State Authoritarianism, Anti-Feminist Movements, and Transnational Feminist Futures

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2024

Organizers: Anat Schwartz (California State University) and Iqra Shagufta Cheema (Graceland University)

We invite paper proposals for the 2024 National Women’s Studies Association’s annual conference in Detroit, MI. The papers may focus on any aspect of the transnational relationship between state authoritarianism, anti-feminist movements, and feminist connections.

2023-2024 has become the testing ground for digital transnational and intersectional feminist solidarities. The rise of state authoritarianism, mass anti-feminist movements, the unabashed mainstreaming of white feminism, and valorization of imperial feminism have put into question the many possibilities of transnational solidarities that emerged during and after the #MeToo movement in 2019.

While mass anti-feminist movements have gained momentum globally, the local specificities of transnational state authoritarianism cannot be overlooked. This panel seeks to bring together interdisciplinary transnational feminist scholars to share and build knowledge on transnational forms of state authoritarianism and anti-feminist movements as they impact feminist activism, solidarities, and advocacy.

This panel seeks to examine the following questions: 

• What are the transnational connections between state authoritarianism and anti-feminist movements?

• During/after #MeToo and other transnational digital connections, what has incentivized the support for white feminism and transnational anti-feminist movements broadly conceived ?

• What does the valorization of Euro-American imperial feminisms mean for transnational feminist futures / solidarities?

We invite 150-word abstracts, along with a short bio and affiliation, that seek to examine these questions and their attendant broad themes. We welcome academics at all career stages and employment statuses to submit abstracts. 

Please email your abstract by Friday, March 15, 2024. All submissions should be emailed to Anat Schwartz (anats@uci.edu) and Iqra Shagufta Cheema (IqraSCheema@gmail.com).