Gender (In)equality Politics and Policies Amid the Recent Autocratic Turn in Georgia

In this talk we will examine recent developments in Georgia’s domestic and foreign affairs that signal a sharp turn toward autocratic governance. In addition to outlining the ruling party’s crackdown on democracy and the ongoing public resistance to it, the speakers will explore how anti-gender propaganda and the erosion of gender equality legislation and policies are being used by the government to consolidate its authoritarian rule.

The discussion will also address the evolution of public attitudes toward various aspects of gender equality over the past decade, possible connections between the dynamics of these attitudes, government policies, and the politics of resistance.

Refreshments will be served after the talk.

Nino Javakhishvili is Professor of psychology and the director of MA and PhD programs in social psychology at Ilia State University, Tbilisi. She designed the first gender studies master program at Tbilisi State University in the South Caucasus and directed it for 5 years. Her main research interests are prejudice,
attitudes, gender-based violence, among others.

Tamar Tskhadadze is an Associate professor of philosophy and the director of Gender Research Centre at
Ilia State University, Tbilisi. Her research interests include feminist epistemology, feminist ethics and
political theory, far-right and anti-gender movements, feminist and queer movements in Georgia.