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Gender and Peacebuilding Challenges in the New-Media Digital Age

Mariam Seedat-Khan
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Alan Khan | Bio
Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
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Gender and Peacebuilding Challenges in the New-Media Digital Age. (2025). De-Centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.36615/5rm9da77
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  • Submited: May 27, 2025
  • Published: September 2, 2025

Abstract

New media and digital technologies have revolutionised how social movements and peacebuilding are organised, communicated and sustained. New-media has provided platforms for advocacy, mobilisation and resistance. While contemporary digital tools offer platforms for community knowledge sharing, they threaten inclusivity, equity and safety in online and offline spaces. The digital age has amplified gendered challenges, exacerbating inequalities, violence and systemic exclusions that hinder women and marginalised groups' participation in digital activism and peace efforts. This paper explores the intersections of gender, technology and activism, critically examining how new-media is a site for empowerment and oppression. An  examination of how women and LGBTQI+  individuals navigate digital activism and peacebuilding amid rising online harassment, misinformation, algorithmic discrimination and structural inequalities cannot be negated. Via an intersectional lens, this paper explores the role of gender in digital peacebuilding, addressing key issues such as cybersecurity threats against women activists, gender-based violence in virtual spaces, the digital divide and exclusion of vulnerable voices. The paper highlights innovative strategies employed by feminist and grassroots movements to leverage digital storytelling, artificial intelligence and social media to counter oppression, advocate for justice and foster sustainable peace. By engaging with critical debates at the intersection of gender, technology and peacebuilding, this paper broadens discussions on the risks and possibilities of digital spaces. A significant transformation in content creation, increasingly intersecting with activism, positioning individuals as storytellers and agents of social change. In evolving digital landscapes, communicators must comply with digital codes of conduct to ensure narratives are responsibly crafted for accessibility, ethically grounded and inclusive. Challenging and redressing omissions and biases perpetuated by mainstream media is essential. The paper argues for inclusive policy-driven and community-based solutions to ensure that new-media can be an intervention for empowerment, mitigating gendered marginalisation.

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How to Cite
Gender and Peacebuilding Challenges in the New-Media Digital Age. (2025). De-Centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.36615/5rm9da77

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