The trajectory and discursive framing of anti-DEI discourses in education in Spain (2010–2025): between global narratives and local struggles

• In Event: Gender Justice and Feminist Intervention in European Education

Proposal

Over recent decades, various education reform scripts have diffused globally, and have been received and translated into multiple contexts (Steiner-Khamsi, 2012; Edwards et al., 2024). One of the most dominant of these has focused on improving educational performance through New Public Management (NPM) logics, emphasizing accountability and datafication (Gunter et al., 2016; Wilkins & Olmedo, 2019; Grek et al., 2021). In parallel, other more justice-oriented reform movements have advocated for greater diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) in education (Ydesen et al., 2023; Besche-Truthe et al., 2024). Among these, reform scripts promoting gender equality and justice in education have been advancing globally for decades, yet have gained greater prominence in recent years within the global education policy field (Monkman & Hoffman, 2013; Lahelma, 2014).

Nevertheless, the advancement of DEI-related policies in education has not come without reaction. In various contexts, narratives opposing DEI have gained traction, influencing national policy debates and, in some cases, leading to the adoption of policies that actively challenge these principles (Dalmaso-Junqueira & Moeller, 2024; Ertem, 2024; Redái, 2024). This trend raises critical questions regarding the mechanisms that facilitate the spread of anti-DEI discourses and policies transnationally, the key actors driving these changes, and the contextual conditions that enable or constrain their adoption.

Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the trajectory and discursive articulation of anti-DEI discourses in education in Spain in the period 2010-2025. In particular, the study addresses two complementary objectives: (1) to trace the trajectory of anti-DEI discourses in education in Spain, identifying key moments, actors, and shifts; and (2) to examine how these discourses frame DEI-related issues—particularly gender and sexual diversity. While grounded in the Spanish context, the study aims to inform broader comparative discussions on anti-DEI discourses in education.

Methodologically, the analysis is based on a corpus of approximately 80 documents published between 2010 and 2025, selected according to their authorship, circulation, and relevance. These include parliamentary speeches, party manifestos, regional education plans, public statements, media columns, and digital campaign materials. Documents were collected from institutional repositories, party platforms, news archives, and social media accounts. In parallel, a mapping of anti-DEI actors was conducted to identify the key individuals, organizations, and coalitions engaged in discourse mobilization. Regarding analysis, the paper draws on insights from Critical Frame Analysis (Verloo & Lombardo, 2007) and focuses on two core dimensions of discursive framing: diagnosis (how the policy “problem” is constructed) and prognosis (how its “solution” is framed). This analytical approach foregrounds how discourses not only reflect but also produce specific understandings of education, childhood, and normalcy (Allan, 2008; Bacchi, 2009; Hyatt, 2013). The study, therefore, builds on the tradition of critical policy sociology (Ball, 2015; Ozga, 2021; Rizvi & Lingard, 2009), which understands policymaking as a contested, non-linear process marked by struggles over meaning.

Preliminary findings suggest that, while Spain is often portrayed as a progressive welfare state with well-established gender equality legislation, it has simultaneously become a fertile ground for growing opposition to DEI agendas in education. This opposition has gained visibility, coherence, and institutional traction over the period 2010-2025. In the early 2010s, contestations remained fragmented and marginal, largely voiced by relatively obscure actors and focused on isolated critiques—particularly around sexuality education. These discourses began to intensify following the establishment of the far-right political party Vox in 2014, but a significant turning point came in 2017. This shift coincided with the rising prominence of feminist movements within the national mainstream—exemplified by massive demonstrations across major Spanish cities and the broader institutional uptake of feminist demands through public policy, including educational DEI measures and contentious debates around trans rights legislation.

Anti-DEI discourse in Spain has coalesced around four core frames: (1) DEI as ideological indoctrination; (2) DEI as a threat to parental authority and freedom of conscience; (3) DEI as an attack on national identity and Western values; and (4) DEI as a supranational imposition, particularly through the 2030 Agenda. Within these framings, DEI in education is not merely constructed as an ‘education issue’ but as part of a broader effort to dismantle traditional social structures, undermine the nation-state, and erode foundational civilizational values. This analysis foregrounds the discursive construction of anti-DEI narratives in education—an area often overlooked in favor of institutional or legal accounts—thus offering insights into how education becomes a site of discursive contestation.

A key point here is that the rise of these discourses cannot be understood in isolation from the broader far-right discursive formations in Spain, particularly those linked to nationalist tensions in Catalonia and the politicization of migration from Africa and the Middle East. The anti-DEI backlash in education is thus not an isolated phenomenon but part of a broader ultra-conservative project that combines Spanish ultranationalism, Catholic moralism, and racialized imaginaries tied to white supremacy—rooted in legacies of Francoism. Therefore, while drawing on globally circulating reactionary narratives—such as opposition to “gender ideology,” skepticism toward multilateral institutions, and the rejection of so-called “woke” agendas (Kuhar & Paternotte, 2017)—, these discourses are deeply embedded in local symbolic repertoires and political myths, such as the defense of Spain’s territorial unity, the sanctity of the (heteronormative) family, and the preservation of Catholic identity. In this regard, this study contributes to ongoing debates by examining how anti-DEI discourses are not only shaped by global reactionary trends but also rearticulated through locally embedded political myths and power struggles.

Author

• Alejandro Caravaca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona