Open Talks: The threat to democracy and radicalisation By Prof.Dr. Eva Walther

Open Talks offers an open and non-judgmental space for reflection and discussion on key social transformations of our time. Each session invites researchers, students, and citizens to think together about how digitalisation, mobility, and technology are reshaping our societies and daily lives.

The initiative is organised by the Social Science Sector Plan teams Societal Transitions and Behaviour Change (STaB) and Human Factors in New Technology (HINT).

This session

The threat to democracy and radicalisation

In this session, we will discuss how radicalisation and threats to democracy matter as they directly endanger the stability, freedom, and well-being of societies. At their core, democracies depend on trust, dialogue, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. When radicalisation takes hold—whether through extremist ideologies, political polarisation, or disinformation—it erodes these foundations, replacing compromise with confrontation and cooperation with division. This not only fuels social unrest but also weakens democratic institutions, making them vulnerable to manipulation, authoritarianism, or even collapse.

Understanding radicalisation and threats to democracy is important because these issues impact every aspect of society. Professionals—from educators and policymakers to tech developers and law enforcement—must recognise early warning signs, design inclusive policies, and counter misinformation to protect communities and institutions. Everyday Citizens play a vital role by staying informed, rejecting extremist rhetoric, and participating in civic life to uphold democratic values. Ignoring these threats risks normalising division, enabling authoritarianism, and undermining collective progress. By fostering awareness and resilience, everyone can help safeguard freedom, social cohesion, and the systems that ensure fairness and opportunity for all.

Citizens, experts and researchers are welcome to join!

REGISTER FOR FREE (Limited spots available)

Speakers

Speaker

Prof. Dr. Eva Walther

Walther is Head of the Department of Social Psychology of the University of Trier. She and her team are investigating human experience and behaviour in a social context at the intersection of social psychology, political psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology and environmental psychology. With a particular focus on attitudes, how they arise, how they can be changed and how they are related to behaviour. In the context of political psychology, we investigate, for example, which boundary conditions (e.g. needs, emotions) underlie right-wing radicalisation.

Moderator

Dr. Maximilian A. Friehs

Friehs works at the University of Twente (NL) in the section of Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety. After getting his PhD from Trier University (GER), he worked at the Human-Computer-Interaction Lab at the University of Saskatchewan (CAN), the Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (GER) in the Cognition & Plasticity Group, as well as the School of Psychology at University College Dublin (IRE). Over the last years, he collaborated with researchers around the globe on a multitude of projects ranging from fundamental research on the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognitive control to investigating how motivation can shape performance and how games can shape motivation or experiences.

Panellists

Dr. Ruud Jacobs

Jacobs is an assistant professor in communication and technology at the Department of Communication Science. Ruud's research is mediapsychological, focusing on the interplay of people and media. He obtained his PhD in 2017 on the persuasive effects of digital games. He is interested in the 'serious' effects of and motivations to use media typically seen as part of entertainment, such as games and reviews.

Dr. Le-Anh Long

Long is an assistant professor of Public Administration at the University of Twente (Netherlands). She studies how institutional arrangements shape policy action. More specifically, she examines policy innovation in the context of rapidly evolving socio-technical environments, which are prone to disruption. She is especially interested in the role of cities, in their capacity as laboratories of democracy, which contribute new solutions through policy experimentation. Focusing on complex challenges like climate change, cyber security, and immigration, she aims to shed light on the conditions under which policy actors (e.g. actors, organisations, and networks) can pursue policies that anticipate, prevent, adapt, or transform in response to disruptions, be they technological, social, or natural. 

Programme

Location: DesignLab - Inform

If you want to book a meeting with Prof. Dr. Eva Walther, make sure to contact Dr. Maximilian A. Friehs. There are available slots from 13.00 to 14.00.