28th Anual Conference of the Hungarian Political Science Association

Call for the 28th Annual Conference of the Hungarian Political Science Association
25-26 May 2023, Szeged, Hungary
University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences

The Russian attack on Ukraine, launched on the 24th of February 2022, shocked the international community, including Hungary and the European Union. The protracted war and its impact, the millions of refugees, the economic consequences, especially those related to energy supplies, and the transformation of international structures and security pose new challenges to both international actors and societies.

The consequences of war and the responses to these challenges arise on several - international, European, national, and sub-national - levels and affect all three dimensions of politics (polity, politics, policy). Questions regarding the transformation of international relations and the nature of power (soft power, hard power, smart power, sharp power), the future of transatlantic relations and NATO, the position of China and Russia, and changes in their relationship with each other and the west became the focal points of scientific discourse.

A key question is how the European Union responds to the multi-dimensional crisis caused by the war. Are they going to choose more Europe as an answer, or will they rely on national solutions? In concreto, it is especially interesting how EU policies directly affected by the war will change, for example, those related to migration and asylum, common foreign, security and defence policies, energy policy, neighbourhood policy, development policy, and enlargement.

On the national level, the question is how the war and the economic and financial crisis it has caused will affect policy and decision-making as member states have already been operating in crisis mode in recent years. How is it going to influence national foreign and security policies, energy, and Europe policies? Will the war and the diverging attitudes towards sanctions create a new cleavage in the EU, NATO, and regional cooperations like the V4? It is also important how the war, the sanctions and their economic and social outcomes appear in political communication and campaigns. How will they affect the support for populist and nationalist parties and movements? Digitalization has not only created opportunities for democratic political systems but also increased risks, especially by hybrid threats and disinformation, making them vulnerable to foreign influences. A great mystery is how these threats can be eliminated without violating freedom of speech and opinion.

Local governments and civil organizations also face a new situation due to increasing social uncertainty and migration while they must maintain their functions in the face of a decrease in their funding. The organizers are expecting submissions from researchers in the fields of political communication, and the European Union policies and decision-making. Hopefully, the conference will contribute to a better understanding of the causes of the Russian-Ukraine war and its impact.

Application Information
Organizers welcome panels and papers in English related to the two sections listed below. 

Deadline of application: 19 March 2023
Applications should be submitted to the chairs of the sections via email with the following information:

A) In case of paper application:
- name of the presenter(s), email address, and affiliation;
- title of the paper;
- abstract of the paper (200-250 words).

B) In case of panel application:
- title of the panel;
- abstract of the panel (200-250 words).;
- name of the presenters, email address, and affiliation;
- abstract of each paper (200-250 words).

Sections

1) Responses of the EU and its Member States to the War and its Consequences

Chair: Andrea Schmidt (associate professor, University of Pécs, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Political Science and International Studies)
Email: schmidt.andrea@pte.hu

In this section, we focus on the war and its international impact. We invite papers that investigate the following issues: political effects, international security challenges, power realignment, the role of the
international environment and new cleavages, and Hungary's position in the international context. We also look forward to papers that examine the changing role and position of the European Union and
the new challenges of Euro-Atlantic integration, the response of Member States to war and the economic and political crisis, the importance of diplomacy and soft power, and the reshaping of international relations.

We also look at the new cleavages emerging within the European Union, the challenges facing regional cooperation such as the V4, and the alternative forms of cooperation that have been created. We
encourage authors to apply with papers on the global, European, and national responses too, focusing on comparative and critical bases.

2) Tendencies in Political Communication

Chair: Norbert Merkovity (associate Professor, University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Department of Political Science)

Email: merkovity@juris.u-szeged.hu

Over the past ten years, we witnessed – among many things – the rise and fall of Donald Trump, and Jair Bolsonaro, the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Autocratic leaders around the world have taken identity politics to a new level by stoking fear of immigrants (Africans, Asians, South Americans) while demonising Muslims and other groups. The tools, platforms, style, and role of political communication in (permanent) campaigns have changed significantly during these years. Populist tendencies can exploit these communication panels, e.g., by relativising facts and spreading fake news when asking for citizens’ votes. What are the dynamics of these processes? How can we research them? Are there any historical tendencies that bring us to the current situation? What are the cases and events that characterise the transformation of political communication in the EU or beyond? How do these trends relate to media literacy or the changing ethics of journalism?