A1 Journal article (refereed)
“A Shameless Ideology of Shameless Women” : Positioning the Other in Social Media Discourse Surrounding a Women’s Rights Movement in Pakistan (2022)

Sadaf, S., & Siitonen, M. (2022). “A Shameless Ideology of Shameless Women” : Positioning the Other in Social Media Discourse Surrounding a Women’s Rights Movement in Pakistan. Social Media and Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221086933

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Sadaf, Shomaila; Siitonen, Marko

Journal or series: Social Media and Society

ISSN: 2056-3051

eISSN: 2056-3051

Publication year: 2022

Volume: 8

Issue number: 1

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221086933

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/80460

Abstract

This study analyzes social media (YouTube) discourse related to Aurat March 2019, a women’s rights movement in Pakistan. Using a discourse analytical approach that draws on the premises of Positioning theory, the analysis reveals the following two major storylines from the data: “The women who stray from the path, and the men who will return them to it,” and “Islam under threat from the outside.” Social media platforms allow their users to express opinions in online spaces, often resulting in polarization and clustering of like-minded people in so-called echo-chambers. This study demonstrates how social media users actively participate in the discursive construction of the “other,” and how the women’s rights movement in Pakistan continues to struggle against hegemonic scripts of gender and sexuality.

Keywords: women's rights movements; woman's status; public discussion; online discussion; social media; YouTube; discourse analysis

Free keywords: Aurat March; discourse analysis; positioning; social media; women’s rights movement; YouTube

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2022

Preliminary JUFO rating: 1