Abstract

Affects and emotions build modes of inclusion and exclusion; they define belonging and non-belonging and hence are important elements of citizenship practices. This chapter analyzes anti-gender mobilizations of the populist authoritarian right in Germany and Austria as forms of governing people through affects and implementing new forms of exclusionary citizenship practices. Right-wing populist parties and organizations across Europe use anti-gender mobilizations to channel affect into opposition against women’s and gender rights and to restrict citizenship rights—not only for women, but for LGBTIQ people, migrants and especially Muslims. In the right-wing discourse (and in some countries in policies) emotions (such as fear or anger but also love, hope and solidarity) are used to categorize people in those who belong and those who do or should not. In the right-wing populist discourse, being or becoming a citizen is based on affective assumptions of gender and granting or denying rights is grounded in this affectivity. Furthermore, affect and emotions are means to make citizens “governable” (in the Foucauldian sense), e.g., that those who already belong agree to right-wing populist exclusive and (gender) unequal political projects. Based on empirical evidence the chapter identifies common patterns of anti-gender mobilization, structures of feelings, affect and gendered citizenship.