Date of Award

2022

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Communication

Department

Communication

College

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Faculty Advisor

Platt, Carrie Anne

Description

Violence and abuse towards women are common themes in media today. HBO’s television series, Game of Thrones, is filled with scenes of women being tortured, raped, and abused. Yet, Game of Thrones was one of the most watched shows of the 2010s (Hibberd, 2014). In this study, I explore how women view the relationship between power and gender in Game of Thrones and how they make sense of justify gendered violence. Interviews were conducted with 20 women who had seen more than one season of the series. The goal of this research is to gain insight into these perceptions in order to dispel internalized sexist ideals and create more understanding of internal biases. Results suggest female fans demonstrate feminist ideas in their critiques of the series’ portrayal of women but assess characters and plotlines in a way that values masculine qualities and masculine forms of power.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33338

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