[Commlist] CFP Book on Everyday Democracy: Building Resilience Against Polarization and Radicalization

CFP deadline Nov 22nd: Book on Everyday Democracy: Building Resilience 
Against Polarization and Radicalization

This CFP, requiring no payment from the authors, is a shared space where 
scholars and practitioners explore various aspects of everyday 
democracy, particularly in the context of polarization and 
radicalization. Polarization, aligning societal differences along a 
single dimension, poses significant risks to democracy by fostering 
opposition and conflict (McCoy et al., 2018). Radicalization, often a 
consequence of polarization, involves individuals or groups moving away 
from mainstream ideologies toward more extreme positions, sometimes 
leading to violence (Schmid, 2013).

By examining how everyday democracy interacts with these processes, this 
book aims to provide new insights into how democratic resilience can be 
built in the face of polarization and radicalization. Through a broad 
approach encompassing various societal systems and institutions, the 
book explores the complexities and nuances of these challenges, offering 
a deeper understanding of everyday democracy and its potential to 
mitigate the risks of polarization and radicalization.  Read more below 
or 
athttp://lnu.se/en/research/research-projects/project-the-book-everyday-democracy/ 
<http://lnu.se/en/research/research-projects/project-the-book-everyday-democracy/>.

Interested chapter contributors are welcome to propose chapters that 
showcase the wide spectrum of research on polarization and 
radicalization in relation to democratic values. Examples of topics 
chapters can address in the three respective categories that form the 
framework of the book, include but are not limited to the following:

1. Collaborative Forms:

• How participatory governance initiatives, such as citizen assemblies 
or deliberative practices, can foster democratic resilience against 
polarization and radicalization

• The role of digital platforms and open government practices can play 
in promoting dialogue, common understanding and a cohesive society

• Ways in which citizen professionalism and public-work democracy can 
foster everyday democratic engagement that counters radical ideologies 
and polarization

• How collaborative action research methodologies can facilitate 
depolarization and democratic discourse

• Avenues for interdisciplinary approaches (e.g. politics, sociology, 
and science) to enhance the effectiveness of everyday democracy in 
counteracting radicalization

2. Interaction Cases:

• Cities where shared governance of public spaces foster democratic 
engagement and challenge local extremism or exclusion

• Art and cultural institutions, or local libraries, engaging e.g. 
marginalized youth in democratic processes

• Schools where democratic practices have been implemented, making use 
of e.g. participatory decision-making and curriculum design

• Everyday democratic practices in cities or local communities facing 
different types of crises (such as inequality, climate change, or migration)

• NGOs and community-led fact-checking initiatives aiming to counter 
microradicalization

• Lessons learned from the Dialogue to Change Approach (also known as 
Dialogue to Action)

• The contribution by makerspaces, graffiti, and other art forms in 
contributing to everyday democratic engagement in polarized communities

3 Research-Based Explorations:

• How media and social media shape everyday democratic discourse, both 
promoting polarization and offering platforms for counter-radicalization 
and democratic engagement

• The democratic potential of local histories and urban movements to 
reclaim public spaces for equity and inclusion

• The impact of popular culture—music, films, and literature—on shaping 
public perceptions of democracy and radicalization, both positively and 
negatively

• The role of speculative thinking and conspiracy theories in fostering 
or deepening political polarization

• Commonalities and differences in approaches to de-radicalization 
across diverse global contexts

• Feminist perspectives on authoritarian populism as seen through the 
boundary work in everyday life

Submission guidelines

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please submit an 
extended abstract (max. 500 to 750 words) of your proposed chapter and a 
short biographical note (max. 150 words) by 22 November 2024, 
(toeverydaydemocracy /at/ lnu.se) <mailto:(everydaydemocracy /at/ lnu.se)>. Chapter 
submissions and further editorial and peer reviews will be carried out 
via a publishing platform.

The extended abstract must clearly state the intended analytical goals 
and empirical/theoretical coverage of the proposed chapter while 
clarifying how the proposed chapter addresses central themes of the 
edited volume. If possible, indicate which category your chapter is best 
suited for, i.e. as Collaborative Forms and Scholarly Approaches, 
Interaction Cases or Research-Based Explorations.

Please include up to five indicative references you plan to use in your 
chapter. While these references might change along the way, they are 
useful to avoid potential overlaps among contributors.

The targeted academic publisher will be chosen after the selection of 
abstracts is finalized. All chapters submitted should be original works 
and must not be under consideration by other publishers.

Important dates

Deadline for extended abstracts: 22 November 2024

Notification of accepted chapter proposals: 29 November 2024

Initial chapter draft: 10 January 2025

Editorial review feedback: 17 January 2025

Deadline for full submissions: 20 February 2025

Peer review: March-April 2025

Submission of revised chapters: 16 June 2025

Expected publication year: Winter 2025/Spring 2026

Editors

Pernilla Jonsson Severson, Associate Professor in Media and 
Communication Studies, Department of Media and Journalism, Linnaeus 
University, Sweden 
Contact:(pernilla.severson /at/ lnu.se) 
<mailto:(pernilla.severson /at/ lnu.se)>

Emma Ricknell, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, 
Linnaeus University, Sweden

Contact:(emma.ricknell /at/ lnu.se) <mailto:(emma.ricknell /at/ lnu.se)>

Contact information

Please contact Pernilla Jonsson Severson (atpernilla.severson /at/ lnu.se) 
<mailto:(pernilla.severson /at/ lnu.se)>if you have any questions regarding the 
chapter proposal.


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