Switzerland in the anti-gender space-time: Uneven circulations and contrasted temporalities

Description

Abstract

This presentation examines the uneven circulations and differentiated temporalities of anti-gender politics in Switzerland, showing how linguistic, regional, and institutional specificities structure both the diffusion of anti-gender discourses and the forms of resistance to them. While existing scholarship often treats countries as coherent units, the Swiss case demonstrates how multilingualism, federalism, and media segmentation structure both the importation and the domestication of anti-gender controversies.

We identify three levels of circulation that require moving beyond methodological nationalism. First, transnational circulation is linguistically mediated: Romandie and German-speaking Switzerland are respectively embedded in French- and German-language spheres. France and Germany/Austria act as parallel – though not equivalent – sources of inspiration or rejection, while debates originating in the Anglosphere reach Switzerland either directly or via these linguistic mediations.

Second, diffusion into and within Switzerland’s linguistic regions is frequently hindered. Some controversies fail to travel, while others are unevenly reframed or contained, leading to differentiated levels of salience and legitimacy across regions, and uneven destinies.

Third, Switzerland’s federal, consensus-driven system thwarts national-level scandalization and slows policy change, while locking in progressive reforms once adopted. Cantonal and municipal arenas, in contrast, offer faster routes for anti-gender entrepreneurship. Overall, the Swiss case highlights the importance of subnational spatial and temporal heterogeneity in anti-gender politics.