Call for Papers
The German Politics Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association (PSA), supported by the Institute for German Studies at the University of Birmingham, invite proposals for papers for a one-day workshop on the theme of ‘German Politics in Times of Populism’. The workshop will be held at the University of Birmingham on Friday, 17 November 2017.
The workshop seeks contributions which focus on German politics in an ‘age of populism’ during which populist parties have made great strides at elections and in which populist movements have made headlines. Landelections in Germany saw the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) succeed, and the 2017 federal elections may see the AfD enter the Bundestag for the first time. This newcomer party itself has challenged established political actors, but German politics have been confronted with further challenges – many of them connected to the rise of populist politics. Among these are the integration of asylum-seekers and refugees, and the threat posed by right-wing, left-wing and Islamist violence. On the supranational level, the continuing EU and Euro crisis and the consequences of ‘Brexit’ dominate Germany’s EU policies. On the international level the frayed relations with Russia and Turkey, and the complicated transatlantic partnership play a significant role in German domestic politics and in the electoral competition ahead of the September elections.
This one-day workshop will assess these dynamic developments in German politics in the year of the federal elections. We welcome papers that examine various aspects of the domestic, EU and international challenges German politics faces, including, but not restricted to, the following topics:
- The 2017 Bundestag elections- is populism here to stay?
- The rise of populist parties and extra-parliamentary movements and their impact on the political system
- What is ‘populism’?
- Pan-European populism? Populist parties in Germany and beyond
- The future of the transatlantic relationship in the populist age
- Interactions between populism, radicalism and extremism in theory and practice
- German politics and Brexit
- Germany and the EU in times of populism
- The ‘refugee crisis’ and its impact on German politics
- The politicisation of social media communication and ‘post-truth politics’
We welcome interdisciplinary and comparative approaches. Early career researchers and doctoral students are particularly encouraged to contribute to the workshop.
Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words to Ivor Bolton (IMB127@bham.ac.uk) by 30 August 2017. Also contact Ivor should you have any questions on the workshop, its organisation or thematic orientation.
We are also planning a roundtable discussion on the theme of ‘Populism in Europe’ and will announce participants soon.
Morning and afternoon refreshments and a buffet lunch will be provided by the GPSG and the IGS.
We look forward to receiving your abstracts and welcoming you to Birmingham!
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/government-society/centres/igs/events/2017/11-17-german-politics-times-populism.aspx