Transnational Artistic Responses: #MeToo and the Creative Coalition

Abstract

Using a feminist mapping methodology to contextualize artmaking activities that challenge patriarchal and oppressive viewpoints of women, in this study I examine ways in which artists have responded to the #MeToo movement in locations outside the United States. Through intersectional and transnational lenses, I investigate creative responses toward ending gender-related violence. My goal is to provide a resource of cultural production that encourages wakefulness of both researchers and educators to the particular contexts and strategies artists use to stop gender-based violence. Derived from scholarly articles, digital newspapers, Facebook, Instagram and personal interviews, the artist responses that I selected for this study demonstrate situated creative reactions to the #MeToo movement, highlighting the prevalence and particularities of harassment, domestic violence, rape and femicide in many regions of the globe. Inspired by a climate of feminist activism, artists respond pedagogically, therapeutically, and for personal catharsis. Future implications of this research include the study of censorship in countries that #MeToo has not been able to thrive, exploring the significance and nuances of hashtag feminism transnationally.

Keywords: gender violence, hashtag feminism, activism, censorship, intersectionality