Constructing Karla: Exploring the media's representation of Karla Homolka when she was released from prison

Abstract

Borrowing from standpoint and postmodern feminist epistemologies, this thesis proposes to deconstruct the concept "violent women" and challenge the traditional 'bad'/'mad'/'other' framework of understanding women who engage in violent behaviour. The concept decontextualizes differences between women who commit violence and the stereotypical framework hinders any alternative understanding of their individual cases. Using contextual constructionism and Best's (2001) criteria for identifying claims as a theoretical framework, a qualitative content analysis of Canadian newspaper articles between July 2004 and July 2006 explored the news media's representation of Karla Homolka when she was released from prison in July 2005. While the stereotypical concepts that this study sought to transcend (i.e. discussing Karla through the 'bad'/'mad'/'other' framework) emerged throughout the coverage, insights into how the media constructs "identities" that people come to "know"' also emerged. The media's representation of Homolka at the time of her release was concluded to be hyppereal; a simulated character named "Karla" that must Canadians are familiar with. Yet this character may or may not resemble the actual Karla who currently resides somewhere in Montreal.