[Commlist] CFP: Character Assassination in the Era of Permanent Crisis

We are pleased to invite you to the 6th CARP Conference, which will 
focus on Character Assassination in the Era of Permanent Crisis.

Dates: May 13-15, 2027
Location: Department of International and European Studies, University 
of Piraeus, 80 Karaoli & Dimitriou Str., 185 34, Piraeus, Greece
Co-Sponsor: The Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation 
Protection (CARP), George Mason University, VA, USA
Abstract Submission Deadline: October 15, 2026

Please submit a 250-word abstract of your paper and a 100-word bio as a 
single attachment to Sergei A. Samoilenko at (ssamoyle /at/ gmu.edu) by the 
deadline listed above.

Conference Context:

Western democracies are grappling with ongoing societal and political 
conflicts that threaten social cohesion, fuel polarization, and raise 
concerns about the stability of democratic systems. Our contemporary 
global society is characterized by ongoing liminality, where temporary 
crises have become persistent and long-term. Incivility in democracy and 
political culture is on the rise, with personal ridicule and unjustified 
attacks becoming commonplace. Populist politicians frequently deploy 
character attacks to elicit reactions and command media attention. In an 
age of globalization, local communities have also become more vulnerable 
to international scandals and reputational threats.

Character assassination campaigns are widely used in political warfare 
against both domestic and international opponents, with strategic actors 
increasingly employing AI and deepfakes to further their causes or 
undermine their adversaries. These factors intensify and reinforce the 
prevailing state of crisis in modern society.

While these trends seem distinctly modern, they echo long-term 
historical patterns. Political upheavals-from classical antiquity 
through early modern religious conflicts to the mass politics of the 
nineteenth and twentieth centuries-have all witnessed surges in 
reputational attacks and propaganda. A historical perspective reveals 
both the persistence of character assassination as a tool of power and 
the ways its forms and effects shift with changing political and 
technological landscapes.

Possible Topics:

Historical examples of character assassination (CA) during political 
conflicts, revolutions, and wars
Psychological theory and CA
Populist rhetoric and ad hominem attacks
International conflict and enemyfication strategies of CA
Weaponization of emotions in CA campaigns
Deepfakes, artificial intelligence, and visual disinformation in CA 
campaigns
Strategic incivility and smear tactics in political campaigns
Memes, caricatures, and ridicule as methods of CA
Call-out and shaming in social media hashtag campaigns
Reputational attacks, brandjacking, and corporate scandals
Reputational security and CA
Reputation management, image repair, and inoculation strategies

The 6th CARP Conference will coincide with the Global Strategic 
Communication Consortium's (GSCC) 2027 Conclave, taking place in 
Dubrovnik, Croatia, from May 16 to 18, 2027. Scholars invited to 
participate in both conferences will receive a special registration 
discount. We encourage all interested participants to take advantage of 
this unique opportunity to engage in both events.



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