Konferenzen und Workshops

Political Climate Change: Regional, European and Global Comparative Perspectives

The bi-annual conference of the Research Section Comparative Politics of the German Political Science Association (DVPW) was held at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) from 22-23 September 2022. 

What appeared like an unlikely scenario twenty or more years ago has become a fact: in Europe and beyond, the liberal democratic order and its value system are under attack at various levels. We witness political struggles dealing with global and politically infectious problems such as climate change, the financial crisis or, more recently, the Covid crisis. Moreover, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not just a regional war but an assault on the entire international order and the democratic world. These events disclose not only political conflicts within and between states and societies but also suggest that at least some democratic arrangements and processes are ill-suited to tackle these challenges; already, calls for an eco-dictatorship are being issued. This occurs within a changed political climate, in which extremist parties and movements are on the rise, the (strategic) use of misinformation sharpens polarization and governments increasingly rely on illiberal measures as a means of control. Even in established democracies, we are confronted with the emergence of post-truth regimes, in which “truthiness”, “fake news”, and “alternative facts” infiltrate political discourse and blur the lines between knowledge and beliefs, fact and fiction.

In another vein, many governments have begun to use modern communication technologies and AI to monitor citizens, control public life, and collect data on the population and visitors alike all in the name of enhancing security against crime and terrorism. Again, this development concerns not only authoritarian regimes, but also developed democracies. These changes are accompanied by a growing frustration, alienation, and anger of average citizens vis-à-vis their governments and governmental systems, thus fueling the authoritarian temptations. Simultaneously, global (ecological) protest movements not only manifest anger and frustration but also demonstrate the politicization of parts of the allegedly disenchanted youth and other segments of the populace.

From a comparative politics perspective such “political climate change” or even: manifold climate changes pose several critical questions, both theoretically and empirically. We want to bring together scholars who examine these changes and their consequences in a comparative fashion and invite regional, European, and global perspectives. The Section welcomes different theoretical and conceptual approaches, whether novel or well-established, quantitative or qualitative, in order to improve our understanding of the various facets of large-scale political changes in Europe and beyond. It is open to various sub-disciplines, with different methodological and empirical approaches and with scopes ranging from single case studies to large comparative papers.

• Conference Programme

• Detailed Conference Programme

In cooperation with:
DVPW Standing Group "Demokratieforschung", DVPW Standing Group "Vergleichende Diktatur- und Extremismusforschung"
Local organizers: Timm Beichelt, Michael Minkenberg, Sonja Priebus, Zsuzsanna Végh
Conference languages: English and German

Follow the conference on Twitter(X) @Viadrina_IFES. Hashtag #DVPWVP22.

 

Authors' Workshop and Special Issue
Covid Crisis Discourse

2.-3. Dezember 2021
online

Amelie Kutter (European University Viadrina)
Christiane Barnickel (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Hannah Broecker (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität)
Elena Dück (Universität Passau) für die Diskurs-Gruppe des DVPW

Der Workshop ‘Covid crisis discourse’ bringt Wissenschaftler*innen und Studierende zusammen, die ihre Ergebnisse zu laufenden Forschungen zu Diskursen der Corona-Pandemie teilen und in Form von Blogposts auf dem Blog ‚Krise & Diskurs‘ (CisD) veröffentlichen wollen. Der CisD ist eine Plattform für Kurzanalysen und Reflektionen zu aktuellen Krisendiskursen, ihrem problematischen Sprachgebrauch und ihrer politischen Performativität.

Mehr Informationen finden sich im Call for Contributions.

International Workshop
Understanding EU legitimacy: Cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of the European Union

8.-9. September 2021
Frankfurt (Oder)/ Słubice und online

Conveners:
Paweł Lewicki (Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder)
Alexandra Schwell (Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt)

Der Workshop wird von der Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder (IFES/EUV) und der Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt (AAU) organisiert und von der Fritz Thyssen Stiftung gefördert.