Cyberfeminist resistance against hegemonic and anti-feminism discourses: The case of Kuwait

Mustafa, Balsam 2024. Cyberfeminist resistance against hegemonic and anti-feminism discourses: The case of Kuwait. International Feminist Journal of Politics 26 (4) , pp. 764-787. 10.1080/14616742.2024.2365690 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

How do Kuwaiti cyberfeminists resist hegemonic and anti-feminism discourses? This paper seeks to answer this question by exploring the contestation between Kuwaiti feminists and their Islamist opponents on Twitter. Viewing cyberfeminism as constructive resistance, I argue that feminism is done and made online by various female actors who do not necessarily self-identify as feminists or activists, constructively and continuously producing new discourses and subjectivities, establishing a salient embodied feminist presence that can trigger a counter-feminist mobilization. In a Twitter Space by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs on December 23 2021, an anti-feminist discourse portrayed Kuwaiti feminists as alienated from religion and society whilst dismissing violence against women as insignificant. In response, Kuwaiti cyberfeminists attempted to reclaim feminism by framing it within local and national frames through a Twitter hashtag. Resorting to a reverse discourse strategy had some shortcomings, including reinforcing hegemonic discourses and heightening the binary of ‘us’, feminists, versus ‘them’, Islamists, which could have been an inevitable outcome of an antagonistic narrative. The findings of this article add to the existing literature on cyberfeminism by exploring a rather understudied context and offering significant insights into feminists’ online resistance in socially conservative contexts.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Modern Languages
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1461-6742
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 May 2024
Date of Acceptance:	18 October 2023
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2024 20:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/164844

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