Perspectives on Political Culture: Old Questions and New Developments

This section is concerned with traditional questions of political culture research and novel developments and applications of the concept alike. Recent conceptual and theoretical research on political culture has explored, for example, different forms of democratic support and identities, has discussed the role of emotions in orientations towards the political system, and considered different (and novel) forms of political representation and their connections. New definitions and typologies of political culture have been developed, including those that can be applied to autocratic regimes and those that aim to understand recent democratic transformations and backsliding. Political culture also plays a key role in empirical research on pressing contemporary issues in politics and society, where it either serves as an explanation for – or is itself explained by – recent global developments. It is at the core of research on the continued success of populist movements, in work on the influence of nationalist movements, for example, in the construction of national identities, and in studies on the emergence of a socio-cultural cleavage. Recent work has also offered insights into increases in political mistrust and distrust and their consequences for democracy, the impact of multiple and concurrent crises on political orientations more broadly, and the threat of political conspiracy beliefs and concerns about electoral integrity on political behaviour. This section welcomes research on a broad range of questions and topics in the area of political culture. It is open to papers taking a theoretical or conceptual perspective, as well as empirical (both qualitative and quantitative) papers, in particular those that use political culture in the context of contemporary developments. To allow a comprehensive understanding of political culture, an interdisciplinary approach is required, and we welcome papers from all subfields, including, but not limited to, (political) sociology, political psychology, political theory, political philosophy, comparative politics, cultural studies and history, and welcomes research studying different geographic areas and different political regimes. Papers may be organised along the following panel themes but we also welcome independent submissions on other topics of political culture. 1 The history and theory of political culture research (chair: Stephen Welch) Political culture has been a contested idea since its inception, encountering methodological dispute internally and criticism externally. Its own history is a projection of trends, currents and fashions in political science, some of which merit recovery. Its relationship with adjacent or alternative concepts, which have proliferated, is also insufficiently worked out, creating a pressing need for consolidation, as opposed to mere recapitulation, in the discipline. 2 A culture of suspicion? Trust, Mistrust, Distrust, and Conspiracy beliefs (chair: Nadine Zwiener-Collins) Concerns over declining levels of trust - and their consequences for democracy - are not new, but have received renewed attention amid ongoing crises and the continued success of populist movements. This panel invites contributions examining political trust, mistrust, and distrust in both democratic and authoritarian regimes, as well as related concepts, such as political cynism or conspiracy beliefs. Papers may explore the drivers and impacts of these dynamics across various political contexts, or examine the role of trust in sustaining or challenging political stability and legitimacy. 3 Political culture in polycrisis times (chair: Martin Neumann) It is often said that in current times crises are not the exception but the rule: pandemic, various military crises, or climate change and its associated extreme events. This panel inquires about the effects of a continuous polycrisis situation on political culture. At first sight, the effects are unclear: from increasing solidarity and cohesion in an exceptional situation to spreading mistrust, disagreement, and emotional and cognitive overload. Contributions may investigate, for instance, the effects on political participation. However, being faced with multidimensional crises that call for urgent action also has effects on systems of governance, be they e.g. either tendencies towards technocracy or populism. Therefore, contributions are also welcome, which investigate the mutual feedback loops between the effects on systems of governance and political culture, for instance the role and perception of public health authorities during the pandemic. 4 Inequalities and polarisation (chair: Stephen Welch) Divisions in political culture have become a prominent theme, bringing into question earlier assumptions of cultural consensus – though discussion of ‘culture wars’ already raised this possibility some time ago. Explanations are varied, ranging from socio-economic inequality and exclusion to ‘backlash’ caused by changes in political culture itself. Papers extending, developing and evaluating these explanations are invited. 5 Collective identities (chair: Martin Neumann) As a shared sense of belonging to a group, collective identity is both a psychological component of political culture and the marker of a culture’s boundary. A prime example is the idea of the nation and nationhood and the relation between different nation-states. Ever since Benedict Anderson’s claim of imagined communities, and despite the effects of globalisation, the relationship between political culture and such concepts stands in need of clarification. However, national identity is but one example of collective identities, which attach also to movements, classes and parties. Theoretical and descriptive investigations of identity formation and effects, as a key aspect of the dynamics of political culture, are invited. 6 Citizenship (chair: Nadine Zwiener-Collins) This panel focuses on the norms, values and behaviours associated with citizenship across different contexts, regimes, and times. Papers in this panel might explore recent transformations in citizenship norms and practices, focussing, for example, on the role of globalisation, migration, and multi- and transnational identities in the construction and understanding of citizenship or the impact of digital spaces and online networks on civic identities and engagement. Broader investigations of dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, belonging, or the concept of citizenship are also invited.