Articles

Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has been a central element of the Georgian Dream’s anti-democratic turn towards the far right. How do anti-LGBTQ+ statements and policies help GD expand its grip on power, and why does this strategy work? 

In this article, the author examines the role of masculine governmentality in sustaining President Aliyev's authoritarian traditionalism through a poststructuralist feminist lens. They explore the structural dynamics of gendered power in autocratic leadership, analysing how masculinity intersects with governance to reinforce Aliyev's regime.  

Trans men in Azerbaijan face severe challenges when trying to express their gender identity. In an environment where society, especially their families, finds it difficult to accept them, leading their daily lives becomes a significant problem. They struggle to survive independently while confronting both legal and social obstacles.

Participants in the discussion – Tamta Mikeladze, Tamar Tskhadadze, Eka Aghdgomelashvili, and Shota Kincha – examine both the global and local dimensions of relevant political and democratic crises, as well as accompanying neo-conservative and anti-gender shifts, ultimately offering a complex and multilayered analysis.

LGBTQ+ people and their families face severe social discrimination in Azerbaijan. Based on testimonies, in this article, the author explores the struggles of LGBTQ+ youth in Azerbaijan who are disowned by their families and the personal and societal challenges these families face. The article also speaks about the solidarity between LGBTQ+ individuals and their family members during harsh times and discusses family dynamics. 

We are presenting an article by Zlatiborka Popov-Momčinović concerning the political and legal situation of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, originally published in Bosnian and English on the website of the Heinrich Boell Foundation Sarajevo office. 

The author explores how a woman’s personal history can be used as a tool to reinterpret the nation’s political past by harnessing and liberating both collective and personal archives, along with other vessels of memory. This perspective is crucial for revisiting and reassessing history.

What challenges do young migrant women face in care work, and how do the politics of care capture their most personal experiences? In this text, the author shares her story of working as an au pair, exploring the emotional complexities accompanying gendered and geopolitically predetermined care work.

While the impact of war and militarism is often studied in relation to women, this article looks at the relationship of toxic masculinity, militarism, homonationalism, and queerness in Azerbaijan in the context of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Men, unlike many women, continue to avoid discussing the societal pressures associated with beauty standards, harming their mental health and overall well-being. In this text, the author attempts to understand this phenomenon and describes the evolution of the idea of masculinity among young Georgian men, and the transformation of their bodies, or how new norms shape new bodies.