This thesis explores the discrepancies between the 2016 South Korean novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 and its 2019 film adaptation. It contextualises the changes made to the plotline and narrative and...Show moreThis thesis explores the discrepancies between the 2016 South Korean novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 and its 2019 film adaptation. It contextualises the changes made to the plotline and narrative and frames these within feminist history and activism and the socioeconomical and political values in South Korean society. By first exploring the development of feminist discourse and the changes feminist activism has seen from 2015 onwards, we create a frame in which the book and film can be contextualised. After which follow both Korean feminist literature and cinema and their historical significance and the place they have in society and mainstream media. In the analysis we explore the implications of the different narratives the book and film have and what these choices aim to convey. I also assess the limitations these plot changes have, perhaps inadvertently, in the message they are expressing. This thesis concludes with arguments regarding both the novel and the book and how their different plot lines convey different narratives.Show less
Why do many women feel the constant need to enhance their looks? How do they navigate their way in the beauty regime around them? With the help of interviews and a review of postcolonial feminist...Show moreWhy do many women feel the constant need to enhance their looks? How do they navigate their way in the beauty regime around them? With the help of interviews and a review of postcolonial feminist theories, this Master thesis explores the influences of the patriarchal, modern/colonial, and capitalist regimes on women's body image in Lebanon. Many women in Lebanon use beauty to get ahead since other ways of advancement are limited. The legacy of civil war, economic situation, and the state regime keep gender oppression institutionalized. Beautification is a short-term panacea helping individual women to rise to the top within the existing system, yet fails to address the roots of structural gender-based oppressions.Show less
This thesis examines the use of a patriarchal system as a default in fantasy literature, and it critically explores the possibility of creating more equal systems – such as a matriarchal one that...Show moreThis thesis examines the use of a patriarchal system as a default in fantasy literature, and it critically explores the possibility of creating more equal systems – such as a matriarchal one that is not merely the mirror image of patriarchy – within the worldbuilding of fantasy novels. It does so by comparing the patriarchal system in Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan (1946), to the matriarchal system in Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019).Show less
“Sexual harassment in Egypt is a severe problem that affects almost all women in the country. The presence of the class struggle in Egypt, has influenced the way perpetrators and victims from...Show more“Sexual harassment in Egypt is a severe problem that affects almost all women in the country. The presence of the class struggle in Egypt, has influenced the way perpetrators and victims from certain classes are being perceived. Victims who are part of the upper-middle class in Egypt are overrepresented in the media, whereas women from lower classes who have experienced gender-based violence, are often neglected and their stories are mostly silenced. This class discrimination is also visible when analysing the treatment of perpetrators. Working-class, unemployed youth are often perceived as the typical sexual violator, while in reality women are being sexually harassed and assaulted by men from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Nevertheless, perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault that are part of the working-class, are overrepresented in Egypt and portrayed as if they are the only group that is guilty of these atrocities. This class discrimination is a result of the increasing securitisation of Egypt’s government, mostly after the revolution in 2011. This securitization has resulted in the working class in Egypt becoming even more marginalized and criminalized by nature”Show less
This thesis combines a feminist and historical framework to analyze in detail the stories in The Lottery and Other Stories, in order to showcase how Jackson depicts married and unmarried women as...Show moreThis thesis combines a feminist and historical framework to analyze in detail the stories in The Lottery and Other Stories, in order to showcase how Jackson depicts married and unmarried women as repressed and judged by mainstream American society in the immediate post-war era. Specifically, it employs Simone de Beauvoir’s notion of the woman being labelled as the inferior “Other” by virtue of the dominant gender ideology of the 1940s, which is described in detail in her work The Second Sex. According to De Beauvoir, the dominant gender ideology of the 1940s confined and repressed women to the home, leaving them with no other choice than to fulfill the role of the housewife (De Beauvoir). This feminist framework is combined with an in-depth exploration by other feminists, such as Betty Friedan, Eleanor Roosevelt and Clara Fraser, as well as scholars that have researched feminist history, such as Gerda Lerner, Estelle Freedman, Stephen Dillon and Zillah Eisenstein. In combining these views on women and their position in society during the period in which The Lottery and Other Stories was composed, this thesis provides new insight into Jackson’s response to the treatment of women during her day and will shed a light on how her views paralleled the views of feminists such as Friedan, Roosevelt and Fraser, and historians such as Lerner and Eisenstein. This thesis shows that Shirley Jackson is not merely a Gothic fantasist writer but, above all, a social realist because of the way in which she depicts the women in her stories as victims of a patriarchal society. Moreover, her early short stories show in their representation of women marked parallels to actual real-life victimization of women in the 1940s, as depicted in the writings of feminists such as Simone De Beauvoir.Show less
This thesis sought to answer the question: to what extent are documentary viewers consuming an androcentric image of the Palaeolithic? In order to reach a conclusion, it first examined several...Show moreThis thesis sought to answer the question: to what extent are documentary viewers consuming an androcentric image of the Palaeolithic? In order to reach a conclusion, it first examined several prominent models of human evolution and early subsistence, noting the roles of males and females in each, and any bias or stereotyping that arose. Secondly, ethnographic evidence was cautiously evaluated to determine the extent to which anthropological models of early hunter-gatherers accurately reflect modern hunter-gatherer lifestyles. In addition, representations and depictions of Palaeolithic life, and in particular Palaeolithic women and their work, from various popular media sources were examined. Evolutionary theory, ethnographic and archaeological evidence, and common themes in the representation of Palaeolithic women were examined together to devise a definition of ‘androcentrism’ in this context. This definition was then compared to the treatment of women in five documentaries depicting Palaeolithic life, chosen for their perceived scientific authority and influence over the public’s understanding of the Palaeolithic. The results of the analysis of these documentaries showed they firmly adhered to the definition of androcentrism previously devised. Across all documentaries, women were vastly underrepresented compared to men. Where women were represented, they were shown engaging in a much more limited range of activities than men, and these activities perpetuated a modern, Western notion of women’s ‘place’. Women were tied to activities associated with nature such as gathering and childcare, and were excluded from activities related to culture including stone tool use, ritual and art. Activities that were most commonly carried out by females, such as gathering, were also significantly underrepresented in comparison to perceived male activities such as large game hunting. Having established the significant overrepresentation of males and a privileging of their activities across all documentaries examined, this thesis concluded by offering advice for future documentaries to avoid presenting such an overtly androcentric view of the Palaeolithic.Show less
During the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, protesters and dissident behaviour were severely condemned by agents of the state. Among the protesters were women who were subjugated to gender-specific...Show moreDuring the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, protesters and dissident behaviour were severely condemned by agents of the state. Among the protesters were women who were subjugated to gender-specific violence to the criticism of many Egyptians. As awareness of misconduct towards women grew during the Egyptian revolution, it can be argued that the revolution also instigated a shift in thinking about the role of women in Egyptian society, since it opened up a new space for women to express themselves in the process of self-definition. Therefore, I will argue that a gendered analysis of the revolution will help us understand resistance better while interrogating the gender-dynamics in revolutionary Egypt. Hence, I will investigate how the revolution contributed to a shift in the construction of gender roles for women in Egypt. The research problem is understanding how the previously assigned gender roles, framed by nationalist ideologies, played a role in the way women were treated during the public protests. In order to answer this question, I will focus on Egypt under Mubarak and under the SCAF who reigned until 2012. Secondly, I will investigate the role of the state, its patriarchal character and its adherence to a security regime. Thirdly, I will analyse how women protesters were changing the status quo by their acts of protest and how it provoked a different way of thinking about women. The latter, has been aided by female graffiti artists too who used their graffiti as a way of 'speaking back'. This will be contextualised by an analysis of a selection of graffiti made by women during the Egyptian Revolution.Show less
Gothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary...Show moreGothic Literature forms an important piece of the foundation of feminism and gender-equality movements that are existent today; throughout the centuries literature has been a vehicle for commentary (even in times when outright protest could be dangerous), and the Gothic is no exception. As such, Gothic Literature forms a representation of the society that formed its’ base, and a study of the gender roles as portrayed within the novels allows for an understanding of the gender roles within Gothic society- even more importantly, the novels of the time contain the bases of the changes that marked the period. The writers of the Gothic commented on the old patriarchy through their prevalently male adversaries warring against young heroines, and called for a new form of patriarchy that would rid women of the sometimes violent oppressions they suffered under outdated notions of gender roles. The heroines of the Gothic as such become the embodiment of a new generation of women that treaded outside their traditional sphere, demanding education and rights, even if remaining under the protection of their fathers and husbands. This commentary on patriarchy, and the representation of proto-feminism in Gothic Literature will form the core of my research, and this thesis.Show less
In recent years, vampires have been prominently featured in (young adult) literature, film and television, including the Twilight franchise, as well as popular TV series such as Buffy the Vampire...Show moreIn recent years, vampires have been prominently featured in (young adult) literature, film and television, including the Twilight franchise, as well as popular TV series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, These well-known examples feature heterosexual romance, and are specifically geared toward a heterosexual audience. Next to these popular, ideologically affirmative incarnations of vampire mythology, and more in the margins of contemporary vampire culture, there exists also another type of vampire, which has its origins in the lesser-known female vampire who first came to existence in the nineteenth century: Carmilla Karnstein. This particular vampire, the title character of J Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1871 novella, is a female vampire whose primary goal it is to pursue young aristocratic women in hopes of feeding on their blood and transforming them into vampires. This thesis researches the depiction of the female vampire in Le Fanu’s novella as well as three of its modern media adaptations. In constrasting the film The Vampire Lovers (1970), the television film Carmilla (1989), and the web series Carmilla (2014) with the original novella, this thesis reflects on the ways in which an overarching social structure such as the patriarchy can determine the representation of female characters in film and literature.Show less
