Gender-sensitive language, linguistic ‘truths’ and antigender mobilizations in times of ‘gender crisis’ in Serbia

Résumé 0

Until the adoption of the Law on Gender Equality (2021) (LGE), gender-sensitive language was primarily the subject of scholarly works in the field of feminist linguistics and feminist activism in Serbia and the broader region, but it did not attract the attention of the general public. Public debates about its use emerged on the eve of the LGE in Serbia, and intensified especially after its adoption. LGE foresaw that the provisions on gender-sensitive language will enter into force three years after the adoption of the law - on June 1, 2024. In response to this, discussions about gender-sensitive language have become increasingly more inflamed and the public has become strongly polarized, with the involvement of powerful actors from the cultural, social and political life of Serbia. Public opposition to gender-sensitive language led to a broader anti-gender mobilization of various social actors who began to demand not only the abandonment of gendersensitive language but also the overthrow of LGE. Eventually, the Constitutional Court in Serbia issued a decision on June 27 suspending the adoption of acts on the basis of the Law on Gender Equality until the completion of the constitutionality assessment procedure. The aim of the paper is to present the main ongoing public debates and statements and to identify the key actors. Subsequently, we analyze the themes and arguments that make up the ideological discourse against gender-sensitive language in the public sphere, including the scientific claims to linguistic ‘truth’ and ‘accuracy’, and wider social arguments of ‘gender crisis’ and threat. The paper uses a critical discourse analysis that aims to provide insight into how the arguments are interconnected and contextualized, and how they are connected to broader anti-gender ideological discourses, anti-gender mobilizations and contemporary discourses of crisis.