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A Qualitative Study of Anti-Feminist Discursive Strategies in Online Comment Sections

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A Qualitative Study of Anti-Feminist Discursive Strategies in Online Comment Sections A Qualitative Study of Anti-Feminist Discursive Strategies in Online Comment Sections Gabrielle LaFortune A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN LINGUISTICS AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO August 2015 © Gabrielle LaFortune, 2015 ABSTRACT This thesis uses multiple analytic categories drawn from the literature to identify discursive strategies used in online comment sections that function to undermine feminism. The work has two purposes: to provide a qualitative, critical discourse analysis of anti-feminist discourse in asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC), and to describe the ways in which the frameworks drawn from the literature complement one another in the analysis. This is done by analyzing comments from several North American websites, and describing occurrences of anti-feminist discursive strategies in terms of individual occurrences, and as they intersect with one another. Previous research has shown that the ability to identify anti-feminist discursive strategies allows feminists to resist silencing. Thus, in addition to adding to the literature on anti-feminist discursive strategies and asynchronous CMC, it is my hope that this work may be useful in denaturalizing and demystifying these strategies. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two: Online Culture .......................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4 Women and the Internet .......................................................................................................... 4 Postfeminism........................................................................................................................... 7 Feminism......................................................................................................................... 8 Masculinity ................................................................................................................... 10 Women .......................................................................................................................... 12 Libertarianism ........................................................................................................................ 13 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 14 Chapter Three: Asynchronous CMC ............................................................................................ 18 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 18 YouTube and News Sites ....................................................................................................... 19 Early CMC Research ............................................................................................................ 22 Previous Research of Anti-Feminist Discourse & Use of ‘f-’categories in CMC ................ 24 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 33 Chapter Four: Methods and Methodology .................................................................................... 35 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 35 Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis.................................................................................... 35 Framework Descriptions & Examples .................................................................................. 36 Ehrlich & King (1994) .................................................................................................. 36 Skinner (2005) .............................................................................................................. 39 Lazar (2014) .................................................................................................................. 41 Introduction to Data .............................................................................................................. 43 Globe and Mail Articles................................................................................................ 43 New York Times Articles ............................................................................................... 45 YouTube Videos ............................................................................................................ 46 Data Collection Methods ..................................................................................................... .47 Phase 1 .......................................................................................................................... 48 Phase 2 .......................................................................................................................... 50 Data Analysis Methods ......................................................................................................... 51 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 52 Chapter Five: Individual Instances of Analytic Categories .......................................................... 53 iii Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 53 Skinner .................................................................................................................................. 53 Co-optation ................................................................................................................... 53 Incorporation ................................................................................................................. 56 Translation/Redefinition (Ehrlich & King) ........................................................................... 58 Redefinition as Omission or Obscuring ........................................................................ 59 Redefinition as Expansion ............................................................................................ 61 Redefinition as Obliteration .......................................................................................... 63 Semantic Reversal ......................................................................................................... 65 Lazar ..................................................................................................................................... 73 Alternate Context Disavowal ........................................................................................ 73 Alternate Men Disavowal ............................................................................................. 74 Gender Oversensitivity Disavowal ............................................................................... 75 Generational Disavowal ................................................................................................ 78 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 79 Chapter Six: Intersections of Discursive Strategies ...................................................................... 85 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 85 Skinner and Ehrlich & King ................................................................................................. 85 Skinner, Ehrlich & King, and Lazar ..................................................................................... 92 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 100 Chapter Seven: Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 102 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 108 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 114 Appendix A: Advice to younger women: Practice manning up ......................................... 114 Appendix B: Body politic: Why do vintage Playboys appeal to female customers? ........ 117 Appendix C: Eighteen minutes, zero men speaking: How Scotland’s Parliament made history ........................................................................................................... 122 Appendix D: Nov. 15: This week’s Talking Point –
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