(Para)normalizing Rape Culture

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-84
Author(s):  
Annika Herb
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Rape Culture ◽  
Heterosexual Relationships ◽  
Cultural Discourses ◽  
Abusive Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Gender Ideals ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Insight Into

Contemporary Young Adult literature is a favored genre for exploring sexual assault, yet rarely interrogates the social structures underpinning rape culture. In its representation of heterosexual relationships, Young Adult paranormal romance offers insight into the processes and structures that uphold rape culture. Genre tropes normalize abusive behavior and gender ideals, demonstrating the explicit and implicit construction of rape culture, culminating in the depiction of supernatural possession analogous to rape. Here, I reflect on power, control, rape culture, and girlhood in a textual analysis of Nina Malkin’s Swoon, Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush, and Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon’s Covenant. A constructive reading reflects implicit cultural discourses presented to the girl reader, who can apply this to her own negotiation of girlhood.

Addressing Rape Culture through Folktale Adaptation in Malaysian Young Adult Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-133
Author(s):  
Sharifah Aishah Osman
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Rape Culture ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Female Agency ◽  
Feminist Activism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

Rape culture is a provocative topic in Malaysia; the public discourse on it is plagued by gender stereotyping, sexism, misogyny, and rape myths. Recent literary works aimed at Malaysian adolescent girls have interrogated rape culture more pointedly as a means of addressing gender-based violence through activism and education. In this article, I discuss two short stories, “The Girl on the Mountain” and “Gamble” as retellings of Malaysian legends and feminist responses to the normalization and perpetuation of rape culture in this society. Through the emphasis on female agency, consent, and gender equality, these two stories reflect the subversive power of Malaysian young adult literature in dismantling rape culture, while affirming the significance of the folktale as an empowering tool for community engagement and feminist activism.

Fröschen und Gurken

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Julia Boog-Kaminski
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Sexual Liberation ◽  
Nature And Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Children And Young Adults

Artikelbeginn:[English title and abstract below] Kaum eine Zeit steht so sehr für die sexuelle Befreiung und Sprengung familialer Strukturen wie die 1968er (vgl. Herzog 2005). Kaum ein Märchen steht in der psychoanalytischen Deutung so sehr für den sexuellen Reifungsprozess und das Unabhängigwerden eines Kindes wie Der Froschkönig. Der vorliegende Artikel greift diese Verbindung auf, da gerade während der 68er-Bewegung verschiedene Wasser- und Amphibienfiguren in der Kinder- und Jugendliteratur (KJL) vorkommen, die stark an die Motive des Märchens erinnern. Frogs and CucumbersTransformed Men in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Since 1968 In psychoanalysis, the fairy tale The Frog Prince has attracted much interest as a narrative of sexual liberation. Placing this motif at the heart of Nöstlinger’s and Pressler’s ›antiauthoritarian classics,‹ this article puts forward a new reading of literature for children and young adults. Through the ambiguity of the frog figure – oscillating between nature and culture, consciousness and unconsciousness – these books chronicle, in their own manner, the social transformation associated with 1968. They portray the emancipation movement as a hurtful and paradoxical process instead of one that reproduces the myth of linear progress.

The Limits of Homonormativity: Constructions of Bisexual and Transgender People in the Post-gay Era

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 934-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lain A. B. Mathers ◽  
J. E. Sumerau ◽  
Ryan T. Cragun
Keyword(s):  
Christian Women ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
The Social ◽  
Bisexual And Transgender ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Bisexual People ◽  
Reproduction Of Inequality ◽  
Insight Into

This article addresses limitations of homonormativity in the pursuit of sexual and gender equality. Based on 20 interviews with cisgender, heterosexual Christian women, we demonstrate how even people who support same-sex marriage and some recognition of cisgender lesbian and gay people as potentially moral individuals may continue marginalization of transgender and bisexual people in their interpretations of gender, sexualities, and religion. We outline two generic processes in the reproduction of inequality which we name (1) deleting and (2) denigrating whereby people may socially construct transgender and bisexual existence as unnatural and unwelcome despite gains for cisgender lesbian and gay people. We argue that examining the social construction of bisexual and transgender people may provide insight into (1) limitations of homonormativity in the pursuit of sexual and/or gender liberation, (2) transgender and bisexual experience, and (3) the relative absence of bisexual and transgender focused analyses in sociology to date.

Young Adult Literature as a Means for Developing and Supporting Socio-Emotional Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 453-476
Author(s):  
Rachelle S. Savitz ◽  
Leslie Dawn Roberts ◽  
Kim Ferrari ◽  
Steven Jernigan ◽  
Rachel Danielle Long
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Emotional Skills ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Social And Emotional Skills ◽  
The Social ◽  
School Day ◽  
Class Period ◽  
Instruction And Curriculum

Addressing the social and emotional needs of students is not only vital, but it should be a priority for all teachers. Teaching social and emotional skills directly influences students' academic ability. Yet, many schools and classrooms do not see the connection between their instruction and curriculum with SEL. Often, schools have set aside a portion of the school day, or a few minutes at the end of the class period, to check in with students or teach specific skills. One way that students can explore their own identities and build a sense of agency is through the use of young adult literature. There are many ways that teachers can incorporate YA in the classroom to build SEL. This chapter focuses on how three current in-service teachers use YAL to address SEL in their classrooms. They each provide a brief background of who they are, their beliefs about using YAL to address SEL in their classrooms, and authentic examples from their instruction. Using these descriptions, the authors hope this chapter will help promote using YAL to address SEL in classrooms.

scholarly journals Weinergate, Twitter, and marginalized voices : political sex scandals in a new media environment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Turner McGowen
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
Cultural Discourses ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sex Scandals ◽  
And Gender

Discourse strongly influences the ways in which ideologies are formed, maintained, and contested, thus the dialogue surrounding political sex scandals may shape the ways in which individuals negotiate their own beliefs and behaviors. Research into political sex scandals is further complicated by the changing nature of interactions within a new media environment, involving numerous voices and perspectives. This research project attempts to look closely at this phenomenon, discovering the cultural discourses surrounding political sex scandals and critiquing the assumptions made therein. The first chapter will explain the importance and significance of the study of political sex scandals. The second chapter will then review the extant literature surrounding the study of political sex scandals, as well as covering gender and sexuality and new media theories. The third chapter describes the multi-methodological approach for the study, detailing a case study for this project. The fourth chapter reviews the rhetorical strategies employed in the political sex scandal, Weinergate. The fifth chapter describes the content analysis of messages about Weinergate sent through the social media website Twitter. The sixth chapter critiques the ideological messages surrounding the Weinergate scandal, specifically as they relate to sex, sexualities, and gender roles. The seventh and final chapter discusses limitations of this project and suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Book Review of Chris Crowe’s More Than a Game

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-104
Author(s):  
TERRI SUICO
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Golden Age ◽  
Insight Into

Chris Crowe’s More Than a Game: Sports Literature for Young Adults gives young adult sports literature the attention it deserves. Published in 2004, just three years after Michael Cart (2001) declared “a new golden age of young adult literature” (p. 96), Crowe’s work appears as part of the Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature series and offers further insight into this pervasive if sometimes overlooked field of YAL.

Festival Attendees: A Motivation and Performance Analysis of a Young Adult Literature Festival

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen W Litvin ◽  
Emily Powell
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Ya Literature ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Insight Into

This research, with data collected pre-COVID-19, provides insight into an interesting and rarely studied event, the young adult (YA) literature festival. Survey research conducted at a YA festival, with attendees generally from middle school through university age, provided useful insight into the motivations for visiting the festival, determination of the person making the decision to attend (surprisingly, the YA and rarely his/her parent) and the satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors that affected the attendee’s attitude toward the festival. In addition, Significance Performance Analysis (SPA) is introduced as an alternative to the widely used Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) model.

HIV/AIDS: Playing with Failure in Caper in the Castro and Two Boys Kissing

2020 ◽  
pp. 65-86
Author(s):  
Derritt Mason
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Young Adult Literature ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
The Social ◽  
Young Adult Novel ◽  
Aids Crisis ◽  
Hiv Aids

This chapter puts into conversation two temporally and formally distant texts: C.M. Ralph’s video game Caper in the Castro, created during the height of the AIDS crisis in 1989 and recently restored in 2017; and David Levithan’s 2013 young adult novel Two Boys Kissing, which is set in the present-day but narrated by a ghostly chorus of gay men—called the “shadow uncles”—who died during the worst of the AIDS epidemic. As a video game, Mason argues, Castro allows us to play with and feel the anxieties about HIV/AIDS that continue to circulate in queer YA and its criticism—including Levithan’s novel, which confines HIV/AIDS to historical trappings, keeping it detached from the social worlds of its young contemporary protagonists. This is consistent with the treatment of HIV/AIDS elsewhere in young adult literature, which habitually mis- and underrepresents the virus in order to preserve the innocence of its protagonists.

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