Introduction: Populism and feminist politics
| Date | 01 November 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512120972609 |
| Published date | 01 November 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Symposium: Populism and feminist politics |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120972609
International Political Science Review
2021, Vol. 42(5) 561 –564
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512120972609
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Introduction: Populism and
feminist politics
Johanna Kantola
Tampere University, Finland
Emanuela Lombardo
Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
Abstract
Populism is everywhere in Europe today: in politics and in research. Most research on populism has
neglected the relationship between gender equality and populism. The aim of this symposium is precisely to
scrutinize the relationship between feminist politics and right-wing and left-wing populist parties in Europe.
The contribution of the symposium is twofold: to empirically investigate the relationship between feminist
politics and both left and right populism, so as to provide a more holistic picture of their impact on feminist
politics; and to study populist political parties both at the national level and at the level of the European
Parliament. The symposium demonstrates the centrality of gender issues in the politics of populist parties
and documents the effects populism has on gender relations, gender equality policies, and feminist politics.
Keywords
Populism, feminist politics, political parties, Europe, gender equality policies, Spain, Poland, European
Parliament, European Union
Populism is everywhere in Europe today: in politics and in research. In politics, both (radical) right
populist parties in Northern and Eastern and Central Europe, and left populists in Spain and Greece
have had sustained electoral successes. These successes have both shaken the traditional structures
of party politics – for instance the two-party system in Spain – and heightened the importance of
political parties as a site of solutions to economic, social, and political crises. Most research on
populism has neglected the relationship between gender equality and populism. In contrast, femi-
nist research has argued for the centrality of gender issues in populist politics, and has documented
the effects that populism has on gender relations, gender equality policies, and feminist politics
Corresponding author:
Emanuela Lombardo, Department of Political Science and Administration, Faculty of Political Science and Sociology,
Complutense University of Madrid, Campus de Somosaguas, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid 28223, Spain.
Email: elombard@ucm.es
972609IPS0010.1177/0192512120972609International Political Science ReviewKantola and Lombardo
research-article2020
Symposium: Populism and feminist politics
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