Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English

Committee Chair

Katherine Fredlund

Committee Member

Lyn Wright

Committee Member

William Duffy

Abstract

Technology has changed dramatically in the 21st century. Perhaps one of the most evident technological shifts has been the rise of online social networking. These digital sites have created a space for voices that were long silenced, empowering them to generate counterpublics that challenge dominant ideologies and build supportive communities of resistance. In this regard, feminist rhetoric tends to acknowledge these digital sites as vital battlegrounds in the fight against gender inequality. Due to the relatively safe nature of the online environment compared to offline spaces, women have more layers of protection, which encourages them to engage in critical conversations regarding traditional gender roles and women's rights. In particular, X, with features like hashtags and anonymity, has become a rhetorical space where women carry forward their feminist activism. In the Saudi Arabian context, this non-gendered digital space often offers women an opportunity to push back against and even redefine the boundaries imposed by cultural norms. At the same time, studies have shown that anonymity plays a key role in Saudi women's digital communication. These studies have found that Saudi women prefer to communicate anonymously due to the cultural expectations of public speaking in Saudi Arabia. Thus, anonymity allows them to bypass these societal restrictions on public speaking, as well as avoid social repercussions. Despite this, there is still a noticeable gap in the research regarding how Saudi women engage rhetorically in these online spaces. The existing literature focuses on the sociological, linguistic, or political implications of Saudi women’s digital communication rather than the rhetorical practices Saudi women employ in these digital spheres. As a result, this dissertation responds to that gap and aligns with feminist rhetoric’s ongoing call to expand rhetorical frontiers by exploring the rhetorical practices of Saudi women. These practices are, more often than not, overlooked in both traditional Arabic rhetoric and feminist rhetorical studies. Using Feminist Poststructuralist Thematic Analysis, this dissertation unveils the rhetorical strategies Saudi women are employing in their feminist digital activism on X. It also examines how anonymity acts as an Alternative Delivery System (ADS), a nontraditional mode of rhetorical delivery that captures the specific cultural context of Saudi society.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Embargoed until 06-23-2027

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Available for download on Wednesday, June 23, 2027

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