Conference of the Standing Group of Extremism and Democracy

About the conference

The Conference of the ECPR Standing Group of Extremism and Democracy provides an interdisciplinary forum for scholars examining the changing relationship between democracy, radical politics, extremism, political violence, populism, and democratic resilience in contemporary societies.

Across the world, democracies are confronting profound political and societal transformations. Democratic backsliding, ideological polarisation, political violence, and declining trust in institutions increasingly challenge democratic governance. At the same time, populist parties, radical political movements, extremist organisations, and anti-system actors have become more visible in electoral politics, civil society, and digital spaces. These developments are accompanied by rapid technological change, as social media platforms, artificial intelligence, and other digital technologies reshape political communication, mobilisation, radicalisation, and democratic contestation.

The second edition of the Conference explores these developments from an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together scholars from political science, public policy, sociology, media and communication, history, law, criminology, and related disciplines.

The conference is organised around ten thematic sections. While its theme highlights the relationship between democracy and digital society, it retains the Standing Group’s broad substantive focus on how radical politics, extremism, political violence, and democratic change shape political actors, institutions, societies, and public debates across different ideological and geographical contexts.

Join us to share your research, exchange perspectives, and contribute to debates on democracy in a changing digital society.