Against the Grain: Female Grievances towards Feminism in Right-Wing Populist Discourse in Brazil

Abstract

Many studies have shed light on the importance of anti-genderism in the articulation of right-wing populist movements. Less attention has been paid to the role that female politicians, scholars, and influencers have played in promoting anti-feminism within right- wing populism. After the right-wing turn in Brazil, female anti- feminists have engaged other women in an anti-feminism campaign. Besides deploying arguments stemming from the classic conservative literature against feminism, they have also shared personal narratives of the pain and suffering that feminism has allegedly caused to them. These narratives have elicited anger, hatred, and frustration against feminism, which is furthermore held responsible for threatening traditional gender roles and feminine subjectivity. Additionally, prominent female anti-feminists have provided alternative narratives, which seek to replace anger, hatred, and frustration with comfort, pride, and joy. This article undertakes a critical discourse analysis of the affective-discursive meanings produced by the emotion narratives of those prominent anti-feminist women who have felt ostracised, persecuted, and humiliated by feminists. This study strives to identify the discursive strategies that conservative women from diverse social positionings have employed to address the grievances they attribute to feminism.