'It started with this one post’:# MeToo, India and higher education

Dey, A. and Mendes, K. 2022. 'It started with this one post’:# MeToo, India and higher education. Journal of Gender Studies. 31 (2), pp. 204-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2021.1907552

Title'It started with this one post’:# MeToo, India and higher education
TypeJournal article
AuthorsDey, A. and Mendes, K.
Abstract

In October 2017, Raya Sarkar, a 24-year-old law student from India, posted a crowdsourced list on Facebook of male Indian academics who allegedly harassed women. This led to the start of the #MeToo movement in India, where universities became key spaces of discussion, debate and activism. Due to failures of both the criminal justice system and the described capitalist, patriarchal, casteist structures of Indian academia, hundreds of survivors who had experienced sexual violence at universities came forward online, disclosing their stories of harassment and abuse. Drawing from interviews with seven sexual violence survivors who disclosed their experiences online, this paper provides insight into reasons why survivors choose to bypass formal reporting mechanisms in HEIs, and instead turn to online spaces in their search for justice and healing. We argue that students are wary of university processes and often seek alternative forms of justice beyond the ‘punishment’ that HEIs are often unable or unwilling to provide. As such, this article provides compelling empirical evidence of the urgent need for universities to adopt survivor-centred approaches in their processes and conceptualization of justice, as well as how online spaces enable healing, catharsis and new means of informal justice.

JournalJournal of Gender Studies
Journal citation31 (2), pp. 204-215
ISSN0958-9236
1465-3869
Year2022
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Publisher's version
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2021.1907552
Publication dates
Published online28 Apr 2021
Published in print2022

Related outputs

It's a joke, not a dick. So don't take it too hard”: Online Sexual Harassment in Indian Universities
Dey, A. 2023. It's a joke, not a dick. So don't take it too hard”: Online Sexual Harassment in Indian Universities . Feminist Media Studies. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2023.2266150

North-South Feminist Dialogue: Online Sexual Harassment in Higher Education (HE)
Dey, A. 2022. North-South Feminist Dialogue: Online Sexual Harassment in Higher Education (HE).

We are Louder when we are Heard Together’: Sara Ahmed on Complaint!
Dey, A. 2022. We are Louder when we are Heard Together’: Sara Ahmed on Complaint! Wasafiri. 37 (1), pp. 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690055.2022.1999655

North-South Feminist Dialogue: Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Higher Education-Report
Dey, A. 2021. North-South Feminist Dialogue: Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Higher Education-Report.

A Comparative Study of the Delhi Nirbhaya Protests and the Occupy Nigeria Movement: Evaluating Uses of ICTs and Social Media
Dey, A. and Olabode, S. 2021. A Comparative Study of the Delhi Nirbhaya Protests and the Occupy Nigeria Movement: Evaluating Uses of ICTs and Social Media. in: Karatzogianni, A., Schandorf, M. and Ferra, I. (ed.) Protest Technologies and Media Revolutions: The Longue Durée Emerald Publishing Limited. pp. 177-195

Sites of Exception: Gender Violence, Digital Activism, and Nirbhaya’s Zone of Anomie in India
Dey, A. 2020. Sites of Exception: Gender Violence, Digital Activism, and Nirbhaya’s Zone of Anomie in India. Violence Against Women. 26 (11), pp. 1423-1444. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801219862633

Feminist activism 25 years after Beijing
Molyneux, M., Dey, A., Gatto, M. A. and Rowden, H. 2020. Feminist activism 25 years after Beijing. Gender & Development. 28 (2), pp. 315-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2020.1750140

Others’ within the ‘Others’: An Intersectional Analysis of Gender Violence in India
Dey, A. 2019. Others’ within the ‘Others’: An Intersectional Analysis of Gender Violence in India . Gender Issues. 36 (4), pp. 357-373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-019-09232-4

Nirbhaya, New Media and Digital Gender Activism
Dey, A. 2018. Nirbhaya, New Media and Digital Gender Activism. Emerald Publishing Limited.

A brief exploration of the effects of ICTs and social media on the gender activism in India post-December 16, 2012.
Dey, A. 2016. A brief exploration of the effects of ICTs and social media on the gender activism in India post-December 16, 2012. in: Cerqueira, C., Cabecinhas, R. and Magalhães,S.I. (ed.) Gender in focus: (new) trends in media Braga CECS - Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade. pp. 187-204

Gender and Class Intersectionality in India: an Analysis of the Nirbhaya Case, December 16th, 2012
Dey, A. and Orton, B. 2016. Gender and Class Intersectionality in India: an Analysis of the Nirbhaya Case, December 16th, 2012. in: Takhar, S. (ed.) Gender and Race Matter: Global Perspectives on Being a Woman Emerald Publishing Limited. pp. 87-105

Online Gender Activism in India and the participation of Indian Diaspora, 2012-2015
Dey, A. 2016. Online Gender Activism in India and the participation of Indian Diaspora, 2012-2015. in: Karatzogianni, A, Ngyen, D. and Serafinelli, E. (ed.) The Digital Transformation of the Public Sphere: Conflict, Migration, Crisis and Culture in Digital Networks Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 149-168

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/vv5x0/-it-started-with-this-one-post-metoo-india-and-higher-education


Share this

Usage statistics

108 total views
238 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.