1. Rethinking Cyber feminism(s): Race, Gender and embodiment- Jessie Daniels
Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyber feminism(s): Race, Gender and embodiment. Women’s studies quarterly 37, 101-124
Daniel’s overview of cyber feminist theories and practices reflects upon the innovative ways in which women use digital technologies with the differences in race, class and sexuality. She gives evidences for her argument that online spaces are a potential site of gender and racial equality. The article problematizes the assumption that digital technologies mean the same things to all women by exploring the different ways in which women use internet technologies across several domains. It points to the global economic inequality which was overlooked in Donna Haraway’s proposal of cyborgs for its subversive potential. She focuses on women’s agency in appropriating the technology in their own terms which is exemplified in internetworked global feminism. The internetworked social movements facilitate the use of internet as a tool to resist the gender oppression which makes it as a territory of liberation. Although she identifies disembodiment and identity shifting as characteristic of online spaces, Daniel observes the significance of embodiment with the examples of young girls who suffers from anorexia and ‘queer’ women. Her identification of online spaces as racial challenges the notion of disembodied cyberspaces. Hence, the article underscores the need to consider different forms of cyberfeminism(s).
2. At home with their queerness: same-sex relationality and the Indian family in advertising media, Feminist Media Studies- Pawan Singh
Singh, P. (2017). At home with their queerness: same-sex relationality and the Indian family in advertising media. Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2017.1298144
I consider the article a very significant one in the discussion of gender and digital media in the context of a binary sex/gender framework within which media operates. The present article points to the normative ideals in the representation of varied gender and sexual identity through a gay matrimonial and a myntra advertisement. The author argues that the postcolonial queer visibility in the media has been inflected with familial normativity with an intersection of other social axes such as class and caste. The gay matrimonial ad by a self-identified upper caste woman for her gay son appears first in a daily that initiated a series of debates and discussion in online platforms. Although it challenged the heteronormative assumptions of matrimonial culture in India, it entails normative assumptions of caste typical of Indian matchmaking. Myntra’s three-minute long media advertisement for its ethnic wear brand featured a lesbian couple as homely and domesticated good girls who await familial recognition. Singh observes the role of home and family in the representation of same-sex desire in the advertisements which is a manifestation of queer politics in India. The article provides insights into the perils of these ‘inclusive’ representations.
3. Young Malayali men and their movie heroes- Filippo Osella and Caroline Osella
Osello, F.& Caroline. (2004). Young Malayali men and their movie heroes. South Asian Masculinities: Context of change, sites of continuity. Radhika Chopra ,Caroline Osella & Filippo Osella eds. New Delhi: Kali.
The article dwells into the impact of male movie stars on film audience with a specific emphasis on Malayalam film industry. I consider this article important as it invoke the role of cinema in shaping ideas on gender. As an ethnographic study conducted among the film fans, it points to the different masculinities performed by male stars and its impact on young male audiences. The article focuses on two male superstars in Malayalam industry. Authors argue that the young male audiences satiate the fantasies about manhood and manliness through the male stars. The study is also instrumental in invoking a notion of desire delinked from identity where the male stars become object of desire and as vehicle for youthful aspiration.
4. Gender Trolling: Misogyny adapts to new media- Karla Mantilla
Mantilla, K. (2013). Gender Trolling: Misogyny adapts to new media. Feminist Studies 39(2), 563-570
The article is helpful to understand the online behaviour of trolling and the sexism attached to it. The author introduces the neologism ‘gendertrolling’, and describes it as a misogynist variant of online trolling. The distinction is premised on certain characteristics of gendertrolling such as the use of pejorative terms, vicious language, and threats and so on. The potential victims are women who use online platforms to talk about sexism. The article maps various instances of gendertrolling targeted against women who belongs to diverse fields. Author observes gendertrolling as akin to the offline target of women where the patrolling of gender boundaries is always already a ‘concern’. This is an attempt to restrict women from occupying public space and to maintain online milieu as a male dominated space.
