The first Management Committee (MC) meeting of the COST Action CA22165, titled "Redressing Radical Polarisation: Strengthening European Civil Spheres facing Illiberal Digital Media (DepolarisingEU)," was held on November 6, 2023, at the COST premises in Brussels. The meeting aimed to familiarize MC members with COST, establish a common understanding of the Action's challenges and objectives, elect mandatory leadership positions, and discuss the proposal for the Work and Budget Plan…

Work-life pressures on the modern woman shape hair fashions and customs. The ponytail binds hair in practical ways that can echo feminist undercurrents, implying “I’m busy, I’m working, and need my hair OFF my face.” Furthermore, this chapter shows how the ponytail naturalizes women’s presence in male-dominated jobs and roles, and therefore radiates with the social progress of former feminist generations…

Explore the essence of our recent conference with the new image gallery! Our website now hosts a gallery showcasing vibrant moments and insightful discussions from the event, offering a compelling snapshot of the dynamic and diverse experience that was the CST Conference in Heidelberg.

“This essay develops a new theoretical and empirical understanding of the contemporary crisis of American democracy. Between November 3, 2020, and January 7, 2021, President Donald Trump battled to overturn the results of the American presidential election, launching myriad lawsuits and pressuring hundreds of electoral officials…

The conference program, along with all the abstracts, has been posted!

“Identify and critically understand the theoretical and methodological efforts of the civil sphere theory. The course addresses how the latter accounts for the construction processes of expanded and restricted solidarities in different social and cultural contexts.”

Check out the new special issue: Civil Sphere Theory in Cultural Sociology.

The website for the civil sphere theory conference is UP, and registration is open. Registration will be open from March 6, 2023, to July 31, 2023 and please note that contributors must register by May 15, 2023, to be included in the program…

“Photographs of migrants can evoke powerful reactions. Since the ‘migration crisis’ of 2015–16, politicians, media, and the public have all expressed strong opinions about people who cross borders. Within the civil spheres of Western democracies, debates about who belongs as a ‘good citizen’, and who should be excluded as an ‘anticivil’ outsider, result in consequences for migrants and locals alike…”