SINGARAJA. English Education Department (EED) of Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha) is proud to welcome a newly-minted Dr. Ni Komang Arie Suwastini, S.Pd., M.Hum back to the department. Having been born in Ringdikit, Buleleng on 04 April 1980, she proves to be one of young bright scholars the department has with a specific passion and interest in literature, drama, semiotics, post-feminism and post-modernism. With high dedication and commitment, we believe her return will strengthen the department in, not only specifically those areas, but many.
Her thesis abstract is copied below.
Negotiations of Female Subjectivity in Four Jane Austen’s Films
Ni Komang Arie Suwastini
The present study was aimed at revealing the use of framing in four films adapted from Jane Austen’s novels in Hollywood mainstream narrative cinema from 1995 to 2005 for articulating the concepts of femininity, domesticity and female sexuality in the perspective of postfeminism that is the context of the four movies. Combining Mulvey’s theory of the look and visual pleasure (1975) with the concept of negotiation in Foucaut’s theory of power (1978), the present study proposed the concept of “negotiation of the look” which maintains the look as power relations allowing all parties to participate as the subjects of the gaze and the objects of the gaze in a simultaneous and consecutive dynamics. The present study also proposed the concept of negotiating subject resulting from the intersection of (post)feminism with Foucault’s theory of power, maintaining women can ride the imbalance of the patriarchal relations they are in by participating actively, adeptly, tacitly, and strategically in these power relations while always being attentive and knowledgeable about the dynamic of the power relations. With the two concepts, the present study revealed negotiation as an important strategy in the articulation of femininity, domesticity and female sexuality for supporting women’s articulations of subjectivity. Demanding women to be vigilant about their contexts, this strategy solicits possibilities for resistence and resilience, through confrontation, conciliation or compliance, depending on the demands of the dynamic of the power relations.
Keywords: framing, negotiations, look, female subjectivity, power relations.
Following this, EED is committed to warmly welcome her by providing a comfortable space of working for the new doctor. A special professional development session has been planned around early March for Dr. Suwastini to share her thoughts and research to EED members. Welcome Dr. Suwastini, we are proud of you! (Made Hery Santosa)
