CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Arkhipenko, Viktoriya |
|---|---|
| Title | Reconsidering the Conventional Private/Public Dichotomy: Examining the Femen Movement through the Arendtian Lens of the Social |
| Summary | The image of Ukrainian blond young women with semi-naked body and painted breasts became one of the most recognizable and scandalous phenomena during the last years. Femen protests against a large number of issues on the territory of Ukraine and abroad, tackling the problems of women’s rights, sex tourism, decline of democracy, etc. In my thesis, I examine the phenomenon of Femen, namely, why does the conventional private/public approach fail to explain Femen and what alternative theoretical framework can be used for the explanation of this case. My argument is based on the two lines of theoretical analysis. First, I analyze the classical private/public dichotomy and the change of its immutability in the times of Modernity, which was reflected in the demise of public sphere. Second, I use the rise of social theory introduced by Hannah Arendt to develop alternative dichotomy of social/intimate, which then with help of Femen case is proved to exist in Ukraine, where it substituted the traditional private/public divide. Thus, the emergence of Femen is analyzed through the lens of social/intimate opposition. I argue that it does not represent the violation of the border between traditional private/public spheres, but is an illustration of the expansion of the social realm and consequent strengthening of the intimate. |
| Supervisor | Astrov, Alexander |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/arkhipenko_viktoriya.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University