Description
This article examines how decolonial perspectives are inverted and misappropriated through anti-gender rhetoric by politicians such as Orbán, Putin, and Erdoğan. By analyzing their public speeches from 2010 to the present, specifically those addressing gender, the research explores how these politicians selectively appropriate decolonial discourse by portraying gender as a Western epistemic imposition and framing gender justice initiatives as cultural imperialism. The study argues that anti-gender rhetoric systematically opposes gender justice by invoking narratives around the protection of the nation, family, and traditional gender roles, thus reinforcing sovereignty claims and depicting traditional gender roles as threatened by Western imperialism. They frame Western imperialism as an anti-sovereign and anti-traditional force that enforces epistemic hegemony and promotes moral corruption, positioning themselves as resisting this alleged colonial imposition. They co-opt critiques of epistemic colonialism and sovereignty to frame gender justice as imperialist. Family, masculinity, and femininity are strategically repurposed: decolonial concepts originally intended to challenge hegemonic epistemologies are paradoxically instrumentalized to reinforce traditional gender norms against international norms. Consequently, gender emerges as a battleground where opposition to the West intersects with authoritarian governance, as anti-gender rhetoric reframes epistemic decolonization as a tool for resisting liberal norms while reinforcing nationalist and illiberal structures. Epistemic decolonization is thus paradoxically mobilized as an ideological tool within anti-gender discourse, legitimizing nationalist and illiberal governance strategies in contemporary global politics.
