Tweeting disgust: A reflexive thematic analysis of the language of disgust used in response to the Belfast rape trial
Chippendale, Rόisίn
Chippendale, Rόisίn
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2024-12-05
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journal article
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Chippendale, Rόisίn. (2024). Tweeting disgust: A reflexive thematic analysis of the language of disgust used in response to the Belfast rape trial. Dearcadh: Graduate Journal of Gender, Globalisation and Rights, 5. https://doi.org/10.13025/29192
Abstract
This study is an exploration into the political potential (or lack thereof) of the vocabulary of disgust that was expressed in Tweets in response to the controversial Belfast rape trial in 2018. Although research has largely examined the positive role that emotion can play in feminist activism, literature exists which suggests that this is not the case for all emotional responses to injustice (Nussbaum 2004; Sullivan 2022). The political potential of the vocabulary of disgust was interrogated using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis within a case study research design. The generation of themes was deeply influenced by the work of political philosopher Chantal Mouffe (2013) on agonism, the political and counter-hegemonic struggles. This work adds to the field of study surrounding the narratives that we construct around rape, as it uses theories of rape and political emotion to interrogate what is really being said when the vocabulary of disgust is chosen when confronted with rape. Ultimately, this article is one that focuses on the importance of reflexivity in how we respond to disclosures of rape, and how this may, or may not, challenge the structural underpinnings that lead to rape and sexual violence.
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School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International