Female Fighters Research Articles

Performativitas Gender Crossplay: Membangun Persona Bishoujo Pada Male to Female (M2F) Crossplayer

This study discusses crossplay efforts in building the Bishoujo persona in M2F crossplayer as a form of fluid crossplay gender performativity referring to Judith Butler's theory. This research is a quasi-ethnographic research in Bandung which involves 3 research subjects taken using perposive sampling technique. Data were collected through field observations, social media and in-depth interviews. The results shows that the bishoujo persona was built by emphasizing the similarities with the characters shown in the crossplay. In the process of performing the persona, the three respondents tried their best to match their character through costumes and make-up. The beautiful bishoujo female persona which is more sexy and erotic clearly shown by two respondents. Besides that, it is not only sexy and beautiful, but the female fighter persona or female fighter character with sharper eyes and the ability to use a sword also appears in the bishoujo persona. While one respondent described the bishoujo persona as being more cheerful, with rounder eyes and a loving nature. This is in accordance with Butler's statement that gender identity appears to be seen as something fluid that can move and change in different contexts and times.

RELOADING THE DRAGON LADY: READING THE CHARACTER OF CHUN LI IN STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN LI

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li movie revolves around the journey of Chun Li, a Chinese female fighter of the Street Fighter series, and her eventual fight against Bison. This study focuses on the portrayal of Chun Li as a representative of Asian women in an American movie, and compares it to her original portrayal in the game. There are two big groups of representation of Asian women in the Western media: the submissive ‘lotus blossom baby’ and the aggressive ‘dragon lady.’ As a form of content analysis, this study analyzes both textual and visual elements of the Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li movie and Street Fighter game series which represent the portrayal of an Asian woman character named Chun Li. Result shows that Chun Li character in the movie leans more towards the ‘dragon lady’ group with her strong and seductive characteristics, while her game self exhibits a broader range of qualities.

Women in the Armed Resistance in the Northeast of Lithuania: The Case of the King Mindaugas Partisan Region

The purpose of the article is to refine the data of the initial statistical study, “Women in the Lithuanian Partisan War, 1944-1953”, by examining the biographies of the female partisans in the Northeastern Lithuania partisan region according to targeted biographical parameters, and to present an objective picture of the female partisan. The paper analyses the reasons for women getting involved in the partisan movement, examines the social cross-section of the female fighters, and investigates the marital status and fates of the female partisans. After conducting the research, it was found that more than half of the female fighters chose this path because they had been influenced by their immediate environment, i.e. their relatives were actively involved in the armed resistance. This insight confirms the relationship between women’s motivation and the activities of their relatives imparted in historiography. One tenth of the female partisans examined became involved in the armed resistance for political reasons. This trend correlates with the insight that political engagement was low among women. Examination of the social cross-section revealed that most of the female partisans came from farming families, i.e. belonged to the main social group of the Republic of Lithuania population. Empirical data confirmed the opinion that the partisan resistance was essentially a struggle of the rural part of society against the Soviet regime. An analysis of the marital status of the female partisans revealed that more than 60 per cent of the female fighters were single, while 30 per cent were married and 18 per cent had children. The study of the fates of the female fighters imparts that these women either died/committed suicide or were arrested and convicted. There were only a few isolated cases of female partisans becoming legal. In this case, a clear difference is evident between the fates of women and men. Men became legal both individually and in groups. The Soviet repressive system treated male and female partisans equally – they were called “bandits” and punished according to Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR.

Moterys ginkluotoje rezistencijoje Lietuvos šiaurės rytuose: Karaliaus Mindaugo partizanų srities atvejis

The purpose of the article is to refine the data of the initial statistical study, “Women in the Lithuanian Partisan War, 1944-1953”, by examining the biographies of the female partisans in the Northeastern Lithuania partisan region according to targeted biographical parameters, and to present an objective picture of the female partisan. The paper analyses the reasons for women getting involved in the partisan movement, examines the social cross-section of the female fighters, and investigates the marital status and fates of the female partisans. After conducting the research, it was found that more than half of the female fighters chose this path because they had been influenced by their immediate environment, i.e. their relatives were actively involved in the armed resistance. This insight confirms the relationship between women’s motivation and the activities of their relatives imparted in historiography. One tenth of the female partisans examined became involved in the armed resistance for political reasons. This trend correlates with the insight that political engagement was low among women. Examination of the social cross-section revealed that most of the female partisans came from farming families, i.e. belonged to the main social group of the Republic of Lithuania population. Empirical data confirmed the opinion that the partisan resistance was essentially a struggle of the rural part of society against the Soviet regime. An analysis of the marital status of the female partisans revealed that more than 60 per cent of the female fighters were single, while 30 per cent were married and 18 per cent had children. The study of the fates of the female fighters imparts that these women either died/committed suicide or were arrested and convicted. There were only a few isolated cases of female partisans becoming legal. In this case, a clear difference is evident between the fates of women and men. Men became legal both individually and in groups. The Soviet repressive system treated male and female partisans equally – they were called “bandits” and punished according to Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR.

Kurdish gender politics: Funeral ceremonies of female fighters

AbstractThe funeral ceremonies of female fighters are a relatively recent phenomenon that gained popularity in Kurdish politics in Turkey in the early 2000s and after the 2011 uprisings in Syria. As a sociocultural rite, these funerals have become a spectacular site, a political means, and a symbolic investment serving an intersectional agenda pursuing Kurdish national and gender‐egalitarian aspirations simultaneously. The funerals provide a ground for mobilizing women to claim symbolic authority in public and inscribe women as nation builders to the notion of nation. Women undertaking this intersectional task through national discourse garnered significant academic interest in the national dimension of the ceremonies. However, the emphasis on the national aspect overshadowed the gendered strategy the ceremonies signify. This article investigates the gender aspect of funerals to draw attention to the use of national discourse to subvert patriarchal dynamics within society, highlighting the role of national struggle in women's pursuit of liberation from social oppression. Therefore, it speaks to the scholarship focused on gender in nationalist endeavors and revisits the discussions on gender‐nation relations by focusing on national discourse instrumentalization serving the gender agenda. The analysis reveals the intricate dynamics between gender and nation and how they intersect in pursuing women's liberation.

Self Interpretation: The Identity of Women Legislator

There is an expansion of the meaning of women's personal identities in the process of transforming the contestation of political life in Indonesia. This research is able to interpret the role and position of women in determining the direction of changing women's identity. Methodologically, this research uses a Schutz phenomenological approach through in-depth interviews. Field research was carried out by taking research subjects, comprising eight female members of the legislature in the city of Surabaya. The results of the study revealed women's identity as a form of approved self-meaning: first, women’s identity as a female fighter. This identity offers a form of identity as part of tracking the struggle of gender fighters. The second is women’s identity as a people's fighters. The third is the identity of a great woman who has electability and credibility as people's representatives. The fourth is women’s identity as a superwoman. They stand to fight for their family’s welfare, a manifestation of the excessive burden of the domestic role that is their husband’s responsibility. The most powerful factors forming women's legal identity are family, political parties, community views and political interests. Many "women legislators" in Indonesia are still developing themselves and adapting to the modernization of political identity. In conclusion, the direction of identity change through self-definition is incompatible with the direction of progressive political change in political communication competence. The significance of this research will give an impact on the political system regarding the recruitment and regeneration process of legislative candidates in Indonesia in the future.

The Women ‘Behind’ the Mujahidin Eastern Indonesia: Negotiating Agency and Gender Dynamics

Since 2015, the Mujahidin of Eastern Indonesia (Mujahidin Indonesia Timur, MIT), a Poso-based terrorist group, has had active female members. By July 2020, a total of seven women were convicted on terrorism charges. These include the country’s first three female fighters, the wives of MIT’s top leaders, who were trained to use guns and run guerrillas in Gunung Biru, a forested mountainous area above Poso City. By using the biographical narratives of four female MIT members, this article discusses how female jihadis negotiated their agency and navigated life pathways before and after joining the MIT group. This study employs an ethnographic approach, including participant observation and in-depth interviews with informants conducted in Poso (2019 and 2021) and Bima (2021). Our fieldwork found that most women grew up in moderate Muslim families, then turned to adopt extremist ideology in their late adolescence, and subsequently intensified their ideology before and after marriage. Although their ‘active role’ within the MIT group was a consequence of their engagement with male jihadists through marriage, it does not mean the absence of agency. We argue that these women were not just passive ‘extensions’ of their husbands but exercised their own agency by negotiating gender relations. They actively embraced a more radical Islamism, chose to get involved with MIT, and, after serving time in prison, they reshaped their own life trajectories. Two of them eventually started a new life by leaving Poso’s extremist network, while the other two opted to stay but repositioned their roles within the group.

MMA and Cultural Industry: A look at the trajectory and training of female fighters

MMA and Cultural Industry: A look at the trajectory and training of female fighters

Weight cutting in female UFC fighters.

It is common practice for fight sport athletes to use a variety of weight manipulation strategies to compete in desired weight classes. Although numerous studies have highlighted rapid weight loss (RWL) strategies and the magnitude of weight loss, few have focused specifically on weight loss in female fighters. The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information on professional UFC female fighters engaging in RWL in all women's UFC weight divisions: strawweight (52.2 kg): flyweight (56.7 kg); bantamweight (61.2 kg); featherweight (65.8 kg). All fighter's weights were obtained at five separate time points: 72 hrs. pre-weigh-in, 48 hrs. pre-weigh-in, 24hrs. pre-weigh-in, official weigh-in, and 24 hrs. post-weigh-in (competition weight). Mixed effects models and random effects analysis were used to assess changes in weight and differences between weight divisions. All statistics were analyzed, and significance was set atp ≤0.05. Significant changes in weight between all time points were reported. No statistical differences between weight divisions were observed. Female fighters lost 4.5-6.6% of their weight prior to the official weigh-in. Females engaged in RWL practices lose weight in a similar fashion irrespective of weight class.

The Relevance of Raden Ajeng Kartini and Rahma El Yunusiah's Thoughts on Islamic Education for Women with Islamic Education in Indonesia

Women in Islam have a high position and dignity. Raden Ajeng Kartini and Rahma El Yunusiah are two generations of female fighters who have inspired and played a role in fighting for Islamic education for women. Therefore the author wants to examine his thoughts from the perspective of Islamic education for women. The research approach used in this study is a descriptive qualitative approach and the type of research used Library research, by method Content Analysis. Based on data analysis, it can be concluded that Islamic education for women according to Kartini and Rahma El Yunusiah is aqidah education and moral education. Both of his thoughts also have relevance to Islamic education today, including human beings as the goal of education, the principle of equality as a basic concept and education that is just and without discrimination which has relevance to the current national education system. They have differences in family background, region of origin and nuances of education, but they have the same ideals, namely proper education for women. This explains that her thoughts on Islamic education for women have not been eroded by the times and we still apply them today.

Survey Kondisi Fisik Pesilat Rodjo Abang di Kecamata Karangrayung Kabupaten Grobogan

The goal to be achieved in this study is to determine the physical condition of the fighter Rodjo Abang, Karangrayung District, Grobogan Regency. The method used is descriptive quantitative. The sample used was purposive sampling, namely adult fighters (17-35 years) totaling 41 fighters, 13 female fighters and 28 male fighters at Club Rodjo Abang. The instrument used to measure the fighting category fighter is a special measurement test for the fighting category fighter which consists of 9 physical condition test items, namely 300 meter run, bleep test, 1 minute sit up, 1 minute back up, 40 meter sprint, side split, shuttle run, 30 second push ups, standing triple jump. The data analysis technique of this research uses quantitative descriptive analysis with percentages assisted by SPSS. Physical condition test results speed, power, endurance, agility, flexibility, strength. The results obtained were 13 fighters in the moderate condition category, 25 pesilat in the good condition category and 3 pesilat in the very good condition category, this assessment is based on the overall classification of the item scores. Physical condition factors are very influential for athlete achievement because the basis of all sports is the athlete's physical condition by adjusting each sport

Female Fighters in Armed Conflict: Experiences and Lessons Learned in Basilan, Philippines

Female Fighters in Armed Conflict: Experiences and Lessons Learned in Basilan, Philippines

Female Fighters in the Armed Conflict in Basilan, Philippines: Experiences and Lessons Learned

Female Fighters in the Armed Conflict in Basilan, Philippines: Experiences and Lessons Learned

Head Trauma Exposure in Mixed Martial Arts.

Combat sports training involves a high risk of head injury. Previously published research on head trauma exposure in MMA evaluated only the knockouts (KO), without calculating all head strikes. The aim of the research was to evaluate the total head trauma exposure during MMA competitions among male and female fighters. Two thousand four hundred and eighty-eight MMA fights from all numbered UFC events between 2000 and 2021 were analyzed. A database containing the results from officially published scorecards with information such as the outcome of a fight, its duration, number of strikes (significant and total amount of hits) depending on location and knockdowns was created. Additional video verification of the knockout technique was carried out. The athletes received an average of 2.41 significant head strikes out of a total of 6.30 head strikes per minute. Head strikes were more common in female fights than in male. Women executed more total and significant head strikes per minute than men. Head trauma caused the ending of 31.6% of all fights—more often in male fights (32.2%) than female (23.1%). It was the most common cause of knockouts—88.1%. Professional fights in mixed martial arts involve high exposure to head trauma. A careful evaluation of the risk involved in training in such a discipline is necessary to provide adequate prevention methods.

Model characteristics of competitive activity of female MMA mixed martial arts fighters of different weight classes

Purpose: to determine model characteristics of the competitive activity of female MMA mixed martial arts athletes of different weight classes. Material & Method: the study involved 150 top female mixed martial arts MMA fighters. Participants were divided into 3 groups according to the weight class of 50 athletes each: Strawweight (48 kg to 52 kg), Flyweight (52 kg to 56 kg), and Bantamweight (56 kg to 61 kg). The following methods were used: analysis of scientific and methodological information and Internet sources; generalization of best practices; analysis of protocols and videos of competitive activities; methods of mathematical statistics. Results: female athletes of each weight class have their characteristics in terms of competitive activity indicators. Thus, the finish of the fight with a striking differential, attempts, and accuracy of takedowns is significantly better (p<0.05-0.01) in women`s strawweight fighters. Strawweight female fighters perform a large number of sig strikes landed, which have high accuracy, due to which they win the fight, and this is explained by a large arsenal of technical and tactical actions. Women’s flyweight fighters need more time to finish the fight early. They also have the least number of sig strikes landed during the fight, which are performed with little accuracy, and this is due to the rational distribution of strength in a fight. Women’s bantamweight fighters conduct a large number of knockdowns landed and submissions during the entire fight, this can be explained by the high level of development of special endurance. It was found that the representatives of all weight classes perform mostly distance strikes landed and their sig head strikes landed are the best ones. Conclusions: applying methods of pedagogical observation and mathematical statistics allowed us to determine the structure and model characteristics of modern competitive activities of elite female mixed martial arts MMA athletes for each weight class. The model characteristics obtained during the study can be used to plan the training process of qualified female athletes and to solve the issues of managing their preparation for competitions.

Pengaruh Latihan Ladder Drill Dan Dot Drill Terhadap Kelincahan Tendangan T di UKM Pencak Silat Tapak Suci Universitas Muhammadiyah Sukabumi

This research was conducted to determine the agility of the T-kick of the female fighter of the Tapak Suci UKM, Muhammadiyah University, Sukabumi. Researchers carried out this research using quantitative methods (Pretest-Postest Group Design). The population in this study were members of the Tapak Suci UKM, Muhammadiyah University of Sukabumi, the samples in this study were 8 female fighters. This study uses a purposive sampling technique taken from gender criteria, namely women. The instruments used are (1) the training program, (2) the T kick agility test. Based on the data analysis carried out, this study has a significant effect, it can be seen from the paired sample t test, thesignificance value is ladder drill 0.001 with a significance level < 0, 05, and the acquisition of thesignificance of dot drill 0.002 with a significance level of <0.05, which means that in this study there was an effect of training using ladder drills and dot drills on T-kick agility in Tapak Suci UKM, Muhammadiyah University of Sukabumi.

Saving the YPJ, saved by the YPJ: ambivalent agency and the legitimation of intervention in Syria

ABSTRACT Feminist and postcolonial international relations scholars have demonstrated that representations of Middle Eastern women are used to legitimize wars. This article explores a recent, novel instance of this phenomenon that occurred in Syria. The article argues that Western representations of Kurdish female fighters (members of the Women’s Protection Units, or YPJ) helped to legitimize Operation Inherent Resolve. The article first uses content analysis to demonstrate that Western media reporting about the group, which rendered the YPJ hyper-visible, reflects a change in the discourse, which, I argue, made this foreign policy possible. This is followed by a discourse analysis of English-language documentaries, supported by Turkish-language sources, to show how specifically gendered and Orientalist narratives legitimized Western intervention. I find that rather than being depicted as they are typically, as passive, silent victims (requiring liberation), YPJ women are instead depicted atypically as agentic (as liberators). I then contrast this discourse with original translations of YPJ members’ counter-articulations about their identity in their own words, and show that Kurdish female militants propose radically alternative, non- and anti-Western accounts of their politics. In light of the tension between these two discourses, the article suggests that Western accounts, although endowing agency, suppress possibilities for more subversive (postcolonial) forms of agency.

Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC

In writing Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC, Jennifer McClearen brings together her positionality as a feminist media scholar and as an athlete practicing martial arts for fourteen years within a community that includes MMA fighters and fans. Her research takes into account the surprising inclusion of women in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) while also exploring how UFC functions as a millennial sports media brand. Central to McClearen's study is her concept of “branded difference,” denoting the marketing strategies used to brand particular UFC fighters on the basis of their visible and articulated differences of gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality.Branded difference marked a significant shift for UFC, which, upon its launch, marketed itself as a means of testing an athlete's masculinity across various martial arts. Brutality was promoted as a key attribute, and while much has changed since its founding in 1993, UFC still sees brutality as a characteristic of elite athletes in its competition. Yet, in an effort to expand their target audience, UFC sought to appeal to millennials as a large, upcoming segment of consumers for sports entertainment. McClearen details the necessary qualities of a millennial sports brand, primarily a need to create connections with an audience that is digital, global, and diverse.In chapter 2, McClearen directs her analysis to the phenomenon of UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, a former Olympic medalist in judo. She uses affect theory to examine Rousey's emotional impact on audiences, beginning with a brief reflection on her own experience at a UFC event in Brazil. She cautions, however, that the seeming empowerment of women through mixed martial arts is more complex than it may appear. UFC chose millennial women as a target audience and leveraged branded difference to create a responsive fandom for fighters like Rousey and Liz Carmouche, her first UFC opponent. Undeniably, inclusion is a socially significant value in today's media culture, as UFC marketing experts saw in their outreach to Latinx and African American audiences before launching the women's fighting divisions, which ran counter to the longstanding ethos of UFC as a test of masculinity. McClearen effectively argues throughout the book that UFC president Dana White shifted his perspective with the realization that Rousey could display femininity and belligerence simultaneously.UFC uses the slogan “we are all fighters” as a means of branded difference. The slogan was first used on a t-shirt for a fundraiser following the Pulse tragedy in 2016. Proceeds were donated to LGBTQ+ organizations in Las Vegas, where UFC is headquartered. The slogan readily embraced any fighter and any audience to which it is applied as a promotion. McClearen argues that by its inclusivity, “we are all fighters” compels an emotional connection with fans as well. Nonetheless, the category of difference is evacuated when it is universalized.In UFC's dispatching of the American Dream as a metaphor for the success of the female fighters in their ranks, McClearen notes that branded difference works best when it coincides with ways those fighters are “just like us”: Jessica Andrade might be a lesbian who grew up poor in Brazil, but she is also ambitious and determined. The promotional messages posit that when our values are the same, they are more significant than our cultural differences. That UFC fighters Andrade and Liz Carmouche both identify as lesbians feeds back into UFC's desire to connect with gay and lesbian fans as well as millennials who are tolerant of and may advocate for gender diversity.McClearen conducted interviews with nine female UFC fighters to research the role of social media in sharing news and developing fandoms in order to gain visibility, as they hoped to be selected to fight for the UFC. The labor of promotion, then, is shifted from the UFC to the fighters, an additional burden for uncontracted athletes. Interviews and evidence from social media research indicate that the fighters who gain most from their social media presence are those who successfully perform “the athletic labor of (White) femininity” (127). The emotional labor that women face as a result of harassment on social media is addressed as well, with fighters expressing varying degrees of tolerance for the inappropriately sexualized and abusive messages they receive.Fighting Visibility demonstrates that female fighters are encouraged to imagine opportunities for professional success through UFC despite several significant ways in which these athletes are exploited. UFC positions the success of Ronda Rousey as something for both athletes and fans to emulate, following the notion that “if you can see her, you can be her.” Yet McClearen's research shows that Rousey's success is exceptional and only portrayed as typical, rendering opportunity a likely facade.

Impactful role of women for freedom struggle in India and their contribution

The untold, unheard and unseen facts of the struggle for an Independent India. The role of Indian women freedom fighters in the journey of freedom struggle. Everyone speaks about the prominent role played by the male freedom fighter. However, without female freedom fighters achieving Independent India would remain a dream. From being considered as second citizens, being victims of domestic violence, uneducated population, practising sati system to transforming themselves into great freedom fighter leaders has remained unknown to a lot of people. Indian women have played an impactful role in this journey from being part of the non-cooperation movement to practising saytagraha and promoting Khadi and picketing up of liquor shops. Women like Usha Mehta, Rajkumari Gupta, Aruna Asaf Ali, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Rani Gaidinliu, Amal Prabha Das, Azizam Bai, Gulan Kaur, Sarojini Naidu has played paramount role in making India free from British rules. Their participation in all the freedom struggle is significant and respectful.

Порівняльний аналіз показників змагальної діяльності найсильніших бійців чоловіків і жінок змішаних єдиноборств ММА

Purpose: to conduct a comparative analysis of the indicators of the competitive activity of the strongest fighters of men and women of mixed martial arts MMA from the TOP-10, regardless of weight. Material and methods. The research used the following methods: analysis of scientific and methodological information and Internet sources; generalization of best practical experience; analysis of protocols and videos of the competitive activity of men and women fighters from the TOP-10, regardless of weight; methods of mathematical statistics. The performance output of the strongest male and female MMA fighters is taken from the UFC website. Results: the analysis of the strongest fighters of women and men from the TOP-10, regardless of weight, showed that the average age of women is 32,7±3,74 years, and of men – 33,2±2,75 years. The average fight time for women is 16,25±3,43 minutes, and for men – 12,76±3,05 minutes. The TOP-10 strongest female fighters, regardless of weight, include representatives of six countries (four fighters from the United States, two representatives from Brazil and one athlete each from Kyrgyzstan, China, and the Netherlands), and the TOP-10 strongest male fighters regardless of weight also includes representatives of six countries (four fighters from the USA, two representatives from Russia and one athlete each from France, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia). It was found that male fighters from the TOP-10, regardless of weight, during their sports careers won 204 fights and lost 17 fights. For female fighters, these results are worse – 151 wins and 35 losses. Conclusions. Comparative analysis of the indicators of the competitive activity of the strongest fighters of women and men from the TOP-10, regardless of weight, showed that fighters of women and men deliver the same number of punches per minute (4,52 punches), and women fighters miss more punches (3,36 punches) than male fighters (2,60 strokes). The greatest number of punches was carried out by women and men in a standing position (women – 66,9 %; men – 64,6 %), then on the ground (women – 19,0 %; men – 21,6 %) and in a clinch (women – 14,1 %; men – 13,8 %). The largest number of blows are in the head (women – 60,2 %; men – 68,4 %), then on the body (women – 20,9 %; men – 18,3 %) and on the legs (women – 18,9 %; men – 13,3 %). The strongest fighters, women and men, defend against takedowns more efficiently (women – 77,5 %; men – 81,6 %) than against punches (women – 56,8 %; men – 59,8 %). The number of takedown attempts in 15 minutes is greater (women – 1,53 times; men – 1,86 times) than performing a submission in 15 minutes (women – 0,55 times; men – 0,53 times). Keywords: competitive activity, mixed martial arts MMA, TOP-10, indicators, fighters, men, women.