Masculinist conjuncture, affective governmentality, and the growth of authoritarian political projects

Across Europe authoritarian right-wing populists join anti-gender debates to re-establish traditional gender relations and to re-affirm masculinity. However, these right-wing political projects have been “normalized” (Ruth Wodak) or mainstreamed as traditional conservative parties follow this path of masculinism. Using the example of Austria with a long tradition of a right-wing populist party and an obviously “radicalized” conservative party, this paper takes up the notion of a “conjuncture” (Stuart Hall, Lawrence Grossberg) and interprets recent anti-gender and anti-feminist mobilization as a new “conjuncture of masculinism”. Neoliberal transformations of economic, social and cultural relations, including gender and sexual relations, have been interpreted by these actors as a “crisis”. To “solve” this crisis, right-wing and conservative actors suggest a “masculinist identity politics” as part of an affective governmentality. This includes the mobilization of fear of losing wealth and social security, of anger towards those depicted as ‘Others’ and as undeserving, of new exclusive solidarities and securities (love for Heimat, love in heterosexual relationships/families) and the promise of a better future by compensating shame and reclaiming agency through authoritarian leadership. promises to compensate shame through anger and to through leadership. The paper aims at identifying different forms of masculinities in this recent conjuncture.