published book usually comprised of multiple forms of media. Julie specifically chose the format of a zine for her Honors thesis because of zine's traditional focus on content over profit. Zine's as a communication format are powerful because they reach and engage with people through accessible language and content- which academic papers frequently do not.
This project is completed entirely by Julie Weinberg-Connors in pursuit of Honors at Beloit College. Julie is a Critical Identity Studies Major and a Religious Studies minor. Critical Identity Studies (CRIS) is an intersectional and evolving interdiscipline that is oriented towards social justice. CRIS combines a variety of academic disciplines (gender and women’s studies, ethnic studies, queer studies, disability studies, postcolonial studies) to investigate how structures of inequality and systems of power and resistance shape identities.
Julie is passionate about Jewish social justice work, education accessibility, and understanding the multifaceted ways in which Jews define themselves. Her honors thesis is a culmination of these interests.