Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The abuse of women’s rights is a phenomenon found in many societies. It may manifest as sexism, sexual harassment, abuse, and exploitation. The way that a society conceptualizes women’s rights abuse discloses diverse power structures and hegemonies. Furthermore, such power structures reveal whose rights seem to matter and which women are seen and accepted as victims of abuse. This paper examines who is constructed as a victim and whose rights matter through a post-structural discourse analysis. The paper specifically discusses the power structures and their impact on the construction of victims drawing upon Antonio Gramsci’s theoretical framework of discursively constructed hegemonies as well as Judith Butler’s concept of the construction of victimhood and grievance. The discourse of sexual harassment and abuse in the US, exemplified in the #MeToo campaign, and the debate of several rape cases in India are incorporated as cases for analysis. The researchers anticipate that the intersection of class and ethnicity play a prominent role in the power structure concerning the production of victimhood in both social contexts. Finally, implications for public discourse and public policy are discussed.