Feminist Theories after the post-structuralist turn

In this chapter we explore some of the key insights arising from feminist post-humanist and new materialist approaches, along with critical discussions of popular notions of post-feminism in the context of digital leisure and fourth wave feminism. Over several decades, rich and complex theoretical debates have emerged across social science and humanities disciplines about the ontological and epistemological assumptions that underpin notions of human subjectivity, human and non-human relations, embodiment and the roles of affect in the circulation of power, along with the significance of digital technology (Barad, 2007; Braidotti, 2013; Coole and Frost 2010; Grosz ,1994; Haraway, 2013). A number of these post-structural and post-humanist approaches grouped under the rubric ‘new materialism’ have begun to shape emergent fields of study that offer novel connections with feminist leisure scholarship; science and technology studies, animal studies, physical cultural studies, food studies, health and eco-humanities, digital sociology, material cultures, participatory design and arts as research practice, along with now more established queer, black, brown, Mad and crip feminisms among others.