Feminist Discourse Research Articles

‘Cool articles from way back when’: appropriations and reanimations of the New Zealand feminist magazine Broadsheet

ABSTRACT This article addresses ‘transition’ within feminist media activism by exploring how archival material is reanimated and mobilized within contemporary forms of online activism. Recent scholarship examining the ‘archival turn’ in feminism has illustrated the potential of archives to intervene in the political present, yet the uptake of archival material within online media generates ambiguous and contentious outcomes. This article explores the controversial reanimation of the New Zealand feminist magazine Broadsheet (1972–1997) by a Facebook page titled ‘Broadsheet, New Zealand’s Feminist Magazine’ (2015). Using critical discourse analysis to examine comments made by followers of the page, I explore how the promotion of increasingly hostile trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) discourses precipitated contention over the legitimacy of the page’s affiliation with Broadsheet. Conspicuously absent from these discussions is Broadsheet’s archival material itself, despite its recent digitization. Instead, commenters invoke experiences and memories of Broadsheet to either validate the Broadsheet Facebook page or to substantiate claims that it appropriates the magazine’s name and legacy. I argue, therefore, that feminists’ engagement with archival materials is structured by nostalgia, whether remembered, encountered, or culturally learned.

Forging transnational feminist solidarity in neo-Victorian contexts: The case of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (2016)

ABSTRACT This article examines the portrayal of transnational feminist solidarity as a result of spatial movement and contextual shift in Park Chan-wook’s 2016 film The Handmaiden. In adapting Sarah Waters’s neo-Victorian novel Fingersmith (2002) and shifting to a transnational location, the South Korean The Handmaiden metaphorically evokes transnational feminist discourse and dramatises the establishment of transnational feminist solidarity by exploring interrelated past and present, local and global, concerns. This paper argues that The Handmaiden recovers an East Asian history of political tension and fragmentation that also impacts transnational East Asian feminist politics. Drawing from global neo-Victorianism and transnational feminism, I read the film as endorsing a transnational feminist politics of solidarity and healing. Its connection with Fingersmith, a text with distinct feminist concerns, facilitates the transnationalisation of feminism. Ultimately, this paper suggests that transnational feminist solidarity emerges through the intersectionality of the protagonists’ struggles, as they jointly resist their male oppressors.

Mizgin Müjde Arslan and women’s autobiographical filmmaking

ABSTRACT Mizgin Müjde Arslan is a mid-career Kurdish filmmaker from Turkey. This interview focuses on her documentaries which are self-reflexive and auto-ethnographic. Focusing on personal stories including herself, Arslan wields a double critique of masculinist and colonialist codes of the state as well as the feudal and patriarchal codes of her community, while the complex female characters of these narratives deconstruct the common fantasy imposed by white/Western feminist discourses. During the interview, I asked questions to explore what inspired her to turn the camera to herself and her community and break the silence: I didn't like the story my grandmother and aunts had written for me. I didn't want to be a woman like that. I was able to stay sane for only one reason . The reason was I could write, dream, aim for something, and have the desire to tell. When I was young, I was certain that I would survive. I would survive and tell my story. I would tell my story to the world. Arslan continues to tell her story to the world. With the hope to contribute to her journey, I invite the reader to this interview in which we can witness the stories of the films and the filmmaker.

The politics of voluntariness in modern history: introduction

ABSTRACT The introduction to the theme issue on the Politics of Voluntariness in Modern History starts by discussing the origins and uses of the liberal discourse on voluntariness in the seventeenth century. It was during this period that philosophers and politicians began to present voluntariness as specific to liberalism. By the same token, voluntariness and authoritarian rule have been declared incompatible. This introduction and the papers in the theme issue critically discuss the exclusive linkage of voluntariness and liberalism – an interpretation that fails to capture authoritarian governing in its entirety, while ignoring compulsory and exclusionary practices in liberal societies. This theme issue shows voluntariness to be essential to policies and political practices in both liberal and illiberal societies. Political practices are at the core of our articles: amid a web of actors, institutions, discourses, and expectations, the individual means and capacity to act voluntarily, make choices, and overcome constraints are historically and socially variable. The introduction and the theme issue explore this variability to illuminate how voluntariness operates as a driving force for political practices in liberal and illiberal societies, drawing on case studies from German, Swiss, and U.S.-American history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

“Greater than fear”: theorizing affective blockage in social movement rhetoric

ABSTRACT Created by street artist Shepard Fairey, the protest poster, “We the People are Greater than Fear,” emerged as a powerful visual response to the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Though celebrated as a progressive symbol of inclusion, we argue the poster, perhaps unwittingly, reinforces some of the very prejudices it seeks to confront by associating Muslimness with suspicion, foreignness, and fear. Using “Greater than Fear” as a case study, this essay contributes to scholarship combining critical affect theory with rhetorical studies by theorizing affective blockage as a means of understanding the ways affect contributes to the resilience of hegemonic narratives by preventing certain meanings from surfacing. We argue the poster reveals a cautionary lesson about how affect can obscure critique of cultural texts created with progressive intent, inadvertently bolstering softer, more subtle forms of racism embedded in liberal contexts. We also discuss the importance of interrogating rehearsed affective associations that, by virtue of their familiarity, seem normal and acceptable but ultimately reinforce exploitative conceptions related to identity categories such as race, religion, sexuality, class, and gender. We conclude with insights for rhetorical scholars about how affective associations can enable ostensibly liberal discourses while at the same time preventing their critique.

Redefining Female Identity Through the Female Gaze: A Comparative Analysis of Gender Narratives in Feminist Cinema

Abstract: This paper examines how female directors convey feminist consciousness and challenge traditional gender roles through the female gaze in film. Through film analysis, theoretical research, and case studies, this paper examines how female directors have redefined female roles and narratives in contrast to traditional male perspectives. The conventional male perspective has traditionally objectified and marginalized women with the male gaze in visual expression. However, the female perspective portrays women as complex and multidimensional subjects, breaking the male-dominated narrative paradigm and offering new possibilities for reimagining the image of women on screen. Through a feminist lens, this paper further analyzes how the female perspective resists widespread misogyny and provides a counter-narrative to traditional patriarchal representations. In addition, this study examines how female perspectives from different cultural contexts have advanced feminist film theory globally. By highlighting their unique visual expressions, the study demonstrates how these directors advance feminist discourse through their filmmaking, challenging gender, and cultural norms.

The Forgotten Sex: Modern Responses to Correlative Sexism in Kang Youwei and He-Yin Zhen

Abstract The oversight of Chinese feminist traditions in transnational feminist discourse is remarkable given China’s historical importance and vast population. Despite historical suppression by Confucianism, Chinese feminisms emerged at the turn of the last century, drawing from Marxist, anarchist, and liberal movements. While scholars increasingly recognize overlooked female thinkers like Ban Zhao, contemporary discussions of China often revolve around reconciling Confucianism and feminism. This tendency underscores the perception of Chinese feminism as a derivative of Western feminism, where modern thinkers reject local culture for transnational movements. This paper contends that Chinese feminists, including Kang Youwei and He-Yin Zhen, remained deeply rooted in their traditions. While Kang incorporated foreign ideas to advocate for feminist goals and modernize society, he predominantly engaged with traditional philosophy to address its sexist elements. Similarly, He-Yin’s anarcho-feminist approach integrated Western influences to engage with traditional Chinese thought rather than rejecting it outright. By examining prevalent gender and selfhood concepts in traditional Chinese thought, this paper elucidates the notion of “correlative sexism,” and argues that women were not primarily regarded as a “second sex” as described by Simone de Beauvoir. The paper then demonstrates how Kang and He-Yin responded to this sexist discourse, offering novel perspectives on women’s liberation and societal reform.

Between the Harem and Feminism: The Translation and Circulation of Arab Women Novelists

This article critically examines the translation and circulation of literary works authored by Arab women novelists in the 1990s, a period marked by an unprecedented surge in the translation of Arabic-gendered fiction. Through the critiques of Michel Hartman and Marilyn Booth, it aims to shed light on the intricate interplay between translation and gender. Moreover, it probes how the translation and distribution of Arab women's fiction are entwined with the complex politics of Orientalism and frequently shaped by the dynamics of white Western feminism. The study explores the opportunities and challenges encountered by Arab women writers to gain international recognition and the extent to which translation can serve as a medium for their voices to resonate across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Central to the analysis is an exploration of power dynamics inherent in the selection, translation, and promotion of Arabic women writers, taking into account the influence of Western literary markets and feminist discourses. By scrutinizing the contributions of translators and publishers, the research underscores how feminist principles shape the visibility and reception of Arabic-gendered literature on a global scale.

Nurturing Professionals: De Facto Maternal Roles in British New Woman Novels, 1880–1900

Abstract This article situates the modern ideals of female motherhood and professionalism in the fin de siècle creation of the professional New Woman in Britain, and posits that future feminist discourses would find value in identifying similar strands of commonality with underrated historical feminist movements. Presenting snapshots of nineteenth-century British novelistic plots, this article shows how altered settings and character types in early, mid, and late Victorian novels do not diminish the Western investment in marriage and procreation as the future of culture, civilization, and hegemony. The article then analyzes how late Victorian narratives reconceptualize maternity as civic duty. Consequently, the physicality of biological motherhood and the complex Victorian epistemologies about sex and sexuality are relegated to animality with distinctly classist and racist connotations. Unwanted birth, along with its discomfiting relationship with infanticide in Victorian society, is subtly pushed into the sexualized realm of the lower classes or foreign, other races. Finally, this article explores the figure of the maternal professional woman, de facto non-biological mothers to childlike figures in the interest of civic duty that emerged, fairly clearly, from the discursive construction of the proto-professional New Woman in the fin de siècle. In this way, this article argues that the ideal of the New Woman gave rise to the modern notion of female professionalism that is nurturing and maternal, and involved the rearing of both biological and non-biological children.

Internet and Cyberspace as a Means of Feminist Empowerment: A Cyberfeminist Study of Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

This study explores the role of the internet and cyberspace, particularly through the use of emails, as a tool for feminist empowerment within Saudi Arabian society, as depicted in Rajaa Alsanea's novel Girls of Riyadh. The research aims to examine how female characters use virtual spaces to challenge and undermine patriarchal norms and expectations. By utilizing the internet's anonymity and connectivity, these women carve out a platform for self-expression, solidarity, and resistance against the oppressive structures of their society. The study finds that cyberfeminism offers a powerful means for women in conservative environments to voice their thoughts and advocate for change. Furthermore, the internet serves as a catalyst for new forms of feminist discourse and activism. The study concludes that cyberspace not only facilitates the creation of a collective feminist identity but also empowers women to redefine their roles and resist traditional societal constraints.

Two 33-Year-Old Women: Minka Stoeva and Kim Jiyoung Across Space and Time

Abstract: Comparative analysis is conducted between the Bulgarian film “A 33-Year-Old Woman” (1982) and the Korean film “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” (2019), as well as the Korean novel (2016) on which it was based. The focus is on the parallels and the differences between the artistic realizations of the protagonists which share the same age, the same gender, the same parent status (mothers of daughters). I explore how images were constructed which claim common validity for certain social and historical conditions. The aim is to identify the common and the specific phenomena and processes depicted in two different and distant cul¬tures in two different historical periods in two completely different socio¬po¬litical systems (Bulgaria in 1981/1982 and South Korea in 2015/2016) through works of narrative art that have provoked exceptionally broad social response and debate. Intercultural issues are seen through the prism of feminist discourse in two dif¬ferent periods. The tumultuous public reactions to the three works of art prove their artistic relevance and their high historical value as documents of their own time. Keywords: comparative analysis, contemporary Korean literature, Bulgarian cine¬ma, Korean cine

Ulwaluko: A critical site for black theological reflection

Ulwaluko is an essential rite of passage for men in the Xhosa community in South Africa. This particular initiation rite of passage is a critical part of the transition from boyhood to manhood. In a post-apartheid South Africa, this African practice has received criticism for promoting gender and sexual exclusion with some calling for a halt to the practice. Using Simon Maimela’s theological anthropology and Jackson’s concept of modern slavery as human plasticity, I attempt to expose how post-apartheid constitutionalism has epistemically distorted the theological anthropology of this rite of passage. This is done acknowledging Ulwaluko theologically within the context of African holism. This, I argue, has had significant ethical implications for society. Recognising it as a site of black theological reflection using Maimela’s theological anthropology, I argue that this particular practice can positively influence discourses on morality in South Africa.Contribution: This article makes a theological contribution by situating African and black theology of liberation discourse within the epistemic framework of Ulwaluko as an initiation rite of passage. Recognising the prevalence of initiation rites of passage in South Africa, this discourse attempts to contribute towards thinking about the creation of humanity from these spaces of formation. This I do in the very challenging contexts within which Ulwaluko is practised.

Feminist expression in American country music a case study of Taylor Swift

This article employs a feminist theoretical perspective and utilizes textual analysis to examine the feminist expressions within the music of American female musician Taylor Swift. Through analyzing the lyrical content of several songs imbued with typical gender themes such as “Fearless,” “Speak Now,” “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” “The Man,” and “All Too Well,” this study reveals that Taylor Swift’s music explores themes of female autonomy and advocates for increased awareness of gender inequality issues. In her feminist discourse, Taylor’s songs integrate emotional nuances from personal experiences alongside critiques of societal gender oppression.Through these analyses, this study aims to uncover the expression of gender consciousness in musical compositions and elucidate the interactive relationship between musical works and feminist discourse and construction. Additionally, this research provides insights into feminist expressions within American country music through Taylor Swift’s compositions, thereby contributing significantly to the exploration of music’s influence on gender identity and women’s rights.

Digital Feminism, Public Theology, and the Reshaping of Female Subjectivity in Ghana

Abstract Taking the online feminist group Pepper Dem Ministries as a case study, this article assesses how a public theological approach to gender activism underlies public gender discourses by allowing online feminism to attain global-local and post-colonial dimensions. This is explored through a rhetorical analysis of Pepper Dem Ministries’ online and offline discourses, and the response of young Christian women to their activism. These responses are obtained from semi-structured interviews conducted via zoom calls. The discourse of identity fragmentation in modernity frames the analysis of this data, revealing the coherence of Pepper Dem Ministries’ rhetoric with fragmentary or unsystematic theology as a mode of public theological engagement. The article concludes that the social shaping of female subjectivity in Ghana transpires as a public theological discourse influenced by and coherent with global discursive patterns in online feminism, Christian and secular feminist discourse, and public theology.

Multiplying Meanings of Pregnancy Through Personal Accounts of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

In cultures where reproduction is highly medicalised, pregnancy is often understood in terms of foetal development and an anticipated baby. This is connected to a wider privileging of the ‘foetal subject’ in these settings, which has had implications for reproductive autonomy. In this article, I disrupt dominant understandings of pregnancy by engaging with qualitative accounts of gestational trophoblastic disease. This rare condition can entail experiences of pregnancy without foetal development, allowing for scholarly attention to the wider biological, affective and relational constituents of this corporeal event. In this article, I pay particular attention to the ‘pregnancy hormone’ human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which in the context of gestational trophoblastic disease becomes a biomarker for disease. My research extends feminist science studies perspectives destabilising understandings of maternal and foetal bodies as bounded and distinct entities. The article de-centres foetal development as the most significant consequence of conception and enriches feminist discussions of reproductive politics.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Deconstruction of Female Identity

Abstract: Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a drama film directed by Cline Sciamma and starring Adle Haenel and Nomie Merlant. The film centers on the passionate love story between Heloise, a bride on the brink of marriage, and Marianne, the painter commissioned to create her portrait. This paper analyses the construction and deconstruction of female identity in Portrait of a Lady on Fire through the lenses of gaze theory and feminist identity theory. It begins by exploring Heloise's resistance to the objectifying male gaze, illustrated through her defiance against the passive model identity and her challenge to the myth of Orpheus, which traditionally casts women in powerlessness and rescue role. The paper then delves into the film's critique of the roles of wife and mother within the patriarchal, heteronormative family structure, drawing on Simone de Beauvoir's ideas in The Second Sex to further contextualize the film's feminist discourse. Through these analyses, the paper reveals how the film reimagines and challenges traditional female identities, offering a detailed and subtle portrayal of women's autonomy and identity.

Examining the Role of Women-Jirga in Mitigating Cultural Challenges Faced by Women: A Case Study of Khwendo-Jirga in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Since 2013

In patriarchal societies, women have long faced dehumanization and victimization in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, and marriage, leading to deep cultural challenges. This research explores how women in Swat, Pakistan, established the Khwendo-Jirga (Sister’s Council) to challenge these cultural norms and secure their rights. By leveraging the existing power structures, these women created a platform to address the cultural challenges faced by others, challenging male-dominated discourses. The study employs qualitative content analysis based on interviews with Khwendo-Jirga activists and women who benefited from its decisions, alongside a review of secondary sources. It investigates the formation of the Khwendo-Jirga, the challenges it encountered, and its broader role in feminist discourse, particularly within Swat. The paper emphasizes the need for further research to amplify the voices of Pashtun women, whose struggles for agency and empowerment have often been overlooked.

»My Wallet, My Choice« – Mimicry of Marginality In an Online Community of Male Separatists

Backlash and hostility towards feminism are on the rise, as demonstrated by the growth of the ›manosphere‹: a loose network of men’s social media communities who argue that men are the real victims of sexism and feminists conceal these facts (Ging 2019). One manosphere group, »Men Going Their Own Way« (MGTOW), argue that heterosexual relationships are oppressive to men and consequently should be avoided. In this paper, I take a discourse-historical approach to critical discourse studies (Reisigl/Wodak 2016) to examine how MGTOW construct themselves as marginalised or oppressed. I identify four salient discursive strategies: appropriation of feminist discourse; role reversal; statistics; and self-presentation as unpopular.

Post-homophobic imaginaries amongst the far-right in Germany and Switzerland

ABSTRACT Alongside violently opposing gender and sexual equalities, far-right parties in Western Europe have increasingly denied their political positions as homophobic. This article explores how far-right party actors in Germany and Switzerland actively use liberal discourses to advance reactionary gender and sexual politics beyond outright opposition. It queries how party actors consolidate hetero-patriarchal ideological commitments with a desire to include homosexual subjects within the parties’ respective ideologies. This study argues that reactionary actors in Germany and Switzerland are highly adaptive to the ‘post-homophobic’ discursive terrain they navigate. In doing so, openly gay and lesbian actors within far-right parties and their allies are not operating in a vacuum. They can draw on an expansive archive of mainstream political discourses, including normative ideas about the neoliberal family, a gendered economy of reproduction and the potent construction of homophobic immigrants. Our analysis thus demonstrates that liberal ideas around sexuality are not always overtly opposed to but also actively invested in for reactionary gains.

When good intentions aren’t enough: Intersectional invisibilities in academia and the decolonial turn

The decolonial turn resonates not only in gender studies but across the humanities and arts. While research and teaching increasingly align with decolonization and intersectional perspectives, we understand this as more than intellectual tasks, rather as a call for transformative action with tangible symbolic and material consequences. Taking into account transnational feminist discourses, this article explores what we can do in practice in an institutional context that fosters structures of coloniality and invisibilization of knowledge otherwise in academic knowledge production. Addressing this issue requires an understanding of marginalizing structures on a meta-level and keeping an eye on a less observed micro-level: our own part in the process of academic knowledge production, understanding these dynamics as part of a broader interconnected framework of decolonial actions that emphasizes communal responsibility and comprehensive partnerships.