Changing societies meet political inertia: common grounds for climate activists and populists?

The understanding of what democracy means and what a citizen’s role in democratic society is has never been the same for all people and nations. However, current developments seem to differ from the conventional depiction of democracy as an “essentially contested concept” (Gallie 1956) and suggest a fundamental shift in citizens’ views of democracy and their roles (Schnaudt et al. 2021). This is visible in different ways. On one side, we witness a rise of preferences for a- and anti-democratic political arrangements, accompanied by a parallel group of citizens with thriving interest in direct democratic and ubiquitous political engagements (Zorell and van Deth 2020; also e.g. Bäckstrand 2003; Dobson 2004; Mounk 2018). On another side, political apathy and alienation of some is facing a continuous expansion of political participation to everyday activities by others. What the different positions seems to unite is a dissatisfaction or disillusionment with current democratic systems and where democracy is heading (Wike et al. 2021). That these poles are only seemingly opposing becomes particularly visible – and pertinent – in relation to environmental and climate politics. For one, same people seem to be drawn to more than one pole. For example, same engage in and call for more direct forms of citizen participation in climate politics, while in parallel calling for increased governmental intervention to push through socio-ecological transformation. These calls have in turn been labelled by others, typically right-wing leaning citizens, as ‘climate dictatorship’, who themselves engage in protest against democracy. For another, different groups seem similarly dissatisfied with how politics is (not) tackling their issues (climate change or international migration, which often is rooted in climate change as well). In response, increasingly more of these individuals seem to lose faith in the power of traditional political spheres and rather use daily live as venue for political protest (e.g., Deflorian 2020). These developments are accompanied by deep socio-political tensions and essentially changing political landscapes, which are importantly shaping the successes and failures of advances in environmental and climate politics. However, citizen’s shifting demands for and patterns of participation seem only partially be accompanied by corresponding shifts in how political representatives think, talk, and (re)act. The workshop is interested in taking a closer look at topics that inform our understanding of the link between climate activists’ and populists’ conceptions of politics and democracy, between their demands and repertoires of action, and how this is linked to how political representatives respond to them. A guiding question for the workshop is, if we are witnessing unequal speeds of change and adaptation to the shifting challenges posed by environmental and climate crises among citizens and political representatives; and if so, in what way and with what consequences. The consideration of these distinct groups tends to take place in separate strands of research. The workshop seeks to bring together the different researchers, and to build on, connect, and thus expand on existing research on climate movements, environmental politics and those that oppose it, both within the citizenry and in politics.