We cordially invite you to a meeting with Prof. Johanna Kantola, a renowned researcher in the field of gender studies, equality policy, and feminist analysis of European institutions.
The meeting will take place on 26 May 2026 from 10:00 to 11:30 in the Czarnowski Room.
During the meeting, Prof. Kantola will deliver a presentation entitled “Gender Equality and the Politics of Resistance in the European Union”.
The presentation will focus on gender equality policy in the European Union between 2019 and 2024, during the term of the European Parliament and the first term of the European Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen. This was a period of significant yet ambiguous changes. On the one hand, the European Union made considerable progress within the framework of the Union of Equality programme. After a long hiatus in adopting new equality directives, five new legal acts were adopted, and the European Commission presented five equality strategies, including a gender strategy and the first-ever strategies on LGBTQ+ rights and combating racism. On the other hand, during the same period, radical right-wing populist parties and far-right groups gained strength in Europe. Their anti-gender politics created an unfavourable environment for advancing gender equality initiatives within the institutions of the European Union.
In her presentation, Prof. Kantola will outline the latest research directions on equality and the politics of resistance in the institutions, public policies, and governance systems of the European Union. She will discuss both the impact of anti-gender politics on the functioning of European institutions and the feminist institutional responses to these challenges.
Registration: https://forms.gle/SpuXV7ZjErar13kq5