Gender-Based Violence in the Crisis of Patriarchy. Symbolic Transformations and the Case of the Italian Manosphere

Over the past century, the development of feminist scholarship and movements has profoundly challenged the notion of gender as a fundamental ordering principle of Western societies. These transformations have played a crucial role in exposing a system of oppression and domination known as patriarchy, while simultaneously advancing women’s rights in the social, political, and economic spheres. This thesis aims to investigate how the symbolic transformations in the understanding of gender identities and gender relations can offer valuable insights for the interpretation of gender-based violence among younger generations. By combining theoretical and empirical approaches, this thesis analyses the phenomenon of gender-based violence through a critical review of gender studies literature and presents an empirical investigation of online discourses circulating within the Italian Manosphere, using Alexander’s theory of the civil sphere as an analytical lens.