This project aims to highlight how people navigate gender through medieval reenactment within intentional communities. Medieval reenactment is one of many forms of historical reenactment that focuses on European history during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century CE), a period of unquestioned patriarchal, heteronormative dominance of men over women. To what extent do Medieval reenactors recreate the patriarchy in their subculture in modern times? Data for this project come from four in-depth interviews, participant observation at three events, and seven short journalistic interviews with participants at those events. We find that status and belonging in the reenactment community is determined by how faithfully participants recreate original conditions of life regarding clothing, jobs, food, etc. However, attitudes and practices regarding gender are more mixed; in some respects, women are relegated to subordinate roles in the community in ways consistent with patriarchy, but in other respects, reenactors reject aspects of the patriarchy. In conclusion, our data show that patriarchal values and norms are still recreated within these intentional communities, although it remains to be seen whether they are merely performative or deeply held by individual participants.
Our research project addresses health care equity in the Eau Claire Metropolitan Area (ECMA) at a precipitous time. In early 2024 the closure of two hospitals and 19 urgent care clinics in the ECMA eroded access to healthcare. Hospital closures in rural and urban regions exacerbate healthcare barriers for people in minoritized communities, increase ambulance transport times, and worsen morbidity and mortality for time-sensitive conditions (Niewijk 2024). To contextualize the impact of these closures we consolidated news stories into a timeline of events from January 2024 to the present. We also reviewed literature within medical sociology and public health to help us understand barriers to health equity in the ECMA. We will conduct interviews with city, health department, and healthcare-related organizational leaders in Summer 2025, and then analyze the data using MAXQDA, a qualitative software program. Our policy brief will summarize changes to healthcare equity since these closures and strategies for building a more equitable healthcare landscape in the ECMA. In Spring 2026 we will convene a university symposium with stakeholders to discuss health equity in our region.
This project aims to explore how parents in dual immersion programs conceptualize their needs and how their social environment influences the identification and articulation of these needs. While community needs assessments typically focus on identifying essential resources, fewer studies examine how individuals perceive their needs, particularly in the context of dual immersion programs, which often face under-resourced academic conditions but are socioeconomically diverse. Using a mixed-methods approach, my project focuses on developing a community needs assessments with parents/guardians of children in dual immersion programs. I will be presenting on my pilot project which is composed of 3 families from the dual immersion program. My presentation will show how social context influences the way parents understand and request resources, shedding light on the interplay between personal and institutional needs. These findings will inform the larger research project and support practices and policies to better address the needs of families in dual immersion programs.
