Felicity Dogbatse
Graduate Student, Communication
Education
M.A., Communication, Bowling Green State University
Research Expertise
Digital Cultures
Gender
Felicity Sena Dogbatse is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Rhetoric &
Political Culture track in the Department of Communication. Prior to
coming to UMD, Felicity completed her M.A. in Communication from
Bowling Green State University and her B.A. in Communication from the
University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Felicity’s research in the Ph.D. program
lies at the intersections of gender studies, feminist research, digital media,
political communication, and intercultural communication. Her research
interests lie at an intersection between Black studies, critical cultural
studies, and the philosophy & politics of feminism in her research. Her
master’s thesis examined the digital culture of feminists and gender equity
organizations in Ghana. She is a graduate teaching assistant for COMM 250
(Introduction to Communication Inquiry) at the University of Maryland.
Publications
Communication for social change: The importance of NGO–community collaboration in supporting social transformation
UMD grad student published in Canadian Journal of African Studies
Author/Lead: Felicity DogbatseDespite a growth in scholarship on feminist and gender advocacy in Ghana, little attention has been paid to how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have leveraged digital platforms to communicate. Using African technocultural feminist theory (ATFT), we analyse NGOs’ digital communications, paying attention to how they use these platforms to define their organizational identities while challenging gender stereotypes. We argue that although NGOs use digital platforms to communicate, their praxis may not necessarily be accessible to the communities with which they work; these platforms enable them to share their women’s empowerment programmes with other stakeholders while bringing awareness to issues affecting marginalized people in these communities. This study presents practical strategies for effectively communicating gender advocacy in the Ghanaian context and beyond.
Balancing the scale: A critical discourse on feminist resistance movements in Ghanaian and Nigerian media
New Study in the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication
Author/Lead: Felicity DogbatseThis study examines how feminist activists in Ghana and Nigeria utilize digital media to challenge gender inequality and reframe public discourse. Drawing on African feminist theory and employing Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA), the research examines case studies of digital activism campaigns, online discourse, and health advocacy initiatives that mobilize resistance against gender-based oppression. Data were collected through scraping of social media posts on digital feminist discourses via screen captures and archiving. Findings show that Ghanaian and Nigerian feminists strategically use digital media to amplify women’s voices, confront sexual violence, and advocate for reproductive and health rights. These communicative practices disrupt patriarchal discourses, reimagine African womanhood as politically active and self-defining, and facilitate intercultural communication by translating global gender justice narratives into localized forms of resistance. Overall, the study demonstrates how feminist resistance in these contexts is historically grounded, socially transformative, and expands African feminist scholarship by highlighting digital media as a tool for agency, solidarity, and social change.