New HEPP WPS publication: Reflections on HEPP5

We are now very happy to announce the publication of the fifth volume of the HEPP WPS, . With insightful contributions written and edited after HEPP5, the volume truly captures the breadth of topics connected to emotions, polarisation, and populism that all HEPP participants have come to expect from our events. The articles break down into four categories: theoretical contributions, media approaches, global case studies, and one history piece.  

The opportunities that the HEPP conferences offer don’t stop once the event ends. All participants have the opportunity to publish a piece based on their conference contribution in the , which we launched after HEPP2 in 2021. The HEPP2 conference was held fully online in 2021, and the organizers have opted for a hybrid format ever since.  

This volume reflects the benefit of the hybrid approach as it includes several contributions from hybrid participants, whose conference participation has been hereby enhanced in this collaborative effort. The papers add to the richness and scope of the volume, including not only the range of empirical cases explored in the global case studies section, but also the theoretical depth. The volume also crosses disciplinary lines with, for example, the historical chapter and the pop culture take on populism theory.  

The volume also features a foreword from Emilia Palonen, the leader of the HEPPsinki research group, and an introduction by the volume editors Ilana Hartikainen and Olena Siden, who worked with the contributors and made possible publication by the start of the HEPP6 conference. 

In her foreword to this volume, Palonen reflects on the ways that the contributions in their various ways address social contract theory, as the Horizon project  supported HEPP5. We hope this will act as inspiration for you to think more deeply about how social contracts inform politics and hegemonic contestations today.  

We invite you to explore the volume and engage with the diverse perspectives it brings together. As with previous editions of the HEPP Working Paper Series, this collection reflects not only the intellectual energy of the conference itself, but also the collaborative and open spirit that continues to define the HEPP community. We look forward to seeing how these contributions spark further discussion, research, and dialogue across disciplines and contexts—and to continuing these conversations at future HEPP events.