As part of the collaboration following the visit of the Media and Cultural Studies Program (KBM) UGM to the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), KBM UGM held an international webinar on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. The event featured two international speakers: Dr. Premalatha Karupiah, a lecturer at the School of Social Sciences at USM, and Dr. Sivakumar Iyyanar, an independent scholar from Puducherry, India.
The webinar was opened by Dr. Budiawan, Head of the Doctoral Program at KBM UGM, and moderated by Dr. Suzie Handajani, M.A., a lecturer at KBM UGM. Dr. Premalatha Karupiah presented on “Analyzing the Meaning of Sexual Violence in Contemporary Tamil Movies,” while Dr. Sivakumar Iyyanar discussed “History to Herstory in Tamil Cinema.”
In her presentation, Dr. Premalatha analyzed the meanings that emerge from scenes of sexual violence in 25 contemporary Tamil films she studied. Some of the meanings she highlighted include the tendency to portray sexual violence as a reflection of societal conditions, an expression of love, a demonstration of male dominance over women, and the eroticization of violence. She also pointed out how these films often fail to give due attention to the experiences of sexual violence survivors.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sivakumar elaborated on how Tamil cinema, which was once known for hyper-celebrating masculinity, has recently begun to shift. In the past few years, several Tamil films have placed women at the center of their narratives, transforming these films from mere entertainment to a form of empowerment for women.
SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality)
