"Feminism and Technology" - August 2021

The Young Feminist Network Newsletter

August 01, 2021

The Young Feminist Network was established in July 2020 by Everystory Sri Lanka to bring together people interested in learning more about feminism, particularly from a Sri Lankan and South Asian perspective.

This month, our newsletter is curated on the theme "Feminism and Technology".

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Dear Reader,

We are excited to bring you this month's Newsletter, curated around the theme "Feminism and Technology", where we look to explore technology in its various aspects including design, use, and access. The intersection between technology and the feminist movement has been discussed for a long time and is examined in several feminist writings, activism, and musings. With more and more people being active online each day and an increased blurring of the online and offline worlds, we thought this to be the perfect time to help you unpack some of these critical layers.

My favorite section in this month's Newsletter is the Reading List, curated by the inspirational Sharanya Sekaram. It allowed me to open myself up to conversations and opinions on cyber-feminism, digital security, and online gender-based violence, especially those around women from the Global South, I had never heard of nor entertained before, and helped me arrive at a new understanding of the world around me. I hope you learn as much as I did. Most importantly, I hope you feel that you, too, are a part of the journey we are all on, learning and growing together.

As always, we love to hear your thoughts and feedback. We value the complimentary and the critical equally, so please share! You can get in touch via email at [email protected]

In Solidarity,

Hansathi Pallewatte,

YFN Newsletter Editor - August

Feminists and women’s rights activists have long considered digital rights and responsibilities from a feminist lens, both as a cross-cutting aspect of activism and rights and specifically in the digital domain. They have strongly advocated for a holistic approach that recognizes the blurring of the online and offline worlds, understanding that one does not exist without the other and does not remain separate or exclusive.

As technology has grown and evolved, so have our perspectives, and we hope this reading list will give you a starting point to some of these questions, conversations, and debates in this space.

Read our August Reading List, here!

You can connect with the curator of the July Reading List, Sharanya Sekaram on Linkedin.

The Interview Segment

Each month, we reach out to people who will reflect on the theme and share their insights as to how it relates to their lives and work.

For this month's interview, we reached out to Subha Wijesiriwardena, who shared her thoughts on the intersection between Feminism and Technology, in the context of being a feminist activist, how she expresses it, and more!

To read her interview, follow this link!

Also Explore...

An online interactive portal, bakamoono.lk is about being sensible, even wise, in our dealing with issues around sex and relationships, including preventing and responding to different manifestations of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence.

In this article, Dr. Nakeema Stefflbauer discusses how we, as feminists tired of watching big tech giants diminish, disrespect, and discard the most diverse women on their staff, we must insist that inclusion be the yardstick by which digital products be evaluated.

Between right-wing governments and corporate capture of online spaces, there are interesting shifts in how sexuality is censored and governed online and offline. This article looks at the reach and over-reach of laws related to obscenity and censorship in South Asia and the impact that has had on free speech around sex, sex work and sexuality.

The bustle of online activity can be disturbing to many users, a lot of whom can potentially fall prey to the toxic virtual circle. How can you, as a user, distance yourself from such turmoil while still having a meaningful presence online?

Features in-depth stories at the intersection of sex, gender and technology

Instagram Pages to Follow!

Check out end_cyberabuse, a collective of human rights lawyers, researchers, and advocates with the common goal of ending gendered cyber abuse.

They are debuting a new series: #MisconceptionMonday where they debunk common misconceptions regarding digital gendered violence.

APC is a worldwide network supporting the use of internet & ICTs for social justice and sustainable development.

Check out their posts ranging from feminist movement building and archiving online to sexual pleasure, feminism, and alt online porn.

povmumbai aims to build & amplify the voices of women & other marginalized genders. Their work focuses on sexuality, disability & technology.

Check out their Instagram for a mind-blowing feed of online feminist activism!

Poetry

In this video titled “AI, Ain’t I a Woman,” MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini presented her research on facial recognition technology through a powerful spoken word poem; highlighting the ways in which artificial intelligence can misinterpret the images of iconic black women: Oprah, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, and Shirley Chisholm.

Paid Work Opportunities

At Equality Now, we believe in creating a just world where women and girls have the same rights as men and boys. We tackle the most difficult issues, challenge ingrained cultural assumptions and call out inequality wherever we see it. Social change often begins with legal change and so we use the power of the law to create enduring equality for women and girls everywhere.

Join our global team of expert lawyers and campaigners working across the world to build a just world for women and girls.

Explore open job opportunities at Equality Now.

2021 MARKS THE 74th ANNIVERSARY OF PARTITION! There is a great urgency to record stories now. Join us through this special program for the final years of story-collection. Below, please find the application, instructions, and program description for our story collection program, the Story Scholars Program, which is a full or part-time commitment.

Education

This is an open online course to help you brush up on your knowledge on feminist advocacy and intergenerational activism. The themes include Feminist Movements, Gender-Based Violence, Bodily Autonomy, Economic and Climate Justice, and Feminist Technology.

Every month, we feature the work and story of a member of the Young Feminist Network with the hope of inspiring and learning from each other.

Follow this link to read our Member Spotlight for August!

Learning Circle Sessions

If you want to suggest any particular topic for our Featured Speaker sessions and learning opportunities, please fill in this Google Form and let us know!

Presenting to you our very first collection of feminist stickers specially curated based on stories of girl’s resistance in the South Asian region. Would love to have one of your own or buy it as a special gift for your family or friends? Please head to Everystory Sri Lanka official Instagram page to choose yours

For more on the Support Team, read here.

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Who can Join?

Anyone can sign up for the newsletter! Fill in the Google Form (link below) to be added to the database:

Women, girls, and transgender/non-binary individuals who are of Sri Lankan heritage are also invited to join our Facebook group “Young Feminist Network by ESSL”

Sharing Information with the Network?

ESSL is conscious of the ethical handling of the data we hold of our members and their privacy. In order to respect the feminist values through which we try to shape our day-to-day work and the vetting we carry out of all information and opportunities we send out, we ask that members please refrain from directly emailing the YFN mailing list or using the reply all feature.

If you do have any information which might be of interest to the Network, please send it across to the ESSL team so we share it via appropriate channels.

Tag us in your work, questions, thoughts, and ideas! Share what you are doing and tell us more about what you would like to see!

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