Overview

In this talk, I discuss the current conjuncture of late fascism by drawing on black radical and anti-colonial readings of fascism, and its relation to colonialism, capitalism and imperialism. I focus especially on anti-colonial feminist readings and bring these into conversation with contemporary abolitionist thought and practice to sketch out the (im-)possibilities of anti-fascist horizons.

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.

The workshop explores how sexual violence has been understood and theorized by feminist scholars and by activists over time. Focusing particularly on the US American context, our purpose is to offer background on how feminist understandings of sexual violence have evolved since the mid 20th century, and to discuss the conflicting conceptual tools feminist political theorists, researchers, and activists have offered so far.