The Social Representation of Feminism within the On-line Movement “Women Against Feminism”
Journal Title: Revista Română de Comunicare şi Relaţii Publice - Year 2017, Vol 19, Issue 1
Abstract
The present paper aims to analyse the social representation of feminism within the “Women Against Feminism” (WAF) on-line movement that is based on a shared blog which gained significant coverage in the U.S. and U.K. media since the summer of 2014. Using the method of quantitative content analysis and the insights provided by social representations theory, the paper will disclose what lies behind the concept of ‘feminism’ for the group embracing the WAF movement and also aims to find whether the members of this on-line community can be described as postfeminists. The article will conclude that the social representation of feminism within the WAF on-line movement is not based on a lack of information, but rather on a stereotypical understanding of the concept and on a non-nuanced perspective upon the history of feminism and its current developments (in particular the difference between post-feminism and third wave feminism). Moreover, similar arguments raised against feminism have been also drawn in the past, WAF sharing similar arguments with the ‘80s media backlash against feminsim.
Authors and Affiliations
Oana Crusmac
Review of 'Populist Political Communication in Europe' by T. Aalberg, F. Esser, C. Reinemann, J. Strömbäck & C. de Vreese (eds.) Routledge, 2016, 402 p.
This edited volume explores a topic that is generally under-investigated inside the broader field of research on populism, namely its communicative aspects. The book originates from a research project funded by the Europ...
Nation Branding in Romania After 1989: A Cultural Semiotic Perspective
This paper discusses four nation branding post-communist campaigns initiated by the Romanian Government, from a cultural semiotic perspective, as developed by the Tartu-Moscow-Semiotic School. In so doing, it focuses on...
Ready for the Homeland Hate Speech on Croatian Right-Wing Public Facebook Pages
The article analyzes nationalistically motivated online hate speech on selected right-wing public Facebook pages in Croatia. The rise of historical revisionism and populism paved the way for the growing presence of hate...
Review of The Age of Sharing by Nicholas A. John, Polity Press, Cambridge, UK, 2017, 200 pages
In the society we live today the concept of ‘sharing’ is at a common use, in multiple situations. People share houses, food, information, services, smiles, stories, photos, cars, pets, expertise and many other goods, ser...
Introductory Remarks
In one of the most widely used definitions of qualitative research, Denzin and Lincoln (2005, p. 3) describe this practice as consisting of “a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible”. However...