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.
In this introductory episode, Dax and Kaitie explain the genesis of the series, survey the state of contemporary public discourse, and explore why extremism and polarization are important for the future of democracy.
