The Cook, the Mediator, the Feminist, and the Hero

Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, Vol. 21, p. 171, 2009

20 Pages Posted: 23 Dec 2011

See all articles by Jennifer L. Schulz

Jennifer L. Schulz

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

A feminist interpretive approach to mediation metaphors reveals the feminist jurisprudence in two cooking and conflict resolution films. Chocolat and Fried Green Tomatoes both feature strong female mediators "disguised" as cooks who help others resolve their disputes. Chocolat and Fried Green Tomatoes construct women mediators as feminist heroes and offer feminist jurisprudential commentary. The films' jurisprudence demonstrates that different kinds of feminism can successfully work together and that the power of patriarchal master narratives can be resisted by employing mediation instead of turning to law. The women mediators in Chocolat and Fried Green Tomatoes maintain their ambitions, obtain legitimacy in the midst of patriarchy, use talk as a resistance technique and narrative as a way to mediate power dynamics, and, in so doing, emerge as fun, feminist heroes.

Suggested Citation

Schulz, Jennifer L., The Cook, the Mediator, the Feminist, and the Hero (2009). Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, Vol. 21, p. 171, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1975847

Jennifer L. Schulz (Contact Author)

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law ( email )

Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
Canada

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
142
Abstract Views
4,253
Rank
368,861
PlumX Metrics