“Fearless, powerful, Filipino”: identity positioning in the hashtag activism of #BabaeAko

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the discursive production and contestation of identities in the Philippine hashtag campaign, #BabaeAko (“I am a woman”). Using Slocum-Bradley’s Positioning Diamond (2009) it explored the relational process of identity negotiation between the women of the campaign and the President along with his supporters. Explicit utterance of the identity category “woman” with attributes of fearlessness and power, and sustaining such positioning across social episodes, allowed #BabaeAko advocates to resist oppressive attributions grounded on structural inequalities. In addition, the twofold storylines of calling out misogyny and calling for solidarity established the discursive activism of the campaign as both “talking back” and “calling for” likeminded individuals. Findings are further discussed in relation to hashtag feminism and political action along with the implications of identity claiming to feminist online mobilization.

KEYWORDS:

• Feminist mobilization
• hashtag activism
• discursive identities
• identity positioning
• positioning theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aniceta Patricia T. Alingasa

Aniceta Patricia T. Alingasa served as Assistant Professor at the Department of Behavioral Sciences of University of the Philippines Manila. She is also a Fellow of the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund. She has a masters degree in Social Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her research interests include gender studies and computer-mediated communication. E-mail: [email protected]

Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo

Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo is Associate Professor at the Psychology Department of Ateneo de Manila University. She has a doctoral degree in Social Psychology, a masters degree in Counseling Psychology, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. She is an advocate of gender equality and sexual diversity and has worked with local and international organizations on building affinity politics and an ethics of care. E-mail: [email protected]