Beyond the wounds: The SCAR Project as space for examining breast cancer and mastectomy experiences

Most people never see the impact of breast cancer removal on a body. Even breast cancer survivors rarely see its physical effects on others. Gender-laden symbols underwrite breast cancer narratives, with mass media romanticizing the female body through pink ribbon imagery and youthful fashion model-perfect representations. The real body which has experienced breast cancer surgery through lumpectomy or mastectomy mostly is invisible, passive, and features scar tissue damage considered un-gaze-worthy. Yet, the Pulitzer Prize nominated Surviving Cancer: Absolute Reality (SCAR) Project uses Facebook to enable those who experience breast cancer to see post-mastectomy images and to share their own stories. Actual use of the SCAR Project Facebook page and to what end is the current study's focus. Four themes emerged among narratives: (1) Inspiration and Support, (2) Cancer Scar Meanings, (3) Authenticity, and (4) Redefined Beauty and Femininity. By examining women's experiences with breast cancer as shared on Facebook, we discuss slippages that emerge between pink ribbon imagery and processes of rebuilding female gender identity.     

The Media, The Campaign, and The Message

This article examines the 1996 press releases issued by Republican presidential nominee candidates during the invisible primary and the subsequent stories generated by these press releases in newspapers. We systematically examine how campaigns structure their messages, which messages are transmitted by the press to the voting public, and what factors influence the transmission of the campaign's message. We find that campaign organizations disseminate a variety of messages to the media. Our analysis demonstrates that national media organizations are most receptive to informative (logistical) messages disseminated by candidates who are at the head of the field and most hostile to substantive (issue-oriented) messages regardless of their campaign of origin. By contrast, the state press is most open to substantive messages issued by lower-tier candidates. It appears from our results that the media, more than the campaign, bear the responsibility for the emphasis on the horse race.     

The consents of The Calculus

I study a game where two agents bargain on an agreement to replace the status quo. For their agreement to come into effect, they need the approval of a third agent. The preferences of this third agent is private information, but there is communication among agents. I study this game in the context of international agreements to provide an explanation for involuntary ratification failures. I show that under certain assumptions, the informational deficiency is incurable due to incentives to misrepresent preferences, and that a parliament whose majority is more hawkish than their executive prefers the executive to be risk averse.