The Institute of East European Studies is inviting interested students and scholars to an international conference titled “Gender – Power – Eastern Europe: Changing Concepts of Femininities and Masculinities and Power Relations” in June 2017. 25 guests from ten different countries are going to discuss the consequences for gender relations posed by the rise of right wing populist parties and conservative movements in Eastern Europe.

This shift to the right has been accompanied by a strong anti-gender backlash on women rights, enforcing traditional gender regimes. In return strong waves of protest among women, LGBT activists and opponents of traditional gender roles and norms developed throughout Eastern Europe.

In this context pressing issues that reflect the power relations of gender like the participation of women in political representative bodies, in boards of management in the workforce, but also domestic violence are discussed.

The conference will focus on the process of societal change and ask how gender regimes have been fashioned and refashioned, and how the nexus of gender and power has been (re)modelled both today and in historical perspective.

Prominent Eastern European scholars like Prof. Agnieszka Graff and politicians like Wanda Nowicka and many others will not only debate about Eastern Europe, but also use this opportunity to build international research networks.