Zorica Siročić’s research while affiliated with University of Graz and other places

Few areas of gender politics have received as much scholarly attention in recent years as its antithesis, the so-called ‘anti-gender politics’. A common denominator of existing studies of anti-gender politics is its focus on the successful campaigns that threaten to challenge, prevent and/or reverse rights and mechanisms put in place to promote gender and sexual equality. In contrast, this article asks why and when anti-gender movements fail. To do this, the article uses a time-sensitive perspective to compare case studies of failed and successful campaigns, focusing on the political outcomes of referendums contesting same-sex marriage and related rights. As these cases are all located in (Central and South) Eastern Europe, the study not only fills the gap in the systematic evaluation of the outcomes of anti-gender movements but also partially challenges the notion that this region is a particularly fertile ground for anti-feminist and anti-LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+) agendas, highlighting the possible factors of resilience.

This paper proposes the novel concept of ‘temporal activist repertoires’ (TAR) defined as the intentional and meaningful selection and use of temporal elements, such as time frame, timing, tempo, duration, and temporality in collective action’s tactics and frames. Collectives thereby draw on culturally resonant temporal references to interweave the symbolic and strategic choices in making their demands, organising political action and/or sustaining commitment to the political cause. To answer the question of how social movements use TAR and how these are positioned alongside other repertoires of contention, the paper analyses: the global Fridays for the Future and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and the Austrian ‘It’s Thursday Again!’. The paper shows that the innovative potential of TAR is linked to the use of technologically advanced media tools for the purposes of coordination, pressure, recruitment, mobilisation and visibility, as well as for the adaptations that these movements require, which include strategies to build on past traditions and/or to connect with currently existing allied movements.

Contemporary anti-gender movements mobilize against gender and sexual equality for which feminist and LGBTQI+ movements have been advocating for decades. We propose the term ‘contentious gender politics’ to capture this clash of opposing movements concerning bodily integrity, kinship structures, sexual morality, and institutionalization of gender equality. Existing literature has recognized the transnational character of anti-gender movements and identified matching tactics, frames, and allies across different countries. We examine how these transnational movements used similar campaigns to ‘localize’. Localization is conceptualized in this research as the process of adapting frames and tactics to different national contexts. To do so, this study examines the diffusion of social movements and anti-gender campaigns by comparing anti-gender movements in Italy and Croatia through critical events between 2013 and 2019. We demonstrate that the localization of these anti-gender movements occurred through a three-step pathway: first, by adapting frames and tactics of left-liberal civil society and progressive movements; second, by forging alliances with existing right-wing parties; and third, by embedding its agenda within formal political and administrative bodies.