This thesis aims to explore whether the song WAP (2020) by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, exemplifies a paradigm shift in feminism. WAP caused much outcry and grew rapidly in fame because of its...Show moreThis thesis aims to explore whether the song WAP (2020) by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, exemplifies a paradigm shift in feminism. WAP caused much outcry and grew rapidly in fame because of its sexually provocative imagery and lyrics, unlike other similar songs. The question arises: If Cardi and Megan’s song is so unique that it might be the start of a feminist paradigm shift, or whether it follows an already established trend? First, the song is looked at scene by scene, scouting for reoccurring elements. Then, general representational tactics of women in media are analyzed, which help evaluate the elements in WAP further, determining feminist or non-feminist tactics. Lastly, the music of other female artists like Madonna, Lil Kim and Christina Aguilera are studied in order to determine whether WAP is following a trend or stands on its own. After exploring these different aspects, it is possible to see that WAP is a starting point for a feminist paradigm shift in media, of which there are likely more artists or songs to follow.Show less
This thesis analyzes the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and the first three seasons of the HULU series in their historical contexts, and relates them to feminist activism in both eras...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the novel The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and the first three seasons of the HULU series in their historical contexts, and relates them to feminist activism in both eras. The thesis investigates how relevant literary representations of injustice and oppression are within the broader discourse of human rights, equality and freedom. By juxtaposing the Feminist views of the writer, producers and its political climate in the 1980s during Ronald Reagan's administration and during the 2010s Trump administration the radicalisation of its activism and the change in current political protests are shown.Show less
This thesis aims to address the question: “How does the representation of Kurdish cultural resistance in visual art made by the Kurdish-Dutch diaspora fit within the Kurdish political discourse?”...Show moreThis thesis aims to address the question: “How does the representation of Kurdish cultural resistance in visual art made by the Kurdish-Dutch diaspora fit within the Kurdish political discourse?” To answer this question, films by Beri Shalmashi and Reber Dosky were analyzed by means of Visual Discourse Analysis on the basis of themes and symbols that fit within Kurdish political discourse. Unlike traditional International Relations (IR), this thesis takes an aesthetic turn and presents a more expressive and critical view from a diasporic narrative of the Kurdish question, which will deepen the knowledge concerning this conflict through visual discourse analysis. The themes and symbols discussed are cultural memory and collective trauma, the geo-linguistic homeland, autonomy, feminism, and the Kurdish mountains. These themes and symbols are all linked to Kurdish nationalism and cultural resistance and play an important role in the creation of a Kurdish identity among the Kurds living in diaspora. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates how the Kurdish diasporic community represents itself and how politicized Kurdish culture is.Show less
Feminist movements have existed since the late 19th century but the most recent wave of feminism has been particularly significant in South Korea. In 2018 numerous women came forward with...Show moreFeminist movements have existed since the late 19th century but the most recent wave of feminism has been particularly significant in South Korea. In 2018 numerous women came forward with allegations of sexual violence against people in power under the MeToo movement. This movement was popularized in the United States on social media and soon reached other parts of the world where it gave marginalized women a voice. The movement gained momentum in South Korea after prosecutor Seo Ji-hyeon opened up about sexual harassment allegations against a high-level prosecutor and spoke of pressure by state bodies to keep silent. The MeToo movement brought sexual violence issues from the private sphere to the public sphere and showed women that the country’s patriarchal system is unacceptable. In the following years there was a rise in gendered activism such as the “Escape the Corset” movement, that rejected South Korea’s rigid beauty standards, and anti-digital sex crime movement. This paper seeks to answer, “how successful has gendered activism been in South Korea since 2018?” The reason 2018 has been selected as starting point for the thesis is due to the start of MeToo movement that particular year. This topic will be analyzed by use of feminist theory due to it being one of the rising frameworks that is growing in importance and relevance. Feminist theory is focused on gender inequality and addresses many issues that the Korean women challenged in their movements. Along with feminist theory, the history of gendered movements is crucial when discussing feminist movements in South Korea and will therefore be examined in the literature review. To further establish the definition of success of contemporary gendered movements, the historical background of gendered movements in South Korea will be explored. By analyzing the history of gendered movements in South Korea dating back to the 1980s up to now, this chapter defines success and how success of feminist movements has been determined in the past. These case studies will be analyzed through a feminist lens to ascertain the degree to which they have been successfulShow less
The topic of challenging gender stereotypes within the music genre of Reggaeton is a timely and relevant one in the European Union, the research question that this thesis is aiming to answer is: To...Show moreThe topic of challenging gender stereotypes within the music genre of Reggaeton is a timely and relevant one in the European Union, the research question that this thesis is aiming to answer is: To what extent are female gender stereotypes challenged in the lyrics of Spanish female Reggaeton performers? In order to do so, two well-known Reggaeton songs were analysed. The analysis was made through the close reading of the denotative and connotative meaning expressed in the lyrics and critical discourse analysis with musical discourse analysis. By using two songs sung by women this thesis explores, through a feminist lens, the appropriation of the musical genre of reggaeton as a subversive tool for commentary on gender stereotypes. This research concluded that Reggaeton is transformed by the relevant artist into a feminist instrument for the dissemination of feminist messages since the female characters have a history of constantly defending themselves from prejudices for instance, whereas males do not.Show less
Studies have been carried out that explore the effect of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda but there has been a lack of focus of its effect on the working conditions of women working informally. Through...Show moreStudies have been carried out that explore the effect of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda but there has been a lack of focus of its effect on the working conditions of women working informally. Through carrying out a qualitative content analysis of key documents, the normative function of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda within the context of informal domestic workers in India between 2008 and 2018 was analysed. This provided a nuanced and in-depth understanding of the ILO's role in the development of women who work outside of the purview of the rule of law and are also often marginalised on the basis of social constructs such as class, caste, religion and gender. While the ILO's Decent Work Agenda has resulted in the limited improvement of the lives of Indian women working in the informal economy the organisation ability to drive change has been curbed by its inability to enforce international law, and the neoliberal global political economy.Show less
Bollywood both shapes and is shaped by Indian society and its ideas on gender and nationhood. As such, it engages in the politics of representation as theorised by feminist film scholars. While...Show moreBollywood both shapes and is shaped by Indian society and its ideas on gender and nationhood. As such, it engages in the politics of representation as theorised by feminist film scholars. While extensive literature on the representation of women in Bollywood has arisen in the last two decades, less attention has been put on how rural populations or, more particularly, rural women are represented. This thesis attempts to fill this gap, recognising the invisibilization of rural women in India, especially the agrarian female workers who make up a major part of the national economy and around a fourth of the Indian population. I have used content and discourse analysis techniques on the Bollywood films Lagaan (2001) and Parched (2016) to investigate, firstly, the representation of Indian rural women in Bollywood, secondly the applicability of the theories developed through the literature on Indian women in Bollywood, and lastly, the possible implications of such representations on the visibility of Indian rural women, considering both the content and the reach of the films in the context of contemporary Bollywood. There is a multiplicity of representations of Indian women across Bollywood films, and this also applies for the representation of Indian rural women. In Lagaan, women play side-roles and are defined by their relation to the male characters; they are dedicated daughters, mothers and lovers. In Parched, the rural women are nuanced characters with desires, struggles and the will to fight for their agency in a patriarchal society. Even though the representations in Parched challenge notions of patriarchal and upper-class nationhood, its viewership and therefore the impact of the visibilization Indian rural women is limited to an elite and largely foreign audience, whereas the more patriarchal, but subaltern-perspective film Lagaan has reached Indian masses. Although women centric Bollywood films have been on the rise, a low number of films portray rural Indians and of those only few depict female characters in nuanced ways like done in Parched. This implies that Indian rural women remain largely invisibilized and stigmatized in Bollywood and in the imagination of the nation by the Bollywood audiences. Going forward, middle cinema offers a promising space for critical but still influential films, stimulating larger discussions on class and gender.Show less
This thesis project investigates how the personal experience contributes to International Relations’ understanding of migration. Employing a feminist IR theoretical framework and an engaged,...Show moreThis thesis project investigates how the personal experience contributes to International Relations’ understanding of migration. Employing a feminist IR theoretical framework and an engaged, qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews, I investigate the migration experiences of undocumented Latina factory workers, as an interplay between their gender, their undocumented immigration status, and their work. The findings allow us to examine self-narrativized realities where the politicization of the personal is paramount. Gaby, Valentina, and Margarita, the collaborators, share their personal experience with undocumented migration, motherhood, tiring work schedules and hard labor, all while navigating gendered oppressions. I find that even the most common private matters and experiences are imbibed with power dynamics and tensions, and that they are present at all stages of international politics. The research concludes that using the personal experience in order to make (feminist) sense of International Relations is a necessity.Show less
This thesis explores the conflicted experience of reading boy's love manga, based on intimate interviews with a handful of non-japanese readers. How are issues such as consent, representation and...Show moreThis thesis explores the conflicted experience of reading boy's love manga, based on intimate interviews with a handful of non-japanese readers. How are issues such as consent, representation and stereotypes perceived, and how does that perception influence reading choices? Boy's love is examined not only as an experience in itself, but also in connection with broader questions with regards to female sexuality and pornography.Show less
This thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the following research question: “To what extent can the comfort women be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement?”. For this, I used qualitative data to support my thesis statement. This qualitative data is secondary data, meaning I extracted information that was collected by other researchers from their research papers, as opposed to new, primary data. In order to gain a better insight in the workings of both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement, I discuss events connected to both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement that emerged before, during and after the issues became known in Korean society. By comparing, I have found that there are a significant amount of similarities between the two issues. First, i found that both issues were not completely new to the public, and were just not spoken about often. Adding to this, in both situations, the women who spoke up first had been quiet about theit abuse for a long time. Lastly, it is seen that support for the victims in both cases was built from grassroots organizations, and these organizations pressured the government into taking action. By analyzing how both the comfort women issue and the #MeToo movement have progressed over the years, I can confirm the theory that at its core, the comfort women could very well be considered the forerunners of the #MeToo movement.Show less
Even though the Weinstein scandal and the #metoo movement opened the debate about feminism across societies, it seemed that the debate did not happen in Japan. After doing some research, one can...Show moreEven though the Weinstein scandal and the #metoo movement opened the debate about feminism across societies, it seemed that the debate did not happen in Japan. After doing some research, one can see that mass media in Japan do not echo any feminist ideas. Throughout the years, the mass media have neglected feminist debates and even generated negative discourse on feminism. However, if one looks into more alternative media sources, it becomes obvious that the feminist debate is actually well established in Japan. There are media sources such as feminist journals that open discussions on topics like gender roles and sexual liberation. Feminist publications have existed in Japan since the beginning of the 20th century. However, as those journals challenge Japanese societal norms, they are categorized as niche media with quite a small readership. On the other hand, manga is another type of alternative media with a large readership that highlights a feminist debate. Within manga literature, there are specific genres that target a female readership from teenagers (shoujo) to adults (josei). I argue that among manga, shoujo and josei manga genres are the most read outlets of feminist ideas within Japanese media.Show less
This thesis is a qualitative analysis of the clothing of Japanese Gothic Lolita women supported by six remarks. The study hypothesises that the statements made were meant to redefine gender...Show moreThis thesis is a qualitative analysis of the clothing of Japanese Gothic Lolita women supported by six remarks. The study hypothesises that the statements made were meant to redefine gender identities, societal values, and gender role expectations for women in the Japanese society and to find empowerment within the societal structures. It hypothesises that the statements were meant to signify a rebellion against the idea that dressing in a stereotypically feminine, childlike, and kawaii way is disempowering for women. Furthermore, this research finds that Japanese Gothic Lolitas lay the foundation to rethink the gendered structures embedded in the Japanese society through the signifiers of their clothing and the discourse within their statements by defining themselves not in relation to others, but to themselves. Thus, a framework is created that allows women to rebel against the traditional constraints of gender role expectations and to redefine their identities as influential, assertive individuals.Show less
