From victims to survivors : The discourse of trauma in self-narratives of sexual violence in Cosmopolitan UK online

This is a sel -a chi ed e sion o an o iginal a icle. This e sion may di e om he o iginal in pagina ion and ypog aphic de ails. Au ho (s): Ti le: Yea : Ve sion: Copy igh : Righ s: Righ s u l: Please ci e he o iginal e sion: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ F om ic ims o su i o s : The discou se o auma in sel -na a i es o sexual iolence in Cosmopoli an UK online © 2018 Else ie L d. Accep ed e sion (Final d a ) Rodi-Risbe g, Ma inella; Höglund, Maj-B i Rodi-Risbe g, M., & Höglund, M.-B. (2018). F om ic ims o su i o s : The discou se o auma in sel -na a i es o sexual iolence in Cosmopoli an UK online. Discou se, Con ex and Media, 25, 114-121. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.dcm.2018.04.004 2018 F om ic ims o su i o s: The discou se o auma in sel -na a i es o sexual iolence in Cosmopoli an UK online Ma inella Rodi-Risbe g, Depa men o Language and Communica ion S udies, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland Maj-B i Höglund, Cen e o Languages and Business Communica ion, Hanken School o Economics, Finland 1. In oduc ion C i ical discou se s udies (CDS) has so a emained la gely una ec ed by he ecen a ec i e u n in he ields o he humani ies and social sciences; 1 bu wha happens when such popula consume li es yle magazine b ands as Cosmopoli an ake on he issue o he auma o sexual iolence? P e ious li e a u e has shown how he ep esen a ion o such issues as wo k, sex, ela ionships, and heal h become app op ia ed and shaped by hese magazines; all become a model o sel -empowe men sui able o e e y si ua ion o p oblem (Machin and an Leeu en, 2003). Thus, he magazine deals wi h hese issues in a b anded way (Machin and Tho nbo ow, 2003). Ea lie esea ch has also shown wha women’s magazines do ideologically, how sex becomes a o m o play and empowe men o women, bu only when emo ed om i s social con ex in a ic ional space (Machin and Tho nbo ow, 2006). P e ious s udies aise issues o how sex as ad en u e ela e o ep esen a ions o sex as iolence, and hei indings esona e wi h and con ibu ed o he esea ch on he discou se on wide media ep esen a ion o iolence and auma whe e e il e sus innocence de lec s om an ac ual social eali y. In ac , he concep o auma in con empo a y cul u e has gene a ed he dominan pa adigm o depic ing indi idual expe iences o su e ing in mass media: his discu si e model o emplo men in ol es he an agonis ic s uggle be ween good and e il – ep esen ed by he s ock cha ac e s o ic im and pe pe a o – and has a happy ending, whe e he ic im wins o e e il and becomes a su i o (Ro he, 2011). Ne e heless, his o mulaic way o ep esen ing auma depoli icizes su e ing as i ins uc s consume s/ eade s ha social and cul u al change is unnecessa y and no poli ical ac ion needed. 1 Fo a c i ique o he “lack o a ec ” in CDA, see Thu low (2016) and Milani (2015). T auma is an inhe en ly emo i e expe ience. Emo ions a e in insic bo h o he auma ic expe ience i sel and he wi nessing he eo . In o med by a heo e ical amewo k ha places c i ical discou se analysis (CDA) and auma s udies in cons uc i e dialogue, his s udy examines how Cosmopoli an UK online deals wi h he discou se o auma in women’s sel -na a i es o sexual iolence by explo ing he ways in which emo ions a e hema ized in he sel -na a i es as he magazine p omo es i s own dominan discou se o indi idual empowe men . While “sel -na a i es o sexual iolence” can be de ined as a o m o es imony in which women es i y o hei auma ic s o ies o sexual iolence, we ecognize ha he magazine akes edi o ial license wi h hese. By he e m “sexual iolence” we mean o include sexual assaul , sexual abuse, inces , and ape. The e m is ap because al hough no all o e en mos sexual assaul s include signi ican iolen beha io , no sexual assaul , abuse, o ape is non iolen because i always implies iola ion. P ima acie, CDS and auma s udies may appea an unlikely combina ion: he o me a ends o w i en o spoken discou se, o wo ds, o wha is exp essed, spoken and ep esen ed, whe eas he la e ocuses on wha is unspoken and un ep esen ed o a he unspeakable and un ep esen able, ha is, on a ec ; ye , his a icle emphasizes emo ions as an impo an link be ween CDS and auma s udies. Acco ding o psychoanaly ical s udies on auma, auma ic expe ience p oduces an epis emological c isis ha bypasses linguis ic e e ence and is he e o e knowable only bela edly in he o m o auma ic e ec s which a e seen o li e ally ep esen he auma ic e en (see Ca u h, 1996). Thus, na a i e becomes a si e o bea ing wi ness o auma in a way ha e lec s and passes on a he han ep esen s he emo ional impac o he phenomenon o eade s. Fo auma schola s, auma discou se en ails es imony, an e hical add ess whe eby he audience is implica ed in he auma o he o he (Ca u h, 1996; Felman and Laub, 1992). Being add essed means being “dep i ed o will, and o ha e ha dep i a ion exis as he basis o one’s si ua ion in discou se” (Bu le , 2006: 139). Ne e heless, while auma schola s espouse ep esen a ions o auma as “ he libe a o y es imony o he disen anchised” (Ro he, 2011: 90) add essed o a esponsi e o he , in women’s magazines, ac o s including “mission s a emen s, edi o ial guidelines, ad e ising conce ns, audience expec a ions, and economic in e es s” impac on bo h he choice o s o ies abou social issues and how hey a e old (Be ns, 2004: 10). The aim is o ad ance esea ch on he discou se o auma in sel -na a i es o sexual iolence by d awing a en ion o he impo an pa played by emo ions in ela ion o poli ics and he signi ican ole poli ics play in ela ion o emo ions. Consequen ly, his s udy no only asks wha happens when Cosmopoli an uses he issue o sexual iolence and he discou se o auma in sel -na a i es undamen ally as pa o hei b and, ha is, wha happens o such issues when hey become discu si ely p esen ed h ough b anding, bu also explo es how emo ional bonds a e c ea ed syn he ically wi h imagined eade s. Thus, an addi ional esea ch ques ion is: how do hese sel -na a i es poli icize o depoli icize he discou se o auma and o whose bene i ? Ul ima ely, he p esen s udy demons a es how he discu si e p ac ices o he sel -na a i es a e no only shaped by bu also dis up dominan discou ses o auma h ough he ci cula ion o powe ul emo ions. 2. Women’s magazine na a i es, auma, and poli ics Na a i es o cons uc ing women’s li es in Cosmopoli an globally ollow speci ic s uc u es iden i ied by Machin and an Leeuwen (2003: 496) as p oblem-solu ion discou se schemas. The magazine cons uc s women’s social li e as a s uggle o su i al in a p eca ious wo ld whe e ela ionships a e uns able and women ha e no hing o ely on excep hei own esou ces (2003: 510). These p oblems include “ isky encoun e s” such as “men making ad ances,” and “ins i u ional obs acles” which a e “ o mula ed as a pe sonal p oblem” a he han “an issue o social and cul u al gende inequali y” (2003: 502). The magazine o e s i s eade s ad ice o how o o e come obs acles and achie e hei goals. Mo eo e , he magazine p esen s i s solu ions as p ac ical ones; hey a e no cons ued as ideologies, bu na u alized in o global u hs abou human na u e. Höglund (2016) has demons a ed ha he Cosmopoli an UK p in e sion allows o he selec i e in oduc ion o discou ses such as hose o ouble, including sexual iolence, which challenges i s dominan discou se o he ideal Cosmo gi l, o he pu pose o neu alizing he compe ing ones. P e ious esea ch on women’s p in magazines shows ha he p oblem o gende ed iolence such as domes ic iolence is cons uc ed as a p i a e p oblem, mos o en as he woman’s p oblem, and she is hence esponsible o inding a solu ion (Be ns, 2004; 1999; Ne le on, 2011). Focusing on he ic im’s s o y o empowe men and su i al, howe e , educes complica ed social issues o “emo ion, d ama, and he oic ales” and ob usca es he way sociocul u al s uc u es sus ain gende iolence (Be ns, 2004: 102). Gende ed iolence is p esen ed as he woman’s p oblem and esponsibili y because he magazines’ edi o ial guidelines o w i e s ins uc ha women’s magazines a e “se ice magazines,” o e ing eade s ad ice and encou agemen mainly by “empowe ing” hem h ough “keeping i pe sonal,” pe sonalizing s o ies o abuse wi h “upli ing, posi i e esolu ions” made possible h ough ocusing on one woman’s s o y a he han p o iding sociopoli ical con ex s (Be ns, 2004: 84). Due o hese guidelines, he sine qua non o he s o ies is ha “abuse s mus be kep in he backg ound, and ad e ise s’ in e es s mus be main ained” (Be ns, 2004: 91). Ea lie s udies ha e also shown ha in Cosmopoli an sex and sexual iolence, like lo e, ashion and ca ee s, a e discu si ely p esen ed h ough b anding. The discou se o sex as empowe men has been mobilized in he in e es o a li es yle ideology o consume ism by magazines owned by global co po a ions such as Hea s (which owns Cosmopoli an) h ough si ua ing i wi hin a an asy wo ld (Machin and Tho nbo ow, 2006). Thus di o ced om i s social con ex sex becomes a o m o empowe men o women; ye , he pe o mance o his sexual powe as desc ibed in he magazine may pu women a isk o sexual iolence in he “ eal” wo ld (Machin and Tho nbo ow, 2006: 180-181). The model o a one size i s all sel -empowe men in women’s magazines co esponds wi h s udies on he discou se o auma in ep esen a ion mo e b oadly, whe e a discou se o e il e sus innocence di e s om social eali ies. In he la e wen ie h cen u y, sexual iolence became linked wi h he discou se o auma as a esul o he iden i y poli ics o he la e 1960s. A his s age o he women’s mo emen , oicing he un old pa s o women’s li es was c ucial and o en sha ed in g oups (Luckhu s , 2008: 71). In he 1970s, iden i y poli ics was “ ans o med in o ques s o pe sonal sel -disco e y” as indi idual exp essions o su e ing and su i al subs i u ed o he poli ical discou ses o he 1960s, and he apeu ic cul u e “abso bed in e pe sonal iolence in o i s inhe en ly de-poli icized sphe e” (Ro he, 2011: 117). The las wo decades o he wen ie h cen u y saw in auma discou se “ he ans o ma ion o wi ness as ic im o wi ness as su i o , and o wi ness as pe o me , elling he ale o su i o as a o m o sel - he apy and inspi a ion o o he s” (Douglass and Vogle , 2003: 41). Recen esea ch on auma has in es iga ed he ole o poli ics in ela ion o emo ion in ep esen a ions o auma in he media and beyond. Hu chinson indica es ha while auma is o en seen as an indi idual and isola ing expe ience, “ auma ic e en s can also help o o m he social a achmen s needed o cons i u e communi y” in he sense ha “ ep esen a ional p ac ices c a unde s andings o auma ha ha e social meaning and signi icance” (2016: 2, 3). Rep esen a ions o auma allow he sha ing o inju y and loss be ween ic ims and wi nesses in ways ha a e poli ically signi ican . In a con ex o popula media ep esen a ions, his is acili a ed because “consume s ha e become unwilling o ques ion he au ho i y o a ec ” (Ro he, 2011: 137). To make auma a ‘collec i e’ expe ience i needs o “be ansc ibed (i.e. media ed h ough modes o communica ion) in o a language h ough which i can be sha ed” (Hu chinson, 2016: 54). In a con ex o women’s magazines, Machin and an Leeu en ha e shown how he communi y o Cosmopoli an eade s “sha e an in ol emen wi h he same modali ies and gen es o linguis ic communica ion, and he same linguis ic cons uc ions o eali y,” bu “[ ]he ‘speech’ is ins i u ionally con olled… h ough a hie a chically o ganised ins i u ion, wi h a head o ice ha egula es he wo k o local edi o ial eams, and local edi o ial eams who shape he language o Cosmopoli an in delibe a e and s a egic ways” (2003: 509, 510). The sha ing is no equal and is c ea ed in a syn he ic way. 3. Ma e ial The online ex ual ma e ial in ou p ojec consis s o 35 sel -na a i es acqui ed om he Cosmopoli an UK websi e using he sea ch wo ds “ ape,” “sexual abuse,” “sexual iolence,” “sexual assaul ,” “inces ,” and “ auma.” The na a i es we e published be ween 2013 and 2017 and downloaded wi hin a h ee-mon h pe iod, No embe 18, 2016-Feb ua y 18, 2017. Selec ion c i e ia we e a sel -na a i e es i ying o a auma ic sexual expe ience including ape, sexual abuse, o sexual assaul . These sel -na a i es we e unde s ood o ha e unde gone a jou nalis ic wo k p ocess, esul ing in na a i es old in he i s o hi d pe son singula . The ole o he magazine as media o was o en emphasized by he no e “As old o (name o epo e /edi o )”. The sel -na a i es a e no always based on in e iews ha Cosmopoli an has conduc ed wi h he women bu a e o en based on in e iews by o he media and on social media including Ins ag am and wee s. Fo his eason, we do no analyze he images in he sel -na a i es. A icles we e no included i hey we e egula news epo s o inciden s o sexual iolence, o he magazine’s sel -help ad ice. We ha e chosen Cosmopoli an because i has a his o y o publishing and campaigns on sexual iolence. We ha e selec ed he online e sion because na a i es o sexual iolence ha e mainly ans e ed o he magazine’s ee web e sion, diminishing i s isibili y in he p in e sion, which is o sale. The echnical possibili ies allows Cosmopoli an o c ea e online ne wo ks ac oss ela ed in e ne si es, a he same ime making use o social media o added each. Fo he Cosmopoli an b and, i is i al o own and moni o an online space which unc ions as a ne wo k o esou ces in combina ion wi h social media. The e o e, he da a collec ed o his s udy a e linked o o he si es h ough he w i e s/ epo e s. Fo ins ance, he p o ile o digi al epo e Ca iona Ha ey-Jenne is c ea ed no only by he adi ional jou nalis ic by-line, bu also by ca ch-lines such as “Follow Ca on Twi e ” and “Like his? Come and check us ou on Snapcha Disco e .” The magazine makes use o he linking possibili ies p o ided by he social media, hus s eng hening i s own online space and con en s. The esul is a pla o m om which he magazine can asse i sel and i s b and h ough campaigns agains sexual iolence. 4. Theo e ical amewo k In his s udy, we b ing CDA in p oduc i e dialogue wi h auma s udies, sugges ing ha emo ion is an impo an link be ween hem, o examine he sel -na a i es o sexual iolence in Cosmopoli an UK online. CDA is a c i ical pe spec i e, a he han a me hodology (Blommae , 2005: 21). I s pu pose is o in es iga e how powe mani es s h ough language. The ideological na u e o discou ses, speci ically hose cons uc ed by women’s magazines, makes CDA a sui able ool o hei decons uc ion. Discou se is iewed in his s udy as cons uc ed and is unde s ood as Foucaul ’s “discu si e p ac ices o sys ems o meaning” (1972: 49) which call objec s in o exis ence (Foucaul , 2004: 94). I is closely linked o ideology and powe ; discou ses – like ideologies – s uggle wi h each o he o dominance (Fai clough, 2001: 45; Mills, 2004: 38), and hose who bene i om a pa icula dominan discou se will uphold i . CDA is, by de ini ion, in e disciplina y (Wodak, 2001a), which makes i sui able o ou pu poses. I is p oblem-o ien ed which allows o he possibili y o in eg a ing heo ies and me hods ha help o in e p e and explain he objec in es iga ed (Wodak, 2001b: 69). Na u ally, i s in e disciplina y app oach can be an ad an age, bu also a disad an age. CDA allows o he lexible combina ion o esea ch me hods, and o e s he esea che he eedom o choose he ools mos sui ed o he ma e ial and p ojec in ques ion. While his eedom o choice can ende a s udy uns able, i is app op ia e he e whe e auma s udies o e s wha CDA seemingly lacks: a ocus on emo ions. We use Fai clough’s (1992) h ee-dimensional model o discou se o in es iga e key discu si e p ac ices used by Cosmopoli an UK online o cons uc women’s expe iences o sexual iolence. This i-pa i e model makes i possible o analyze discou se in h ee s ages: discou se-as- ex , desc ibing ex s in e ms o g amma , ocabula y, cohesion and s uc u e; discou se-as-discu si e p ac ice, in e p e ing he p oduc ion, ci cula ion, and consump ion o discou ses, and discou se-as-social p ac ice, explaining discu si e p ac ices in hei social con ex s whe e powe s uc u es a e a wo k (Fai clough 2001: 20-21). We analyse he sel - na a i es o iden i y and desc ibe, along he i s dimension, dis inc i e linguis ic s a egies ha gi e he o ical o ce o he auma discou se deployed by he magazine o p omo e i s dominan discou se o empowe men . The second dimension o e s he con ex ual conside a ions upon which he linguis ic s a egies we e based and wi hin which ep esen a ion we in e p e meaning. We iden i y he opics which ecu egula ly o o m pa e ns in he sel -na a i es (see Foucaul , 1972, 2004; Fai clough, 2001), as discu si e p ac ices which a e named acco ding o hei unc ion and in e p e ed. He e, he discu si e p ac ices a e de ined as he s a egies employed by he magazine, o example, o ep esen auma and cons uc he plo s and cha ac e s in ol ed in he na a i es o p omo e i s dominan discou se o empowe men . The hi d dimension o social p ac ices o e CDA’s explana o y ep esen a ion o he meanings cons uc ed whe e he unc ion o he discu si e p ac ices a e explained in e ms o hei ole and signi icance in socie y. Because hese sel -na a i es a e a gen e whe e he aim is o ha e he women speak abou a pe sonal emo ional expe ience, he analysis ocuses on he connec ion be ween discu si e p ac ices and discu si e unc ion, no ing how he discou ses a e g ounded in he no ion o empowe men o achie e he goals o Cosmopoli an UK online. Fai clough p esen s empowe men in ela ion o “emancipa o y discou se” as empowe men and emancipa o y discou se “which con ibu es o he ans o ma ion o exis ing o de s o discou se”: empowe men means ha indi iduals who a e no included in ce ain ypes o discou ses o subjec posi ions wi hin hese “a e helped o in inge con en ions, wi hou adically changing hem, by ‘en e ing’ hese discou se ypes o posi ions” (Fai clough, 2001: 201). As discou ses a e si ua ed in speci ic imes and places hey a e also open o ans o ma ion: empowe men “has a subs an ial ‘shock’ po en ial” and can demons a e ha p esen “o de s o discou se” a e changeable (Fai clough, 2001: 202). This is whe e he impo an link be ween CDA and auma s udies mani es s i sel mos e iden ly: we explo e he shock po en ial o discou se by d awing on s udies on auma and emo ion. Acco ding o Bu le , “dominan o ms o ep esen a ion can and mus be dis up ed o some hing abou he p eca iousness o li e o be app ehended” (2006: x iii). These dominan o ms o ep esen a ions a e dis up ed h ough he ci cula ion o powe ul emo ions. As Hu chinson a gues, discou ses and ep esen a ions o auma a e “in ima ely emo ional” calling a en ion o “ he ha owing na u e o auma ic e en s: hey signi y shock, ulne abili y and con usion” (2016, 4). “Rep esen a ions ‘ ame’ auma ic e en s,” Hu chinson sugges s; consequen ly, “Pa e ns o wo ds” cons i u e “a mechanism h ough which indi idual and dis an expe iences o auma can esona e wi h and a ec i ely appeal o a wide socie y, o a communi y linked by sha ed pa e ns o emo ionali y and eeling” (2016: 271). We engage wi h auma s udies o examine subjec posi ioning o unde s and how such emo ional bonds a e c ea ed syn he ically wi h imagined audiences in Cosmopoli an UK online. Fo Bu le , acknowledging ou in e dependence, he way i is e ealed in ou ulne abili y ini ia es an unde aking ha is bo h e hical and poli ical: “ iolence” exploi s “ ha p ima y way in which we a e, as bodies, ou side ou sel es and o one ano he ” (Bu le , 2006: 27). The mee ing-poin be ween auma and iolence is sus ained by ep esen a ion h ough discou se: “ he si ua ion o discou se…is one in which we a e add essed, in which he O he di ec s language owa ds us”: consequen ly, “ he e is a ce ain iolence al eady in being add essed…compelled o espond o an exac ing al e i y” (Bu le , 2006: 139). In ou ma e ial an add ess is c ea ed syn he ically wi h imagined eade s as he women in he s o ies speak ou abou sexual iolence. Those who ha e expe ienced iolence canno con ol he ep esen a ions o di e en o ms o discou ses o e ed by he media; consequen ly, “ h ough modes o ep esen a ion, auma can be shaped in ways ha se e he poli ical in e es s o hose who ha e he powe o ep esen i ” (Hu chinson, 2016: 134). Human in e ela edness in auma equi es an e hical esponse, bu he media also use sel -na a i es o auma o comme cial pu poses. In sel -na a i es o sexual iolence Cosmopoli an UK online s a egically cons uc subjec posi ions o enable he magazine o c ea e social ela ionships and o accep o ejec dominan discou ses o auma he eby enhancing hei b and. 5. Findings and discussion 5.1 Syn he ically bound: T auma, he discu si e p ac ices o emo ions, and imagined eade s Cosmopoli an UK online allows sel -na a i es whe e women ell hei s o ies o sexual iolence wi h he ul ima e aim o u he he concep o hei b and h ough speci ic discu si e p ac ices. As a o m o es imonial gen e ep esen ing auma hese sel -na a i es ollow dis inc i e discu si e pa e ns. To achie e he aims o he magazine, hey a e designed o c ea e an a ini y in a syn he ic way wi h imagined eade s. The discu si e p ac ices o 5 and 6 ypi y “ he dominan mode o emplo men ” whe e a powe ul a acke iola es “a helpless ic im” who wins o e e il in he end (Ro he, 2011: 4), i di e s om p e ious indings on gende iolence in p in magazines in ha i ep esen s a discou se o he woman as innocen o he iolence pe pe a ed on he and holding men esponsible (c . Ne le on, 2011). 5.3 Subjec posi ioning and poli ical a ec Ca e ul examina ion o he discu si e p ac ices in he sel -na a i es illumina es coun e - discou ses indica ing Fai clough’s no ion o he “’shock’ po en ial” o empowe men discou se po en ially leading o “emancipa o y discou se” (Fai clough, 2001: 202), and b ings o mind Bu le ’s emphasis ha “dominan o ms o ep esen a ion can and mus be dis up ed o some hing abou he p eca iousness o li e o be app ehended” (2006: x iii). In ou ma e ial, he ci cula ion o powe ul emo ions and eelings some imes dis up dominan o ms o ep esen a ion. The sel -na a i e om which Exce p s 5 abo e and 7 below a e aken challenges esea ch saying he e a e no na a i es o men aking ini ia i e o coun e ac iolence (c . Ne le on, 2011: 154). Rela ing how Tho dis El a has w i en a book wi h he abuse , Tom S ange , he na a i e in oduces a discou se whe e he apis is in i ed o be pa o he solu ion o he p oblem o gende ed sexual iolence: Exce p 7. a lo can be lea ned by lis ening o hose who ha e been a pa o he p oblem – i hey’ e willing o become pa o he solu ion – abou wha ideas and a i udes d o e hei iolen ac ions, so we can wo k on up oo ing hem e ec i ely. Sexual assaul , she poin s ou , is no a ‘woman’s issue’ bu a human issue, and pe pe a o s – he as majo i y o whom a e men – ha e no only he powe bu he esponsibili y o eshape he social o ces ha encou age assaul in he i s place. (MacMillen, 2017) This ac i e p esence o he agg esso aking esponsibili y o he iolence con adic s p e ious esea ch ha ound an absence o magazines holding men esponsible o hei iolen ac s (c . Ne le on, 2011). MacMillen inds S ange ’s aking he mic ophone “ja ing,” sugges ing he shock po en ial o a auma discou se ha includes he pe pe a o as pa o he solu ion o he p oblem o gende sexual iolence. Exce p 7 also seems o con adic Cosmopoli an’s dominan discou se, no only in allowing a discou se o pe pe a o esponsibili y bu also by in oducing a discou se o he esponsibili y o “social o ces.” As such, Exce p 7 ep esen s a coun e -discou se o he dominan discou se o Cosmopoli an UK online because i places indi idual su e ing in a social con ex . S ill, no explici connec ion is d awn be ween pa ia chal s uc u es and gende ed sexual iolence. Explo a ion o he discu si e p ac ices in he sel -na a i es e eals ha he posi ion o Cosmopoli an UK online on he opic o sexual iolence is ha he woman is no o blame o i , bu ha i is he esponsibili y o sol e he p oblem by epo ing i and speaking ou acco ding o he dominan discou se o indi idual empowe men . The discou se o auma can lend ic ims isibili y and aise awa eness o a speci ic social p oblem. The sel -na a i es a e some imes a call o ac ion h ough posi ioning wi hin poli ical discou ses o change ansla ed in o sha ed expe iences. The ollowing exce p s we e selec ed because hey clea ly in oduce a discou se o a need o change: Exce p 8. “People need o be alking abou i ,” Rhianon ad ises. “In oducing sexual abuse as a subjec wi hin sex educa ion in o schools would be bene icial, and eeling com o able enough o e bally exp ess you sel when i comes o such a complica ed issue will make i less o a aboo subjec a ea” (Ha ey-Jenne , 2015) The modali y “need” c ea es a sense o u gency, and se es as a call o ac ion. This is in ensi ied by he e e ence in he a icle o a con e ence Rhianon o ganizes o deal wi h gende ed sexual iolence o he pu pose o acili a ing discussions abou i , and shi ing shame om hose who ha e expe ienced i o hose who pe pe a e i . Ne e heless, he discou se o change is es ic ed o indi idual empowe men , o a bes o in e pe sonal empowe men , because, while making he issue less aboo and women “ eel” mo e a ease when speaking ape may a ec social a i udes h ough de-shaming and e-shaming, no link is es ablished be ween sexual iolence and social s uc u es and he e is no discussion o s uc u al changes needed o p e en sexual iolence. Like Exce p 8, he ollowing exce p exempli ies a call o change h ough speaking ou , he e in an e o o appeal o eade s’ eelings o igh eous indigna ion while s eng hening Cosmopoli an’s p o ile as a de ende o women’s igh s. As such, he emo ions i is supposed o elici se e he en enched in e es s o he magazine. The exce p ela es ha he day a e Donald T ump was elec ed p esiden o he US, E an Rachel Wood e ealed she had been sexually assaul ed: Exce p 9. “I’ e been aped. By a signi ican o he while we we e oge he . And on a sepa a e occasion, by he owne o a ba …I don’ belie e we li e in a ime whe e people can s ay silen any longe . No gi en he s a e ou wo ld is in wi h i s bla an bigo y and sexism.” (Lewis, 2016) Wood’s speaking ou posi ions he wi hin a poli ical discou se o “bla an bigo y and sexism”. The las wo exce p s de ail how con en ions a e dis up ed by subjec s “en e ing” ce ain discou ses o discou se posi ions wi hou ans o ming hem (see Fai clough 2001: 201). The majo i y o media na a i es ocus on he woman who has expe ienced sexual iolence, and his may aid in p oducing ‘syn he ic sis e hood’ h ough ci cula ing eelings, bu does no au oma ically inc ease public unde s anding o con ex ual ac o s o sexual iolence. Analyzing social issues on a pe sonal le el decon ex ualizes social p oblems and is consequen ly less poli ically sub e si e and complica ed han s uggling agains sexism, socializa ion, media iolence, accep ance o iolence in socie y, social a i udes, and socio- economic and amily s uc u es (Be ns, 1999). T auma s udies ocuses on he eade ’s/lis ene ’s ole as empa hically wi nessing na a i es o auma: he audience “comes o be a pa icipan …o he auma ic e en ” (Felman and Laub, 1992, 57). When eade s wi ness and empa hize wi h he women in he sel -na a i es and hei si ua ions depic ed he ein, hey become in ol ed in he na a i e o social and gende opp ession and o ced o conside he con ex o belonging o a socie y ha appa en ly condones such a lack o social jus ice. Thus, he unc ion o he discu si e p ac ices as social p ac ices, hei ole and signi icance in socie y and he meanings cons uc ed h ough he auma discou se a e placed in a b oade con ex wi hin a wide communi y. Consequen ly, he ep esen a ion o auma is p oblema ized no only by ques ions such as wha kind o auma is ep esen ed by whom and o whom, and by he unde s anding o who is iden i ied as ic im and who as pe pe a o and by whom, bu also by he ques ion o who capi alizes on i (Rodi-Risbe g, o hcoming). 6. Conclusion The hea o his a icle is an analysis ha places CDA in p oduc i e dialogue wi h auma s udies: his s udy has in es iga ed wha happens when Cosmopoli an UK online uses he issue o sexual iolence and he discou se o auma in sel -na a i es as pa o hei b and, explo ing he linguis ic s a egies and discu si e p ac ices deployed by he magazine o engage eade s’ emo ions o c ea e emo ional bonds syn he ically wi h imagined audiences. In his way, he inqui y emphasizes emo ions as a signi ican link be ween CDS and auma s udies. The s udy o auma su passes and esis s language, exposing he need o CDS o e ise and econcei e i s me hods o accommoda e emo ions, o wha emains unsaid o is no always o ully ep esen a ional in wo ds. Thus, he in ensely emo ional and unspeakable na u e o auma in i es an al e na i e app oach o knowledge. As i s ands, CDS’s “cen ing o ex s and ansc ip s – lea es us s uggling o ead be ween he lines, o unde s and he gaps and he aces, he unspoken and he unspeakable” (Thu low, 2016: 487). New me hodological inno a ions ha emphasize a ec can aid in be e unde s anding he abuses and inequali ies a he cen e o conce n in CDS. By engaging wi h emo ions i is possible o see how powe and eiled ideologies wo k. Rep esen ing auma is an ac o poli ics, no jus in he sense ha ep esen a ions may be explici ly poli ical in in en ion, bu also because, as Hu chinson indica es, “ he ‘ eal’ loca ion o he poli ics o auma is si ua ed in he e y space be ween he expe ience o auma and he p ac ices used o ep esen i ” (2016: 130). Emo ions a e socially and cul u ally cons uc ed in ela ion o language. In his lies he alue o combining CDS wi h auma s udies. The esul s o his s udy show how he discu si e p ac ices o emo ions can be ha nessed o ideological pu poses and comme cial ends, and e eal he signi icance o such discu si e p ac ices o Cosmopoli an UK online o cons uc a discou se o indi idual empowe men . To explain how dominan discou ses a e shaped by he magazine and how i shapes hese we explained how he discu si e p ac ices o emo ion we e deployed o ad ance i s dominan discou se, Cosmopoli an UK online. The magazine cons uc s discou ses in which he p o agonis s go om ad e si y o empowe men , hus appealing o eade s h ough ep esen a ions o emo ions and ensuing discou ses in widely acknowledged and socially and cul u ally ecognized emo ional ways, guiding hem o empa hize wi h he women in he sel - na a i es. Consequen ly, while he women a e p o ided a oice online ha may o he wise no be hea d, he edi o ial guidelines and p ac ices o a comme cial en e p ise such as Cosmopoli an ensu e ha he na a i es se e he pu poses o he magazine. The indings o his s udy demons a e he signi icance o he discu si e p ac ices o emo ion o Cosmopoli an o cons uc a discou se o empowe men . The indings sugges ha Cosmopoli an’s eadiness o allow he accoun s o sexual iolence elies on he discu si e p ac ices employed in he sel -na a i es. The magazine employs pa icula discu si e p ac ices o emo ion o u he i s dominan discou se o he Cosmo gi l, “ he mode n woman who wan s o imp ess in all a eas o he li e” (Cosmopoli an Media Pack 2016). The women ha e no con ol o e he angle om which hei expe iences a e ep esen ed. Powe a ec s “wha can o should be said when i comes o he na u e o indi iduals’ eelings” (Hu chinson, 2016: 94). The e o e, he discou se o auma becomes a locus whe e he ideology o he empowe ed Cosmo gi l is cons uc ed and ma shalled h ough he ci cula ion o powe ul emo ions in he se ice o he magazine. The ep esen a ion o sexual iolence equi es sensi i i y so as no o pe pe ua e o ein o ce my hs o cons uc ions o women as ic ims; ye , he online magazine o en uses he s a egy o s uc u ing he plo s h ough pola izing he cha ac e s h ough a discou se o good and e il in e ms o he oles o ic im and pe pe a o o mobilize empa hy om eade s and a oid ic im-blaming. Ne e heless, he social p oblem o sexual iolence is asc ibed solely o a ew indi idual ‘de ian ’ men and he need o s uc u al solu ions and change a e la gely igno ed. Al hough he ci cula ion o powe ul emo ions in he o m o emancipa o y o coun e -discou ses ha dis up dominan o ms o ep esen a ion and place indi idual su e ing in a social con ex exis in he ma e ial, no explici link is o ged be ween pa ia chal s uc u es and gende ed sexual iolence. Whe eas his s a egy is less poli ically sub e si e, s a egically employing a eminis discou se o empowe men u he s he magazine’s own comme cial ends a he han he women’s in e es s. Thus, he ideological e ec s o i s discu si e p ac ices o emo ion aci ly ep oduce powe ela ions be ween gende g oups and empowe men is con ined o he space o he emo ional bond o ged syn he ically wi h he imagined eade ship o syn he ic sis e hood. To he deg ee ha he ep esen a ion o sexual iolence is comp omised by he en e ainmen o ma o he online magazine and i s mission and ision, whe e empowe men is mean o be a pe sonal emo ional expe ience sha ed among ‘sis e s’, he poli iciza ion o he discou se o auma in hese na a i es emains limi ed. F om a auma s udies pe spec i e, i is une hical o dis ega d he p oblem; sexual iolence needs o be empa he ically and emo ionally wi nessed h ough es imony. The challenge will be o conside women’s magazines as signi ican si es o ep esen ing auma, whe e eade s empa hically wi ness he su e ing o o he women. We hope ha he signi icance o his s udy and i s indings exceed he pu iew o he discou se o auma in Cosmopoli an UK online sel -na a i es o sexual iolence, and has implica ions o sociolinguis ics o discou se. By c i ically analyzing he discu si e p ac ices o emo ion used in hese sel -na a i es, we call a en ion o he impo an pa played by emo ions in ela ion o poli ics and he signi ican ole poli ics play in ela ion o emo ions, sugges ing wi h Milani ha CDS may need o head “in he di ec ion o he a ec i e” (2015: 330). In es iga ing how he ma e ial in ou p esen s udy was ecei ed by eade s h ough social media a he ime o publica ion is a signi ican opic o u he esea ch. Acknowledgemen s We would especially like o hank he anonymous e iewe s o his pape : hei ho ough eading and as u e and gene ous commen s we e pa icula ly help ul. Thanks also go o P o esso Me ja Koskela, Uni e si y o Vaasa, Finland, and Resea che Anne So onen, Uni e si y o Vaasa, Finland, o eading an ea ly d a o his pape and o e ing use ul commen s. Re e ences Ame ican Psychia ic Associa ion. 2013. Diagnos ic and S a is ical Manual o Men al Diso de s, i h ed. Washing on, DC. Be ns, N., 2004. 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