XENOFEMINIST
MANIFESTO
What is Xenofeminism (XF)?
Xenofeminism (XF) builds upon the legacy of Cyberfeminism, a range of themes, art practices, and political movements that emerged in the 1990s. Cyberfeminism explores the relationship between gender, technology, and cyberspace, and seeks to challenge and subvert patriarchal structures within the digital realm. It is a part of feminism as a movement that is aware of power and gender studies.
This site investigates the evolution of Cyberfeminist thought, from its radical origins to its contemporary form in Xenofeminism (XF). It unpacks the core ideas of XF, tracing a lineage of gender studies, critical technology, and feminist politics to build a more positive vision of the future.
Core Tenets of XF
GENDER & IDENTITY
Xenofeminism seeks to abolish the gender binary and other systems of categorization that limit human potential. It views gender as a technology to be hacked, modified, and ultimately overcome.
TECHNOLOGY & LIBERATION
This is not a call for a qualitative role of technology, but a political one. Technology must be recognized as a tool that can be (and has been) wielded for both oppression and liberation. XF seizes it for the latter.
POLITICS & UTOPIA
The ultimate goal is to build a new world. Xenofeminism is a rationalist, materialist, and utopian project that demands a future that is more just, equitable, and "alien" – a future that is radically different from the present.
The Evolution: A Digital Lineage
"A Cyborg Manifesto"
Donna Haraway's foundational essay exploring the breakdown of boundaries between human, animal, and machine.
Sadie Plant
British philosopher and writer, a key figure in early cyberfeminism, linking technology to female liberation.
The First Cyberfeminist International
A 1997 event in Kassel, Germany, that brought together cyberfeminist artists and theorists from the Old Boys' Network (OBN).
"Xenofeminism: A Politics for Alienation"
The 2015 manifesto by Laboria Cuboniks, outlining XF as a politics for anti-naturalism and technological feminism.