December 10-12, 2026

University of Perugia & University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy

Deadline: September 16, 2026

https://www.compol.it/eventi/convegno/convegno-2026/

In recent years, the social sciences have explored the process of fragmentation of the cultural field and of public discourse, associated with polarization, distrust in institutions, and with the crisis of mediating functions, including those of parties and journalism. However, it seems that contemporary society, facing the contradictions and uncertainties of the global context, is looking for pathways of renewed belonging defined by political-cultural and affective affinities. Such tendency may be helped by the sharing practices in the hybrid media environments. Rather than as elements of disintegration, such processes can be investigated as new forms of belonging, capable of producing recognition, connection, and coordination, and therefore as processes of re-aggregation.

This perspective does not exclude dynamics of conflict or perceived incompatibility. Values and interpretations are redefined through new criteria of legitimation to express strategies of reaction to contemporary complexity or resilience in response to global crises.

Within this tendency, a relevant process seems to be shaped by a shift toward pre-political ideas, practices, and experiences rooted in everyday life, lifestyles, local contexts, and cultural consumption. This implies a personalization of social participation, often assuming a collective dimension. The perception of community ties is increasingly important, so that identities and sub-cultures acquire higher relevance. These forms of belonging redefine the way influence and leadership are enacted and become able to aggregate meanings, exploiting the multiple possibilities offered by social and media arenas, also linking different contexts and environments.

Such processes call for a closer examination of language, understood not simply as word or image, but as a more general device for identity construction, legitimation, and agency. Languages are practiced as markers of belonging and shared feelings, and as resources for defining group boundaries. The search for a common ground appears capable of producing or revitalizing various types of community which, in addition to internal cohesion, are oriented toward participation in the public sphere. They can be seen as nodes in socio-cultural networks whose cohesion is played out within the interaction between social territories and media environments, including the digital platforms and artificial intelligence systems, which help shape visibility, social relationships, access to content, and may foster processes of symbolic aggregation.

The conference therefore welcomes theoretical and empirical contributions on the following themes:

-          Transformations in political cultures and in party organizations.

-          The role of values in political cultures and political communication.

-          Pre-political dimensions of citizenship, agency, and participation.

-          The affective dimension of political cultures and political communication.

-          Changes in political and government communication strategies, election campaigns, and voting in national and international contexts.

-          Emerging political subcultures.

-          Symbolic content and communicative forms of online communities.

-          Journalists and journalism as aggregators of communities.

-          Forms and actors of an alternative news ecosystem.

-          Readership, news use, and forms of community around informational content.

-          Disinformation, polarization, and incivility in contemporary forms of political and cultural belonging.

-          Redefinition of the public agenda in the European space.

-          Methodological proposals, approaches and techniques for the analysis of the cultural transformation.

-          Strategies and experiences of connection among movements and subcultural entities.

-          Innovative and/or alternative experiences of political-cultural and volunteer associations.

-          Local movements, unconventional movements and association networks.

-          Local belonging as political cultures.

-          Cultural consumption and art experiences as forms of civic engagement.

-          The technological infrastructure of political participation.

-          Platforms and social media as environments of political empowerment and civic engagement.

-          Social understanding of technology, of the opportunities and risks linked to artificial intelligence.

Paper proposals must include:

• Title
  
• Author(s), including the affiliation and institutional email address of each author
  
• Extended abstract (5000 characters, space included)
  
• Reference
  
• 3 keywords
  

Useful information on how to write an abstract for AssoComPol conferences is available in the “Abstract Instructions” section of the AssoComPol website: https://www.compol.it/eventi/convegno/convegno-2026/

Relevant deadlines:

·         Deadline for uploading proposals on the websitehttps://compol.confnow.eu/: 16 September 2026

·         Notification of acceptance: 10-12 October 2026

·         Full papers must be uploaded by 30 November 2026 to the conference paper room (accessible after login)

Scientific Committee: Cristopher Cepernich, Matteo Gerli, Paolo Mancini, Rita Marchetti, Rolando Marini, Giampietro Mazzoleni, Marco Mazzoni, Augusto Valeriani.

Local Organizers: Selena Mariano, Roberto Mincigrucci, Susanna Pagiotti, Grazia Enerina Pisano, Anna Stanziano, Giovanni Daniele Starita.

Conference Secretariat: Junio Aglioti Colombini, Alice Fubini, Antonio Martella, Melissa Mongiardo, Celeste Satta.