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Gamergate and Anti-Feminism in the Digital Age

  • Book
  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jessica O'Donnell

    1. Tyne and Wear, UK

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  • Provides a discursive analysis of militant discourse used both in MRA and feminist movements
  • Provides a rich, detailed account of Gamergate and connects this to the shift toward online misogyny
  • Engages with theory from multiple disciplines including Sociology, Gender Studies, and Media Studies

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 1-8

  3. Men’s Rights Activism and the Manosphere

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 9-61

  4. Gamers and Gamergate

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 63-107

  5. The Militaristic Discourse of Anti-feminism

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 109-138

  6. Feminist Retaliation in the Digital Age

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 139-177

  7. Changes Following Gamergate

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 179-222

  8. Conclusion

    • Jessica O’Donnell
    Pages 223-245

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 247-250
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Keywords

About this book

This book provides an in-depth, feminist and sociological analysis of Gamergate, a major social movement and anti-feminist harassment campaign. Gamergate provides a clear example of both how a modern anti-feminist ‘backlash’ is enacted, and how feminists in the digital age respond. Chapters connect Gamergate to the broader Men’s Rights Activism (MRA) political movement, examining men’s anxieties surrounding what they see as an erosion of male privilege, their conflation of privilege with rights, as well as their use of social media to harass and attack women as a response to their perceived oppression. Likewise, the author analyses the online strategies used by feminists to respond to this backlash, how social media is harnessed to build a feminist movement, the effectiveness of these online strategies, and the parallels that these actions have with those from previous waves of feminism. Finally, the author reflects on what has changed with regards to MRA, online harassment, and digital feminism after the height of Gamergate.

This book will be of interest to scholars in Gender Studies, Sociology, and Media Studies.


Reviews

"For anyone interested in what the contemporary backlash against feminism looks like – this book is for you. Gamergate and Anti-Feminism in the Digital Age tells the important story of anti-feminist rhetoric and hostility towards women in the gaming community that has been brewing for years. Well-organized, motivated, and making creative use of digital technologies, this books showcases the ways Men’s Rights Activists have been mobilizing online, and the detrimental and silencing impact this has had on women and feminists. Yet, rather than simply detailing the rise of MRAs, the book looks at feminist resistance to this vitriol, showing how sexism is becoming less socially acceptable. In other words – it leaves readers with a sense of hope for a feminist future." (Kaitlynn Mendes, Associate Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair in Inequality and Gender, University of Western Ontario)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Tyne and Wear, UK

    Jessica O'Donnell

About the author

Jessica O’Donnell is an independent scholar with a PhD in Sociology from Northumbria University, UK and an MA in Gender Studies (Research Methods) from the University of Leeds, UK. She has published in Media, Culture and Society and worked as a research assistant for multiple feminist research groups.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Gamergate and Anti-Feminism in the Digital Age

  • Authors: Jessica O'Donnell

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14057-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-14056-3Published: 14 October 2022

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-14059-4Published: 15 October 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-14057-0Published: 13 October 2022

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 250

  • Number of Illustrations: 8 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Gender Studies, Media and Communication, Media Sociology, Cultural Studies, Social Philosophy, Popular Culture

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