[PAST EVENT] Kamala Harris and Social Media: Gender, Race, and Politics

October 22, 2020
4pm - 5pm
Location
Boswell Hall (formerly Morton Hall), https://cwm.zoom.us/j/94806260656
100 Ukrop Way
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location

As the first female Black candidate for Vice President from a major political party, Kamala Harris runs certain risks, particularly in the social media era. In many online spaces she faces what Moya Bailey has called “misogynoir,” a toxic confluence of misogyny and racism, expressed particularly in racist and sexist memes. Other uses of her likeness are intended to communicate affection, identification, or solidarity. For example, her image has proliferated in countless reaction gifs now in circulation. Harris has also been an adept user of social media herself, particularly on Instagram, where in her quest to seem relatable she has cultivated a persona of domesticity, female friendship, and maternal interest.

Please join us for an informal conversation with GSWS faculty and students on Zoom led by GSWS Director and Social Media scholar Elizabeth Losh on Thursday, October 22 at 4PM at https://cwm.zoom.us/j/94806260656