Research project
Ongoing
GenDem – Interconnection of anti-feminisms
Gender, Democracy, and Authoritarianism in Entangled Modernities
Duration
2026 - 2029
This research project is the first to conduct a comparative study of anti-feminist mobilizations in various countries in Eastern and Western Europe as well as in the South Caucasus. The aim is to systematically identify the conditions under which these movements arise, how they are transnationally interlinked, and what influence they exert on processes of democratization or authoritarianism. A particular challenge is that individual case studies are being conducted in authoritarian regimes or war zones such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.
At the heart of the project is the observation that current anti-feminist movements are not spontaneous reactions to social change, but the result of strategically planned campaigns. These campaigns are specifically directed against gender equality, the rights of queer people, and liberal sexual politics. The actors involved – from right-wing conservative parties to religious fundamentalist groups – make use of transnational narratives, networks, and media. In seven subprojects, the researchers analyze, among other things, men's rights movements in Germany and Turkey, drag panic discourses in Austria, anti-feminist rhetoric of Islamist influencers, and historical developments since the early 20th century in Eastern Europe.
