Femonationalism, feminism, and religion

This chapter discusses the concept of femonationalism by highlighting its key dimensions: convergence and political economy. It then provides an overview of recent femonationalist developments in Europe by focusing particularly on the ways in which far-right parties in France and Italy, alongside some feminists, have mobilised women’s rights within anti-Islam and anti-immigration campaigns. By providing an overview of the rise and consolidation of the femonationalist ideology in these countries, the chapter shows how such an ideology is underpinned by a political economic logic, which allows us to decipher the ‘rescuing’ narratives addressed to Muslim and migrant women as ways to segregate them in the sphere of care labour and social reproduction. Finally, the chapter elaborates on the complex intertwining between femonationalism, feminism, and religion. We thus focus on the controversies and regulations over the Muslim veil in various European countries to show how the tensions between religion and feminism can produce exclusion in the name of women’s rights.