Feminist talk

Feminist talk  is meant to be a hub for conversations between our readers and writers on topics that are related to the sometimes dry world of internet policy. It is a space for storytelling, personal essays, opinions – to challenge and inspire readers on issues and topics that are close to them. Here are the opinions, experiences and thoughts of writers from the diverse community in which we live.

Zoya Rehman's picture
Zoya Rehman

Zoya Rehman is a feminist researcher-writer and organiser based in Islamabad, Pakistan, with a ba

Feminist talk

[Part 1] A Commitment to Creativity: The Online Aesthetics of Feminist Labour

Posted Mon 14 Nov 2022 - 11:21 | 1,602views

This two-part series sheds light on how art and creativity play a key role in activism in Pakistan, and provides the country's feminist movement and struggles a prominent visual aesthetics on the internet.

Nyx's picture
Nyx

Nyx McLean is a caffeine-fueled transdisciplinary researcher who writes queerly about the interne

Feminist talk

[Opinion] Rich White Boys’ Takeover of Spaces of Organising: Should You Stay or Should You Go?

Posted Thu 10 Nov 2022 - 11:26 | 1,465views

As rich white men like Elon Musk own and control online platforms, these spaces are becoming more and more unwelcoming for queer and marginalised people. As individuals who have made and found communities in these spaces, should we leave our place on platforms like Twitter? Dr. Nyx McLean discusses.

Zoya Anwer's picture
Zoya Anwer

Zoya Anwer is a freelance multimedia journalist who has been reporting on gender and religious mi

Feminist talk

Navigating Identities: Experiencing Online Violence As A Shia Woman in Pakistan

Posted Sat 29 Oct 2022 - 17:35 | 1,230views

Shia Muslims are constantly at risk of being targeted with violence on and offline for their religious belief. And with online gender-based violence routinely a problem, when Shia women and queer folks go online, they find themselves at risk of being targeted with abuse from multiple fronts as their two identities combine.

Bruna Zanolli's picture
Bruna Zanolli

Bruna Zanolli is an activist, community media consultant and self-taught technician in the areas

Feminist talk

Connecting reflections through a community network's experience in Brazil

Posted Thu 20 Oct 2022 - 09:47 | 1,396views

Community networks in quilombolas from Terra Seca/Ribeirão Grande in Brazil have been helping households to connect to the internet while serving individual needs of residents. In the backdrop of the FIRN research exploring the same, the authors discuss how these community-led networks connect communities with technology.

That feeling of being so close. Photo by Priyadarshini John
Priyadarshini John's picture
Priyadarshini John

Priyadarshini John is a writer and visual artist. She is based in Bangalore.

Feminist talk

Sentient Bots and the Mystique of Personhood

Posted Wed 19 Oct 2022 - 11:44 | 921views

A Google engineer claimed that an AI bot has become sentient. Is that a possibility? Can a program designed and trained by a human develop the ability to feel human-like feelings? Priyadarshini John explores. 

Placard reads, "Abortion is Healthcare". Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
Jasmine George's picture
Jasmine George

Jasmine George is a sexual and reproductive health advocate, who works with Hidden Pockets Collec

Feminist talk

Lack Of A Data Protection Law Puts Indian Abortion Seekers At Risk

Posted Mon 10 Oct 2022 - 13:47 | 2,223views

India recently withdrew its data protection bill, putting the data of over a billion people at risk. The already vulnerable individuals became more susceptible to data misuse, especially those already under threat of being targeted for personal choices or identities. This article explores how lack of data protection puts abortion seekers at risk in a society that rejects abortions.

The illustration reads, "Zan, Zindagi, Azadi" that translates to "Woman, Life, Freedom".
hija's picture
hija

Hija Kamran is WRP and GenderIT Coordinator and Editor.

Feminist talk

Iranian Women’s Fight For Right To Life And Freedom Faces Surveillance, Internet Shutdowns, Violence And Murders

Posted Mon 3 Oct 2022 - 08:25 | 1,820views

In Iran, women are protesting to demand bodily autonomy and their right to live, in the wake of the state-backed murder of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police. The government is responding by killing more women, attacking protestors and censoring the internet to contain the information.

Srinidhi Raghavan's picture
Srinidhi Raghavan

Srinidhi Raghavan works at the intersections of women’s rights, technology, sexuality and disab

Feminist talk

Discussing Ethics of Care, Intersectionality and Power Dynamics in the Feminist Research Work

Posted Fri 30 Sep 2022 - 20:19 | 1,277views

When conducting feminist research, it is important to acknowledge various intersectionalities, as well as ethics of care, challenges and all the dynamic interconnections in the process. The FIRN partners explore these themes in their research through the years.

Close-up of couple hands reaching for teaching
Tiffany Kagure Mugo's picture
Tiffany Kagure Mugo

Tiffany Kagure Mugo is the intoxicatingly scary gatekeeper of HOLAAfrica, a Pan African queer wom

Feminist talk

Too Much Freaky Sex: Online Platforms As Ways To Talk About Sex Positivity

Posted Thu 22 Sep 2022 - 13:35 | 1,285views

Sex positivity is being rejected by many now given how it is portrayed as something that requires hypersexualised expressions rather than understanding the nuances of what it actually entails. Tiffany Mugo discusses how podcasts are revisiting sex positivity through storytelling.

Beauty filters drastically impact young South Asian women's self-esteem. Illustration by Nadège
Areej Akhtar's picture
Areej Akhtar

Areej Akhtar is an alumnus of the Yale Young Writers’ Workshop, and is currently a third-year stu

Feminist talk

Mirror, Mirror on the Phone: How Social Media Beauty Filters Impact South Asian Women

Posted Thu 15 Sep 2022 - 11:24 | 1,766views

Young women in South Asia struggle with the society's obsession of fair skin and eurocentric features all their lives, so beauty filters on social media apps have been providing them what many home remedies have failed to offer. But how are these tech solutions impacting their self-esteem? Areej Akhtar discusses.