Abusive Feminism
With the concept “Abusive Feminism”, Rosalind Dixon problematizes how anti-feminist, would-be authoritarians use feminist ideas and language to advance and legitimate their own sexist, authoritarian projects. Case studies from South Africa, Argentina, Poland, Italy, Brazil, and South Asia offer powerful examples of the phenomenon, deepen our understanding of its roots, and point to counterstrategies.
Some of the world’s most powerful leaders have openly embraced an agenda that is overtly hostile to diversity, equity and inclusion, and often overtly anti-feminist. These discursive and behavioral attacks have been accompanied by a range of anti-feminist policy changes. As liberalism and democracy often erode together, it is no surprise that the growth of anti-feminism is associated with democratic backsliding. What is more surprising is that many of these anti-feminist, would-be autocrats have engaged in a parallel set of tactics that appear to endorse, rather than challenge, certain feminist ideas.
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