Billionaires, backlash and the phallic symbolism of space colonisation
Billionaires burning inordinate amounts of fossil fuels to undertake their own personal joyrides into space have occupied international headlines this month, in what has sickeningly been dubbed the “billionaire space race”. Meanwhile, rolling news of floods, fires, and droughts continues, […]
Reinterpreting the global tide of patriarchal backlash
This week we learned that US conservative state lawmakers have proposed more than 110 ‘anti-trans bills’ across America. Coming only a month after a UN envoy – on the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention – warned of a pandemic of violence against women, we […]
Then and now: limits to gender justice in Uganda
Ever since the inaugural celebrations of the International Women’s Day 110 years ago, humanity has been exhorted to challenge the status quo to actualise women’s empowerment and, ultimately, equitable benefit for all. Uganda too, in both its colonial and post-independence […]
COVID-19 and government inaction leaves domestic workers in crisis in India
In recent years, India has seen a wide-ranging retrenchment of hard-won labour rights with serious consequences for working communities in general, and for the rights of women workers. This has only worsened since the onset of the global pandemic and […]
Backlash in the digital space in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a rich history of social and political struggles and movements for independence, democracy, constitutional rights, punishment for war crimes, justice against rape and many other social injustices. Protests are faced with backlash and resistance in the forms of […]
Women take centre stage at India’s ongoing efforts to curb dissent
Over the last few years, India has faced a series of backlash against feminist and progressive politics. There have been concentrated efforts to close spaces for democratic dissent and democratic accountability in the public sphere. This has happened simultaneously with […]
Reclaiming gender discourse to fightback against backlash
The convergence of a global gender backlash, with the gendered impact of COVID-19, including the significant increase in the burden of unpaid care, and levels of domestic violence, presents both a rather bleak picture and an opportunity to galvanise for […]
Trump’s Defeat: Celebrate, Recharge and Resist
Donald Trump was defeated earlier this month in the 2020 US presidential election. He is still yet to formally concede, but at present – in these bleak times – progressives everywhere have cause for celebration. This is especially the case […]
The state of anti-feminist backlash in Bangladesh
Our perspective on anti-feminist backlash in Bangladesh is based on understandings of structural, political, economic and social forces, and the dynamic power exchange between distinct groups which lead to progress or backlash. In this non-linear narrative of progress and backlash, […]
Feminist and progressive politics face a backlash in India
India is in the throes of a period of seismic backlash against feminist and progressive politics, and the pace of change, particularly since the outbreak of the pandemic, has been breakneck with serious consequences for women’s equality and human rights. The pandemic, […]
Continuing the fight for women’s rights in Lebanon
While the Arab region represents a diverse configuration of countries, their one commonality is their poor standing in terms of women’s rights. They share patriarchal structures and increasing conservative movements combined with a lack of political will to advance the […]
The struggle for gender justice in Uganda
There are different critical junctures in Uganda’s history from which debates on gender justice, equality and women’s rights can be traced. One of these significant moments is the “guerrilla bush war” led by Yoweri Museveni between 1981-85. Many women participated […]
