We are living in a time of prolonged and overlapping crises that shake our sense of security and undermine our trust in institutions. We are witnessing the advancement of ideologies based on violence, intolerance, neglect, and the erosion of fundamental rights and freedoms. Confrontations, polarization, and anti-democratic illiberal trends are becoming increasingly evident and fuelling the growth of extremist modes.
New Eastern and Western political elites advocate exclusion, demonize dissent, and exploit nationalistic tropes. Polarization fosters extremist narratives with severe consequences for democratic practice. Extremist ideas are constructed, circulated, consumed, and reproduced internationally. Recent political dynamics in Europe and Eurasia challenge the conventional notion of the imagined "East" as inherently more susceptible to extremism, and the imagined "West" as inherently more insulated from such tendencies.
The question arises: why are the traditional strengths of democracy now vulnerable to the advance of extremism? What happens when extremism infiltrates mainstream politics and distorts ideologies and cultures? When extreme parties are de-marginalized, and grabbing positions of power? When authoritarian regimes oppress the opposition under the guise of fighting extremism? What then is the meaning of “extremism”?
The conference aims to discuss these challenging questions and troublesome developments.
More information on the schedule, Call for Papers, and practical issues on the Conference website.