Kristen Okamoto | Ohio University (original) (raw)

Refereed Publications by Kristen Okamoto

This essay reflects upon my experiences as a field researcher participating with a running group ... more This essay reflects upon my experiences as a field researcher participating with a running group
organized to aid those without homes. Borrowing from dialogic as well as affect theory, I contemplate
the importance of the answerable body in research by examining a series of defining moments during
my experiences in the field. I conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and methodological
implications surrounding the answerable body.

This article addresses a major gap in the Internet and policy literature by exploring the symboli... more This article addresses a major gap in the Internet and policy literature by exploring the symbolic, social and political implications of Jike, China’s national search engine. Through a case study of Jike, we explore the implications of national search engines and national web studies. We demonstrate that semiotic and political economic perspectives could critically inform our understanding of complex information intermediaries. Semiotic analysis of Jike shows how Jike tried to tap into popular nationalism to strategically brand itself as friendly, high tech, and patriotic. A political economic analysis of Jike reveals the mechanisms through which a changing mode of state digital propaganda production attempts to use the market to subsidize the Party press’s digital infrastructures and “thought work.” The article also raises awareness of Jike’s potential surveillance capabilities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of national search engines for Internet policies.

Book Chapters by Kristen Okamoto

For the past decade, Courtney has done what millions of Americans do five days a week: she goes t... more For the past decade, Courtney has done what millions of Americans do five days a week: she goes to work and earns a paycheck. Courtney's developmental disability has not stifled her desire to earn a living. Even so, Courtney has few choices other than employment at HighCo, a sheltered workshop where she earns below minimum wage and has little contact with community members other than supervising staff. Evan focuses the camera on Courtney's hands as she tears the newspaper into strips. For someone with limited manual dexterity, this is a cumbersome if not monotonous task with little room for creative expression. What is more troubling is that shredding paper is not necessary to fulfill HighCo's contract with Highland County Recycling. Courtney is one of many individuals paid to process materials to be recycled. Newspapers must be separated from magazines, cardboard flattened, lids discarded from jars. The organizing of paper and plastic products, however, does not provide enough employment for the individuals served by HighCo. Thus, like many other contemporary sheltered workshops, HighCo creates " simulated " work environments that offer time-consuming yet unnecessary and meaningless tasks. Shredding paper. HighCo is a sheltered workshop populated with well-intended staff, individuals who coordinate self-care resources and employment opportunities for the people they serve. Several labels have developed over time to describe what we refer to as sheltered workshops. Example terms include industrial workshops, training workshops, vocational workshops, and rehabilitation centers (Dlouhy & Mitchell, 2015). We use the term sheltered workshop to refer to a wide range of vocational and non-vocational programs for individuals with developmental disabilities including facility-based employment (e.g., assembling pens) and, for higher functioning individuals, community

Published Book Chapters by Kristen Okamoto

Storied Health and Illness, 2017

The possibilities surrounding reorientating to difference and healing that is based on aesthetic ... more The possibilities surrounding reorientating to difference and healing that is based on aesthetic rather than technical logics are explored in relation to sheltered workshops. Artists' creative use of various communicative modalities provides alternatives for managing emotions, uncertainties, and provider-patient interactions.

This essay reflects upon my experiences as a field researcher participating with a running group ... more This essay reflects upon my experiences as a field researcher participating with a running group
organized to aid those without homes. Borrowing from dialogic as well as affect theory, I contemplate
the importance of the answerable body in research by examining a series of defining moments during
my experiences in the field. I conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and methodological
implications surrounding the answerable body.

This article addresses a major gap in the Internet and policy literature by exploring the symboli... more This article addresses a major gap in the Internet and policy literature by exploring the symbolic, social and political implications of Jike, China’s national search engine. Through a case study of Jike, we explore the implications of national search engines and national web studies. We demonstrate that semiotic and political economic perspectives could critically inform our understanding of complex information intermediaries. Semiotic analysis of Jike shows how Jike tried to tap into popular nationalism to strategically brand itself as friendly, high tech, and patriotic. A political economic analysis of Jike reveals the mechanisms through which a changing mode of state digital propaganda production attempts to use the market to subsidize the Party press’s digital infrastructures and “thought work.” The article also raises awareness of Jike’s potential surveillance capabilities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of national search engines for Internet policies.

For the past decade, Courtney has done what millions of Americans do five days a week: she goes t... more For the past decade, Courtney has done what millions of Americans do five days a week: she goes to work and earns a paycheck. Courtney's developmental disability has not stifled her desire to earn a living. Even so, Courtney has few choices other than employment at HighCo, a sheltered workshop where she earns below minimum wage and has little contact with community members other than supervising staff. Evan focuses the camera on Courtney's hands as she tears the newspaper into strips. For someone with limited manual dexterity, this is a cumbersome if not monotonous task with little room for creative expression. What is more troubling is that shredding paper is not necessary to fulfill HighCo's contract with Highland County Recycling. Courtney is one of many individuals paid to process materials to be recycled. Newspapers must be separated from magazines, cardboard flattened, lids discarded from jars. The organizing of paper and plastic products, however, does not provide enough employment for the individuals served by HighCo. Thus, like many other contemporary sheltered workshops, HighCo creates " simulated " work environments that offer time-consuming yet unnecessary and meaningless tasks. Shredding paper. HighCo is a sheltered workshop populated with well-intended staff, individuals who coordinate self-care resources and employment opportunities for the people they serve. Several labels have developed over time to describe what we refer to as sheltered workshops. Example terms include industrial workshops, training workshops, vocational workshops, and rehabilitation centers (Dlouhy & Mitchell, 2015). We use the term sheltered workshop to refer to a wide range of vocational and non-vocational programs for individuals with developmental disabilities including facility-based employment (e.g., assembling pens) and, for higher functioning individuals, community

Storied Health and Illness, 2017

The possibilities surrounding reorientating to difference and healing that is based on aesthetic ... more The possibilities surrounding reorientating to difference and healing that is based on aesthetic rather than technical logics are explored in relation to sheltered workshops. Artists' creative use of various communicative modalities provides alternatives for managing emotions, uncertainties, and provider-patient interactions.