This collection of original essays looks at the way in which experiences and representations of femininity are changing, and explores the possibilities for producing 'new' femininities in the twenty-first century. The volume includes a Preface by leading feminist scholar Angela McRobbie.

Geographies of New Femininities examines the emergence of contemporary constructions of femininity in a global context. It asks whether these femininities are new and suggests that current celebrations of diversity in the lived experience and performance of women's identities are largely Euro-centric. Through four in-depth case studies Geographies of New Femininities illustrates how constructions of femininities across the world reflect gender inequalities embedded within global/local geographies of social and economic change. The analysis brings together key themes in geography and feminist studies, showing how globalisation and the fracturing of identities are influencing research on gender. Throughout the book the authors explore spaces of opportunity and oppression for women and highlight the geographies associated with the negotiation of gender identities. Geographies of New Femininities moves between empirical and theoretical debate using first hand accounts to work through methodological issues relating to gender and geography. It is deliberately written in an accessible style to encourage students to engage with up-to-date research on gender.

This book provides a fresh overview on the debate about the remarkable regression of gender equality in the Balkans and South Caucasus caused by the fall of socialism and by the revitalization of religion in Turkey. Contrary to the prevailing opinion of researchers who state continuous male domination, the book presents strong arguments for an alternative outlook. By contrasting the realia of gender relations with the utopia of new femininities and new masculinities driven by digital visual communication, the book provokingly concludes with the arrival of two utopias: the Marlboro Man – still authoritative but lonely – conquering and refusing family obligations; and with the emergence of a new femininity type – strong and beautiful. As such this book provides a great resource to anthropologists, demographers, sociologists, gender and media researchers and all those interested in feminist issues.

Women, visibility and morality in Kenyan popular media explores familiar constructions of femininity to assess ways in which it circulates in discourse, both stereotypically and otherwise. It assesses the meanings of such discourses and their articulations in various public platforms in Kenya. The book draws together theoretical questions on pre-convened scripts that contain or condition how women can circulate in public. The book asks questions about particular interpretations of womens bodies that are considered transgressive or unruly and why these bodies become significant symbolic sites for the generation of knowledge on morality and sexuality. The book also poses questions about genre and representations of femininity. The assertion made is that for knowledges of femininity to circulate effectively, they must be melodramatic, spectacular and scandalous. Ultimately, the book asks how such a theorisation of popular modes of representation enable a better understanding of the connections between gender, sexuality and violence in Kenya.

This is the first volume to focus on the role of media in processes of linguistic change, one of the most contested issues in contemporary sociolinguistics. Its 17 chapters and five section commentaries present cutting-edge research from variationist and interactional sociolinguistics, media linguistics, language ideology research, and minority language studies. The volume advances our understanding of linguistic change in a mediatized world in three ways. First, it introduces the notions of sociolinguistic change and mediatization to create a broader theoretical framing than the one offered by ‘the media’ and ‘language change’. Second, it takes the discussion beyond the notions of ‘influence’ and ‘effect’ and the binary distinction of ‘media’ vs. ‘community language’. Third, it examines the relation of sociolinguistic change and mediatization and from five complementary viewpoints: media influence on linguistic structure; media engagement in interaction; change in mass and new media language; language-ideological change; and the role of media for minority languages. Bringing these strands of sociolinguistic scholarship together, this volume examines their shared references and common lines of thinking.

Gender and Rural Geography explores the relationship between gender and rurality. Feminist theory, gender relations and sexuality have all become central concerns of geographical research and significant progress has been made in terms of our understanding of both the broad relationship between gender and geography and the more detailed differences in the lives of men and women over space. The development of feminist perspectives and the study of gender relations in geography, has, however, been fairly uneven over the discipline. Both theoretical and empirical work on gender has tended to be concentrated within social and cultural geography. Moreover it has been directed largely towards the urban sphere.

Sarah Palin’s 2008 vice presidential candidacy garnered tremendous levels of interest, polarizing the American public—both Democrats and Republicans alike. While many have wondered who she "really" is, trying to cut through the persona she projects and the one projected by the media, Beail and Longworth analyze why she touches such a nerve with the American electorate. Why does she ignite such passionate loyalty – and such loathing? How did her candidacy mobilize new parts of the electorate? Using the notion of "framing" as a way of understanding political perception, the authors analyze the narratives told by and about Sarah Palin in the 2008 election – from beauty queen, maverick, faithful fundamentalist and post-feminist role model to pit bull hockey mom, frontier woman, and political outsider. They discuss where those frames are rooted historically in popular and political culture, why they were selected, and the ways that the frames resonated with the electorate. Framing Sarah Palin addresses the question of what the choice and perception of these frames tells us about the state of American politics, and about the status of American women in politics in particular. What do the debates engendered by these images of Palin say about the current roles and power available to women in American society? What are the implications of her experience for future candidates, particularly women candidates, in American politics?

In this book, Walzak, Collura and Vidotto bring together an invited collection of writing from emerging scholars about sports, sports media and equity. We are excited about this work as authors span from undergraduates and Masters students to doctoral candidates from Canada and Ireland. All of us are passionate and excited about the possibilities for equity and radical change that needs to happen across the sports and sports media landscape to make sports truly equitable. This collection reflects the author's personal investments and interest in sports. Chapter themes include racialized sports women, media inequities in women's sports including basketball, soccer and swimming, and personal narratives of disability in sport.

Examining context-specific conditions in which girls live, learn, work, play, and organize deepens the understanding of place-making practices of girls and young women worldwide. Focusing on place across health, literary and historical studies, art history, communications, media studies, sociology, and education allows for investigations of how girlhood is positioned in relation to interdisciplinary and transnational research methodologies, media environments, geographic locations, history, and social spaces. This book offers a comprehensive reading on how girlhood scholars construct and deploy research frameworks that directly engage girls in the research process.

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