Prof. Partzsch at the Conference "Power and Crisis in Unsettled Times" in Porto

The conference "Power and Crisis in Unsettled Times" took place at the Universidade Lusíada in Porto from May 31 to June 1, 2024. Joint organizers were the International Political Science Association’s (IPSA) Research Committees"RC36 - Political Power" and "RC51 - International Political Economy". The central theme of the conference was the transformation of power in the light of socio-political crises. Prof. Partzsch presented a paper titled "This is a Crisis, not a Change: The Power of Narratives for Climate Action" on the importance of narratives for policy change. She talked about how the use of crisis narratives, in particular the declaration of a climate emergency by cities and communities, legitimizes political authority and leads to either more democratic or authoritarian policy measures. On the one hand, she highlighted the risk of presenting knowledge as conclusive and uncontested. On the other hand, however, she also emphasized that crisis and emergency narratives imply a disruptive moment in which the prevailing system is collectively called into question. In this situation, climate activists can gain power to initiate democratic transformations towards more sustainability.

Conference program