Gender, Media and Protest: Changing Representations of the Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison in British Newspapers, 1913–2013

This article traces the ways in which the British suffragette Emily Wilding Davison was represented in national newspapers between 1913 - the year she died - and 2013, the centenary of her death. Using a combination of qualitative content and critical discourse analysis, we showcase the various ways that Davison was delegitimized, recuperated and trivialized in four British newspapers throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. In doing so, we provide original insights into the ways that the fight for women’s rights has been figured both in the media realm, but also – significantly - through the mediated historical imagination and public memory. Notably, we argue that representations of Davison changed across newspapers and over time. Through our analysis, we chart the extent to which Davison has been visible (or not) through different historical periods; consider the specific ways in which Davison’s image was transformed along with changes in women’s status; address the ways she has been trivialized as a historic figure; and address the political implications of these (in)visibilities and representations.