keywords: Manifesto, pluriality, knowledge production, Deciphering TransHackfeminism
Abstract: This workshop proposes to start a collective process which aims at reflecting on and about the meanings of TransHackFeminism through the format of a Manifesto. Manifestos are a signal of their time, place and space. It is a form of narrative that can be produced by and for a broad spectrum of people in an attempt to converge and inspire action. In the technological world particularly, manifestos have been written by feminists and hackers. One of the best example is with Donna Haraway ‘A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century‘. Cyberfeminists inspired by Haraway took up the manifesto format to come up with the Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century (1991). At this particular crossroads, a new Manifesto seems pertinent to (re)position ourselves as a movement and to (re)ignite political collective actions. Through a collective methodology of reflecting on our own (individual and collective) praxis, experiences and theory, we will start to extract the meanings behind THF! – What does it mean to be or act in a TransHackFeminist way? – What are the principles that support TransHackFeminism? – What do we understand when we use the words Trans, Hack and Feminism together? Trans as a noun: being a transgendered person, being in a trans (in transition, in transformation, in translation, etc.) Trans as a verb: meaning interrogating, crossing, fusing. What do we mean when we speak about: Hack, hacker or hacking? These concepts can be imagined as expansive, limiting and/or controversial depending on the socio-cultural forces at play. Does the verb “to Hack” means curiosity?, Is it about re-purposing (re-purposing gender, technology, life)? Where does feminism fits into this constellation? How is feminism transformed by and through a TransHack constellation? As the last part of the concept, does feminism has the last word? and if so, how? The TransHackFeminist Manifesto! will try to shed light on the relationship between feminism, trans and hack as to help of all see the plurality behind these concepts taken individually, but especially taken as a whole. Outcome: The workshop aims at coming up with a draft of a manifesto that embodies TransHackFeminism. We want to connect the dots, and inspire and ignite a movement that seems to be emerging both in theory and in practice.
Format: There will be two sessions of 2-hours each that will inform this workshop. The first session will be dedicated to a collective process of figuring out what we mean by THF! Through participatory exercices we will be asking the though questions to come up with a plural understanding. The second session will aim at writing a first draft of the Manifesto (reading through a first draft) informed by our prior discussions and exercises. The draft will then become an open process on a “pirate pad” on which people who could not attend and participate to THF! (particularly) will be able to have their voices heard.
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