LAUSR

ABSTRACT Studies on women in social movements have shown that women and men use different tactical preferences in protests. However, these are not limited to choice regarding preferential gendered symbols and artifacts; they can also be spontaneous corporeal and emotional expressions depending on contingencies of interaction during protests. To analyze the gender impact and differences in protest tactics, this study focuses on the symbols and artifacts used in protests and the gendered habitus that includes embodied behavior and emotions of protesters in varied situations. This paper examines street protests in Taiwan using audiovisual data collected from television news broadcasting between 1997 and 2006, to compare protest actions undertaken by men with those where women participants comprised the majority. This showed that gendered symbols and artifacts presented in street actions were less confrontational if they were planned beforehand. However, the embodied gender culture as habitus becomes more relevant during disruptive and high-conflict protest events. This study reveals that kneeling as a female posture was effective for avoiding conflict and gaining negotiation opportunities with authorities.