The continuing spread of the #MeToo movement has ignited louder and stronger choral voices across the globe clamoring to end deeply entrenched inequalities and injustices in workplaces, in the entertainment industry, in sports, in schools, and in other public and private settings. In Asia, the movement has opened doors for online feminist platforms through which victims of rape and sexual violence have come to face their battles alongside their rallying supporters online. This global hashtag phenomenon has given courage and strength to young women and grassroots activists to speak up and express their anger into action via the social media. Since 2017, the #MeToo movement has sustained and has given way to the popularization of feminist politics in Asia.
In 2019, as the #MeToo movement deepens, we expect to hear more from scholars and activists to write about their critical interpretation and feminist analysis of the #MeToo movement in their own locale highlighting the social issues that beset us. For Volume 25 of the Asian Journal of Women's Studies (AJWS), we also call on you to take part in scholarly written discourses centered on women and feminist leadership in Asia or some other parts of the world that connect and compare with the experiences of their Asian counterparts. Specifically, we would be interested in epistemological discussions that provide a feminist lens on why, how, or when:
feminist leaders are required to hold viewpoints that challenge the status quo or campaign for social change and to envision the future;
feminist leadership attempts to replace pre-existing concepts about leadership;
more women leaders should emerge and women leadership development should be further facilitated; and
intensive consciousness-raising for social change and women’s participation must precede or complement all activities.
For more details on the call, please visit our journal website (www.tandfonline.com/RAJW) and click on the link to the Special Issue on Feminist Leadership in Asia.
