“In a moment when scholars and activists are wrestling with the cultural and political impact of #MeToo, Boyle carefully parses the differences between a ‘moment’ and a movement, and importantly reminds us to think beyond the hashtag to consider history, political contradictions, and the limits of media visibility.”
̶ Prof Sarah Banet-Weiser, LSE, Author Empowered: Popular Feminism & Popular Misogyny (2018)
“Karen Boyle shows us how mainstream media coverage of the #MeToo moment re-focused our attention away from violence towards women, towards the interests of men: men’s right to sexual freedoms, and their right to have jokes and ‘banter’. Her profound analysis asks us to reflect on the fundamental question: why do our media narratives STILL not ask why men rape?”
̶ Prof Heather Savigny, Professor of Gender, Media and Politics at De Montfort
“Professor Boyle writes that she hopes to demonstrate how those in media studies might reintegrate and learn from feminist activism and interdisciplinary scholarship on men’s violence against women. She can be congratulated in achieving this - providing an exemplary text demonstrating the crucial role of feminist media scholars in advancing theoretical and practical knowledge on pressing social problems.”
̶ Prof Nicole Westmarland, Director, Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse.
This book provides a feminist analysis of #MeToo and the sexual assault allegations against celebrity perpetrators which have emerged since Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the Harvey Weinstein story in October 2017. It argues for the importance of understanding #MeToo in relation to a longer, and on-going, history of Anglo-American feminist activism, theory and interdisciplinary research on men’s violence against women. The introduction argues for the importance of distinguishing between #MeToo as a hashtag and a movement. Chapter 2 investigates how speaking out about rape, sexual assault and harassment on social media can be understood in relation to second-wave feminist traditions of consciousness-raising, and concludes with an analysis of how feminism – and feminists – have featured in mainstream media coverage of the Weinstein case. Chapter 3 uses Liz Kelly’s (1988) theorisation of the continuum of sexual violence to discuss how feminists understand connections between different forms of male violence against women and explores the challenges of translating feminist theory into media commentary. Chapter 4, The cultural value of abuse, examines that the cultural values associated with men’s abuse with an emphasis on the film and television industries. The book concludes with an exploration of what the #MeToo era has meant for men, focusing first on men as victim/survivors, before moving on to consider how alleged perpetrators are situated in relation to narratives of victimisation and of monstrosity.This book provides a feminist analysis of #MeToo and the sexual assault allegations against celebrity perpetrators which have emerged since the Weinstein story of October 2017. It argues for the importance of understanding #MeToo in relation to an on-going history of Anglo-American feminist activism, theory and interdisciplinary research. Boyle investigates how speaking out about rape, sexual assault and harassment on social media can be understood in relation to second-wave feminist traditions of consciousness-raising. Her argument explores the media depiction of feminism – and feminists - in the wake of Weinstein and the cultural values associated with men’s abuse, particularly within the film and television industries. The book concludes with an exploration of what the #MeToo era has meant for men as victims/survivors and as alleged perpetrators, in relation to narratives of victimisation and of monstrosity.
Karen Boyle
#MeToo digital feminism Harvey Weinstein feminism activism feminist media studies
“With #MeToo, Weinstein and Feminism, Karen Boyle has created an indispensable resource for those working in gender studies, media studies, and cultural theory. In a moment when scholars and activists are wrestling with the cultural and political impact of #MeToo, Boyle carefully parses the differences between a “moment” and a movement, and importantly reminds us to think beyond the hashtag to consider history, political contradictions, and the limits of media visibility. With careful attention to gendered violence, witnessing and changing definitions of survivor/victimhood, the book is well theorized, thorough, and nuanced, and it is essential reading for those trying to understand feminist politics within the contemporary cultural and media landscape, and how we got here.” (Prof Sarah Banet-Weiser, LSE, Author Empowered: Popular Feminism & Popular Misogyny (2018))
“In a wonderfully readable, inspiring and authoritative account, Boyle shows how mainstream media coverage of the #MeToo moment re-focused our attention away from violence towards women, towards the interests of men. Offering analysis of media coverage of Harvey Weinstein; Matt Damon’s reflections on masculinity; and the ways in which male celebrity abusers have been allowed to ‘hide in plain’ sight; she unravels how media conversations have also functioned as (not so) subtle backlashes against feminism and women’s rights. Her analysis asks us to reflect on the fundamental question: why do our media narratives STILL not ask why men rape? Boyle’s beautifully written analysis contains a politics of urgency and optimism; she articulates the ways in which cultures can be transformed through an understanding of the ways in which they function. This sense of possibility and opportunity makes her careful scrutiny profoundly significant if we want to learn lessons from #MeToo.” (Prof Heather Savigny, Professor of Gender, Media and Politics at De Montfort University)
“This timely book shines an important feminist light on ‘MeToo’ - which Professor Karen Boyle convincingly argues goes beyond ‘just a hashtag’ and can be considered as a key feminist movement of our times. Professor Karen Boyle writes in a style that is both authoritative and sensitive, theoretically grounded yet incredibly readable, absolutely up to date with contemporary cases yet with roots firmly in the research and activism of her sisters. This book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding more about the MeToo movement. Professor Boyle writes that she hopes to demonstrate how those in media studies might reintegrate and learn from feminist activism and interdisciplinary scholarship on men’s violence against women. She can be congratulated in achieving this - providing an exemplary text demonstrating the crucial role of feminist media scholars in advancing theoretical and practical knowledge on pressing social problems.” (Prof Nicole Westmarland, Director, Durham UniversityCentre for Research into Violence and Abuse)