Gendering the struggle for democracy in times of democratic erosion

Abstract

Much of the literature on (de-)democratization focuses on formal democratic institutions and processes and tends to neglect the importance of civil society, civic resistance and popular ownership of democracy as fundamental elements of successful democratization processes. Literature on previous success of democratization in Central and Eastern Europe, and recent democratic backsliding illustrates this remarkably. However, as Ciannetti, Dawson and Hanley (2018) point out the institutionalist approach fails to capture the complexity of current processes, to explain variation and stability. Instead, this panel turns to a Tillyan notion of democracy defined as a contentious process of state-citizens relations developing over a longer period of time. It proposes an analysis complementary to the usual institutionalist approach, one that looks at (de)democratization processes through the lens of popular contention. Along these lines this panel investigates gender inclusiveness of popular pro-democracy struggles (protests and campaigns) and the influence of their inclusiveness on the quality and resilience of democracy. The panel focuses on the participation or the absence of women and feminist groups in popular struggles for democracy and aims to understand how participation impacts the quality of egalitarian democracy and resilience in the face of recent trends of de-democratization and anti-gender hostility. The focus here is on the largest pro-democracy protests and campaigns and their inclusiveness vis a vis women and gender equality concerns, rather than protests and campaigns organized by feminist and other women’s groups and how those speak to matters of democracy. Papers in the panel use this critical focus to reevaluate (de)democratization processes in various countries (particularly post-communist Eastern Europe) bringing a gender lens to the analysis. Some papers look at the inclusiveness of civic resistance and protest campaigns during the last decades, at changes and critical junctures in terms of inclusiveness in three countries. Other papers aim to theorize the relationship between civil society, civic resistance, gender equality and democracy, to work towards a framework that can help critically assess what is seen as successful democracies and to asses potentials and pitfalls that occur in the context of recent waves of de-democratization and hostility to gender equality.

Title	Details
(De)democratization and gender equality. Pitfalls and potentials for inclusive democracy in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe	View Paper Details
From Round Table to Black Protests. Gender and the process of democratization and democratic backsliding in Poland	View Paper Details
Gendered Meanings of Democracy Struggles in Croatia	View Paper Details
Negotiating transition without women: is Orban’s hostility to gender equality rewriting democratization?	View Paper Details