LIST OF PANELS

The terms “backlash” and “backlash politics” are essential elements of the contemporary political landscape. They are often used to denote conservative mobilization against policies supporting human rights, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have not been left unscathed: they are perceived as a hegemonic global political program, constituting an increasingly questioned and even contested agenda (Munro, 2023). In various contexts, the movements against the SDGs have expressed their disagreement through a multitude of channels, ranging from citizens taking to the streets to officials at the highest level taking a stand, including presidents. Their opposition appears through the explicit rejection of certain institutional notions and recommendations that are currently considered predominant at different levels, whether locally, nationally, regionally, or internationally (Alter & Zürn, 2020). These movements question fundamental principles such as human rights, the importance of protecting the environment and ecosystems, and the necessity of vaccines for public health, as well as social advances such as gender parity and women’s rights. More important, they also challenge the policies and measures implemented under the 2030 Agenda, often arguing that these initiatives compromise national sovereignty, hinder economic development, or threaten cultural and traditional values.  
 
This panel aims to explore the dynamics of backlash and to understand its implications and its effects on public policies in terms of sustainable development. It will contribute, both theoretically and empirically, to this emerging literature (Alter & Zürn, 2020; Patashnik, 2019; Paternotte, 2021; Patterson, 2023; Snyder, 2020), by focusing at the same time on the analysis of backlash actors, their mobilizing forces and their ideas, as well as on the policies they dismantle, circumvent, or adopt when they come to power. These analyses will consider the constraints and requirements of sustainable development, addressing issues related to family farming, agroecological practices, climate change adaptation, biodiversity preservation, and the fight against inequalities regarding gender, education, health, and the recognition of traditional communities and indigenous knowledge. Above all, this issue aims to examine the contextual specificities of the emergence of these backlash actors, movements, and policies, as well as their crystallization and diffusion. 

The panel seek to explore backlash politics, particularly how opposition to sustainable development goals (SDGs) manifests in contemporary public policies, across different political areas and at different scales (local, national, regional, and international). We call for innovative contributions and little-explored perspectives. Proposals may include case studies of specific actors or movements link to SDD., analyses of backlash strategies, and assessments of how these actors challenge existing policies or introduce alternative agendas when in power. Papers should be theoretically grounded and empirically rich, contributing to academic discourse dissecting for instance how ideas, institutions, and interests are at stake (Hall, 1997; Palier & Surel, 2005; Patterson, 2023). Topics of interest include backlash-driven modifications in public policy areas such as family farming, agroecology, climate change adaptation, biodiversity, and social equity—particularly regarding gender, cultural preservation, indigenous rights, and public health. This panel is particularly interested in research that examines the local, national, or regional contexts in which these backlash movements arise and in understanding how their ideas spread and gain traction. Comparative studies and papers offering a global or cross-regional perspective on the backlash against SDGs are especially encouraged, as they can help illuminate patterns and variations in backlash politics across different societies.