Feminist media coverage of the Social Forums

Abstract

‘Alternative’ events focusing on globalisation, such as the European and World Social Forums, and the World Summits on the Information Society generally ignore issues related to women's rights. This article describes the experience of a team of women - some professional journalists, and others who had never written for publication - which created its own media in order to provide a feminist perspective on several of these events. In so doing, the team aimed to influence the discussion and debate at these events, as well as providing women's and feminist organisations with a source of information about the global issues under discussion.

Notes

1. Alter-globalisation (or alter-mondialisation, from the French altermondialisme) is the name of a social movement which supports the international integration of globalisation, but advocates that values of democracy, economic justice, environmental protection, and human rights be put ahead of purely economic concerns.

2. Les Pénélopes, http://www.penelopes.org] (last accessed June 2007).

3. Source: UNDP, http://www.undp.org (last accessed June 2007).

4. Source: Unifem UK website, http://unifemuk.org (last accessed June 2007).

5. European and North American Women's Action, ENAWA, http://www.enawa.org (last accessed June 2007).

6. ESF Evaluation meeting, 16 November 2003. Unpublished ENAWA report on the Effective E-feminism Programme 2003.

7. Social Rights Bulgaria, http://www.socialrights.org (last accessed June 2007).

8. Interview with Mavic Cabrera-Balleza 17 April 2007.

9. Interview with Maria Velichkova 10 May 2007.

10. ‘Solidarity economy’ is a term for economic activity which is undertaken so as to express solidarity with disadvantaged groups of people. This contrasts with the private sector, where economic activity is aimed at generating profits, and the public sector, where economic activity is directed at public policy objectives. The term ‘solidarity economy’ is the English translation of economia solidária (Portuguese), economía solidaria (Spanish), and économie solidaire (French).

11. Free software is a common name for computer programs guaranteeing certain freedoms to their users, such as: to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve the software they are using. For more information see http://www.gnu.org.

12. SPIP, http://www.spip.net (last accessed June 2007).

13. Interview with Malgorzata Tarasiewicz 19 April 2007.

14. Interview with Mavic Cabrera-Balleza 17 April 2007.

15. Interview with Dominique Foufelle 10 April 2007.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christina Haralanova

Christina Haralanova is a gender and ICT activist and researcher, and ICT trainer, who has worked with NGOs since 1999. Originally from Bulgaria, Christina has worked on a number of local and international projects and networks, including the creation of the women's network Women's Information Technologies Transfer (WITT), and the organising of gender and ICT training in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Macedonia. Christina has been, for many years, a managing director of the Internet Rights Bulgaria foundation and chief editor of the Internet initiative Social Rights Bulgaria. She is presently doing her masters’ thesis in communications in the University of Québec in Montréal, Canada

Joëlle Palmieri

Joëlle Palmieri was originally a data processing specialist, specialising in scientific data processing. Since 1995, she has created and directed multimedia products for companies and civil society organisations. She is has written, produced, and directed publications, electronic communications and television documentaries, including a book, 100 Years of Women's Lives (2000). She is also founder of the feminist press agency Les Pénélopes, where she conceptualised and edited a monthly magazine for eight years