#Identity Reviewed by AllegraLab
AllegraLab, a book review journal, looks at Abigail de Kosnik and Keith Feldman's #Identity: Hashtagging Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Nation. The Review calls the book an exciting reminder of the illuminating potential of academic inquiry, and praises the authors' proposal of “how people of color, female, and queer people, and people outside the United States have navigated and developed digital networked spaces.” #Identity is a collection of essays from The Color of New Media Working Group, co-organized by Gail and Keith.
From the review:
Importantly, the scholars of this section note that community building and political impact are not necessarily positive phenomena, as Ogle’s article observes that the self-identified feminist and parodic #ConfusedCatsAgainstFeminism blog reinforced antifeminist claims in postfeminist narratives.
In this section, the authors challenge prominent narratives behind popular hashtags. Booten’s piece reveals that while #alllivesmatter has become part of the rhetoric of anti-blackness used to respond to the #blacklivesmatter movement, its uses online defy such clear cleavages with some #alllivesmatter users advocating a civil rights agenda.
To read the whole review, please visit here.