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
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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.
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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
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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. Lady Godiva is not merely a legend who helped saved a town, rather and most importantly, Lady Godiva is taken as a metaphor for dissatisfaction, and for genuine desire towards social change (Donoghue, 2002).
Even religious individuals or groups are not excluded from engaging in nude protests. In fact even St. Francis of Assisi protested nude, Rudofsky (1971)2 writes: "On being rebuked by his
2 Bernard Rudofsky. The Unfashionable Human Body.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society bishop, he (Assisi) snatched off his clothes and walked naked through the streets”. 3 Another example of a religious protest in history that utilized nudity in an effort to challenge the educational, civic and cultural standards of that time would be the Doukhobors. The Doukhobors is a radical and individualistic sect that separated from the Russian Orthodox Church in their belief that; god dwells in each human being not in a church, ultimately rejecting secular government and church liturgy. They left Russia to settle in Canada where they established themselves as “Sons of Freedom”. They extremely advocate freedom from material possession by burning their own homes, torched or bombed public buildings, rail lines, and schools in their effort to curb materialistic tendencies that some Dourkhobors were starting to exhibit. They also engage in nude protest parades against the educational system, compulsory military service, and other issues they have with British Columbia. Their first nude parade happened in 1903 and continued to do so for several years after.4
Additionally, nudity in the context of social movements do not always or exclusively pertain to public protests. Advocacy groups can also find use in nudity in promoting their cause, take for instance the naturist movement. The word ‘naturism’ is introduced by Jean Baptiste Luc Planchon in 1778 to mean natural style of life and health5. Today, the word adapts an expanded definition of: "a way of life in harmony with nature, expressed through social nudity, linked to self-respect, tolerance of differing views together with respect for the environment"6. However, majority of naturists agree that it is more than a way of life or philosophy. Encompassing not only skinny-dipping, nude sunbathing, or that feeling of freedom and becoming one with nature while nude; Naturism is a peaceful cultural and political movement promoting social nudity in the private and public sphere. Besides for the celebration of the diversity of body types and advocating the acceptance of one’s own bodies, naturist advocacies have come to include topics of concern such as pollution, equality, diet, pedagogy, liberty, tourism, arts, sports, and even agriculture. To cater the expanding advocacy, naturism has been practiced in many ways moving from only individual nudism, nudism within family, nudism in the wild or social nudism to include militant naturist, and campaigning or extreme naturists.
3 Historical account taken from Aileen Goodson’s book chapter entitled: Nudity in Ancient to Modern Culture. 4 Dourkhobors history as told in the Canadian Encyclopedia. 5 Information is from the Australian Naturist Federation. 6 Taken from the International Naturist Federation’s Official Website.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
Now, in a gendered view of nudity in social movement, according to Barcan (2002), there are a range of reasons why nude protests appeal to women such as its non-violent and theatrical nature, economic practicality and among others. But most notable among the reasons she stated is the nude body’s embodiment of “powerful mythical and or religious connotations”. In nude protests, female protesters unconsciously create their own rendition of Christ’s sacrifice by bearing the sufferings of others with their own body. Nonetheless, women can also engage in nude protests with non-sacrificial motives such as getting topless in protest against a discriminatory legislation penalizing female topless, or against ageist and sexist stereotypes on naked elder women. But in a lighter note she also claims, female nudity is more tolerated, often less penalized or even applauded or encouraged.
In Africa, a nude female body shown in public is believed to be a powerful curse that it is meant to be used as a last resort for struggle and liberation movements. Back in 2002 in the oil- rich Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, hundreds of women aged 20- 90 used this ‘Curse of Nakedness’ at the Escravos oil facility to protest against environmental damages and economic hardships that oil companies subject their communities to. After occupying the said facility and holding more than 700 workers hostage to halt operations, the women saw no other option but to disrobe after failure from earlier attempts to communicate with oil companies. They invoked the local shame symbolism of undressing, prompting oil companies to finally settle for an agreement to create jobs, fund schools, hospitals and other basic services for the locals.
In March 3rd 2011 at Ivory Coast, Africa, then President Lauren Gbagbo refused to step down of office after falling short of votes, and so thousands of women gathered in Abidjan City to chant and sing against Gbagbo’s illegitimate stay in power. Most of them went nude to ‘curse’ this rule of Gbagbo, and to assert that he has no right to take the entitlement from Alassane Ouattara who won from the last election.
Still in Africa, this time in Liberia, 200 women are credited to have ended the Liberian Civil War that have spanned for years dating back to 1989 due to economic downturn, unequal resource distribution and ethnic conflicts. The group of women barricaded the outside of a meeting room where peace talks between warring factions is getting awry. Said women refused to budge and continued to block the men’s path, putting their lives at stake in their effort to push the men to get serious, and talk more in earnest about a resolution. Two weeks after this event, a peace treaty
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society was formally announced, signaling the end of the Liberian war. Leymah Gbowee, one of the 200 women involved, said that their human barricade genuinely struck the rebel warlords and their armed men because they threatened to disrobe if anyone would dare leave or disrupt the peace talks. The group was correct to assume that their protest would be successful since most of the men in attendance were from Ghana, who are known to believe strongly in indigenous beliefs. The men stood by their beliefs and yielded to the women, to protect themselves from the ‘curse’ of nakedness by these women.
The same belief holds true in the context of Cordillera- Philippines where the act of disrobing is considered as a strong local symbol meant to shame anyone who will bear witness. Because of this culture, Cordillera women were able to prevent the construction of Chico Dam in 1970’s where the erection of which would have been detrimental to the ancestral lands, by undressing in the operation site in order to shame the workers to leave. Ultimately, the plan to build the dam were altogether discarded due to the strong indigenous movement of the tribal groups and opposition from outside organizations.
Anthropologist Terisa Turner explains the gravity of this belief for the African and Cordillera culture, "We all come into the world through the vagina. By exposing the vagina, the women are saying: ‘We are hereby taking back the life we gave you. It's about bringing forth life and denying life through social ostracism, which is a kind of social execution. Men who are exposed are viewed as dead.." (International Museum of Women, imow.org7).
To sum up, the body has no single meaning as it exemplifies various significance according to the context, culture and the way it is constructed. Moreover, the meaning of the act of undressing is very complex that in order to fully grasp its value, one must first discern the purpose of those who wield it and the meaning attached by those who witness it. As such, we cannot lump together all public display of nudity in one generalization or label them together as immoral and indecent when in fact, there is a specific context and/or distinct belief that separates one from another. Therefore, the body can embody a multitude number of message but the resulting value judgment on its usage relies on those who view these body displays.
7 The Curse of Nakedness Article, from imow.org/wpp/Strories/viewStory?storyid=1098
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
The input data are analyzed in the framework of Social Constructivist Theory which deals with culture and context in understanding the events in society and constructing knowledge based on that understanding. Meanwhile, Symbolic Interactionism and Phenomenology shall be harnessed for methodological analysis wherein the former shall refer to ‘the process of interaction in the formation of meanings for individuals’ (Blumer, 1969)8, and the latter to the study of ‘phenomena’ or the way we experience things and thus include the meanings that things have in our experience.
Combining all three for the analysis, Political nudism is to be seen as a social phenomenon with varying meanings depending on different points of view as experienced by the political nudist groups and their individual audiences. Specifically, it is a method of protest; a body language that is ought to impart political message to its viewers. Such an attempt to reproduce a shared meaning by the nudist group, nonetheless, is not a simple, linear process. Meanings vary for every individual or group, affected by their values, thoughts and other influences. Besides, there is already an existing order or social construct on which the process of exchange occurs, which either may serve as a hindrance or a complement to the reproduction of meaning.
The first three theories explain the process of exchange and formulation of perception at the individual level. Since political nudism is one of the preferred method of protest or serves as a complement to others forms whose ultimate goal is to bring change, there is a need for a theory that shall explain the phenomenon of nudism at a much broader level involving the civil society and the institutions present in society and explain the power relations between these forces. This is where the fourth theory comes in. Structure-Agency theory shall explain the relationship of the agency (civil society) and the structure (government, norms) and demonstrate the power of the structure over the agents; to shape their behavior or influence their decisions. Together, all explain the interplay occurring among and between groups of people that account for the resulting value that society attributes to political nudism.
8 Herbert Blumer. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and methods.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The Social Phenomena being studied is Political Nudism. The three core principles, Meaning, Language and Thought of Symbolic Interactionism, can all together evaluate the effectiveness of human interaction. Meaning is the reason by humans’ act towards a thing or person. Language is the means used by humans to negotiate the meanings through symbols. And lastly, Thought is the interpretation of those symbols. The unified consciousness towards Political Nudism shall be derived from the exchange of these core principles between political nudists and their audience. It is also of vital importance that the study consider the social context and intervening factors that interact in the field.
In the course of the study, some terms have to be defined beforehand for better reception or conveyance of thoughts. The following terms are conceptualized as:
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
1) Political Exhibitionism- an act specially designed to attract attention for the sole purpose of relaying an advocacy 2) Political Nudism- is a type of political exhibitionism that harnesses the use of the naked body for a cause 3) Nudity- an unclothed body; natural state of being, not nudity as erotic 4) Activist- not necessarily an individual subscribed to the leftist ideology; any person with a strong belief for a cause or has strong advocacies and involves himself/herself in a political action 5) Social Movements- “set of opinions and beliefs in a population which represents preferences for changing some elements of the social structure and/or reward distribution of society” (John McCarthy & Mayer Zald)9 6) Freedom of Expression- “ensures that people are able to communicate and express opinions, in public, private, either written or spoken, without the interference of the state or others. It is not an absolute right; therefore it generally only has applicability where the purpose of expression is lawful, and where the act of expression does not infringe the human rights of others” (Association for Progressive Communications Organization)
Political Nudism will be measured in terms of its: Acceptability, Necessity, Effectiveness and Appropriateness. Indicators of which will include:
1) Acceptability will be measured based on the tolerance of the audience on its usage and to the nudists themselves 2) Appropriateness: Is it deemed appropriate to the culture, personal and societal belief/ values? 3) Effectiveness: Is it effective in catching attention of the masses and in promoting the advocacy? 4) Necessity: Is it needed to be done to shake people out of apathy towards social issues? 5) And in regards with Semantic match: Has there been an understanding?
To further understand the operationalization of terms used in the study, a table has been provided below. As the title of the study suggests, it is the significance of political nudism that
9 As defined in their article, ‘Resource Mobilizations and Social Movements: A Partial Theory.’
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
the author tries to discern. The parameter of which is listed in the table with the specific indicators and questions.
OPERATIONALIZATION TABLE
VARIABLE Parameters Indicators Method of Specific Questions Measurement
SIGNIFICANCE Acceptability Tolerance of usage Are you for or against any kind of nudity in protest? Do you think it is acceptable to be naked in a public Survey sphere if it's for a 'good' cause? Questionnaire Tolerance on users Is it acceptable for you that other organizations are using KII nudism to promote their advocacy? Do you think of political nudism as an acceptable means in conveying advocacies?
Appropriateness Culture, personal, & KII Is nudism appropriate in our country to call for attention societal beliefs/ values and deliver advocacies? Survey Do you think political nudism has An advantage vis-à-vis Questionnaire other form of protest?
Effectiveness Ability to catch KII Does an issue generate more buzz/ attention when attention conveyed through a naked body? Survey Assuming that you have seen a PETA ad or Oblation Run, Questionnaire Delivery of message Do you consider their act of nudism effective to convey their advocacy? In all honesty, What captures your mind when you see nudists on protests or in ads: the nudity or the political issue they seek to raise?
Necessity Need to be done KII Is it really necessary to harness a radical means such as nudism to attract attention and sympathy from the
public? Would you be willing to go naked for a cause you believe in so much? Would you recommend nudism to other organizations?
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
METHODOLOGY The research utilized both secondary and primary data gathering methods to fulfill its objectives. Methodology for the first objective, which is ‘To provide explanation on the significance and motivation behind political nudism’, is primarily a review of related literature particularly on the existence and purposes of Political Nudists. Moreover, an interview with the Prime Chancellor of APO Fraternity and PETA Campaign Coordinator was facilitated to learn of their goals and experiences in the said activity.
On the other hand, Primary data gathering was conducted to fulfill the second objective which is ‘To gather public perception on the use of nudism for political advocacies’. The researcher employed survey questionnaire to the residents of Brgy. Teacher’s Village East which is located in Maginhawa corner Masinsinan, Diliman, Quezon City. The community was chosen as respondents for the study since their location is strategically near the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus. Given that these residents are adjacent to the area where the annual political nudism event takes place, it is assumed by the author that they have attended/ seen or at least heard of the past few Oblation events and can provide their opinion as well as their assessment on the said activity. Their perception on the matter will prove highly valuable in measuring the people’s reception on events such as these.
Respondents from the community were chosen through the Probability Sampling Method specifically through a Simple Random Sampling. The 62 households were chosen through drawing and if the household happens to be empty since the majority of the residents are professionals and almost 80% percent of the children attend school10, another drawing would take place and the researcher would move on to the next picked house until all 62 slots are completed. The sample size and its computation can be found under the Sample Size Computation heading.
Other than the community survey, An interview with the Gabriela Chairperson, the UPM- Spectrum Founder, Father Rito Ybanez, Prof. Andrea Martinez and Dr. Gene Nisperos was also accomplished to ensure that ‘public’ does not only come from one sector and that the extensive knowledge of each ensures that their stance is grounded and authoritative. Furthermore, their varying perceptions are of substantial importance to provide different points-of-view in the study.
10 Taken from the Barangay profile of Teachers Village East. Attached as an Appendix.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
The same method will be adopted to achieve the third objective: ‘To know of the effectiveness of political nudism as a method of advancing political awareness’ and the data gathered undergone theoretical and methodological analysis using Phenomenology, Symbolic Interactionism, Structuration Theory and Social Constructivism to gauge the effectiveness of nudity for political means.
SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION According to the 2010 profile of the barangay, there are 750 more or less households as of 2010 in the area. The sample size (n) was derived through computation given the total household population. Calculation can be found below:
푁푍2 푝(1−푝) Given the Lynch formula 푛 = 2 , where: 푁푑 +푍2∙푝(1−푝) n= sample size N= total household population (750) Z= reliability Level (using 2-tailed; alpha, 90% confidence level is 1.645) p= proportion of getting good sample (.50) d=sampling error (given the 90% confidence level, margin of error would be .10)
Therefore, (750)(1.6452)(.5)(1 − .5) 푛 = (750)(.102) + (1.6452)(.5)(1 − .5) 506.25 푛 = 8.175 푛 = 61.9266055
Sample size is 62.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
RESEARCH DESIGN Objective Source of Data/ Method for Data Method of Analysis Target Population Gathering To provide Literature Secondary Content Analysis explanation on the News Data Qualitative significance and APO Gathering Analysis motivation behind Fraternity Key- political nudism prime Informant Chancellor Interview PETA Campaign Coordinator
To gather public Residents of Survey Quantitative perception on the Brgy. In-depth Analysis use of nudism for Teachers Interview Qualitative political Village East Analysis advocacies UPM Gabriela Head UPM Spectrum Founder Clergyman Medical doctor activist
To know the over- Residents of Survey Quantitative all meaning of Brgy. Subject Analysis political nudism as Teachers Interview Qualitative a concept and Village East Analysis phenomenon UPM Theoretical Gabriela Analysis Head (Phenomenology, UPM Symbolic Spectrum Interactionism, Founder Social Clergyman Constructivism) Medical doctor activist NGOs
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
RESEARCH ETHICS, SCOPE & LIMITATIONS On data protection, all information gathered through participation in this research was kept strictly confidential and was only used for academic purposes. All respondents were not in any way coerced nor harmed in this study. Likewise, there were no perceived risks and no vulnerable research participant were involved as all of them are aged 18 and above. They were rightly informed of the activity and their signatures were collected for proof of consent. None of the information were falsified.
As for limitation, the author deems that time was lacking to accomplish all plans. As such, these unaccomplished tasks were placed in the recommendation part for reference of future studies and for further understanding on the subject. Aside from time constraint, budget is also constricted since the author has no funding agency, except of course for the author’s parent.
In terms of scope, gender factor or the study on the difference of perception towards female and male nudists and respondents wasn’t incorporated in this study since that would entail a longer, more complicated survey questionnaire and analysis which the author has no time to do so. In addition, political nudism isn’t touted by the author as that one single form of protest that can bring about social change, rather it is taken in this study not as stand-alone method but as a complement to other forms of protest.
DATA ANALYSIS On acceptability of political nudism as a method of protest, 2 out of 5 of the interviewees responded that political nudism is tolerable for protest since it is a form of questioning the status quo and that in protest, one has to be creative in expressing discontent. The rest of them said that acceptability is reliant upon one’s consciousness and social morality thereby saying that its acceptability is a relative matter. From the survey, 44% responded as ‘Fair’ when it comes to their acceptability of nudity as a vehicle for protest (31% accepting, 25% not accepting) and 42% again responded as ‘Fair’ when it comes to organizations utilizing this method for advancing advocacies (36% accepting, 22% not accepting).
It can be derived from both data that it is the structure that influences one’s stance in terms of overall acceptability given the prevailing consciousness towards nudism. For years, society dictates that we frown upon nudity in public as it was heavily instilled to us that such is immoral,
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society or sinful. But there is also this new notion, as inspired by the prevailing liberal perspective, that we regard nakedness with an open mind and positive embrace. This clash of old and new culture creates conflict within society and therefore a ‘fair’ review towards nudism; fair meaning they aren’t against it but they do not necessarily welcome or actively promote its use. As data shows, there is an almost equal divide between the respondents of the survey and 2 versus 3 with the interviewees. Given that the conflicted society dictates how we view and accept this subject, there arise a struggle in choosing which side to take (old vs. new) leaving most people to take the option in between or as most people call it, the gray area.
In terms of appropriateness, 3 out of 5 interviewees have concerns towards its use, some of which are: the frequency of usage, when and how often you can only use it; semantic misunderstanding, wide diversity of meanings that can be ascribed to it; and its tendency to isolate conservative people. In addition, all of them are concerned that instead of concentrating on the issue, the audiences may lose their attention to the exhibit of nudity which will then hinder the promotion of the issue. Quantitative data connects with these concerns of the interviewees as fifty- two percent (52%) of the total respondents view nudism as inappropriate for advocacies.
Both data illustrates that people continue to link nudity to something taboo; and although nude advertisements/ advocacies attract publicity, their cause is not taken seriously because of the inability of the people to separate the body from ‘sexuality’ and with some taking a notch further, body with sex. Political nudism is regarded as inappropriate because of the automatic mental association of body to sex to eroticism, among others. Moreover, as a country that have been under the rule of Spain for hundreds of years, there is a ‘sin of the flesh’ as previously preached and continuous to be part of the sermon of the Catholic religion. As a result, it is socially constructed for nudity to be taboo in the context of the Philippines. These findings are further solidified by Dr. Maria Lourdes Veneracion- Rallonzo in her commentary Baring the Politics of the Body in the Body Politic11 : “The meaning and use that the body takes on depends on how it is constructed at a particular moment within a specific context… Thrown in a specific contextual milieu where predominant conceptions of women’s bodies have been tied to sex, the purpose of deploying naked protest may be lost because the only thing remembered was raw nakedness and not the message
11 Commentary presented by Dr. Veneracion-Rallonzo during the 2010 & 2011 Philippine Political Science Association
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society that was supposed to have been embodied in the bare bodies.” Thus, it is of no surprise that people don’t find nudism as a suitable tactic for laying out an issue.
On effectiveness, which is based on the ability of political nudism to attract attention and information relay- retention, all interviewees replied that political nudism does attract attention because it is something remarkable, drastic and it challenges the conservative norms. One even attributed this success due the fact that ‘sex sells’. When asked the question of what strikes their minds after seeing a political nudist protest, 4 out 5 said that it is the issue that usually strikes them, however they clarify, there is no denying that it is the naked human body that caught their attention first. It would be interesting to note that before the audience can delve deeper into an issue presented, the first step in what we may call “realization process”, is luring the audience’s attention to provoke a thought process. Meaning to say, the burden to make people sympathize to their cause depends on how the nudists will present the message, keeping the issue at spotlight during the exhibition. On the other hand from the quantitative data, 52% said that APO and PETA failed to deliver their advocacy to the audience and again, 53% said that it is the nudity that they remember after a nudist protest. Note that there are difference and convergence between the data. Both data tells us that they believe in its capability to attract attention. There is opposing views however on its ability to effectively relay information and issue retention. Qualitative responses show that they are positive it can relay-retain information when quantitative data shows otherwise.
Analysis of data indicates that, as pointed out before, there is automatic linkage between naked bodies to sex. Another, for a sexually repressed society like the Philippines where the present circumstances demand that we suppress anything that has to do with sexuality to the point that institutions are placed to keep the status quo in check (i.e. MTRCB, CBCP, Public Indecency Law), Political Nudism becomes an effective tool in terms of grabbing attention because this deviant behavior stands out as the prevailing structure is against its usage. However, political nudism wouldn’t have the same shock value and attention grab if it were done in an area where it is normal for people to walk around in little to almost no clothing like for example in a beach or in a red-light district. Now, to take into account the contradicting data from the quantitative and qualitative data, the answer is simple. In order for an advocacy to embed and be sympathized with, there is a pre-requisite of ‘consciousness match’. For an advocacy to draw sympathy, a semantic match or sharing of meaning and understanding, otherwise called consciousness match, must be
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society present. This is the reason why there is a stark contrast among the respondents and interviewees. The interviewees lie in the same political culture as that of the political nudists. They share a history of civic activism and have been involved with protest more than once thereby it is the issue that stick to their minds. For the community respondents of quantitative data, they don’t have the same consciousness as that of the political nudists as proven when 76% of them said that they haven’t participated to any mass movements before and doesn’t share the sentiment as others do when it comes to advocacies that doesn’t directly concern them thus failing to connect with the issue. In the terms of phenomenological theory, life worlds of interviewees somehow, if not perfectly, coincide. While life worlds of most respondents remain reserved each to their own private lives. Ergo, interviewees and respondents are divided in terms of appreciation of political nudism as a phenomenon.
Lastly, in terms of necessity, 2 out of the 5 interviewees said that it is not necessary to use the method of nudity since there are other ways to bring one’s message across. On the issue of social change, they believe that it is insufficient to bring about change through this method. In fact, one interviewee believed that social change can only come from a person with integrity as he views political nudists as not socially respectable. It is believed that naked protestors don’t hold the same seriousness, earnestness and respect as those protesting with their clothes on. Cory Aquino was even cited to have brought forth change through her values, not through nude display. When asked whether they will go naked for a cause, most of them are hesitant, with 3 of them saying they will only under certain conditions. From the quantitative data, 73% said that they won’t endorse the use of political nudism to other organizations, and 77% said they won’t ever go naked for a cause even if they believe in that advocacy so much. Data demonstrates that there exists a double standard between protestors who are nude and those who aren’t. Other than being criticized and ridiculed for choosing to go naked to relay an advocacy, they are also discriminated upon as norms that nudity is wrong have been internalized already and is taken as the truth. Ultimately, it reminds us the politics of nudity, where nakedness is used to measure who is a ‘proper’ kind of human person.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION
One might ask if there has been a unified consciousness towards political nudism. And as evident through the study, there is a blur between the subjective & objective experience of reality for all respondents. Albeit the exchange of meanings among individuals considering as well the other factors that come into play, the overall interaction failed to merge all meanings into one unified consciousness. The exchange of meanings in its entirety formed no unified meaning towards the phenomenon of Political Nudism. The author now points to the existence of three conflicts as the culprit for the resulting mismatch in meanings. These are the (1) Conflict within self, (2) Self (Personal Belief) with Society and (3) Agents with other Agents.
The first two conflicts are interlinked given that they both exist at the individual level. It can be said that we are in conflict with our self since we cannot separate our issues, beliefs, and prejudices in a phenomena, as Alfred Schutz proposed. Our life world cannot be disconnected from forming our social reality for it affects our everyday experiences inevitably. This conflict with the self is a result of the influence of existing social constructs in which we are born to. We alter settled constructs and create new ones under the conditions of the existing socially constructed environment. The inability to separate oneself from the dictates of society is one reason why many cannot see eye-to-eye the justification of the usage of Political Nudism. And given the many intervening factors aside from societal construct, the meaning of naked protests varies from one person to the next as Dr. Maria Lourdes Veneracion- Rallonzo tells the same in her speech, “The ‘body is socially constructed and its meaning or use varies from one context to another. In other words, the very meaning or function we attach to the ‘body’ is of our own making.” (Baring the Politics of the Body in the Body Politic, 2010, 2011)
Zooming out to a broader perspective, efforts of progressive political actors to structural change are hampered by relatively covert structures such as personal and traditional values, religious biases, and among others. This makes it difficult to bolster a radical concerted effort such as a nude protest, where forces in the civil society turn into conflict against each other. The prevailing structure is not only capable of subtly affecting an agent’s individual consciousness, but also, with the same subtlety, capable of turning agents in conflict with other agents. And without a unified general acceptance towards methods by which to topple the structure, agents will fail to deliver genuine structural change.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
The significance of Political Nudism through analysis of the data reveals that, political nudism is ineffective as a stand-alone method of protest. However its remarkable strength; pertaining to its capability to draw attention which the author points out to be one of the motivation behind the continued use of nudism amidst the resulting conflicts and misunderstanding, can be capitalized when used in complement with other forms of protest. After all, nudism is just one of the various forms of expression; it cannot be regarded as the sole bringer of political change.
The phenomenon of political nudism is a complex transaction of meaning among political actors taken as groups or individuals. Again, the actors’ infinitely varied life worlds at the individual level; and their group ideology at the collective level; renders the overall phenomenon as highly contestable among and between people. As we have looked into the interplay occurring among different forces in the civil society and by knowing the value that the civil society attributes to political nudism, we have assessed that it is not effective in the promotion of advocacies in this context and culture.
Future researches on the subject are recommended to look into the gender factor or to study the difference of perception towards female and male nudists and respondents. Also, it would be helpful to inquire whether NGOs would tap Political Nudism in the future as well as to look into the economic conditions, social diversity, local levels of activism and civic engagement of the respondents to account for the sharing and contrasting ideas and to understand better the influence of culture, consciousness and context in one’s perception towards the naked body.
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
REFERENCES: BOOK REFERENCES: Barcan, R. (2004). Nudity: A Cultural Anatomy. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers. Blumer, Herbert. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspectives and Methods. Prentice-Hall. Donoghue, Daniel. (2002). Lady Godiva: A Literary History of the Legend. Blackwell Publishing. Goodson, Aileen. (1991). Therapy, Nudity & Joy: The Therapeutic Use of Nudity Through the Ages from Ancient Ritual to Modern Psychology. Elysium Growth Press. Johnston, Hank. (1995). Social Movements and Culture. Minnesota Press. Kahr, Brett. (1997). Exhibitionism: Ideas in Psychoanalysis Lunceford, Brett. (2012). Naked Politics: Nudity, Political Action and the Rhetoric of the Body. Lexington Boooks. Rudofsky, Bernard. (1971).The Unfashionable Human Body. Garden City, NY.
ACADEMIC JOURNALS: Barcan, Ruth. (2002). Female Exposure and the Protesting Woman. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press, University of Western Sydney. Husserl, Edmund. (2003). Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Phenomenology. Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/ Levine, Philippa. (2013). Naked Truths: Bodies, Knowledge, and the Erotics of the Colonial Power. Journal of British Studies. McCarthy, John & Zald, Mayer. (1977). Resource Mobilizations and Social Movements. The American Journal of Sociology. The University of Chicago Press. Can be accessed online here:https://campus.fsu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/academic/social_sciences/sociology/ Reading%20Lists/Stratification%20(Politics%20and%20Social%20Movements)%20Cop ies%20of%20Articles%20from%202009/McCarthy-AJS-1977.pdf Rallonzo, Maria Lourdes Veneracion. (2011). Baring the Politics of the Body in Body Politic. Retrieved from: http://vene politicsofeverydaylives.blogspot.com/ Schutz, Alfred. (2003). Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Phenomenology. Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/
ONLINE ARTICLES: Allvoices.com. (2011). 2011 Oblation Run at University of the Philippines, Diliman. Retrieved from: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/11109890-in-pictures-2011-oblation- run-at-university-of-the-philippines-diliman last 01/28/14
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POLITICAL NUDISM: A Study on the Use of Nudism in Advocacies and Its Significance to the Society
Balita Philippines. (2009). UP-Diliman Oblation Run calls for justice to victims of Maguindanao massacre. Retrieved from: http://balita.ph/2009/12/15/up-diliman-oblation-run-calls-for- justice-to-victims-of-maguindanao-massacre/ last 01/28/14 Commondreams.org. Geraldine Sealey. (2002). Naked Ploy is Latest Threat in Oil War. Retrieved from www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0731-08.htm last 03/12/14 GMA News. Roehl Nino Bautista. (2013).Oblation Run 2013 raises awareness for Yolanda victims, environmental issues. Retrieved from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/339676/lifestyle/peopleandevents/oblation-run- 2013-raises-awareness-for-yolanda-victims-environmental-issues last 01/28/14. Interkasyon, TV5 News. (2012). UP Oblation Run 2012: APO members run naked for fair elections. Retrieved from: http://www.interaksyon.com/lifestyle/up-oblation-run-apo- members-run-naked-for-fair-elections last 01/28/14 International Museum of Women. The Curse of Nakedness. Retrieved from http://imow.org/wpp/stories/viewStory?storyid=1098 last 03/12/14 Newyorker.com. Alexis Okeowo (2011). The Ivory Coast effect. Retrieved from m.newyorker.com last 03/12/14 Oprah Magazine. Kevin Conley. (2008).The Rabble Rousers. December Issue. Retrieved from Oprah.com last 03/12/04 Philippine Daily Inquirer. Nancy Carvajal. (2008). Naked UP students run vs. Charter Change. Retrieved from: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081216- 178359/Naked-UP-students-run-vs-Charter-change last 01/28/14 The Canadian Encyclopedia.(n/a). Doukhobors. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/doukhobors/#suggested-reading last 01/29/2014
WEBSITES: Alpha Phi Omega: International Collegiate Service Fraternity and Sorority. Filipino Chapters’ Official Website. http://oblationrun.apo-phil.org/ Alpha Phi Omega, International Website. http://apo.org/ Australian Naturist Federation. Official website. http://www.ausnatural.org.au/ International Naturist Federation. Official Website. http://www.inf-fni.org/ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Official Website. http://peta.org/ PETA Asia-Pacific. Official Website. http://www.petaasiapacific.com/ The Naturist Society. Official Website. http://www.naturistsociety.com/
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