Feminist Encounters. A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics; Editors: Radhika Gajjala Maitrayee Basu, and Ololade Faniyi (Web)

Proposals by: 30.06.202

In the past two decades, there has been a great deal of visibility for marginalised populations from many parts of the world via social media platforms – whether through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, and other platforms. We have seen protest movements focused on gender, race and caste issues, for instance, utilising these privately-owned communication technology infrastructures to build networks, reach global audiences, and demonstrate the influence of digital „publics,“ „contrapublics,“ „alternetworks,“ „counterpublics,“ and so on. At the same time, these platforms are equally accessible to trolls and groups that use them to spread hate speech, fake news, propaganda, misinformation, and divisive rhetoric in the name of freedom of speech. Misogyny and cooptation of feminist languages of choice happens side-by-side with brand-feminisms and feminist activist callouts. Oppressive governments also use social media surveillance to silence dissent, enforce bans, and suppress opposition voices.
In this seemingly chaotic digital space, activists, influencers, and advocates attempt to simultaneously speak to their local, regional, national audiences while broadcasting outwards transnationally to garner solidarity and support. These outcries, callouts, and protests in digital publics create nuanced awareness around the particularities of social inequalities in the regions from which they originate. Therefore, the editors invite submissions that examine the cultural and political contexts of digital activism and how they shape practices, strategies, and considerations of activism and online engagement.
The editors welcome papers that nuance intersectionality as theory or method and those that deploy situated, contextual, intersectionalities to flesh out how activisms and solidarities can be forged based on shifting temporal, social, and geopolitical dynamics. They encourage contributors to deep-dive into how digital activisms conceptualise intersectionality within and beyond activists‘ contexts and the nuances made visible in activists‘ use of intersectionality as critical praxis or analytical strategy.
While this is not a mandatory condition for submitted papers, they welcome co-authorship across an academic-activist spectrum, caste contexts, racial contexts, or global north and global south contexts. They also encourage submitting authors to explain how these collaborations occurred.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• The cultural and political contexts of digital activism on Twitter/Facebook/TikTok/Instagram/all
• Intersectionality as method/praxis/strategy in digital activism
• Feminist/Queer/Trans/Racial/other historically marginalised digital activism movements
• Counter-response and counterpart digital activism strategies
• Digital Labor Cultures
• Community building, advocacies and allyship online
• Discourses of resistance online
• Critiques and problems with digital activism, including debates around hate speech, fake news, and propaganda
• Digital activism in resistance to state surveillance and oppressive governments, including Twitter bans and restrictions
• Transnational solidarities and crossings in digital activism
• The future of digital activism and the intersectional internet

The editors invite submissions that explore these topics and more, and they welcome contributions from a range of perspectives and disciplines.

The journal

Founded in 2017, Feminist Encounters is a journal committed to argument and debate, in the tradition of historical feminist movements. It is available online open access. In the wake of the growing rise of the Right across the world, openly neo-fascist national sentiments, and rising conservative populism, we feminists all over the world are needing to remobilise our energies to protect and advance gender rights. Feminist Encounters provides a forum for feminist theorists, scholars, and activists to communicate with each other, to better educate ourselves on international issues and thus promote more global understanding, and to enhance our critical tools for fighting for human rights. Read more … (Web)

The Guest Editors

• Radhika Gajjala, Professor of Media and Communication and American Culture Studies, Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio. Email: radhik@bgsu.edu
• Maitrayee Basu, Assistant Professor, Univ. of Leeds, Media and Communications. Email: m.basu@leeds.ac.uk
• Ololade Faniyi, Doctoral Student, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Emory Univ. Email: ololade.faniyi@emory.edu

Abstracts of 750 words (excluding listed sources) and a short biographical note of no more than 100 words should be sent to radhik@bgsu.edu no later than 30 June 2023.

Please ensure that your abstract includes a clear description of your methodology, and lists 3 to 5 sources that represent your conceptual grounding/approach. Your email should have a subject header that says „FE_SI_2026“ – otherwise it may get lost. The editors will send notifications of accepted abstracts by 1 August 2023.

Full articles will be expected by 1 March 2024.

The expected word length of the full manuscript (including references) is 8,000 words; other word lengths are to be negotiated with the editors. Images are welcome but must include relevant copyright permissions and permissions if any research participant is shown.

All articles must be submitted in the journal’s house style, details of which are to be found on the Feminist Encounters website (Web)

• Chief Editor of Feminist Encounters: Sally R Munt, Univ. of Sussex UK
• Managing Editor of Feminist Encounters: Rose Richards, Univ. of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Contact Info: Radhika Gajjala, Professor of Media and Communication and American Culture Studies; Bowling Green State University, Ohio; Contact Email: radhik@bgsu.edu

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