Call for submissions | Fourth annual conference “Democracy in Crisis: Possibilities for Resistance and Social Transformation” | SOS4Democracy

The European Project “Social Sciences for Democracy – SOS4Democracy” invites you to submit an abstract for its fourth annual conference,  “Democracy in Crisis: Possibilities for Resistance and Social Transformation”.

We invite academic and non-academic contributions from diverse disciplines and fields of practice, including empirical, theoretical and historical perspectives. Suggested themes include:

• Illiberalism and the centralisation of power: weakening democratic institutions, checks and balances, and accountability.
• The rise of populist politics: the rise of populist movements and their impact on democratic institutions, political discourse and social cohesion.
• The limits of international law in times of remilitarization: the limits and possibilities of international law in the context of armed conflicts, growing military spending and militarisation.
• Technology and the reshaping of democratic environments: the implications of AI, surveillance and emerging technologies for human rights, accountability and democratic participation.
• Repression, securitization, and criminalization of dissent: restrictions on protest, civil society, academic freedom, student activism and journalistic freedom.
• Democratic resistance and civil society mobilization: social movements, strategic litigation, public advocacy, investigative research and other forms of democratic resistance.

Local organizer: Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law Ljubljana

Venue: Institute of Criminology and Faculty of Law, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Dates: 16–18 June 2027

Abstract submission deadline: 15 February 2027