The increased use of digital tools for political activism has triggered heated debates about the effectiveness of digital campaigns for political change and feminist causes. While technology’s immediacy and transnational reach have broadened the potential impact of activism, it has, at the same time, complicated the goals, materiality, and consumption of feminist actions. In Awkward Politics, Carrie Smith-Prei and Maria Stehle suggest that awkwardness offers a means of engaging with twenty-first century feminist activism by accounting for the uncertainty of popfeminist moments and movements, its sometimes illegible meanings, affects, and aesthetics. By investigating transnational media ranging from popfeminist performance art, music, street activism, blogs, and hashtags to literature, film, academic theory, and protests, the authors demonstrate that viewing activist art through the lens of awkwardness can yield a nuanced critique. By developing awkwardness into a theoretical tool for intervention, a key concept of feminist politics, and a moving target, this innovative study dramatically alters the ways in which we approach activism, its forms, movements, and effects. It also suggests a broad range of applicability, from social movements to the academy. Breaking new ground through the intersections of technology, consumerism, and the political in popfeminist work, Awkward Politics highlights the urgency of feminist politics and activism.

Carrie Smith-Prei is associate professor of German studies at the University of Alberta.Maria Stehle is associate professor of German and a faculty member in cinema studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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“[The] premise that awkwardness can be a theoretical tool for reading feminist activism is a welcome new perspective … Perhaps the most significant contribution this book makes to an ongoing conversation about digital activism and feminist engagement is i

"… a kind of feminist manifesto for the new millennium … that gives this zeitgeist structure and texture. For better or worse, it is both cause and effect of our neo-liberal and digital age. Whether we choose to follow this brand of feminism or not, the q

“By using the concept of ‘awkwardness’ to dramatically shift how we talk about activism, Awkward Politics brings a new perspective to the field of feminist theory.” - Margaret R. McCarthy, Davidson College