In Their Own Voice: Technologically mediated empowerment and transformation among young Arab women

Abstract

AbstractThis feminist, qualitative study sheds light on how young Arab women used cyberactivism to participate in the wave of political and social transformations widely known as the Arab Spring. It argues that these activists leveraged social media to enact new forms of leadership, agency, and empowerment, since these online platforms enabled them to express themselves freely and their voices to be heard by the rest of the world, particularly the global media. This resulted in a multidimensional personal, social, political, and communicative revolution. This study is based on in-depth, personal interviews with more than twenty young Arab women citizen journalists, bloggers, and activists from Arab countries that witnessed political upheaval.Keywords:: Arab womenArab Springcyberactivismpolitical and social transformationsocial media Notes1. She requested anonymity due to safety concerns since she still lives in Bahrain.Additional informationNotes on contributorsCourtney C. RadschCourtney C. Radsch is a doctoral candidate in International Relations at the American University. Her current research focuses on cyberactivism in Egypt. She is also a journalist, media expert, and freedom of expression advocate who writes frequently about the intersection of media, activism, and technology, with a particular focus on the Middle East. E-mail: cradsch@gmail.comSahar KhamisSahar Khamis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an expert on Arab and Middle Eastern media. She is the co-author of the books: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace (2009) and Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism (2013). E-mail: skhamis@umd.edu