Dear colleagues, Politics (the journal) is organizing a workshop on political polarization on 9-10 December in Lisbon. The journal will cover accommodation and meals; you would only need to pay for travel to and from the venue. Also, accepted papers will move forward for consideration for publication in the journal (2024 IF = 2.5) either in a special issue or as standalone publication next year. Please find the call below; deadline is 25/10! All the best, Toine Paulissen International Workshop organized by Politics (the journal) Polarization in Contemporary Politics: Developments, Causes, and Consequences 9-10 December 2025, Lisbon Many contemporary societies deal with increasing political polarization, occurring among both political elites and voters, and manifesting in ideological, affective, or other forms. While some scholars point to its benefits such as increased participation or political knowledge, there is much consensus that polarization puts pressure on democracies. Much evidence shows that it leads to, among others, a rising tolerance for undemocratic behavior and norm-breaking escalation of political conflict by politicians, and diminishes institutional and social trust. Some causes of polarization were studied with one key line of enquiry showing that it starts at the level of political elites and is then communicated to voters via news media and campaigns. Much of these arguments have been made within the context of majoritarian systems, particularly the US. Only recently has the field expanded to other contexts mostly in terms of multiparty systems and affective polarization, but many other potential sites and avenues for (other forms of) polarization remain largely underexplored. This workshop welcomes papers offering new perspectives or empirical evidence on the causes, occurrence and consequences of polarization in contemporary politics. We welcome papers on any issues related to polarization in politics including the link with disinformation, social media, political participation, referendums or deliberative democracy. We are open to theoretical, methodological or empirical papers as long as these bring a clear contribution to the literature and move beyond classic arguments. We welcome both single-case studies and comparative analyses. We are open to qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches. Papers that get accepted for the workshop will move forward for consideration for publication in Politics (2024 IF = 2.5) either in a special issue or as standalone publication next year. We strongly advise authors not to submit papers that are published, under review or included in a special issue for another journal at the time of the workshop. All costs related to the accommodation in Lisbon and meals during the workshop will be covered by the journal, the presenters must pay for their travel to and from the venue. There is no participation fee. To apply, please fill this workshop application form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MAbG0QWPXCE0xtStgEoYQFSu8dvRK3HbuPh8ni-40I4/edit> (which requires title, abstract and author's name and affiliation) until 25 October. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.