SIUE’s Ibroscheva to Present Public Lecture on Women, Politics and Media
With the current presidential campaigns of female candidates Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina in the U.S., and the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Conference in Bejing, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dr. Elza Ibroscheva’s pioneering research on gender representation in media and politics is particularly timely.
Ibroscheva is chair of the Department of Mass Communications in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and recipient of the William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship Award. As part of her award, she will present, “If Women Ruled the World: Reflection on the Intersection of Women, Politics and Media from around the Globe” at a public lecture at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Meeting Room A of the Morris University Center on campus.
“My research presentation offers an overview of the challenges female politicians around the world experience as they pursue political careers,” Ibroscheva said. “It will highlight their achievements, as well as innovative media strategies in breaking the mold of understanding politics as intrinsically a male domain.
“This is not an attempt for me to shine some sort of heavy feminist critique upon the political discourse, but it is an opportunity for me to call for an honest debate about how we understand that world of politics,” she added.
The Going Award honors CAS faculty who have outstanding teaching, scholarly and/or creative activity accomplishments. Focused primarily on trends from a “global south” perspective, Ibroscheva’s research has widened the geographic reach of scholarship on the topic. Through her receipt of the award, Ibroscheva has also concentrated on an under-explored area of research – social media and female politicians.
“We are poised to experience a dynamic shift in gender balance,” said Ibroscheva. “The public at large may be interested in how this shift impacts our understanding of the crucial role women play in politics as voters, but more importantly, as viable political candidates.
“My ultimate goal is to start a conversation about the status quo of politics around the world,” she continued. “We need to acknowledge and shine a light on the challenges and obstacles that are often created by the narratives and journalistic norms that guide the media coverage of female politicians.”
Photo: Elza Ibroscheva, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Mass Communications in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.
