Recent developments that can be characterized as part of “backlash” politics are surprisingly similar across diverse national contexts. In this paper, we draw upon ongoing comparative research in Canada, Sweden and the UK to analyze convergences and divergences in backlash politics. These are three countries ostensibly committed to advancing equality along the lines of gender, race and sexuality, and are, in different ways, heralded as global leaders in these processes: Sweden is often considered especially advanced in terms of gender equality; and Canada the most advanced in relation to multiculturalism. The UK is notable for its unique modern equality legislation and enforcement spanning multiple inequalities, and role in advancing racial equality policy across Europe.
As far right backlash against equalities becomes increasingly ubiquitous, we show that even in these three ‘best case’ countries, heralded as global leaders in equality, similar patterns of backlash can be observed across each, to varying degrees. Patterns across the three countries include recent restrictions on rights of transgender people and women in particular; increasingly bold racist anti-migrant discourse resulting in new restrictions on existing and potential migrants; and not only a gutting of government resourcing for equality, but the deployment of equalities architectures to reinforce inequalities among marginalised groups. Furthermore, we consider whether it is precisely because these countries have been considered leaders in advancing equality that backlash politics are currently so prevalent, and what this means for backlash itself. Do political discourses in these contexts around restrictions in rights and removal of supports for equality reference ideas that there is already “too much” equality, and for whom? Drawing on perspectives of anti-racist feminist actors captured through semi-structured interviews, we explore both challenges and opportunities and propose lessons from those countries most advanced along each of these paths of backlash, which might serve as warnings - and offer mobilization strategies of resistance - to others, as well as informing democratic design.
