[Commlist] DN35: Mapping and Countering Authoritarian Discourses

Conference

University of Opole, Poland
Collegium Maius, plac Kopernika 11a 45-040
Opole, Poland

Date: 25/02/2027 - 26/02/2027
Registration deadline: 30/11/2026
Call for papers ending on: 23/10/2026

During DN35, we want to reflect on (neo)authoritarianism today, its role in
public discourse, and its impact on contemporary politics. We want to 
map the
discursive construction of the (neo)authoritarian appeal across the Global
North and South, and the ways in which they can be counteracted. We 
welcome a
wide range of methodologies and approaches to researching these issues,
including critical political, psychological, and post-structuralist 
discourse
analysis, corpus linguistics, and rhetorical analysis.

Authoritarianism is a topic with a long history in the social sciences and
humanities, with many important accounts throughout the 20th century by
scholars such as Hannah Arendt, Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, Zygmunt
Bauman and many others. In recent years, the topic has again become an
important part of scholarly reflection, given the growing presence of
authoritarianism in contemporary societies. Even though contemporary
scholarship can draw on 20th-century insights, the present day calls for new
approaches, as authoritarianism itself is taking new forms and using new
devices to win over citizens' hearts and minds.

Neo-authoritarianism is emerging as a hybrid form of power that merges the
familiar concepts of coercion and control with new means such as digital
surveillance, algorithmic manipulation, and other sophisticated tools. Weaim
to broaden this inquiry by considering not only the technological forms of
neo-authoritarian appeal, but also the micro‑level personal authoritarian
dispositions, the metadiscursive framing of authoritarianism as a social
problem, and the material and social infrastructures that shape the
production and circulation of authoritarian narratives. Specifically, we are
interested in the discursive constructions that make authoritarian appeals
attractive and the linguistic resources that are recruited to promote
non-democratic solutions.

For example, in times of uncertainty, when societies seek axiological and
ontological stability, the radicals, extremists, and (neo)authoritarians
promise stability by returning to more traditional forms of social order and
rescuing the “stolen pride”. They persuade the audience through various
rhetorical and eristic strategies, referring to emotions of fear, anger,
shame, and resentment, or by weaponizing cultural wars, anti-gender
narratives, and dreams of nativism in the public discourse. In turn, these
appeals are amplified by communicative infrastructure (e.g., social 
media and
artificial intelligence), making these problems global rather than confined
to the nation-state.

By contrast, democratic movements, progressive politicians, NGOs,
journalists, and activists discursively counter these narratives and
discourses, but these counter-strategies. Despite being in demand, such
discourses may sometimes mirror the very populism they aim to counter. By
creating the opposition of “us – good democrats” and “them – bad
autocrats,” they risk fueling moral panics, deepening affective
polarization, and paradoxically limiting the space for deliberation and
effective articulation of conflicting interests. So, how to counter
(neo)authoritarianism without using authoritarian methods?

We are interested in topics that fit (but are not limited to) the following
scope:

Authoritarian discourses, authoritarianism in discourse and discourses on
authoritarianism;Authoritarianism of the self; elevating oneself and one’s
own opinion to the superior authority, neglecting social conditions of truth
production;Political varieties of authoritarian appeal – from far-right to
libertarian stances;Linguistic patterns and discursive strategies in
authoritarian discourses;Rhetoric of fear, and moral panics in authoritarian
discourses and in the backlash against them;Populist communication stylesin
creating and countering authoritarian appeals;The role of emotions, fear,
shame, grievance, and ‘stolen pride’ in political narratives;Advantages
and disadvantages of polarization/deliberation in the context of
authoritarianism;Resilience and countering authoritarian discourses (civic
education, cultural resistance, satire, etc.);The role of discourse
researchers, how do they talk about authoritarianism and represent it as a
specific form of social and political problem;Digital authoritarianism –
the role of social media algorithms & AI;Material and social conditions of
authoritarianism and the production of authoritarian discourses.
The presentations are scheduled to take 20 minutes, with 10 additional
minutes allocated for discussion.

Reading material

The organisers have published an article in relation to the Call for Papers.
To learn more about the intellectual foundations of this conference, read
their research agenda paper: "Democracy Rebound: A research agenda to 
counter
contemporary autocratization and authoritarian rhetoric [1]", Res Rhetorica
13(3), 2026 (open access).

Keynote speaker:

Prof. Jean-François Caron
	Prof. Jan Zielonka
Submission guidelines:

Abstracts should be to the length of 300–400 words without
references;Remember to include the title of the paper, name, affiliation and
e-mail address;Submit your abstract through the online form [2]; All
conference proceedings will be conducted in English.
Panel's submission:

We accept proposals for pre-organized panels (3–4 papers). A panel proposal
should include a title, a 200-400-word rationale, and individual abstracts.
Please submit them via e-mail: (dn35 /at/ uni.opole.pl) [3].

Important dates:

Abstract submission deadline: 23 October 2026 (final deadline
extension!)Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2026Registration
deadline:  30 November 2026Fee payment deadline: 20 December 2026Conference
25-26 February 2027
Fees & Registration

We want the conference to be inclusive and accessible to researchers at all
stages of their careers. Fees are calculated to cover coffee breaks, 
lunches,
and basic organizational costs.

Conference fee: €70
Social dinner (optional): €30
Note: Participants are required to hold an active DiscourseNet membership
(€60 for 2 years).

Organization and co-operation:

DiscourseNet
University of Opole
Polish Rhetoric Society
Communication Research Section of the Polish Sociological Association
Opole Branch of the Polish Sociological Association

Local organizational committee:

Katarzyna Molek-Kozakowska, the head of the scientific committeeMarcin
Deutschmann, the main organizerRobert RadziejArtur Cedzich
Scientific committee:

Johannes Angermuller, Open University of LondonStefano Boca, University of
PalermoMarcin Deutschmann, University of OpoleBenno Herzog, University of
ValenciaAgnieszka Kampka, Warsaw University of Life SciencesAdam Konopka,
University of GdańskAdamantios Koumpis, University Hospital of CologneJan
Krasni, Technical University of BerlinAmelie Kutter, European University
ViadrinaBarbara Markowska-Marczak, Civitas UniversityRafał Matusiak,
University of OpoleIwona Młoźniak, Jagiellonian University in
KrakówKatarzyna Molek-Kozakowska, University of OpoleMagdalena
Nowicka-Franczak, University of ŁódźJędrzej Olejniczak, University of
OpoleMagdalena Piejko-Płonka, University of Opole Marzanna Pogorzelska,
University of OpoleAnna Radiukiewicz, Institute of Political Studies, Polish
Academy of SciencesJerzy Stachowiak, University of ŁódźMichał Wanke,
University of OpolePrzemysław Wilk, University of Opole
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Marcin 
Deutschmann:
(dn35 /at/ uni.opole.pl)
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