Cyberfeminism

An international anthology by feminists working in the field of electronic publishing, electronic activism, electronic data delivery, multimedia production, virtual reality creation, developing programs or products electronically, as well as those developing critiques of electronic culture. This collection explores what the possibilities are for feminists and for feminism. It also grapples with the pitfalls of the medium. The book, however, does not assume that the technology in itself is negative, but rather how it is used is open to critique. This leaves open the possibility of feminists having an impact on the way the technologies develop. The book includes connecting HTML with poetry, developing resources for Women's Studies and libraries, on-line, CD-ROM and VRML developments. The book has markets across trade and educational sectors and could be used at secondary and tertiary levels.

Examining the construction, manipulation and re-definition of life in contemporary technoscientific culture, this book aims to re-focus concern on the ethics rather than on the 'nature' of artificial life.

This collection sets out to explore what it means to be a cyberfeminist today. The contributors examine a wide range of topics, from Health 2.0, the blogosphere, and video games, to female artists and diasporic youth, in order to re-envision how feminists can intervene in the mutual shaping of online and offline relationships.

This book investigates how digitalization has affected entrepreneurship, labour markets, financial markets, and women's empowerment, underlining the opportunity it presents for a more inclusive and equal society. It explores how technology changes and creates gender, and the transformational potential it has for questioning conventional concepts of gender, drawing on the theories and critiques of cyberfeminism. The contributors discuss how women's agency and power in establishing emancipated cyberspaces are critically impacted by cyberfeminist conceptions of technical growth. Therefore, the volume sheds light on how technology may be a tool for women's empowerment and emancipation as well as how it might sustain current power imbalances and gender inequities by exploring cyberfeminism. The nexus of gender and technology is explored in depth by examining the connections between gendered, classed, and digital activities. In addition, this book looks at how technology may either support current power relations or provide disadvantaged people with a chance to question and disrupt them. Contributors are: Yarkın Çelik, Gözde Ersöz, Oktay Hekimler, Meltem İnce Yenilmez, Ayşe Mine İşler, Eylül Kabakçi Günay, Gökmen Kantar, Miray Özden, Kürşad Özkaynar, Fatma Pelin Erel, Mehtap Polat, Sedat Polat, and Gamze Yıldız Şeren.

What does it mean to study supposedly global media phenomena from a Nordic perspective? In which ways could a Nordic feminist perspective on digital media make a difference in relation to dominant research traditions? What would be particular and unique about Nordic cyberfeminism – compared to the “unmarked” version of cyberfeminism dominating the field today? These are some of the questions that this book sets out to answer. Cyberfeminism in Northern Lights: Digital Media and Gender in a Nordic Context pushes the boundaries of contemporary cyberfeminism significantly. Against the background of an expanding body of research in the field of digital media and gender – which to this date has primarily been carried out from an Anglo-American perspective – the book argues that feminist studies of digital media need to become more inclusive and aware of their own geographical and cultural biases and limits. The book takes as its point of departure the knowledge and experiences from the Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Although often grouped together under the assumed homogeneity of Scandinavia, there are important differences between the countries – but also certain qualities and aspects that run across national borders, which make for an intriguing foundation of this book. ‘Highlighting the work of several of Scandinavia's best internet researchers, this collection shows how our understanding of the intersection of gender and computer technology is both universal and cultural. It's fascinating reading for anyone interested in questions of gender, culture, or social aspects of the internet and serves as a useful corrective for those who assume these issues can be understood without considering them from multiple cultural positions.’ Nancy Baym, Associate professor of Communication Studies, University of Kansas. ‘This is a very illuminating, unconventional and agenda-setting collection of essays by a new generation of scholars. Very Nordic in its pragmatic approach, egalitarian spirit and scholarly excellence, it manages to strike a global note. The range, depth and scope of the theoretical concerns, coupled with the originality of the themes discussed casts a new light on a number of crucial issues in feminist cultural studies of science and technology. A delight to read!’ Rosi Braidotti, Distinguished professor in the Humanities, Utrecht University.

Cyberfeminism and Gender Violence in Social Media is a timely and essential book that addresses the increasing violence against women on social media platforms. With the rise of digitalization and the advent of social media, women have been subjected to various forms of violence such as cyberbullying, trolling, and body shaming. This volume compiles research works on the topic of how women fall prey to social networking sites and possible remedial actions to prevent such issues. The book provides an interdisciplinary approach, making it relevant to a wide range of fields such as social science, humanities, technology, and management. It creates awareness among people, especially women, about the prospects of cybersecurity and its impact on their wellness. This book enriches readers about the impact of social media on the general public and how cyber security education can make people more aware of their security and well-being while online. This book is ideal for researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in new and innovative techniques for the safety of people irrespective of their gender. It is a significant contribution to the ongoing conversation on women's rights and violence against them in the digital age.

In an era of accelerating technology and increasing complexity, how should we reimagine the emancipatory potential of feminism? How should gender politics be reconfigured in a world being transformed by automation, globalization and the digital revolution? These questions are addressed in this bold new book by Helen Hester, a founding member of the 'Laboria Cuboniks' collective that developed the acclaimed manifesto 'Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation'. Hester develops a three-part definition of xenofeminism grounded in the ideas of technomaterialism, anti-naturalism, and gender abolitionism. She elaborates these ideas in relation to assistive reproductive technologies and interrogates the relationship between reproduction and futurity, while steering clear of a problematic anti-natalism. Finally, she examines what xenofeminist technologies might look like in practice, using the history of one specific device to argue for a future-oriented gender politics that can facilitate alternative models of reproduction. Challenging and iconoclastic, this visionary book is the essential guide to one of the most exciting intellectual trends in contemporary feminism.

eGirls, eCitizens is a landmark work that explores the many forces that shape girls’ and young women’s experiences of privacy, identity, and equality in our digitally networked society. Drawing on the multi-disciplinary expertise of a remarkable team of leading Canadian and international scholars, as well as Canada’s foremost digital literacy organization, MediaSmarts, this collection presents the complex realities of digitized communications for girls and young women as revealed through the findings of The eGirls Project (www.egirlsproject.ca) and other important research initiatives. Aimed at moving dialogues on scholarship and policy around girls and technology away from established binaries of good vs bad, or risk vs opportunity, these seminal contributions explore the interplay of factors that shape online environments characterized by a gendered gaze and too often punctuated by sexualized violence. Perhaps most importantly, this collection offers first-hand perspectives collected from girls and young women themselves, providing a unique window on what it is to be a girl in today’s digitized society.