New Digital Feminist Interventions: Speaking Up, Talking Back edited by: Giuliana Sorce and Tanja Thomas (published by Routledge in 2025) explores how feminist activism is evolving in digital spaces. It emphasizes the concepts of “speaking up” and “talking back” as key frameworks for understanding contemporary feminist and queer activism. Drawing inspiration from the work of bell hooks, the volume showcases the transformative actions of marginalized communities that utilize digital media for activism and organizing in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Through various contributions, the book addresses significant sociocultural issues such as gender violence, queer discrimination, and migrant hostility, focusing on empowerment practices in digital forms. It presents global perspectives on feminist interventions across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, analyzing different dimensions of digital feminist contention including hashtag activism, grassroots journalism, and diaspora podcasting. Overall, the compilation aims to illustrate how digital platforms serve as crucial spaces for marginalized voices to be heard and effect change in society.
The theoretical framework of “speaking up” is utilized throughout “New Digital Feminist Interventions” in various ways, emphasizing the importance of voice, visibility, and agency in feminist and queer digital activism. In the introduction by Giuliana Sorce and Tanja Thomas, “speaking up” is positioned as a critical response to marginalization, drawing from bell hooks’ ideas. The authors argue that this act of vocalization allows individuals from oppressed backgrounds to articulate their realities and challenge dominant narratives. Sonia Núñez Puente’s chapter explores how the act of speaking up in digital contexts can foster community healing and solidarity, particularly in response to incidents of gender violence. This illustrates how expressing dissent and demanding visibility is crucial for empowerment within marginalized groups. Various contributions highlight how speaking up reflects intersectional identities. For instance, Christina Scharff discusses the nuanced experiences of feminist activists navigating online spaces, emphasizing that their collective voices are vital in resisting ideological pressures and advocating for change. In Chapter 9, Kristin Comeforo transforms scholarly research into performance, effectively using the act of speaking up and talking back as a means to stage queer resistance. This approach demonstrates how academic work can intertwine with activism, further amplifying voices in public discourse.
Throughout the chapters, “speaking up” is framed as a challenge to existing power structures. The authors emphasize that speaking up can be met with backlash, yet it remains a necessary act of defiance against silencing and oppression. This theme resonates particularly in discussions about activism in authoritarian contexts, where voicing dissent can incur significant risks. The book critically examines how digital platforms enable “speaking up.” Several chapters analyze the affordances of these platforms for marginalized voices to reach broader audiences, thereby facilitating anti-oppressive narratives and movements. This dynamic relationship between digital media and activism underscores the capacity for speaking up to effect change.
In addition, the contributors illustrate how feminist and queer activists leverage digital media to engage in transformative actions. The volume highlights that digital platforms not only facilitate communication but also empower marginalized communities to advocate for social justice and equity. Sonia Núñez Puente discusses collective digital expressions of rage and solidarity following a gang rape incident, showcasing how these digital interactions facilitated community healing and empowerment. This highlights the transformative potential of digital platforms for marginalized voices.
The book showcases various sociocultural issues including gender violence, queer discrimination, and migrant hostility, emphasizing that digital activism can address these challenges effectively. It emphasizes the necessity for intersectional approaches that consider factors such as race, class, and geography in understanding the dynamics of digital activism. Various chapters address significant sociocultural issues. For example, chapters discuss themes of gender violence and queer discrimination, showcasing how activists mobilize against these issues in digital arenas. The book provides a comprehensive view of how digital activism tackles these pressing social challenges
The collection features a range of activist practices and formats utilized by feminist and queer groups, such as grassroots journalism and hashtag activism. It demonstrates how these practices create visibility and counter-narratives to mainstream media, ultimately contributing to the broader feminist discourse. In Chapter 8, Christina Scharff highlights feminist digital labour, exploring how activists in Germany and the UK navigate online spaces to promote community and resilience against ideological pressures. This exemplifies different activist practices utilized in digital settings.
The volume also discusses the role of academic scholarship in digital activism, arguing that researchers should actively participate in the discourse of feminist digital intervention. This includes reflecting on the methodologies employed in studying these movements and the impact of scholarship on activism. The chapter by Kristin Comeforo illustrates how research on queer belonging on social media can be transformed into performance, thereby linking academic inquiry with activist practices and emphasizing scholarship as a form of activism. Additionally, the final chapter by Stine Eckert, Alexandra Porter, and Kalyani Chadha interrogates the methodologies in studying feminist digital activism, calling for critical engagement with big data and AI in feminist scholarship.
These thematic arguments are interwoven throughout the contributions from various authors, presenting a multifaceted view of how digital spaces foster feminist and queer interventions in contemporary society.
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Niharika Saikia is a Doctoral Research Scholar at the Department of Women’s Studies, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Savitribai Phule Pune University.