Complexities of Violence and Abuse: Narratives from a University Community

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Created in 1990, the Clothesline Project is an internationally recognized interactive exhibit that displays t-shirts with graphic messages and illustrations to raise awareness of violence and abuse and to honor the resilience of survivors. The t-shirts, featuring anonymous stories and statistics on various forms of interpersonal violence, offer both educational insights and healing opportunities. The current study examined 247 narratives displayed on the eleven (11) different colored t-shirts which represent different forms of violence and abuse. The data set was collected from two one-day long Clothesline Project events held on a university campus in 2022 and 2023. An exploratory inductive thematic analysis was conducted, and three main themes emerged. The themes are as follows: (1) consequences of victimization, (2) messages related to support and strength, and (3) messages addressing victim-blaming culture. This study offers insights into the multifaceted impact of violence experienced by the university community.

Authors

• Olivia S. Russell, New Mexico State University

• Jenavieve Wheeler, New Mexico State University

• Mari-Esther Edwards, New Mexico State University

• Ahram Cho, New Mexico State University