May 7-8, 2026, Bilkent University, C-Block Auditorium
May 7
10.00-10.30: Welcome Reception
Panel 1: Memories, Regimes, and Repertoires (10.30-13.00)
Memory and Politics: Between Democratic Backsliding and Resilience (Meral Uğur-Çınar, Bilkent University)
Nostalgic Deprivation and Co-Radicalisation: Memory, Belonging, and the Politics of Identity among European Youth (Ayhan Kaya, Bilgi University)
The Role of Norms and Standards in European Memory Politics and Policy-making (Aline Sierp, Maastricht University)
Speaking through the Past: Collective Memory and Discursive Repertoires of Opposition (Gülay Türkmen, Aachen University)
Panel 2: Democratic Backsliding and Its Limits (14.30-17.30)
Opening and Introductions (Kerem Yıldırım, Bilkent University)
Poland: Institutional Capture and Its Aftermath (Radoslaw Markowski, Polish Academy of Sciences & SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities)
Hungary: The 2026 General Elections in Hungary and its Implications (Balint Mikola, Central European University)
Georgia: Judicial Capture, Foreign Influence Laws, and Protest Cycles (Levan Kakhisvili, ETH Zurich)
Backsliding or Stagnation? Democratic Quality and Party Capture in the Western Balkans (Jovan Blizankovski, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University)
Patterns and Conditions of Autocratization: Comparative Reflections on Regime Change, Party Systems, and Political Economy (Herbert Kitschelt, Duke University)
May 8
10.00-10.30: Reception
Panel 3: Electoral Institutions and Representation (10.30-13.00)
Opening and Introductions (Esra İşsever-Ekinci, Bilkent University)
Individual Dynamics Determining Gender Attitudes and Vote Choice (Ali Çarkoğlu, Koç University (co-authored with Esra İşsever-Ekinci))
Political Representation and Partisan Effects of Electoral Systems (Pedro Riera, the University Carlos III of Madrid)
Institutional Barriers and Ideological Gatekeepers: How Electoral Rules and Party Ideology Shape Women’s Representation in European Parliament Elections (Maarja Lühiste, Newcastle University (co-authored with Thomas Daeubler and Mihal Chiru))
Panel 4: Ethics and Politics of Technology (14.30-17.30)
Artificial Intelligence: What Kind of Technology is It, and What Will It Do to the Economy? (İbrahim Semih Akçomak, METU)
Disrupting the Ivory Tower: Professional Authority and Academic Work in the Age of Generative AI (Arsev Umur Aydınoğlu, METU)
What is “Content”? A Theoretical Inquiry into Shifts in Ontology (Barış Alpertan, Bilkent University)
Discussion (Nedim Karakayalı, Bilkent University)