‘I’m Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive’: Palestinian Digital Feminism and Intersectional Narratives of Resistance

Abstract

This qualitative study adopts a postcolonial feminist intersectional approach to investigate the agency and activism of Palestinian women who are utilising social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, to amplify their voices of resistance, share their narratives of empowerment, and challenge mainstream Western media narratives amid the war in Gaza. Through analysing a number of prominent Palestinian women digital activists’ social media accounts, the study unpacks the intersectionality and overlap between myriad forms of feminist resistances and activisms which crosscut the parallel political and social spheres, and private and public spheres. The study explores the ways through which these women activists deploy digital media to convey their messages and analyses the most important themes they focus on, such as asserting their empowerment, showcasing their resistance, boosting their visibility, and galvanising international solidarity and support. The study unpacks the affordances of these social media platforms, such as the power of visual communication through images and videos, and the role they play in enhancing the visibility of women’s resistances and activisms and broadening their global outreach. The study investigates how digital spaces empower marginalised voices and it contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities and hybridity of intersectional, global feminist activisms and resistances.