The Politicization of Gender: Far-Right Strategies in European Politics - Paperback

Investigates the strategic use of gender by far-right parties in Europe to mobilize voters and legitimize exclusionary nationalist agendas

Far-right parties across Europe increasingly use gender as a political tool to shape electoral outcomes and reinforce exclusionary national identities. This monograph provides a comparative analysis of Italy and the Netherlands, demonstrating how parties like Italy's Brothers of Italy and the Netherlands' Party for Freedom employ gender narratives to marginalize feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, instrumentalize women's roles, and justify anti-immigrant policies. Drawing on speeches, manifestos, campaign materials, electoral statistics, and media metrics, the study highlights how gender intersects with race, religion, and class to legitimize authoritarian and xenophobic agendas.The monograph combines discourse analysis with quantitative data to show how far-right parties craft persuasive narratives targeting diverse voter demographics. Key findings reveal the rise of gendered rhetoric in political mobilization, the co-optation of feminist and LGBTQ+ ideals for nationalist purposes, and the deployment of online platforms to amplify exclusionary ideologies. Historical context, from post-World War II reconstruction to the contemporary refugee crisis, demonstrates the evolving strategies through which far-right movements adapt gendered narratives to political, economic, and social conditions.By placing gender at the center of far-right politics, this book challenges assumptions that gender is a peripheral issue in electoral strategies. It reveals how gendered narratives are instrumental in shaping public discourse, reinforcing social hierarchies, and influencing policy outcomes. The monograph offers critical insights for scholars, policymakers, and activists, highlighting the urgent need to understand and counter the far-right's manipulative use of gender in Europe's contemporary political landscape.