Conference Details

Amended conference dates: Friday 27th March 2026 & Saturday 28th March 2026
Location: Online (hosted by Queen Mary University of London)
Format: Online and free of charge - to ensure fair access.
Deadline for Registration (attending only): Monday 23rd March 2026, 08:00 UK time; details below.

Overview

In recent years, the promotion of gender-inclusive language has been a focus of social, political, and institutional reform across the globe. However, in many contexts, this momentum has slowed, stalled, or encountered significant resistance.

This conference brings together scholars and practitioners to examine the current contestation of and resistance to the implementation of gender-inclusive language across different cultural and institutional settings. The focus will be on domains of action and influence, rather than isolated language case studies.

Registration for attendance

To register as an “attending only” participant (i.e., without presenting, but possibly taking part in discussions, etc.) please click here. Please note that the deadline for registration is Monday 23rd March 2026, 08:00 UK time. Note that accepted presenters (names below) do not need to register.

Please note that the schedule of presentations is now complete, no further proposals will be accepted.

Preliminary Conference Programme

Friday 27th March 2026

08:00 – 08:15 Welcome (Falco PFALZGRAF, QMUL)

Panel 1: Grassroots & Discursive Resistance

08:15 – 08:45
Lindsey STEVENSON (Sydney)
Backlash and Discursive Struggle in French TikTok Discourse: Debates in the comment section of #écritureinclusive
(Abstract available in due course)

08:45 – 09:15
Jochen MATTHIES (Halle-Wittenberg & Berlin)
"L'état, c'est they" – Investigating the opposition to gender-inclusive language in non-binary Wikipedia biographies.
(Abstract available in due course)

09:15 – 09:45
Rosalba NODARI (Siena) & Sara GEMELLI (Bergamo & Pavia)
The Schwa-Pill: Backlash Against Italian Gender-Inclusive Language as a Gateway to Anti-Feminist Discourses.
(Abstract available in due course)

09:45 – 10:00
15-minute break

Panel 2: Cross-Linguistic and Pronoun Resistance

10:00 – 10:30
Antonella BOVE (Venice) & Federica MARENGHI (Venice)
Exploring AI-Resistance to Degendering Strategies in Italian and Spanish.
(Abstract available in due course)

10:30 – 11:00
Amanda REMSÖ & Emma A. RENSTRÖM (both Kristianstad & Gothenburg)
Ideological Roots of Resistance Toward Gender-Inclusive Policies: Distinguishing Between Multi-Gender and De-Gender Policies.
(Abstract available in due course)

11:00 – 11:15
15-minute break

11:15 – 11:45
James Gareth PENNELL-TUTILL (Newcastle)
Between Acceptance and Resistance: Discursive Backlash to Gender-Neutral Pronouns in English and French.
(Abstract available in due course)

11:45 – 12:15
Abdelhamid M. AHMED (Doha) & Lameya M. REZK (Doha)
Backlash and Bilingual Practice in the Gulf: Tracing Gender-Inclusive Reference and Institutional Contestation across L1 Arabic and L2 English Student Writing.
(Abstract available in due course)

12:15 – 13:00
45-minute lunch break

Panel 3: Political Discourses and Campaigns

13:00 – 13:30
Jens FLEISCHHAUER (Düsseldorf)
On the rejection of gender-inclusive language in the German political discourse – An analysis of press statements from right-wing and conservative parties.
(Abstract available in due course)

13:30 – 14:00
Daniela CESIRI (Venice)
Resistance to Gender-inclusive language in Italian left and right political leaders: a comparative discourse analysis of national vs. international contexts in speeches in English and in Italian.
(Abstract available in due course)

14:00 – 14:15
15-minute break

14:15 – 14:45
Ruxandra VIȘAN (Bucharest)
Gender-inclusive language as an impossible endeavour in Romania: The representation of non-binary linguistic proposals in a language-focused TV show.
(Abstract available in due course)

14:45 – 15:15
Wayne MARTINO (Ontario) & Jennifer C. INGREY (Ontario)
Mapping the emergence of "Groomer" discourses in Canada: A discourse analysis of the proliferation of anti-gender politics targeting trans and queer affirming education and youth in schools.
(Abstract available in due course)

15:15 – 15:45
Falco PFALZGRAF (London/UK)
Linguistic Purism and Resistance to Gender-Inclusive Language: Discourse Strategies of the German Verein für Sprachpflege (VfS).
(Abstract available in due course)

15:45 – 16:00
15-minute break

Panel 4: Legislative and Institutional Resistance

16:00 – 16:30
David HEAP & Yarubi DÍAZ COLMENARES (London, Canada)
The Royal Spanish Academy: Giving ground slowly but still in denial.
(Abstract available in due course)

16:30 – 17:00
Elyx Desloover (Davis)
Counting or Cutting Identity Labels: How Social Media Dealt with Trump’s Orders against Gender.
(Abstract available in due course)

17:00 – 17:15 Day 1 Closing Remarks (Falco PFALZGRAF, QMUL)

 

Saturday 28th March 2026

09:30 – 09:45 Day 2 Opening (Falco PFALZGRAF, QMUL)

Panel 4: Legislative and Institutional Resistance (continued)

09:45 – 10:15
Laura ÁLVAREZ LÓPEZ (Stockholm)
Language as Battleground: Gender-Fair Language in Brazil’s Legislative Arena (2000–2024).
(Abstract available in due course)

10:15 – 10:45
Aleksandra TOMASZEWSKA (PAS) & Anna JAMKA (Warsaw) & Silvia BONAVERO (Verona) & Jelena DANILOVIĆ JEREMIĆ (Kragujevac)
From Enforcement to Resistance: Institutional Guidelines on Gender-Inclusive Language in Comparative Perspective.

10:45 – 11:15
Aline SIEGENTHALER (Fribourg) & Samira OCHS (IDS)
Bans on gender-inclusive language in Germany and Switzerland: From State Policies to Local Practice.
(Abstract available in due course)

11:15 – 11:30
15-minute break

Panel 5: Academia & Education

11:30 – 12:00
Martina GIOVINE (Milan)
Gender-Fair Language and Institutional Normativity in Italian Universities.
(Abstract available in due course)

12:00 – 12:30
Paula BLASCHKE (Düsseldorf)
The discussion of gender-inclusive language school textbooks. A comparative analysis of school textbooks published in France and French as a Foreign Language (FLE) textbooks used in German secondary schools.
(Abstract available in due course)

12:30 – 13:15
45-minute lunch break

13:15 – 13:45
María MUELAS-GIL (Madrid)
Guidelines versus Reality: Gender-Inclusive Language in Teaching Plans and Teacher Practices in Spain.
(Abstract available in due course)

13:45 – 14:15
Sonja WÜRTEMBERGER & Florian PERST (both Bad Honnef / Bonn)
Gender-Inclusive Language Practices among Students in German Distance Education.
(Abstract available in due course)

14:15 – 14:30
15-minute break

14:30 – 15:00
Daniel WALTER (Oxford, Georgia/USA) & Claire SCOTT (Nashville) & Katherine KERSCHEN (St. Louis)
Teaching Beyond the Binary: Perspectives from German as Second Language Education.
(Abstract available in due course)

15:00 – 15:30
Caroline LEBREC (Vancouver)
How to act in non-harmonious time? An educational leadership language teacher approach to the variations of French in Canada.
(Abstract available in due course)

15:30 – 15:45
Conference Closing (Falco PFALZGRAF, QMUL)

Contact

For questions or further information, please contact the conference organiser:

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf
f.pfalzgraf@qmul.ac.uk
Queen Mary University of London
School of the Arts
Mile End Campus
London E1 4NS