Anti-genderism in 280 characters: A study of Matteo Salvini's and Giorgia Meloni’s online discourse

In the past years, anti-genderism has become a growing force in politics. The word ‘gender’ has become an empty signifier to attack queer and feminist agendas, sexual and reproductive rights but also gender studies scholars and courses. Social media, particularly Twitter, stands out in the spread of anti-genderism despite its 280-character limit. Using political netnography and feminist critical discourse analysis, this article maps and analyses discursive patterns in the anti-gender tweets by Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, the two faces of Italian right-wing politics. Applying a Foucauldian theoretical framework on power and knowledge, this article identifies ways of exercising epistemic power, as well as three discursive patterns associated with Salvini’s and Meloni’s anti-genderism, namely, appeals to the traditional family and the protection of children, whataboutism, and femonationalism. The theoretically informed analysis of the politicians’ tweets contributes to a deeper understanding of the Italian anti-gender movement and the relations between power and political language.