This report is the result of collaboration with the Institut de management et de communication interculturels (Institute for Intercultural Management and Communication).
It is set in the context of greater freedom of speech for women in the post #MeToo period. At the moment when feminist struggles are reasserted and brought to light in many spheres, the threat of women’s rights backlash manifests itself. This backlash theorised in 1991 by Susan Faludi occurred following progress regarding women’s rights and materialised itself by a sudden backlash of these rights and liberties obtained. This report should analyse the way social movements, that include feminist protests, fight against this backlash around the world by responding to the following interrogation: in which way do the demands of the social movements for women’s rights participate in questioning the governments, the mentalities and the society?
The writers focused on six movements in six different geographical areas, in Afghanistan, Brazil, the United States, Iran, Uganda and Poland, in order to give a complete overview of the worldwide situation. The analysis involves three steps and gives several approach angles of these different movements.
Ecofeminist demonstrations that question the capitalist system and its consequences
By analysing ecofeminist struggles in Brazil against the capitalist exploitation of nature and movement against climatic imbalance In Uganda as Rise Up or Fridays For Future Uganda, this report focuses on these movements that illustrate the close relationship between the exploitation of nature and its consequences on women: the feminist protests are central within these movements, mostly led by women.
When patriarchy put women’s lives in danger: movements in favour of sociol change
Through the study of anti-abortion movements in Poland and the United States, this report analyses how movements fight against these restrictive laws, but also against mentalities, and the patriarchal system.
Revolutionaries’ protests facing political and religious systems
This report observes through social movements in Iran and Afghanistan that the demands surpass protests contesting restrictions imposed on women and reflect a challenge to the current religious and political system.
To read the report: “Facing Backlash: Social Movements Fighting for Women’s Rights in the World“
To quote this report : Albarracin, A., Houlé, F., Delorme, L., Kasel, A., Pallu, M. “Facing Backlash: Social Movements Fighting for Women’s Rights in the World“, March 2023, Gender in Geopolitics Institute