The Global Rise of Anti-Gender Movements and Feminist Resistance Strategies

A Critical Analysis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.12025.0

Keywords:

Anti-gender Movements, Feminist Resistance, Feminist Movements, Gender Politics, Transnational Solidarity, Right-wing Populism

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a noticeable surge in anti-gender and anti-feminist discourses in international politics. Politicians, policymakers, and diverse societal actors in various countries challenge or reject feminist ideas and gender-related concepts, as well as support policy changes that erode the structures and institutions that have been instrumental in upholding women's rights, promoting gender equality, and protecting the rights of LGBTQ people. This special issue of Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science seeks to explore the multifaceted nature of these discourses, examining their origins, implications, and potential impacts on domestic, regional, and international levels. Additionally, it aims to identify strategies and opportunities for feminist resistance and advocacy in the face of the backlash.

Author Biographies

Maja Gergorić, University of Zagreb

Maja Gergorić is a Research Assistant in the Department of Social Policy, Social Work Study Center at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, where her research focused on the emergence of anti-gender movements in post-communist Europe. Her work as an activist, policy specialist, and researcher centers on gender equality and democratic backsliding in (South)Eastern Europe. 

Kusumika Ghosh, Dublin City University

Kusumika Ghosh is an Ireland India Institute PhD candidate at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, Ireland. She leads the Social Policy and Equity vertical at Niti Vichaar, India's Student Policy Think Tank. Kusumika has been involved in research projects related to conflict resolution, oral history, and migration studies. She also is an organizer of the Annual South Asia Conferences at Dublin City University. She co-authored Landscape of Conflicts and Peace: Role of Religion (NESRC, 2019), edited Women and Peacebuilding: Perspectives from the Field (NESRC, 2021), and published articles locating gender in refugee regimes and citizenship laws. She holds a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies with a gold medal from TISS, India. Her current PhD research centers on women in India's contemporary contentious politics.

Anya Kuteleva, University of Wolverhampton

Anya Kuteleva is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work connects international relations, development studies, energy security, and feminist-informed approaches to politics. Her research centers on the nexus between politics and sociocultural contexts in international relations and develops a cross-disciplinary methodological toolkit around the concept of discursive politics. She is particularly interested in politics in China, Russia, Canada, and the Central Asian region. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science since 2022.

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Published

2025-01-29

How to Cite

Gergorić, Maja, Kusumika Ghosh, and Anya Kuteleva. 2025. “The Global Rise of Anti-Gender Movements and Feminist Resistance Strategies: A Critical Analysis”. Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science 59 (1). Online. https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.12025.0.