The child as cipher for a politics of ‘traditional values’ in the anti-gender movement: A comparative study of Russia and Germany

Project Information

CHILDCIPH

Grant agreement ID: 101025755

DOI

10.3030/101025755

Project closed

EC signature date 2 March 2021

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 191 852,16

EU contribution

€ 191 852,16

Coordinated by

MALMO UNIVERSITET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CHILDCIPH (The child as cipher for a politics of ‘traditional values’ in the anti-gender movement: A comparative study of Russia and Germany)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CHILDCIPH posited that the recent rise of illiberal, conservative and right-wing populist movements poses an acute threat to democracy and equality in Europe. One pervasive but underresearched strand of these movements advocates ‘traditional family values’, in particular conservative sexual and gender politics, in the name of protecting children. The project aimed to fill this research gap through interdisciplinary research examining the discursive construction of the child as the ultimate site of vulnerability and risk, and hence in need of protection and policy intervention. My research developed an approach to account for the irrational or affective component of such rhetoric, combining insights and methodology from political discourse theory, media studies and psychosocial studies. The research was characterised by a significant comparative dimension, analysing discourses by conservative, ‘pro-traditional family values’ actors, from politicians to activists, in Germany and Russia, as well as transnational linkages and discourses.

In order to study the media discourses and knowledge production of anti-gender actors and initiatives in Germany and Russia, a number of case studies were developed to track their rhetoric and media strategies across multiple platforms, with specific attention paid to initiatives targeting children, education, and the topic of childhood generally. The approach I developed, focusing on the discursive and affective workings of media texts, brings political discourse theory into debates on the continued relevance of disinformation and hyperpartisan media to disentangle the intricate ways in which ideological and hegemonic struggles over geopolitics and shifting world power are being waged in relation to notions of gender today.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

CHILDCIPH followed a clear pattern of two-way transfer of knowledge in research, publishing, dissemination and management. It has achieved all its objectives and milestones. Work with the project entailed collection of empirical material, which was in traditional print format as well as digital format, subject to strict ethical guidelines. Following analysis of the materials incorporating a synthesis of approaches rooted in political discourse theory, psychosocial studies and media studies, the resulting research papers were presented at numerous seminars and international workshops and conferences, before being submitted for peer review.

Further work and results include:
- I organised an international workshop at Malmö University (June 2023) which set the foundation for a new scholarly network in Sweden with scholars from Gothenburg and Stockholm Universities,.
- My expanded research network has led to a number of publications and collaborations, with Dr Tina Askanius of Malmö University, with Professor Lena Martinsson and Dr Jeanette Sundhall of Gothenburg University, with Maria Kyriakidou of Cardiff University, and with Dr Sofia Ulver of Lund University, among others.
- My profile and network as a scholar was enhanced by presentations in scholarly seminars, international conferences and workshops.
- I conveyed methodological skills through lectures to PhD, MA and BA students, including involvement in the Swedish National School of Media and Communication studies (TRAIN).
- In addition to authoring scholarly publications, the results of the research have also been disseminated through oral presentations in various workshops, conferences, and public talks, as well as through numerous media appearances in Sweden, the UK and the US, addressing in this way both scholarly and non-academic audience.
- I recorded an open access lecture for Swedish Educational Television (Utbildningsradion) entitled ‘Saving Children as a Political tool’ which is accessible online: https://urplay.se/program/228808-ur-samtiden-malmoforskare-forelaser-radda-barnen-som-politiskt-verktyg.
- I published two articles in top journals (one in Media Studies, one in Gender Studies), submitted another (in Feminist Studies), as well as one book review.
- Finally, CHILDCIPH has led to new collaborative projects and submitted grant applications with Dr Askanius for research especially on the networked nature of anti-gender, right-wing , anti-democratic mobilisation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overall, the results and impact of CHILDCIPH have been extremely positive. CHILDCIPH offered an innovative synthesis of approaches, rooted in political discourse theory, psychosocial studies and media studies. The results and comparative synthesis of the project contributed with new theoretical knowledge about political mobilisation concerning gender equality and LGBTQ-rights, and the instrumentalisation of emotions and affect to make seemingly rational arguments. While scholarship on the anti-gender movement has reached a certain maturity, much explanatory work is still necessary. This is especially urgent in the context of larger political and cultural shifts, such as right-wing populist parties with anti-gender positions entering governments, such as in Italy and Sweden, the increasing popularity of such parties in Germany, and Russia’s war of aggression waged partially in the name of ‘traditional values’. This relevance and urgency has been illustrated by the high degree of interest CHILDCIPH has garnered in scholarly circles, but also the media and civil society actors.

One finding of the project is that the messaging produced by anti-gender actors in both countries are united by their radically backwards-looking, regressive direction, which is enabled and made more effective by recruiting the child as a central node and core concern of these narratives. In line with what other scholars have found, child protection presents a perfect, rallying point for a number of demands, from anti-state to anti-trans and anti-migrant. A second finding is that the child on whose behalf this protection is demanded is white, majority-ethnicity and presumed heterosexual, which is reinforced not only via the iconography of campaign materials, but also when, for example in Germany, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant sentiments are evoked side by side with calls to protect the ‘German’ child. Similar iconography is deployed across many other European contexts, and the affective force of any discourse involving child vulnerability makes it dangerously capable of crossing over into more ‘mainstream’ terrain, while too little is done to afford non-white, migrant and queer children the same level of protection. Thus, child protection rhetoric as a political tool as well as my theorisation of its emergence will continue to have an impact for years to come.

Image from final project workshop