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19.10.2026 | College of Fellows

A Strong Man’s Solution: Gender, Democracy, and Threats to Academic Freedom

College of Fellows Semester Opening with a Lecture by Prof. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

The College of Fellows cordially invites all international fellows, members and students of the University of Tübingen to join us for our College of Fellows semester opening with a guest lecture by New Horizons Fellow Professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss.
The reception following the lecture provides an opportunity for exchange and networking, and you can also learn more about the College of Fellows and our activities, and get to know our team.

Lecture abstract:
Gender, misogyny, and machismo are central to the authoritarian playbook—particularly for far-right populists who have gained power through democratic processes. From the pages of traditional newspapers to grinning podcasters, gender-based grievances now function as a powerful lever for mobilizing audiences, subscribers, voters, and donors by convincing them that any shift in gender norms jeopardizes family stability, moral order, and even civilization itself. Around the world, authoritarian leaders are weaponizing gender-based grievances to rally supporters and roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. By casting feminism as a threat to “family stability” and the “moral order,” they seek to shift public sentiment toward a patriarchal, illiberal future. Higher education institutions are right in the thick of this—from attacks on gender and women’s studies to restrictions on transgender student rights and the very definition of sex and gender—universities and colleges are being forced to adhere to retrenched gender policies in order to retain funding. In this talk, I outline the threat to academic freedom posed by the weaponization of gender and put it in the context of larger battles around science, expertise, facts, and the pursuit of knowledge.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is one of the leading scholars in the study of extremism, radicalization, and polarization, whose work bridges academic research and practical interventions. As the director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, her research informs policy, media, and community-based strategies to address pressing global challenges. Her publications and contributions offer critical insights into understanding and preventing the dynamics of hate and violence.
She currently is a New Horizons Fellow at the College of Fellows, affiliated with the Institute for Research on Far Right Extremism (IRex) of the University of Tübingen.