COST Istanbul Meeting Press

On September 19-20, 35 social scientists based in 12 European countries met at Minerva Han to discuss their joint research on polarization in European public spheres and devise depolarization strategies in conjunction with media and civil society organizations. The meeting, organized by FASS faculty member Ateş Altınordu and hosted by Sabancı University, was the final major event of the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action on “Redressing Radical Polarisation: Strengthening European Civil Spheres facing Illiberal Digital Media” in 2024. Altınordu, who leads the Action’s working group on empirical studies, commented: “Radical polarization poses an important threat to liberal democracy, good governance, and peaceful social coexistence across contemporary Europe. Our aim is to reach a better understanding of why and how societies become polarized through the collaborative work of social scientists from various disciplines and with expertise on different regions of Europe. This work will not only help further our social science knowledge on the subject but will also make practical contributions to depolarization initiatives led by various media and civil society organizations in Europe.”