Carmen Thong

All Publications

• The Economy of Critical Attention: A Computational Analysis of Roland Barthes's S/Z MODERN LANGUAGE QUARTERLY Thong, C. 2024; 85 (4): 373-398

  View details for DOI 10.1215/00267929-11366127

  View details for Web of Science ID 001415917500001

• Conceptual anatomy of the female genitalia using text mining and implications for patient care. Medical humanities Thong, C., Doyle, A. 2023

  Abstract

  This article analyses the conceptual histories of words associated with female genital parts to explore how they may affect the lived experience of people with these parts and the quality of gynaecological care they receive. Specifically, we examine the implications of using the word 'vagina' to replace the word 'vulva', or indeed to indicate the entire female genitalia. This article does so through an analysis of existing scholarly work and through text mining methods such as word frequencies, most distinctive word collocates and word-embeddings drawn from literary and women's magazine corpora. We find that words indicating specific female genital parts are very infrequently mentioned in our corpora, which shows that there is a troubling lack of exposure and education in our socio-cultural context when it comes to the female genital anatomy. When they are mentioned, their usage reflects historical and patriarchal associations that have been primarily attached to the word 'vagina'. When it comes to the 'vagina' and 'vulva', the penis is the most prevalent association by far; whereas the most commonly occurring female genital parts are parts to do with reproduction-reinforcing a long-standing and disproportionate emphasis on the female genitalia's reproductive function. Our research also reveals a concerning emphasis on non-evidence-based female hygiene products, thus perpetuating the damaging stereotype of the dirty vagina. These findings may explain many negative patient outcomes such as stigma attached to seeking out timely gynaecological care, lack of informed medical consent and non-evidence-based practices exacerbated by problematic cultural depictions of the female genitalia. They can also explain the neglect of female sexual agency, pleasure and well-being. Understanding historical and contemporary usages of words for the female genitalia has important implications for the quality of patient care today and is a critical component of gender and reproductive justice.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/medhum-2023-012747

  View details for PubMedID 38164575

• World literature decentered: Beyond the "West" through Turkey, Mexico, and Bengal (Book Review) JOURNAL OF POSTCOLONIAL WRITING Book Review Authored by: Thong, C. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1080/17449855.2023.2179459

  View details for Web of Science ID 000942515200001

• Postcolonial literatures in the local literary marketplace: Located reading (Book Review) JOURNAL OF POSTCOLONIAL WRITING Book Review Authored by: Thong, C. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1080/17449855.2022.2083907

  View details for Web of Science ID 000807617200001

• South Asian digital humanities: Postcolonial mediations across technology's cultural Canon (Book Review) JOURNAL OF POSTCOLONIAL WRITING Book Review Authored by: Thong, C. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1080/17449855.2022.2083908

  View details for Web of Science ID 000807015100001

• V.S.Naipaul's Booker Prize for In A Free State World Literature in Motion: Institution, Recognition, Location Thong, C. Ibidem. 2020: 165-196