Contemporary Research in Political Culture

Political culture is a multidisciplinary concept which first appeared in a systematic methodological framework with claims of theoretical-conceptual self-determination, in the early 1960s. In their seminal study, Almond and Verba define political culture as 'the particular distribution of patterns of orientations in political objects among the members of a nation' (Almond & Verba, 1963: 14–15), arguing that the stability of any political regime depends on its political culture being congruent with its political structure. This model influenced most comparative research and theoretical studies of political culture but it was criticized in the early 1970s as well as in later studies, which were carried out with the impetus of the new stereotypes of political practice and behaviour that emerged from the social 'protest movements', which are made to study the unconventional and / or ‘illegal’ political orientations and to explore the role of the value scale. At the same time, efforts are being made to redefine basic concepts of political culture in different concepts, to analyze new models of research, and to transfer the concept and empirical analysis to autocratic contexts. Contemporary research topics in political culture include the relationship between political ideas, discourses, and practices in their broader cultural and social contexts, and the impact of internal and external national context factors. The theory and the research on political culture tries to shed light on crucial problems and challenges in modern politics such as – among other things: ▪️ the different forms of and tensions within democracy ▪️ the construction and representation of national identities ▪️ the trust or mistrust in local, national and supranational institutions ▪️ the origins of political violence and its legacies. These include – but are not limited to: ▪️ recent populist movements in Europe and across the globe and the multidimensional ‘crises’ of contemporary democracies ▪️ the increase of nationalist groups and identity politics ▪️ the influence of populism in politics ▪️ violence within instances of genocide, armed conflict ▪️ internal political conflicts. In studying all these crucial issues, interdisciplinarity is also important because it may create the opportunity for an in-depth analysis of diverse but significant parameters which influence political culture. Thus, the tools and methods of a variety of academic disciplines such as history, political philosophy, cultural studies, political science and sociology, could play a role in analyzing political culture. This Section attempts to include new aspects of this research by analyzing the role of political culture on citizenship, nation building, political stability and change, as well as on public opinion and political representation. Panel 1: Politics and citizenship Chair: Martin Neumann This Panel focuses on the crucial issue of citizenship. Prospective Papers should analyze the political factors which influence the process of building citizenship in old in new democracies. Citizenship is a concept which includes issues of political and social integration, formal and informal processes and characteristics. The research on the political as well as social factors that influence citizenship aspire to offer new understandings, comparisons and analyses among different paradigms. Panel 2: An era of transformations? Political stability and change Chair: Marlene Mauk The equilibrium between political stability and change is important in modern political systems in order to address crucial structural transformations in production and employment as well as changes in everyday life. Political culture of consensus or no-consensus may critically influence the way that transformations are made, the formation of political structures as well as the policies implemented. The energy crisis and the recent pandemic have created enormous transformations, and comparisons are inevitable in understanding the origins of differentiations among policies implemented, as well as possible alternatives, in order to overcome the difficulties. Panel 3: Populism and crises: An interconnection? Chair: Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis Populism is often used as an attempt to gain power and exists (in different levels and with diverse expressions) in all political systems. However, multidimensional crises (economic, health, energy etc.) are opportunities for the growth of populist expressions (right or left), which can create false expectations, cultivate simplification over important political issues and lead to mistrust towards the established political system while increasing social divisions. This Panel aims to critically study populism in different political and social contexts in order to uncover similarities and differences in populist behaviour. Panel 4: Public opinion and political representation Chair: Michail Melidis Democratic culture cultivates democratic people and offers them the opportunity to participate and act towards public issues. Political culture has been considered as a crucial factor which may influence the stances of public opinion and the forms as well as the levels of political representation. The in-depth analysis and comparison of the different aspects that this process entails will offer the chance for fruitful discussion on contemporary political representation and public opinion in different political contexts. Panel 5: Multiple crises and the far-right danger Chair: Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis In an era of multiple crises it seems that the far right is gaining power in several countries through the expression of simplified proposals for difficult issues. This Panel welcomes Papers which focus on the interconnection between multiple crises with the far-right populist agenda. Possible Panel 6: Political trust in the era of pandemic and energy crises The present time is characterized by multiple crises such as the pandemic and energy crisis. It is often questioned whether democratic governance is capable of handling the multiplicity of crises or whether the concurrence of crises overloads modes of democratic decision making. Both the complexity and the urgency of these problems entails the danger of the loss of trust in political decision making.