Politics from below: Reasserting or transcending the democratic paradigm?

We are looking for PhD and MA students who would like to present their current research on Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union as part of the ZOiS Conference virtual Poster Session. The call is open to all disciplines until 15 December 2020.

• Applicants must be working on their Master thesis or a PhD project
• The poster topic should be connected to the conference’s theme “Politics from below: Reasserting or transcending the democratic paradigm?” (this could mean that you present only a part of your project or look at your research topic from a slightly different angle)
• Candidates must provide a short summary of the poster content (max. 300 words)
• Deadline for poster proposals is 15 December 2020 (events(at)zois-berlin(dot)de)
• Your A1-format (landscape) research poster should summarize your project and provide a basis for the discussion. To learn more about designing research posters consult guides.nyu.edu/posters

Politics from below: Reasserting or transcending the democratic paradigm?

What do recent regional or global trends of mass protests tell us about the state of democracy and authoritarianism and about state-society relations more generally? The 2019-20 ZOiS Conference explores the factors shaping recent waves of protest activism. Are there similarities in the strategies of mobilization used across regimes, spaces, countries and regions? What is the age profile of those who make themselves heard in different political settings around the world? What is the role of different off- and online-spaces enabling or constraining mobilization? Has Covid-19 changed the politics from below? Through dialogue between different academic disciplines and area expertise, the conference will assess whether regional and global trends of mobilization from below fit into a democratization paradigm or whether it constitutes a new, local and potentially more radical form of politics that transcends the dividing line between democratic and authoritarian regimes.

Anja Krüger
events(at)zois-berlin(dot)de