The Anti-gender & Anti-migration Connection: a Nordic dialogue-based conference

Venue: Mångkulturellt Centrum, Fittja, Stockholm
Date and time: April 15, 9:00-17:30 (Dinner from 18 hrs)

Background and aim
Across the Nordic region and beyond, anti-gender and anti-migration mobilizations and politics are increasingly intertwined. Campaigns against feminism, trans- and LGBTQ+ rights, and sexuality education are often articulated alongside exclusionary migration politics, racialized boundary-making, and appeals to religion, nation, and “family values.” These mobilizations unfold in a Nordic context shaped by homonationalism, femonationalism, and narratives of Nordic exceptionalism, where claims to gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights are sometimes mobilized to legitimize racialized exclusion.

This conference seeks to bring together researchers, activists, civil society organisations and religious actors to explore how anti-gender and anti-migration politics intersect, what consequences they produce, and which shared strategies of resistance are possible. Rather than siloed discussions, the conference emphasizes dialogue across different fields of knowledge and practice. Various kinds of participation are envisioned, including presentation of academic papers, artistic interventions and the sharing of organizational, activist and personal experiences during interactive sessions.

Format
The conference is designed as a one-day, non-parallel event with approximately 40–70 participants. It encompasses three modalities: academic paper sessions, interactive dialogue sessions/roundtables and artistic exchanges. Participants are encouraged to actively engage with each other, across the different sectors and thematic focus areas.

- Academic paper sessions. These will be short and dialogical, prioritizing discussion over lengthy presentations.

- Interactive sessions/roundtables with activists, practitioners, and civil society organizations who are directly engaged in or affected by anti-gender and anti-migration mobilizations. These sessions form the core of the conference’s dialogical approach and are intended to foster exchange across different struggles, sectors, and positionalities.

- Artistic contributions on the theme of the conference will be shared throughout the day in the auditorium and/or the exhibition hall of the MKC museum.

Please register HERE