Violence Against Women in the News: A Neoliberal Problem Construction?

• In Event: Media Constructions of Gendered Violence

Abstract

The media’s recognition of issues such as violence against women, climate change, and food insecurity are often seen as successes for social justice politics. But what if media coverage actually threatens to further exacerbate these issues? In this study, I propose a concept—what I call neoliberal problem construction—to better understand the problematic ways mainstream media reconstruct social justice issues. Neoliberal problem construction entails the recognition of progressive issues, but in a partialized way that conceals underlying social relations, and implies reactive strategies that strengthen the dominance of a neoliberal political-economic-cultural regime. Using the case of violence against women, I show how media attention to this issue does indeed problematize it to a substantial degree, but frames it in ways that further the interest of the neoliberal state. Moreover, I conclude by theorizing how such a framework is generalizable, using other cases, such as climate change and warfare to illustrate.

Author

• Nicholas J. Chagnon, University of Hawaii Manoa