Joelle Maslak

North Bay Python

What Feminist Theory & Praxis Says About Internet Networking - Joelle Maslak - 2026

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Applying feminist theory to network engineering, arguing that systemic problems (like latency) require intersectional, non-linear thinking.

What Feminist Theory & Praxis Says About Internet Networking

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North Bay Python 2026

Network performance issues (like slow applications) are often not due to single factors (e.g., bandwidth) but are caused by the interaction of multiple constraints (e.g., latency and sequential processing).

Feminist theory emphasizes simultaneous, interconnected struggles, mirroring the need to process network tasks in parallel rather than sequentially (batching).

Scalability and sustainability are crucial in both networking and social movements; systems must be designed to distribute knowledge and load to prevent core components (like a router CPU) from being overwhelmed.

Intersectionality—the idea that multiple oppressions combine to create a unique form of discrimination—is analogous to how multiple network constraints (e.g., congestion and asymmetric delay) create a distinct performance issue.

Understanding a system requires recognizing situated knowledge: the perspective of marginalized groups often reveals critical insights that those in power overlook.

Explore how feminist theory and intersectionality provide frameworks for understanding complex network problems, from latency to router architecture.

The speaker analyzes a common network problem: an application that is slow despite having high bandwidth (100 Gbps). The initial assumption that bandwidth is the bottleneck is proven wrong. The true constraint is the high round-trip latency (50ms) combined with sequential processing (looping through records one by one). The solution, paralleling feminist theory, is to shift from sequential processing to batching or parallelizing tasks, allowing the system to handle multiple operations simultaneously.

The talk examines how ISPs connect multiple customers (e.g., a bank's two branches) without running dedicated fiber for every link. To prevent the core network from needing to know about every customer (a scaling problem), the traffic intelligence is pushed to the edge routers. This decentralized approach is compared to social movements, where no single group must perform all the work; instead, diverse, specialized efforts contribute to the overall system's sustainability.

Using TCP as an example, the speaker shows that transferring files to two remote servers does not result in an even 50/50 split, even if the links are symmetrical. The actual performance is dictated by the combination of two adverse conditions: network congestion and asymmetric delays. This illustrates intersectionality—the idea that multiple, distinct oppressions combine to create a unique, complex form of discrimination, which is analogous to how multiple network constraints create a unique performance issue.

The speaker delves into router architecture, distinguishing between the Data Plane (the high-speed switching fabric that handles the bulk of traffic) and the Control Plane (the CPU that runs routing protocols and handles responses). The Control Plane is intentionally protected and often throttled to prevent it from being overwhelmed by high-volume traffic. This architectural separation highlights that even in a complex system, specific components must be protected from overload to maintain core functionality—a principle applicable to protecting marginalized voices in social discourse.

Feminist Theory and Praxis in Internet Networking

What Feminist Theory & Praxis Says About Internet Networking - 2026

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Joelle Maslak

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