Antifeminist Discourses and Practices In the Digital Era

Antifeminism — broadly defined as opposition to women's claims for equal rights and full participation in the public sphere — is not a recent phenomenon. As a reactionary force, it has historically accompanied feminist movements, seeking to delegitimize their demands by framing them as threats to established social hierarchies and traditional gender arrangements. Central to antifeminist discourse is the assertion that gender equality has already been achieved, and that contemporary feminist claims merely seek additional privileges at the expense of men. Although antifeminism predates digital technologies, its visibility and reach have been considerably amplified online, particularly since the heightened public prominence of feminist demands from the mid-2010s onward, culminating in the global #MeToo movement.

The decentralized architecture of digital platforms has, paradoxically, enabled both new forms of feminist mobilization and the rapid proliferation of antifeminist counter-publics. A key site of this digital antifeminism is the manosphere — a loosely connected network of blogs, forums, podcasts, and social media platforms where masculinist actors converge to disseminate misogynistic ideas, challenge feminist narratives, and advocate for the restoration of patriarchal authority. These actors share not only a common opposition to feminism, but also distinctive discursive repertoires, rhetorical strategies, and, at times, coordinated practices that extend well beyond the screen.

This session invites contributions that examine antifeminist discourses and practices across digital platforms, from multiple disciplinary and methodological perspectives.