Moya Bailey – “Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance” – Cathy J. Cohen

Moya Bailey will discuss Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance. She will be joined in conversation by Cathy J. Cohen.

Virtual event

Presented in partnership with the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago

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About the book: When Moya Bailey first coined the term misogynoir, she defined it as the ways anti-Black and misogynistic representation shape broader ideas about Black women, particularly in visual culture and digital spaces. She had no idea that the term would go viral, touching a cultural nerve and quickly entering into the lexicon. Misogynoir now has its own Wikipedia page and hashtag, and has been featured on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time. In Misogynoir Transformed, Bailey delves into her groundbreaking concept, highlighting Black women’s digital resistance to anti-Black misogyny on YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, and other platforms.

At a time when Black women are depicted as more ugly, deficient, hypersexual, and unhealthy than their non-Black counterparts, Bailey explores how Black women have used social-media platforms to confront misogynoir in a number of courageous—and, most importantly, effective—ways. Focusing on queer and trans Black women, she shows us the importance of carving out digital spaces, where communities are built around queer Black webshows and hashtags like #GirlsLikeUs. Bailey shows how Black women actively reimagine the world by engaging in powerful forms of digital resistance at a time when anti-Black misogyny is thriving on social media. A groundbreaking work, Misogynoir Transformed highlights Black women’s remarkable efforts to disrupt mainstream narratives, subvert negative stereotypes, and reclaim their lives.

About the author: Moya Bailey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies and the program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Northeastern University. She is the digital alchemist for the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network and an MLK Visiting Scholar at MIT.

About the interlocutor: Cathy J. Cohen is the David and Mary Winton Green Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and former faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture. Cohen is the author of two books, The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics (University of Chicago Press) and Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics (Oxford University Press). Cohen created and oversees two major research and public-facing projects: the GenForward Survey and the Black Youth Project.

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