Conferences and workshops
DVPW Conference 'Political Climate Change'
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 polarisation 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 fuelling the authoritarian temptations. Simultaneously, global (ecological) protest movements not only manifest anger and frustration but also demonstrate the politicisation 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 "Democracy Research", DVPW Standing Group "Comparative Dictatorship and Extremism Research"
Local organisers: Timm Beichelt, Michael Minkenberg, Sonja Priebus, Zsuzsanna Végh
Conference languages: English and German
Follow the conference on Twitter (X) #DVPWVP22
Workshop 'Covid Crisis Discourse'
Authors' Workshop and Special Issue
Covid Crisis Discourse
2-3 December 2021
online
Amelie Kutter (European University Viadrina)
Christiane Barnickel (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Hannah Broecker (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität)
Elena Dück (Universität Passau) for the Discourse Group of the DVPW
The workshop ‘Covid crisis discourse’ brings together researchers and students who want to share their findings on ongoing research on discourses of the corona pandemic and publish them in the form of blog posts on the blog ‚Krise & Diskurs‘ (CisD). CisD is a platform for brief analyses and reflections on current crisis discourses, their problematic use of language and their political performativity.
More information can be found in the Call for Contributions.
Workshop 'Understanding EU legitimacy'
International Workshop
Understanding EU legitimacy: Cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of the European Union
8-9 September 2021
Frankfurt (Oder)/ Słubice and online
Conveners:
Paweł Lewicki (Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder)
Alexandra Schwell (Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt)
The workshop is organised by the European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder (IFES/EUV) and the Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt (AAU) and funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.