What is in a name? Alternative gender knowledge and the retrogressive worlding of radical right digital media

ABSTRACT

The article explores the role of radical right digital media in alternative gender knowledge production during the 2018 “Referendum for Family” in Romania and critically reflects on the challenges it poses for feminist and LGBTQ+ local struggles for recognition and representation. Using mixed research methods for data collection and analysis, the article seeks to address two questions: What are the discursive articulations of gender in ActiveNews and their intersectional dynamics with sexuality, religion, national identity? What (normative) assumptions underpin alternative knowledge claims on gender in ActiveNews? The study aims to shed light onto an important aspect of anti-gender mobilization, which intends to create what in my view could be labeled a “retrogressive worlding.” The argument of the article is anti-gender campaigns endeavor to create a specific worlding centered on alternative gender knowledge, wherein digital media plays a key role. The findings reveal that alternative gender knowledge fabricated by ActiveNews discredits empirical data and conceptualization of gender, sexuality, family as socially constructed and historically malleable. The anti-gender tropes serve a “retrogressive worlding” that does not accommodate gender as analytical category or non-normative gender display and sexuality.

KEYWORDS:

• Anti-gender campaigns
• alternative gender knowledge
• radical right digital media
• feminist and LGBTQ+ politics
• retrogressive worlding

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the co-editors of this issue Ov Cristian Norocel and Mia Liinason for their insightful comments that helped me improve the article and sharpen the arguments. I am also grateful for the suggestions I received from Jeffrey C. Isaac, and for the technical support I had with the database from Constantin Barbu. ESA (2019) and ECREA (2021) conferences have also contributed to strengthening the interdisciplinary perspective. This paper would not be the same without the careful, considerate and knowledgeable suggestions of the anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. It is useful for the readers less familiar with the Romanian context to know that previous studies provide a historical overview of the Referendum, relevant actors and campaign features (Norocel and Băluță 2021; Dragolea 2022; Mărgărit 2019, 2020).

2. In October 2018 ActiveNews had: 697.358 Users, 1.268.190 Visits, 2.080.344 Views and in September 2018, 729.601 Users 1.153.694 Visits, 1.810.752 Views, http://www.trafic.ro, July 2019.

3. The Romanian linguistic particle “gen” (”gender”) was part of expressions such as: Ro “în general” (generally), Ro “de genul” (Engl. for example, such as) and did not render gender as an analytic category.

4. He is a former Baptist minister, incumbent of the National Liberal Party, and member of the Ecumenical Prayer Group (Grupul Ecumenic de Rugăciune) of the Romanian Parliament.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Oana Băluță

Oana Băluţă is Associate Professor for the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Bucharest, holding a PhD in Political Science. Her research interests are: anti-gender campaigns; political representation; contemporary feminist politics and movement; gender-based violence; media, gender and politics. She has also worked as a short-term gender consultant for United Nations Development Fund, The World Bank. Her analysis focused on gender in public administration and politics, and critical aspects of domestic gender policies. Equally important, she has also been doing feminist activism to end gender-based violence and build forms of resistance in anti-gender campaigns attacking LGBTQI rights and gender studies.