Weaponizing Feminism
Counter-Intersectional Politics in Right-Wing and Populist Radical Right Discourses across Parliamentary Arenas
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24229215 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aurora Perego (0000-0003-1576-6757, Radboud University Nijmegen), Silvia Díaz Fernández (0000-0002-9118-8090, Instituto de Políticas y Bienes Públicos), Olivia Burchietti (0009-0009-5021-9805, Scuola Normale Superiore) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-19 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Politics International Studies in Gender State & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1072-4745 • E-ISSN: 1468-2893 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/sp/jxag049 |
| OpenAlex | W7213671508 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
This article examines how right-wing and populist radical right (PRR) parties construct and contest feminism as a discursive field in parliamentary debates, and how these discursive constructions vary across different levels of institutionalization of feminist politics. Focusing on Italy and Spain, we analyze parliamentary debates on key bills addressing trans rights and homolesbobitransphobia (2018–2023), using a mixed-methods approach that combines semantic network and qualitative content analysis. We find that, in Spain, feminism emerges as a central discursive target, whereas Italian parties tend to avoid explicit references to it. Despite this, in both contexts right-wing and PRR parties strategically weaponize feminism to advance (femo)nationalist and trans-exclusionary agendas. The article underscores the role of parliamentary discourse in using feminism to foster counter-intersectional politics and shows how varying degrees of feminist institutionalization shape the development of different discursive strategies to weaponize feminism within parliamentary arenas.
femonationalism · Italy · parliamentary debate · political discourse · populist radical right · right-wing parties · Spain · transgender rights · Gender and Feminist Studies · Gender Politics and Representation · Populism, Right-Wing Movements
Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice
Vox
Women’s Policy Machinery in Italy between European Pressure and Domestic Constraints
Varieties of Opposition to Gender Equality in Europe
Varieties of antigenderism
The Racialization of Sexism
European Culture Wars and the Italian Case
In the Name of Womens Rights
Terrorist Assemblages
Together we stand’
Legislative reforms to fight discrimination and violence against LGBTQ
From Opposition Leader to Prime Minister
Redistribution and Recognition in Spanish Transgender Laws
Silence in political theory and practice
Femonationalism and anti-gender backlash
Understanding populist far-right anti-immigration and anti-gender stances beyond the paradigm of gender as ‘a symbolic glue’
Is gender-critical feminism feeding the neo-conservative anti-gender rhetoric? Snapshots from the Italian public debate
Blitzkrieg Against Democracy
Populist Radical Right Frames of Gender and Sexuality in France and Italy
Reframing the language of human rights? Political group contestations on women’s and LGBTQI rights in European Parliament debates
Three Decades of State Feminism and Gender Equality Policies in Multi-governed Spain
A Southern European model? Gender regime change in Italy and Spain
A Set of Measures of Centrality Based on Betweenness
The gender politics of populist parties in Southern Europe
Stop torpedoing women's rights
The anti-gender movement and the populist radical right in Italy
Do LGBTIQ+ issues matter for populist radical right? An analysis of Italian parties’ social media narratives
Framing Gender through Affects
Beyond Instrumentalization
Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research
When Multiplication Doesn't Equal Quick Addition
If we stop, the world stops
Conflictual Engagement
Rethinking Racism
Insidious de-democratization
Who's Afraid of Gender
Strange Bedfellows
Silencing Feminism? Gender and the Rise of the Nationalist Far Right in Spain
| Highly cited | No |
|---|