Political Sociology at the Edge: Resilience, Resistance, and the Rise of Authoritarianism

This section explores the shifting contours of political power, resistance, and identity in the 21st century through the lens of political sociology. The contemporary global political landscape is increasingly marked by democratic backsliding and an authoritarian drift. The rise and consolidation of nationalist and far-right movements have contributed to the erosion of individual and collective rights, the contestation of international norms and global governance, and the proliferation of conspiracy narratives centred on the so-called “gender ideology”, and the perceived decline of traditional values. Emerging autocratic leaders, deploying the rhetoric of democracy and invoking appeals to “the people,” are undermining liberal-democratic institutions while advancing novel forms of imperialism and colonial domination. Social media platforms appear to play an expanding role in facilitating the circulation of disinformation, hate speech, and authoritarian discourses. At the same time, political contention, social movements, and broader forms of resistance and resilience are emerging in response. The main goal of this section is to foster research and scholarship dialogue on democratic backsliding and critical responses to it. By bridging macro- and meso-level political dynamics with micro-level experiences, it aims to promote comparative, transnational, and historically informed sociological inquiry. The following (non-exhaustive) set of questions guides this agenda: How has Trumpism shaped political culture in the United States and Europe, and what are its sociological roots and global ramifications? What role do new social media and digital platforms play in the normalisation of extremist discourse? How is Artificial Intelligence reshaping political communication and enabling new forms of populism and conspiracy thinking? What are the socio-political consequences of algorithmic governance and disinformation? To what extent are European Union policies in foreign affairs, security, and defence taking an authoritarian turn, and how are these developments affecting the EU’s democratic legitimacy? Furthermore, what forms of resilience are emerging in democracies under pressure? What roles do institutions, movements, and civic practices play in defending democratic norms? How do minorities, intellectuals, and transnational actors contest authoritarian developments? Finally, what does an intersectional perspective reveal about emerging political conflicts, and how is authoritarianism experienced and resisted in everyday life? We invite proposals for panels and individual papers that engage critically and rigorously with these transformations, including the impact of technological change, value conflicts, transnational activism, nationalism, populism and the evolving configurations of legitimacy and authority. Interdisciplinary perspectives, comparative analyses, and contributions from early-career scholars are particularly encouraged. We envisage the following topics for the panels, along with their prospective chairs: • Artificial Intelligence, conspiracy theories and populist narratives (Jose Javier Olivas Osuna, UNED - Madrid) • Climate scepticism and democratic backsliding (Cecilia Biancalana, University of Turin) • Decivilizing identities: European nationalism and value transmission (Florence Delmotte, UC Louvain) • Gender, democracy, and the menace of authoritarianism (Giorgia Serughetti, University of Milan-Bicocca) • Political communication in a post-truth era (Hans-Joerg Trenz, Scuola Normale Superiore - Florence) • Populism, nationalism, and the authoritarian turn (Oscar Mazzoleni, University of Lausanne & Alon Helled, University of Turin) • Public Political Sociology and the decline of democracy (Lavinia Bifulco, University of Milan-Bicocca & Tatjana Sekulic, University of Milan-Bicocca) • Radical right and conspiracy (Diana Hofmann, University of Salzburg) • The challenge of rule of law and democratic backsliding (Carlo Ruzza, University of Trento) • Transnationalism, intersectionality, and resistance (Alon Helled, University of Turin) • Trumpism and Beyond: Intellectuals, power, and the new authoritarianism (David Swartz, University of Boston) • War, conflicts, and the crisis of international legitimacy (Tatjana Sekulic, University of Milan-Bicocca)