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Digital Dilemmas: Transforming Gender Identities and Power Relations in Everyday Life

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Abstract

The proliferation of digital technologies, virtual spaces, and new forms of engagement raise key questions about the changing nature of relationships and identities within democratic societies. This introductory chapter explores the nature of digital spaces and the connected and compounded effects those spaces can have on shaping digital embodiments. The discursive and ideological formation of gender imbricated in gender injustice is discussed, and we outline how the intersection of gendered understandings with technological fluidity creates spaces where individuals can be simultaneously empowered and subjugated. In doing so, we will draw upon existing work that has explored elements of these dilemmas and bring those works together to examine the interrelationships of gendered leisure, advocacy, and civic engagement. We seek to advance new approaches to understanding, critiquing, and mobilizing action.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Multi-user dungeons (MUDs) were text-based, online spaces where multiple users could create personal identities and interact with one another through a multi-user interface, normally moderated by the users themselves. Some MUDs had very long lifespans with users developing and interacting with the space for years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Diana C. Parry

  2. Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Luc S. Cousineau & Corey W. Johnson

  3. Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Simone Fullagar

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  1. Diana C. Parry
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  2. Luc S. Cousineau
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  3. Corey W. Johnson
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  4. Simone Fullagar
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Correspondence to Diana C. Parry .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Diana C. Parry

  2. Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Corey W. Johnson

  3. Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Simone Fullagar

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Parry, D.C., Cousineau, L.S., Johnson, C.W., Fullagar, S. (2019). Digital Dilemmas: Transforming Gender Identities and Power Relations in Everyday Life. In: Parry, D.C., Johnson, C.W., Fullagar, S. (eds) Digital Dilemmas. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95300-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95300-7_1

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