Feminisms in Uncertain Times

Abstract

It is undeniable that the world – at least the world available to us – is undergoing a period of uncertainty and contradiction, in which many of women’s political gains, especially those of the second half of the twentieth century, are being questioned as the political and religious mood in many cultures becomes increasingly more conservative. Even so, one finds many positive points in the struggle for women’s rights. More than ever, young activist groups use social media to spread their ideas and promote empowerment campaigns through blogs and personal pages. A quick search in the Internet reveals significant numbers. A search in Portuguese for “blogs feministas” shows 4,030,000 results. If we use English (“feminist blogs”), 15,900,000 results are obtained. Among the 20 top, according to Feedspot (2018), we find Feministing, with posts about intersectional issues, sexual violence, transgender rights and reproductive justice; Gender Matters, from India, committed to the empowerment and basic rights of young girls and women; and MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism to broader critical views on culture, society and politics from an African perspective. These are only three brief examples of the great variety of feminist activism around the world. Also worth mentioning are the campaigns against sexual and moral harassment and violence, such as the #Me too and Time’s up movements which sprang up in the United States, and, here in Brazil, the struggle against harassment on the streets, public transportation and the workplace, of which the #DeixaElaTrabalhar (Let her work) launched by female sports journalists is the most recent example.