Year of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
Communication Studies
Department or School/College
Communication Studies
Committee Chair
Dr. Sara Hayden
Commitee Members
Dr. Megan Cullinan, Dr. Jessica Liddell
Keywords
Menopause, Rhetoric, Consciousness-Raising, Spheres of Argumentation.
Publisher
University of Montana
Subject Categories
Rhetoric | Women's Studies
Abstract
Menopause is frequently discussed through a biomedical lens, which stresses technical language and knowledge, yet emerging in popular culture is experiential experts sharing how they feel about menopause. This paper analyses Michelle Obama's podcast episode titled “What Your Mother Never Told You” (2022) featuring Dr. Sharon Malone, a medical doctor and menopause experiential expert. Using consciousness-raising and the spheres of argumentation, I analyze how the experiential and technical experts of the podcast address and speak about menopause. This paper aims to question how consciousness-raising can reconstruct the understanding of menopause through an experiential-centric lens by placing personal testimony and experiences in tandem with technical language and understanding. The implications of this essay show how the construction of menopause through experiential and technical language can help challenge the inaccessibility, incongruence, and shame around such topics.
Recommended Citation
Murdock, Emma J., "Menopause in The Public Sphere: The Consciousness-Raising Practices of Technical and Experiential Experts" (2024). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12328.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12328
Included in
© Copyright 2024 Emma J. Murdock