Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2020 Rey-ifying a New Heroine: Interrogating the Curriculum of Femininity in Star Wars Films Rebekah S. Morgan Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, and the Other Education Commons Recommended Citation Morgan, Rebekah S., "Rey-ifying a New Heroine: Interrogating the Curriculum of Femininity in Star Wars Films" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2034. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2034 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REY-IFYING A NEW HEROINE: INTERROGATING THE CURRICULUM OF FEMININITY IN STAR WARS FILMS by REBEKAH MORGAN (Under the Direction of Sabrina Ross) ABSTRACT The Star Wars film trilogies are a cross-generational phenomenon. Due to its powerful and pervasive nature, the messages within Star War’s films must be problematized. As a cultural artifact, Star Wars was used to explore the representations of women across time and three generations. Using a conceptual framework based on cultural curriculum studies and feminist theory, this study explored the significance of Star Wars as gender text by interrogating the representations of women in the Star Wars film saga and what these representations teach about gender and femininity. By focusing on the themes of agency, empowerment, and identity, this work investigated the (un)reached potential of the representations of women in Star Wars films to serve as a tool for social change. It shows how Star Wars films hold significance for the identity formation of young women, broader goals for social justice, cultural curriculum studies, and the field of education. Our current state of education and broader society is implicated by this research as they must be willing to embrace the changing perceptions and understandings of gender norms and femininity. INDEX WORDS: Feminism, Feminist, Femininity, Feminist media studies, Films, Popular culture, Cultural study, Cultural curriculum studies, Public pedagogy, Textual analysis, Discourse analysis, Identity formation, Star Wars REY-IFYING A NEW HEROINE: INTERROGATING THE CURRICULUM OF FEMININITY IN STAR WARS FILMS by REBEKAH MORGAN B.S., Valdosta State University, 2005 M.Ed., Troy University, 2006 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION STATESBORO, GEORGIA © 2019 REBEKAH MORGAN All Rights Reserved 1 REY-IFYING A NEW HEROINE: INTERROGATING THE CURRICULUM OF FEMININITY IN STAR WARS FILMS by REBEKAH MORGAN Major Professor: Sabrina Ross Committee: Antonio Gutierrez de Blume Julie Garlen John Weaver Electronic Version Approved: May 2020 2 DEDICATION To Tread and Estee. I love you both more than you will ever know. You are the spark that lights up my whole world. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am blessed to have a spouse who has embraced all the ways in which I have grown and changed throughout this journey. Thank you, Rance, for supporting me at every turn. Your patience and encouragement has helped me to realize this dream of mine. You willingly kept the household going while I was locked away for weeks writing. You endured those lonely days without a single complaint. Thank you, for all that you have given me. You are the rock upon which we have built our beautiful life together. You keep me grounded and steady. I love you. Mama, words fail me. There is no word, no way, no act that could accurately reflect my love and appreciation for you. You give me faithful instruction and unconditional love. Your selflessness has made this (and everything else in my life) possible. “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all” (Prov. 31). I pray daily that I can live up to the example you have set before me. Daddy, I am pretty sure you wanted this for me even before I knew I wanted it for myself. You have been the most instrumental person in inspiring the feminist within me. From an early age, you taught me independence. Thank you for allowing my children to take over your house and invade your space while I have completed these final chapters. Thank you for cheering me on. To my siblings, you have formed so much of who I am as an adult. I am blessed to have grown up in a household where we were all comfortable embracing our inner “nerd.” Monica, thank you for paving the way and challenging me as I have strived to reach your level of brilliance. Thank you for babysitting and loving my children as your own. Ryan and Jacob, your unwavering ability to cut tension with well-placed sarcasm is a skill that serves our family well. Thank you for the countless hours spent with my children constructing Lego masterpieces, 4 playing nerf wars, and having lightsaber battles. You are now helping foster their inner ‘nerds’ and I am proud. To Dr. Sabrina Ross, thank you for your kindness, patience, and wisdom you shared with me throughout this process. The lessons you provided to me in class and throughout this research endeavor are invaluable. You have inspired me to consider my world, my research, and my own perspectives in deeper and richer ways. Your sweet spirit offers a calming presence and I am grateful to have encountered it along my way. Thank you for your guidance and mentorship. Dr. Garlen, Dr. Gutierrez De Blume, and Dr. Weaver, thank you for your time and willingness to serve on my committee. You challenged me in ways that helped me grow both intellectually and personally. To John Stone, without your friendship I am not sure I would have made it. I think about the first day of classes in this program and thank God that you picked the chair next to mine. Our lunches together and regular phone calls/texts have kept me focused and inspired along the way. Thank you, friend. To Amy Fitzgerald, thank you for all of your help (and edits). The many miles we have walked around our neighborhood have helped form my thoughts and bring this work to fruition. I’m grateful to have someone in my life who loves to talk education as much as I do. Thank you for being such a great person and friend. Also, a special thank you to my group of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. You know who you are. Your prayers and positive energy has sustained me more often than you know. May the force be with you all, always. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................3 EPISODES I EVERY GENERATION HAS A LEGEND ................................................................7 “Crazy thing is, it’s true. The Force, the Jedi, all of it” – Star Wars as a Cultural Phenomenon.............................................................................................10 “I felt a great disturbance in the Force” – Statement of the Problem ............15 Feeling “unbalanced” - Researcher Positionality ..........................................17 “Oh, R2, what are we doing here?” - Key Research Issue ............................21 “What did you have in mind for your next move?” - Organization of Dissertation ............................................................................................................21 II A LITTLE MORE KNOWLEDGE LIGHTS THE WAY ........................................23 Understanding the Force(s) through Curriculum Studies ..............................23 “The truths we cling to depend on our point of view” - Popular Culture and Curriculum Studies ........................................................................................27 “Be mindful of your thoughts” - Popular Culture as Public Pedagogy .........30 “I am with the Resistance” - The Feminist Lens ...........................................33 “I need someone to show me my place in all this” – Using Feminist Media Studies to Interrogate Representations...........................................................40 Feminist Media Analyses of Star Wars Films ...............................................46 “The sacred Jedi texts” - Literature on Star Wars’ Female Characters .........50 III I WONT HAVE YOU QUESTIONING MY METHODS-METHODOLOGY... 56 “I hope you know what you’re doing!” - Relevant Approaches to Feminist Media Studies.................................................................................................56 “Now, your coming together is your undoing.” Combining Textual Analysis and Discourse Analysis in Star Wars Films ..................................................63 6 “Your eyes can deceive you; don’t trust them” - Key Research Issue ..........64 “I wonder if your feelings on the matter are clear.” - Limitations of Study ..67 “Your focus determines your reality.” - Positionality Statement ..................68 IV WOMEN ALWAYS FIND OUT THE TRUTH. DATA ANALYSIS ..............70 “You must learn the ways of the Force.” - The Original Trilogy .................72 “Maybe you’d like it back in your cell, Your Highness?” - Analysis of Princess Leia ..................................................................................................75