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The Palgrave Handbook of Gendered Violence and Technology pp 93–113Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Alternate Realities, Alternate Internets: African Feminist Research for a Feminist Internet

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Abstract

For the past decade, internet connectivity has been praised for its potential to close the gender gap across Africa. However, despite the benefits afforded by the internet, online spaces are proving to be the embodiment of existing systems of oppression and violence. In order to understand experiences of African women in online spaces, this violence must be viewed on a continuum rather than as isolated incidents removed from existing structural frameworks. Discriminatory gendered practices are shaped by social, economic, cultural and political structures in the physical world and are similarly reproduced online across digital platforms. In this paper, we discuss the online lived experiences of women living in five sub-Saharan African countries to illustrate that repeated negative encounters fundamentally impact how women navigate and utilize the internet. This in turn, strengthens the argument for a radical shift in developing alternate digital networks grounded in Afrofuturism, feminist methodologies and decolonial practices.

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Acknowledgements

This research study was made possible with funding from Internews, and the Association of Progressive Communication “Feminist Internet Research Network” project, supported by the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors. I would also like to thank my research team, Bonnita Nyamwire and Sandra Nabulega, as well as all the women who graciously gave us their time and shared their experiences with us.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kampala, Uganda

    Neema Iyer

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  1. Neema Iyer
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Correspondence to Neema Iyer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Criminology and Justice Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Anastasia Powell

  2. School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Asher Flynn

  3. University of Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire, UK

    Lisa Sugiura

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Iyer, N. (2021). Alternate Realities, Alternate Internets: African Feminist Research for a Feminist Internet. In: Powell, A., Flynn, A., Sugiura, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Gendered Violence and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83734-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83734-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-83733-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-83734-1

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