Information as Power: Media Making for Social Change from Scrapbooks to Zines

Please join us for a talk given by Kaitlyn Patia, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Public Discourse.

In 1991, the Washington State-based band, Bikini Kill, answered the question of “why make a zine?” with a full-throated declaration: “BECAUSE We must take over the means of production in order to create our own meanings.” Published in BIKINI KILL ZINE 2, the “Riot Grrrl Manifesto” joined a long line of DIY (do it yourself) approaches within feminist activism that sought to address societal problems ranging from lack of information on various topics to lack of access to safe, affordable healthcare (including abortions). By taking matters into their own hands—whether these hands were running a mimeograph or wielding a speculum—these feminists operated on the belief that access to information and resources is power. In this talk, I offer an introduction to technologies that have enabled feminists to share information, to take power into their own hands, and to make media that centers their experiences and perspectives.