“Emotions, hashtag feminism and consciousness-raising: a history of feminist radicalness and co-option”

a talk by Gabriela Loureiro (University of West London; Queen Mary - University of London)

Monday, June 28^th
from 12.00 to 1.30 (UK time) (to convert this to your own time-zone, please click here)

Abstract
Feminist hashtags have received significant attention from both mainstream media and scholarly debates for its capacity to engage large numbers of people in curated conversations about sexual violence, where personal disclosures can be read relationally. Hashtag feminism has been interpreted as a form of digital consciousness-raising where participants are understood as engaging in campaigns in order to raise awareness and educate individuals about varied forms of violence. However, these digital campaigns also replicate challenges and problems historically present in feminist activism, such as conflicts of difference and biased “solidarities”. The reproduction of such problems demonstrates how hashtag feminism is not necessarily a frivolous, depoliticised form of activism but actually mirrors a number of intersecting and conflicting histories of feminisms’ radicalness and co-option. I argue that the study of emotions in feminist activism is essential to the understanding of the continuation of these problems and explore the role of emotions in feminist campaigns in three main axes: recognition of discrimination and abuse, speaking out and building solidarity. In this talk, I will share part of the analysis of my PhD thesis, in which I examine two hashtags that went viral in Brazil in 2015, named the “year of Women’s Spring”: #PrimeiroAssédio (#FirstHarassment) and #MeuAmigoSecreto (#MySecretFriend). Through discourse analysis of 179 Facebook posts and in-depth interviews with participants, I explore the significance of emotional engagements for feminist projects and the potentials and limitations of hashtag feminism for consciousness-raising.

Speaker Bio
Gabriela Loureiro is a journalist and doctoral researcher at UWL primarily interested in the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and migration. She works as a research associate at Queen Mary University of London in the School of Geography’s project Connecting During Covid (CDC), looking at migrant’s remittances as practices of care during the pandemic. Her PhD thesis, entitled “Embodied emotions and collective struggle: hashtag feminism as digital consciousness-raising in Brazil”, examines the emotional work of online disclosure in digital feminist campaigns. Her academic publications revolve around contemporary forms of feminist activism in Brazil, the legacy of Marielle Franco and the connections between embodiment, therapy and art in digital spaces.

REGISTRATION:
This talk is free and everyone is welcome, but you must REGISTER IN ADVANCE by clicking HERE.
Once you register, you will receive the Zoom link via email a few days before the event.

We understand many of you are juggling work with other responsibilities at home, so we are happy for you to join the event with children or pets.

If you face any access barriers and there are any adjustments we can make to support your full participation, please get in touch with Dr Maria do Mar Pereira (m.d.m.pereira@warwick.ac.uk).

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Dr Maria do Mar Pereira (m.d.m.pereira@warwick.ac.uk).