DepolarisingEU
Radical polarisation has become one of the most challenging issues facing liberal democracies in Europe and beyond. While disagreement, contestation, and ideological differences are intrinsic to democratic life, polarisation becomes harmful when it leads to intolerance, hostility, and the erosion of shared civil norms. In digital media, these dynamics are often intensified through affective divisions, disinformation, and algorithmic amplification, resulting in shrinking spaces for dialogue across difference.
This Collection is connected to the COST Action DepolarisingEU – Redressing Radical Polarisation: Strengthening European Civil Spheres facing Illiberal Digital Media. The Action aims to create an interdisciplinary network that advances a common understanding of radical polarisation and identifies successful interventions to de-escalate uncivil and undemocratic partisanship. It brings together researchers, civil society actors, media practitioners, and other stakeholders to explore how depolarisation, pluralism, and democratic values can be strengthened across European civil spheres.
DepolarisingEU Collection welcomes theoretical, conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions that examine the causes, forms, consequences, and possible remedies of radical polarisation. Contributions may focus on Europe as a whole, individual country cases, comparative studies, or transnational patterns, and may engage with both academic debates and practice-oriented interventions.
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
• Conceptual and theoretical approaches to polarisation and depolarisation,
• Civil sphere theory and democratic resilience,
• Mechanisms and processes of polarization,
• Extremism and radical political identities,
• Hate speech, incivility, and democratic backsliding,
• Digital media and affective polarisation,
• Echo chambers and algorithmic amplification
• Civil society, journalism, and fact-checking,
• Depolarisation initiatives and interventions,
• Comparative and country-based perspectives.
This Collection welcomes a wide range of article types supported by Open Research Europe, including research articles, essays, case studies, brief reports, data notes, reviews, open letters, and other relevant formats.
Collection advisors: Maria Luengo (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain), Bernadette Jaworsky (Masaryk University Faculty of Social Studies, Sociology, Czech Republic), Mehmet Comlekci (Kırklareli University, Turkey), Teresa Gil-Lopez (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain), Matthias Revers, Ates Altinordu (Sabanci University, Turkey), Karoline Ihlebaek (Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway)
