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Mainstreaming Martina : representing lesbians in the '90's

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Mainstreaming Martina : representing lesbians in the '90's

Armstrong, Valerie Leila (1996) Mainstreaming Martina : representing lesbians in the '90's. Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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Abstract

In this thesis I address the proliferation of representations of lesbians in North American mainstream media in the early to mid-1990s. Through a focus on a specific object/subject, Martina Navratilova, I investigate the discourse of progressiveness which accompanies this proliferation. As well, I argue that the shift in the way lesbians are being represented is indicative of a new cultural approach to lesbian sexual difference. This approach, "a homosexuality of no importance" (D. A. Miller), is a strategy of partaking of, and enjoying, lesbian difference while at the same time denying its importance and relevance. My theoretical analysis is conducted within the terrain of lesbian/feminist and "queer" theories of gender and sexual identity, lesbian feminist writings on visibility and representation, and recent Marxist and feminist writings on women in sport. A discussion of the conditions, or terms, of lesbian visibility in mainstream media is key to my analysis.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Communication Studies
Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Authors:Armstrong, Valerie Leila
Pagination:vi, 85 leaves ; 29 cm.
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Media Studies
Date:1996
Thesis Supervisor(s):Nadeau, Chantal
Identification Number:P 96 S45A75 1996
ID Code:168
Deposited By: Concordia University Library
Deposited On:27 Aug 2009 17:10
Last Modified:05 Aug 2021 18:19
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