Mish Singh teaches in the Preparing for Success program at Southern Cross University, and in the Arts, Education & Law group at Griffith University. Her PhD research focused on feminist sexual politics, ethics, and subjectivity. She is currently interested in digital forms of activism, and the rise of alt-right and men’s rights politics online.
Volume 36, May 2017
Abstract
This paper considers the issue of digital/online political activism and argues for its re-appraisal as a form of political engagement. It begins by sketching out certain feminist attachments to material politics over symbolic, representational issues, and to specific political methods. This is then linked to more recent critiques of neo-liberalism and its perceived impact on feminism, critiques that have shaped some feminists’ suspicion of digital activism; I use the Australian media commentator Helen Razer as an exemplar of this perspective. The final section outlines some conceptual tools for assessing digital activism, and the importance of such re-evaluations.