Shifting Media Representations of Sexual Violence in Post-2014 Egypt: A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Historical Approach

This study investigates shifts in the media representation of female survivors of sexual violence in Egyptian news reporting before and after the introduction of the 2014 Anti-Sexual Harassment Law. Drawing on a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis (CACDA) of news reports from two distinct time periods, the study explores how the ‘survivor’ identity is discursively constructed across changing legal and socio-political contexts. The analysis reveals a notable shift from moralistic and objectifying portrayals—often framed through victim-blaming, passivization, and a prioritization of appearance in pre-2014 coverage—to more empathetic and legally grounded representations in post-2014 reports. However, this shift remains partial, as survivor agency tends to be represented within culturally acceptable boundaries, while male perpetrator identities continue to be frequently obscured. The findings suggest a growing but uneven discursive reorientation in Egyptian media toward legitimizing survivor perspectives, shaped by broader legal and ideological developments. The study contributes to feminist media discourse research in Arab contexts by combining corpus linguistics with CDA to trace ideological change over time.