Understanding and Confronting Gender Based Violence In an Era of the Backlash

In the context of the recent/ongoing wave of backlash that includes increased authoritarianism, resurgence of religious fundamentalism, populist hyper-nationalism, techno-misogyny, and the concurrence of sexism, racism and homo/transphobia in diverse global contexts, this session seeks to bring together critical perspectives for framing and interpreting this backlash in relation to gender based violence (GBV), including violence against women and girls (VAWG). We welcome papers that that foster understanding of the actors, interests, narratives, tactics and new alliances that shape the backlash in relation to GBV in different spaces and the underlying processes. This includes - but is not limited to - submissions that: analyse the manifestations of GBV in the context of the backlash and/or the invisibilisation and minimisation of GBV within/through the backlash, interrogate the mobilisation and weaponisation of VAWG in the service of the backlash, document the reversals in policy/practice to end GBV within backlash policyscapes, and explore efforts by victim-survivors and anti-violence activists to counter the backlash. We hope that the diverse contributions will enable us to examine the specificities of the backlash and its relation to GBV in particular contexts and the commonalities in its manifestations across diverse contexts, and its implications for understanding and combatting GBV. We welcome contributions based on empirical research, conceptual pieces exploring theoretical perspectives on GBV and the backlash, analysis of GBV policies in the context of the backlash, and commentaries/contributions from activists, community organisers and practitioners about collaborations to address GBV in the context of the backlash.