Hi guys,
Just a quick one, hope everyone had a good long weekend. I did nothing which was fantastic and ended up watching a movie called 'Surrogates'. Bruce Willis stars in it and its about a world in which humans use robots or cyborgs in the real world so as to protect themselves from harm or anything that could go wrong outside. The humans lock themselves in their houses and hook up to a machine in which they can see and control their surrogates - which are also all beautiful and younger versions of the real life humans. I just found this very interesting as it wasn't set that far in the future, and to protect the human race (or what they thought was protection) they used robots to carry out their every day lives, which ends up consuming them.
If you havent seen the movie already heres the trailer. I think it fits in really well for the unit and made me think if it was actually possible for us to end up there. Personally I cant seem to even comprehend not leaving the house or breathing fresh air and living through a robot/cyborg.
Just a small part of my long weekend that I though I would share with you guys
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Found something interesting (I think)
Hey guys,
I found this interesting topic while Internet surfing. Apparently, there is this manga (Japanese comics) genre called Yaoi or Boys' Love. This is a successful media in Japan and is targeted towards a female market. The authors are mostly women too. The genre presents "homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships." Some of these manga may not contain strong sexual content, but some features soft porn and even graphic sexual scenes.
This really came as a shock to me because I always assumed pornographic media as male-dominated. But here is a medium that is made by women, for women. I wonder what feminists can say about this. When it comes to pornography, there is always the argument about the objectification of the woman's body. But in this case, it is the reverse.
By the way, Yaoi is so popular in Japan that they make live-action movies and anime versions of the comics.
What do you think?
I found this interesting topic while Internet surfing. Apparently, there is this manga (Japanese comics) genre called Yaoi or Boys' Love. This is a successful media in Japan and is targeted towards a female market. The authors are mostly women too. The genre presents "homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships." Some of these manga may not contain strong sexual content, but some features soft porn and even graphic sexual scenes.
This really came as a shock to me because I always assumed pornographic media as male-dominated. But here is a medium that is made by women, for women. I wonder what feminists can say about this. When it comes to pornography, there is always the argument about the objectification of the woman's body. But in this case, it is the reverse.
By the way, Yaoi is so popular in Japan that they make live-action movies and anime versions of the comics.
What do you think?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
‘Technology is a male privilege; women participate on those terms.’ Discuss the ways in which technology is gendered.
Cockburn, Cynthia & Ormrod, Susan (1993) Gender and Technology in the making. London & Newbury Park: Sage Publications
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=85mwBllqv98C&printsec=frontcover&dq=gender+and+technology+in+the+making&hl=en&ei=ZiiZTPmaF43RcfTvuZMP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Accessed 9 September 2010).
Gender and Technology in the making is a useful book that was found online from Google Books. Dr. Cockburn and Ormrod, the authors, are renowned in the field of feminist research and gender studies and have produced many works in previous years on the gender relations of technology. Though the text was produced in 1993, it provides sound insight into the ways in which technology as a whole is gendered, and an earlier perspective to the gender hierarchy in technology. The text was published by Sage, a notable academic publisher and has been cited a number of times by authors of other books and journals. The issues raised in the book are extensively researched and provide a globally relevant piece of writing, despite being produced in the United Kingdom.
The book in its entirety discusses the idea that, the inferiority of women and their involvement with technology has come about as a result of the overt stereotyping of genders in our society. This creates the belief that women have less expertise and general competence in the field of technology. Conversely, men, by the same standards, are perceived as being capable and dominant users of technology, thus highlighting a hierarchy of gender in regard to technology. Furthermore, Cockburn and Ormrod attempt to provide a feminist strategy to overcome such gendering. Overall by using a number of technological examples, such as the microwave, and key theories concerning the gendering of technology, such as the enhanced agency that comes with the relationship between masculinity and technology, the text works to effectively examine and develop sound feminist reasoning to look beyond gender stereotypes in technology.
Dholakia, Ruby Roy, Nikhilesh, Dholakia & Kshetri, Nir (2003) ‘Gender and Internet Usage’ The Internet Encyclopedia- Citeseer, pp.1-34.
http://ritim.cba.uri.edu/wp2003/pdf_format/Wiley-Encycl-Internet-Usage-Gender-Final.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This article is a highly valid source found using Google Scholar that examines the ways in which technology is gendered. This scholarly article was published in 2003, well into the existence of a variety of new age technologies, such as the Internet. At the time Gender and Internet Usage was written, the authors, Dholakia, Dholakia and Kshetri were university professors from the University of Rhode Island in America. Now they continue to flourish in the fields of technology, marketing and business. Though the article has a different geographical location, the content is highly relevant as it examines and provides strategies to overcome the inequalities of gender in communicative technologies, especially the Internet, on a global scale. Additionally the text was published by the well-founded public online search engine for articles, Citeseer, developed in 1997 by a research institute at Princeton University.
The text investigates differences in gender in the assumption and use of information and communication technologies, with particular reference to the internet, and how these disparities have come about because of a variety of cultural and social expectations of males and females. Through a substantial amount of source analysis and examples, the text provides a more research-based presentation of the relationship between gender and technology.
Herring, Susan C ‘Gender and Power in On-line Communication’ (2003) In: Holmes, Janet & Meyerhoff, Miriam (eds.), The handbook of language and gender. (pp. 202-228). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
http://ella.slis.indiana.edu/~herring/gender.power.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This chapter was located on the author’s publication section of her university homepage. The author has produced an exceptional number of works over the past twenty years and is notable within her fields of study. Currently, she is a Professor of Information Science at Indiana University and has an extensive background in the fields of linguistics, technology and computer-mediated communication. Published in 2003, the chapter is both contemporary and appropriate when examining the ways in which technology is gendered, especially given that the author is a university professor and our level of research is at a university level.
Herring discusses the potential for technology, particularly the Internet, to become gender-neutral in the future if it is not already by considering the notions of access, evidence, computer-mediated communication, the World Wide Web and future scenarios. She accepts the notion that there are gender inequalities in society, but argues that these disparities of gender dissipate given the anonymity and lack of physicality in the online context. Therefore contending that male dominance and female subordination evident in everyday society, do not apply to the same extent online. This text provides a pertinent counter-argument to the notion that technology, particularly the Internet, is gendered.
Kirkup, Gill & Keller, Laurie S. (1992) Inventing women: science, technology, and gender. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press in association with The Open University and Blackwell Publishers Ltd
http://books.google.com/books?id=d8fSSELO8E4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Accessed 12 September 2010).
This text was found using Google Books. It is an assortment of articles written by individual authors with an ongoing commentary by Kirkup and Laurie. The editors of the text have a largely academic based history, with a strong emphasis on the gendering of technologies. The text was released in both UK and USA markets and therefore is relevant on an essentially global scale. Well-established and recognised publishing companies published the text in 1992 and it has been cited frequently since its’ release. Though it is an earlier piece of research into the gendering of technology, it is highly valuable in providing a largely feminist-based approach to gender inequalities in technology. The book as a whole presents the notion of gender in technology and science using a broad range of voices and perspectives. The authors address a number of key issues concerning the relationship between gender and technology, particularly stereotypes of male superiority in technology and female submission, as well as existing social and cultural perceptions of what is suitable for each gender. Furthermore, the struggle of women to overcome the perception that they have little education, intellect or experience for technology, and how a feminist approach to gender relations and technology can improve the situation are examined, thus presenting a suitable piece of research for the above mentioned guiding question.
Nass, Clifford, Moon, Youngme & Green, Nancy (1997, 2006) ‘Are computers gender-neutral? Gender stereotypic responses to computers with voices’ Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27.
http://www.stanford.edu/~nass/comm369/pdf/GenderOfRecordedSpeech.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This article was found using Google Scholar and has been taken from an online journal. The Journal of Applied Social Psychology comes under Blackwell Publishing, a well-known academic publisher. The authors of this article, Nass, Moon and Green were professors at Stanford University at the time of publication, with significant focus in the fields of communication, interactive media and business, thus presenting a highly scholarly source. Though produced in America, the text is extensively research study-based, more so than theory-based, thus it is significant on a relatively global scale. The content presented is both exceedingly relevant and appropriate in examining the ways in which technology is gendered. The study in the article examines how small gender prompts provoke responses based on biological stereotypes, such as men are assertive, whilst women are emotional. Though the article does not directly present theory-based content, it works to effectively expose the capacity to gender stereotype, reinforcing the notion that technology is not gender neutral. Therefore implying negative implications for gender, particularly women.
Laura Minnock
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=85mwBllqv98C&printsec=frontcover&dq=gender+and+technology+in+the+making&hl=en&ei=ZiiZTPmaF43RcfTvuZMP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Accessed 9 September 2010).
Gender and Technology in the making is a useful book that was found online from Google Books. Dr. Cockburn and Ormrod, the authors, are renowned in the field of feminist research and gender studies and have produced many works in previous years on the gender relations of technology. Though the text was produced in 1993, it provides sound insight into the ways in which technology as a whole is gendered, and an earlier perspective to the gender hierarchy in technology. The text was published by Sage, a notable academic publisher and has been cited a number of times by authors of other books and journals. The issues raised in the book are extensively researched and provide a globally relevant piece of writing, despite being produced in the United Kingdom.
The book in its entirety discusses the idea that, the inferiority of women and their involvement with technology has come about as a result of the overt stereotyping of genders in our society. This creates the belief that women have less expertise and general competence in the field of technology. Conversely, men, by the same standards, are perceived as being capable and dominant users of technology, thus highlighting a hierarchy of gender in regard to technology. Furthermore, Cockburn and Ormrod attempt to provide a feminist strategy to overcome such gendering. Overall by using a number of technological examples, such as the microwave, and key theories concerning the gendering of technology, such as the enhanced agency that comes with the relationship between masculinity and technology, the text works to effectively examine and develop sound feminist reasoning to look beyond gender stereotypes in technology.
Dholakia, Ruby Roy, Nikhilesh, Dholakia & Kshetri, Nir (2003) ‘Gender and Internet Usage’ The Internet Encyclopedia- Citeseer, pp.1-34.
http://ritim.cba.uri.edu/wp2003/pdf_format/Wiley-Encycl-Internet-Usage-Gender-Final.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This article is a highly valid source found using Google Scholar that examines the ways in which technology is gendered. This scholarly article was published in 2003, well into the existence of a variety of new age technologies, such as the Internet. At the time Gender and Internet Usage was written, the authors, Dholakia, Dholakia and Kshetri were university professors from the University of Rhode Island in America. Now they continue to flourish in the fields of technology, marketing and business. Though the article has a different geographical location, the content is highly relevant as it examines and provides strategies to overcome the inequalities of gender in communicative technologies, especially the Internet, on a global scale. Additionally the text was published by the well-founded public online search engine for articles, Citeseer, developed in 1997 by a research institute at Princeton University.
The text investigates differences in gender in the assumption and use of information and communication technologies, with particular reference to the internet, and how these disparities have come about because of a variety of cultural and social expectations of males and females. Through a substantial amount of source analysis and examples, the text provides a more research-based presentation of the relationship between gender and technology.
Herring, Susan C ‘Gender and Power in On-line Communication’ (2003) In: Holmes, Janet & Meyerhoff, Miriam (eds.), The handbook of language and gender. (pp. 202-228). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
http://ella.slis.indiana.edu/~herring/gender.power.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This chapter was located on the author’s publication section of her university homepage. The author has produced an exceptional number of works over the past twenty years and is notable within her fields of study. Currently, she is a Professor of Information Science at Indiana University and has an extensive background in the fields of linguistics, technology and computer-mediated communication. Published in 2003, the chapter is both contemporary and appropriate when examining the ways in which technology is gendered, especially given that the author is a university professor and our level of research is at a university level.
Herring discusses the potential for technology, particularly the Internet, to become gender-neutral in the future if it is not already by considering the notions of access, evidence, computer-mediated communication, the World Wide Web and future scenarios. She accepts the notion that there are gender inequalities in society, but argues that these disparities of gender dissipate given the anonymity and lack of physicality in the online context. Therefore contending that male dominance and female subordination evident in everyday society, do not apply to the same extent online. This text provides a pertinent counter-argument to the notion that technology, particularly the Internet, is gendered.
Kirkup, Gill & Keller, Laurie S. (1992) Inventing women: science, technology, and gender. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press in association with The Open University and Blackwell Publishers Ltd
http://books.google.com/books?id=d8fSSELO8E4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Accessed 12 September 2010).
This text was found using Google Books. It is an assortment of articles written by individual authors with an ongoing commentary by Kirkup and Laurie. The editors of the text have a largely academic based history, with a strong emphasis on the gendering of technologies. The text was released in both UK and USA markets and therefore is relevant on an essentially global scale. Well-established and recognised publishing companies published the text in 1992 and it has been cited frequently since its’ release. Though it is an earlier piece of research into the gendering of technology, it is highly valuable in providing a largely feminist-based approach to gender inequalities in technology. The book as a whole presents the notion of gender in technology and science using a broad range of voices and perspectives. The authors address a number of key issues concerning the relationship between gender and technology, particularly stereotypes of male superiority in technology and female submission, as well as existing social and cultural perceptions of what is suitable for each gender. Furthermore, the struggle of women to overcome the perception that they have little education, intellect or experience for technology, and how a feminist approach to gender relations and technology can improve the situation are examined, thus presenting a suitable piece of research for the above mentioned guiding question.
Nass, Clifford, Moon, Youngme & Green, Nancy (1997, 2006) ‘Are computers gender-neutral? Gender stereotypic responses to computers with voices’ Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27.
http://www.stanford.edu/~nass/comm369/pdf/GenderOfRecordedSpeech.pdf
(Accessed 13 September 2010).
This article was found using Google Scholar and has been taken from an online journal. The Journal of Applied Social Psychology comes under Blackwell Publishing, a well-known academic publisher. The authors of this article, Nass, Moon and Green were professors at Stanford University at the time of publication, with significant focus in the fields of communication, interactive media and business, thus presenting a highly scholarly source. Though produced in America, the text is extensively research study-based, more so than theory-based, thus it is significant on a relatively global scale. The content presented is both exceedingly relevant and appropriate in examining the ways in which technology is gendered. The study in the article examines how small gender prompts provoke responses based on biological stereotypes, such as men are assertive, whilst women are emotional. Though the article does not directly present theory-based content, it works to effectively expose the capacity to gender stereotype, reinforcing the notion that technology is not gender neutral. Therefore implying negative implications for gender, particularly women.
Laura Minnock
Culture Jamming
Culture Jamming
Christine Harold’s essay “Pranking Rhetoric: ‘Culture Jamming’ as Media Activism” presents us with an alternative form of resistance. As Harold pointed out in the essay, “the promising forms of media activism may resist less through negation and opposition than by playfully appropriating commercial rhetoric both by folding it over on itself and exaggerating its tropes” (189).
By comparing ad parodies and media pranks, Harold was able to point out the pros and cons of both forms of media activism. Here are the three main points that I think we should consider when comparing ad parodies and pranks:
1. Their aims
“Whereas parodists attempt to change things in the name of a presupposed value, comedians diagnose a specific situation, and try something to see what responses they can provoke” (Harold 194).
2. Their methods
“Mass media pranks and hoaxes discussed here do not oppose traditional notions of rhetoric, but they repattern them in interesting ways” (207).
3. Their supposed outcomes
“Culture jamming multiplies the tools for contemporary media and consumer activists” (208).
My questions on this topic:
1. If you were to “pie” someone, who would it be and why? (Pretend you are a Biotic Baking Brigade member.)
2. Do you think media pranks, as a political action, “intensifies” thought? Or does it fall into the danger of being just another spectacle?
Reference:
Harold, Christine. “Pranking Rhetoric: ‘Culture Jamming’ as Media Activism.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 21, no.3 (2004): 189-211. (Unit reader)Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tues 21/9 Culture Jamming
Culture Jamming is about doing rather than theorising the media. As Naomi Klein puts it, "culture jamming is writing on the streets" (Klein, 2000, p. 284). Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn makes a valid point that "communication professors tell their students everything that's wrong with the global media monopoly, but never a word on how to fix it." When examining Culture Jamming it is crucial to not just theorise the faults of media corporations, but to reflect on the active, two-way communication between the self and the sign.
Tarsh talked about the book Welcome to the Real by Slavoj Zizek in the lecture yesturday which focussed on the repetition of signs in the media. A sign which has been repeated is still able to be compelling. This made me think of the examples of Jamming I have found which reinforce the the sign as a spectacle. The McDonald's logo for instance doesn't just represent food, but also corporate giants, overconsumption, and obesity. The meaning behind signs is always changing as our culture becomes more and more saturated with information. Do you think it's still possible to uncover the real or original? Furthermore I would like to pose the question- how do Culture Jams affect the cultural process of the Cyborg? How are we resistant or subversive to technology in this context?
I might be on a bit of a tangent here- but let me know what you think. In the meantime have a look at this site http://parody.organique.com/053.html -there are a few more examples of Culture Jamming to get you thinking... thanks to everyone who contributed to today's discussion! :)
Carla.
Tarsh talked about the book Welcome to the Real by Slavoj Zizek in the lecture yesturday which focussed on the repetition of signs in the media. A sign which has been repeated is still able to be compelling. This made me think of the examples of Jamming I have found which reinforce the the sign as a spectacle. The McDonald's logo for instance doesn't just represent food, but also corporate giants, overconsumption, and obesity. The meaning behind signs is always changing as our culture becomes more and more saturated with information. Do you think it's still possible to uncover the real or original? Furthermore I would like to pose the question- how do Culture Jams affect the cultural process of the Cyborg? How are we resistant or subversive to technology in this context?
I might be on a bit of a tangent here- but let me know what you think. In the meantime have a look at this site http://parody.organique.com/053.html -there are a few more examples of Culture Jamming to get you thinking... thanks to everyone who contributed to today's discussion! :)
Carla.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
‘Technology is a male privilege; women participate on those terms.’ Discuss the ways in which technology is gendered.
*You might need to use your student number and password to access some of the sources provided.*
Annotation #1 [access it by clicking here]
Lohan, M & Faulkner, W 2004, ‘Masculinities and Technologies’, Journal of Men and Masculinities, vol 6, no. 4, viewed 11 September 2010,http://www.studioincite.com/PNT/men_masculinity.pdf.
The article is written by Dr. Maria Lohan and Dr. Wendy Faulkner. This article is highly credential because both of these women are lecturers at University and have reserved outstanding expert recognition. The article was published in 2004 in a journal article called Masculinities and Technologies. The information provided in this article will be very useful for my essay because it outlines how technology and gender are interlinked and how they shape one another. The article also provides a reference list, so the information offered can be verified.
Annotation #2 [access it by clicking here]
Gill, R & Grint, K 1995, The gender-technology relation: contemporary theory and research, viewed on 12 September 2010,
http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RQ5i58fSOioC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&ots=YmwvVC2jOL&sig=XQeSJhcVYjjRFxCANtfb3ty1CFo#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Annotation 2 is an e-book which I found on Google scholar. The authors explore the relationship between gender and technology. They begin by examining the widely held notion that technologies are masculine, which links with my guiding question quite well. By stating that ‘technologies are masculine’, it can be said that technologies are gendered. The e-book also offers three positions on gender and technology. There is the eco-feminist viewpoint, liberal feminist perspective and also a historical view which argues technology as a masculine culture. I can use these three perspectives in my essay to inform the readers about the different aspects of gender and technology. The liberal feminists argue that technology itself is neutral; the way in which men and women are placed in relation to it causes it to be seen as gendered. I can use the liberal feminist perspective to argue that technology is neutral and not necessarily gendered.
The book is credential because it is written by authors who are professors at University. They have both written a variety of scholarly journals and books. Although some pages are omitted from the e-book, the information that is published is quite relevant to my guiding question and so therefore is quite useful. The book was published in 1995 by Taylor & Francis Publications.
Annotation #3 [access it by clicking here]
‘Exceptional women? Gender and technology in U.K. higher education, Technology and Society Magazine, vol. 18, no. 4, Winter 1999-2000, pp. 21-27, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=808845&isnumber=17517&tag=1.
This is an online magazine article which deals with the construction of gender-technology relations in UK’s higher education system. The author states that technology has always been associated with boys and men. Women have often been presented at the ‘other’ to technology and have been told that “real technology” is not for them. By this statement, one can already see how technology is gendered and is applicable to my guiding question. Henwood explores how if one takes a liberalist view on the gender-technology relationship, then they can see that neither gender nor technology is problematized. The problem arises when someone takes a constructivist view. This is quite interesting I can state in my essay how different view point can determine whether technology is gendered or not. The constructivist perspective understands technology as a cultural or social construct which entails a reflection of the cultural norms and social relations that are dominant in the institutions. The institutions are the one that develop, design and launch latest technologies into the society. As the society is patriarchal, the “masculinity” of technology is emphasized.
This article is written by Flis Henwood who is a professor at the University of Brighton. She has received a number of qualifications in the social informatics field and has published a range of articles which emphasize on technology itself. This is a credential article because it has been written by a scholarly professional. The author gives a neutral approach to the issue of gender and technology and is not bias.
Annotation #4 [access it by clicking here]
Lerman, NE., Oldenziel, R & Mohun, A 2003, Gender & technology: a reader, viewed 13 September 2010, http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SvGxLNnMwl8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=gender+and+technology&ots=lwVE5ri2Oz&sig=BM3ra0-Jpc0FzKyx00CoF7NbbKk#v=onepage&
This is an e-book which I found while searching on Google scholar. The authors outline the same issue that was raised on the other articles I found. It states that gender and technology are closely related and they both shape each other. Gender shapes the way in which we observe and use technology, while technology shapes our idea of gender. As the information has been repeated by many scholars I can say that it is accurate and I can use it in my essay. The authors also provide a clear definition of ‘technology’ and ‘gender’ which I believe can be quite useful for my essay. It can help the readers understand what I mean by the two terms. The authors make another interesting point by differentiating between ‘masculine technology’ and ‘feminine technology’. This differentiation causes technology to be gendered.
The e-book has been written by authors who are lecturers at University. They have published numerous books and articles before. All of them have reserved tremendous recognition in their field of work, so it can be said that this e-book is highly credential. The book was published in 2003, so the information it provides can still be considered relevant. Although I cannot access all the pages, the information accessible is quite useful and can be applied to my guiding question.
Annotation #5 [access it by clicking here]
Turmel, W 2010, Are Technology and Evolution Eliminating Gender Gaps?, viewed on 13 September 2010, http://www.bnet.com/blog/virtual-manager/are-technology-and-evolution-eliminating-gender-gaps/427.
This is the CBS Interactive Business Network website which I found while searching for websites on gender and technology. Although this website does not relate to my guiding question, I still found it quite useful because it raised the question of how technology is eliminating gender gaps. It argues that technology is making the experience of women and men more similar than before. It does not offer much information on how technology is getting rid of the gender bias, so I will need to do more research on that topic, when I write my essay.
Wayne Turmel is a connected manager on the website. Although he has written various articles for the website, I do not think this website is credential because Wayne is not a scholarly expert or a professor at University. But I feel the point he raise about technology eliminating gender gap is quite interesting and I can use it in my essay.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Webliography. Apologies I completely to post it until now! Hopeless.
Webliography
5. If popular culture has taken up the cyborg as a figure of process, what happen to the way race is represented? (this question can be applied to any form of pop culture)
Sherman, Yael (2004) ‘Tracing the Carnival Spirit in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Feminist Reworkings of the Grotesque.’ Thirdspace: a journal of feminist theory & culture and transgressive sexualities, 3. http://www.thirdspace.ca/index.php/journal/article/viewArticle/sherman/179
The articles use of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a course of analysis, addresses the guiding question in terms of popular culture processes. The article refers to the series as a site of popular culture consumption, creation, expression and process, where political dimensions of space and body are transformed. The Representation of race is discussed as a metaphoric device, referring directly to Buffy’s half-human, half-demon dualism as ‘the privileged site of metaphoric race’. The “dualism” of characters’ race is discussed in relation to Donna Haraway’s Cyborg oganism, directly referring A Cyborg Manifesto. Races represented in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, like that of Haraway’s cyborg, embrace partiality, is monstrous, transformative and defiant of “natural” order. The articles additional analytical platform, Gloria Anzaldua's well-known book, Borderlands, provides the article with scholarly and resourceful information. Anzaldua’s book is discussed within the article in terms of racial and cultural marginalization and exile. This further provides possible avenues of racial analysis, particularly to do with physical locations and contemporary technological territories. The article would support the guiding question, in particular, discussion concerning televisual representations of race, and contemporary themes and perceptions surrounding the cyborg, i.e. vampires and animal-human dual races.
Bailey, Cameron (1996) ‘Virtual Skin: Articulating Race in Cyberspace,’Anne Moser and Douglas MacLeads, ed. Immersed in Technology: Arts and Virtual Environments (Cambridge: MIT Press), pp. 29-46.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=7FGTVGs64RsC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=virtual+skin+bailey&source=bl&ots=Ar-MtJbIL5&sig=CbGjNDUenE2CckL52Wt011bnM6A&hl=en&ei=HV6HTPemMcbJcZnfxJ4I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=virtual%20skin%20bailey&f=false
(accessed 6 Sept 2010)
This article is relevant to the question as it focuses heavily on virtual race as a process of representation. The representation of racial identity online is clearly outlined as a transformative process, ‘often chosen, played with, subverted or foreground as a construct’ (p. 335). The malleable nature of online identities in this case, embodies conceptual qualities of cybernetic organisms. The Internet is a prominent domain of popular culture in the contemporary digital environment. Online communication, based on representation through a textual interface, along with a mere online presence, is standard and increasingly expected of popular cultural mediums. The article details the technicalities and online tools involved in the process of identity manifestation, as well as relevant conceptual and theoretical arguments stemming from this. For example, the maintaining awareness of the physical body, within cyber environments, a virtual articulation of habeas corpus, and its connection with racial identity. The article additionally references a number of reliable and scholarly books, novels, essays and case studies. It would support the exploration of cyborg identities and bodies, within cyberspace and popular culture as a racialized environment.
McGinnis Kati (2010) ‘Gender Performance, Transgression and the Cyborg in Battlestar Galactica.’ Oculus. 1, pp. 72-76. http://www.dsq-sds.org/index.php/juros/article/viewFile/1256/1267 (accessed Sept 4 2010)
This article uses an evident form of popular culture, the television series Battlestar Galactica, as a means of analysis and is thus accordant to the question. Additionally the article addresses notions of the cyborg, directly referencing Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto. The representation of one of the series’ characters, as described by McGinnis, clearly reflects the common trend in popular cultural processes of the cyborg. “She is a contradictory mish-mash of dichotomies: masculine/feminine, human/machine, active/passive, bio- logical/mechanical, rational/emotional, and so on. She is no longer the sexualized “other”, but now a recognizable cyborg” (p.75). Although the article is generally concerned with the gender performance and transgression, these concepts are discussed with an underlying context of race, in particular, the manifestation of cyber race. Race is, however discussed using a specific and credible analysis of the “Cylon” enemy, a cybernetic race created by humans. This exemplifies a fear of the “other”, a classic, apocalyptic narrative conventional to popular culture representations of race and technology. A brief passage about the author renders the article a credible and scholarly resource, acknowledging her specialised study into representations of race and gender within popular culture at the Ohio State University.
Scott, Kristina (1997) ‘The Cyborg, the Scientist, the Feminist & Her Critic.’ http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/philosophy/Cyborg-Scientist-Feminist.html (accessed 4 September 2010)
The article’s analysis of technology as discourse, environment, techno-phobia, gender, sex and reproduction, all pertain to the human race as a whole. Scott’s article further supports and explores Haraway’s perception of “natural” as highly subverted within the cyborg age, and her critique of the “false organic self”. She also notes the concept of modern forms of subjectivity, fetishized perspectives and cybernetic political vision. Race and racialized ideologies can be investigated as an extension of these ideas. Scott’s critique of Haraway’s “capitalist coding and systems theory” can similarly be used as a platform for the analysis of racial theories.
Christopher Hight (2003) ‘Stereo Types: The Operation of Sound in the Production of Racial Identity.’ Leonardo, 36. pp. 13-17. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/stable/1577272 (accessed Sept 6 2010)
Hight’s article explores racial identity and representation through music and sound as a form of popular culture, providing an alternative avenue of racial and technological analysis. The article uses a number of supportive case studies in the discussion of “black” and “white” racial conciseness and compartmentalization in terms of music. The generic African-American rap narrative of empowerment, so common within popular culture films and music, also provides an insight into racialized processes of popular culture. Technologies of sound, are discussed with relation to the cyborg, for example the article quotes Jacques Attali's theoretical text Noise: A Political Economy of Music (1985). "Mechanisms for recording and reproduction on the one hand provide a technical body, a framework for representations, and on the other hand by presenting themselves as double, constitute a simulation of that power, destroy the legitimacy of representation” (p.16). This modern technology is further discussed in terms of the liberal, reproducing media consumer, highlighting a shift away from institutional power. Racialized ideologies and processes can thus be discussed in accordance with technology, dominance, preconceived ideologies and the popular culture music industry.
your departing comments Week 8
Great discussion this week!
- There is significant debate between liberal and feminist perspectives regarding computer ethics & gender. More research needs to be done to effectively examine gender inequality online.
- I didn't realize that all this time, I was cyberstalking. But not obsessively and with no intention to harm them.
- Cyberstalking - is it ok unless there is an intent to harm or obsession
- Is cyberstalking as dangerous as real life stalking? & How do we define cyberstalking?
- If pornography demeans women, what about porn actresses who claim they liberate themselves through their "job"?
- Cyberstalking: google latitude - enter someone's phone number and you can know where they are!
- Assuming that women are more victims of cyberstalking is dangerous for men.
- Everyone is a stalker in their own right.
- People can see through webcams?!!!
Virtual Ethics-Cyberstalking: Gender and computer Ethics, Alison Adams.
WOMN2205 Self.Gov 1-Virtual Ethics Tutorial Presentation:
Reading: Adam, Alison. “Cyberstalking: Gender and computer ethics.” Virtual Gender. London: Routledge. 2001. Pp. 209-224.
Key points of the article:
Monday, September 13, 2010
Webliography
Webliography- Carla Crago
Is a cyborg queer? Discuss the critical thinking on the intersections between sexuality and technology.
1. Stern, Steven E, Handel, Alysia D. “Sexuality and mass media: the historical context of psychology’s reaction to sexuality on the internet” http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2372/is_4_38/ai_84866946/ November 2001, date accessed 9th September 2010
This article is from the Journal of Sex Research, which is published in Australia by the Health Care Industry. The authors are professors in Psychology. The information is scholarly as it’s recent, and is written by experts in their field. The page is set out like a forum, with a box for users to post comments and opinions. It’s important to not get distracted by the opinions posted, as the information is not usually accompanied with references. The focus should be on the text in the article in order to maintain a good University standard of research.
The source focuses on the internet as a technological medium that encourages sexual pursuit in its users. This is reinforced through visited websites with sexual themes to intense on-line sexual interactions in chat rooms. The relationship between sexuality and the internet is viewed from a broad, historical perspective. The article examines the contrast between the internet and other previous technologies and asks the question: is the internet different from other technologies when it comes to the expression of sexuality? Pornography is addressed as being a function of advancement in the sexualisation of the cyborg. Another important aspect of this source is the idea of isolation and anonymity on the internet, which encourages users to embrace sexualities without the evaluation of others. Once social cues are removed a new environment is created where cyborgs can freely express themselves. The information is valuable to the ‘guiding’ essay question as it is important to understand the relationship between sexuality and technology historically before starting to write on the topic of ‘queer’ cyborgs.
2. Miyake, Esperanza “My, is that Cyborg a little bit Queer?” http://www.bridgew.edu/SoAS/jiws/Mar04/Miyake.pdf 1st March 2004, date accessed 11th September 2010
This essay is not only a valuable source of information, but it is also a pleasure to read. The author takes on a first person conversational tone beginning the piece with “I was nestling some popcorn between my legs whilst watching Blade Runner recently, a film I always watch with much delight”. Miyake provides examples of the relation between the body, sexuality and technology with examples from this science fiction film. The author, Esperanza Miyake has a Masters degree from the University of York in English and Literature, which reiterates the credibility of her writing. The essay is clearly cited and footnoted with relevant sources. Despite the somewhat casual tone of the essay, some crucial points are raised concerning the integration of body and machine. Foucault’s theory of power as producing things and generating knowledge and discourse is challenged. Miyake writes that in the cyber world subjects interweave within and without this grid of power, with no one holding the power, only exercising it. Miyake also details sexuality as coming from the body. This could be related back to the ‘guided’ essay question by reflecting on Miyake’s belief that gender is a costume, emphasised by on/ offline masquerade. It is possible to be a man one day, a woman the next, and a dildo-using sheep the following day, according to the essay. This represents the obscurity of sexuality on the internet which transforms the cyborg into ‘queer’ (verb).
3. Lawley Lane, Elizabeth “Computers and the Communication of Gender” http://www.itcs.com/elawley/gender.html April 1993, date accessed 11th September 2010
This essay is not an ideal scholarly source as there is very little information available on the author Elizabeth Jane Lawley. The only background material I could find is that she is a student at Edith Cowen University in Perth. Her level of expertise on the subject is not as trustworthy as a person of higher authority in their field of study. The source isn’t recent either (1993), compared to the other works I have found. It is a source worth mentioning though because it deals with the concepts of theorists/ writers such as Judith Butler, Donna Haraway and Marshall McLuhan. The notes and references at the end of the page also indicate a high level of research. The focus of the essay is on escaping into the virtual world and becoming a consciousness manifested on the network, independent of the physical body. Lawley maintains the notion that technology keeps gender the same (a man is still, biologically, a man) but sexuality is interchangeable. It is necessary when citing this source to know how to differentiate between the terms gender and sexuality. Gender is more frequently asserted in the essay but doesn’t relate to the ‘guiding’ essay question. Another point Lawley makes is that the internet allows, and even encourages women to become sexually assertive in a way that does not put them physically at risk. A quote which stood out in relating technology to sexuality is “there is danger in predicting the future in a straight line”. This refers to cyborgs as not needing to follow a straight, set pattern for technology use, but rather to adapt and experiment with other options of representation.
4. Hollinger, Wendy. “Something like a Fiction: Speculative Intersections of Sexuality and Technology” http://books.google.com.au/books?id=QKMS9j6I7GcC&pg=PA140&dq=sexuality+and+technology&hl=en&ei=ZqmJTN7nE4-avgOdwM22CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sexuality%20and%20technology&f=false 2008, date accessed 10th September 2010
This chapter is an appropriate source to cite in an essay as it has been published very recently (2008) and the author is an acclaimed writer in the field of English and Cultural Studies. Veronica Hollinger received her BA from Marianopolis College in Montreal and then travelled to Newcastle (UK) to complete her Masters in Education. This source can be used to address the ‘guiding’ essay question as it deals with the role of technology in the reconfiguration of sexualities and genders. It references an award- winning essay by Wendy Pearson on reading science fiction queerly, as well as discussing “sextrapolation” as a new wave science fiction. A positive aspect to this chapter is that Hollinger deals with technology as a whole rather than specifying just the internet. The source constructs an instrumental theory based on the common sense idea that technologies are “tools” ready to serve the purposes of their users. There is a quote worth noting down relating to cyborgs and sexuality as follows: “we created the machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now. It has robbed us of the sense of space and of the sense of touch, it has blurred every human relation and narrowed down love to a carnal act, it has paralysed our bodies and our wills, and now it compels us to worship it...” It relates back to the ‘guided’ essay question emphasising the way our body is being controlled by the machine and sexuality is manipulated.
5. Keneally, Laura. “Virtual Identities- Cyborgs” http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Virtual_Identities_-_Cyborgs 8th October 2004, date accessed 10th September 2010
This is not an ideal source to reference in an essay as the information is too simplistic and focuses primarily on women. The ‘guiding’ question asks for a discussion about cyborgs, so the material should include information relating to both men and women. The author, Laura Keneally is a student at Edith Cowen University which (like the source stated previously) doesn’t make her writing entirely credible. The essay is published on an encyclopaedia site which reinstates its unreliability as a source. The footnotes however, allude to a range of other useful sources. The material itself deals with Donna Haraway’s ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ which is a crucial component to answering the ‘guided’ question. The article also refers to a number of queer theories and contrasts them to Haraway’s dominant ideas. Keneally underlines the power of sexuality which comes from the body. She believes it is the body that will become subject to and of cyborgian cultural construction. Her points are relevant to answering the ‘guided’ essay question as they can be challenged or reinforced.
Webliography- Emily M
6. Haraway’s ‘Manifesto’ is a political text generated from socialist feminism in the 1980s. In what ways have feminists taken up her radical ideas since then?
Cayden Mak, (2010) ‘Cyborg Theory, Cyborg Practice’ (11 May 2010) The Outlet. http://electricliterature.com/blog/2010/05/11/cyborg-theory-cyborg-practice/ (accessed 7 September)
This blog developed the ideas presented in Haraway’s Manifesto and extends them further by discussing transgender politics and how it relates to cyborg ideas. ‘Cyborg Theory, Cyborg Practice’, references Haraway’s work as well as feminism of the 1980s. In particular, the history of feminism that excluded transgendered individuals from participating in the movement. Cayden Mak argues that transgendered bodies are the perfect embodiment of cyborg ideas because technology plays a huge part in the way in which they experience their bodies. Taking apart your body and altering it with science, is a cyborgian experience, it is argued.
This source is useful as it is not only of a very high standard but is also a deeply personal account. The blog makes careful reference to and analysis of Haraway’s work. It is not only a critical source but it is also evidence of a feminist adopting the radical cyborg ideas and extending these ideas into contemporary thought and issues. It is clear in this blog that Haraway’s work continues to stimulate ideas and discussion. Despite the fact that Haraway excluded ideas of transgender in her original manifesto, her ideas are apparently still relevant when discussing these topics.
Hayles, Katherine N. (2006) ‘Unfinished Work: From Cyborg to Cognisphere’ Theory, Culture & Society, vol 23, no 7, http://tcs.sagepub.com/content/23/7-8/159.full.pdf+html (accessed 7 September 2010).
This article argues that not only was Haraway’s ‘Manifesto’ groundbreaking the 1980s, but it continues to be used and reworked in the academic world. Hayles states that the ‘Manifesto’ is still being cited thousands of times and contemporary feminists, to relate to issues in the twenty-first century, have morphed her ideas. Despite the criticism expressed in the previous source discussed, that the ‘Manifesto’ excluded issues of transgender politics, this article suggesst that it is becoming increasingly relevant. Hayles states that the influence of intelligent technology means that, as a society, we must re-evaluate the ideas of human agency and control.
Though the article suggests that perhaps the cyborg is not the most compelling or comprehension metaphor, it is a starting of point for the work that needs to be done. Haraway’s ‘Manifesto’ stimulated discussion on ideas of non-binaries and therefore should be taken into account when expanding on feminist ideas in the twenty-first century. This article is of a high standard and was published in the last five years. It is relevant, well referenced and uses Haraway’s 1980 work as well as her more recent research. It does however focus more on abstract concepts of technology and gender and does not discuss in depth contemporary feminism in real terms. Despite this, it is a useful source for evaluating the effect of the ‘Manifesto’ in contemporary academic thought.
VNS Matrix, http://lx.sysx.org/vnsmatrix.html, (accessed 7 September 2010)
Despite the fact that this website is small and poorly kept, it is evidence that the ideas presented Haraway’s ‘Manifesto’ continued to be explored in the later part of the century. One of few links on the website is to an informal history of the group written by one of its four members. In this history Francesca da Rimini, discusses the writing of their ‘Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century’ in 1991. She states that there were two versions of their manifesto, one, which appears on the page, and another that she is yet to scan.
There are obvious limits to this source. The website is apparently not regularly updated and is by no means of an academic standard. However it is evidence of a development of ideas stemming from Haraway’s work in the 1980s. The website also has hidden links to other websites that are also dealing with themes and concepts that were first addressed in Haraway’s ‘Manifesto.’ Though this website is not useful in terms of researching the artistic movement itself, it does contain a copy of their manifesto and therefore evidence of cyborg theory in the 1990s.
Fernandz, Maria, (2003) ‘Cyberfeminism, Racism and Embodiment’, Domain Errors, http://refugia.net/domainerrors/DE1b_cyber.pdf (accessed 7 September 2010)
‘Cyberfeminism, Racism and Embodiment’ discusses the issue of race in contemporary feminist thought. It specifically looks at new modes of feminism that focus on technologies and the future of thought. This 2003 article uses Haraway’s ‘Manifesto’ as a foundation for the article and refers back to the main themes and concepts represented by Haraway. Fernandaz states that there is a lot of interest in issues of race and gender in cyberspace in the academic world and that a lot of this research has been linked to feminism. This source critiques aspects of Haraway’s work why still basing the bulk of the research on the main points put forward in the 1980s.
The presence of this article itself is not only evidence that Haraway’s concepts have been taken up by contemporary feminists but also that the ideas are still be discussed in broader academia. Fernandz also makes reference to many artistic groups and groups of thought that have been build on the founding ideas of Haraway. This source is scholarly, thorough and evidence in itself of the ongoing discussion and adoption of Haraway’s 1980s ideas.
Paasonen, Susanna, (2005) ‘Surfing the Waves of Feminism: Cyberfeminism and its others’ http://vsites.unb.br/ih/his/gefem/labrys7/cyber/susanna.htm (accessed 8 September 2010)
This source traces the evolution of feminism after the Cyborg Manifesto was published. It links the term 'Cyberfeminism'to the Australian artistic group VNS Matrix and discussing how the movement stemmed from concepts of cyborgs. This article traces the concept of the cyborg throughout academic and post-modern thought. The focus is on the critique of works of self-titled ‘Cyberfeminists’ and attempts to establish a definitive meaning for the word. Similar to the views of Maria Fernandez, Paasonen states that many young men and women who avoid identifying as feminist are seemingly more willing to associate with the new ‘Cyberfeminsim’ label.
This article as well as ‘Cyberfeminism, Racism and Embodiment’ suggests that Cyberfeminsim has not only developed from a reaction to twentieth century feminist thought, but has also based a lot of its key ideas and concepts on Haraway’s Manifesto. ‘Surfing the Waves of Feminism’ suggests that the evolution of feminism has led to a new school of thought that still needs to be questioned and constantly reassessed. This source is well referenced and researched. It also offers a link to the author’s page and her other works.
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