“DOES FEMINISM HAVE A GENERATION GAP?”

Abstract

This article explores a number of instances when generation is invoked and discussed in three feminist blogs: the UK The Vagenda (2012–), the US-based Crunk Feminist Collective (2010), and the UK Feminist Times (2013–14). More specifically, it examines how generation is discussed in terms of a feminist identity, especially in relation to intergenerational conflict. I contextualize a textual analysis of these blogs within a conjunctural and intersectional understanding of generation. That is, I look at how these narratives of intergenerational feminism are produced or emerge from specific UK and US historical conditions, and the organization of social forces within them. I also look at how they map on to popular media discourses about generation. In addition, this article explores the ways in which generational identity intersects with categories of race, gender, class, sexuality and place.

Keywords:

• feminism
• digital
• generation
• blogging
• postfeminism
• age

disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 In November 2016, after this article was accepted, Feminist Times was relaunched as an online monthly magazine via the digital publishing site “issuu.” Significantly, it has rejected some of the affordances of the blog format. There are no comment functions and the magazine will be issued on a monthly basis rather than being continually updated. Raven frames this as an intergenerational feminist strategy by stating:

Our new incarnation is tethered to the past because we want to receive something from feminism’s golden age. We owe it to those who came before us to get this right so instead of being updated daily, like a blog, we will be producing monthly issues. This will give us plenty of time to reflect on the content and work constructively with our writers rather than hit them with idea-sapping deadlines. (FEM 001 5)

In addition, Raven aims to counteract the burnout experienced by feminist bloggers, as discussed above. We can see a deep concern around connecting to previous feminist publishing incarnations in Feminist Times’ attempt to connect with “our foremothers”: “Tethered proudly to the past, we are walking in the footsteps of our foremothers, respectful of their legacy” (FEM 001 3). Raven points out that there are no comment boards on the site as “I want to encourage a different kind of debate where there is time to reflect rather than fire off responses a mile a minute.” Instead, she offers an e-mail address and promises to reply “and, who knows, you could even become one of our contributors” (FEM 001 5).