my dissertation is too feminist apparently??

[OnlyWantsOne]

I intend to evaluate aspects of comedic performance, considering in further detail the elements of gender. I would particularly like to examine whether it is plausible to advocate that female stand up comics reinforce gender stereotypes. I would like to argue that I think that stand up comics from specific genders, do in fact strengthen and reinforce stereotypes. I currently hold the opinion that it is the jokes that women make about their personal lives, which the audience finds both funny and entertaining.

too feminist?

is there such a thing?

well there is a whole thread going at the moment about sexism in universities, as well as some great discussion on the subject in the 'are you a radical feminist' thread. (There is a poster having a slightly parallel experience to yours with her PhD, where her supervisor doesn't want her to use a radical feminist framework.) So there is a context to this and you are not alone.

I would be interested to know what course your dissertation is part of; maybe we can help you formulate some arguments to convince your supervisor (or whoever you are having the problem with?) that it is ok.

though of course it might be that 'too feminist' just means 'supervisor is sexist pig and any feminism at all will be too feminist for him'.

One thing I would say is, be very careful not to make up your mind what your results are going to be before you do the research: you say ' I would like to argue that I think that stand up comics from specific genders, do in fact strengthen and reinforce stereotypes.' It would be more scholarly to be saying 'I would like to test the hypothesis that stand up comics from specific genders....' etc, even if you have a pretty strong hunch as to what you are likely to find.

I started one of the threads seth mentions because I've noticed a fair amount of sexism at university.

That said (and I'm playing devil's advocate here): your supervisor may not really object to the feminism itself, but may be concerned about other things. Does s/he maybe think you're letting your enthusiasm for the methodology get in the way of a fair appraisal of the subject-matter? It might be when s/he says 'this is too feminist' (if that's what was said), what is meant is, 'look, you're telling me a lot about feminist theory and that's great - but I thought the subject-matter was stand-up comedy? How do the two relate?'

If you let us know a bit more, I bet there are people on here who could give more informed opinions, maybe even suggest some books/articles that'd help you make your case against what the supervisor is saying?

What stage are you at btw? I'm a second-year PhD so if I am being incredibly patronizing to someone senior, sorry!

Kate Smurthwaite, I wonder what her set is like?

Its an English degree, I plan to do linguistic analysis of the discourse of stand up and apply it -

I think they mean its too feminist, why dont I do some thing more light hearted etc etc

I serioulsy doubt that they want it to be more 'light hearted'

I think LRP probably has it - that they are worried that you are being distracted from the core of what this is supposed to be about. Read the requirements for the dissertation very carefully. The linguistic analysis must surely be the focus? Have you thought through the method carefully from a linguisitic point of view?

Ah. How very thoughtful of them to make that choice for you.

What sort of things are other people doing?

muddle, to be fair, I can totally imagine some of my old supervisors pulling a face at the idea of feminist crit and telling me to do something 'more light-hearted'. They would just mean 'I wish to be a sexist pillock'. It does happen.

im 36 weeks pregnant, my tutor pretty much told me not to concern myself with too much depressing feminist theory and do some thing more light hearted and interesting.

I joked and said, like childrens lit?

He agreed.

The criteria explain it has to be literary, scholarly, not just explain stuff, im happy to do the liguistic analysis - I did some thing similar last year and got a 1st

What exactly did you actually submit as your dissertation proposal?

I get a very different feel from your two descriptions "I would like to argue that I think that stand up comics from specific genders, do in fact strengthen and reinforce stereotypes." and "I plan to do linguistic analysis of the discourse of stand up and apply it." so I wondered exactly how you had phrased it in your official submission.

(being picky, are there any stand-up comics from non-specific genders?)

Stand-up isn't exactly known for its lack of light-heartedness or interest... strange comment from your tutor. There do seem to be overtones of "You are a woman with child(ren); you should be doing something fluffier".

Well, what he said is not appropriate, but is sounds to me as if he misjudged a joke. Badly.

For what it's worth, children's lit is perfectly suitable for literary and scholarly analysis - but that's a separate point.

If this conversation you've described above was all that he's said about your topic, I think you need to email him and ask him to clarify whether or not there is a genuine problem with your subject-matter and topic.

I thik Guy is right too, that the two descriptions you've given are quite different and the differences are important.

Is it possible, also, that he would prefer you to analyze something that is part of written culture rather than spoken culture? That might be a question worth asking in your email.

Agree, Guy. I'll tell you something I hear which often makes me smile.

I went to an open debate where they'd invited Zadie Smith to talk to her old university tutor. He started by recounting how, at her interview, he discovered she had a great interest in post-colonial literature and black women's writing.

Zadie's eyebrows shot up.

She pointed out that she'd answered his questions on this subject because he asked them, but her interest then was (as it still is), the novel.

That just brings home to me how people do tend to see what they expect to see and put people in boxes according to it.

I can see a couple of issues with your research focus as you've phrased it in the OP - but not that it's "too serious". How can stand-up be seen as not light-hearted enough? I met a man who's writing volume 3 of a work on medieval suicide. Or maybe Milton would be a cheerier subject for you? Or Dante?

Crikey, elephants, who's that?! The man writing on medieval suicide I mean. Bloody hell.

I think the OP is quite right to feel angry about this. It's such a familiar trope, the 'humourless feminist', her supervisor should know better than to perpetuate it when this work could (among other things) really challenge that stereotype.

[http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/211 Review of Vol II just for you LRD]]

So, course of action:

1. kickhiminthecock Ask him to define (over email) whether he's seriously about "light-heartedness" and there being a real problem with her focus, and could he expand on that a bit? :o

2. After it's all sorted start a new thread about female stand-up comedians because my interest has been piqued :)

LRD - sorry better link

Cheery bedtime reading, thanks Elephants.

OP, I hope we've not put you off? I really want to know how it goes!

That's your christmas list sorted then :)