I have thought for a while now that it would be lovely to start keeping a historical record of feminist blogs and the feminist blogosphere. For example when we started having huge surges of discussion (like the Blow Job Wars, or the discussion of the pink/breastcancer/infantilization thing) it is notable in intellectual history.
So, I have some questions.
- When did you start finding feminist blogs?
- What were the first ones you became aware of?
- Which ones did you read, and how did you think of them? How would you describe the character of the blog, its evolution, and the evolution of your thought about it?
- Which feminist blogs are part of your regular, or sporadic, reading now?
- What were the top 10 , or top whatever, or most important, feminist blogs of 2005? What are the most important now?
- If you would like: what is a feminist blog? what makes it feminist?
- What issues are/were important on feminist blogs (and, if you can remember, when were they important)
- What controversies, surges of discussion, did you see begin/continue?
- How have feminist blogging and anti-racist blogging combined, enhanced each other, or not done well enough, in your view?
- How about forums, wikis, mailing lists?
Please answer any or all of these questions, post in comments here. Or, if you must be private, email me and I will treat it as an interview; let me know in email what name you would like me to use in the source.
I will begin writing up some history. I will try to be good about citing sources.
There are a lot of resource guides, but not a lot of history that I've seen. But, something important happened and is still happening. We are in its midst. Let's document it as best we can.
***Update***
Still thinking about all this today while I was offline. What about making it a more formal survey/interview, for people who identify themselves as feminist bloggers. I can post the survey on a wiki/blog (doesn't have to be the feminist wiki one, but maybe could be) and then people can send in their answers (by email or put them on wiki themselves.) So we could get answers from people who are readers-of-feminist-blogs and also get the bloggers to help define their own history.
- When did you start finding feminist blogs?
A couple months after I started reading blogs, which was during the 2004 primaries.
- What were the first ones you became aware of?
Mouse Words, Alas
- Which ones did you read, and how did you think of them? How would you describe the character of the blog, its evolution, and the evolution of your thought about it?
both of the above
When I first found Mouse Words it was this breath of fresh air. It was like going from a smelly room to a not smelly room and then back again. You really notice the smell the most on your way back in the second time. (Mouse Words being the not smelly room and most other political blogs being smelly rooms, obviously.) When the Pie Fights occurred I began spending even less time at the mainstream political blogs. Over the past year or so I've gotten plenty of reminders that writer of Mouse Words is only human, after all, and makes mistakes as well. I still read Pandagon nearly every day, but I try to be more critical when I do and I spend a little less time there than I used to.
I immediately got sucked into the comments at Alas when I first found it, but gradually found arguing with brick walls to be less entertaining. For some reason, the "friendly" comments seem to keep out the more entertaining trolls, while keeping in the nitpicky Devil's Advocates. Plus, it turns out that discussing things amongst ourselves (sans Devil's Advocates) is actually interesting and enlightening.
- Which feminist blogs are part of your regular, or sporadic, reading now?
Pandagon, Shakesville, Feministe, Feministing, Shrub, Hathor Legacy, Heroine Content, Angry Black Woman, Girls Read Comics, Written World, Random Thoughts, abyss2hope, Feminist SF - the blog!, Echidne, Feminist Gamers, Feminism 101, Hoyden About Town, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Crimitism, Bitch PhD
(several of those are actually fan sites for various genres, but tend to at least have the occasional feminist post)
I very much need to update my blogroll and favorites (I've been using someone else computer a lot for the past year, so I don't really have a chance to bookmark much). There's a lot that I've "discovered" and then lost again that I really wish I hadn't.
- What were the top 10 , or top whatever, or most important, feminist blogs of 2005? What are the most important now?
Mouse Words/Pandagon. 2005 was a long time ago. I don't remember what else I was reading back then.
I think it's a lot more diverse, and that's a good thing. So I'm going with the Carnival of Feminists, because that's such a good way to find all kinds of new voices.
- If you would like: what is a feminist blog? what makes it feminist?
I count any blog that acknowledges that sexism exists, is bad, and mentions both of these truths at least every so often.
- What issues are/were important on feminist blogs (and, if you can remember, when were they important)
sexual violence, media portrayal, access to healthcare - esp. reproductive health and dependent care, political power, sexuality and sex work
- What controversies, surges of discussion, did you see begin/continue?
Pie Fights and other examples of lack of caring, any time porn is mentioned, the privileged being blind to their privilege (within and without of the feminist movement)
- How have feminist blogging and anti-racist blogging combined, enhanced each other, or not done well enough, in your view?
How much time do you have? ;) In a nutshell, I think it's mostly the same problems we have with dealing with racism and sexism in general. It just hurts more because you'd figure people that are fighting a similar injustice would be more likely to "get it." Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
- How about forums, wikis, mailing lists?
I don't participate in these enough. Especially the Girl-Wonder.org forums. I always hear about the interesting discussions after the fact.
Posted by: Mickle | April 22, 2008 at 11:23 PM