Abstract
Is Europe cascading into fascism? The answer to this question matters for understanding the opposition to gender equality projects in Europe. The article addresses some of the key concepts needed to answer this question. Is ‘fascism’ or ‘authoritarian neoliberalism’ or just ‘neoliberalism’ the most appropriate concept to capture the turn to the right? The article compares the extent to which these concepts encompass ‘violence’ and ‘gender’. ‘Fascism’ is an important benchmark from European history, but Europe has not yet reached its levels of violence. The qualifier ‘authoritarian’ is not needed for ‘neoliberalism’ since it generates a trajectory towards violence. Some conceptual work is required in order to develop ‘neoliberalism’ to encompass ‘gender’ and ‘violence’, but there are bodies of work that support such a development. Including gender in analyses of the macro level changes occurring in Europe requires the concept of ‘varieties of gender regime’, which enables the conceptualisation of neoliberalism as gendered.
Highlights
Is Europe cascading into fascism? This question is becoming central to understanding the opposition to gender equality projects in Europe
Is the turn away from social democracy best thought of as fascism, or as an intensification of neoliberalism or as authoritarianism? How should variations in gender relations be conceptualised at a macro level, in addition to the meso and micro, so that they can be included in this discussion? How can violence, which is so important in the constitution of gender relations and the opposition to feminism and gender equality, be included in the conceptualisation of major social changes?
It is important to retain the concept of fascism as a benchmark, at least in Europe
Summary
The starting assumption is that it is possible to distinguish between different forms of society at a macro level and that these are gendered. Assessing which conceptual distinctions are most important requires consideration as to where the boundary between them should be drawn. The criteria for making this assessment include those used by the ‘mainstream’ and the ability to capture distinctions relevant for ‘gender’, which requires addressing ‘violence’. For the understanding of current changes, it is important to deploy concepts that can address violence as well as the polity, economy and civil society. Each of the macro concepts invokes a different positioning of violence in relation to other forms of power. It is important to deploy concepts that can address gender and intersecting inequalities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
