Here you can find samples of my work throughout my time in university. The “Annotated Bibliography” section provides a description of select works in chronological order, demonstrating the ways in which my work has evolved since 2020. The “Other Artifacts” section provides more samples of my writing and thinking over the same period.
Annotated Bibliography
Gamache, Madeleine. Trumpism: The Rise and Fall (?) of American Fascism. Fairhaven 201 The 2020 Election, Fall 2020.
Trumpism explores the rise of fascism in America and the fears reverberating around the country in 2020 that Trump had introduced fascism to America. In the piece, I argue that Trump was not in fact the cause of America’s fascist tendencies, but rather just the latest symptom. The paper looks at the different pillars of fascism as presented by a variety of scholars and argues that the foundations of America were built using these very principles.
This project provided me with an excellent opportunity to explore and challenge my understanding of American history and forced me to confront the harsh realities of systemic inequality in this country and how it continues to impact us today. This research project also provided me with my first opportunity to do collegiate level research on my own. Looking back at this piece provides powerful insight into how my research skills have grown over my time at university.
Individual Freedoms and Black Political Thought
Gamache, Madeleine. Institutionalized Ableism. Seattle PlayGarden Youth Leadership Council, Spring 2022.
This piece was created during my time with Seattle PlayGarden’s Youth Leadership Council as a part of a grant. In order to complete this piece, I wrote an essay and created a set of social media infographics about the state of disability law in Washington state. The essay looks at two different policies that impact young adults with disabilities: academic disability services and housing policies. The piece explores why these policies fall short despite meeting the ADA.
The creation of this piece played an influential role in growing my interest in local politics and organizing. Working with the King County Youth Leadership Council provided me an opportunity to gain insights into how different social issues are linked in our area and what it looks like to build cross-organizational coallitions.
Gamache, Madeleine. Russia Ukraine Analysis. International Relations 201, Winter 2023.
This paper investigates some of the individual, domestic, interstate, and global factors that led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the individual level, Gamache argues that Putin’s need to stay in power was a driving factor. On a domestic level, Gamache argues that Ukraine’s instability made it look like an easy target for Russia. On an interstate level, Gamache argues that ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine made Ukraine a desirable target for Russia. On a global level, Gamache argues that Ukraine’s continued attempts to join NATO made it easy for Russia to say they were posing a threat. Gamache concludes her paper by saying that all of these levels must be looked at together to understand the nuanced reasons behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This paper forced me to look at politics outside the domestic, US-centric lens that I am used to using. It challenged me to think about new political theories and allowed me to learn about a new subject. Researching this piece allowed me to gain a deeper insight into the impact that foreign affairs have on the world around us as well as gain a deeper understanding as to the real-world implications of different types of foreign relations.
Gamache, Madeleine. The Environmental Impact of Plastic Straws. Environmental Science 160, Spring 2023.
This research paper asks one simple question “Is getting rid of plastic straws helping with the efforts to eradicate ocean plastic pollution?” The paper begins by establishing that plastic pollution is an existential threat to ocean health and then goes on to explore one popular solution to this problem, banning plastic straws. Gamache investigates the foundations of this widely implemented policy, a claim made by a child who conducted a phone survey, and the impacts that effective straw bans have not only on the ocean but on global warming as a whole. The paper concludes by looking at a lifecycle analysis comparing two plastic straw replacements, paper straws, and biodegradable plastic straws, and states that biodegradable plastic is a much better alternative than paper straws or regular plastic straws.
This research paper allowed me to learn more about the different ways in which we can analyze the environmental impact of our actions. It also opened my eyes to some of the strange ways in which policy can be shaped. This paper served as a phenomenal opportunity for me to learn how to trace back narratives to their source and taught me how to conduct a proper life-cycle analysis.
Gamache, Madeleine. AIM Synopsis. BISAES 305 Power, Dissent, and American Culture, Fall 2023.
This paper explores the trajectory of the American Indian Movement throughout its decade-long existence. The paper tracks AIM’s founding back to 1968 and follows as it changes forms, going from a police patrol to an organization focused on the liberation of all Native Americans. The paper particularly focuses on how AIM used national media to get attention and make change and the 1973 standoff at Pine-Ridge and its fallout.
This paper was part of a larger project I did for this class on the American Indian Movement that culminated in this as well as a group podcast. Doing research for this project introduced me to new organizing tactics and emphasized the ongoing harm done to Indigenous communities. This project also allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the lasting effects social movements like the American Indian Movement have had on American society.
Gamache, Madeleine. Unions and the Environmental Movement. BIS 412 Human Rights and Climate Chaos, Winter 2024.
This paper challenges the long-held notion that union organizing and climate activism are inherently opposed by looking at opportunities for the younger climate movement to learn from the long history of union organizing. In this paper, Gamache looks at specific criticisms of the mainstream climate movement and then explores how union movements have sought to solve these issues. Gamache argues that 3 major lessons can be learned from union organizing; the power of actively combatting your organization’s racist history, the importance of cross-movement solidarity, and the importance of creating cohesive messaging that ties your movement to broader social and societal ails. Gamache concludes her paper by acknowledging that there is a rising movement (environmental justice) that works to fight for climate justice in a way that combats these issues, but argues that mainstream environmentalists should still take note.
This paper provided a fantastic opportunity for me to look at the work I have done in union spaces in a different light and think about how these movements can thrive together. It also allowed me to dive into the history of union organizing in an in-depth way that provided more context and power to the organizing spaces I work in today.
Gamache, Madeleine and Powell, Sophia. Women In the Black Panther: Combatting the Carceral State. BISGWS302 Histories and Movements of Gender and Sexuality, Winter 2024.
This curated archive explores the ways in which women in the Black Panther Party interacted with and combatted the carceral state in the late 1960s and 1970s. The piece asked students to dig through dozens of archives to find artifacts relating to how people with marginalized gender identities and sexualities participated in a given social movement. The exhibit opens by introducing readers to the Black Panther Party and the importance of women in it and then explores how women were impacted by and resisted state violence and the legacy that continues today. This exhibit was a great opportunity for growth as a scholar. It was my first time working with archival materials, which provided new challenges that I had to find creative ways to solve. It also provided a space for me to expand my understanding of how oppressive systems have been weaponized and the tactics that are used to combat them.
Gamache, Madeleine et al. Voting: A Social Research Proposal. BIS 312 Approaches to Social Research, Spring 2024.
This paper, written as a cummulative group project for a social research class, proposes a research project focused on increasing voter participation. Our paper laid out the plan for a survey based research project that asked participants about their voting habits and things that kept them from voting. The goal of this hypothetical research was to help policy makers understand barriers to voting so that they could be alleviated.
This paper provided an opportunity for me to grow my skills in research writing as well as a chance to grow my collaboration skills and find new ways to make group work succeed. In order to complete the paper, each group member wrote one of the sections, allowing us to each have an opportunity to do our own writing. Writing my section, the literature review, allowed me an opportunity to learn how to do really thorough research and research writing. The group project element allowed me to learn how to coordinate different parts of a project and make sure that they all integrate well.
Other Artifacts
Critiques of the ICC (group project)
Leiney Gamache 