We encourage the submission of (comparative) empirical analyses, case studies, and substantive theoretical contributions. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
– What countermeasures exist against challenges to democracy? How do they differ between countries and under what conditions do they succeed?
– Under which conditions are actors mobilized to defend democracy? To what extent is this shaped by the broader political context? What role do parties and civil society play?
– What are the promises and risks of acts of resistance? Is there a threat of backlash and how is it dealt with?
– Which tactics are deployed to follow which strategies? What rationales are they based on and what (internal or external) discourses accompany them?
– What specific goals are being pursued? Are there concrete policy demands or rather efforts to gain symbolic hegemony?
– What are possible long-term consequences—for those who challenge democracy, for those who oppose this challenge, and for society at large.
The selection of contributions for this special issue follows a two-step process: We first ask authors to submit an extended abstract (500 words) and a short biographical note (author name, affiliation, position) until October 15, 2024 to confrontingchallenges@gmail.com. The abstract should give a clear and concise overview of the proposed article (question(s), theory, method, and results), and how it relates to the overarching theme of the special issue. After an internal pre-selection (until end of October), we invite authors to submit a full article (by late January 2025), which will then go through the journal’s peer review process.
The special issue is planned to be completed by early 2026, but individual articles can be published online first in advance. In case of questions, feel free to reach out to the guest editors directly:
Marco Bitschnau (marco.bitschnauuni-konstanzde)
Sebastian Koos (sebastian.koosuni-konstanzde)
