Representation in Feminist Political Theory in the Times of Anti-Gender

Bringing together anti-gender research and feminist political theory, this paper focuses on the concept of representation in democratic theory. Research on anti-gender mobilization and argumentation has identified a strong alignment of anti-gender with populist disfigurations of democratic ideas and practices (Kraff-Korolzuk, Fassin), as well as anti-gender actors’ distinct closeness to forms of direct democracy (Kahlina). Meanwhile, within discussions on political theory, thinkers such as Nadia Urbinati have long argued for a renewed understanding of the value of representation in democratic thought. Traditionally, feminist political theory of representation has focused on participation and presence for good reason, given the historical exclusion of women from representational practices (Phillips, 1995). In the current era of anti-gender mobilization, when political representation is devalued and referendums are called for to combat ‘gender-ideology’, this paper argues that feminist theory should reconsider the concept of representation in political theory. As attempts to remove certain ideas, such as those of the multiplicity of gender, from deliberation devalue representational institutions as spaces for debating ideas and making judgements about societal change, the question arises as to whether the value of representation should be identified as a feminist concern.