Enabling Democracy – Call for Abstracts (Submission deadline: January 16, 2026) Enabling Democracy – Call for Abstracts (Submission deadline: January 16, 2026)

In recent years, the rise of authoritarian and populist tendencies within democracies once
considered stable has become a matter of deep concern. Despite the urgency of this
development, systematic knowledge of the underlying causes and the mechanisms capable of
countering this development remains fragmented and incomplete. This points to a pressing need
for reflection on what enables democracy to function and endure.

The conference takes this challenge as its starting point. It seeks to identify the social,
institutional, and normative foundations that sustain democratic governance and to explore how
these can be strengthened. Relevant questions arise in particular within the following thematic
areas: Democratic capabilities and the enabling of civil society; modes of participation; the
necessities of social inclusion; social cohesion and collective building; education and the
organization of knowledge; trust and commitment; as well as modern mechanisms of
democracy protection.

By addressing these dimensions, the conference aims to deepen the understanding of how
democracies can be made resilient – not only through legal and institutional safeguards, but
also through civic empowerment, social solidarity, and new modes of participation. It invites
contributions that explore the theoretical premises and the practical instruments that foster the
vitality of democratic life, bridging insights from political science, sociology, law, philosophy,
and related disciplines to chart new pathways for the renewal of democracy. This
interdisciplinary dialogue seeks to move beyond isolated analyses toward a holistic
understanding of the enabling conditions of democracy.