DVPW Section Conference “Political Public Sphere”

From September 30 to October 2, 2025, the second part of the DVPW double conference “Political Public Sphere: Structures and Strategies” took place at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). The event concluded the joint double conference organized by the University of Erfurt and FAU within the Political Theory and History of Ideas Section of the German Political Science Association (DVPW).

While the first part in Erfurt (spring 2025) focused on structures, structural change, and the relationship between the public sphere and democracy, the Erlangen conference examined the actors of the democratic public sphere and their strategies from systematic, historical, and normative perspectives.

Discussions centered on which actors shape or are excluded from the public sphere, and who fights for visibility. Participants debated whether phenomena such as politically driven narratives, conspiracy theories, and disinformation campaigns are truly new or reflect older communication patterns, and how these affect democratic decision-making.

The conference thus highlighted both strategic practices and the power structures of public communication, from signs of erosion in democratic publics to non- and anti-democratic strategies of political actors.

Program: pol.oeff.de