Technofeminism

Part of a series on
Feminism
History Feminist history History of feminism Women's history American British Canadian German Waves First Second Third Fourth Timelines Women's suffrage Muslim countries US Other women's rights Women's suffrage by country Austria Australia Canada Colombia India Japan Kuwait Liechtenstein New Zealand Spain Second Republic Francoist Switzerland United Kingdom Cayman Islands Wales United States states
Intersectional variants Fat Lesbian Lesbian of color Radical lesbianism Separatist Sex-positive Transfeminism Postgenderism Vegetarian ecofeminism Socialist Anarchist Queer Jineology Marxist Critical theory Standpoint Materialist Ecofeminist Postcolonial Global Transnational Xenofeminism Multicultural Africana womanism Black Hip hop Lesbian Ratchet Chicana Lesbian Indigenous Native American Multiracial Romani Womanism
Other variants Anti-abortion Equity Femonationalism Maternal Postfeminism Neofeminism Reactionary State Carceral Imperial Embedded Gender-critical or trans-exclusionary Victim White
Religious variants Atheist Buddhist Christian Mormon New Womanist Asian Neopagan Dianic Wicca Reclaiming Ecofeminist Hindu Islamic Jewish Orthodox Sikh
Movements and ideologies Analytical Anti-fascist Anti-pornography Cyberfeminism HCI Networked Ecofeminism Eugenic Individualist Lipstick Stiletto Liberal Difference Equality Social Labor Libertarian Post-structural Postmodern Radical Cultural Political lesbianism Separatist Technofeminism Women's liberation
Concepts Cognitive labor Complementarianism Literature Children's literature Diversity (politics) Diversity, equity, and inclusion Effects on society Equality Female education Female genital mutilation Femicide Femonationalism Feminism in culture Feminist movement African-American women's suffrage movement Art movement In hip hop Feminist stripper Formal equality Gender equality Gender quota Girl power Honor killing Ideal womanhood Invisible labor Internalized sexism International Girl's Day and Women's Day Language reform Feminist capitalism Gender-blind Likeability trap Male privilege Matriarchal religion Media Men in feminism Misogyny Trans Oedipus complex Opposition to feminism Pro-feminism Protofeminism Purplewashing Racism Reproductive justice Sex workers' rights Sexual harassment Sexual objectification Substantive equality Toxic masculinity Transmisogyny Triple oppression Violence against women War on women Women's empowerment Women-only space Women's health Women's rights Women in the workforce
Outlooks Bicycling and feminism Criticism of marriage Views on BDSM Views on pornography Views on prostitution Views on sexual orientation Views on sexuality Views on transgender topics SCUM Manifesto
Theory Feminist method Gender studies Gender mainstreaming Gynocentrism Kyriarchy Male gaze Matriarchy Women's studies Men's studies Patriarchy Écriture féminine Areas of study Anthropology Archaeology Architecture Art Art criticism Literary criticism Film theory Science fiction Biology Composition studies Criminology Pathways perspective Economics FDPA Geography International relations Constructivism Legal theory Pedagogy Philosophy Aesthetics Empiricism Epistemology Ethics Justice ethics Existentialism Metaphysics science Political ecology Political theory Pornography Psychology Therapy Revisionist mythology Sex wars Sexology Sociology Technoscience Theology womanist theology
By continent/country Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Mali Nigeria Senegal South Africa Albania Australia Bangladesh Canada China Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Israel Italy Japan Latin America Argentina Brazil Chile Haiti Honduras Mexico Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Lebanon Malaysia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Northern Cyprus Norway Pakistan Philippines Poland Russia Saudi Arabia South Korea Sweden Syria Taiwan Thailand Turkey Vietnam Ukraine United Kingdom United States History of women
Lists and categories Lists Articles Feminists by nationality Literature American feminist literature Feminist comic books Feminist songs Conservative feminisms Ecofeminist authors Feminist art critics Feminist economists Feminist philosophers Feminist poets Feminist rhetoricians Jewish feminists Muslim feminists Feminist parties Suffragists and suffragettes Women's rights activists Women's studies journals Women's suffrage organizations Categories Women's rights by country Feminists by nationality
Feminism portal
v t e

Technofeminism explores the role gender plays in technology. It is often examined in conjunction with intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw which analyzes the relationships among various identities, such as race, socioeconomic status, sexuality, gender, and more.^[1] However, many scholars, such as Lori Beth De Hertogh, Liz Lane, and Jessica Oulette, as well as Angela Haas, have spoken out about the lack of technofeminist scholarship, especially in the context of overarching technological research.^[1]

A primary concern of technofeminism is the relationship between historical and societal norms, and technology design and implementation.^[2] Technofeminist scholars actively work to illuminate the often unnoticed inequities ingrained in systems and come up with solutions to combat them.^[2] They also research how technology can be used for positive ends, especially for marginalized groups.^[2]

TechnoFeminism is a book by academic sociologist Judy Wajcman which reframes the relationship between gender and technologies, and presents a feminist reading of the woman-machine relationship. It argues against a technocratic ideology, posing instead a thesis of society and technology being mutually constitutive. She supports this with examples of feminist history related to reproductive technologies and automation. It is considered a key contributor to the rise of feminist technoscience as a field.

Reception

According to a review in the American Journal of Sociology, Wajcman convincingly argues that "analyses of everything from transit systems to pap smears must include a technofeminist awareness of men's and women's often different positions as designers, manufacturing operatives, salespersons, purchasers, profiteers, and embodied users of such technologies."^[3]

In the journal Science, Technology and Human Values, Sally Wyatt notes that the "theoretical insights from feminist technoscience (can and should) be useful for empirical research as well as for political change and action" and that one way of moving towards this is "return to production and work as research sites because so much work in recent years has focused on consumption, identity, and representation."^[4]

Editions

Adding to the print edition, which has been reprinted several times, E-book editions of TechnoFeminism were released in 2013. The book has been translated into Spanish as El Tecnofeminismo.^[5]

Angela Haas focuses on technofeminism as a predecessor of "digital cultural rhetorics research", the focus of her scholarship.^[2] The interactions between these two fields have led scholars to analyze the intersectional nature of technology, and how this intersectionality results in tools that do not serve all users.^[2]

Haas also explores how marginalized groups interact with digital technologies. Specific areas analyzed include how revealing aspects of one's identity influences their ability to exist online.^[2] Although at times digital spaces do not cater to marginalized groups, one example being the idea that someone who identifies as homosexual is perceived as "sexual in every situation", which alters how the online community they are a part of interacts with them.^[2]

However, at times, technology can be renewed to serve women and marginalized groups.^[2] Haas uses the example of the vibrator to prove this point.^[2] While it is now associated with female empowerment, the tool was originally used to control women suffering from "hysteria".^[2]

Lori Beth De Hertogh, Liz Lane, and Jessica Ouellette expanded upon previous scholars' work, placing it within the specific context of the "Computers and Composition" journal.^[1] In their work, the scholars analyzed frequencies of the term "technofeminism/t" and associated words in the "Computers and Composition" journal.^[1] Unfortunately, the occurrences were limited, leading the scholars to call for increased use of the term "technofeminism" in scholarly materials and increased intersectional frameworks in mainstream technology literature.^[1]

Kerri Hauman explores technofeminist themes in her PhD dissertation, specifically discussing how feminism exists in digital spaces.^[6] Using the example of "Feministing", a blog serving those invested in "feminist activism", Hauman applies various rhetorical frameworks (such as invitational rhetoric and rhetorical ecologies) to understand how online platforms can further social justice initiatives in some ways, but promote the exclusion of disadvantaged groups in others.^[6]

Melanie Kill, assistant professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park, regularly teaches classes at the intersection of technology and identities.^[7] One course, entitled "Digital Rhetoric: Technofeminism", uses a variety of projects and class activities to analyze technofeminist themes in scholarly materials, online platforms, and other digital entities.^[8] The course also invites students to consider the power dynamics behind technology creation and use, and how these dynamics impact marginalized groups.^[8]

• Digital rhetoric
• Feminist technoscience
• Cyberfeminism

• Farquharson, Karen "Book review: 'TechnoFeminism', by Judy Wajcman" Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, Vol. 2, no. 2 (2004), pp. 156–157
• Sarah M. Brown "TechnoFeminism (review)" NWSA Journal Volume 19, Number 3, Fall 2007 pp. 225–227
• Amanda du Preez (2 October 2009). Gendered Bodies and New Technologies: Rethinking Embodiment in a Cyber-era. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-4438-1541-3.