Digital Black Feminism

With this accessible volume, Catherine Knight Steele has offered readers a compelling explanation of Black feminist technoculture. Black women have long been at the forefront of technological advances, creation and dialogue; Steele skillfully traces their influence into the present and future. ~Ms. Magazine

First, Steele positions Black women online as central to the future of communication technology just as they've been central to its past. Second, per its title, Digital Black Feminism traces and critically examines a evolutionary shift in Black feminism thought, one driven and enabled by new technology … For a book with heft, it strikes an impressive balance of accessibility and intellectual innovation. ~NPR Books

This book is a must-read in a time when we need to redouble our commitments to social justice. Catherine Knight Steele helps us understand and celebrate the powerful work that Black feminists do to make the world a better place. ~Safiya Umoja Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

Critically engages the digital possibilities of contemporary Black feminist thought and, in doing so, charts important new directions for Black feminism and technoculture. Steele argues that Black women’s creation of Digital Black Feminism reflects a sophisticated digital praxis that builds upon yet stands apart from historical traditions of Black feminist thought and hip hop feminism. A must-read book for understanding the possibilities and limitations of digital spaces for social justice projects. ~Patricia Hill Collins, author of Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment

Steele’s careful consideration of what and whom to research, particularly with regard to Black women and other marginalized groups, is an ethical model that other social media researchers should take seriously as well. Digital Black Feminism moves the work of digital black feminism from the margins to the center, where the personal is not only political but digital. ~Film Quarterly

Steele emphasizes how digital Black feminists specifically broaden traditional conceptualizations of activism, complicate ideas of appropriate allegiances, and actively engage with contradictions in Black communities…The author’s analysis of contemporary Black feminist digital enclaves and counter publics and her engagement with current practices and vernacular within Black communities make the text topical and compelling. ~K. Gentles-Peart, Roger Williams University, Choice

Digital Black Feminism provides a framework for Black women to rightfully occupy a space in our society that acknowledges and values their existence, positioning Black feminists at the center of digital studies from the standpoint of Black women. ~Resources for Gender and Women's Studies

Digital Black Feminism reemphasizes the history of marginalization of Black women in the field of technology that acts as tools for social justice by and for Black women, including physical and virtual beauty shops, digital platforms for storytelling, and creative works. Steele’s examination and definitive conversations regarding digital Black feminism are intuitive, inspiring, and engaging. ~Journal of Popular Culture