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Femmes, genre et politique

N13(b) - Roundtable: Feminist political communication in the age of fascism: The Story of Naari Politics, a Sri Lankan-Canadian Initiative - A practitioner roundtable

Date: Jun 3 | Heure: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Salle: FSS 12003

Chair/Président/Présidente : Punsarani Jayawardhane (Nāari Productions)

Chamindra Weerawardhana (Consortium for Intersectional Justice)
Vibusha Madanayake (Naari Productions)
Piumi Denagamagé (Naari Productions)

Abstract: This roundtable focuses on the overall thematic of critical feminist political communication. Throughout the world, we are witnessing the rise of authoritarian, ethno-nationalist, and patriarchal politics that shrink civic space and threaten the safety of women, youth, queer, Indigenous, racialized, and migrant communities. In a deeply interconnected world where the so-called ‘south’ meets the so-called ‘north’, with constant human movement, how can we [re]imagine effective strategies for feminist communication? This roundtable features Nāari Politics, Sri Lanka’s feminist political podcast - an initiative that was co-conceptualized and co-created by three Sri Lankan women residing in Canada, as a means of constructively addressing this question. We believe that a critical dialogue on feminist political communication that focuses on the Nāari Politics experiment provides much comparative insight to feminist worldmakers in Canada, as well as in other parts of the world. In Sri Lanka, this has included state repression of feminist activists and attacks on journalists. As in many state structures that have been created through cycles of colonial oppression, the state often operates against the interests of the most marginalized citizens.In the Dominion of Canada which stands on the unceded sovereign territories of Turtle island, diasporic voices challenging racism, colonialism, homophobia,intersexphobia, transphobia, and militarization face online harassment and targeted disinformation. In a deeply hostile immigration system and educational/professional structures built within what the late Dr bell hooks rightly described as the ‘imperialist capitalist white supremacist patriarchy’, many people of color from global majority backgrounds residing in the Dominion of Canada carry out their feminist, liberatory work under socio-economically, politically, financially, emotionally and physically challenging circumstances. Naari Politics was born in this volatile climate, as an independent, Sri Lankan-Canadian decolonial feminist political podcast as well as a feminist knowledge-sharing and storytelling platform. Co-created by three frontline development practitioners, researchers, and activists from Sri Lanka (Vibusha, Piumi, Chamindra) with deep ties to Canada and to several sovereign territories of Turtle Island, Nāari Politics provides a space for women, grassroots leaders, and youth - particularly from conflict-affected, racialized and marginalized communities to narrate our own political ‘herstories’, resist erasure and challenge dominant patriarchal narratives. This roundtable brings together Nāari Politics co-founders and allied practitioners to reflect on the practice of feminist political communication under challenging circumstances, which one of our co-curators describes in her work as ‘the age of fascism’. The roundtable will notably focus on: Platforming grassroots stories despite digital surveillance, misogyny, and backlashhh Women challenging the military-industrial complex and militarized masculinity on public platforms Backlash against female political commentators in the age of fascism How can women from ‘majority backgrounds’ engage in/create meaningful spaces for critical conversations on feminist resistance and multiple forms of injustice (Nāari Politics is co-curated by three Sri Lankan Sinhala women, the country’s ethnonational majority). Building cross-border solidarity between Global majority struggles and Canadian civic movements The deep interconnectedness between the struggles for liberation, sovereignty and justice by the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island, and the struggles for liberation, representation, land rights, climate justice priorities, feminist liberation priorities in the global majority Using podcasts and narrative media as tools of feminist political education, feminist memory-keeping, and feminist resistance Lessons for sustaining feminist initiatives when funding is scarce and risks are high The roundtable will create a participatory space to exchange strategies, challenges, and possibilities for feminist communication in the face of resurgent fascism. Naari Politics represents a poignant example of feminist resistance in the age of fascism. This roundtable will provide space for an incisive dialogue on feminist political communication, and how Canada and the sovereign territories of Turtle Island provide a space for global feminist communication, resisting fascist politics and reimagining feminist worldmaking.

Femmes, genre et politique

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