Documenting and documentary as feminist method and praxis: I think a lot about how iDoc is mobilizing a feminist communication method. The process of documentation that we are engaged in is methodologically and theoretically informed but it is in certain moments of clarity that I really understand its power for capturing and co-constructing feminist knowledge making. Today I listened to an absolutely brilliant feminist scholar and colleague talk about her research over a career and a lifetime. While I’ve always known her to be extremely well informed, very thorough in her research, and vigilantly ethical in her intellectual pursuits, it was fascinating to listen to and engage with her in an interview setting for more than two hours, with the spotlights all on her, giving her the space to share her knowledge. Suddenly, I could hear her — uninterrupted by other colleagues or panelists or coauthors or co-investigators, well meaning or otherwise — asserting her wisdom and her feminist power. In that moment, I was reminded of the important contributions that she had made and is continuing to make to the study of political ecologies. And, I was also reminded that iDoc is part of something larger: supporting the voices of so many under-represented feminist colleagues, community organizers and knowledge keepers. “Knowledge” can only exist as such in the world, if someone recognizes its importance and value. The iDoc team and I are here listening and documenting the work and the wisdom of women and feminists. It isn’t enough but it makes a contribution that we can only hope will build momentum toward better* futures.

 

*Better, to my mind, are feminist and decolonial futures.

Image: A black video camera used in iDoc filming.

FeminismFeminist Communication Methodfeminist decolonial politicsFeminist FuturesFeminist KnowledgeFeminist Knowledgesfeminist methodsFeminist ScholariDoc