Yafit Shachar

Yafit Shachar is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Cultural Studies at Tel Aviv University. Her research interests include political rhetoric, women and leadership, language and education, theories of the body and Neoplatonic philosophy. Yafit graduated with a double major B.A. in Film & Television, and English & American Studies (magna cum laude) from Tel Aviv University. She holds two M.A degrees, one in Communications (magna cum laude) and another in English Literature (summa cum laude), from Tel Aviv University. Her dissertation “The Body of the Queen: Elizabeth I’s Rhetorical Technique in her Political Writing” explores the queen’s political corpus of writing claiming that by reappropriating and reconstructing political metaphors and rhetorical structures, Elizabeth manages to create a political space for a single, capable female leader, and sustain this position of power for decades. Yafit is interested in how past female role models can inspire more women today to take action and become part of decision-making processes, and how we can use language to promote equality. She works as a communications consultant and is a member of “Tel Aviviot”, a feminist group of academics.