Gender and Authoritarianism; Substack Live Thurs 7pmET for 5th Anniv. of Strongmen
My essay on the "toxic triad" of homophobia, hypermasculinity, misogyny.
Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers. Our next Q&A will take place on Friday, November 14, 1-2pmET. Our guest will be Soraya Chemaly, an award-winning writer and activist who focuses on the role of gender in religion and politics, and the media. She is the author of Rage Becomes Her and the new book All We Want is Everything. She publishes the Substack newsletter Unmanned.
Paying subscribers will receive a link at 10amET on Friday to register for the Zoom gathering. Those who cannot attend will find the video of the conversation at lucid.substack.com, videos tab. If you’d like to join these informative conversations, you can sign up as paying or upgrade to paid here:
Earlier today, my amazing social media assistant, Lily, reminded me that five years ago today my book Strongmen was published (the paperback edition, with an epilogue on January 6, appeared four years ago). The book came out during the pandemic so I was not able to do in-person events, and it built a large readership slowly, becoming a New York Times bestseller right after the 2024 U.S. election.
To mark the occasion, I’ll be holding a Substack Live “Ask Me Anything” on Thursday, November 13, at 7pmET.
Everyone is welcome to join these Lives, you just download the Substack app (it’s free, at the App Store), and look for the join link from
Lucid at 7pmET. Reply to this message with your questions about strongmen (the book or the phenomenon) or anything else, or you can email me at contact.ruthbenghiat@gmail.com.One of the things that separates Strongmen from many other studies of authoritarianism is my attention to gender. I have a chapter on masculinity and the ways it interacts with corruption, violence, and propaganda. I observe that women are as much the strongman’s enemy as journalists and the political opposition, and that homophobia is a constant throughout the history of authoritarianism. Even leaders who initially give women more rights, such as Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, persecute LGBTQ+ individuals.
Since we are speaking with Soraya Chemaly on Friday about gender, here is a long essay about authoritarian gender politics and the “toxic triad” of hypermasculinity, misogyny, and homophobia, which has characterized almost every regime across the political spectrum. It first appeared in 2023 so many of you may not have read it.
Dr. Ben-Ghiat, I read Strongmen and found it riveting. Your research and analysis are stunning and well-supported by facts and excellent analysis. I noticed that many or most of the strongmen had reigns of 10 or 20 years. Are we going to be able to topple the regime’s momentum sooner or will it be later? I ask because I’m 71. I’m still able to fight for my beliefs.
Why do some men and even some women feel threatened by women who express indignation, anger, and assertiveness and how do we address that in raising children (and husbands)? How best to express our anger in a productive manner?