Hashtag feminism: identity politics and the politicization of social change in Iran

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hashtag feminism has launched a critical dialogue about women’s identity politics, domestic and social power structures, and the intersectional nature of discriminatory gender policies. Despite the fact that Twitter is officially blocked in Iran, hashtag activism has remained a vital venue for fourth-wave feminists to participate in networks and become more politically active. This study focused on the most popular hashtags, posted by 10 well-known feminist accounts (2021–2022) along with 1200 disseminated re-tweets. With the employment of reflexive thematic analysis, it explored the activists’ transformative social demands and their tactics of political coalition-building. Four extracted themes, along with nine subthemes, suggested that digital activists gave precedence to recognition and respect for their identity exempt from gender roles and feminine socialization constraints. The quest for moral plurality and tolerance for women’s modern liberties and rights stood out over the sampled tweets. Holding Islam in contempt for allegedly “discriminatory” laws and practices as well as petitioning the Islamic Republic to obtain legislative power and equal positions was an indication of their incentives for political re-structuring. Using various techniques of civil disobedience and resistance, Iranian fourth wavers took the leadership of a civil movement for the western agenda of “regime change.”