"These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends": An Intersectional Analysis of Self and Identity in Westworld
Authors
Donnerborg, Maria ; Vukotic, Vanja
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-03
Pages
116
Abstract
Denne afhandling bruger en intersektionel tilgang til at undersøge, hvordan selv og identitet fremstilles i TV-serien Westworld (2016–) af Jonathan Nolan og Lisa Joy. En intersektionel tilgang ser på, hvordan overlappende sociale forhold og magtstrukturer påvirker erfaringer og identitetsdannelse. Analysen fokuserer på tre hovedfigurer: Dolores Abernathy, Maeve Millay og Bernard Lowe. Med udgangspunkt i teorier om selv og identitet, særligt Peter Weinreichs Identity Structure Analysis (ISA) – et rammeværk til at kortlægge, hvordan mennesker (eller figurer) forstår og forhandler deres identitet i forskellige sammenhænge – udvælges de mest centrale elementer til analysen. Ved at sammenligne de tre figurers selvforståelse før og efter, at værterne (Hosts) opnår bevidsthed, viser afhandlingen, hvordan genrekonventioner fra western og science fiction præger deres identiteter. Derudover demonstrerer afhandlingen, at Westworld bruger værterne til at kommentere uretfærdig behandling af minoriteter i samfundet, ved at fremstille dem som væsener, der kan opfattes som mennesker.
This thesis uses an intersectional approach to examine how self and identity are portrayed in the TV series Westworld (2016–) by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. An intersectional approach considers how overlapping social factors and power structures shape experiences and identity. The analysis focuses on three protagonists: Dolores Abernathy, Maeve Millay, and Bernard Lowe. Drawing on theories of self and identity—especially Peter Weinreich’s Identity Structure Analysis (ISA), a framework for mapping how individuals (or characters) construct and negotiate their identities across contexts—the study selects key elements for close analysis. By comparing each character’s sense of self before and after the Hosts achieve consciousness, the thesis shows how the conventions of the Western and science fiction genres shape their identities. It further argues that Westworld uses the Hosts to comment on the unjust treatment of minorities in society by presenting them as beings who can be understood as human.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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