Paper short abstract:

We present three strategies used to denounce feminist/gender studies knowledge in Czech public discourse. We aim to highlight both local specificities and commonalities with the global "alliance in spirit" and point out some local repercussions of the novel "antigenderism discourse" in CEE region.

Paper long abstract:

Feminist sociological research is well institutionalised in the Czech Republic with two major departments at the Institute of Sociology (Czech Academy of Sciences). However, it would be wrong to believe that the knowledge produced by them goes uncontested. In this paper, we analyse the de-legitimizing strategies used to discredit and denounce such knowledge in two particular cases that entered the media in 2015 and 2017. In the first case, feminist sociologists criticized an exhibition of photographs of nudes presented as part of an event aimed at attracting schoolchildren and youth to science. In the latter case, a Czech documentary director criticized a rhyme, which strictly delineates roles for boys and girls and appears in a Czech reading book. Both the cases were followed by several analyses and comments by Czech gender studies scholars, and articles employing different strategies to specifically denounce feminist knowledge and expertise. Using thematic analysis, we present three strategies used to denounce feminist/gender studies knowledge: 1) Link to the past and totalitarian practices, 2) Defense of the "traditional" and "natural" gender order, 3) Claims to truth. Our aim is to highlight local specificities and commonalities with the global and pan-European "alliance in spirit" (Hark 2017) that is connected to far right and/or traditionalist groups. We pay attention also to the role played by academics coming from different disciplines. We conclude by pointing out some local repercussions of the novel "antigenderism discourse", its links to other critiques typically found in CEE and to the pan-European trends.