On Thursday, March 19, 2026, scholars, researchers, and practitioners from across Europe will gather at CY Cergy Paris Université for an in-depth workshop exploring The Circulation of Anti-Gender Extremist Narratives.
This full-day event, part of the ARENAS Project, combines keynote talks, expert panels, and roundtable discussions to examine how these narratives emerge, spread, and influence societies. The workshop is in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join on-site or online at this registration link. For those attending in person, the event takes place at the Salle de Congrès 1, Maison SHS Annie Ernaux, CY Cergy Paris Université. The full programme and schedule are available below.
Anti gender messaging and extremist narratives are on the rise globally. These discourses shape public debate, fuel discrimination, and increasingly intersect with political, social, and digital dynamics. This workshop brings together leading voices to examine:
- How extremist narratives are created and framed
- How they circulate across borders and media
- The actors and networks sustaining them
- Their links to misogyny, anti-intellectualism, and neofascist ideologies
- Gendered impacts, including violence against women in politics
By exploring these intersecting areas, the workshop aims to foster critical insight and contribute to broader democratic resilience. Understanding how extremist narratives circulate is more crucial than ever. Join us for a day of knowledge sharing, discussion, and collaborative reflection with experts across Europe.
The opening keynote address will be delivered by Éric Fassin (Université Paris 8), a leading scholar of gender, politics, and society. His keynote will address anti-gender and anti-intellectual movements, tracing their evolution “from reactionary to neofascist”, and exploring their ties to political and religious mobilisations.
There will be two panel discussions; the first will consider Anti-Gender Narratives and Discourses. It will be followed by a Roundtable on Anti-Gender Narratives in Circulation. The second panel addresses Actors and Mobilizations with the final session of the day being a Roundtable on Actors and Networks. These panels and Roundtables feature consortium members from seven Universities that are participating in the ARENAS project. Details of the participants and the topics they will address can be found in the Programme below.
This event is of particular interest to:
- Researchers in gender studies, sociology, political science, or communication
- Policy makers and NGO professionals
- Students interested in extremism, digital narratives, or gender issues
- Journalists covering politics or social movements
- Anyone wishing to understand the rise and impact of anti-gender discourse
