Call for Papers: Current Populism in Europe and the Role of the Media

3rd International Populism Conference in Prague
22 – 23 May 2017, PRAGUE

Goethe-Institut Prague, Masarykovo nábřeží 32, 110 00 Prague 1

The spread of populism represents one of the most acute challenges to European liberal democracies. To understand the dynamics of populist behaviour and strategies, it is crucial to analyse the relationship between populism and the media, and to discuss the phenomenon of “media populism”. In the context of upcoming elections in various EU member states, it will be especially important to assess the penetration of populist attitudes into the mainstream political space and the resulting shift in the entire political landscape. The conference is open to theoretical aspects of populism, as well as to the presentation of empirical studies on issues such as the media strategies of populist politicians, movements or parties; the way the media covers populism; the interlinkages between the media and political leaders; and the implications of media coverage on the political space. Particularly welcome are comparative analyses of individual EU member states, and special attention will also be devoted to comparisons with the situation in the USA.

Within this context, the conference encourages papers on the following topics:
- Conceptualisation of and approaches towards European populism
- Impacts of populism on the political culture and the political mainstream
- Populism and the role of the media
- Global shifts towards populism in comparative perspective

Confirmed speakers are:

          Hanspeter Kriesi (European University Institute, Florence)
          Wolfgang Merkel (Berlin Social Science Center)
          Donatella Campus (University of Bologna)
          Yannis Stavrakakis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

Submit a conference proposal

Applicants are invited to submit abstracts of up to 300 words and short CVs to mejstrik.m@fsv.cuni.cz by 28 February 2017. Accepted papers will be announced by 15 March 2017. There is no conference fee for participants. More details will follow on the conference website http://populism.fsv.cuni.cz.