Abstract
The editors of the book Gender Hate Online: Understanding the New Anti-Feminism, Debbie Ging and Eugenia Siapera, provide an essential look at an ever-growing problem. In current times, when many of our everyday activities have been transferred online, knowledge of the virtual world, the problems associated with it, and the solutions to combat its consequences have become pivotal. Furthermore, a discipline such as social work, which has the capacity and responsibility to promote social change, must assertively enter the online world.
Throughout its 281 pages, this book addresses in three sections the main topics of the problem of online gender hate. The first section comprises a description of the problem. Far from providing a simple description, the book offers a detailed analysis of the origins of misogyny, drawing a parallel with other historical moments in which hatred of women was rife, such as during the witch hunts during the Middle Ages. The distinction that Siapera makes between misogyny and anti-feminism is of particular interest because she uses this difference in meaning as a device with which to delve into pertinent feminist theory and promote the most appropriate intervention strategies. As part of the theoretical analysis of the problem of gender hate online, Ging provides a precise definition of the “manosphere” with illustrative examples. Another facet of the editors’ theoretical approach within the context of the feminist perspective toward gender hate online is their exposition of the peculiarities associated with the concept of consent to have sex, in this case focusing on the current situation in Pakistan.
The next section of the book provides examples of the progress made by theoreticians. As Cockerill states in Chapter 5 of the book, misogynist culture is growing and spreading because of the internet, taking advantage of its power to connect people and ideas. This expansion is undeniably supported by new cases emerging all over the world. Other examples of gender hate online appear in coverage of the Bill Cosby case, in which a mixture of sexist and race-related arguments is used to justify the sexual assaults. The Cosby case also reveals the framework of intersectionality, which, happily, is explored in the first section from a theoretical perspective. Section 2 of the book additionally focuses on revenge porn, a new online weapon against women that has its roots in existing internet conventions. Revenge porn highlights differences between women’s and men’s bodies. In addition, revenge porn is committed against women who dare to show their body and enjoy it without complying with gendered mandates.
The third and last section of the book focuses on solutions, making it an essential read for the practitioners of feminist social work, insofar as it invites us to action, provides examples of the responses given by some victims, and promotes resistance against misogynistic and anti-feminist attacks.
Readers of Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work will find in Gender Hate Online: Understanding the New Anti-Feminism a book with clear and concise argumentation concerning a growing problem, including case analyses that expand understanding of online gender hate as an issue. Moreover, the book provides valuable ideas for social work professionals who are designing and managing strategies to fight gender hate online. From a teaching perspective, this book is an updated resource grounded in everyday realities that makes it possible to build arguments based on practice to try and stop the incidence of gender hate online from increasing.
Another issue of special relevance raised by this book is that gender hate online is a growing global problem. The arguments that justify, feed, and ultimately perpetuate this form of violence against women are also increasingly visible due to the widespread use of online media throughout the world.
The book, strong as it is, would have been more useful if it had presented greater cultural variability in the cases analyzed. Gender hate online, after all, is not a problem caused by specific contexts but one anchored in the patriarchal system.
