Push!: Exploring The Myth of Childbirth in Malay Films

Authors

  • Jamaluddin Aziz Center for Research in Media and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Jamila Mohd Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics University Malaya
  • Norhayati Hamzah Department of Islamic History, Academy of Islam University Malaya
  • Abdulhamid Badru Center for Research in Media and Communication, FSSK UKM

Abstract

Childbirth is a universal and natural global experience, however, its representation in films specifically, and popular culture in general, is framed within stereotypical images that are brimming over with inaccuracy and myth. In the West, gynae-narratives in films are often studied by using feminist psychoanalysis, particularly on the gynae-horror narrative. This study, explores the varied representations of childbirth in some selected Malay films - such as the labouring body - to identify and make sense of why the experience of childbirth in films becomes rather problematic, asking the question of what myth is being perpetuated by such representations. Using a close textual analysis of some Malay films that are purposively selected, the study employs Roland Barthes’ Myth and its link to ideology as a critical framework, paying attention to Malay cultural signs to create meanings and expose the ideological motives of such representation. This study is crucial for it is able to illuminate the myth-making process of childbirth in Malay films and the effects this myth might have on the society’s view of the experience of childbirth, and perhaps putting into microscope our cultural perceptions of marriage, motherhood, womanhood, the female body and the family. Keywords: Barthes, representation, female body, gynae-horror, the family. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2023-3904-14

Author Biographies

Jamaluddin Aziz, Center for Research in Media and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Jamaluddin Bin Aziz, PhD is an associate professor in critical media studies at the Center for Research in Media and Communication, FSSK, UKM. His areas of research interest include film, discourse, culture, gender and critical theories. Email: jaywalk@ukm.edu.my

Jamila Mohd, Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics University Malaya

Jamila Binti Mohd, PhD, is a senior lecturer at Faculty of Languages and Linguistics and Head of Malaysia Japan Research Center, University Malaya.  Her research areas include Discourse Analysis, Japanese language and culture, and Linguistic Politeness. Email: jamila@um.edu.my

Norhayati Hamzah, Department of Islamic History, Academy of Islam University Malaya

Norhayati Binti Haji Hamzah, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the Department of Islamic History and Civilisation, Academy of Islamic Studies, University Malaya. Her research focuses on Malay Islamic manuscripts. Email: yati611@um.edu.my

Abdulhamid Badru, Center for Research in Media and Communication, FSSK UKM

Abdulhamid Badru, is a PhD candidate with the Center for Research in Media and Communication, FSSK, UKM. His research centers on film, culture and the environment. Email: p113293@siswa.ukm.edu.my

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Published

2023-12-18

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 4 (2023)

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