Project Description

Home / Members / Graduate Students / Revna Altiok

RESEARCH AREAS:

  • Extremism and Cultural Propaganda

  • Identity, Otherness, and Monstrosity

  • Anime and Animation Studies

CONTACT:

  • Rotman Institute of Philosophy
    Western University
    Western Interdisciplinary Research Building
    London, Ontario, Canada
    N6A 3K7

  • revnaaltiok@gmail.com

REVNA ALTIOK

Doctoral Student
FIMS, Western University

Revna Altiok is a Ph.D. candidate in Media Studies at Western University, researching anime, monstrosity, and extremism. Her work examines how these themes shape identity, Otherness, and cultural representation, with a focus on the history of animation, monster theory, and ethical and cultural messaging. She views anime as both a tool of critique and a reflection of societal fears, nationalism, and ideology, while also celebrating its ability to engage audiences in imaginative storytelling. Revna earned an M.A. in Media Studies from Bilkent University, where she researched nonhuman Otherness and ecocriticism in animation. Her broader research interests include authoritarian dynamics, posthumanism, AI representation in visual media, speciesism, anime fandoms, and the ideological influence of media.

My research focuses on anime, particularly on the ways monster figures function narratively and ideologically. I approach monstrosity as a liminal space in anime, where different ideologies can be explored, challenged, and reimagined. I am especially interested in why anime resonates across diverse political and cultural contexts, and how its engagement with “the monster” allows audiences to grapple with otherness, tolerance, and dehumanization in ways that remain flexible and culturally meaningful.
I draw on monster theory, posthumanist thought, and media studies to examine how representations of monsters, robots, cyborgs, yokai, and other nonhuman figures traverse cultural and political boundaries. These representations sometimes reinforce exclusionary ideologies and at other times foster empathy and ethical reflection. Through this tension,  I also consider anime’s pedagogical possibilities and how it can contribute to media literacy and critical thinking.

Articles

Altiok, R. (2025). Tolerating Monsters: Challenging Extremism Through Animated Storytelling. The Journal of Anime and Manga Studies, 6(2), 333–347.

Altiok, R. (2024). Unveiling Ken: The Healing Journey of a Manic Pixie Dream Monster. M/C Journal, 27(3).

Theses

Altiok, R. (2021).An Ecocritical Analysis of Human-Others and Nature-Others in Popular Animated Fantasy Series. (Order No. 30158240). Available From ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Closed Collection. (2734703782).

Conference Presentations

“Monsters in Anime: Challenging Binary Thinking.” PAMLA, San Francisco Intercontinental, San Francisco, CA, November 2025.

“Designing an Anime Studies Syllabus: Teaching Monstrosity and Tolerance”, JAMS@AX25 (Anime Expo), Los Angeles Convention Center. Los Angeles, CA, July 2025.

“Embracing the Other: Monsters in Japanese Animation as Agents of Empathy and Understanding”, Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA). Nichols College. Dudley, MA. October 2024.

“The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride: Gender and Identity in Blue Eye Samurai”, Generating Community: A FIMS Graduate Student Conference. Western University FIMS. London, ON, Canada April 2024.

“Unveiling Ken: The Healing Journey of a Manic Pixie Dream Monster”, You Can Be Anything: Imagining and Interrogating Barbie in Popular Culture. PopCRN. Zoom, March 2024.

“Return to Seeding Island”, FTV Conference: At Land and Sea: Topographical Imagination and the Moving Image. Istanbul Bilgi University. Istanbul, Türkiye, May 2023.

“Seeding Island: Carte de liminalité Workshop”, FTV Conference: New Creative Praxis in Film and Television: Hybrid Features of Gender Equality. Istanbul Bilgi University. Online Conference, May 2022.

“Representation of Gender and Nature in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”, Femspec Symposium. Zoom, June 2021.

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