Communication as Intervention: Contextualizing the alt-right discourse of ‘women as wombs’

The paper serves as a foundation for a future podcast responding to alt-right online discourse surrounding the status of women. Through a virtual ethnography, alt-right discourse and narratives are examined and better understood in the context of their virtual environments, noting the ability of the online realm to facilitate the spread of information and ideologies. As a focal point of alt-right discourse, traditionalism and the pivotal role of white women as bearers of white children is examined with respect to the history of control and subordination of women and their bodies for the benefit of the state. The research illustrates how trends within alt-right narratives establish a foundation for misogynistic ideals in which racism and sexism become intertwined. The paper further outlines how the internet provides a platform for alt-right discourse to grow, but also notes the ability of the internet to serve as a platform to intervene with such discourse.