Event
Open conversation on populism, illiberalism and extremism

Populism, illiberalism and extremism — Is democracy in Europe at a crossroads? 

Recent decades have seen the rise of political populism, illiberalism and extremism in Europe and other parts of the world. Today, several countries on our continent are governed by politics characterised by nationalism and a societal ideal in which women are expected to take a back seat. In a number of recent elections, such as the European Parliament and some German states, extremist parties were the big winners.   

However, it is not yet fully clear which way the political winds are blowing. In the three Nordic EU countries, far-right parties lost ground in the European elections and the right-wing nationalist ‘Law and Justice’ party was forced out of power last year after eight years in Poland.  

So where is democracy and societal development in Europe heading? In this ‘Open conversation’, we take a closer look at how populism, illiberalism, and extremism are affecting us in Europe.

Some questions to be raised  

• What is the impact of the growing influence of populist movements on our ability to address serious societal challenges such as climate change, migration, and widening economic and social divide? 

• What happens to trust in democratic institutions as populist movements gain ground? How is academic freedom (free research and education) affected by this new political situation? 

• Why are gender issues being weaponised in today's public debate? 

• Can we re-establish political discourse?

Moderator

Rebecka Lettevall, Professor of Intellectual History and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Human Rights 

Participants

• Andrea Petö, Professor of Gender Studies at the Central European University in Vienna and Guest Professor at Malmö University 

• Tina Askanius, Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Malmö University 

• Isobel Squire, Doctoral Student, Global Political Studies, Malmö University