[ecrea] cfp: Digital Feminisms: Transnational Activism in German Protest Cultures

Reminder: Call For Papers

Feminist Media Studies Issue:

Digital Feminisms: Transnational Activism in German Protest Cultures

Edited by Carrie Smith-Prei, Christina Scharff, and Maria Stehle

The relative rise or decline of feminist movements across the globe has 
been debated by feminist scholars and activists for a long time. In 
recent years, however, these debates have gained renewed momentum. Rapid 
technological change and increased use of digital media have raised 
questions about how digital technologies change, influence, and shape 
feminist politics. These questions are particularly pertinent in the 
context of transnational flows of feminist ideas, politics and 
protesters, giving rise to a range of research questions: How do local 
centers for feminist political activism engage with the digital transfer 
of transnational protest movements, and how has this incorporation 
changed local activism? How does feminist activism travel and translate 
in the age of digital proliferation? How do other, often nationally 
inflected art forms such as literature, film, and theater engage in the 
notion of digital protest? And does feminist activism have the potential 
to transform discourses around the digital economy, equity, and 
democracy, such as those related to open access?

This special issue interrogates the digital interface of transnational 
protest movements and local activism in feminist politics. Examining how 
global feminist politics is articulated at the nexus of the 
transnational/national, we take contemporary German protest culture as a 
case study for the manner in which transnational feminist activism 
intersects with the national configuration of feminist political work. 
The special issue will explore how movements and actions from outside 
Germany’s borders circulate digitally and resonate differently in new 
local contexts, and further, how these border-crossings transform 
grass-roots activism as it goes digital.

Germany provides a useful case study for exploring these issues for 
several key reasons. As Myra Marx Ferree has noted in her recent book 
Varieties of Feminism: German Gender Politics in Global Perspective, the 
specific history of German feminism, tied to but markedly distinct from 
Anglo-American feminism, provides a significant counterpoint for 
considering the transnational flow and the local contexts of feminist 
theories and actions. Furthermore, Germany has witnessed a resurgence of 
interest in and debate about feminism over the past decade, including a 
proliferation of feminist activism driven by digital media. This 
resurgence of feminism has derived from a variety of factors, including 
nativist debates about Germany’s declining birth rate; increasing 
economic precarity, especially for women and minorities; debates over 
migration and multiculturalism; and the rise of Islamophobic discourse. 
Finally, because of its unique history and its crucial role within 
Europe today, Germany represents a key site for considering the 
intersection of feminist activism with questions of sexuality, 
citizenship, race, ethnicity, religion, and economic disenfranchisement. 
The special issue will thus consider Germany as a point of confluence 
for the urgent questions facing global feminisms today. Its conclusions 
will thus shed light on the potential impact of global feminist activism 
on other national, transnational, and digital contexts.

We seek manuscripts that emphasize the interplay between the 
transnational reach of feminist campaigns and the nationally specific 
contexts in which they are taken to the street, discussed in the media, 
or prosecuted in court. Contributions which highlight the intersections 
and tensions that emerge between feminist activism, racialized and 
sexualized bodies, neoliberal strategies of co-optation, and economic 
precarity will be of particular interest.

Topics in relation to digital feminisms in a German/transnational 
context include but are not limited to:

·      the politics of digital activism, performance art, pop-feminisms, 
and post–riot-grrrl culture.

·      the German reception of transnational and feminist activists like 
Pussy Riot (Russia), Slutwalk (Canada), and FEMEN (Ukraine) and national 
examples like Lady Bitch Ray, Chicks on Speed, the Twitter campaign 
#aufschrei and the blog Mädchenmannschaft e.V.

·      the intersection of feminist protest cultures with discourses and 
activism surrounding sexuality, citizenship, race, ethnicity, religion, 
and economic disenfranchisement.

·      the manner in which technology and debates surrounding the 
digital economy and open access contribute to or inform the form, 
content, and circulation of feminist work and vice versa.

·      the relationship between past or non-digital forms of feminist 
activism (educative work, zines, street marches, women’s centres) and 
digital feminisms.

·      using the German context as a case study to explore the complex 
interplay between global feminist politics and the constitution of 
nationalisms.

Please submit a 350-word abstract as well as a short (2-page) CV to 
Carrie Smith-Prei ((carrie.smith-prei /at/ ualberta.ca)) by 1 July, 2014. 
Authors whose abstracts are selected will be notified by 1 August, 2014 
and asked to submit complete manuscripts by 31 December, 2014. 
Acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication of the paper, 
which will be subject to peer review.

Aims and Scope

Feminist Media Studies provides a transdisciplinary, transnational forum 
for researchers pursuing feminist approaches to the field of media and 
communication studies, with attention to the historical, philosophical, 
cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions and analysis of 
sites including print and electronic media, film and the arts, and new 
media technologies. The journal invites contributions from feminist 
researchers working across a range of disciplines and conceptual 
perspectives.



Feminist Media Studies offers a unique intellectual space bringing 
together scholars,

professionals and activists from around the world to engage with 
feminist issues and debates in media and communication. Its editorial 
board and contributors reflect a commitment to the facilitation of 
international dialogue among researchers, through attention to local, 
national and global contexts for critical and empirical feminist media 
inquiry. When preparing your paper, please click on the link 
‘Instructions for Authors’ on the Feminist Media Studies website 
(www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rfms) which provides guidance on paper length, 
referencing style, etc. When submitting your paper, please do not follow 
the link ‘Submit Online’ as special issue papers are handled directly 
via email with the special issue Editors.



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