In June 2026, I participated in the European Conference on Politics and Gender (ECPG) in Newcastle, where I presented two papers: Crossing Ethnopolitical Boundaries? Anti-Gender Discourse and the Moralization of Political Belonging in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, together with Ayşe Dursun, Towards a Careless Democracy.
Presenting this work gave me an opportunity to discuss different but closely connected dimensions of contemporary politics. The first paper examined how anti-gender discourse shapes ideas of political and moral belonging in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus influences how democracy and democratic principles itself are understood. The second explored the idea of a “careless democracy”, that is propagated particularly by right-wing political actors though not only taking away care but also ‘transforming’ state-based care provision to symbolical care. The discussions surrounding both papers were insightful and constructive. I received thoughtful feedback that helped me sharpen the presented conceptual framings.
ECPG was also a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and colleagues while meeting researchers whose work I had not previously encountered. What stayed with me most strongly was the importance of having a supportive research community. At a time when gender studies, feminist scholarship and academic freedom are facing growing pressure, spaces that enable critical exchange, solidarity and mutual encouragement matter enormously.
Newcastle