POLITICAL NUDISM: a Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and its Significance to the Society A Seminar Paper presented to The Faculty of Department of Social Sciences College of Arts and Sciences UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MANILA In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements in Political Science 198 (Special Problems in Political Science) For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science Lorramei Tigley Manlapig BA Political Science 2010-15988 Dr. Jinky Leilanie Del Prado-Lu PS 198: Thesis Adviser POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society ABSTRACT In contemporary times, the nude human body functions not only for procreation or for intimacy but has evolved as a tool of protest. Moving from the private to the public and even online sphere, the unclothed body provides a powerful method to muster anyone’s attention with success. Nevertheless, given that there are many insinuations a nude body can possibly suggest, there arise a magnitude of complexities and contradictions involved in using nudity. Thus, the use of such vehicle for protest yields not only advantages but social and political repercussions as well. In line with this, the study provided the motivation behind the continued usage of such method amidst the risk of conflicts and misunderstandings, gathered the perception of the public through a community survey, expert and in-depth interviews, and lastly, offered an understanding of the phenomenon of Political Nudism through review of related literature, data collection, and analysis using four theories: Social Constructivism, Phenomenology, Symbolic Interactionism and Structure-Agency Theory. Moreover, this study tackles the power relations between forces of the society and concerns the use of a radical method (political nudism) by the civil society in expression of grievances to the government. Specifically, it explained the interplay occurring among different forces in the civil society (the church, academe, professionals, NGOs, etc) that accounts for the resulting value that society attributes to political nudism. And by knowing the value that the civil society gives, we have assessed that in our culture and in certain contexts, political nudism is ineffective and insignificant as a stand-alone method of protest but when used together and in complement with other forms of protest, is actually beneficial in the sphere of activism. KEYWORDS: naked body, nudism, protest, social movement, exhibitionism, body politic, public perception, civil society, government, advocacy, culture, meanings, phenomena Page | 2 POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society INTRODUCTION One of the important features of true democracy is freedom of expression. It is the mechanism through which the people defend their rights against the intrusive and extensive powers of the government. Also, it is a means of redress to their grievances on the plaguing social issues. Freedom of expression can be practiced in different forms through different media; as can be paralleled to our individual verbal and non-verbal abilities. For instance a mob rally can employ a myriad of forms of expressions: chanting, effigy burning, dancing, and etcetera. There can be an infinite list of ways to express; similarly as ideas and cultures are endless, which Johnston (1995)1 see to be the source of the symbolic aspect of social mobilization. Though activists still utilize the methods of protest enumerated above, some groups have dared to be more revolutionary in their expression. For reasons that conventional means could hardly inspire people out from their apathy, some activist groups tend to use daring exhibitions to stand out, and to attract more publicity. Among these presently considered radical methods is political nudism. However, nude exhibitions garnered varied opinions and interpretations from public audience; some may have condemned, or some may have affirmed such acts. Perhaps even there might be some who neither condemn nor affirm such acts. Many issues were raised, and can be raised regarding the use of political nudism in public protests; specifically on its significance and symbolism. It is in this context that the research intends to provide explanation on the motivation behind the continued usage of political nudism though it is subject to misunderstandings, discrepancy in interpretation and even in conflict in views. Thereafter, it shall provide the public’s perception on its utilization and to learn whether or not this kind of method is effective, appropriate, necessary and ultimately, if it can significantly contribute for advancing political awareness. As a culmination of the above objectives, the author shall provide the resulting overall picture of the meaning of Political Nudism to better understand the concept and phenomenon. Through the course of study, the research questions are to be answered, such as: (1)Why is nudism utilized in social movements or even in advertisements that promotes a certain advocacy? (2) What is the public perception towards such type of political exhibitionism? And (3) What is the phenomenon of Political Nudism? It is in finding the answers for each question that the 1 Hank Johnston. Social Movements and Culture. Page | 3 POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society hypothesis of the study shall be proven correct or otherwise. The argument that the author offers is that ‘Political Nudism defeats its purpose of conveying advocacies effectively because there is a mismatch of meaning attributed to the phenomenon by the political nudists and their audience.’ This research is believed to be of significance to the society as this will explain the phenomenon of political nudism. Due to the concept of political nudism as being relatively new to the majority of people, this research shall promote awareness among those who are unknowledgeable with its applications and possible benefits within the sphere of activism. The author believes that the findings resulting from this research have the capacity to impact the outlook and usage of activists of such method for political ends. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE “If clothing can be said to have political and cultural meaning, then the same must surely be true of its absence”, Philippa Levine (2013) claims in her journal article; “Naked Truths: Bodies, Knowledge, and the Erotic of Colonial Power”. Like many other concepts, notions on the nude body are products of social construction. It is subject to various significations that vary depending on context where it operates, and is observed (Veneracion-Rallonzo, 2010, 2011). In fact, through the course of history, many different perspectives have each produced views concerning the significance of the nude body. On a psychological viewpoint, display of the naked body can be viewed as a form of exhibitionism. Exhibitionism is a symptom of neurosis; a panic attack in the face of identity crisis (Kahr, 1997). In today’s society, exhibitionism is looked down as an unfortunate and unnecessary act for self-recognition. Meanwhile, Levine (2013) offers a stark political perspective on examining nudity by looking into the influences of British colonial power in the shaping the general notion towards the nude body. In her journal article, she demonstrates some Eurocentric biases in perceiving the nude body, by comparing public reactions to nude paintings of European models or subjects, as against to photographs of naked Non-European native people. Unlike the nude paintings, the nude photographs went completely safe from public condemnation for erotic or immoral connotations, passed as part of anthropometric studies. She points out that ‘racialized’ naked body allows nudity to be legitimate objects of observation of science; “practical, value-free, and nonsexual emblem of Page | 4 POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society truth”, as she puts it. European nude paintings, on the contrary, are more likely and more easily passed by many as erotic or obscene. This is where the defense of “higher culture” practically comes in, as Ancient Greek is unanimously the standard of classical art or civilized culture, which is better appreciated by intellectual or upper class people. The comparison suggests that Non- Europeans (nude or not) are meant to be objects of scientific examination by their colonial masters, while Europeans (nude or not) are better let as the observers or the scientists. Here there is clearly a dualistic portrayal of the naked body- a primitive nakedness on one hand, and a sophisticated or cultured kind on the other. Whereas developments in activism has given nudity more justification for its continued utilization in social movements. Particularly, activists exhibit themselves nude in public as a strategy for mass-market phenomenon. They turn to such desperate and radical measure call out attention and direct people’s mind to issues they consider vital for societal change. Now, subsequent are cases of the nudity used in the context of social movements. Nude protest is not exactly a new phenomenon. In the early times, some people exhibit a parodic procession of a naked woman in a horse to ridicule the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist. Events like this gave birth to the folklore surrounding a woman named Lady Godiva. Although it is unknown whether this legend is based on fact, fiction or both, the story still is passed on and is considered the first act of public nudity for political motives. According to the story, Lady Godiva is against her husband’s intention to impose excessive tax on their subjects in the land of Coventry, England. Leofric, Earl of Mercia, then challenged his wife to ride a horse around the town naked, decreeing a vow that he shall desist from imposing the questioned tax upon her compliance. Believing that the challenge is far too humiliating to execute, The Earl was surprised when Lady Godiva executed, and freed the Coventry from paying taxes in the future.