Women's soap opera viewing as feminist praxis: A gender context perspective.
Item
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Title
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Women's soap opera viewing as feminist praxis: A gender context perspective.
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Identifier
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AAI9720075
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identifier
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9720075
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Creator
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Blumenthal, Dannielle.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Barbara Katz Rothman
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, General | Women's Studies | Mass Communications
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Abstract
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The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the extent to which soap opera viewing among women constitutes a form of feminist praxis. In the course of this study, 91 women were surveyed, 42 were interviewed formally, and many more were informally interviewed. Other methods of study included subscription to a fan magazine, review of online viewer bulletins, and qualitative content analysis.;The study was framed by a both a cultural feminist approach and a gender context perspective. From these, a number of conclusions were drawn, all of them supporting the view that soap opera viewing is indeed a form of feminist praxis.;The first conclusion, drawn from the standpoint of the viewer, is that soap operas are a feminist text because they glorify women's unique capacities while simultaneously presenting a model of equal ability between men and women.;Second, feminist cultural critics are coming to recognize the soap opera as a feminist text. For these scholars, the soaps' feminist aesthetic derives both from the gynecentric form of the programs and from the ability of women to control our indulgence in representational culture and to enjoy it, whether others approve of it or not.;Third, the gendered social contexts surrounding women's soap opera viewing support the contention that this activity is empowering. Women resist opposition from others in order to continue viewing. We also see them as a form of self-care. Finally, soap operas serve to connect women with each other, in a supportive network of viewers.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
