Cyber-feminism: a hybrid resistance tool for building inclusive spatialities

Abstract

New communication technologies, especially social networks, have transformed the way feminism articulates and expresses itself. Donna Haraway, in The Cyborg Manifesto (1984), introduced the idea that identity should not be fixed, proposing the cyborg as a model of identification that emphasizes affinity over rigid categories. This has become relevant in the critical analysis of the relationship between technology and feminism, recognizing that technology carries the values and concerns of its creators. The VNS Matrix collective, founded in 1991, stood out for creating art and interventions that challenged notions that perpetuated the subordination of women. Cyberfeminism, although it has global variations, including in Brazil and Latin America, shares the search for a new politics of identification based on affinities and critical reflections on gender inequalities. The Brazilian collective CEMINA, for example, has focused on understanding the realities of Brazilian women in relation to technology, in line with Haraway’s principles. The aim of this article is to analyze cyberfeminism, a diverse movement that addresses issues of gender identity and activism in the digital context. It also explores the relationship between cyberfeminism, art and technology and highlights challenges in the digital environment, emphasizing the intersection between online and offline activism in the contemporary feminist struggle. This study will address the influence of the gender perspective on the construction of spaces, both physical and virtual. Cyberfeminism seeks to create inclusive spaces and promote interventions in urban space based on manifestations originating in cyberspace.