"Nós, mulheres, atraímos outras mulheres": a potência da presença feminina no processo de expansão e consolidação da extrema direita

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the methods adopted by the Far Right to secure the support, approval, and, to a moderate extent, the participation of women in the political sphere. Through a qualitative analysis, supported by a combination of literature review and the examination of the positions held by far-right women, this study seeks to investigate which concepts related to gender and femininity are instrumentalized to enable nationalist, xenophobic, and conservative agendas. From this perspective, three main points were proposed to structure the analysis: (i) femonationalism; (ii) anti-gender discourses; and (iii) the anti[1]feminist movement. Drawing on authors such as Cas Mudde (2022) and Sara Farris (2017), the objective of this work is to explore how female figures play essential roles in the consolidation and expansion project of the Far Right, although it does not aim to present quantitative data to demonstrate these outcomes. Thus, this research seeks to contribute to intersectional debates between gender and the phenomenon of the rise of the Far Right, highlighting a common sexist framework—non-homogeneous in its performance, yet still solid—that the Far Right strategically appropriates from gender issues to serve its interests