Barbara Pisciotta
Barbara Pisciotta and Daniela Verena Huber explore how populism fuels societal divisions and provides fertile ground for democratic backsliding. This allows populist leaders to increase their own power at the expense of the opposition Read more
Zohreh Khoban
To achieve systemic change, it is essential to connect self-transformations. By exploring the recent protests in Iran, Zohreh Khoban makes the case for social bonds created through solidarity Read more
Francesco Spera
The European Union has built its normative concepts on Europe's postwar consensus, focusing in particular on Holocaust trauma. But Francesco Spera argues that through past and future enlargements, it is also adapting to Eastern European states' mnemonic paths as they move away from their communist histories Read more
Dimitra Mareta
'Democracy is in crisis'. We have heard this claim since the 1930s, and new terms regularly surface to describe democracy’s transformations through crisis. Of these terms, argues Dimitra Mareta, post-democracy and authoritarian neo/liberalism are the most challenging. While they describe either a strong or weak state, neither term captures the implications for the people living under such regimes Read more
Emilija Tudzarovska
The EU economic crisis revealed a clash between the EU and national authorities. This clash is, however, only one part of the story. Events in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and Slovenia, writes Emilija Tudzarovska, also revealed a crisis of party politics. This crisis has triggered appeals to populism and technocracy – technopopulism – which weakens yet further the institutionalisation of politics Read more
Taina Meriluoto
To strive towards democratic transformations, we have much to learn from marginalised activists. They espouse ‘presentist identities’ to fight the dismissive categories through which other people see them. Presentist identities do not assume a past or a future. Instead, they make us simultaneously perceivable and free, writes Taina Meriluoto Read more
Laia Balcells
Laia Balcells, Lesley-Ann Daniels, and Alexander Kuo highlight the role of contentious territorial issues in shaping societal divisions. They study three European regions —Scotland, Catalonia, and Northern Ireland — that have salient territorial claims but very different histories. All three, however, exhibit striking similarities in levels of social polarisation Read more
Jonathan Klüser
Amid the current Israel-Gaza conflict, social media influencers – previously apolitical players – are crafting persuasive narratives. Their posts may be limited in number, but their influence can be signficiant. We should remain vigilant to their effects, writes K. Jonathan Klüser Read more
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