E. Garcia-Mingo: From Feminist Rage to Male Suffering

Research Factory B/ORDERS IN MOTION

Mi., 09. April 2025, 16:15-17:45 Uhr

HG 109 (Senatssaal)

Prof. Dr. Elisa García Mingo (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

From Feminist Rage to Male Suffering: Affective Circulations in the Spanish Manosphere

In this talk, I address the rise of the anti-gender and anti-feminist reactions in the Spanish context, where anti-feminist discourses have gained significant strength, with the VOX party being one of the main figures. In our digital ethnographic study of the Spanish manosphere, we have identified a key ideological effort that seeks to restore traditional masculinity. Through a series of anti-feminist beliefs, the manosphere not only portrays women as objects to be conquered or downplays gender-based violence, but it also constructs a narrative in which men are the "true victims." This ideology spreads through social media, which has shifted from being feminist pedagogical tools to becoming spaces for anti-feminist pedagogy.

But beyond the ideological work, I explore the affective dimension of the manosphere, that does not just involve the reproduction of ideas, but it also appeals to emotions. The manosphere communicates not only rational arguments but also creates a community of men united by shared experiences and emotions. In the manosphere digital spaces, emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, and wounded pride are validated and amplified. In this way, not only are anti-feminist beliefs reinforced, but a "collective affective fabric" is also built, in which emotions play a central role. I use the concept of “affective echo chambers” to explain how not only misogynistic ideas are repeatedly validated, but also facilitated by a cycle of emotional reaffirmation. This validation not only generates a sense of belonging but also intensifies emotions, further polarizing public debate. It is important to note that emotionally charged content tends to go viral more quickly on social media, giving it a central role in today's digital landscape.

Finally reflect about what types of emotions are currently holding the manosphere together and I state that the dominant emotion in the Spanish manosphere has shifted from anger to a sense of grievance and victimization. The manosphere is constructing a narrative of male victimhood, allowing men to position themselves from vulnerability while simultaneously restoring their rational authority.

Finally, I emphasize that, over the past ten years, there has been an affective exchange between feminism and anti-feminism, leading to what could be considered a "chiasmus": while feminist mobilizations of the Fourth Wave transformed women from "victims" to "activists of rage," men, on the other hand, have experienced what we can understand as a patriarchal retreat. This retreat has manifested itself in anti-gender crusades, where men have appropriated and politicized victimhood, shifting from being "angry white men" to becoming the "true victims" in this anti-feminist narrative.

 

Elisa García Mingo is a senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology: Methods and Theory at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Her research focuses on women‘s rights, sexual violence, digital toxic cultures and feminist activism. She is also interested in qualitative inquiry and digital social research. She leads a research project about digital sexual violence funded by the Spanish Research Agency (2022-2025). She is currently part of the UCM Digital Culture and Social Movements Research Group (Cibersomosaguas). She has been a visiting fellow at University of Firenze (Italy), University of Brighton (UK), University of Aarhus (Denmark), McGill University (Canada), Universidad Católica and Universidad Alberto Hurtado (Chile).