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Why is gender perspective on politics important what makes it relevant and timely today, and what can a gender approach contribute to the understanding of contemporary politics? Gender and gender politics are contested concepts in feminist theory and political science as well as travelling concepts that change meanings in different contexts, influenced by time, place, and space. The Beijing conference in 1995 established a temporary consensus about gender equality and women’s equal rights as (universal) ideals supported by many national governments and by UN institutions. The political conflicts during the last 20 years following 9/11 in 2001 and the subsequent ‘war on terror’ exacerbated the political polarization around gender politics and women’s right. The Arab Spring 2010/11 and the Growth of Rightwing political parties and movements in the West mobilized against women’s rights organizations targeting women’s rights, ‘gender ideology’ sexuality, LGBTQ and abortion issues. These global political developments inspired a growing activism led by younger people across the world concerned with gender equality, women’s rights and abortion, sexual harassment, gender violence and rape, for example Black feminists and minority groups in Black Life Matters, the #MeToo, 'A rapist in your path’ [un violador en tu camino], etc. The post-pandemic period and the experience of living with Corona for more than two years, including the recent War in Ukraine, have affected many people’s lives and futures hard has provided a unique opportunity for collective self-reflection. This inspires existential questions about the implications of contemporary political, social, and environmental developments or gender politics and social justice. The book aims to rethink gender and politics from intersectional and transnational perspectives. The ‘intersectional turn’ concerns the transformation of national politics, democracy, and welfare states premised on the inclusion of women, and other marginalized and racialized social groups. The ‘global turn’ is premised on transnational and postcolonial understandings of the geopolitical, environmental, and social problems from the perspective of social and environmental justice.

Citizenship is essential for our ideas about equality, social justice, and democracy. This is relevant when we think of local, national, or regional forms of citizenship, as well as when we consider human rights and global citizenship. Gender is important for thinking about citizenship since claims for gender equality and social justice are central aims of democratic processes. Gender and gender identity relate to other categories, such as sexual orientation, ‘race’, class, religion, nationality, and indigeneity. Issues over gender and citizenship have been, are, and will be politically contested by a diversity of actors within civil society and political institutions in societies around the world. These issues have engaged many feminist and critical researchers over the years. This paper will eventually function as an introduction to the Palgrave Handbook on Gender and Citizenship (Siim and Stoltz, eds., forthc.). It will therefore provide a brief outline of some of the important theoretical, analytical, and normative approaches, topics, and debates in contemporary scholarship about gender and citizenship. The objective is to give an overview of critical, feminist, and transformative citizenship approaches, key concepts, and innovative research with a special focus on intersectional and transnational approaches. Citizenship is essential for our ideas about equality, social justice, and democracy. This is relevant when we think of local, national, or regional forms of citizenship, as well as when we consider human rights and global citizenship. Gender is important for thinking about citizenship since claims for gender equality and social justice are central aims of democratic processes. Gender and gender identity relate to other categories, such as sexual orientation, ‘race’, class, religion, nationality, and indigeneity. Issues over gender and citizenship have been, are, and will be politically contested by a diversity of actors within civil society and political institutions in societies around the world. These issues have engaged many feminist and critical researchers over the years. This paper will eventually function as an introduction to the Palgrave Handbook on Gender and Citizenship (Siim and Stoltz, eds., forthc.). It will therefore provide a brief outline of some of the important theoretical, analytical, and normative approaches, topics, and debates in contemporary scholarship about gender and citizenship. The objective is to give an overview of critical, feminist, and transformative citizenship approaches, key concepts, and innovative research with a special focus on intersectional and transnational approaches.

Kapitlet giver en kort introduktion til centrale begreber i de tre store (med)borgerfortællinger om frihed, lighed og broderskab: liberalisme‚ republikanisme, og socialisme. Derefter præsenteres hovedtræk i den britiske sociolog T.H. Marshalls klassiske teori om medborgerskab og sociale rettigheder, som er en væsentlig inspiration for Vestens forståelse af det moderne medborgerskab. Kapitlet viser først, hvordan Marshalls ideer om medborgerskab har påvirket den danske/skandinaviske velfærds- og medborgermodel sammenlignet med de liberale (engelske) og republikanske (franske) principper. For det andet præsenteres debatten om og hvordan, de klassiske modellers ideal om lighed kan forbindes med det moderne ideal om anerkendelse af mangfoldighed/diversitet. For det tredje diskuteres det moderne medborgerskabs centrale udfordringer og dilemmaer mellem idealer om inklusion af borgerne og den reelle eksklusion af marginaliserede grupper. Afslutningsvis opsummeres de aktuelle demokratiske udfordringer med at forbinde idealer om medborgerrettigheder med EU-rettigheder og universelle menneskerettigheder.

This paper makes five claims: 1.Exclusionary nationalism presents challenges as well as threat to the politics of democratic citizenship. 2. In the age of migration, scholars need to reframe theories of democratic citizenship bridging diverse bodies of literature. 3. Critical scholarship must to transcend methodological nationalism and develop approaches integrating trans-national approaches to democratic citizenship. 4. Citizens’ emerging resistance to exclusionary nationalism presents new potentials but also problems for the evolution of inclusive democratic citizenship. 5. The concluding reflections point towards the need for democratic citizenship theory and research to rediscover the politics and practice of inclusive solidarity. The paper aims to analyze the new forms of ethno-nationalisms challenging citizenship, (gender) equality and solidarity across Europe. It explores the intersectional dilemmas of migration politics following the immigration and ‘refugee crisis’ reflecting critically upon the links between exclusionary nationalism and acts of solidarity. The theoretical and methodological approach integrates key concepts from citizenship, nationalism and gender theories with special emphasis on the interface of migration, gender and race/ethnicity. The family often plays a key role in nationalist politics of belonging and scholars tend to agree that nationalist discourses reflect a gender bias that construct men and women differently in their public and private lives. Yet no agreement exists about how to gender nationalism or about strategies to counter nationalist projects through acts of solidarity and resistance.The empirical part gives an overview of recent studies of gender and neo-nationalism and identify a variety of opposition to migration, (gender) equality and human rights across Europe influenced by the countries’ histories, cultural and political developments. The main part examines citizens’ activism against racism and discrimination from the Nordic region. The focus is on exploring the influence of exclusive nationalism on politics and acts of solidarity against the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim consensus from the particular Danish context. The paper employs an intersectional approach to analyze the acts of citizenship and solidarity focusing on the agency, goals, strategies and motivations of activist groups. It asks who the activists are, how they enact citizenship and solidarity and to what extent they practice inclusive solidarity that link anti-racist strategies with claims about women’s, sexual rights and gender equality. The aim is to add knowledge about strategies to overcome the challenges that ethno-nationalism presents for citizenship, (gender) equality and social justice from the particular Nordic context. The perspective is to analyze the conditions for fostering inclusive solidarity against exclusionary nationalism focusing on the intersectional relations between immigration, gender and race/ethnicity.

Populism is an area of growing concern in contemporary Europe and scholars interpret the rise of populist radical right parties as a challenge to liberal democracy, freedom and gender equality. The chapter analyses the relations between populism and gender across Europe and within the European Union. It demonstrates that mainstream literature on populism, with a few exceptions, has neglected gender issues and perspectives. The chapter pinpoints at a ‘gender gap’ in the scholarly literature, since populism research lacks systematic studies of gender and populism. It proposes that mainstream literature on populism and the feminist literature on reframing of gender and right wing populism still presents two separate bodies of literature. Gender scholars tend to agree that neo-nationalist (and populist) discourses reflect a gender bias, which construct men and women differently in their public and private lives. Yet no agreement exists about ways to gender populism or about the implications for gender, equality and feminist politics. Research concludes that populism is contextual and identify a growing of opposition to gender equality across Europe and in the EU. The chapter ends by discussing strategies to overcome the populist challenge to democracy, (gender) equality and social justice from transnational EU perspectives. Populism is an area of growing concern in contemporary Europe and scholars interpret the rise of populist radical right parties as a challenge to liberal democracy, freedom and gender equality. The chapter analyses the relations between populism and gender across Europe and within the European Union. It demonstrates that mainstream literature on populism, with a few exceptions, has neglected gender issues and perspectives. The chapter pinpoints at a ‘gender gap’ in the scholarly literature, since populism research lacks systematic studies of gender and populism. It proposes that mainstream literature on populism and the feminist literature on reframing of gender and right wing populism still presents two separate bodies of literature. Gender scholars tend to agree that neo-nationalist (and populist) discourses reflect a gender bias, which construct men and women differently in their public and private lives. Yet no agreement exists about ways to gender populism or about the implications for gender, equality and feminist politics. Research concludes that populism is contextual and identify a growing of opposition to gender equality across Europe and in the EU. The chapter ends by discussing strategies to overcome the populist challenge to democracy, (gender) equality and social justice from transnational EU perspectives.

Inspired by Jodi Dean’s understanding of the reflective solidarity of strangers, this contribution explores forms of migrant solidarity and resistance in Copenhagen and Berlin. It investigates how ‘hybrid’ forms of solidarity emerged out of different circumstances in Trampoline House and the Oranienplatz refugee protest camp. The two selected cases are particularly interesting for exploring how models of contentious and non-contentious civil society mobilization and engagement cope with inequalities, disagreement and differences; how awareness of inequalities affects relations of solidarity between refugees and local activists as well as between groups of refugees. The analysis suggests that despite the substantial differences between the two cases, the groups involved in the research experienced similar challenges in overcoming inequalities and diversity. Arguably, the tensions and disagreements within groups can potentially develop into forms of reflective solidarity, aimed at reshaping the boundaries created by differences of race, class, ethnicity and gender. Inspired by Jodi Dean’s understanding of the reflective solidarity of strangers, this contribution explores forms of migrant solidarity and resistance in Copenhagen and Berlin. It investigates how ‘hybrid’ forms of solidarity emerged out of different circumstances in Trampoline House and the Oranienplatz refugee protest camp. The two selected cases are particularly interesting for exploring how models of contentious and non-contentious civil society mobilisation and engagement cope with inequalities, disagreement and differences; how awareness of inequalities affects relations of solidarity between refugees and local activists as well as between groups of refugees. The analysis suggests that despite the substantial differences between the two cases, the groups involved in the research experienced similar challenges in overcoming inequalities and diversity. Arguably, the tensions and disagreements within groups can potentially develop into forms of reflective solidarity, aimed at reshaping the boundaries created by differences of race, class, ethnicity and gender.

The article aims to integrate key concepts from social movement, citizenship and gender theories with a focus on (political) intersectionality at the interface of migration, race, gender and sexuality. It explores the responses from civil society groups to the exclusive intersections of right-wing politics and discourses in Austria and Denmark with a focus on inclusive intersectionality and transversal politics. The article asks if and how the intersectional repertoires of NGOs were able to create transversal politics and joint activities. As a result, the article explains why these NGOs were unable to counter right-wing hegemony.The article uses the cases of Austria and Denmark to illustrate the diverse mobilisations of counter-forces against the attempts to forge an anti-migration and anti-Muslim consensus. The focus is on the mobilisation of anti-racist and pro-migrant groups, comparing their strategies and inclusionary repertoires including feminist claims, the framing of activist citizenship, acts of citizenship and of solidarity. The article scrutinizes strategies of transversal politics against the exclusionary right exist in the two countries and how they are influenced by the different contexts of civil society mobilisation, different political cultures, welfare and gender regimes as well as the differences between right-wing forces in the two countries. The article aims to integrate key concepts from social movement, citizenship and gender theories with a focus on (political) intersectionality at the interface of migration, race, gender and sexuality. It explores the responses from civil society groups to the exclusive intersections of right-wing politics and discourses in Austria and Denmark with a focus on inclusive intersectionality and transversal politics. The article asks if and how the intersectional repertoires of NGOs were able to create transversal politics and joint activities. As a result, the article explains why these NGOs were unable to counter right-wing hegemony.The article uses the cases of Austria and Denmark to illustrate the diverse mobilisations of counter-forces against the attempts to forge an anti-migration and anti-Muslim consensus. The focus is on the mobilisation of anti-racist and pro-migrant groups, comparing their strategies and inclusionary repertoires including feminist claims, the framing of activist citizenship, acts of citizenship and of solidarity. The article scrutinizes strategies of transversal politics against the exclusionary right exist in the two countries and how they are influenced by the different contexts of civil society mobilisation, different political cultures, welfare and gender regimes as well as the differences between right-wing forces in the two countries.

The chapter addresses the new forms of ethno-nationalisms challenging (gender) equality and solidarity in the Nordic region. It explores the intersectional dilemmas of gender politics following the immigration and ‘refugee crisis’ reflecting critically upon the links between exclusionary nationalism and feminism. The theoretical and methodological approach integrates key concepts from social movements’, citizenship and gender theories with special emphasis on intersectionality at the interface of immigration, gender and race/ethnicity. The empirical part of gender, welfare and neo-nationalism addresses the conditions for citizens’ activism against racism, discrimination and ‘othering’ from the particular Scandinavian context. The Danish case-study analyses how Rightwing populism influences politics and acts of solidarity contending with the anti-immigranion and anti-Muslim politics. The focus is on the agency, goals, strategies and motivations of activist group looking at the role women activists and whether gender issues and feminist politics are part of the anti-racist strategies and claims. It examines the potentials for forging transversal coalisions of solidarity against racism and discrimination from the Danish context. The perspective is to discuss the conditions for fostering inclusive solidarity against exclusionary nationalism from the particular Nordic context focusing on the intersectional relations between immigration, gender and race/ethnicity. This chapter addresses the new forms of ethno-nationalisms that are challenging (gender) equality and solidarity in the Nordic region. It explores the intersectional dilemmas of gender politics following growing immigration and the ‘refugee crisis’, reflecting critically upon the links between exclusionary nationalism and feminism. The theoretical and methodological approach integrates key concepts from theories on social movements, citizenship and gender, with special emphasis on intersectionality at the interface of immigration, gender and race/ethnicity. The empirical section on gender, welfare and neo-nationalism addresses the conditions for citizens’ activism against racism, discrimination and ‘othering’ from within the particular Scandinavian context. The Danish case study analyses how right-wing populism influences politics and acts of solidarity contending with anti-immigration and anti-Muslim politics. The focus is on the agency, goals, strategies and motivations of activist groups, looking at the role of women activists and whether gender issues and feminist politics are part of the anti-racist strategies and claims. It examines the potential for forging transversal coalitions of solidarity against racism and discrimination in the Danish context. The perspective is to discuss the conditions for fostering inclusive solidarity against exclusionary nationalism in the particular Nordic context with a focus on intersectional relations between immigration, gender and race/ethnicity.