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Abstract

The global resurgence of far-right politics poses a fundamental threat to democratic institutions and the rights of vulnerable groups, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ) and religious communities. While scholars have effectively analyzed the national dimensions of this trend through the lens of "anti-gender" movements, the transnational networks that empower and connect these national efforts remain critically underexplored. This dissertation argues that international right-wing actors function as a cohesive "popular front," a specialized coalition that leverages the distinct resources of activists, policymakers, and knowledge brokers to transnationalize exclusionary politics. To demonstrate this, the project conducts a multi-method qualitative analysis of three key networks: the International Organization for the Family (IOF), the Political Network for Values (PNfV), and the National Conservation Conference (NatCon). Drawing on social movement theory, the analysis examines their documents, public speeches, and media strategies to trace how they mobilize resources, seize political opportunities, and circulate ideas.

The dissertation is structured in eight chapters to build this argument. Chapter 1 introduces the central problem of transnational anti-gender mobilization and presents the study's core research questions and significance. Chapter 2 provides a critical overview of literature on transnational social movements, identifying a specific gap in the focus on liberal and left-wing actors to the exclusion of powerful right-wing networks. Chapter 3 develops the theoretical framework, proposing the "popular front" model as a new way to conceptualize far-right coalition building and transnationalization. Chapter 4 details the methodology, outlining a process-tracing approach that utilizes qualitative content analysis of official documents, conference speeches, and social media data.

The following three chapters present the empirical case studies. Chapter 5 analyzes the International Organization for the Family (IOF), tracing its historical development and its specialization as a platform for mobilizing right-wing civil society actors within international bodies like the UN. Chapter 6 examines the Political Network for Values (PNfV), chronologically assessing its development and its precise impact on shaping family policy through its direct networking of and advocacy to policymakers. Chapter 7 investigates the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon), analyzing its role as a knowledge producer and its function in brokering nationalist ideologies to intellectual and political elites.

Finally, Chapter 8 synthesizes the findings from the three case studies, concluding that the strategic collaboration across activist, policymaker, and knowledge broker sectors is the key mechanism enabling the globalization of anti-gender campaigns. The dissertation ultimately contributes a new framework for understanding the coordinated, transnational nature of the far-right threat, moving beyond nation-centric analyses to reveal the architecture of this powerful international popular front.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JC Political theory J Political Science > JZ International relations
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs > Department of International Politics School of Policy & Global Affairs > School of Policy & Global Affairs Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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