KU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics, along with Monash University via the Research Talent Accelerator Fellowship program, are teaming up to host an in-person conference on KU's campus this summer, bringing together a group of both international and US-based university faculty for several days of discussions centered on the state of civility in contemporary politics.

The idea of civility often features prominently in public debate—or, rather, allegations of incivility do. Civility is generally considered an essential public virtue, and yet many are concerned that it is gradually disappearing. Politics, it is often argued, has become increasingly less civil and characterized by heated interactions and ‘wars of words’ (Bejan 2017, 1). This state of affairs is only worsened by growing levels of political polarization along partisan lines. Demands for civility are advanced from all sides, but disagreement remains on what civility entails, and how it can best be promoted in the political arena. 

This conference aims to address these challenges by providing a forum for interdisciplinary debate on civility and incivility in contemporary politics and, in the longer term, to establish an international network of scholars working in this field. Participation is encouraged and open to anyone interested in engagement as we explore this important and timely topic.