Introduction to Section 5

Feminists have long talked about the perils and promise of technology. From discussions of standpoints and situated knowledges as ways of exposing patriarchal domination and creating space for feminist epistemology in the history of science, to conceptions of “cyborg” feminism as a way of imagining emancipatory futures that reject essentialism and move beyond rigid categories, feminist approaches to technology and the digital world have always been equal parts critical and constructive. ¹ From the beginning of these creative and boundary-pushing discussions, the newness and speed of technology has compelled feminist scholars to ask two seemingly opposing questions: How can we seize the possibilities of this brave new world for our theories, ethics, and practices? And, in what ways does this brave new world mimic, replicate, and transform the practices of domination that continue to marginalize, ignore, and exclude women and LGBTQ+ peoples.