Extremism, Polarization, and the Future of Democracy

Hosted by the Centre for Constitutional Studies, Extremism, Polarization, and the Future of Democracy is a podcast mini-series focused on the changing dynamic of public discourse and its implications for democratic politics. The series is based on a third-year undergraduate course in the Department of Political Studies at Queen's University that offered an intimate look at the twin phenomena of political extremism and polarization. The series connects with a range of academics, advocates, filmmakers, and journalists to tackle extremism and polarization from different vantage points. Listeners will learn about contemporary extremist movements and how they're rebranding themselves in the digital era, the problems of regulating online expression, how to address polarization and engage with potentially dangerous ideas, and much more. This series deals with sensitive topics, listener discretion is advised. A note on interview questions: The questions in the podcast interviews were drawn from major themes of seminar discussions and an amalgamation of student submissions. We attempt to indicate, where possible, which questions are drawn directly from student submissions.