Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Liza Mügge

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Beyond Strongmen: Masculinities, Backlash, and the Future of Democracy

Abstract

Across Europe and beyond, new “strongman” politics mobilize resentment, revive sexist stereotypes, and turn certain masculinities into weapons against gender equality and democracy. What happens to democracy when dominance, aggression, and exclusion are sold as the only “real” masculinity? This lecture asks how we can understand—and undo—the backlash. Drawing on insights from two EU‑funded projects, Push*Back*Lash and MEN4DEM, I explore how violence and inequality is normalized, and why this matters for democratic life.

But the lecture is equally about alternatives: how inclusion, diversity, and empathy can ground more realistic and appealing models of masculinity. I argue that defending democracy requires transdisciplinary alliances among researchers, policy makers, activists, and artists who co‑create knowledge and practice. Through concrete examples—legislative theatre, participatory workshops, and political cartoons—I show how playful, collaborative methods can challenge backlash, open spaces for care and solidarity, and help re‑imagine masculinities for democratic futures.

Bio

Prof. Liza Mügge is Professor in Politics of Diversity at the political science department of the University of Amsterdam. She leads several international research projects funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the European Commission (Horizon Europe) (see politicsofdiversity.eu). She is founding editor of the European Journal of Politics & Gender.