Anti-Gender Politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina: From Research to Conversation on Riječ na F

I am very happy to have been part of a podcast episode exploring the rise of anti-gender movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond, on Riječ na F.

The conversation provided an opportunity to reflect on an issue that has become increasingly urgent: as feminist organisations and narratives are increasingly silenced, anti-gender movements are gaining strength around the world. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, these movements need to be understood within the country’s specific political and social context, including its deep ethnonational divisions and ongoing struggles over identity, religion and political authority.

My contribution to the podcast episode drew on my research paper Anti-Gender Politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Another Instrument of Ethnonationalist Mobilisation. In the conversation, I reflected on the relationship between anti-gender politics and ethnonationalist mobilisation, and on how anti-gender narratives become politically effective when they connect with existing divisions, fears and struggles over national identity.

The podcast brings together two perspectives: that of feminist activist and Croatian parliamentarian Rada Borić, and my own, drawing on my academic research. Rada Borić captured what lies at the heart of these movements: a fear of women, a fear of equality and a fear of understanding those who are perceived as different. As she emphasised, anti-gender movements are fundamentally anti-democratic and seek new ways of exercising power over those expected to remain obedient.

Moderated by Ines Baždalić, the conversation connects academic research with activist experience and political practice. It invites listeners to consider anti-gender mobilisation not simply as opposition to particular gender-equality policies, but as part of a broader challenge to pluralism, human rights and democracy.

I am grateful to have contributed to this important conversation and particularly pleased that Riječ na F creates a space for engaging with diverse feminist voices and experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. I warmly recommend the podcast to anyone interested in feminist perspectives on the political and social developments shaping the country.

You can listen to the podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=kZcwNiosQj0&ra=m