CAPS: Feminist academic activism in capital letters

Abstract

Inspired by the practices of Collages Féminicides—an activist movement gluing capital letters on urban walls to denounce instances of violence like femicides, acts of racism, or child abuse—this essay develops “Writing in capital letters” (CAPS), a performative notion and process of academic writing that has the potential to mobilize practices of feminist academic activism beyond the page. Standing for CLARITY, ATTENTION, PRESENCE(S), and SOLIDARITY (CAPS), CAPS invites academics to reframe their (our) writing and research practices in ways that denounce forms of heteronormative oppression and violence. CAPS demands CLARITY in choosing bold capital words that name and do justice to lived experiences. These words seek to attract the audience’s ATTENTION, encouraging performative reactions and interactions. CAPS also calls for performing organization research and writing through embodied PRESENCE(S) that consider differences and affects reflexively. It can promote spaces for SOLIDARITY and care where differences are not denied and resistance is organized collectively. Stressing the emancipatory potentials of CAPS as a form of feminist academic activism grounded in performative writing, we offer concrete recommendations for reframing academic practices in activist terms more broadly.