“What a Woman Is”: Marianne and the Illusion of Representation in France
Department
Arts, Languages, and Philosophy
Major
Undeclared
Research Advisor
Merfeld-Langston, Audra L.
Advisor's Department
Arts, Languages, and Philosophy
Abstract
In France, liberty and justice have been personified for centuries in the image of a traditionally Caucasian woman called Marianne. She has come to represent the French Republic and the ideal French woman. Since the 1970s, French women have been chosen as visual and thematic models for sculptures and postage stamps featuring the image of Marianne. Although modern representations have become more ethnically diverse, women of non-Caucasian backgrounds who model as Marianne are still subsumed by the abstract ideals that she represents. Though Marianne herself seems more diverse, true inclusivity is only an illusion; this demonstrates the power structures that still shape Marianne’s iconography.
Biography
Sophia Vojta is a dually enrolled student at Missouri S&T. She is a Peer Learning Assistant for Physics and a member of the Missouri S&T Chamber Choir. She plans to major in Physics and English.
Research Category
Arts and Humanities
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Award
Arts and humanities oral presentation, First place
Location
Ozark Room
Presentation Date
16 Apr 2014, 10:00 am - 10:30 am
“What a Woman Is”: Marianne and the Illusion of Representation in France
Ozark Room
In France, liberty and justice have been personified for centuries in the image of a traditionally Caucasian woman called Marianne. She has come to represent the French Republic and the ideal French woman. Since the 1970s, French women have been chosen as visual and thematic models for sculptures and postage stamps featuring the image of Marianne. Although modern representations have become more ethnically diverse, women of non-Caucasian backgrounds who model as Marianne are still subsumed by the abstract ideals that she represents. Though Marianne herself seems more diverse, true inclusivity is only an illusion; this demonstrates the power structures that still shape Marianne’s iconography.
