Abstract
In this article I report on one aspect of a research project which explores the ways in which the meaning of the term 'sexual harassment' is contested in the British press, and which is based on a survey of all uses of the term in the Daily Afail and The Guardian during 1996, and a study of readers' responses to selected reports. This research has indicated that the term, which was coined by feminists, is being redefined from an anti-feminist perspective, and the aim of this article is to demonstrate how Sperber and Wilson's (1986/1995) relevance theory can provide a useful theoretical framework for exploring this phenomenon. I begin by considering why this issue is of significance to feminism; in section 2, I provide a context for my study by considering two distinct ways of conceptualizing sexual harassment; in section 3, I outline my methodology before demonstrating its application in section 4.
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