Feminism And Cyberfeminism

1712 Words7 Pages
Cyberfeminism is an offset of feminism characterized as “a range of theories, debates, and practices about the relationship between gender and digital culture (Daniels 102).” While this definition addresses some of the most basic ideas associated with Cyberfeminism, it is not actually a theory with a universally accepted definition, but rather centers on a number of central ideas and practices. However, it is generally accepted that the preliminary concepts of cyberfeminism, namely the idea of a “cyborg,” were presented by Donna Haraway in her 1984 piece “A Cyborg Manifesto.” While her article was written in the mid 80’s, Cyberfeminism achieved popularity in the late 80’s and 90’s in relation to the blossoming technological advances,…show more content…
The goal of adopting the cyborg figure is to lessen such power, in order to create a society in which those with partial or contradictory identities may embrace those identities proudly, without fear of policing or invisibility (295). One tactic recommended in this Manifesto, and later echoed in various Cyberfeminist works, is irony. Irony, according to Haraway, is so effective because it draws attention to pieces that do not fit neatly into a larger whole, as well as the “tensions” that arise from holding incompatible things together because “all are necessary and true (291).” In fact, it’s these tensions themselves, the consequences of hardships of living a hybrid life that become the focus of some later Cyberfeminist works, such as the struggle between the physical and the non-physical, or between the physical body and an online persona. What remains central, however, is Haraway’s insistence that such an examination of tension, or benefit, never become totalizing. One cannot “rely on ‘essential’ unity (295)” to define or understand something, especially something as complex as a board-crossing, boundary dissolving cyborg. That idea carries over to Cyberfeminist activism, ideology, and theory. Just as Haraway speaks against a unified idea of “women” based on perceived, inherent characteristics, including innate innocence
Get Access
Related

  • The Guerilla Girls Are A Women 's Activist Art Group Essay

    2159 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Guerilla Girls are a women’s activist art group. They are masked women who came together to make change in the world of art and women’s involvement in society. GG emerged in 1985 and still are active today in New York after 30 years of the emergence of the group. The Guerilla Girls used posters with real statistics to show awareness of sexism in the art world and the discrimination of women in politics as well as in the mass media. The Guerrilla Girls spread awareness of sexism in art, discrimination

    Read More

More about Feminism And Cyberfeminism

Get Access