Overview

Gender is not an invention of feminism. Rather, gender—meaning being female or male based on secondary sexual characteristics and not on identity or identities—has been the central criterion for inclusion and exclusion in terms of social scope for action since the French Revolution. Therefore, the frequently asked question, “Why are women on the side of authoritarian movements?” can only be answered with the counter-question: “Why shouldn't women be?”

The workshop provides (prospective) discourse researchers with an orientation in the field of discourse research. In addition, participants develop strategies for relating the object of analysis to the discourse-theoretical perspective and for developing a concrete analytical approach for their own project.

In the 21st century, we are witnessing a global resurgence of fascist tendencies. Liberal democracies, politically polarized and shattered by neoliberalism, are in many places veering toward authoritarian self-defense. Right-wing movements affirm destruction in new ways by invoking “freedom” as their central tenet. In doing so, the promise of modernity breaks down into its darkest components: in self-defense and the affirmation of destructive object relations, the hyperbolic freedom of the owner can be realized for a fleeting moment.