7 - 8 November 2024

Contentious Politics within Civil Society: How the rise of new cleavages and the far right transform civil society

Workshop

Organizers: Christin Jänicke, Hans Jonas Gunzelmann, Swen Hutter
Location: WZB Berlin Social Science Center
Date: Thursday/Friday, 7-8 November 2024

 

Contemporary societies in Europe and beyond have seen the emergence of new cleavages, often driven by far-right challengers and cross-cutting traditional political divides. Importantly, these new cleavages have not only put traditional political parties under pressure but have also resulted in a profound politicization of civil society. This development can be observed in a series of trends. For example, a large number of civil society organizations with sociopolitical objectives compared to leisure activities has emerged. At the same time, established civil society organizations (from unions, religious associations, to sports clubs) have been challenged also from within their own ranks by the rise of new political parties and movements and forced to take sides in controversial political debates. The growing politicization of civil society poses a number of theoretical and empirical questions: How do nativist and nationalist actors politicize civil society? What are differences and similarities of politicization dynamics across different civil society fields?  How do established civil society actors respond to these challenges? How do they deal with conflict within their own organizations? What kind of counter strategies work? What are the implications for cleavage politics, social cohesion, and democracy?

At this workshop, we discuss these questions with researchers interested in far-right contention and the politicization of contemporary civil society in Europe and elsewhere. Thereby, we bridge traditional divisions between social movement studies and civil society research. On the one hand, social movement studies have been primarily interested in conflict between challengers and the state and have paid less attention to contention within civil society. On the other hand, civil society research has focused on the realization of social cohesion, civility, and respect and has been less interested in the “dark side” of civil society. We suggest that integrating both areas of research more closely is key to understanding the politicization of civil society.

Next to intensive discussions of the submitted papers, the workshop will feature a public roundtable titled “How Can Civil Society Counter the Far Right? Lessons from Poland and Germany

 

How Can Civil Society Counter the Far Right? Lessons from Poland and Germany

Please register here until October 31, 2024 at the latest.

Roundtable with Grzegorz Ekiert, Heike Radvan, and Heike Kleffner

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has triumphed in recent state elections in Eastern Germany. While the public and scholarly debate often focuses on party strategies and protecting institutional buffers against democratic erosion, the rise of the far right in Germany and other European countries has severe consequences for civil society organizations, initiatives, and engaged citizens committed to a diverse and democratic society. Far-right parties across Europe are proposing to constrain the legal and financial frameworks supporting these actors. Moreover, democratic spaces are shrinking due to the normalization of far-right actors and ideology. Amongst others, counseling centers for victims of right-wing violence report alarming increases in acts of violence against politicians and activists following the AfD's successes in local and European elections this year.

However, civil society is not staying silent. Across Germany, hundreds of thousands have been taking to the streets to defend democracy since the beginning of the year. Examples from countries like Poland also demonstrate that authoritarian and illiberal politics do not spell the end of civic engagement. At the same time, civil society is undergoing structural changes due to the rise of the far right, involving politicization processes within civil society and strong dynamics of mobilization and counter-mobilization. Civil society practitioners and researchers are seeking to understand which strategies work best against the far right and how to protect civil society's power to foster democracy and social cohesion.

On Thursday, November 7th, 2024, Grzegorz Ekiert will kick off the debate with an overview of the situation and lessons learned from Poland. Following his input, Ekiert will engage in a discussion with Heike Kleffner and Heike Radvan, who will reflect on what these lessons might mean for the current situation in (Eastern) Germany.

Speakers:

• Grzegorz Ekiert is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government at Harvard University. His research and teaching interests focus on comparative politics, regime change and democratization, civil society, social movements, and East European politics and societies.

• Heike Radvan is a Professor of Methods and Theory of Social Work at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, with a focus on community work and the prevention of right-wing extremism. Her work combines research and preventive efforts against the far right and expands to include marginalized perspectives.

• Heike Kleffner is a journalist and author, heading the office of the Association of Counseling Centers for Victims of Right-Wing, Racist, and Antisemitic Violence (VBRG). Her expertise on right-wing violence and terror is reflected in various publications, including “Unter Sachsen” and “Generation Hoyerswerda.” Alongside Frank Jansen, she has compiled a comprehensive list of victims of right-wing violence in Germany since 1990.

The event is part of the workshop “Politics within Civil Society. How the rise of new cleavages and the far right transform civil society” on 7./ 8. November 2024.