En/countering Anti-Gender Mobilizations on a Local Level: Discourses, Strategies and Alliances of Gender Equality Proponents in Urban Governance

The article explores the discursive and institutional strategies used by gender equality proponents in local governance in Turkey in countering, resisting and/or coping with anti-gender mobilizations. Based on the analysis of municipal reports and interviews with gender experts, policy makers and their key allies in metropolitan and district municipalities, and members of municipal and city councils in 8 cities in Turkey, the article identifies institutional strategies and discursive framings constructed and employed local governmental actors to influence urban policy-making and urban life from a gender perspective. It sheds light onto the implications of these strategies for alliance- and coalition-building with, and the intersectional inclusion of, women’s and LGBTI+ groups. As such, the article contributes to the debates on the role of local politics in counteracting anti-gender and de-democratizing forces.