Democracy in Crisis? Resistance, Backsliding, and EU Governance in Central and Eastern Europe

Since the fall of state socialism, Central and East European (CEE) countries have witnessed nonlinear and contested developments in terms of equal rights, political representation, (de-)democratization, and popular resistance. Populist, right-wing, and ultra-religious forces have compounded old and new tensions and politicizations of gender equality and sexualities throughout the region. At the same time, we are witnessing unprecedented mobilizations in support of equal rights and equitable political representation from civil society organizations, political parties, and other actors alike. The section aims to explore the evolutions in gender equality politics in formal and informal politics and societies of post-communist Europe. What are the recent challenges to equality+ advances and democracy in the region? Where do they stem from? Why are they successful? What is the impact on society, especially women and sexual minorities? What are the intersectional implications of these challenges? What are the strategies and responses by progressive actors? How do political actors in CEE countries articulate their support for (or opposition) to gender equality+ within the multi-level governance system of the European Union (EU)? What is the role of the EU in these processes? How has EU governance been affected by the developments in CEE? How do the crises of democracy and backsliding in the rule of law impact women’s and LGBTQ+ groups, equal rights activists, progressive actors, and gender scholars? What does the study of developments in CEE contribute to the understanding of democratic backsliding and anti-equality backlash in Europe and globally? The section welcomes panels and papers tackling one or more of the questions described above, from a theoretical, methodological, empirical, or normative perspective. We welcome contributions using a variety of methods and data, including single case studies and comparative studies, quantitative and qualitative methods, experimental research, digital methods, and grounded theory. We are particularly interested in papers that focus on institutions (understood as formal or informal gendered norms and practices); on actors (such as parliaments, executives, social movements, and political parties at the national level, as well as the European Parliament, EU institutions, and transnational movements at the international level); and on the policy-making process (for instance, contestation around policies on reproductive rights, LBGTQ+ rights, domestic violence, or gender quotas). We welcome papers devoted to lessons and insights from comparative studies of other (new and old) democracies, especially in Southern Europe and Latin America. We would like to ensure a geographically balanced representation of scholars from across Europe and different career stages. In particular, the section warmly invites contributions from scholars coming from and based in the Balkans, Baltic countries, and Central and Eastern Europe.