By Us, for Us? Past and Present Black Feminist Publishing Narratives and Routes

Abstract

From zine-making to creating independent publishing houses, throughout history, Black women have found routes that enable them to autonomously communicate their perspectives and share their Black feminist creative and campaigning work. The ascent of social media and online content-sharing platforms in recent decades has generated publishing avenues that are often deemed to be more democratic than traditional press and print pathways. The rich history of Black feminist publishing has led to present-day digital forms of ‘do it yourself (DIY)’ and ‘do it together (DIT)’ publishing, including the proliferation of first-person online essays and video blogs (vlogs). This paper maps parts of the legacy of Black feminist publishing in Britain and the broader Black press history that it is part of. There is an exploration of opportunities and challenges involved in Black women’s contemporary publishing via digital terrains, such as tensions between how independent Black feminist writing and cultural production can gain recognition online, yet, in ways that can result in the harassment of Black feminists and the fuelling of mainstream media activity which lacks a Black feminist position. Considering past and present examples of Black feminist publishing in Britain, this paper examines how and why such approaches have changed.