Beyond #MeToo: Alternative justice, hashtag movements, and survivor-centered approaches to sexual violence

This thesis conducts case study research on three contemporary hashtag movements: #MeToo, #MuteRKelly, and #AmINext, and situates them within a network of online consciousness-raising feminist activism. Firstly, by constructing genealogies of each movement, this research examines the nuance, complexities, and contradictions present within online movements addressing sexual violence. Secondly, this project utilizes an intersectional and decolonial framework to explore the extra-judicial and alternative justice responses being enacted by each movement, including job loss, public atonement, policy change, and national inquiries. By looking beyond the above-mentioned hashtags, I illustrate how spectrums of justice for survivors of sexual violence take on broader meanings, outside of the current narrow understanding that present the legal system as the only viable option. This thesis adds to a body of knowledge that critically analyzes the possibilities of extra-judicial justice for survivors and promotes intersectional understandings of sexual violence.