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The London School of Economics and Political Science Representing SlutWalk London in Mass and Social Media: Negotiating Feminist and Postfeminist Sensibilities Keren Darmon A thesis submitted to the Department of Media and Communications of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, June 2017 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 57,074 words. Statement of use of third party for editorial help I can confirm that my thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by Ms. Jean Morris. 2 Epigraphs It has been a hostile climate for feminism: it didn’t thrive, but it didn’t die; it survives, it is nowhere and everywhere – and the phoenix is flying again. (Campbell, 2013, p. 4) As Prometheus stole fire from the gods, so feminists will have to steal the power of naming from men, hopefully to better effect. (Dworkin, 1981, p. 17) 3 Abstract When SlutWalk marched onto the protest scene, with its focus on ending victim blaming and slut shaming, it carried the promise of a renewed feminist politics. Focusing on SlutWalk London, this study examines representations and self- representations of the protest in British national newspapers, blogs and Tumblr posts to explore how this promise has been negotiated in the contemporary media space. Building on the notion that contemporary media culture is characterised by a postfeminist sensibility, this study asks: how and to what extent is SlutWalk London represented as a feminist intervention in this culture? In particular, how do representations of the protest, by the media and by activists themselves, reproduce or challenge a postfeminist sensibility? Following Rosalind Gill, the thesis conceptualises the elements of postfeminist sensibility as: choice; individualism and empowerment; natural difference; irony and knowingness; and a view of feminism as passé or ‘done wrong’. The elements of feminist sensibility are conceptualised as: equality; solidarity and politicisation; intersectionality; anger and hope; and a view of feminism as current and relevant. To explore representations and self-representations of SlutWalk, texts and images from newspapers and social media platforms, as well as interviews with organisers and participants, are analysed using content, discourse and thematic analyses. The findings reveal that protestors’ self-representations (on social media and in interviews) are characterised more consistently by a feminist sensibility, while newspaper representations of protestors and of the SlutWalk protest display a more mixed picture of both postfeminist and feminist sensibilities. This indicates a process of negotiation between feminist and postfeminist sensibilities in social and mass media, and suggests that, while contemporary media culture maintains an overall postfeminist sensibility, SlutWalk is nevertheless represented in some spaces by a feminist sensibility. In particular, news items are characterised more consistently by a feminist sensibility, which marks a significant achievement; however, columns (especially by female, feminist authors) show a more postfeminist sensibility. This discrepancy highlights some surprising barriers facing feminist protestors seeking to intervene in the postfeminist media culture and fulfil their feminist promise. 4 Acknowledgments There are many people who have been instrumental during the process of researching and writing this PhD thesis. I thank them all and would like to single out the following: Damian Tambini for accepting me into the programme and guiding me through the initial stages of the PhD process. Shani Orgad, who was a friend first and supervisor second. Thank you for your feedback, challenge and intellectual input, which improved my work no end. In the Department of Media and Communications at LSE, PhD programme director Bart Cammaerts for his support and additional research opportunities; departmental manager Catherine Bennett; and research manager James Deeley. Also, Heather Dawson in the LSE library Jane Secker in the Centre for Learning Technology and Loraine Evans in the PhD Academy. My examiners, Cynthia Carter and Catherine Rottenberg, thank you for your careful reading, constructively critical comments and for creating such a positive atmosphere during the viva itself; I actually enjoyed the experience! The interviewees, who gave their time and shared their views, feelings and memories: it was an honour to work with you; the bloggers and photographers, who kindly gave permission to use their words and images: thank you for your generosity. My mentors, who saw me through my MA and towards my PhD, Carolyn Bronstein and Kathy Fitzpatrick, for their belief in me, ongoing support, encouragement and friendship. The colleagues, who have become friends: Nikola Belakova, Naya Hadzipani, Paula Kiel, Svenja Ottovordemgentschenfelde and Rafal Zaborowski. Special thanks go to Alex Free for his help with inter-coding. And to Tal Morse, who not only inter-coded but was always available to advise, listen and comfort. My friends who have asked thought-provoking questions, kept me entertained and buoyed me up without fail: Allison Appelquist, Annabel Balint-Kurti, Samantha Blendis, Alice Denny, Victoria Eld, Emma Franks, Kate Howell, Shobita Parthasarathy, Sarah Reavley, Dana Rechtman and Jane Shearsmith. Eva Hricova and Helen McCarthy, who looked after my children while I worked. Sarah Dvir, the best sister I could ask for, my parents, Esther and Eallan Hirshfeld, my parents-in-law Marlene and Bernard Darmon and my extended family. 5 And finally, but most importantly, the loves of my life, Julien, Maya and Jonathan Darmon, for your unconditional love, for keeping me grounded and reminding me how much I have to be grateful for, every single day. I dedicate this thesis to you, with all my love. 6 Table of Contents Declaration ............................................................................................................... 2 Statement of use of third party for editorial help ............................................................. 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables and Figures ........................................................................................ 11 List of Tables .................................................................................................................. 11 List of Figures ................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 1: The Journey and a Roadmap – An Introduction ..................................... 13 The Journey So Far ......................................................................................................... 13 SlutWalk ........................................................................................................................ 15 Project Aims and Overview ............................................................................................ 21 Overview of Thesis ............................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 2: Feminism and the Media – A Theoretical Review ................................... 25 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 25 Postfeminist Media Culture ............................................................................................ 26 Postfeminist Sensibility .................................................................................................. 28 Elements of Postfeminist Sensibility ................................................................................. 29 Feminist Sensibility ........................................................................................................ 33 Elements of Feminist Sensibility ....................................................................................... 34 Representation and Self-Representation ........................................................................ 40 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 3: Methods and Methodology ................................................................... 46 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 46 Research Design, Approach and Methods ....................................................................... 47 Interviews and Thematic Analysis .................................................................................. 48 Content Analysis of Media Texts ...................................................................................