GENDER THEORIES AND THE "THEORY OF GENDER". Pro-catholic discourses on the Italian legislation in the field of protection against gender-based discrimination
Author
Notaro, Federica Nygaard
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-10-14
Pages
74
Abstract
This thesis examines pro-Catholic discourses in Italy’s legislative debate on protection against gender-based discrimination, focusing on the parliamentary hearings conducted during the preliminary review of the so-called Zan bill. Despite incremental advances—from decriminalization of same-sex relations in 1890, to legal gender recognition in 1982, and civil unions in 2016 (the Cirinnà law)—Italy still lacks a national law safeguarding against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, with multiple proposals failing, most recently the Zan bill. In a context marked by strong Catholic roots and the Vatican’s proximity, the study analyzes which specific ideologies and argumentative patterns pro-Catholic actors advance in the hearings, and how these relate to the broader notion of a “gender ideology.” Methodologically, it applies critical discourse analysis to qualitative hearing transcripts, supplemented by a quantitative overview of the hearings, and is framed by discourse–power perspectives and gender theory. The societal relevance is underscored by recent evidence (Ipsos; ISTAT-UNAR) documenting significant discrimination in workplaces and daily life, frequent microaggressions, and high perceived discrimination against trans and non-binary people, alongside comparatively lower acceptance levels than in much of Western Europe. This excerpt sets out the background, research question, and methods; the analytical findings are presented in later chapters.
Specialet undersøger pro-katolske diskurser i den italienske lovgivningsproces om beskyttelse mod kønsbaseret diskrimination med afsæt i de parlamentære høringer om det såkaldte Zan-forslag. På trods af visse fremskridt – fra afkriminalisering af forhold mellem personer af samme køn i 1890, over mulighed for juridisk kønsskifte i 1982, til civilunioner i 2016 (Cirinnà-loven) – mangler Italien fortsat en national lov, der beskytter mod diskrimination på grund af seksuel orientering og kønsidentitet; gentagne lovinitiativer er faldet, senest Zan-forslaget. I en kontekst med stærke katolske rødder og Vatikanets indflydelse fokuserer studiet på, hvilke specifikke ideologier og argumentationsmønstre pro-katolske aktører artikulerer i høringsfasen, og hvordan disse forholder sig til den udbredte omtale af en “køns-ideologi”. Metodisk anvendes kritisk diskursanalyse af kvalitative høringsudskrifter, suppleret af en kvantitativ oversigt over høringerne, og teoretisk forankret i diskurs-magt-perspektiver og kønsteori. Emnets samfundsmæssige relevans underbygges af aktuelle undersøgelser (Ipsos; ISTAT-UNAR), der peger på betydelig diskrimination i arbejdsliv og hverdagsliv, hyppige mikroaggressioner samt en høj oplevet diskrimination mod trans- og ikke-binære personer, parallelt med lavere acceptniveauer end i mange andre vesteuropæiske lande. Dette uddrag præsenterer baggrund, forskningsspørgsmål og metode; resultaterne af analysen fremlægges i de efterfølgende kapitler.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]