Feminist talk
Being Dalit, Doing Corporate (Women-in-tech)
By Christina Thomas Dhanaraj
Multinational companies often put in place a policy for diversity and inclusiveness at the workplace, but does this guarantee the everyday, actual practice of accepting people from marginalized communities, and especially women from such communities. In this article, Christina Thomas Dhanaraj, examines what it means to be Dalit in corporate India - the continued invisibilising of caste, sexism…
Feminist talk
Ten facts about your computer: Health, hardware and the toll on women
By Sonia Randhawa
This article takes a look at where our hardware comes from, the electronics factories situated in primarily Asian countries, and the challenges facing the people, primarily women, who work there, and the issues that impact upon women workers in the electronics industry. Ten facts about your computer that illuminate the gendered nature of the labour that is embedded in our hardware.
Feminist talk
The Architectures of Online Harassment (Part 1)
By ItsAllMaya
In this two part report on a workshop on thinking through online harassment, Maya Ganesh of Tactical Technology Collective teases out the nuances of how online harassment takes place, technologically and socially. The article looks at what troubles and concerns us about online harassment of women, and what could be the possible new directions opened up by using a design-thinking approach. Part 2…
Feminist talk
A painting of an African feminist internet
By Irene Kagoya
Addressing the internet gender divide in Africa can only be achieved through the deliberate creation of a feminist internet, and this was affirmed by the Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX) workshop that was held on 10 October 2016 in Durban. We need a feminist internet that works to empower all of us in our diversities, creates equal power relations, and dismantles patriarchy in all…
Feminist talk
‘There’s someone else just like you’: inside India’s asexuality networks
By Shreya Ila Anasuya
Asexuality is often dismissed as experience or identity, even by those within the medical community. However in recent times the internet has played a valuable role in both affirming the choices of those who identify as asexual, and in building networks of support and conversation. Given that it is still very difficult to speak openly about any sexuality in most physical spaces in India, the…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Gender Binary: Second Life, First Loves
By Nadika
In this column, Nadika Nadja explores the world of gaming and how it opened up realms of experience for her. Second Life, an enormous immersive multiplayer game, and many other similar environments on the internet, have been revelatory and powerful spaces for people to discover aspects of themselves, particularly in terms of gender and sexuality. From shame and fear, to play and sex, and to…
Feminist talk
Defining their place: Gender at the Internet Governance Forum 2016
By Smita
The Internet Governance Forum has been valuable as a multistakeholder space that facilitates the discussion and dialogue of public policy issues pertaining to the Internet. Over the years several feminists, activists and others interested in diverse representation have been participating in IGF and observing how concerns related to gender, sexuality, and the internet are raised and addressed.…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Taking action: Making climate justice and climate action a reality
By Sonia Randhawa
In the final column on gender, ICTs and climate change, Sonia Randhawa explores what are the possible actions that individuals can take -- in the face of impending climate change and the devastating and inequitable effect it has on people. At an individual level, we can reduce our carbon footprint. We also need to get involved in the climate movement. The climate emergency is with us now, and we…
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Finding solutions: Using ICTs to face the climate emergency
By Sonia Randhawa
In her fourth column, Sonia Randhawa looks at whether ICTs can play a role in finding solutions to climate change. However while ICTs seem like an ideal technology for building networks and connections between people, it remains out of reach for most people, especially women who are often at the forefront of struggles in relation to climate change. Community radio is far more accessible for…
Feminist talk
Beyond the offline-online binary – why women need a new global social contract
By Anita Gurumurthy
The non-territorial, transborder Internet has added layers of complexity to the human rights debate. The idea of substantive equality – a compass for human rights and the key to gender justice – must be interpreted anew and afresh, as the force of digital technologies complicates the nature of social relations and institutions. The easy binary divisions of online and offline cease to make sense…
