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79409-01 - Seminar: Analysing Anti-Gender Politics From an Intersectional Lens: Discourses, Lived Experiences and Resistances (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Stefanie Boulila |
| Content | Since its consolidation in international policy discourse following the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the term “gender” has become a focal point of political contestation. In this course, we examine anti-gender mobilisations as forms of organised opposition to gender equality, reproductive rights, and LGBTIQ+ rights. These contestations have grown in visibility and influence, prompting responses from the European Commission, feminist civil society, and academic researchers alike. This course explores how anti-gender politics work: their multifarious ideological underpinnings, how they operate discursively in parliaments and the media, and what effects they have on civil society, political participation and everyday life. Drawing on emerging studies, a key premise of the course is that anti-gender mobilisations are not monolithic. They draw on conservative, far-right, liberal and even some feminist ideological investments. Moreover, they are adaptive to local contexts while also accruing power through transnational discourses and networks. Using an intersectional framework, we examine how anti-gender mobilisations shape vulnerabilities, exclusions, and forms of resistance among feminist and LGBTIQ+ communities. Students will engage with scholarship from a variety of academic fields, including gender studies, political science, media studies, geography and philosophy. |
| Learning objectives | - Describe the ideological diversity of anti-gender mobilisations - Analyse anti-gender discourses using an intersectional framework - Assess how anti-gender mobilisations shape policy processes and media debates - Explain the impact of anti-gender mobilisations on feminist and LGBTIQ+ civil society and on lived experiences - Reflect on feminist and LGBTIQ+ civil society forms of resistance against anti-gender politics through an intersectional framework |
| Bibliography | A full course syllabus, including required readings, will be made available at the start of the semester. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 15.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 22.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 29.09.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 06.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 13.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 20.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 27.10.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 03.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 10.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 17.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 24.11.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 01.12.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 08.12.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Tuesday 15.12.2026 | 16.15-18.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.004 |
| Modules |
Module: Bodies, Objects, Circulation (Master's degree program: Changing Societies) Module: Topics and Debates in Gender Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: Gender Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students can select between three written tasks (approx. 5-7 pages) 1. Analytical Journal: Students document over several weeks how anti-gender discourses or mobilisations appear in their media consumption and everyday encounters (social media debate, news item, event, parliamentary debate). They select two concrete examples and analyse them using course readings. 2. Learning Reflection with Text Reference: Students reflect on how a specific text from the course reading list changes, challenges, or complicates their prior understanding of anti-gender politics. The reflection must engage directly and in detail with the text and go beyond a summary. 3. Field Analysis: students identify and analyse a concrete artefact related to feminist or queer forms of resistance to anti-gender discourses or mobilisations. The analysis applies an intersectional framework with academic text references. The artefact must be documented and submitted alongside the analysis (screenshot, photo). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Gender Studies |