ESA 2026 Warsaw Conference. RN18 CFP: Reclaiming the Political: Toward a Critical Sociology of Mediated Democracy
In times marked by crises and turbulence, communications and media stand at the heart of democratic possibility and peril. As liberal institutional configurations are confronted with intersecting challenges of authoritarianism, socioeconomic inequality, and ecological breakdown, the sociology of communications and media must play a pivotal role in analysing how capitalism mediates communication and how solidarities are either fragmented or forged. RN18 invites papers that critically examine how communication shapes and is shaped by struggles for democracy, equity, and sustainability. We seek contributions that interrogate the structural entanglements of media and communication with capitalism, labour, ideology, and political discourse; that explore the role of journalism, digital platforms, and media in sustaining or undermining democratic imaginaries; and that assess how communicative practices enable or hinder collective action and public engagement across diverse social groups. In light of mounting disillusionment with liberal political orders and market-driven media infrastructures, contributors are encouraged to reflect on the prospects of post-capitalist and post-liberal democratic horizons, imaginaries that foreground decommodification, radical egalitarianism, participatory governance, epistemic justice, and ecological care. What forms of democracy might emerge when communication is disentangled from profit logics, when solidarity transcends national borders, and when media systems and advanced technologies are reoriented toward common goods? We are particularly interested in submissions that reflect on the contradictory implications of digital technology and AI, from their deployment in reinforcing techno-economic ordering, surveillance and post-truth regimes, to the potential in enabling civic empowerment and new forms of counter-power. We welcome all scholars committed to advancing theoretical and empirical, critical sociological insight into the condition
Deadline: 30/01/2026
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