‘La nuit porte conseil’ : An intersectional analysis of women’s political participation on social media in Mali

Sammanfattning: The world is digitalizing, and human rights such as political participation are increasingly being exercised online. To understand the role social media have in women’s political participation in Mali, this thesis investigates how intersectional power relations shape opportunities for online political participation, and how women harness the properties of the digital public sphere to enhance political participation. Using Habermas’ concept of the ‘public sphere’ and Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality, I find that structural, representational, or political intersectionality each play a different role in creating unequal power relations for women on the digital public sphere in Mali. Aside from gender I find that identities such as area of residence, education and religion are important identities defining power relations on the digital public sphere. I find that properties of the digital public sphere such as the plurality of platforms, different media formats, closed groups, economic opportunities available, wide reach and anonymity available online have been harnessed by women to help navigate the intersectional power relations active on the digital public sphere and enhance their political participation.