Rosalind Gill

Last updated

Rosalind Gill
FBA
Rosalind Gill (cropped).jpg
Gill in 2019
Born
Rosalind Clair Gill

(1963-04-22) 22 April 1963 (age 61)
NationalityBritish
Other namesRos Gill
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisor Michael Billig
Influences Stuart Hall

Rosalind Clair Gill [1] FBA (born 1963) is a British sociologist and feminist cultural theorist. She is currently Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at City, University of London. Gill is author or editor of ten books, and numerous articles and chapters, and her work has been translated into Chinese, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish.

Contents

Biography

Gill was born on 22 April 1963, [1] the daughter of Janet and Michael Gill, [2] whom she describes as left-wing and politically engaged parents. In an interview [3] she says she grew up to be "a young, politically active, left-wing person" with a particular interest in "how culture, and ideology gets inside us and shapes us."

She received her doctorate, which was concerned with new racism and new sexism in British pop radio, [4] in social psychology from the Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG), Loughborough University in 1991. In an interview, she has identified Michael Billig (her PhD supervisor) and Stuart Hall as major influences [5] and, together with Christina Scharff, she dedicated the book New Femininities: Postfeminism, Neoliberalism and Subjectivity to Angela McRobbie. Gill’s work is interdisciplinary, and she has worked in departments of Psychology, Sociology, Media and Communications, and Gender Studies. Based mainly in London, she has held posts at Goldsmiths College, King’s College and the LSE, where she was the first tenured member of staff in the Gender Institute (1997-2007). She took up her position at City, University of London, in 2013.

Gill was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2023. [6]

Research

Gill is known for her research interests in gender and sexuality, media and new technologies, the cultural and creative industries, and work and labour. Substantively her work has made major contributions to debates about postfeminism and neoliberalism; the persistence and dynamics of inequality; constructions of sex, sexuality and intimacy; and changing experiences of work in creative and academic fields. Her work is shaped by her interdisciplinary background, located between sociology, psychology, media and communications, and gender and sexuality studies. It is animated by psychosocial questions about power, inequality and the relationship between culture and subjectivity. She also has a long-standing interest in methodology and the research process, and has authored books and articles about discourse analysis, [7] [8] reflexivity, [9] and secrets and silences in research. [10]

Postfeminism

One of Gill's most significant theoretical contributions is her discussion of postfeminism, which she claims is "one of the most important and contested terms in the lexicon of feminist cultural analysis". [11] She argues that though the term has been used by scholars for decades there is still "no agreement among scholars about what postfeminism means. The term is used variously and contradictorily to signal a theoretical position, a type of feminism after the Second Wave, or a regressive political stance". [12]

In a highly cited article in European Journal of Cultural Studies (ECJS) in 2007, Gill argued that postfeminism should be thought of as a contemporary “sensibility”, shaped by neoliberalism and “by stark and continuing inequalities” related to gender race and class. Elements of this sensibility include:

This framing of postfeminism has been very influential, with well over 1000 academic citations. In 2017, in the 20th anniversary issue of EJCS, Gill was asked to reflect on the piece and developed her argument in three important directions: emphasising the significance of intersectional analyses of postfeminist culture; highlighting the “psychic life” of postfeminism; and setting out directions for considering the affective dimensions of postfeminism, organised around confidence, resilience, positive thinking and “inspiration”. [13] In another significant intervention in the journal Feminist Media Studies in 2016 Gill explored the status of postfeminism in a moment characterised by both a resurgence of feminist activism and a heightened popular misogyny, and defended the continued relevance of the term to signify an object of critique. [14]

New sexism and the dynamics of discrimination

Gill’s work has also made a contribution to debates about how discrimination changes. In her Ph.D. research on British broadcasting, she built on analyses of new racism, and documented new forms of sexism. [15] The term was coined to speak to the way that patterns of discrimination were taking new forms in a cultural context marked by more egalitarian values. In later work she looked at other media environments that explicitly marked themselves as ‘cool, creative and egalitarian’ [16] showing the novel forms that sexism took in such sites. In a 2014 article in Social Politics she developed the notion that in seemingly egalitarian workplaces inequality becomes “unspeakable” and perhaps even unintelligible. [17] This work challenges debates centred on maternity as the primary reason for women’s underrepresentation in cultural and creative fields, and pointed to the need to explore the flexibility and dynamism of sexism as a set of practices.

Sex, "sexualisation" and intimacy

Gill has been a major contributor to debates about the alleged "sexualisation of culture", with a perspective she describes as “sex positive but anti-sexism”. [18] She was one of the organisers of a significant ESRC seminar series titled Pornified? Complicating the debates about the sexualisation of culture. [19] This brought together artists, academics, policymakers and activists on different sides of the “sexualisation wars” divide. Gill consistently argued for the need to dialogue across differences and to think critically about the cultural processes gathered under the heading “sexualisation” with greater attention to specificities of power and identity. In an article in Sexualities she called for intersectional complications, arguing there is no “one size fits all” kind of sexualisation that does not vary by gender, sexuality, race, class, age etc. [20] Gill’s research has included a large-scale qualitative study of men’s experiences of a visual culture increasingly dominated by idealised representations of the male body. [21] [22] She has also looked critically at the commercial “Love Your Body” trend [23] [24] and the packaging of “sexy” images through tropes of empowerment. [25]

In 2012, Rosalind Gill worked with Jessica Ringrose, Sonia Livingstone and Laura Harvey on and NSPCC-funded research project about “sexting”, focused on listening to young people’s experiences of mobile communications and image sharing. The research was published as a report, [26] several articles, [27] [28] and was also used as the basis of a play titled Sket, written by Maya Sondhi, which premiered at London’s Park Theatre in 2016, directed by Prav MJ.

The representation of sex and sexuality remain key interests and Gill’s 2018 monograph, Mediated Intimacy, co-written with Meg-John Barker and Laura Harvey, argues that media are our biggest source of information about sex and relationships, and charts the representation of what is depicted as “normal”, and constructions of consent, desire, pleasure and work.

Work and labour

The experience of work in neoliberal societies represents another key focus for Gill. She has conducted extensive empirical research in “creative” occupations including broadcasting, advertising and web design. Her work has made important contributions to theorising both precariousness and inequality in these settings. Her co-edited collections Theorising Cultural Work (with Mark Banks and Stephanie Taylor) and Gender and Creative Labour (with Bridget Conor and Stephanie Taylor) pull together these arguments. Gill is also co-editor, with Ursula Huws, of Palgrave’s Dynamics of Virtual Work series, which came out of an EU COST grant of the same name. In 2008 Gill co-edited a special issue of Theory, Culture & Society about work in the cultural and creative industries, and was author of an influential article about immaterial labour and precarity. [29]

Academic work is a further interest, exemplified by Gill’s much circulated essay "The Hidden Injuries of the Neoliberal University", and several subsequent articles. [30] [31] [32] Gill’s contribution has been to move beyond programmatic accounts of the “corporate university” or “new public management” and to explore the lived experience of working cultures marked by increasing precariousness, time pressure, and audit.

Engagement and influence

Gill has received funding from and worked on projects commissioned by the Arts Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), The British Academy (BA), The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the European Commission and the United Nations (both UNESCO and the UNCSW). [33]

Gill has also worked with a range of governmental, non-governmental and activist bodies. She serves on several editorial boards including Feminist Media Studies; Theory, Culture & Society; Communication, Culture and Critique; Feminism & Psychology; Psychology and Sexuality; Australian Feminist Studies; and International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics. Besides the contribution of her own research, Gill’s influence has also been felt through her teaching and extensive PhD supervision. Many former PhD students have gone on to have successful academic careers, including Dr Feyza Akinerdem, Dr Sara de Benedictis, Dr Simidele Dosekun, Dr Laura Favaro, Dr Roisin Ryan Flood, Dr Laura Harvey, Dr Tracey Jensen, Professor Elisabeth Kelan, Dr Jongmi Kim, Dr Rachel O’Neill, Dr Christina Scharff, and Dr Karen Throsby.

Work in progress

Gill is currently[ needs update ] writing a book for Duke University press that develops her work with Shani Orgad on “The Confidence Cult”. [34] She is also working on[ when? ] a critical collection for Palgrave interrogating “creative hubs”. This partly emerges from the AHRC award Creativeworks London. Finally, she is completing[ when? ] a monograph about postfeminism/gendered neoliberalism for Polity Press.

Additionally, she is developing[ when? ] research projects about academia, dating apps, and machine vision of the body. In an interview in Open Democracy she explains that the latter develops from work about beauty apps and surveillance. [35] [36]

Selected publications

Journal articles

Books

Chapters in books

See also

Related Research Articles

Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern societies are patriarchal—they prioritize the male point of view—and that women are treated unjustly in these societies. Efforts to change this include fighting against gender stereotypes and improving educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women.

Misandry is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men or boys.

Feminist geography is a sub-discipline of human geography that applies the theories, methods, and critiques of feminism to the study of the human environment, society, and geographical space. Feminist geography emerged in the 1970s, when members of the women's movement called on academia to include women as both producers and subjects of academic work. Feminist geographers aim to incorporate positions of race, class, ability, and sexuality into the study of geography. The discipline was a target for the hoaxes of the grievance studies affair.

Discursive psychology (DP) is a form of discourse analysis that focuses on psychological themes in talk, text, and images.

Postfeminism is a term popularized by the mass media to describe an alleged decrease in support for feminism from the 1990s onwards. It can be considered a critical way of understanding the changed relations between feminism, femininity and popular culture. The term is sometimes confused with subsequent feminisms such as fourth-wave feminism, postmodern feminism, and xenofeminism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersectionality</span> Theory of discrimination

Intersectionality is a sociological analytical framework for understanding how groups' and individuals' social and political identities result in unique combinations of discrimination and privilege. Examples of these factors include gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability, height, age, and weight. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing. However, little good-quality quantitative research has been done to support or undermine the practical uses of intersectionality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Fraser</span> American philosopher (born 1947)

Nancy Fraser is an American philosopher, critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City. Widely known for her critique of identity politics and her philosophical work on the concept of justice, Fraser is also a staunch critic of contemporary liberal feminism and its abandonment of social justice issues. Fraser holds honorary doctoral degrees from four universities in three countries, and won the 2010 Alfred Schutz Prize in Social Philosophy from the American Philosophical Association. She was President of the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division for the 2017–2018 term.

Men's studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning men, masculinity, gender, culture, politics and sexuality. It academically examines what it means to be a man in contemporary society.

Transnational feminism refers to both a contemporary feminist paradigm and the corresponding activist movement. Both the theories and activist practices are concerned with how globalization and capitalism affect people across nations, races, genders, classes, and sexualities. This movement asks to critique the ideologies of traditional white, classist, western models of feminist practices from an intersectional approach and how these connect with labor, theoretical applications, and analytical practice on a geopolitical scale.

Sexualization is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when "individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness." "In study after study, findings have indicated that women more often than men are portrayed in a sexual manner and are objectified. In addition, a narrow standard of physical beauty is heavily emphasized. These are the models of femininity presented for young girls to study and emulate."

Research into the many possible relationships, intersections and tensions between language and gender is diverse. It crosses disciplinary boundaries, and, as a bare minimum, could be said to encompass work notionally housed within applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, conversation analysis, cultural studies, feminist media studies, feminist psychology, gender studies, interactional sociolinguistics, linguistics, mediated stylistics, sociolinguistics, and feminist language reform and media studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela McRobbie</span> British academic (born 1951)

Angela McRobbie is a British cultural theorist, feminist, and commentator whose work combines the study of popular culture, contemporary media practices and feminism through conceptions of a third-person reflexive gaze. She is a professor of communications at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Andrea Lee Press is an American sociologist and media studies scholar. She is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Media Studies and Sociology, and Chair of the Media Studies Department, at the University of Virginia.

In cultural studies, media culture refers to the current Western capitalist society that emerged and developed from the 20th century, under the influence of mass media. The term alludes to the overall impact and intellectual guidance exerted by the media, not only on public opinion but also on tastes and values.

Hipster sexism, also known as everyday sexism, or ironic sexism, is defined by Alissa Quart in New York magazine's fashion blog The Cut as "the objectification of women but in a manner that uses mockery, quotation marks, and paradox". It is a form of self-aware sexism that is deemed acceptable given that its perpetrators are conscious of the inherent sexism and objectification of women in whatever action or statement is being carried out by them. It is rooted in the idea that sexism is an outdated and archaic institution which people do not engage in anymore, thereby making the demonstration of sexism seem satirical and ironic.

Adrienne Evans is a British senior lecturer in Media and Communication for the Department of Media at Coventry University, and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Gender Studies.

Cynthia Carter is a Reader in the School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University, and co-founding editor of the journal Feminist Media Studies.

Susan "Sue" Speer C.Psychol, FHEA is a senior lecturer at the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester.

Maddy Coy is the deputy director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), London Metropolitan University and has collaborated with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW).

The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions to refer to those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, homophobia, and violent domination. These traits are considered "toxic" due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. Socialization of boys sometimes also normalizes violence, such as in the saying "boys will be boys" about bullying and aggression.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gill, Rosalind (Rosalind Clair)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 1 December 2014. (Rosalind Clair Gill, born 22 Apr. 1963)
  2. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2007). Gender and the media. Cambridge, UK Malden, MA, USA: Polity. p. viii. ISBN   9780745612737.
  3. ↑ "Rosalind Gill on Sexualization, Gender, Cultural Labor, and Academics". culturalstudies.podbean.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Rosalind Gill at SexMoneyMedia – Women in View : Women in View". Womeninview.ca. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Matos, Carolina (2017). "We don't just want more cake, we want the whole bakery: An interview with Rosalind Gill". MATRIZes. 11 (2): 137–160. doi: 10.11606/issn.1982-8160.v11i2p137-160 .
  6. ↑ "Professor Rosalind Gill FBA". The British Academy. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2000). "Discourse analysis: Analysing Texts, Contexts and Social Relations". In Bauer, M.; Gaskell, G. (eds.). Procedures for Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
  8. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2018). "Discourse Analysis in Media and Communications Research". In Mackmann, M.; Kearney, M. C. (eds.). The Craft of Criticism: Critical Media Studies in Practice. New York: Routledge.
  9. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (1998). "Dialogues and Differences: Reflexivity, Writing and the Crisis of Representation". In Henwood, K.; Griffin, C.; Phoenix, A. (eds.). Standpoints and Differences Essays in the Practice of Feminist Psychology. Sage. ISBN   9780761954446.
  10. ↑ Gill, R.; Ryan-Flood, R., eds. (2010). Secrecy and Silence in the Research Process: Feminist Reflections. New York: Routledge.
  11. 1 2 Gill, Rosalind (May 2007). "Postfeminist media culture: Elements of a sensibility". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 10 (2): 147–166. doi:10.1177/1367549407075898. S2CID   145620486.
  12. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (May 2007). "Postfeminist media culture: Elements of a sensibility". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 10 (2): 147–166. doi:10.1177/1367549407075898. S2CID   145620486. p. 148
  13. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2007). "Postfeminist media culture: Elements of a sensibility". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 10 (2): 147–166. doi:10.1177/1367549407075898. S2CID   145620486.
  14. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2016). "Post-postfeminism?: new feminist visibilities in postfeminist times" (PDF). Feminist Media Studies. 16 (4: An Intergenerational Feminist Media Studies: Conflicts and Connectivities): 610–630. doi:10.1080/14680777.2016.1193293. S2CID   148081091.
  15. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (1993). "Justifying injustice: broadcasters accounts of inequality in radio". In Burman, E.; Parker, I. (eds.). Discourse Analytic research: readings and Repertoires of Texts in Action. London: Routledge.
  16. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2002). "Cool, creative and egalitarian? Exploring gender in project-based new media work" (PDF). Information and Communication Studies. 5 (1): 70–89. doi:10.1080/13691180110117668. S2CID   144395019.
  17. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2014). "Unspeakable inequalities: Postfeminism, entrepreneurial subjectivity and the repudiation of sexism among cultural workers" (PDF). Social Politics. 21 (4): 509–528. doi:10.1093/sp/jxu016. S2CID   145686557.
  18. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2012). "The Sexualisation of Culture?". Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 6 (7): 483–498. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2012.00433.x.
  19. ↑ "Pornified? Complicating the debates about the sexualisation of culture: An international conference". Pornified? Seminar series home. 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  20. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2009). "Beyond the "sexualisation of culture" thesis: an intersectional analysis of '"sixpacks". "midriffs" and "hot lesbians". Sexualities. 12 (2): 137–160. doi:10.1177/1363460708100916. S2CID   144941660.
  21. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2005). "Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity" (PDF). Body & Society. 11 (1): 37–62. doi:10.1177/1357034X05049849. S2CID   28245429.
  22. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2011). "Bend it like Beckham? The challenges of reading gender in visual culture". In Reavey, Paula (ed.). Visual Psychologies. London & New York: Routledge. pp. 29–42. ISBN   978-1136812569.
  23. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2014). "Awaken your incredible": Love Your Body discourses and postfeminist contradictions" (PDF). International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics. 10 (2): 179–189. doi:10.1386/macp.10.2.179_1.
  24. ↑ Elias, Ana Sofia; Gill, Rosalind; Scharff, Christina (2017). "Aesthetic Labour: Beauty politics in neoliberalism". In Elias; Gill, Rosalind; Scharff, Christina (eds.). Aesthetic Labour: Rethinking Beauty Politics in Neoliberalism. Basingstoke: Palgrave. pp. 3–49. ISBN   978-1-137-47765-1.
  25. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2008). "Empowerment/Sexism: Figuring female sexual agency in contemporary advertising" (PDF). Feminism and Psychology. 18: 35–60. doi:10.1177/0959353507084950. S2CID   145666587.
  26. ↑ Ringrose, Jessica; Gill, Rosalind; Livingstone, Sonia; Harvey, Laura (2012). "A qualitative study of children, young people and 'sexting'". NSPCC.
  27. ↑ Harvey, Laura; Ringrose, Jessica; Gill, Rosalind (2013). "Swagger, Ratings and Masculinity: Theorising the Circulation of Social and Cultural Value in Teenage Boys' Digital Peer Networks". Sociological Research Online. 18 (4): 57–67. doi:10.5153/sro.3153. S2CID   145316698.
  28. ↑ Ringrose, Jessica; Harvey, Laura; Gill, Rosalind; Livingstone, Sonia (2013). "Teen girls, sexual double standards and 'sexting': Gendered value in digital image exchange'" (PDF). Feminist Theory. 14 (3): 305–323. doi:10.1177/1464700113499853. S2CID   144224393.
  29. ↑ Gill, Rosalind; Pratt, Andy (2011). "In the social factory? Immaterial labour, precariousness and cultural work" (PDF). Theory, Culture and Society. 25 (7–8): 1–30. doi:10.1177/0263276408097794. S2CID   146747433.
  30. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2014). "Academics, cultural workers and critical labour studies" (PDF). Journal of Cultural Economy. 7: 12–30. doi:10.1080/17530350.2013.861763. S2CID   144760376.
  31. ↑ Gill, Rosalind; Donaghue, Ngaire (2016). "Resilience, apps and reluctant individualism: technologies of self in the neoliberal academy". Women's Studies International Forum Women's. 54: 91–99. doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2015.06.016.
  32. ↑ Gill, Rosalind (2017). "What would Les Back do? If generosity could save us". International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society. 31: 95–109. doi: 10.1007/s10767-017-9263-9 .
  33. ↑ "King's College London – Professor Rosalind Gill". KCL.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  34. ↑ Gill, Rosalind; Orgad, Shani (2015). "The Confidence Cult(ure)" (PDF). Australian Feminist Studies. 30 (86): 324–344. doi:10.1080/08164649.2016.1148001. S2CID   146966974.
  35. ↑ Sinclair, Ian (24 July 2017). "Aesthetic labour, beauty politics and neoliberalism: An interview with Rosalind Gill". Open Democracy.
  36. ↑ Elias, Ana; Gill, Rosalind (2017). "Beauty surveillance: the digital self-monitoring cultures of neoliberalism". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 21: 59–77. doi: 10.1177/1367549417705604 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.