Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel

This paper interrogates the representation of women characters in Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel. Considering the conflicting traits of female characters, this paper employs Julia Kristeva's theory of Abjection to analyse the characterisation of hyper-gendered and semi-robotic...

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Main Authors: Parry, Aqib Javaid, Altaf, Sana, Shah, Akhtar Habib
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/1/TD%202.pdf
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author Parry, Aqib Javaid
Altaf, Sana
Shah, Akhtar Habib
author_facet Parry, Aqib Javaid
Altaf, Sana
Shah, Akhtar Habib
author_sort Parry, Aqib Javaid
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper interrogates the representation of women characters in Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel. Considering the conflicting traits of female characters, this paper employs Julia Kristeva's theory of Abjection to analyse the characterisation of hyper-gendered and semi-robotic cyborg feminine characters, Alita and Nyssiana, in the film. The study highlights the patterns through which the film genderises artificial intelligence by introducing deformed female characters. It also discusses the implications of artificial intelligence for concepts of subjectivity and humanity and focuses on gender and the positioning of women as commodities in science fiction movies. Drawing on Kristeva's ideas of Abjection, the paper posits that female characters are dehumanised and deformed to the extent that they come across merely as objects of fear and desire.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:254212025-06-26T04:18:34Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/ Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel Parry, Aqib Javaid Altaf, Sana Shah, Akhtar Habib This paper interrogates the representation of women characters in Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel. Considering the conflicting traits of female characters, this paper employs Julia Kristeva's theory of Abjection to analyse the characterisation of hyper-gendered and semi-robotic cyborg feminine characters, Alita and Nyssiana, in the film. The study highlights the patterns through which the film genderises artificial intelligence by introducing deformed female characters. It also discusses the implications of artificial intelligence for concepts of subjectivity and humanity and focuses on gender and the positioning of women as commodities in science fiction movies. Drawing on Kristeva's ideas of Abjection, the paper posits that female characters are dehumanised and deformed to the extent that they come across merely as objects of fear and desire. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/1/TD%202.pdf Parry, Aqib Javaid and Altaf, Sana and Shah, Akhtar Habib (2024) Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel. 3L; Language,Linguistics and Literature,The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies., 30 (4). pp. 16-32. ISSN 0128-5157 https://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1738
spellingShingle Parry, Aqib Javaid
Altaf, Sana
Shah, Akhtar Habib
Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title_full Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title_fullStr Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title_full_unstemmed Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title_short Gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film Alita: Battle Angel
title_sort gender dynamics in artificial intelligence: problematising femininity in the film alita: battle angel
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25421/1/TD%202.pdf