With the tomboy figure currently operating in a liminal space between extinction and resurgence, Reclaiming the Tomboy: The Body, Identity, and Representation is an unabashed celebration of her rebellious, independent, and pioneering spirit. This collection examines the tomboy as she appears throughout history, in the arts and in real-life. It also addresses how she has changed over the centuries, adapting to the world around her and breaking new boundaries in new ways (sometimes with a "simple" selfie). While this collection addresses the claim of the tomboy as being antiquated or even "problematic," it more vigorously offers examples of where she is thriving and benefiting from her tomboy identity. Ultimately, this book underscores the tomboy's legacy as well as why she is still relevant, if not needed, today.
Erica Joan Dymond is assistant professor of English at East Stroudsburg University. Jen Harrison is a freelance writer, editor, and dissertation coach. Holly Wells is associate professor of English at East Stroudsburg University.
PART I: A RETROSPECTIVE: THE TOMBOY IN HISTORY Rise of the Marketplace Tomboy Renee M. Sentilles The Momboy: Maternal Tomboys on Stage Lynn Deboeck PART II: THE WRITTEN WORD: THE TOMBOY IN LITERATURE Queer Epistemologies of the Tomboy in Stacey Waite's Butch Geography CE Mackenzie Reclaiming Female Power in Postcolonial Africa: The Tomboy in Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions Tatiana Prorokova-Konrad Tomboy Ethos in Children's Non-Fiction Jennifer Harrison PART III: THE SMALL SCREEN: THE TOMBOY ON TELEVISION "Whoever I Want to Be": Tomboy and/as Femme Fatale in Marvel's Agent Carter Cara McClintock-Walsh Tomboys, Annedroids and the New Normal Rebecca Feasey Misnomers and Contemporizations: An Examination of the Tomboy Figure in the Duffer Brothers' Stranger Things Erica Joan Dymond PART IV: THE VIRTUAL WORLD: THE TOMBOY IN VIDEO GAMES AND ON THE INTERNET Beyond Good and Evil ... and Gender and Humanism? Exploring Jade as a Posthuman Protagonist Poppy Wilde How #Tomboy Instagram Reclaims the Tomboy from White, Middle-Class Straight Women Holly Wells
An anthology that takes the enduring and evolving figure of the tomboy seriously. From her commodification to her rise in social media, from international to literary and media contexts - this collection is vital for understanding the competing discourses that celebrate and constrain an important symbol of gender rebellion. An important read for scholars and students of gender, communication, media, and cultural criticism. -- Jamie Skerski, University of Colorado Boulder
