Contemporary Research in Political Culture: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Contemporary research on political culture investigates the interconnection between political ideas, discourses, and actions within their broader cultural and societal frameworks—how a particular political process is embedded in a particular culture that gives meaning to political processes. It also examines the influence of internal and external factors on national contexts. Both theoretical and empirical studies seek to address urgent challenges in modern politics, including various forms of democracy and their inherent tensions, the construction and representation of national identities, polarization and trust and distrust in institutions at local, national, and supranational levels, the roots and long-term effects of political violence, and the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence. This scope encompasses critical developments such as the rise of populist movements and the impact of populism on political dynamics, the multidimensional crises confronting modern democracies, the proliferation of nationalist groups and identity politics, and the growing influence of AI in political communication. Addressing these issues requires interdisciplinary approaches, offering a holistic understanding of the complex factors shaping political culture in the contemporary era. This thematic issue is based on multidisciplinarity as it aims to bring new perspectives from disciplines such as history, cultural studies, political science, and sociology into the study of political culture. It seeks to explore the ways that political culture affects citizenship, nation-building processes, democratic stability and transformation, as well as public sentiment and political representation.