A Case for Using Feminist Editorial Practices in Scholarly Journals: An Analysis of Computers and Composition

Abstract

Neoliberalism influences are evident in the editorial practices of many high-ranking scholarly
journals. Given the importance that journals have in tenured/tenured-track academics’ careers,
they are an important arena to analyse and in which to implement best practices. I argue that
Shari Stenberg’s (2015) concept of feminist repurposing can be used to make visible the impacts
of neoliberal practices and also helps to disrupt them by enacting different alternatives in the
university system, of which scholarly journals are a part. In order to illustrate what a feminist
ethics of editing would look like, I analyse the feminist-inspired practices of Computers and
Composition’s editorial staff. Drawing on published interviews and survey I administered, I
show how feminist repurposing editorial roles from gatekeeper to colleague and mentor have
beneficial impacts on the scholarship produced.