Defending the 'Right' Education: Far-Right Populism and Anti-Genderism in Latin America

Gender has become a central issue in our “populist moment” and “global illiberal turn” (Korolczuk and Graff, 2018), now framed as a geopolitical matter tied to the emergence of an "alternative illiberal civil society" that transcends national borders (Korolczuk and Graff, 2018; McEwen, 2022). Anti-genderism and right-wing populism share a polarizing narrative, creating an “opportunistic synergy” in which populists use anti-gender rhetoric to oppose liberal elites, while anti-gender actors gain political influence and visibility (Korolczuk and Graff, 2018). Both challenge societal changes since the 1960s, targeting issues like sexual education and gender equality policies to build political consensus, particularly in conservative and populist contexts (Laruelle, 2022). While research has explored how right-populism groups mobilize gender-related narratives (Segers and Eslen-Ziya, 2023), there is still a need to examine how these discourses influence public policies, particularly in Latin America—a key region for studying backlash politics. The rise of left-leaning governments during the "pink tide" influenced the region's policy landscape, but the global spread of far-right movements has introduced significant challenges, driven by fears of cultural identity loss and community disintegration. Anti-gender policies encapsulate anti-liberal efforts to challenge various public initiatives, especially those related to sexual education and gender equality (Graff and Korolczuk, 2022a; Bouvart, De Proost, and Norocel, 2019). I adopt the definition of backlash politics here as not merely a counter-reaction to specific circumstances, but as a distinct program with its own logic (Alter and Zürn, 2020). This paper presents recent data collected in three Latin American countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, and Peru. It leverages an innovative and triple-layered fieldwork engagement, involving interviews with various actors, including activists, policy implementers, experts, and administrative staff in the respective education departments, as well as political actors in the legislative and executive branches. This multi-source triangulation combines field observations, documentation, and the analysis of grey literature sources, including unpublished reports, policy briefs, and internal memos, offering deeper insight into the dynamics of the education sector. Using this three case studies, this paper highlights how illiberal actors selectively borrow from liberal and feminist discourses to create a "new illiberal universalism," aligning with Graff and Korolczuk’s theory. It seeks to deepen the understanding of the intersection between illiberalism and cultural backlash in shaping contemporary politics. This paper aims to address two key questions related to the session: 3) How far-right populist and conservative movements are shaping policy and policymaking in Global South countries, and 4) How anti-gender ideas travel across transnational contexts and influence policymaking, particularly in education.