Visual Misogyny

Over 30 years since Neil Postman provocatively asked what technology does to a culture, scholars continue to work to address the question. Here, some of the shocking statistics around active visual online misogyny signal an acute need to attentively outline and analyze its digital manifestations. The careful nuancing of the concept, as organized and/or ambient forms of misogyny is demonstrated using case studies provides a fresh explanatory springboard for unpacking the “patriarchal bargain”, (recalling Lisa Wade’s famous 2011 blog post in Sociological Images). Developing such language gives us more powerful and sophisticated access to understanding how “patriarchy has no gender” (hooks 2014) and is an issue that impacts us all.

This book is much needed in our time. Prieto-Blanco and Özkula offer an in-depth account of visual misogyny, combining rigorous theoretical grounding with rich empirical insights. Featuring case studies from diverse cultural and political contexts by leading scholars in the field, Visual Misogyny is essential reading for researchers and graduate students engaged with the intersections of digital media, visual culture, and gender politics.

Visual Misogyny gathers a dynamic team of leading scholars to track the global rise of new digital forms of gendered hate in some of its myriad forms, from the blatant and outrageous to the nuanced and subdued. By linking key theoretical insights to detailed case studies from Spain, Britain, and Zimbabwe, the book advances our knowledge of this urgent problem while serving as an accessible introduction to readers new to it. I was particularly impressed by the book’s clear arguments and conceptual richness around visual misogyny, featuring powerful conceptual tools like ambient misogyny, techno-patriarchy, and participatory cultures of hate. It will be of great interest to students and lecturers in gender studies, visual studies, political communication, and online subcultures.

Visual Misogyny: Platformed Politics of Visual Gendered Hate is an important and much-needed contribution to feminist media and internet studies. The book synthesises an ever-expanding body of scholarship on (visual) online misogyny, while advancing our understanding through new concepts such as platformed visual misogyny, which incisively reveal how gender hate manifests within contemporary technopatriarchal systems.

What stands out is the book’s genuinely collaborative spirit. Bringing together the work of its two main authors with case studies from across continents, and culminating in jointly written reflections, the book exemplifies how academic research can be both rigorous and relational. In addition to its scholarly achievements, Visual Misogyny actively intervenes in urgent public and political debates, offering insights with the potential to shape real-world change.