ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

June 26-28, 2025

University of Graz, Austria

radikales-denken.uni-graz.at

What is critique? What can Critical Theory do for society? What characterizes critical thinking? How can radical thought be rendered practically relevant?

We will bring the concept and idea of critique into productive constellations with a variety of concepts and categories pertaining to social and cultural theory. In doing so, and by highlighting fundamental societal and existential challenges of the 21st century, we will reflect upon the possibilities and potentials of a productive critique of society, especially concerning its implications for academic theory and lived practice.

In view of the great global, societal, ecological and economic challenges, we will put to the test the social significance and practical relevance of cultural and social theory in the 21st century.

Zoom link - MR 33.0.010

Zoom link - SÜ 33.0.008

For details please refer to the program.

November 13-15, 2025

Institute of Communication and Media Research, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany (conference will be held onsite with inclusion of 1 online panel)

Deadline: June 23, 2025

Conference of the ECREA Temporary Working Group Communication and Sport

Sports media play a crucial role in shaping public discourse, influencing narratives, and determining the visibility of social issues within both the sports industry and wider society. From investigative sports journalism uncovering injustices to strategic communication efforts by athletes, teams, and brands, the role of media in shaping social impact requires critical exploration. Moreover, audiences actively engage with, interpret, and respond to these narratives, shaping the effectiveness and reach of various movements in sports media. Additionally, sports journalism can take on an interventionist role, with journalists advocating for social issues, giving voice to marginalized groups, and driving conversations on equity and justice. Activism within sports communication, whether led by athletes, media professionals, or fans, continues to be a significant factor in addressing societal challenges. Beyond journalism, various forms of engagement—including fan mobilization, community-driven initiatives, and participatory media practices—are shaping the broader landscape of social influence in sports communication.

The Conference of the ECREA TWG “Communication and Sport”, hosted by the Institute of Communication and Media Research at the German Sport University in Cologne, on November 13-15, 2025 (Get Together, Nov 13; Academic Program Nov 14 and 15) invites scholars (not necessarily only from Europe) to submit abstracts that investigate the relationship between sports communication and its broader societal influence. It aims to foster interdisciplinary discussions that deepen our understanding of how journalism, digital platforms, strategic communication, audience reception, engagement, activism, and advocacy intersect with social impact in sports communication.

The conference will feature one online panel that will allow participation of a select number of researchers who are unable to travel to Cologne.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Sports Media:
  
• • The role of sports journalism in shaping social change
  • The interventionist and activist role of sports journalists
  • Media framing of social issues and activism in sports
  • Intersectionality and diversity in media portrayals of athletes and social issues
  • Regulation and censorship in sports media
• Sports Actors:
  
• • The role of sociopolitical issues in athletes’ self-presentation
  • Strategic communication in socially responsible and activist sports initiatives
  • Corporate media and its stance to social activism in sports
  • Athletes’ employment of different media channels for activist purposes
  • Sports actors’ responses to online hate
  • Social media’s influence on activism and public engagement in sports
• Sports Audiences:
  
• • Fan engagement, mobilization, and advocacy through media platforms
  • Audience expectations and perceptions of activism in sports communication
  • Community engagement and grassroots movements in sports media
  • Case studies of sports media’s impact on social discourse and activism 

This list is not exclusive, and we call for papers which in a broad sense deal with different forms of engagement, including both theoretical and empirical perspectives on the potential social impact of sports communication

We invite abstracts between 300-500 words (excluding references) submitted in English language by June 23, 2025 via email to ecrea_sports_2025@dshs-koeln.de or directly to the main organiser JProf. Dr. Daniel Nölleke (d.noelleke@dshs-koeln.de). The submission should be anonymized.

The abstracts can be both for individual papers and panel proposals. Each panel proposal must include an abstract of the cover topic and the titles of 4-5 involved papers with the names of the authors. Each paper in the panel needs to be presented by people from different universities. Please indicate clearly whether the abstract is for an individual paper or a panel proposal. 

The TWG (in collaboration with its YECREA representative) particularly invites early career researchers to submit abstracts for the conference. Please indicate on your submission if it is authored exclusively by (bachelor, master or Ph.D.) students. 

To support the integration of as many scholars as possible, we will hold approx. 5 onsite panels and 1 online panel for the colleagues who have difficulties travelling to Cologne on the dates of the conference. Please indicate clearly whether the abstract is for onsite or online presentation. Authors will be notified about acceptance by July 25, 2025.

To cover the expenses for room rental and on-site catering (coffee, cold drinks, finger food), a fee of max. 70 Euro (max. 40 Euro for Early Career Scholars) will be charged for on-site participation. Detailed information on fees, accommodation options and the social program will be sent with the acceptance notification in July.

Polis (Special Issue)

Deadline: September 1, 2025

In recent years, the international landscape has been shaken by profound and rapid transformations: the war in Ukraine, the erosion of the US-led global order, increasing tensions within in transatlantic relations, and the proliferation of systemic challenges — Including climate change, energy crises, migration, digital disruptions — are reshaping the foundations of global governance. In this evolving scenario, the European Union (EU) is facing a critical political and institutional juncture, one that may mark a turning point in its historical evolution. These dynamics are testing the EU’s capacity to adapt, respond, and redefine its role on the global stage, while also prompting introspection about its internal cohesion, democratic legitimacy, and long-term strategic direction.

Beyond these institutional and international developments, social transformations, public opinion and media representations are also playing an increasingly central role. European citizens are responding in complex and sometimes contradictory ways: while many call for greater EU sovereignty and protection, others express growing mistrust towards supranational institutions and elites, oftentimes supporting Eurosceptic political parties. At the same time, profound social transformations are shaping the ways in which European societies perceive and engage with the idea of the EU. Changing social identities, shifting values, and new forms of collective action are central to understanding how legitimacy, belonging, and solidarity are constructed and contested. From everyday practices to broader public discourses, individuals and groups negotiate their relationship to European institutions through experiences marked by inequality, cultural tension, and symbolic recognition. These dynamics, which reflect deeper social structures and power relations, contribute to the polarization of attitudes but also open spaces for the emergence of new imaginaries of unity, resilience, and common purpose.

This ‘new political moment’ calls for a collective and multidisciplinary reflection on the EU’s capacity for reinvention, both internally and in its external projection. We thus invite empirical contributions that explore these developments and their implications for the EU.

The special issue aims to bring together emerging and innovative research that reflects on the EU’s capacity to reinvention in the face of shifting geopolitical dynamics and complex internal challenges. We encourage contributions that adopt interdisciplinary approaches, drawing from sociology, political science, international relations, economics, and other related disciplines.

We welcome empirical articles that critically examine the implications of recent global and regional transformations for the EU. Contributions may focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• A new institutional architecture for the future EU
  

Assessment of ongoing and proposed institutional reforms (e.g., ending unanimity, strengthening the European parliament, expanding shared competences, etc.) and the tensions between supranational integration and national sovereignty. What modes of governance can best meet the demand for democratic legitimacy and policy effectiveness? How are different member states positioning themselves in the debate on EU reform? What role do crises and external pressures play in accelerating or hindering institutional change?

• The EU’s role in the emerging international (dis)order
  

Exploration of EU strategies in a multipolar world: strategic autonomy, common defense, relations with the US, China, Russia, and the Global South. What future lies ahead for the EU as a geopolitical actor amid conflicts, regionalization or deglobalization, and global competition? How do internal divisions and external pressures shape its ability to act coherently on the global stage? How is the EU navigating its pursuit of strategic autonomy, the development of common defense capabilities, and its evolving relationships with key global actors — including the United States, China, Russia, and the countries of the Global South?

• Public policies and multilevel governance in response to new challenges
  

Evaluation of major EU policies (e.g., NextGenerationEU, Green Deal and energy strategies) and their effects on territorial cohesion and multi-level coordination between EU institutions, member states, and regional authorities. How is European governance evolving to cope with complex and interrelated crises? What tensions or innovations are emerging in the interplay between national prerogatives and supranational priorities?

• Towards inclusive digital transformation in EU
  

The digital revolution — encompassing the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the broader digital transformation of societies and economies — represents a critical and complex dimension change. The role of the EU in shaping digital governance, including regulatory frameworks for data, platforms, AI, and emerging technologies. However, this transformation also risks deepening digital inequalities — between regions, generations, and social groups — if not guided by inclusive and human-centric policies. How does digitalization affect European sovereignty, competitiveness, and democracy?

• Institutional communication and EU narratives
  

Analysis of how EU institutions communicate and legitimize their policies and actions, both within the Union and on the global stage. What narratives are being promoted in response to global challenges? How is the EU’s role conveyed to citizens and international partners? To what extent are institutional communication strategies effective in fostering public engagement, countering disinformation, and strengthening the EU’s international visibility and credibility? 

• Citizens’ attitudes and perceptions toward the EU
  

Investigation of changes in European public opinion: trust in institutions, European identity, support for integration, attitudes toward sovereignty, security and solidarity. How have recent crises shaped citizens’ connection to the European project? What divides and convergences emerge across member states, generations, or political orientations? What implications does this have for democratic legitimacy and participation?

• Media representations and the EU in collective imaginaries
  

Research on how the EU is portrayed in legacy and digital media, political discourse, and popular culture is particularly welcome. What images of Europe circulate in the public sphere, and how do they influence perceptions of the EU and its legitimacy? What role do social media platforms, algorithms, and influencers play in shaping attitudes toward the EU? Special attention may also be given to the imaginaries produced through entertainment media—such as television series, films, and online content—which increasingly contribute to the construction of narratives around European identity, solidarity, and geopolitical power. How do these media narratives reflect, reinforce, or contest dominant visions of Europe and its role in the world?

Submission guidelines/instructions Abstract submission instruction

Authors are encouraged to submit the title and an abstract of their planned article by September 1, 2025. The abstract (which can be written in English or Italian) should be 600 words (references excluded) and should include: aims/research questions, methodology, findings, main contribution, and a short statement of how the submission is related to this call for papers.

Please submit the title and long abstract by email to the guest editors (Marco Valbruzzi marco.valbruzzi@unina.it; Cecilia Manzo cecilia.manzo@unicatt.it; polis@cattaneo.org) with the subject line: “Special Issue Polis abstract”.

Submission instruction

The editors, with editorial board, will review the submission and invite the selected authors to submit a final manuscript. Final manuscripts will undergo the usual double-blind peer-review process.

Please refer to the Author Guidelines of Polis to prepare your manuscript: https://www.rivisteweb.it/issn/1120-9488/informazioni#come-si-sottopone

Timeline

Deadline to submit long abstracts: September 1, 2025 Abstract acceptance notification: September 22, 2025

Submission deadline of final manuscripts: February 28, 2026 Expected publication date: July 2026 (Polis 2/2026)

Guest Editors

Marco Valbruzzi, University of Naples Federico II, marco.valbruzzi@unina.it Cecilia Manzo, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, cecilia.manzo@unicatt.it

Polis: https://www.cattaneo.org/pubblicazioni/polis/

Cfp: https://www.mulino.it/riviste/a/issn/1120-9488/newsitem/442

Deadline: July 15, 2025

We are seeking submissions of short chapters for an edited volume dedicated to theoretical, methodological, and practical innovations in ethnographic methods for AI-augmented and algorithmically mediated social worlds. The different sections of the volume will combine innovative conceptual frameworks, experimental case studies, and hands-on toolkits, aiming to guide researchers across disciplines and industries in applying and adapting ethnographic methods to the “synthetic situations” (Knorr Cetina, 2009) opened up by new computational technologies.

Editors and Publication Details:

The volume, provisionally titled Synthetic situations: Ethnographic methods for post-artificial worlds, will be published by Routledge in 2026. The editors are Gabriele de Seta (University of Bergen), Aleksi Knuutila (University of Helsinki) and Matti Pohjonen (University of Helsinki).

The editors will organise a chapter development seminar and a workshop with invited contributors in September 2025 at the University of Helsinki (participation optional), for which a limited number of travel grants will be available. Unfortunately no payment for authors is available.

Submission Guidelines:

Deadline for abstracts: 15th of July 2025

Notification of acceptance: 30th of July 2025

Deadline for first draft: 31 December 2025

Submission requirements: We invite researchers, practitioners and artists working across the social sciences, digital humanities, computer science, HCI and other fields to submit an abstract (max. 250 words) for a 3,000–5,000-word chapter. We welcome contributions across genres, including:

• Epistemological interrogations
  
• Methodological frameworks
  
• Case studies 
  
• Fieldnotes and experiment reports
  
• Ethical reflections
  
• Toolboxes and field devices
  
• Multimodal outputs
  
• Commented code
  
• …and more

We especially encourage submissions centred on majority world contexts, subaltern communities, marginal epistemologies, and decolonial perspectives on research methods.

For further details or to submit your abstract, please contact us at: gabriele.seta@uib.no

Editorial Vision:

In recent years, a vast variety of technologies which we call “artificial intelligence” - from Large Language Models and synthetic media generators to warehouse optimization and self-driving cars - have seen dramatic technical advancements and wide societal adoption. For social scientists and ethnographers, this has been simultaneously a source of fear and inspiration. New predictive models and large-scale datasets have given social currency to particular forms of expertise and practices of knowledge production, such as data science and big data analytics. This foregrounding of quantitative methods has often been at the expense of more qualitative ways of knowing the co-construction of social worlds and technological systems.

Our edited volume foregrounds synthetic situations: sociotechnical arrangements in which artificial intelligence is both an ethnographic object of study and a qualitative research tool. We understand ethnography in a broad sense, as a research sensibility grounded on long-term presence, immersive participation, and dialogic understanding of otherness. This book aims to explore how computational methods and artificial intelligence are not merely displacing or challenging ethnographic practices, but also augmenting them and being augmented by them. Through our curated collection of chapters, the book contributors explore how computational technologies and ethnography co-construct “post-artificial worlds” - for instance, how LLMs become entangled with increasingly mediated fieldsites, how machine learning models essentialize, reproduce or erase situated knowledges, or how chatbots function as collaborators for participatory research.

Deadline: June 16, 2025

The ECREA TWG on Aging and Communication was thrilled by how fruitful and pleasant its conference in Lleida was last April. Due to the time and logistical constraints of the conference, many interesting and original submissions could not be accepted. We would like to honor these submissions and give them another chance. Therefore, we are launching a call for contributions to our next online workshop in autumn 2025.

You can check summaries of our former activities on our LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging-and-communication-studies-twg-ecrea/

Please send your ideas and suggestions for an online workshop related to the study of aging and communication to ecrea.aging.communication@gmail.com by June 16, 2025.

April 8, 2025

University of Groningen, Netherlands

Deadline: August 22, 2025

Are you a PhD candidate working in the field of Journalism Studies? Would you like to connect with other up-and-coming journalism researchers based in Europe, and receive in-depth feedback on your work from experienced scholars in the field? The ECREA Journalism Studies Section and the Young Scholars Network (YECREA) invite applications for the 6th Journalism Studies PhD Colloquium, which is organised by the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies and will take place on 08 April 2026 at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

Deadline for abstract submissions: 22 August 2025

Deadline for full papers: 9 March 2026

Full CfP and to apply: https://edu.nl/nfd7h

September 22-23, 2025

Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Deadline: June 27, 2025

ECREA Philosophy of Communication Section, 2025 workshop

Institute for Media and Communication Studies

In an age acutely defined by digital fragmentation, the relentless logic of the attention economy, and increasingly polarized public spheres, dialogue emerges not merely as endangered but as an existential, epistemic, and civic necessity. This workshop seeks to radically revisit and reclaim the notion of dialogue, not only as a communicative ideal but also as a foundational philosophical practice, an ethics of relationality, a crucial means of co-constructing shared worlds, and an essential practice for cultivating positive freedom. We approach this exploration keenly aware that dialogue never occurs in a vacuum, but always within, and often constrained by, pre-existing discourses that articulate and enact power, shaping what is considered sayable, knowable, and legitimate.

The contemporary dominance of monological forms of expression, often performative, algorithmically amplified, and emotionally charged, threatens to erode the very conditions for authentic dialogical encounter. This erosion is compounded by inherent human tendencies: our reasoning is frequently driven by partisan loyalties and identity-protective cognitions, creating anthropological and psychological impediments that render the cultivation of genuine dialogue—and by extension, the exercise of positive freedom—both more challenging and more urgent. This necessitates a critical engagement not only with our own biases but also with the power structures embedded in our communicative ecosystems.

We propose to explore dialogue as a liminal space where understanding is not a pre-existing entity to be unilaterally imposed, but rather emerges processually and intersubjectively. This emergence is contingent upon profound openness, radical listening, and mutual recognition of the Other in their irreducible particularity – a feat requiring conscious effort against our more primal, self-justifying inclinations, critical vigilance towards how discourse itself can marginalize or silence, and an active exercise of our capacity to co-determine our shared realities.

Can dialogue, in its Socratic spirit of maieutic inquiry, still function as a robust method of philosophical investigation and critical thinking in a world increasingly structured by immediacy, curated visibility, and self-affirming echo chambers, especially when confronted with our innate biases and the subtle yet pervasive workings of discursive power? What does it truly mean to think with others, engaging in a shared pursuit of understanding that consciously strives to transcend motivated reasoning and actively challenges hegemonic narratives? How can dialogue serve not only as a method of inquiry but as a practice that cultivates positive freedom: the capacity to act, to participate meaningfully, and to co-shape our institutions and collective life, even against the grain of dominant discourses? How might embodied dialogical practices resist the pervasive atomization, the instrumentalization of communication, and the deficit of presence that characterize contemporary societies, while simultaneously fostering the self-awareness needed to navigate our own cognitive limitations and our complicity in, or resistance to, prevailing power dynamics? How can dialogue cultivate the phronesis (practical wisdom) needed to navigate complex ethical and political landscapes with humility, intellectual honesty, active agency, and a critically discerning eye for power? How can, in turn, cultural practices, such as art, open dialogues in an increasingly disaffected world?

This event is an invitation to collectively reflect, converse, and experiment with the multifaceted possibilities of dialogue: as a rigorous philosophical method, as an ethical praxis rooted in care and responsibility, and as a vital force for community-building, democratic renewal, and the empowerment of individuals to exercise their positive freedom by critically engaging with and seeking to reshape the discourses that define our world, fully acknowledging the profound challenges this entails.

We welcome contributions that engage with (but are not limited to):

• Ontological and Epistemological Foundations of Dialogue.
  
• The Epistemic Functions of Dialogue
  
• Psychological and Cognitive Barriers to Dialogue
  
• Dialogue and Positive Freedom.
  
• Dialogue and Recognition.
  
• Dialogue, Debate, Discussion, Conversation
  
• The Phenomenology of Listening and Encounter.
  
• Dialogue and Education.
  
• Dialogue in Digital Spheres.
  
• Dialogical Resistance and Praxis.
  
• Dialogue, Power, and the Public Sphere.
  
• Dialogue and Democracy
  
• Dialogue as Method
  
• Dialogue and the Arts
  
• Dialogue and Monologue
• Ethics of Dialogue
• Approaches to Dialogue in the History of Philosophy and Communication Theory

Please send your abstract by Friday, 27 June to the Management Team of the ECREA Philosophy of Communication section via EasyChair at https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=ecreaphilcomm2025 AND BY EMAIL ioan.suhov2@mail.dcu.ie  

Abstracts should be 300–500 words long.

September 8-10, 2025

University of Sheffield, UK

ECREA Radio and Sound Section

We are pleased to announce that registration for the ECREA Radio and Sound Section Conference to be held at the University of Sheffield is now OPEN.

Please click on this link to register: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ijc/events-index/ecrea-radio-and-sound-2025

For further information, please contact the organising committee at: radioandsoundconference@gmail.com

University of Bern

The Institute of Communication and Media Studies (icmb) at the University of Bern is part of the Department of Social Sciences. It focuses on political communication in all its dimensions, exploring, for example, how digitalization, algorithms, but also social and psychological mechanisms shape communication.

Tasks

• (potential for) collaboration in an SNF-sponsored cross-national research project about how the feeling of being left-behind by society influences political information usage and effects. Our project draws on the role of social identity and identity threats for political information behavior.
  
• development and implementation of own research ideas
  
• teaching of courses in the BA Social Sciences and supervision of BA thesis
  
• contribution to the general tasks of the institute
  

Requirements

• above-average degree in communication science, a related social science discipline and /or psychology
  
• strong interest in political communication
  
• very good skills in quantitative (surveys & experiments) and/or qualitative (interviews) methods of empirical social science
  
• willingness to present research at (inter-)national conferences and to publish in top journals
  
• ability to work in a team
  
• very good command in English (German and French is a plus)
  

We offer

An attractive working environment awaits you at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Bern: a collegial team, cooperation and exchange, as well as the freedom to develop your own ideas. Employment adheres to the regulations of the Canton of Berne.

Applications, should be mailed as a PDF file by July 7th, 2025, to Prof. Dr. Silke Adam at silke.adam@unibe.ch

The application should include:

• letter of motivation including research interests and ideas
  
• CV including a list of publications
  
• certificates
  
• a central chapter of the thesis or another publication
  
• recommendation letter

The talks will take place on Monday, July 21 and Tuesday, July 22.

Apple HERE.

To defend democracy, ensure security and guarantee prosperity, Europe must understand the societies it aims to serve

An article by the EASSH Director Gabi Lombardo for Science|Business (read also HERE).

As Europe transitions into summer, the heat is rising in the debate about the next cycle of its flagship research and innovation Framework Programme. A fundamental question looms: in what kind of future are we investing?

Since 1945 Europe’s research priorities have revolved around a simple formula: technological innovation equals economic growth, equals social progress. That logic made sense in the ashes of World War II, but the world – and Europe – have changed.

Today, we face a very different landscape, with rising inequality, fractured societies, erosion of trust in democratic institutions and geopolitical uncertainty. In this context, a research strategy focused solely on economic output and tech-driven competitiveness is not just outdated, it is recklessly insufficient.

If Europe wants to remain globally competitive and strengthen its social model, it must reimagine what progress means for research and innovation investment and must place questions of citizens’ needs, human rights and ethics at the heart of its vision. 

For decades, GDP has dominated the political and economic discourse. It measures what economies produce, but not what societies achieve. It says nothing about whether citizens are healthy, educated, safe, free or happy.

In contrast, the Social Progress Index (SPI) assesses how well countries provide for people’s needs: healthcare, education, housing, rights and access to opportunity. The latest SPI data is sobering. Four out of five people globally live in countries where social progress is stagnating or declining.

This isn’t just a social crisis, but an alarm to encourage new strategic choices. Societies that can’t meet their people’s needs, including their sense of wellbeing, become breeding grounds for instability, populism and illiberalism.

A social model built on research

Europe today enjoys some of the highest living standards in the world. That success was not automatic. It was built on decades of deliberate investment in public goods such as healthcare, education, social protections, cultural infrastructure and academic freedom.

Critically, these policies were shaped and refined by insights and ideas from scholars addressing critical social questions and assessing policies, indicators of inequality and the hard work of those working in the humanities and social sciences. These disciplines identified gaps, mapped disparities and offered insights that led to public policies that made systems more inclusive and sustainable and drove economic growth. 

But that legacy is now being tested. As budgets tighten and political rhetoric hardens, the role of the humanities and social sciences in shaping our collective future is at risk. And that’s a mistake we can’t afford.

The narrative around the next EU Framework Programme suggests a focus on three keywords: competitiveness, defence and democracy. These are the right priorities, but they are being approached in the wrong way.

Competitiveness is still framed almost exclusively in terms of technological innovation and markets. Yet reports from Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta show that Europe’s problem is weak policy integration and limited technology transfer. Without understanding the human, cultural and institutional barriers to adoption, innovation cannot deliver its full benefits.

Defence, meanwhile, is often reduced to militarisation. But true peace demands deeper insight. We must monitor how the forces that drive instability, including nationalism, marginalisation, misinformation, propaganda cultural alienation lead to conflict. 

These are issues about which political scientists, historians, psychologists and anthropologists can inform the diplomats who are on the frontline for peacebuilding. We cannot just rely on generals and engineers. And the cost of this research is minuscule compared to militarisation and weapons development.

And democracy, perhaps the most urgent pillar of the next Framework Programme, must be more than a checkbox. Europe is still a stronghold of liberal democracy, but cracks are appearing. Abroad, efforts such as the Project 2025 agenda in the US, have shown how easily and quickly democratic norms can be eroded from within. Funding to monitor our democracies’ progress is critical.

This erosion doesn’t start with tanks. It starts with silence. With the threats to, and defunding of, academic research. With attacks on data transparency, gender equality and diversity initiatives. With the attacks on, and withdrawal of support for, disciplines that educate on critical thinking, ethical reasoning and historical context. 

Does Europe want to slide down a similar path? Funding to protect our democracies is critical.

Resilience isn’t enough

Early glimpses of the next Multiannual Financial Framework offer little comfort that policymakers will take the social dimension into account. The humanities and social sciences are still treated as peripheral, tasked with helping people become “resilient” rather than helping shape the kind of society we are building in the first place.

But resilience is just survival. What Europe needs is ambition: to prevent crises, to imagine better systems, to nurture democratic values, to foster growth and to sustain cultural vitality. That means moving beyond token support for the humanities and social sciences and making mainstream and critical investments in both fundamental and cross border research. 

It means including social knowledge into the design of all major initiatives, from green transitions to artificial intelligence governance, from healthcare policy to security and peacebuilding. Not as an afterthought, but as a dedicated investment in this research so that it becomes a guiding principle for pro-social policymaking.

The evidence is clear: Europe cannot meet the challenges of this century with a research strategy designed for the last one. And it certainly cannot defend democracy, ensure security or guarantee prosperity without understanding the societies it aims to serve.

Social scientists, historians, artists and philosophers are not a luxury. They are Europe’s competitive edge in a world where values, meaning and legitimacy matter more than ever.

The next Framework Programme is not just a funding instrument. It is a political signal. It is a statement about what we believe, what we value and what kind of Europe we are committed to building. Let’s ensure it reflects the full complexity, and humanity, of that task.

Gabi Lombardo is the director of the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities.