this blog runs on queue & coffee

better late than never & since this combines two different months I've named more than the usual 10. can you tell I listened to chaeyeon's new EP a lot?

This essay introduces “nihilistic feminism” as an emerging representational discourse in order to understand nihilism as a product of neoliberal and postfeminist ideals. I define nihilistic feminism as a disavowal of both patriarchy and feminism, characterizing feminism as necessary in theory but impossible in practice and, therefore, unworthy of pursuit; instead, nihilistic feminism positions fulfillment of individual pleasures as the only feasible alternative. This essay examines Charli XCX’s 2024 album Brat and its viral “brat summer” trend as exemplars, identifying three foundations of nihilistic feminism: political hopelessness and withdrawal, hedonistic hyperindividualism, and aestheticized (apolitical) chaos.

This article intervenes in debates on subalternity by examining the unique case of Nüshu (女书), the only known women-exclusive language system. The study argues that Nüshu's “(un)translatability” functions as resistance, shifting the question from Spivak's “Can the Subaltern Speak?” to “Can we in the mainstream possess the capacity to hear them?” Nüshu's (un)translatability challenges translation-based understanding, urging attention to cultural practices and their epistemic strategies. Nüshu reconfigures language by transcending communication, challenging the oral-written hierarchy, and unsettling the relationship between symbolic systems and power.

Museums have more work by women—both as makers and as collectors—than may be evident in walking through their galleries or even from a search of their databases. Women’s names and credit for their accomplishments as collectors have often been systematically removed, obscured through marriage, or hidden behind misogynistic mechanisms of the historical art market, which have typically placed a lower value on women’s labour and influence. Increasingly, institutions have recognised that locating the stories of these women creates more inclusive and representative object histories. This article considers key issues regarding women’s historical roles in object biographies as well as tools that can be used to locate and acknowledge the women who appear in both object provenances and institutional histories.

This article examines the ideological and cultural significance of Fatma Aliye’s translation of Georges Ohnet’s Volonté, published as Meram (1889), and its prefaces, highlighting her role as translator and social reformer in the late Ottoman Empire. Employing Toury’s preliminary norms, the study contextualises Fatma Aliye’s thematic priorities within the Tanzimat era’s interplay of Western literary influences and Ottoman moral values. Prefaces authored by Fatma Aliye, her mentor Ahmet Mithat Efendi, and contemporary editors are analysed using digital humanities (Voyant Tools) to uncover patterns of word choice, thematic emphasis, and narrative strategies. Findings reveal how Fatma Aliye strategically used translation and the novel form to advocate for women’s rights, foster cross-cultural understanding, and reshape Ottoman intellectual discourse. By focusing on concepts such as moral integrity, social reform, and women’s empowerment, her works challenged Western misconceptions about Muslim women and expanded female authorship. Ultimately, Fatma Aliye’s translation and literary activities exemplify how the Ottoman novel became a conduit for cultural negotiation, ensuring that women’s voices influenced literary and social thought during a transformative period.

Safe to say, I think this move & the current heatwave is getting to me 😭🫠