Far-righting feminism? Criminalising street harassment in France and Britain

Abstract

How are feminist causes appropriated by the far right? Drawing on a comparative study of policies criminalising street harassment in France and Britain, this thesis explores how contextual factors may facilitate the appropriation of feminist causes by opposed political actors. The analysis draws on 84 semi-structured interviews with policymakers and activists involved in the policy process in France and Britain, and with farright activists who appropriated the cause in France. It also relies on a critical analysis of policy documents, a six-month participant observation in a British feminist collective, and digital observations of far-right groups in France. The findings reveal three key dynamics. First, institutional contexts of feminist governance significantly shaped feminists' access to the policy process. In France, the strong state feminism paradoxically excluded feminist activists who opposed the criminalisation reform. In Britain, where feminism is less institutionalised within the state, an NGO led the criminalisation campaign alongside a feminist collective. Second, this different role of feminists, coupled with the distinct repertoires of gender and race, influenced the framing of street harassment. In France, the absence of an intersectional lens and denial of racism contributed to the racialisation of sexism, whereas in Britain, the neoliberal logics of the NGO-feminist campaign led to a dilution of the feminist perspective in the final law. Third, these framings have oriented the different evolutions of the cause: while it aligns with the broader neoliberalising of feminism in Britain, it has been appropriated by far-right activists in France. The research demonstrates that the translation of contentious feminist causes into public policies can foster their appropriation by the far right, fuelling femonationalism. It contributes to gender policy analysis and the sociology of social movements, by showing that institutional contexts and policy framing shape the political opportunities for opposed political actors.

Keywords

• Public policy
• Feminism
• Racialisation of sexism
• Intersectionality
• Femonationalism
• Far-right
• France
• Britain