This session explores the complex intersections of sexual violence, power, and political culture through various cultural productions, including literature, film, and grassroots movements. The analysis focuses on how sexual violence functions as a powerful metaphor within political discourse, illuminating how gendered violence is intertwined with power structures and societal negotiation. By examining the works of filmmakers, writers, and activists, the session will explore how sexual violence is both an instrument of power and a site of resistance. Additionally, the session will delve into how cultural responses to sexual violence challenge or reinforce existing political, social, and gendered hierarchies.
Saturday, 10 January 2026: 10:15 AM-11:30 AM
Zoom 2 (Zoom)
The concept of sexual violence as a metaphor for political culture engages with feminist critiques of victimhood, agency, and societal structures of power. These movements, along with the cultural productions they inspire, reshape narratives surrounding gender violence, revealing both the power dynamics at play and the struggles to rewrite cultural memory and political history.
This session is timely given the global prominence of feminist movements such as #MeToo and #NiUnaMenos, as well as the growing interest in how sexual violence is represented in contemporary cultural production. Sexual violence, often normalized or overlooked, has become a central issue in feminist discourse and activism. The exploration of sexual violence through a variety of cultural forms allows for a nuanced understanding of how this violence functions within larger societal and political contexts. This session will bring together diverse perspectives, offering both theoretical and case study-driven discussions that engage with feminist scholarship, film theory, and political discourse. By examining sexual violence as both a literal and metaphorical tool of political negotiation, the session aims to expand the ways in which we understand the role of gendered violence in shaping societal structures. Additionally, the session’s focus on various cultural contexts—spanning India, Latin America, and the U.S.—ensures a global perspective on the issue.
This session builds on feminist scholarship, particularly works exploring the intersections of sexual violence, power, and memory. Scholars such as Butler, hooks, Laura Mulvey have analyzed how sexual violence is represented in media, emphasizing its role in reinforcing or challenging societal norms. Scholars in the field of cultural memory and trauma studies, such as Marianne Hirsch, have examined how narratives of violence are constructed and contested within cultural productions. The session will also engage with recent scholarship on the politics of representation in feminist discourse, including the ways in which grassroots movements like #MeToo have reshaped the cultural landscape. These movements have challenged traditional notions of victimhood and agency, pushing for a reevaluation of how sexual violence is both represented and responded to in society.
The session will run for 60 minutes, with each of the four presentations lasting approximately 12 minutes. This will be followed by a 15-minute unstructured discussion period, where participants can engage with the presentations, ask questions, and discuss key themes raised throughout the session. The discussion will allow for a collaborative exploration of the connections between the diverse case studies presented, encouraging dialogue between the speakers and the audience. Each of the presentations will focus on a specific cultural product and explore its depiction of sexual violence in relation to political power.
Kuntal Bag’s presentation will analyze the 2018 Indian film Garbage, directed by Qoushik Mukherjee, through a Kristevian framework of abjection. Lucía García-Santana will examine Bad Hombre by Pola Oloixarac, focusing on how the novel interrogates feminist discourses around sexual violence in contemporary Argentina.Hugo Salas will focus on the representation of sexual violence in Allá en el Rancho Grande, a foundational film of Mexican Comedia ranchera. By analyzing the use of sexual violence as a form of social negotiation, Salas will demonstrate how the genre reflects and negotiates political power. And Laura Pavón Aramburu will explore the cultural politics of sexual violence in the context of contemporary Spanish and Latin American feminist movements. Focusing on the digital and physical spaces of activism.
This panel brings together a diverse range of scholars whose work engages with sexual violence in different cultural and political contexts. The panelists represent a variety of academic backgrounds, including South Asian studies, Latin American studies, and film studies, ensuring a broad geographic and disciplinary perspective on the subject. Each presentation focuses on different cultural forms—film, literature, and grassroots activism—offering a multidimensional view of the intersections between sexual violence, power, and political culture. This diversity of perspectives enriches the conversation, providing a comprehensive understanding of how sexual violence is used as a tool for both oppression and resistance.
Organizer:
Ana I Simon Alegre
Zoom Cohosts:
Emily Hind
and
Hugo Salas
Presider:
Emily Hind