Scholars@Hallwalls: Gwynn Thomas

A monthly lecture series featuring the UB Humanities Institute’s Faculty Fellows for the current academic year, hosted at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center.

4:00pm | Mingling
4:15pm | Introductions and featured talk followed by Q + A

We hope you’ll join us in-person for the good camaraderie and conversation, but you can also join the livestream via the Hallwalls website.

Aggrieved Masculinity and Feminist Resistance in Struggles over Democracy in Chile and Latin America

Gender politics are central to understanding the rise of illiberal and authoritarian political movements and the current crisis of liberal democracy. To gain support, far-right parties and leaders specifically target feminist advances in bodily autonomy, freedom from violence, and equal political participation for women and sexual minorities. Drawing on over 100 interviews conducted over 20 years of field research, I argue that the rise of powerful feminist movements and their political victories shifted the political strategies far right leaders and parties. By analyzing Chile’s recent politics, I show how right-wing populists seek to capitalize on gender backlash politics to drive illiberal political projects and threaten democratic governance.