The Echoes of Feminism
Illustrasjon: Thirza Nelis.
Just as echoes transcend physical boundaries, so does protest art. The political messages act as a scream, echoing through different spaces and minds, altered with each new location it reaches. Throughout history, art has consistently proven to be an effective medium to express political views. Examples can be found in the French Revolution,[i] where the fine arts were mobilised to promote unity and influence public sentiment, or in the Civil Rights movement, which saw the birth of the artist collective Africobra,[ii] dedicated to empowering black communities for social and political change. Today, art continues to serve as a means to protest injustice. Protest art takes on various forms, such as performances, demonstrations, installations, and through printing posters and spreading zines. In this article I will concentrate on how the medium of zines, as a form of art, has been used over time to present feminist critique and explore how it has both challenged and reproduced social and political structures.
The history of zines
Zines, short for “fan magazines”, date back to almost a century ago, and are still relevant today. Characteristic of zines is that they are self-published and non-commercial, which allows voices outside the mainstream discourse to be heard. They can be printed whenever the creators decide to and are not tied to publishing schemes.[iii] Whereas magazines have in the past often adhered to a clean and simple look, for example with just a portrait and a title, zines decided to take a different route. They serve as a canvas for the creators to express themselves through a combination of visual and written art, resulting in the unique and handcrafted look that defines zines. Their covers and contents will often have cut-and-pasted images, drawings and handwritten text.[iv] The practice of zine-ing emerged in the 1930s within the science fiction community to share and comment on stories and films, but it soon gained popularity in other subcultures, including folk music culture. In the 70s, copy shops became widely available, making the zine creation more accessible. During this period, zines were primarily used in the punk scene of London, New York and LA, to discuss popular bands like The Ramones and Sex Pistols. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, this medium was increasingly being used in political movements, including the feminist movement.[v]
Illustrasjon: Thirza Nelis.
Riot grrrl
The most renowned feminist zines are associated with the Riot grrrl movement. This was a women-led punk genre, and from it sprung a current in zine making, critiquing sexism within punk rock and in the society.[vi] Part of this movement were bands such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile whose members produced zines called Bikini Kill and Girl Germs, respectively.[vii] Zines echoed the spirit of the Riot grrrl movement and discussed shared experiences related to femininity. Reclaiming femininity as something that could be rebellious and aggressive was one of the central pillars of the movement, which was voiced through music, writing and art. Shared struggles were discussed, validating the experiences of creators and consumers of the content. In the Girl Germs zine “The glory on highway 69”, one can witness how opinions were voiced through various forms of art.[viii] Handwritten contributions with a diary-like feel, Dadaist poems, or bold sketches were used by women to express themselves. Creating zines and hereby taking control over the narrative about women was viewed as a revolutionary act. Riot grrrl is accredited as a source of inspiration for many other feminist zines of that era and the time following. Even though the impact of Riot grrrl cannot be denied, it has been argued that centering Riot grrrl as the epitome of feminist zines excludes other voices. Despite the emancipatory roots of zines, it’s important to note that many of the movements’ leaders came from the white middle class, leading to an oversight of intersections related to race, queerness, class and disability.[ix]
Racist grrrl?
However, the fact that marginalised voices were underrepresented certainly does not mean that they were not present at the time. Scholar and zine creator Mimi Thi Nguyen created the compilation zine “The evolution of a race riot” in 1997, featuring contributions from women of colour in the punk and Riot grrrl scene.[x] Through poems, essays, artworks and comics, racism is analysed in activist, feminist, punk and zine communities. This can already be seen in the first page, where the contents are introduced as ”(dis)contents.”. Whitin the zine, various comics are featured, such as one critiquing the common assumption among white people that all Asian people are Chinese, and another depicting a scenario in which a Chinese American girl is told how good her English is after stating the time. These comics serve to visually illustrate and enhance the written critiques present though the zine. On one of the last pages an illustration is shown of a woman with a fist over her mouth and in bold letters next to it saying: My silence is resistance. The interplay between text and image is clear throughout the whole zine. Current dominant attitudes towards race at the time were perceived as an obstacle to achieving unity among women, leading to the marginalisation of women of colour. In her article of 2012, Riot Grrrl, Race, and Revival, Nguyen critiqued the premise of intimacy and sharing personal experiences while making zines in an overwhelming white community.[xi] This would place an expectation on people of colour to be an example and to teach about ‘their people’. This led to the reproduction of colonialist and imperialist histories, illustrating how political struggles are reflected through art and community surrounding it.[xii] The voices of women of colour in the feminist zine scene are not just an interruption or a confined period in history, but a continuous and co-existing movement that remains incredibly relevant today. In the present day, there are plenty of creatives using the medium of zines as an outlet for critique of social and political structures. For example, there are publications like ROOT-ed, an online and print zine dedicated to UK Black, Asian & PoC creatives, and OOMK zine, a print zine that delves into themes of faith, activism and identity. In zine libraries, which can be either online or physical, more zine collections can be discovered. Foot-books, an independent publisher in Oslo and Leipzig sells zines online and in their physical store. These resources are definitely worth checking out, whether for the purpose of learning and reflection or to find inspiration for creating your own zine.
A pedagogy of hope
Illustrasjon: Thirza Nelis.
Feminist zines are great examples of the intricate interplay between the personal and the political, and it can be argued that creating zines has a transformative impact on both realms. As it has become clear in this article, a significant aspect of zine-ing involves sharing personal experiences, creating community, and advocating for change. Through creativity, unbound by conventions or rules from publishers, creators can critically look at themselves and their surroundings. This practice is highly collaborative and community-driven, challenging societal issues and hierarchical structures in the art world.[xiii]One might question the extent to which zines can bring about political change. In her book Feminist Media, Alison Piepmeier, a researcher in feminist and disability studies, argued that although zines may not always align with traditional models of political engagement, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a political impact.[xiv]In a culture centred around power and hierarchy, we are convinced that the status quo cannot be improved. Today’s late-capitalist, neoliberal and cynical culture often suggests that consuming more will solve all problems and improve our well-being. Action isn’t required of us. Envisioning a better future and fighting for social justice can seem naïve and impossible. Zines respond to this culture of cynicism, introducing a concept known as thepedagogy of hope,originally coined by feminist bell hooks.[xv]They encourage both readers and creators to embark on a journey of imagining, to hope, even in hopeless circumstances. This act of imagination serves as a form of resistance, actively engaging in political work. After all, how boring would it be to continue to just hear the same voices and ideas echoed over and over again?
Litteratur:
[i] Dowd, David L. “Art as National Propaganda in the French Revolution”. JSTOR Daily.
12.10.2023. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2746076?seq=4
[ii] Serrant, Corey. “A Brief History of AfriCOBRA”. Swann Auction Galleries. 13.10.2023.
https://www.swanngalleries.com/news/african-american-art/2020/04/africobra/
[iii] Kero, River H. “A History of Zines”. Book Riot. 09.10.2023.
https://bookriot.com/history-of-zines/
[iv] Kero, River H. “A History of Zines”. Book Riot. 09.10.2023.
https://bookriot.com/history-of-zines/
[v] Kero, River H. “A History of Zines”. Book Riot. 09.10.2023.
https://bookriot.com/history-of-zines/
[vi] Jackson, Ashawnta. “Start a Riot (and a Zine), Grrrl”. JSTOR Daily. 09.10.2023.
https://daily.jstor.org/start-a-riot-and-a-zine-grrrl/ ;
Borg, Janelle. «Riot Grrrl: Breaking Stereotypes, One Revolutionary Song At A Time”. Amplify You. 07.10.2023.
Gamble, Ione. “How Feminist Zine Culture Has Evolved”. Vice. 29.09.2023
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wjbbbb/how-feminist-zine-culture-has-evolved
[vii] Jackson, Ashawnta. “Start a Riot (and a Zine), Grrrl”. JSTOR Daily. 09.10.2023.
https://daily.jstor.org/start-a-riot-and-a-zine-grrrl/
[viii] Neuman, Molly, Allison Wolfe. Girl Germs. (Olympia, Washington: DC Punk Archive,
Melissa Klein Collection, 1992), 20, 25-27.
https://digdc.dclibrary.org/islandora/object/dcplislandora%3A38095#page/1/mode/1up
[ix] Borg, Janelle. «Riot Grrrl: Breaking Stereotypes, One Revolutionary Song At A Time”. Amplify You. 07.10.2023.
Mphuthi, Emmanuelle. “Racist Grrrl: The Politics of Race and Anger in Punk Feminist
Movements”. The B-Side. 12.10.2023. https://berkeleybside.com/racist-grrrl/ ;
Jackson, Ashawnta. “Start a Riot (and a Zine), Grrrl”. JSTOR Daily. 09.10.2023.
https://daily.jstor.org/start-a-riot-and-a-zine-grrrl/
[x] Nguyen, Mimi. «Evolution of a Race Riot #1”. Published by POC Zine Project. 1997. 3, 37, 53 70.
https://issuu.com/poczineproject/docs/evolution-of-a-race-riot-issue-1
[xi] Nguyen, Mimi. “Riot Grrrl, Race, and Revival”. Women & Performance: a journal of
feminist theory, no. 22 (December 2012): 173–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/0740770x.2012.721082
[xii] Nguyen, Mimi. “Riot Grrrl, Race, and Revival”. Women & Performance: a journal of
feminist theory, no. 22 (December 2012): 173–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/0740770x.2012.721082
[xiii] Creasap, Kimberly. “Zine-Making as Feminist Pedagogy.” Feminist Teacher 24, no. 3 (2014):
155–68. https://doi.org/10.5406/femteacher.24.3.0155.
[xiv] Piepmeier, Alison. "Pedagogy of Hope: Feminist Zines" In Feminist Media: Participatory
Spaces, Networks and Cultural Citizenship edited by Elke Zobl and Ricarda Drüeke, 250-264. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1515/transcript.9783839421574.250
[xv] Piepmeier, Alison. "Pedagogy of Hope: Feminist Zines" In Feminist Media: Participatory
Spaces, Networks and Cultural Citizenship edited by Elke Zobl and Ricarda Drüeke, 250-264. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1515/transcript.9783839421574.250