Metis as Embodied, Technofeminist Intervention: Rhetorically Listening to Periods for Pence

Abstract

Metis and listening are both inherently feminist rhetorical tactics for collaboration and intervention that have been generally overlooked in rhetoric and composition scholarship. I argue that to place them in conversation with one another is to illuminate connections between bodies, cultures, and rhetorical resources—connections especially useful when examining protests in digital spaces. Periods for Pence, a Spring 2016 protest, articulates how protesters might embrace the so-called weaknesses of feminine bodies through amplifying their lived experiences through Facebook and Twitter. In this article, I describe how rhetors fostered a culture of listening by drawing upon their bodily identifications through digital tools. I conclude with a call for recognizing metis as an inherently feminist tactic for activist work, one that benefits from listening to and making space for all bodies, not just those that fall within established Western, patriarchal norms.