Networked Feminism tells the story of how activists have used media to reconfigure what feminist politics and organizing look like in the United States. Drawing on years spent participating in grassroots communities and observing viral campaigns, Rosemary Clark-Parsons argues that feminists engage in a do-it-ourselves feminism characterized by the use of everyday media technologies. Faced with an electoral system and a history of collective organizing that have failed to address complex systems of oppression, do-it-ourselves feminists do not rely on political organizations, institutions, or authorities. Instead, they use digital networks to build movements that reflect their values and meet the challenges of the current moment, all the while juggling the advantages and limitations of their media tools. Through its practitioner-centered approach, this book sheds light on feminist media activists' shared struggles and best practices at a time when collective organizing for social justice has become more important than ever.
Rosemary Clark-Parsons is a scholar of gender, media, and social change. She earned her PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and has held positions with Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice and the Center for Social Impact Strategy.
"Rosemary Clark-Parsons captures a critical digital turn in feminist organizing with the addition of do-it-ourselves feminism, giving readers a rich and valuable history of feminist social movements. Networked Feminism rightly insists that scholars focus on 'media practice, not simply media content' and directs readers toward the slow work of building relationships with the communities we study—a vital intercession in digital and media studies today."—Catherine Knight Steele, author of Digital Black Feminism
"Networked Feminism is a timely investigation of how digital-media technologies continue to transform feminist activism online and on the ground. Like the dispatches of an embedded reporter, Clark-Parsons's work brings readers inside the lives of a new generation of activists. The culmination of years of qualitative research carried out with individual activists and organizations, this book explores the complexity of engaging in activism on platforms that often work both for and against women. Networked Feminism is a welcome addition to emerging scholarship on networked feminism and networked activism."—Kate Eichhorn, author of The End of Forgetting: Growing Up with Social Media
"In this important, exciting, and timely book, Clark-Parsons takes readers through the ways that digital technologies have helped reconfigure social and political life. Through in-depth explorations of six case studies, including the 2017 Washington Women's Day March, the #MeToo movement, zine communities, and other grassroots initiatives, Clark-Parsons shows the power of self-produced feminist media to challenge oppressive gender norms, laying the groundwork for new feminist communities, solidarities, and consciousnesses. This is a key book for those interested in the recent history of digital feminism and offers crucial insights for thinking about its future."—Kaitlynn Mendes, coauthor of Digital Feminist Activism: Girls and Women Fight Back against Rape Culture
216 pp.6 x 9
9780520383845$29.95|£25.00Paper
Jun 2022