When Gender Training Backlashes : Participants’ Resistance and the Fragility of Commonsensical Feminism

Feminist educators often encounter different forms of resistance from both maleand female participants. This article uses a neo-Gramscian theoretical perspective todiscuss the importance of considering this resistance when analyzing the relationshipbetween pedagogical design and outcomes. The study draws on survey data andparticipant observation from a case study of a workshop designed to raise awarenessof gender issues. The results from a before-and-after survey show that the workshophad the opposite effect to the one intended in terms of changes in the participants’perceptions of gender. Having a “failed case” as the center of attention, the articlesheds light on the fragility of mainstream discourse on gender equality and thedilemmas of engaging in a struggle over common sense.Funding agencies: Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilMobiliseringsdidakti