Research proposal presentation

 Research proposal presentation 

How does zine culture function as a means to improve the representation of women and make feminist political change?

RATIONALE

WHY DO I WANT TO RESEARCH THIS TOPIC? 

As a designer, I find the role of zines within politics super interesting, as within a contemporary environment, they are physical artifacts that have remained relevant. I have focused a lot of my projects on publications/zines, as I appreciate their DIY and hands on ethos. I wanted to focus on how zines can represent marginalised groups, and decided to zoom in on feminist zines as it is a cause I am invested in and support as a female designer. 

WHAT IMPACT WILL THIS HAVE ON YOUR PRACTICE?

I hope that this research question will educate me further on the role of women within design (zine culture in particular), as well as helping me question my own role as a woman. I also want to be further informed on how design can function politically, as I want my work to have an impact politically and mean something.

CONTEXTS

WHAT ARE THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXTS IN WHICH YOUR THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL RESEARCH WILL BE SITUATED?

Zine culture contextually has always provided a sense of community for marginalised groups, as its’ niche and handmade nature allows the zine format to propagate in intimate and personal settings. Zines serve as a way to represent the individual; inherently non-conformist in many ways, zines break against the status quo and exist to provide platforms for unheard voices.

For my research question in particular, immediate contexts consist of marginalisation, Feminism (first, second and third wave), sociopolitical contexts surrounding gender and identity, subcultures and aesthetics within expressionism.

THEORETICAL APPROACH

In regards to theories supporting my research question, I am going to be looking at:

• Feminist theories (Mary Daly, Astrid Henry, Anita Harris)

• Gender and identity (Linda Martin Alcoff)

• Marxist theories of ruling class/ ruling ideas

• Subculture theory

• Structuralist theory

• Mass Culture (Bourdieu)

• The Recovery and Reappraisal approach (Lana F. Rakow)

• Feminist Postconstructuralism

• Language theory (Ferdinand Saussure)

• Feminist Postmodernism (Craig Owens)

• Riot Grrrl

• Intersectionality (Kimberle Crenshaw)

METHODS

SECONDARY

• Theoretical research 

• Analysing the semiotics

• Content analysis of feminist zine examples 

PRIMARY

• Zine workshops; zineophilia 

• Visit zine fairs and interview people

• Interview with zine history lecturer Nick Gonzo

PRACTICAL OUTCOME

I want my practical outcome to investigate the element of community that is embodied within the ethos of zine culture, as well as exploring the political impacts of representation zines can provide for women within feminism. 

It could be interesting to create a collaborative zine that is created by being passed around to replicate the way in which zines are distributed; this could be done through a zine workshop that I could potentially set up? 

I’m also interested in and enjoy creating comics, so it could be cool to create my own zine comic that explores feminism and focuses on creating a female voice.

RESOURCES

• Library 

• Workshops

• Online articles

SUMMER READING LIST

• Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (John Storey) 

• Girl Zines: Making Media, Doing Feminism (Alison Piepmeier)

• Behind the Zines: Self-Publishing Culture (Adeline Mollard)

• DIY (Amy Spencer)

FURTHER READING LIST

• Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (Frederic Jameson)

• Representing Women (Myra Macdonald) 

• Gender and the Media (Roaslind Gill)

• Inside Subculture (David Muggleton)

• Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture (Stephen Duncombe)

• Fanzines (Teal Triggs)

• Future Girl (Anita Harris)

• Not My Mothers’ Sister (Astrid Henry)

ARTICLES

• How Feminist Zine Culture Has Evolved (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/wjbbbb/how-feminist-zine-culture-has-evolved)

• Feminist Zines are Still Alive and Well (https://womensmediacenter.com/fbomb/feminist-zines-are-still-alive-and-well)

• Feminist Zines in a Digital Space (https://medium.com/the-grey-space/cut-copy-paste-feminist-zines-in-the-digital-space-a8662b331633) 

• Riot Grrrl themed mixtape (https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/riot-grrrl)

• Teal Triggs’ zine collection (https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/archive-teal-triggs-shows-us-her-incredible-collection-of-zines)

• British Values zine: celebrating British immigrant communities (https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/british-values)

‘Zines are printing the way for diversity’ (https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/as-ever-zines-are-printing-the-way-for-diversity-inclusion-fun-in-publishing/)