AntiGenderInBiH · Anti-democratic/anti-gender nexus in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The recent rise in anti-democratic discourses and politics in Europe has been linked with a rise in opposition to women’s and LGBTIQ* rights. I call this link the “anti-democratic/anti-gender nexus” and argue that we need to explain the exact nature of the link, to understand the rise of, and develop strategies to combat, de-democratization processes in Europe. The project AntiGenderInBiH focuses on how gender and sexuality are governed and framed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). As a potential EU accession candidate, BiH has positively identified the need to promote diversity and equality within its population. Yet opposition to them, and particularly to LGBTIQ* rights, has been increasing. Working with Prof. Roman Kuhar at the University of Ljubljana, I will pursue two connected research objectives. Firstly: to analyse the “anti-democratic/anti-gender nexus” empirically in the BiH context. By applying a triangulation of methods, including Interpretative Policy Analysis and Critical Frame Analysis, I will analyse policies developed on the national and the level of the two entities Federation of BiH and Republic of Srpska relating to the governance of gender and sexuality issues as well as discourses on these issues mobilized by media and activists. Through this, I will identify potential anti-democratic/anti-gender frames, policies and networks, in BiH. Secondly: to conceptualize the “anti-democratic/anti-gender nexus” theoretically, combining my data with a critique of existing theoretical explanations. This will provide novel theoretical explanations that will allow myself and other scientists in the field to identify the links between anti-gender and anti-democratic discourses and politics and explain the rise of the “anti-democratic/anti-gender nexus”. The novel empirical insights and successful conceptualization can serve as a basis for policy- and decision-makers in BiH and the EU to tackle the problem of increasing attacks on democracy and human rights.