The two-day ‘Reactionary politics, women, and feminist critique’ conference at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England, starting on Wednesday, May 21st, promises a keynote on ‘Feminism After Neoliberalism and the New Far Right’—economic and political perspectives that are typically difficult to reconcile.
“This event focuses on women and feminised popular culture in the context of resurgent reactionary politics,” the organisers advertise, effortlessly linking ‘reactionary’ and ‘far right.’ One of the major smears thrown from Brussels at the growing populist revolt is effortlessly integrated into higher education’s vocabulary, almost as if it has been captured by the Left (spoiler: it has).
Sponsored by the European Journal of Cultural Studies, speakers at the conference promise to tackle “Popular feminism, the gig economy, and the discursive potency of women’s safety;” “Self-Care and ‘Disappointing’ Politics in the Trump-Era Novel,” and “‘Gender Debate’ Discourse: Polarising, bigoted and validating’”—no debate there then. Casting such preoccupations further afield, other speakers will condemn “Female-fronted anti-feminism in Sweden, Germany and Russia” and the “Rise of Trans Exclusion in Self-identifying Radical Feminists in South Korea.”
Other targets include ‘tradwives,’ ‘momfluencers,’ and ‘victimcould,’ with no one there to make the counterargument. Digitally themed sessions typically imply an online threat from some types of men, while others seem to downplay physical threats to women’s safety from others, hinting at a ‘far-right’ agenda—unless the danger comes from the U.S.-European ‘manosphere.’
Not since academics gathered in Sheffield to discuss “How Do You Solve a Problem Like GB News”—answer: more regulation—has there been such confirmation bias on display at a supposedly scholarly gathering. To be honest, such get-togethers happen week in, week out at a campus near you—typically at your expense.
