International Symposium
From the extremes to the centre and back again? Radicalisation, mainstreaming and reconciliation in local, national and global context
5-7 June 2025
An interdisciplinary symposium that explores the dynamics of negotiating political, ideological, and social positions within national and global contexts
Institute of Culture and Society. University of Navarra. Pamplona.
Melike Akkaraca: makkaracako@unav.es
Different actors, such as political parties, political figures, and the media, occupy distinct positions within the public sphere, and these varying spaces can shape their behaviour and discourse in diverse ways. Those within mainstream circles benefit from extensive exposure, which may make them appear more secure or legitimate to the public. However, this visibility also subjects them to heightened scrutiny, often prompting them to adopt less risky positions or employ more nuanced rhetoric. In contrast, actors on the margins may be less recognizable to a wider audience and, consequently, face less public criticism. This can enable them to take clearer and, at times, more confrontational or unfiltered discursive approaches.
These positions are highly fluid, and what once existed on the margins may become mainstream, and vice versa. These processes, whether occurring by chance or design, are observable in their discourse. For example, politicians operating on the margins for a long time will likely adapt their discourse when becoming mainstream, either by mitigating, transforming, or concealing aspects of their ideology, or by linguistically adjusting their discourse.
At the same time, the centrifugal and centripetal forces that redistribute positions in the public sphere also affect political actors who have not undertaken significant shifts in position. In some contexts, polarization occurs within traditionally mainstream political parties in response to new movements from the margins.
The complexities of these processes need to be addressed across various disciplines. The conference will focus on processes of radicalization, mainstreaming, and reconciliation in discourse, politics, and social interactions.
Participants
This conference invites scholars from the research fields of discourse studies, discourse analysis, political science, international relations, law, sociology, communication studies, social psychology, and linguistics to explore these questions through various theoretical and empirical lenses.
The symposium will explore the following topics:
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Claiming the Centre: How do political actors, social movements, and institutions assert their positions as "mainstream"? What discursive and strategic tools are used to legitimize their claims?
Contested Ground: How do actors negotiate and compete for positions within the public sphere? What strategies are employed to gain or lose influence?
Subverting the Centre: How do marginalized actors challenge and redefine the concept of "mainstream"? Can the centre be a fluid or contested space?
Moving to the Extremes: What drives individuals, groups, or political movements to adopt more radical positions?
Reconciliation and Return to the Centre: How do societies, political actors, or movements reintegrate radicalized individuals or groups back into the mainstream?
Collateral Effects of the Redistribution of Positions in the Public Sphere: How do shifts in political positions impact other actors, both within and outside the mainstream?
Globalism vs. Localism in Shaping Political Identities: How do global and local forces compete or converge in shaping political discourse? How do cultural, historical, and political contexts shape the dynamics of radicalization, mainstreaming, and reconciliation?
Media, Technology, and the Shaping of Political Narratives: In an era of digital globalization, how do traditional and social media contribute to the amplification of extreme viewpoints, and how do they support efforts for reconciliation or mainstreaming?
Key Dates
Abstract submission deadeline:
31 January 2025
Notification of acceptance:
14 February 2025
Conference Fees:
80 Euros for
participants
40 Euros for
Ph.D. students