“Dainty hands do useful work”: Depicting Filipino women in Japanese wartime propaganda
Article
This article analyzes the visual depiction of women in the Tribune, the main propaganda newspaper of Japan in the Philippines during the Pacific War. Japanese wartime propaganda painted an image of a productive and cooperative Filipina, respectable and modest like her Japanese counterpart. The analysis reveals three motivations for depicting women in said light: to show a semblance of normalcy despite the turbulent war, to entice women to serve Japan’s aims, and to disprove the Japanese women’s image as subservient wives or entertainers while asserting the connection between the two countries. Analyzing the depiction of women in Japanese propaganda contributes to the understanding of war as a gendered phenomenon. Beyond seeing women as symbols of the private obligations for which men fight or as surrogate objects of sexual desire, the image of women was perceived to be instrumental in showcasing Japan’s New Order.
A Tale of Three Women: Framing as a Patriarchal Practice in the News Coverage of Women in Distress
Article
Women in situations of distress receive a disproportionate amount of news coverage. As survivors (or perpetrators) of crime, violence, or natural disasters, they are naturally “newsworthy”—a newsroom term for the subjective lens with which truthtellers define and select their news frames. These frames, which govern the identification and coverage of what is “newsworthy,” box women into specific, patriarchal roles. Women who do not fall within the traditional feminine archetypes are labeled as dissidents or insurgents, and are excluded, dismissed, rejected, or worse persecuted, until the news recasts them into more familiar molds. This is exemplified in the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s news coverage of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia and sentenced to death in 2010. An examination of the Inquirer’s coverage of the Veloso case unearthed the gender biases that are inherent in the subjective rules that govern the patterns of selection and depiction in mainstream newsrooms.
NEPA at Kababaihan: Pag-aaral sa Ugnayan ng Pagsasakatawan ng Kasarian, Pagganap, at Pagtanggap ng Isang Identidad
Article
Makikita sa kasaysayang kolonyal ng ating bansa ang pagsasantabi, pagsasagilid, at diskriminasyon ng kababaihan. Sa pagdating ng mga Espanyol, pinalitan ng mga pari ang mga babaylan at ikinulong ang kababaihan sa bahay at sa simbahan. Sa pagdating naman ng mga Amerikano pinagharian ng mga lalaki ang mundo ng politika, kalakalan, at lakas paggawa. Sa pagyakap ng patriyarkiya, sabay na ikinahon ang imahe ng kababaihan sa kusina, sa bahay, at sa pamilya. Kapansin-pansin ang pagkakahong ito sa iba’t ibang materyales pangkalinangan sa Pilipinas tulad ng mga patalastas, polyeto, pahayagan, at iba pa.
Sa pag-aaral na ito, susuriin ang National Economic Protectionism Association o NEPA at mga materyales pangkalinangan nito noong dekada ng 1930. Gamit ang struktura ng samahan at tekstong media nito, ipakikita kung papaano nila isinakatawan ang gampanin ng kababaihan noong 1934 hanggang 1941. Gagaygayin ang pagsalin ng mga pagsasakatawang ito sa kanila mismong ginanapan at maaaring tinanggap na identidad. Ipaliliwanag din kung bakit sa panahon ng pag-usbong ng aktibismo sa hanay ng kababaihan, tila may ilang yumakap at tumanggap sa naturang pagsasakatawan sa kanila.
