PhD project summary:
As we move through what some refer to as ‘fourth wave feminism’ with its focus on online activism, there is growing recognition that a potential route to addressing gender inequalities lies in small, everyday ‘microfeminist’ actions enacted in subtle yet meaningful ways by women and gender-diverse people. This is part of a wider critique of the ‘wave metaphor’ as incorrectly assuming a linear ‘post-feminist’ stage of gender equality, as well as acknowledging the place-specificity of intersectional gender norms and identities across the world. This recent shift towards a ‘microfeminist’ approach to addressing gender inequalities includes changing how to speak, refusing to accept sexist behaviour, or sharing supportive content online or in-person. While such gestures may appear minor and individual, collectively they can reveal how everyday choices can lead to more radical forms of resistance that might reshape intersectional gendered power asymmetries. However, there has been very limited scholarly research on the nature and potential of micro-feminism in general or in different places around the world.
Partnering with the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation, a global movement connecting feminist networks and communities focused on creating a gender equal world, this project aims to examine the nature and potential of microfeminist acts of resistance in digital environments and in everyday settings like homes, workplaces, and in public spaces. Working closely with WOW Foundation networks that include 33 partners who have created 150 festivals in 71 places across six continents, this research will delineate the empirical and conceptual nature of microfeminism and assess its relevance and potential in different cultural and country contexts. The collaboration with the WOW Foundation therefore provides unparalleled access to a global feminist network working in interdisciplinary ways across the arts and social sciences rooted in the belief that a gender equal world is desirable, possible and urgently required. However, WOW’s focus is on festivals and events (in partnership with local people and organisations), rather than in-depth research. This project partnership therefore provides key information for them as an organisation on the effectiveness of their global feminist network, the potential role of microfeminism within this, and how microfeminism varies across space and place. As well as aligning the empirical and conceptual aspects of microfeminism among the partners, there is considerable scope to develop a strong pathway to impact in terms of fostering awareness of microfeminism and engendering change in gender inequalities.
Methodologically, the project develops a mixed-method qualitative transnational feminist framework based on an online survey, in-depth interviews in three festival locations (London, Rio de Janeiro and Karachi), and a digital ethnography. It will also develop a creative output developed for knowledge exchange and impact in the form of an Urban Digital Dictionary of Microfeminisms, an illustrated and interactive resource co-created with a visual artist and WOW. This creative publication will be disseminated through WOW and the King’s Visual and Embodied Methodologies (VEM) network alongside a policy briefing and podcast to ensure the research is accessible to a global audience and that it has maximum transformative impact.
Supervisor(s):
Cathy McIlwaine: cathy.mcilwaine@kcl.ac.uk
Jelke Boesten: jelke.boesten@kcl.ac.uk
CASE non-academic partner: The WOW Foundation: https://thewowfoundation.com/
LISS Institution: King’s College London, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, Geography
PhD Programme: PhD Human Geography
Full-time / Part-time: Either
1+3.5 or +3.5 studentship: +3.5
Fee Eligibility: Home‑eligible applicants only (UKRI eligibility guidance)
How to apply:
To apply, please complete and return the documents below to the project supervisor(s) directly:
- LISS DTP CASE application form
- Academic transcripts
- References
- Additional information as stipulated in the CASE project listing
Additionally, all applicants must complete:
- LISS DTP Diversity Monitoring Form (online)
Closing date for applications: 23rd February 2026 (5pm)
Interviews date: Week commencing 2nd March 2026