Getting the Best of “Unwanted Recognition”

This article examines systematic attacks on Gender Studies as part of broader anti-gender campaigns within illiberal states, using the personal experience at Central European University as a case study. When Gender Studies was deleted from Hungary’s accredited study list in 2017 without consultation, CEU was forced to relocate from Budapest to Vienna in 2020, demonstrating how attacks on academic freedom occur within EU member states rather than distant authoritarian regimes. These attacks transform Gender Studies into “popular science”, where politicians and public intellectuals make authoritative statements without relevant training, paradoxically occurring during renewed public trust in scientific expertise following the pandemic. Illiberal states exploit neoliberal evaluation systems, replacing international peer-reviewed journals with pro-government local publications and reorienting scientific discourse from the Global North toward Russia and China — a twisted form of decolonization that reduces democratic inclusivity. The article argues that European scientific infrastructure remains unprepared for illiberal scientific institutions that appear legitimate but operate fraudulently using neoliberal language of excellence and impact. Resistance strategies include finding alternative sites for knowledge production, redefining scholarly identities, constituting support networks, and mobilizing internationally.