Concerning transitional justice, the turn towards advocating for localized action and gendered analysis has engendered a focus on female agency. In documentary film studies, a similar pattern...Show moreConcerning transitional justice, the turn towards advocating for localized action and gendered analysis has engendered a focus on female agency. In documentary film studies, a similar pattern emerges: over time, scholars have started to question prevailing representations of women, and to celebrate well-rounded, agentive representations. This thesis, which analyzes representations of female agency and victimhood in documentaries concerning sexual violence during the Yugoslav Wars, utilizes an interdisciplinary approach which draws from both of these fields. It incorporates the aesthetic analytical tools provided by documentary film scholars to analyze Sexual Violence and the Triumph of Justice (2012) and Mission Rape - a Tool of War (2014), while keeping as its main focus the gendered agency framework created by Björkdahl and Mannergren Selimović. Thus, it marries the two disciplines to provide a thorough understanding of prominent issues in transitional justice. This concerns both how transitional justice is practiced and how this practice is portrayed to the public by challengers and proponents of the prominent methods in the transitional justice space. I hope to contribute to knowledge in both fields, and to demonstrate how well-rounded and agentive representations of women’s agency can challenge the traditional narrative of passivity and victimization of women in conflict-zones.Show less
In 2017, the documentary film "Landless Moroccans" was released which shed light on the expulsion of the Guich Oudaya tribe from their land in the capital city of Rabat as well as their protest...Show moreIn 2017, the documentary film "Landless Moroccans" was released which shed light on the expulsion of the Guich Oudaya tribe from their land in the capital city of Rabat as well as their protest against this expulsion. This thesis investigates what the film can reveal about political claim-making and state-society struggles in contemporary Morocco. By focusing on how the state is addressed and claims are attempted to be legitimized, it argues that the film produces a good vs. bad dichotomy between the monarchy and the state which uncovers the authoritarian environment within which dissent is voiced in Morocco. This dichotomy reflects a state discourse aimed at diverting state critique from the monarchy to the government and other executive authorities. Applying Pierre Bourdieu's field theory, this research illustrates that the film's reproduction of state discourse is at once a proof for its internalization as well as a strategy to position the protest safely vis-à-vis the regime. The discursively produced dichotomy identified in this thesis can thus give further insights into the ways in which civil society actors may navigate protest in authoritarian settings.Show less
The collapse of the Soviet Union has been explained as the result of political, economic and military factors. The social underpinnings of the collapse have drawn less interest. ''Is It Easy To Be...Show moreThe collapse of the Soviet Union has been explained as the result of political, economic and military factors. The social underpinnings of the collapse have drawn less interest. ''Is It Easy To Be Young?'', the 1987 documentary from Soviet Latvia, reveals political disillusionment among the youth. The film includes interviews with those members of society which have previously not been represented in state-controlled culture, for example, members of the punk movement and war veterans who feel alienated by society. Political opening in the framework of perestroika and glasnost allowed the documentary to come to light. I chose the following question to guide my work: ''How did the portrayal of youth discontent and political disillusionment in the 1987 Latvian documentary ''Is It Easy To Be Young?'' contribute to the declining legitimacy of the Soviet system?'' I argue that the release of this film worked against the authorities since it depicted some of the core issues in the USSR in the 1980s. These were persecution of those who opposed the dominant way of life, political disillusionment caused by stagnation and the use of rigid ideological notions by the Communist Party, as well as the social costs of involvement in Afghanistan. ''Is It Easy To Be Young?'' gained recognition abroad, where it was received as an exposé of the Soviet system, which further contributed to the decline in legitimacy the film caused for the authorities of the USSR.Show less
Diese Arbeit thematisiert das Problem der Repräsentation der Wirklichkeit im Dokumentarfilm. Eine neutrale, objektive und zuverlässige Darstellung unserer Welt im Film stößt auf verschiedene...Show moreDiese Arbeit thematisiert das Problem der Repräsentation der Wirklichkeit im Dokumentarfilm. Eine neutrale, objektive und zuverlässige Darstellung unserer Welt im Film stößt auf verschiedene Probleme. So ist es unmöglich, einen Film zu drehen, ohne in das Gezeigte oder die Bilder einzugreifen. Es stellt sich dann die Frage, ob solche Eingriffe die objektive Darstellung der Welt in Gefahr bringen. In der Arbeit stehen zwei deutsche Dokumentarfilme, Wim Wenders‘ „Tokyo-Ga“ (1985) und Werner Herzogs „Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit“ (1971), die sich implizit und explizit mit der Frage nach der Wahrheit im Film auseinandersetzen, im Mittelpunkt. Bevor die beiden Filme analysiert werden, setzt sich die Arbeit mit den filmtheoretischen Ansätzen zur Repräsentation der Wirklichkeit im Film auseinander. Erst wird der Unterschied zwischen Spiel- und Dokumentarfilm behandelt. Auch die Frage, ob eine wahre Wiedergabe der Wirklichkeit möglich sei, kommt zur Sprache. Schließlich werden die verschiedenen Weisen, wie die Wirklichkeit im Film repräsentiert werden kann, und die technischen Aspekte, die hierbei eine Rolle spielen, erläutert. Anhand der behandelten filmwissenschaftlichen Theorien werden die Filme von Wenders und Herzog analysiert. Im Mittelpunkt steht hierbei die Frage, wie in den beiden Filmen mit der Repräsentation der Wirklichkeit umgegangen wird. Auch die Rolle der Manipulation wird hierbei befragt.Show less
