Media and the Politics of Offence

259 Pages·2019·3.116 MB·English

by  Anne Graefer

Anne Graefer
Edited by
Media and the Politics of Offence
Anne Graefer
Editor
Media and the Politics
of Offence
Editor
Anne Graefer
Birmingham Centre for Media
and Cultural Research
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, UK
ISBN 978-3-030-17573-3 ISBN 978-3-030-17574-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17574-0
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A
cknowledgements
The idea to this book emerged out of a prior project on offence that
I have conducted with Ranjana Das (2015–2017). Like so many other
books, it changed significantly from the first draft that was euphorically
discussed and written in Bedford, up until the final stages that I am
concluding in Munich. I am extremely thankful to the authors of this
volume for bearing with me through the different stages, and for shar-
ing their inspiring ideas, their words and their energy at a time when,
at least in the UK, the ‘REF-ability’ of book chapters is questioned and
academic staff is encouraged to prioritise other forms of knowledge pro-
duction. All contributors for this volume have been nothing short of fan-
tastic, and I am forever grateful for this.
I would also like to thank the numerous reviewers who carefully read
and reread specific book chapters of this collection, giving thoughtful
feedback and input to the authors. Hazel Collie, Gemma Commane,
Kirsten Forkert, Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore, Allaina Kilby, John Mercer
and Karen Patel have been amazing colleagues at my former workplace,
thank you so much for your support and solidarity. Not only for this pro-
ject but also for countless other reasons, I am forever indebted to my dear
friend and colleague Suzan Meryem Kalayci whose kindness, generous
support and sheer endless creativity, continuously encourage me to be
courageous. Special thanks to Carolyn Pedwell for her thought-provoking
work on affect and her feedback on the introduction of this book.
I am also grateful to Jean Morris for her thorough copyediting, Antje
Helch for her proficient help with the cover of this book, as well as
v
vi ACKNOwLEDGEMENTS
Mala Sanghera-warren and Lucy Batrouney from Palgrave for their gen-
erous support, patience and editorial advice. The biggest thank you goes,
as always, to my partner Jon who, with great sensitivity and unwavering
commitment, believes in me and supports me—in true feminist fashion.
This book is dedicated to Finn and Tate, with my ridiculous love.
c
ontents
1 Introduction to Media and the Politics of Offence 1
Anne Graefer
Part I Offence, Politics and Protest
2 Political Offensiveness in the Mediated Public Sphere:
The Performative Play of Alignments 23
Martin Montgomery, Michael Higgins
and Angela Smith
3 Creating an Emotional Community: The Negotiation
of Anger and Resistance to Donald Trump 47
Karin wahl-Jorgensen
4 Unruly Women and Carnivalesque Counter-Control:
Offensive Humor in Mediated Social Protest 65
Anne Graefer, Allaina Kilby and Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore
5 Changing Visual Politics in South Africa: Old
and New Modes of Exclusion, Protest and Offence 91
Marietta Kesting
vii
viii CONTENTS
Part II Offence, Representations and Popular Culture
6 Other Bodies Within Us: Shock, Affect and Reality
Television Audiences 109
Jacob Johanssen
7 ‘Period Sex’: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the Feminist
Politics of Offence 127
Katrin Horn
8 Fans at Work: Offence as Motivation for Critical
Vidding 147
Sebastian F. K. Svegaard
Part III Offence, Media Ethics and Regulation
9 Blocked Access: When Pornographers Take Offence 165
Susanna Paasonen
10 Regulatory Expectations of Offended Audiences:
The Citizen Interest in Audience Discourse 187
Ranjana Das and Anne Graefer
11 Negotiating Vulnerability in the Trigger Warning
Debates 207
Katariina Kyrölä
12 Gruesome Images in the Contemporary Israeli
Mediated Public Sphere 233
Tal Morse
Index 253
l c
ist of ontributors
Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore Independent Researcher, Oslo, Norway
Ranjana Das Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, University
of Surrey, Surrey, UK
Anne Graefer Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research,
Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
Michael Higgins Senior Lecturer Journalism, Media and Communication,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Katrin Horn Assistant Professor in American Studies, University of
Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Jacob Johanssen Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Humanities
and Social Sciences, St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, UK
Marietta Kesting Junior Professor of Media Theory, Academy of Fine
Arts Munich, Munich, Germany
Allaina Kilby Lecturer in Media & Communication, Swansea University,
Swansea, UK
Katariina Kyrölä Lecturer in Media Studies, Åbo Akademi University,
Turku, Finland
Martin Montgomery Professor at the Department of English, University
of Macau, Zhuhai, China
ix
x LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Tal Morse Instructor in Media Ethics, Hadassah Academic College,
Jerusalem, Israel
Susanna Paasonen Professor of Media Studies, University of Turku,
Turku, Finland
Angela Smith Professor of Language and Culture, University of
Sunderland, Sunderland, UK
Sebastian F. K. Svegaard Doctoral Student, Birmingham Centre for
Media and Cultural Research, Birmingham City University, Birmingham,
UK
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen Professor at the School of Journalism, Media
and Culture, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK