Fullagar, Pavlidis, Francombe-Webb (2018) Feminist theories after the post-structuralist turn. In Parry, D. (Ed). Feminisms in Leisure Studies: Advancing a Fourth Wave, New York: Routledge. (original) (raw)

In this chapter, we explore some of the key insights arising from feminist post-humanist and new materialist approaches, along with critical discussions of popular notions of post-feminism in the context of digital leisure and fourth wave feminism. Over several decades, rich and complex theoretical debates have emerged across social science and humanities disciplines about the ontological and epistemological assumptions that underpin notions of human subjectivity, human/non-human and digital relations, embodiment and the significance of affect in the circulation of power (Barad, 2007; Braidotti, 2013; Coole & Frost, 2010; Grosz, 1994; Haraway, 2013). A number of these post-structural and post-humanist approaches grouped under the rubric " new materialism " have begun to shape emergent fields of study that offer novel connections with feminist leisure scholarship; science and technology studies, animal studies, physical cultural studies, food studies, health and eco-humanities, digital sociology, material cultures, participatory design and arts as research practice, along with now more established queer, black, brown, Mad and crip feminisms-among others. Building upon Lisbeth Berbary's detailed account of post* ideas in chapter three, we have written this collaborative chapter through our particular interest in different ways of thinking through questions about power, women's subjectivity or agency and the everyday politics of leisure. Over the last two decades, there have been significant transformations in forms of feminist activism and broader debates in feminist scholarship that extend post-structural critique in new directions. With the rise of web 2.0 and the proliferation of digital media practices, the 1990s " girl power " popular cultural forms of post-feminism are being reinvented in the context of intensified political, economic, and cultural pressures that link women's local lives and global issues in new ways (Baer, 2016; Harris & Dobson, 2015; McRobbie, 2015). Feminist leisure studies have begun to engage with these cultural shifts in what has been termed, not unproblematically, as fourth wave feminism (Parry & Fullagar, 2013). Knappe and Lang (2014) suggest that fourth-wave feminists use "the web to re-link older and newer organizations, foster stronger networks, and encourage outreach to a new generation. Fourth-wave feminism has been defined by its focus on technology" (p. 364). Building on this analysis, we also offer some reflection on the utility and limitations of wave metaphors as we consider future avenues for feminist work.