Facts

Contact person:
Tina Askanius
Financer:
  • Östersjöstiftelsen
Responsible at MaU:
Tina Askanius
External project members:
  • Maria Brock
Time frame:
01 February 2024 - 01 May 2028
Faculty/department:
Research subject:

About the project

The project investigates networked forms of misogyny in digital environments in Germany, Sweden and Russia. The aim is to analyse how misogynistic ideas are articulated, reproduced and circulated in contemporary online media and transnational flows, with a particular focus on the role of female actors. Women’s role in perpetuating, legitimising and normalising ideas that promote the curtailment of women’s democratic rights and freedoms remains under-researched, as does the interplay between misogyny, racism, anti-feminism and ethno-nationalism. The project therefore turns its attention to misogynistic discourses that are co-produced, curated and disseminated by women in digital media.

The project draws on the latest research in three areas:

  1. Contemporary forms of misogyny online
  2. The relationship between gender and far-right movements, and
  3. The interplay between digitalisation, platform politics and transnational political movements.

To understand the transnational spread of misogyny and how this is facilitated by digital technology, we address the following research questions:

  • RQ1: What forms and tropes does misogyny take in online media in Sweden, Germany and Russia, particularly when articulated and reproduced by female actors?
  • RQ2: How does digital technology contribute to the emergence of digital misogyny by amplifying and connecting actors, discourses and platforms?
  • RQ3: How is digital misogyny constructed at the intersection of white supremacist ideology, heteronormativity and transphobia within and between these countries?

The project contributes new knowledge in two key areas. Firstly, we investigate the transnational dimension of misogyny through a series of case studies in and across Sweden, Germany and Russia. Secondly, we contribute knowledge regarding both the form and content of contemporary misogynistic messages and the digital technologies that enable these ideas to reach and resonate with audiences across transnational contexts.