1st Edition
Tit-For-Tat Media The Contentious Bodies and Sex Imagery of Political Activism
This book examines the visual-sexual turn in social media discourses in the field of online activism with a particular focus on the extraordinary protest years of 2018–2020.
Presenting a socially engaged theory of "tit-for-tat media" and including case-studies on activist movements such as the Euro-American alt-right, the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and revolutionary artists in China, this study reveals how visual cultures, including gendered or sexualized imagery, are utilized to influence public perception. By presenting in-depth explorations of online ethnography, interviews with activists and studies of the political histories and urban protests-environments, the volume uncovers how local artists, netizens and citizens are using media and digital imagery in contemporary activism.
Covering a broad spectrum of social media content, from hyper-cute manga and cartoons to satirical pornography and sexualized hate-speech, it will be of huge interest to students and scholars of media and communication studies, political communication, sexuality and gender studies.
1. Introduction 2. Buffalo-Man and the Pink Lion: White Male Suffering and Sexual Redemption 3. Femininity, Fluidity and Floods Amongst the Flemish New-Right 4. Pepe the Frog, Emotion Politics and Gender Inclusivity at the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Movement 5. Tit-for-Tat Nudity and Female-Figures at the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Movement 6. Hyper-cute Characters and Gender Wars in Mainland China 7. Conclusion
Biography
Katrien Jacobs is Associate Professor in Cultural Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. She is a leading scholar of sexuality and gender alongside emerging digital cultures and social movements. Her work can be found at www.katrienjacobs.com.
'By shining a light on often overlooked or dismissed visual imageries of gender and sexuality in the context of political activism and movements, Jacobs' research offers a highly valuable addition to the field of Visual Studies.'
Katharina Oehmichen, Visual Studies, Germany
