Contested Democracies – Gender Studies as Studies of Democracy

(Special Issue 7)

Liberal democracy is, by now, widely diagnosed as being in profound political crisis. The impossible-to-ignore rise of right-wing authoritarian forces has prompted calls from civil society and institutions alike to defend and protect democracy.  From the perspective of (intersectional) gender studies, this prompts a series of questions, beginning with: What does democracy actually mean in different contexts? We welcome both theory-based and empirical contributions to this special issue.

Editors are Christina Brüning, Funda Hülagü, Mike Laufenberg, Johanna Leinius und Inga Nüthen. We cordially invite you to submit an abstract by 18 October 2026.